GURPS - Cyberworld, Spectral Bridge

 GURPS Cyberworld was released initially released in 1993. It followed the GURPS Cyberpunk product by two or three years. Cyberworld is marketed as a campaign setting for the earlier product but it differs in the technology level that is presented there. The Cyberworld technology level is that of a lower level. It does not have all of the "cyber" that is present in the earlier product.

The world that is presented in Cyberworld is one that differs from many of the worlds i have seen in other settings for the genre. The book focuses mainly on the what passes for the United States of America. The premise is that due to a ever increasing downward spiral of events that the United States has become a dictatorship with only the facade of democracy.

The history it puts forth starts in 1993 when the book was originally released and goes forward to 2043. There are some interesting ideas and events put forth in the timeline they suggest. There are even some events that eerily seem to mirror events that have occurred, are in the process of occurring or might have occurred if things would have gone just a bit different. The turning point in the history takes place in a series of events that result from the election of 2008.

The world of Cyberworld is not one that I would want to live in nor adventure in. Please do not take this as a statement that the product is bad. This is not the case at all. The book does a great job of describing the history leading up to and then actually laying out a dystopian future. The world it presents is very much akin to that of "V for Vendetta" but set in the United States. As an aside I am having to fight breaking out into social commentary here.

I think the setting put forth in Cyberworld would be one that I would not use for a Cyberpunk setting at all. I personally feel that the Cyberpunk setting is much better geared towards the person and not the geopolitical. The setting of Cyberworld would be a great one for a modern based game. It might even be that of a Cyberpunk world but with the focus taken off of the individual and put on the broader picture of society as whole but I think that is a stretch.

I would say that this is a product worth having but not one that I would use as it was marketed. I hate using the d20 references but I am going to have to say that this would make a great d20 modern setting. It could even be called a future alternate setting for the Damnation Decade or something along that lines. This history portion alone is a good read and like I said in some cases it came close and still could be prophetic in others.

From the back of the book:

Life is Cheap on the Edge

GURPS Cyberworld is your guide to the world of the One-and-Twenty, where the United States is under the totalitarian hold of the Provisional Government, the cities are floundering in their own decay and technology races faster and faster.

This book has everything players and GMs need to explore a dangerous and brutal world. If you're quick enough, you can outwit the black-clad Nerks, get enough cred and connections to fix yourself up with some street cyberwear, and maybe even jack into the global net and poke around for some easy loot. But if the korp console jockeys catch you in part of the matrix, you'll be dodging zeromen for the rest of your short life.


Spell:

Spectral Bridge

Level: Second
Range: 3"
Duration: 1 Turn + 1 Round/Level
Area of Effect: Special
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: One Round
Saving Throw: None

When this spell is cast the magic user will cause a spectral bridge to come into being. The bridge though appearing to me ghostly in nature will in reality be very sturdy and will support virtually any weight that would be put upon it.

The actual appearance of the bridge can be specified by the caster. It can range from a flimsy rope bridge to that of a ornate bridge built by artisan architects. The result will be the same mechanically but the appearance may affect how others proceed. The bridge can be a maximum length of 30 feet plus 10 feet per level of the caster. The maximum width of the 50 feet.

Except where the fears of the individual might come into play there is nothing that will make using the bridge dangerous if the caster wants you to be crossing it. The caster can not affect individuals crossing the bridge but they can cancel the bridge at anytime of their choosing prior to the normal expiration of the spell.

The material component of this spell will be a small mock up of any type of bridge. The components are not sued up with the casting of the spell and may be reused.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit. 

GURPS - Vikings, Summon Pests

I am not sure how many GURPS books there actually are. I have  better than one hundred though there is an occasional duplicate  and I am certain I don't have them all. Most of these I may never  get a chance to use but they are still good to have. I have  written about the Russia offering earlier as well as Riverworld.  I have found the historical books to be some of the better  products in the GURP's line.

Vikings was released initially in 1991 and was written by Graeme  Davis. It is 128 pages long which seems to be right along the  lines as far as page counts for these books go. There as been at  least one other if not two other versions of the book released. I  do not have the later copies but I would expect them to be almost  the same. I prefer the cover to the older version which is the  one above to the newer one.

