shawnhcorey

I have two recommendations to think like a villain. by . This is an instruction book for new princes but will work for any would-be world conqueror. It gives practical, that is, ruthless advice on power; how to gain it and how to maintain it. by . Loads of advice about war but they also can be applied to political power.

The original:

You mean the "Site User Guide" buried 3 levels deep? How about a link next to the username labelled "Help"?

I must be blind. I don't see a help link anywhere on this page.

Perhaps the site needs a FAQ.

I'm beginning to think this is the nature of PbP. In TT, you play for several hours but in PbP, you need several minutes to get into the game and then make one post. I think it's this short term effort that causes the most problem with PbP.

The campaign is larger than the PCs but the PCs are the focus of the campaign for a time. Other groups will be the focus in their time.

I played games where there was no PC death and they were interesting. In one game, we were all siblings and someone had stolen father's spell book. He announced that whoever returned his book, without killing your siblings, would be his heir. We had great fun chasing down the thief while sabotaging our siblings efforts. In another game, we were a lord's tail. We hung around the capital showing off the lord's colours and proving we were the best (by beating up other lords' tails). Any killing would be investigated as murder by the king's guards. Then our lord was accused of a crime and we had to find (or manufacture) evidence that he didn't do it, mainly by proving (or framing) some other lord did it. In these games, the PCs couldn't kill and character death, altho possible, was not likely. Games can be interesting when the players cannot kill and their deaths unlikely.

I would change rule 8 to read: make the opportunity for the players to do awesome stuff. Give them 15 minutes of fame as much as possible. After all, the PCs are suppose to be the heroes of the story. So make sure there are opportunities for them to use their skills and talents to be awesome.

GMs have to motivate the players first, then then PCs. What sort of character did the player choose? What is their strengths? Their weaknesses? These tell the GM what sort of adventures may intrigue the player. Adventures that highlight the characters' strengths will allow the player to be a hero. Adventures that challenges their weaknesses will give great satisfaction to the player when they are overcome.

Nobody is ever ready. The best thing you can do is simply Do It.

This may interest you.

With the holiday season upon us, I don't have much time to dedicate to GURPS. Sad. :(

 What editions of GURPS are you interested in playing? 5th edition. (But I'll settle for 4th. 😁) Are you interested as a player, a GM, or both? Both. Do you want to be mentioned in new GURPS games? Sure. What experience do you have with GURPS? Played some 3rd and 4th editions.

MASTER FINN STATISTICS Name: Master Finn (150) Primary Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 9 [-20]; HT 10 [0]; Secondary Attributes: Will 9 [0]; Fright Check 11 [0]; Per 9 [0]; Vision 9 [0]; Hearing 9 [0]; Taste & Smell 9 [0]; Touch 9 [0]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; High Jump (in) 20 [0]; when running 80 [0]; Broad Jump (ft) 7 [0]; when running 27 [0]; Point Pools: FP 10 / 10 [0]; HP 10 / 10 [0]; Conditional Modifiers: +6 on all IQ rolls to wake up or to recover from surprise or mental stun; +6 on all rolls to keep your feet if the surface is wet, slippery or unstable; +4 on DX and DX-based skill rolls to keep your feet or avoid being knocked down in combat; +1 to all HT rolls to stay conscious, avoid death, resist disease, or resist poison; +1 to initiative rolls for your side (+2 if you are the leader); +2 to Stealth if moving (even in armor, etc.); +4 to Stealth when you are perfectly motionless; Advantages: Catfall 2 [11]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Damage Resistance 2 [3]; Enhanced Dodge 2 [14]; Enhanced Move (ground) 2 [18]; Fit [5]; Healing 2 [27]; Perfect Balance [14]; Psionics Talent 2 [10]; Silence 2 [5]; Super Climbing 2 [3]; Trained by a Master [30]; Disadvantages: Pacifism: Self-Defense Only [-15]; Poor [-15]; Quirks: Quirk: Broad-Minded [-1]; Quirk: Careful [-1]; Quirk: Code of Honor [-1]; Quirk: Humble [-1]; Quirk: Responsive [-1]; Skills: Area Knowledge 1 (Bandit Kingdoms; Lived there: +1 for native) IQ+0 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (Greyhawk) IQ+0 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (Kingdom of Furyondy) IQ+0 [1]-9; Climbing DX+0 [1]-11; Diplomacy IQ-2 [1]-7; First Aid/TL3 IQ+1 [1]-10; Hiking HT-1 [1]-9; Holdout IQ-1 [1]-8; Judo DX+0 [4]-11; Karate DX+1 [8]-12; Naturalist IQ-2 [1]-7; Savoir-Faire (Village) IQ+0 [1]-9; Scrounging Per+0 [1]-9; Singing HT+0 [1]-10; Sling DX-2 [1]-9; Staff DX-1 [1]-10; Stealth DX-1 [1]-10; Streetwise IQ-1 [1]-8; Survival (plains) Per-1 [1]-8; Swimming HT+0 [1]-10;   Finn is surprised by the hardest of its shell. Hope that hurt you more than me, he thinks. He dodges the creatures counter-attack.

