Because this is our RPG group’s first time using OpenRPG, we have been playtesting the GURPS mechanics in the ap to see how things run. Playing online is a bit different than playing over the tabletop, and some issues have arisen with using the GURPS system. Last night’s test run caused some discussion today and we have come to some conclusions.
We have been using GURPS lite to play around with the OpenRPg ap. I figured the scaled down rules would allow for a more fluid game, but the problem is that the GURPS lite rules were not built as a rules lite system. They are a scaled down version of the full GURPS rules, and they tend to feel this way when you play them. We have been adding things in from the advanced set in order to make combat more interesting, but this has backfired by causing combat to slow to a very boring pace. Sitting in your friend’s living room while the GM makes numerous calculations, measures range, etc is fine. Doing it while sitting in front of your PC is a pain in the ass. It kills the momentum of the game and makes combat very uninteresting and tedious.
We need to switch to a different, more rules-lite system in order to maintain the pace of the game. We are currently using the Fudge Roleplaying System to create a set of rules for Dustlands. This system will allow the PCs to retain all of the traits they took with the GURPS system to still be represented in game terms.