Even though the name of the book is Vikings it actually deals  with the entirety of the Norse world. The books is divided into  eleven different chapters. Each one takes on either an aspect of  the Norse world historically or how to utilize it in a campaign.  The art in the book is sparse and is used to accent the topic  being covered. I am not sure if this changed in later printings  but the book does not focus on the art.

Chapter One deals with the Viking world. It covers the various  aspects of the Norse society including topics along the lines of  social classes ideals and and Viking law. It also covers the  lands that would be considered part of the Viking world including  Scandinavia, Denmark and Iceland. It also covers the various  types of settlements that would have been common. One aspect of the  GURPS books I have liked are the sidebars they use. In this  chapter the one of Viking proverbs is especially nice.

The second chapter deals with characters. The chapter is a blend  of historical information and information used to create a Viking  character. The chapter discusses the real world topics of  appearance, names and economics. It also has the additional  information used for the character portion of GURPS that makes  the supplement its own. These include specific advantage and  disadvantages as well as quirks and skills. It then ends with a  sample character.

In the third chapter the topic is one that would be near and dear  to every viking, that of combat. The chapter covers the typical  types of weapons and armor that would have been part of the Norse  world. It covers both hand and ranged weapons. There is also  extensive rules provided for mass combat. I found this portion of  the chapter to be interesting and something that a DM could  utilize outside of the theme with a little effort.

Chapter Four deals with the history of the Viking world. It  starts with the of the Vikings discussing their origin. It then  covers the roles that the Vikings played throughout their history  covering the roles of raider, trader, conqueror and finally  explorer. In all the chapter covers the era from the eighth to  twelfth century.

The fifth chapter covers the Viking Campaign. It starts with  discussing some defining ideas these will be the magic and  violence levels. It next discusses the ideas of the campaign  style. These are based on a combination of the levels of violence  (two) and the level of magic (three) giving six different  options. It then discusses three specific types of campaign ideas  fleshing them out in more detail. This section includes a sidebar  on Ten Things You Thought You Knew About Vikings which is very  interesting.

In chapter six the topic of discussion is that of the Norse  deities. I personally find the Norse deities and their stories  much more interesting the those of the Greeks and Romans. The  chapter discusses that Thor, Tyr and Odin are the three major  deities and the others serve in a lesser role in the Norse  society. The chapter has some interesting information but I think  the sidebars here are just as good as the main material. The  information on the world origin and cosmos design will be of  extra help to a DM designing a campaign.

Chapter Seven deals with magic in the Norse world. This is one of  the three defining elements of the campaign mentioned earlier. The level of magic allowed will be determined by that. In the  historic campaign there will most likely be no magic. The  fantastic and mythic campaign will each allow for increasing  levels of magic. The chapter discusses how best to handle this.  It also provides information on two specific types of magic. The  two new types being introduced are shapeshifting and rune magic.  It also has material on the magic items that could possibly be  lent by the deities.

The eighth chapter is the Norse Bestiary. Much as with magic the  Norse campaign will have limited fantasy elements in the way of  creatures. Unless playing a fantastic or mythic there will not be  any races other than humans. The creatures allowed in will depend  on this as well. There are discussions on creatures that could be  allowed under each and even then it is somewhat limited. It  discusses Dwarves and Alvar (Elves) as well as Trolls and Giants.  It then deals with the supernatural creatures including Grendel.  It then finishes off discussing divine creatures, dragons and the  undead.

In chapter nine the topic of discussion will be friends and foes.  The chapter discusses the other various peoples that the Norse  would or could have dealings with in a campaign. These range from  the Saxons to Arabs to Inuits. As explorers or raiders the  ability to interact with most of the world was an option.

Chapter Ten takes a nautical theme. This was as much as anything  part of the Norse world. The chapter discusses the ships that  would be common for characters to use and be on. The next topic  discussed is ship handling and sea battles. The final portions  of the chapter deal with actual sea voyages and with river  travel. The sidebars here deal with some interesting topics that  could be used outside the genre. The rules on storms at sea seem  very much something that could be used by any DM.

In the final chapter we get some information on adventure  threads. In keeping with the different types of campaigns we are  presented with hooks for each of the three types based on magic  level. Most of these are specific to the Norse world but some  could be adapted into other campaigns with some work while some  are generic enough to adopt as is.