MASTER FINN STATISTICS Name: Master Finn (150) Primary Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 9 [-20]; HT 10 [0]; Secondary Attributes: Will 9 [0]; Fright Check 11 [0]; Per 9 [0]; Vision 9 [0]; Hearing 9 [0]; Taste & Smell 9 [0]; Touch 9 [0]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; High Jump (in) 20 [0]; when running 80 [0]; Broad Jump (ft) 7 [0]; when running 27 [0]; Point Pools: FP 10 / 10 [0]; HP 10 / 10 [0]; Conditional Modifiers: +6 on all IQ rolls to wake up or to recover from surprise or mental stun; +6 on all rolls to keep your feet if the surface is wet, slippery or unstable; +4 on DX and DX-based skill rolls to keep your feet or avoid being knocked down in combat; +1 to all HT rolls to stay conscious, avoid death, resist disease, or resist poison; +1 to initiative rolls for your side (+2 if you are the leader); +2 to Stealth if moving (even in armor, etc.); +4 to Stealth when you are perfectly motionless; Advantages: Catfall 2 [11]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Damage Resistance 2 [3]; Enhanced Dodge 2 [14]; Enhanced Move (ground) 2 [18]; Fit [5]; Healing 2 [27]; Perfect Balance [14]; Psionics Talent 2 [10]; Silence 2 [5]; Super Climbing 2 [3]; Trained by a Master [30]; Disadvantages: Pacifism: Self-Defense Only [-15]; Poor [-15]; Quirks: Quirk: Broad-Minded [-1]; Quirk: Careful [-1]; Quirk: Code of Honor [-1]; Quirk: Humble [-1]; Quirk: Responsive [-1]; Skills: Area Knowledge 1 (Bandit Kingdoms; Lived there: +1 for native) IQ+0 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (Greyhawk) IQ+0 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (Kingdom of Furyondy) IQ+0 [1]-9; Climbing DX+0 [1]-11; Diplomacy IQ-2 [1]-7; First Aid/TL3 IQ+1 [1]-10; Hiking HT-1 [1]-9; Holdout IQ-1 [1]-8; Judo DX+0 [4]-11; Karate DX+1 [8]-12; Naturalist IQ-2 [1]-7; Savoir-Faire (Village) IQ+0 [1]-9; Scrounging Per+0 [1]-9; Singing HT+0 [1]-10; Sling DX-2 [1]-9; Staff DX-1 [1]-10; Stealth DX-1 [1]-10; Streetwise IQ-1 [1]-8; Survival (plains) Per-1 [1]-8; Swimming HT+0 [1]-10;   Finn makes it to the doorway where he finally sees the true danger. He pauses to assess the situation. He drops the burnt torch and rushes to attack. OOCThe dice roll should be labelled "Punch attack" but I can't find a way to edit it. 😞

I find myself in a quandary. Finn is about to find out what's really going on and his first thought will be to rush into the fight. But Arwi has already shouted to the others to get out. So there's likely to be a collision between Finn going in and the others coming out. So how should I handle this? Should Finn go rushing in and possibly hamper the others in their actions or should he remembers that others may be coming out and proceed with caution? How does everyone feel about this?

