Out on the walk this morning, the idea of a GURPS “Go Kit” erupted into my consciousness. It’s such a cool idea I thought I would share the basics and see if I could get some help from readers to refine it.
What’s a “Go Kit”?
It’s a phrase I heard (again) recently while watching episodes of “Justified“: a bag containing everything you’d need to get away and live on the road. Apparently criminals use them. So, not quite the same idea… but I am thinking, “Everything I need to get a game of GURPS going on the fly”.
Here’s my rough initial kit:
- 3d6 dice (x2 sets) to allow GM a set and players another; more optional.
- Quick Character Sheets (from themook.net article)
- Mook’s Player Handout v2 alternative GM Screen
- Any of the GM Apprentice Decks for instant inspiration
- A solo oracle, like the 3d6 Oracle you can find in SURP from PPM Games
- A5 Notepad
- Pencil (x2)
- A selection of “Opponent Cards”: index cards with NPC stats
- A location map (see below)
Applications?
I think this would be a great little kit to have on hand to run any of three types of game:
- Solo game when you have a few minutes spare
- One-shot pick-up game
- Getting started with an Open Table game
I believe that solo gaming is a great way to learn the rules of any game while having a good time. The 3d6 Oracle and GM Apprentice Deck gives you the ability to run a solo game and make notes in the A5 Notebook.
If you have a player or three wanting a quick game, you can easily add more players to a solo and make it a group game. Having the quick start character sheets gives you an easy way in to getting going… exactly as the Mook intended.
If you fancy a longer Open Table game to channel the spirit of when we used to play for the sake of playing, then here’s what you might like to add: a location map that fits the genre.
Fantasy Open Tables run great on dungeon locations. For SF, make it an abandoned base or mining facility, or even an alien pyramid. For horror, a nice mansion could work. Whatever you fancy, just tuck in a quick map.
I’m sure we can polish this idea further but I am excited by the options afforded by drawing on resources either freely available online or that I already own.
Thoughts? Drop them in the comments, please.
Game on!
Roleplay Rescue’s Blog 
I love this idea. GURPS is actually very easy to play. Frankly, most RPGs are. When we started our GURPS Cyberpunk campaign, I had never GMed GURPS and none of my 4 players had every played. But they were all experienced gamers – 40 years +. As a GM, the biggest hurdle I have with GURPS is getting over the idea that I need to have every single detail of every adversary pointed-up and balanced. That’s my problem. This “go kit” would be a very good way of introducing new players to the system, and you can’t go wrong with anything Mook writes. Dude is a genius . Cheers!
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Great idea Che. Mook’s game aids are a lot of help and inspiration for me also.
@bibliosk8er – you definitely do not need to build npcs/foes on a point by point basis. Just the stats and details that matter to start, if they survive and will reappear you can start to flesh them out on an as needed basis. Most of the details of point built npcs/foes will never affect play, they usually don’t survive long enough to matter.
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