The book ends with a glossary, bibliography including movies and  an index. In this case the newer version might be a bit better  but that is just conjecture. The book is a good read even if it  is never going to be used but then I have always been fascinated  with the Norse world so your mileage may vary.

From the back cover:

"Loot! Pillage! Burn!"

"From the fury of the Norsemen, oh Lord, deliver us!" So prayed  the Irish monks.

To the victims of a Viking raid, the Norsemen were bearded giants  with bloody axes. But the Viking was much more. He was a skilled  navigator and a brave explorer and trader. He was a fighter to  whom honor and reputation were far more important than life. He  was a free man in an age of petty tyranny. He was a dreamer whose  songs and stories live even today. And yes, he was a bloody- handed sea rover who took what he wanted!

This book is a complete guide to the Norse world. It includes  maps, historical background, and details on society and religion.  A separate chapter discusses Norse magic and runes. The new  edition also provide templates for playing the magical races of  Viking lore as player characters, and expands the number of  campaign options available.

You can game any sort of Viking campaign, from fully realistic to  magical and cinematic. Create a historical campaign, with sea  battles, duels and bloody raids – or become a legendary berserker  for mythic adventures with Thor and Odin!

You may live, you may die. No man knows his fate. But act bravely  and the skalds will sing of your deeds forever.


Spell:

Summon Pests

Level: First
Range: 6"
Duration: One Round/Level
Area of Effect: One Creature
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 2 Segments
Saving Throw: Special

When this spell is cast the magic user causes a large number of  small mystical creatures to appear. These will in most ways  resemble fireflies but are not living creatures.

The summoned creatures will be made to pester one creature when  summoned. These creatures will surround the target and cause them  a high level of distraction. In addition to obstructing view they  will bite and sting the target. These will cause no damage or  have no affect other than to distract.

While being distracted the target will suffer a -2 to all rolls  (except where a +2 would be worse). The target is not entitled to  a saving throw for this except when casting spells. Due to the  nature of the distraction spell casting will not be possible  unless the target makes a saving throw versus magic. A saving  throw must be made each time a spell is being cast by the target.  Fails and saves to not carry forward from round to round.

The material component of this spell will be the remains of some  pest or annoying insect. The remains will be destroyed with the  casting of the spell.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the  write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the  80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other  than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be  slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of  spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on  me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please  let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

GURPS - Russia, Omnivision

GURPS allows the GM to run all most anything provided that they have the source material for it. Steve Jackson Games (SJG) has been good about providing source material for the GM. Some of these end up being more desirable and harder to find than others. Russia is one that seems to be on the harder to find end of the spectrum and having seen the information inside I can see why. The book mentions a limited run of 2000 but I am not sure if it was expanded upon.

Russia does not deal with the Russia that we know today or even the one we knew before the Iron Curtain was lifted ever so slightly. This book deals with Russia from the 10th century to the 18th century. This would best be called medieval or Old Russia.

After the Introduction the first section is Mother Russia. This section lays the groundwork for the society, culture and environmental features that will be important later in the book. The topics covered are below. It is important to note that throughout the book there are amazing little sidebars that offset important information or items of interest that will add color to the campaign.

The Russian Village
City Life in Old Russia
Social Organization
The Cossacks
Moscow
Other Cities
Geography
Climate

The second section Russians deals largly with the character generation. This is mostly GURPS specific information but the details could be extracted for use in other systems. Another color item for the book are the quotes that are present at the beginning of the chapters. They help identify how the rest of the world say Russia and Russians during certain times. The sections in the second chapter are below.

Appearance
Names
Character types
Advantages
New Advantages
Disadvantages
Skills
New Skills
Wealth and Status
Job Table
Technology, Equipment and Weapons
Equipment

The third chapter deals with Russian History. This may be one of the most interesting potions of the book to many. I myself learned things about Russia that I did not know and except for this book would most likely not have known. I have to hope that it is accurate if I am ever on Jeopardy and Russian History is a topic. Another item to note is that the art in the book is well done and used to accentuate the topics being covered and not just thrown in to fill space. The sections in chapter three are below.

Prologue: Slavs and Varangians
The Rus and Kiev
Years of Early Growth
Vladimir
The Latter Days of Kievan Russia
The Mongols Arrive
The Heart Awakening
The Climax
The Muscovite Era
The Beginning of the End
Russian Timeline

In the fourth chapter, Religion, we are presented with the history of religion in Russia. There chapter covers this nicely and the focus is on Christianity but it also covers the older and less well known options that the citizens of Old Russia might practice. The sections here are:

Russian Orthodoxy
The Slavic Earth-Cult
Dvoeverie As A Dramatic Device

Fantasy Russia is the topic for the fifth chapter. This was most likely my second favorite chapter and may be the one that most GMs will find useful. This section covers perhaps the most famous entity from Russian mythology Baba Yaga. The full list of sections in this chapter follow.

Location in Fantasy Russia
Roleplaying Folklore
Russian Magic
Magical Objects from Russian Folklore
Prominent People

The sixth chapter is a short one. It is the Bestiary section of the the book. There are two sections here. The first deals with the Natural Creatures that will be present in Old Russia. The second section deals with Supernatural Creatures. There are some interesting entries in this section. I for one wish that there had been a little more material presented in this section. I find it hard to believe that a country the size of Russia can have the bestiary section be less than three pages long. The section on supernatural creatures was almost twice the size so that at least was a positive.

The seventh and final chapter deals with the running of a Russian campaign. It begins by pointing out that there is no right or wrong campaign to run. It makes the distinct point that one of the important decisions is the reality level of the campaign. The primary point of contention is do you run a historical or mythical campaign. Finally the chapter presents the GM with a number of short adventures they can use. There is a good mix of historical, fantasy and even some cross-over campaign ideas.

If you have any interest in running a Russian based campaign this would be one of the best resources you can find among gaming material. At Origins I was able to land a copy of Rus which would be another excellent resource but I have not had a chance to fully read it yet. That aside if you can pick this book up reasonably don't hesitate.

Spell:

Omnivision

Level: Fourth
Range: 6"
Duration: 1 Turn Level
Ares Effect: Special
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 4 Segments
Saving Throw: None

By means of this spell the magic-user grants themselves the ability to see in the whole visible spectrum of light. In game terms this will grant the caster both  infravision and ultravision. The caster also has a percentage chance to see  invisible and out of phase objects. If the caster spends a full round there  is a 25% cumulative chance that they will be able to bring into focus beings  that are out of phase and a 50% chance to see invisible creatures.

As the caster gains levels they are ability to allow others this ability as  well. For every two levels over seventh the caster is able to grant this  ability to another creature that is within sixty feet of them.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups  last, were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology  may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I  did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any  duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If  anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in  advance and all I ask is proper credit.

GURPS - Riverworld, Mass Suggestion

GURPS though not the best system overall does what it is supposed to do. It is open enough to allow for any setting to be played under it. It might even be suggested that in today's litigious society that SJG could sue TSR/WotC for patent infringement with the idea of D20.The settings available under GURPS is nothing short of amazing. I have many but not all and I think at last count I had 59 different settings or World ideas and  maybe half that again in supplements.

The one I am putting up today is Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld. For those not familiar with the story I can not recommend it enough. Do yourself a favor and do not watch either of the made for TV movies the ScyFy Channel released though. The premise is simple enough to start with...everyone who has ever lived wakes up on the planet after dying....but all at about the same time. It is a river ranging from a few hundred yards to maybe more than a mile wide in points. There is more too it than that and the story is the quest by a the protagonists to uncover the mystery and more than that. I won't spoil it more than I have. There were three books in the original series though I think one or may two more have been written. This world would pose a great collaborative fiction setting if allowed.  The game is very good the books are great. Both deserve a place on your shelves.

Spell:

Mass Suggestion

Level: Sixth
Range: 6"
Duration: 6 Turns + 6 Turns/level
Ares Effect: 1 Creature per 2/levels
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 Round
Saving Throw: Negates

This spell is in all ways similar to the singular variety of the spell except for casting time, creatures affected, the addition of a somatic component and an additional material component. The somatic portion is the designation of the desired targets and the material component is a gem of no less than 100gp in value for each creature over the first that is to be affected. The gem is consumed with the casting of the spell.

Each creature that is targeted by the spell is entitled to an individual saving throw. This has the same limitations of the original spell with additions based on the targets affected. The first creature to make a save attempt makes so as per the standard spell. If they fail then the next target is at a -1 or if the first person saved then they are at a +1 and so on down the line.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last, were all written up back in the 80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.