That long walkthrough of shotgun damage reminded me...
This is exactly the sort of thing people talk about when they say that GURPS is too complicated.
On the whole I tend to agree that GURPS is complicated, but I don't think it's overly complicated for what it's trying to do; and that's to be a core game for any genre.
What are the d20 rules for 20ga 2-3/4" 1 oz. #8 shot? Once you calculate everything does it come even close to passing a reality check?
I remember in Twilight 2000 a couple of my players took the scarcity of ammunition to heart and decided they'd carry swords. Seemed reasonable until I noticed that there weren't any rules for swords.
With GURPS I have rules for shotguns and swords, even though figuring out the shotgun load is complicated. Luckily it's only complicated once! After you go through the complicated process of figuring out the stats, you write them on the character sheet (or make your own weapon table) and it's done and now it's on one simple table.
Still, sometimes the rules as written are awkward. Like in the #8 shot problem: it seemed as if a t-shirt made you immune to the effects of a 20ga shotgun less than three feet from your chest. You've got to notice and or remember the blunt trauma rules or that t-shirt is armor!
Luckily, this is the first time any debate about shotgun damage has every happened to me. I really don't get to play very often because I've never managed to locate GURPS gamers around here.
It came up because I have a project for my amusement. If a meatspace friend shows me a gun they own, I write up GURPS stats for it. Marv is the reason I have stats for 16ga and 20ga shotguns; because he inherited a Winchester Model 12 in 16ga and a Remington 870 Express in 20ga.
I only plumbed the depths of small shot because the GURPS shotgun damage default assumption is 00 Buck. They don't seem to make 16 and 20 in 00... So I needed stats for ammo that was actually made for the guns, that meant learning the rules.
It's never come up in game because my players have always done the damage - rate of fire - capacity - weight calculation and noticed that a shotgun is pretty darned heavy for the number of shots it holds and that each shot is heavier than rifle ammo and they're pretty slow to reload. When a .30-30 is just as socially acceptable, does the same damage as a 12ga slug (not quite since the shotgun gets a p++ instead of pi but they're both 5d) out a lot farther, and is lighter overall despite having the same reload times... They gravitate to the rifle.
Take away social and legal constraints and out come the assault rifles!
This is exactly the sort of thing people talk about when they say that GURPS is too complicated.
On the whole I tend to agree that GURPS is complicated, but I don't think it's overly complicated for what it's trying to do; and that's to be a core game for any genre.
What are the d20 rules for 20ga 2-3/4" 1 oz. #8 shot? Once you calculate everything does it come even close to passing a reality check?
I remember in Twilight 2000 a couple of my players took the scarcity of ammunition to heart and decided they'd carry swords. Seemed reasonable until I noticed that there weren't any rules for swords.
With GURPS I have rules for shotguns and swords, even though figuring out the shotgun load is complicated. Luckily it's only complicated once! After you go through the complicated process of figuring out the stats, you write them on the character sheet (or make your own weapon table) and it's done and now it's on one simple table.
Still, sometimes the rules as written are awkward. Like in the #8 shot problem: it seemed as if a t-shirt made you immune to the effects of a 20ga shotgun less than three feet from your chest. You've got to notice and or remember the blunt trauma rules or that t-shirt is armor!
Luckily, this is the first time any debate about shotgun damage has every happened to me. I really don't get to play very often because I've never managed to locate GURPS gamers around here.
It came up because I have a project for my amusement. If a meatspace friend shows me a gun they own, I write up GURPS stats for it. Marv is the reason I have stats for 16ga and 20ga shotguns; because he inherited a Winchester Model 12 in 16ga and a Remington 870 Express in 20ga.
I only plumbed the depths of small shot because the GURPS shotgun damage default assumption is 00 Buck. They don't seem to make 16 and 20 in 00... So I needed stats for ammo that was actually made for the guns, that meant learning the rules.
It's never come up in game because my players have always done the damage - rate of fire - capacity - weight calculation and noticed that a shotgun is pretty darned heavy for the number of shots it holds and that each shot is heavier than rifle ammo and they're pretty slow to reload. When a .30-30 is just as socially acceptable, does the same damage as a 12ga slug (not quite since the shotgun gets a p++ instead of pi but they're both 5d) out a lot farther, and is lighter overall despite having the same reload times... They gravitate to the rifle.
Take away social and legal constraints and out come the assault rifles!