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Airman's Odyssey

I agree. Look at the PCs' abilities, goals, and flaws. Then provide a hint as to what they might try next. The best stories always progress when propelled by the character motives. Try to give a lead for the PCs to follow.

MASTER FINN STATISTICS Name: Master Finn (150) Primary Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 9 [-20]; HT 10 [0]; Secondary Attributes: Will 9 [0]; Fright Check 11 [0]; Per 9 [0]; Vision 9 [0]; Hearing 9 [0]; Taste & Smell 9 [0]; Touch 9 [0]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; High Jump (in) 20 [0]; when running 80 [0]; Broad Jump (ft) 7 [0]; when running 27 [0]; Point Pools: FP 10 / 10 [0]; HP 10 / 10 [0]; Conditional Modifiers: +6 on all IQ rolls to wake up or to recover from surprise or mental stun; +6 on all rolls to keep your feet if the surface is wet, slippery or unstable; +4 on DX and DX-based skill rolls to keep your feet or avoid being knocked down in combat; +1 to all HT rolls to stay conscious, avoid death, resist disease, or resist poison; +1 to initiative rolls for your side (+2 if you are the leader); +2 to Stealth if moving (even in armor, etc.); +4 to Stealth when you are perfectly motionless; Advantages: Catfall 2 [11]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Damage Resistance 2 [3]; Enhanced Dodge 2 [14]; Enhanced Move (ground) 2 [18]; Fit [5]; Healing 2 [27]; Perfect Balance [14]; Psionics Talent 2 [10]; Silence 2 [5]; Super Climbing 2 [3]; Trained by a Master [30]; Disadvantages: Pacifism: Self-Defense Only [-15]; Poor [-15]; Quirks: Quirk: Broad-Minded [-1]; Quirk: Careful [-1]; Quirk: Code of Honor [-1]; Quirk: Humble [-1]; Quirk: Responsive [-1]; Skills: Area Knowledge 1 (Bandit Kingdoms; Lived there: +1 for native) IQ+0 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (Greyhawk) IQ+0 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (Kingdom of Furyondy) IQ+0 [1]-9; Climbing DX+0 [1]-11; Diplomacy IQ-2 [1]-7; First Aid/TL3 IQ+1 [1]-10; Hiking HT-1 [1]-9; Holdout IQ-1 [1]-8; Judo DX+0 [4]-11; Karate DX+1 [8]-12; Naturalist IQ-2 [1]-7; Savoir-Faire (Village) IQ+0 [1]-9; Scrounging Per+0 [1]-9; Singing HT+0 [1]-10; Sling DX-2 [1]-9; Staff DX-1 [1]-10; Stealth DX-1 [1]-10; Streetwise IQ-1 [1]-8; Survival (plains) Per-1 [1]-8; Swimming HT+0 [1]-10;   Finn hears the noise and feels the rumbling in the ground. What could have happened? he wonders. He sees the dust billow out of the main building. Could the roof have fallen in? He rushes to the doorway to help.

It looks like it tacked the second roll onto the end of the list. 1st roll: [6,2,1] = 9 2nd roll: [6,2,1,6] The last 6 plus 3 is 9, which is the second 9 in the rolls column.

MASTER FINN STATISTICS Name: Master Finn (150) Primary Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 9 [-20]; HT 10 [0]; Secondary Attributes: Will 9 [0]; Fright Check 11 [0]; Per 9 [0]; Vision 9 [0]; Hearing 9 [0]; Taste & Smell 9 [0]; Touch 9 [0]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; High Jump (in) 20 [0]; when running 80 [0]; Broad Jump (ft) 7 [0]; when running 27 [0]; Point Pools: FP 10 / 10 [0]; HP 10 / 10 [0]; Conditional Modifiers: +6 on all IQ rolls to wake up or to recover from surprise or mental stun; +6 on all rolls to keep your feet if the surface is wet, slippery or unstable; +4 on DX and DX-based skill rolls to keep your feet or avoid being knocked down in combat; +1 to all HT rolls to stay conscious, avoid death, resist disease, or resist poison; +1 to initiative rolls for your side (+2 if you are the leader); +2 to Stealth if moving (even in armor, etc.); +4 to Stealth when you are perfectly motionless; Advantages: Catfall 2 [11]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Damage Resistance 2 [3]; Enhanced Dodge 2 [14]; Enhanced Move (ground) 2 [18]; Fit [5]; Healing 2 [27]; Perfect Balance [14]; Psionics Talent 2 [10]; Silence 2 [5]; Super Climbing 2 [3]; Trained by a Master [30]; Disadvantages: Pacifism: Self-Defense Only [-15]; Poor [-15]; Quirks: Quirk: Broad-Minded [-1]; Quirk: Careful [-1]; Quirk: Code of Honor [-1]; Quirk: Humble [-1]; Quirk: Responsive [-1]; Skills: Area Knowledge 1 (Bandit Kingdoms; Lived there: +1 for native) IQ+0 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (Greyhawk) IQ+0 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (Kingdom of Furyondy) IQ+0 [1]-9; Climbing DX+0 [1]-11; Diplomacy IQ-2 [1]-7; First Aid/TL3 IQ+1 [1]-10; Hiking HT-1 [1]-9; Holdout IQ-1 [1]-8; Judo DX+0 [4]-11; Karate DX+1 [8]-12; Naturalist IQ-2 [1]-7; Savoir-Faire (Village) IQ+0 [1]-9; Scrounging Per+0 [1]-9; Singing HT+0 [1]-10; Sling DX-2 [1]-9; Staff DX-1 [1]-10; Stealth DX-1 [1]-10; Streetwise IQ-1 [1]-8; Survival (plains) Per-1 [1]-8; Swimming HT+0 [1]-10;   Finn enters the shed, using the burnt torch to poke and prod. He flips over any small items to make sure there are no worms under them. Occasionally he looks up to see if anything might drop on him.

MASTER FINN STATISTICS Name: Master Finn (150) Primary Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 9 [-20]; HT 10 [0]; Secondary Attributes: Will 9 [0]; Fright Check 11 [0]; Per 9 [0]; Vision 9 [0]; Hearing 9 [0]; Taste & Smell 9 [0]; Touch 9 [0]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; High Jump (in) 20 [0]; when running 80 [0]; Broad Jump (ft) 7 [0]; when running 27 [0]; Point Pools: FP 10 / 10 [0]; HP 10 / 10 [0]; Conditional Modifiers: +6 on all IQ rolls to wake up or to recover from surprise or mental stun; +6 on all rolls to keep your feet if the surface is wet, slippery or unstable; +4 on DX and DX-based skill rolls to keep your feet or avoid being knocked down in combat; +1 to all HT rolls to stay conscious, avoid death, resist disease, or resist poison; +1 to initiative rolls for your side (+2 if you are the leader); +2 to Stealth if moving (even in armor, etc.); +4 to Stealth when you are perfectly motionless; Advantages: Catfall 2 [11]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Damage Resistance 2 [3]; Enhanced Dodge 2 [14]; Enhanced Move (ground) 2 [18]; Fit [5]; Healing 2 [27]; Perfect Balance [14]; Psionics Talent 2 [10]; Silence 2 [5]; Super Climbing 2 [3]; Trained by a Master [30]; Disadvantages: Pacifism: Self-Defense Only [-15]; Poor [-15]; Quirks: Quirk: Broad-Minded [-1]; Quirk: Careful [-1]; Quirk: Code of Honor [-1]; Quirk: Humble [-1]; Quirk: Responsive [-1]; Skills: Area Knowledge 1 (Bandit Kingdoms; Lived there: +1 for native) IQ+0 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (Greyhawk) IQ+0 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (Kingdom of Furyondy) IQ+0 [1]-9; Climbing DX+0 [1]-11; Diplomacy IQ-2 [1]-7; First Aid/TL3 IQ+1 [1]-10; Hiking HT-1 [1]-9; Holdout IQ-1 [1]-8; Judo DX+0 [4]-11; Karate DX+1 [8]-12; Naturalist IQ-2 [1]-7; Savoir-Faire (Village) IQ+0 [1]-9; Scrounging Per+0 [1]-9; Singing HT+0 [1]-10; Sling DX-2 [1]-9; Staff DX-1 [1]-10; Stealth DX-1 [1]-10; Streetwise IQ-1 [1]-8; Survival (plains) Per-1 [1]-8; Swimming HT+0 [1]-10;   Master Finn notices Arwi pointing to the shed. He moves a few paces in that direction. He prefers to be in the open because if the worms jump at him, he can freely dodge. He moves far enough away from the group so any jumping worms that miss him will not land amongst the others.

MASTER FINN STATISTICS Name: Master Finn (150) Primary Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 9 [-20]; HT 10 [0]; Secondary Attributes: Will 9 [0]; Fright Check 11 [0]; Per 9 [0]; Vision 9 [0]; Hearing 9 [0]; Taste & Smell 9 [0]; Touch 9 [0]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; High Jump (in) 20 [0]; when running 80 [0]; Broad Jump (ft) 7 [0]; when running 27 [0]; Point Pools: FP 10 / 10 [0]; HP 10 / 10 [0]; Conditional Modifiers: +6 on all IQ rolls to wake up or to recover from surprise or mental stun; +6 on all rolls to keep your feet if the surface is wet, slippery or unstable; +4 on DX and DX-based skill rolls to keep your feet or avoid being knocked down in combat; +1 to all HT rolls to stay conscious, avoid death, resist disease, or resist poison; +1 to initiative rolls for your side (+2 if you are the leader); +2 to Stealth if moving (even in armor, etc.); +4 to Stealth when you are perfectly motionless; Advantages: Catfall 2 [11]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Damage Resistance 2 [3]; Enhanced Dodge 2 [14]; Enhanced Move (ground) 2 [18]; Fit [5]; Healing 2 [27]; Perfect Balance [14]; Psionics Talent 2 [10]; Silence 2 [5]; Super Climbing 2 [3]; Trained by a Master [30]; Disadvantages: Pacifism: Self-Defense Only [-15]; Poor [-15]; Quirks: Quirk: Broad-Minded [-1]; Quirk: Careful [-1]; Quirk: Code of Honor [-1]; Quirk: Humble [-1]; Quirk: Responsive [-1]; Skills: Area Knowledge 1 (Bandit Kingdoms; Lived there: +1 for native) IQ+0 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (Greyhawk) IQ+0 [1]-9; Area Knowledge (Kingdom of Furyondy) IQ+0 [1]-9; Climbing DX+0 [1]-11; Diplomacy IQ-2 [1]-7; First Aid/TL3 IQ+1 [1]-10; Hiking HT-1 [1]-9; Holdout IQ-1 [1]-8; Judo DX+0 [4]-11; Karate DX+1 [8]-12; Naturalist IQ-2 [1]-7; Savoir-Faire (Village) IQ+0 [1]-9; Scrounging Per+0 [1]-9; Singing HT+0 [1]-10; Sling DX-2 [1]-9; Staff DX-1 [1]-10; Stealth DX-1 [1]-10; Streetwise IQ-1 [1]-8; Survival (plains) Per-1 [1]-8; Swimming HT+0 [1]-10;   Not being able to think of anything better to do, he tags along with the group approaching the farmhouse.