Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.gurps (
More info?)
>>>>> "FNS" == Felix N Steiner <felix.n.steiner@gmx.net> writes:
FNS> can anybody tell me, what are the differences between these
FNS> two editions? I googled a bit and it looks like if the 4th Ed
FNS> only is a small update. Some rules are organized in another
FNS> book, but mostly it's the same.
The basic concepts and mechanics are the same, but there are a lot of
minor tweaks and a few major tweaks. If you're playing characters at
low point values, you'll notice a few differences, most for the
better: new language rules, absence of PD, new rules for missile
weapons. If you're playing characters at high point values, you'll
notice more differences, also most for the better: in particular, the
system scales up better than it did before.
In either case you'll notice that the Basic Set has been very well
re-organized, and that alone comes close to being worth the price.
There's also been an emphasis on modularizing characters: templates
are now an official part of the Basic Set. This probably won't matter
much to experienced GURPS players, but the ability to restrict the set
of choices makes things a lot more accessible to novices.
FNS> So can I use my "old" 3rd Ed. Sourcebooks with the 4th Ed.
It depends on the sourcebook.
Some of them rely on things that have changed completely. Most of
Supers, for instance, is better handled by things in the new basic
rules. Vehicles is pretty much obsolete, and is slated for
replacement. Bestiary is probably adaptable, but the trend in 4th
edition is to build animals out of existing advantages, and 3/e
Bestiary doesn't do that.
Others are entirely usable, but need to be filtered through GURPS
Update and may have changes in point costs as a result. Cops, for
instance, is largely background information; the bulk of rule content
in it is templates, which translate easily -- and if they're just
being used as guidelines or inspiration, they don't really even need
to translate at all.
Some are in the middle, and a lot of these are the ones that have
special rules for different genres. GURPS Mage: the Ascension has
crunchy rules bits that need to be reworked for 4th edition. The
magic system in Spirits is borderline usable as written there, but
there are guidelines in Basic 4 for taking a similar approach but
based on the schools of standard GURPS magic.
FNS> Is the 4th Ed necessary at all?
If you're enjoying what you're doing, probably not immediately. A
reorganization of the 3/e rules, with the only changes being rules
clarifications, would have been worth the price, but 4/e is more than
that. Overall 4/e is a solid improvement over 3/e; whether that was
*necessary* or not is probably a matter of taste and opinion.
Charlton
--
cwilbur at chromatico dot net
cwilbur at mac dot com
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram