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This page is outdated. ALL up-to-date GULLIVER stuff, including new versions, up-to-date downloads, and other proper links, are at the main GULLIVER page. All of the old GULLIVER pages you see appearing here are online for the curious, and likely won't stay online much longer.
By popular demand: An updated answer to the old question, "Is any of GULLIVER going to be in 4e?", and an answer to the new (very frequent) question, "Will GULLIVER be updated for 4e?" Read the FAQ from here.
Added: A very brief start at publishing "conversion notes" for 4e, until and if an updated GULLIVER does come out. This is also part of the FAQ below. Here's the direct link to the goods:
GULLIVER to GURPS 4e CONVERSION NOTES
Fixed: Download links to the .sit and .zip file collections. Thanks, A. Jones!
Errata: Your Author rolls a crit miss! The rules for terminal velocity in Book 4 and in LITE (p 17, sidebar) tell you to multiply terminal velocity by the square root of air density. That should, of course, be divide, not multiply. This will be fixed in a future update.
Big thanks to I. White for the mad proofreadin' skillz!
Addendum: Friendly correspondent Gurps Fan notes that GULLIVER's arm lock rules, while neatly dealing with how to perform a lock, neglect to mention associated damage. Oops. Until this can be added in a future update, apply the same damage from the choking rules (minus any suffocation effects): success by 3 or 4 on the Contest of ST (which, of course, is aided by the Arm Lock maneuver) lets the attacker inflict damage equal to half thrust, or full thrust on success of 5 or more.
Thanks, Gurps Fan!
GULLIVER v5.3 is out!
And look what else will be out soon: GURPS 4e. What does that mean for GULLIVER? See the FAQ.
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GURPS GULLIVER: [Editor's Choice] "Gulliver" is the most comprehensive re-examination of the GURPS rules on the net, covering Size, scaling and stats; shrinking and growing; flight, and literally dozens if not hundreds of other topics. – Netscape Open Directory
Vote for this site in the GURPS Top 25 List (if you like that sort of thing). |
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GULLIVER is an expansion for GURPS Third Edition.
GULLIVER focuses on all things physical for characters: building and gaming life forms of any shape or size. It's the biggest expansion ever on that topic for GURPS (or maybe any RPG). Picture a GURPS Vehicles for creatures, with a good dose of biomechanical science as its base.
It is not a single use-it-or-don't-use-it item. Not at all. It's a collection of independent and semi-independent rules additions. Many add detail and complexity. Some simplify GURPS and make it easier to play. Together, they create a more universal, generic rules set that works equally under extreme scales/situations and under normal human conditions. But you can pick as many or as few parts as you like, and mix and match as you please.
GULLIVER consists of
There are several other add-ons contributed by GURPS fans, available for download.
GULLIVER is a non-commercial, fan-authored work, and is not an "official" part of the GURPS system. See the fine print here.
The name is a strained acronym for GURPS Large and Little Voyages Rules.
For a more descriptive but equally silly name, try ABCDEFG (Advanced Biomechanics & Creature Design Expansion For GURPS)
Topics in GULLIVER include, but are not limited to, the following:
Size, scaling and stats; shrinking and growing; ST and HT and HP and Fatigue and making them get along; natural encumbrance; weight vs mass; encumbrance on land, in water, in air, in space; powered vs unpowered flight; density and buoyancy; disadvantages and environment; gas bags and swim bladders and static lift; odd shapes and TH; fat and energy stores; bioluminescence and weird venom enhancements; all about thermal regulation; solution for "DR cheaper than HP"; new weaknesses and tolerances; skeletons, exoskeletons and invertebrates; movement and drag; every type of flight imaginable; airfoils, load ratings and other advanced wing design; grip and manual dexterity; new strikers; multiple brains; slime; antennae; deer and headlights; movement and resisting weight and fatigue; acceleration and deceleration; crawling and flopping; aquatic jumping; running takeoffs and too-fast landings; air brakes; microgravity movement; weight, and climbing; non-muscle jumping; jump angle, body position and distance; jumping speed, acceleration, air time, air resistance and escape velocity; one-handed, two-handed, and four-armed throws; throwing speed, angle, and running throws; baseball pitching and other sports throws; balance and off-balance; detailed Stealth modifiers; generic Extra Effort; target size, weapon size, Dodge, and TH; speed and range in melee combat; parrying massive attacks; size and shields and big attacks; size and weight and wrestling; pushes and slams; bear hugs and crushing; rending and amputation; weight and damage; physics-friendly judo throws; how to be saved by knockback; dealing with high AD; size and shock and damage; handling split HP; new collision and falling systems; size, poison and disease; cube-square effects and exposure hazards; light and dark; size, food requirements, and expected life span; make-your-own appendage builder system; life span meta system; scaling big and small games; size and supernormal abilities; tiny games; big games; bunny games; shrinking rays and enlargement spells; Somakinesis; underwater games; sample fantasy campaign background; sample aquatic campaign background.
From v5.0 onward:
GULLIVER (HTML)
GULLIVER LITE (PDF)
date
v5.0
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February 1999
v5.01
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July 1999
v5.1
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July 2000
v5.2
v1.0
August 2001
v5.3
v1.1
April 2004
The web's largest single GURPS supplement... finally gets smaller. GULLIVER LITE is all the good stuff from the Brobdingnagian v5.3 boiled down into 24 Lilliputian PDF-format pages. A version of these rules you can actually print out and use!
GULLIVER LITE is the new "code base" for GULLIVER, and will be the focus of ongoing improvements. LITE takes precedence in case of discrepancy with the HTML rules set.
The full HTML set still contains plenty that LITE doesn't: Detailed explanations of basic rules with additional topics and options; examples galore; "designer's notes"; a ton of new and revised traits; detailed creature write-ups; campaign background ideas; and much more. Set aside a week and wallow in its pungent delights.
GULLIVER LITE's PDF format is suitable for printing on either A4- or Letter-sized paper.
The web's largest single GURPS supplement, in its entirety and updated with fixes and improvements.
List of changes between GULLIVER v5.2 and 5.3:
There are nine Books, plus this Index:
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theme |
Book |
document title |
subtitle |
file name |
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creature design aids |
Sizing Up Creatures in GURPS |
B1size.htm |
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Power and Mass for Creatures in GURPS |
B2mobility.htm |
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Add-ons and Options for Creatures in GURPS |
B3body.htm |
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creature gaming aids |
Going Places, Doing Things in GURPS |
B4feats.htm |
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Combat for Creatures of All Shapes and Sizes in GURPS |
B5combat.htm |
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Taking It and Dishing It Out in GURPS |
B6damage.htm |
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GM resources |
Animals, Monsters, and Races for GULLIVER |
B7creatures.htm |
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Putting GULLIVER to Use |
B8campaigns.htm |
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GULLIVER Extras, Rejects, and Unfinished Business |
BXouttakes.htm |
There is some overlap among content within Books, but each is meant to be a stand-alone supplement for GURPS. Mix and match only those you're interested in.
The Books are huge. Delete what you don't need! Using an HTML editor, toss out all sections you're not interested in, or divide too-large files into multiple files.
In addition to content files, GULLIVER includes full-featured frames, created by John Wood and modified for v5.x by Your Author, for easy navigation online or offline. The frames are part of the download package.
Frame-related files are those with names ending with *frame.html, *header.html, and *menu.html: frame files, top "header" navigation files, and left-side navigation files, respectively.
After expanding the downloaded archives, keep all files in one directory.
To start GULLIVER with frames, open the file indexframe.html with your browser.
Or switch freely between frames and no frames using the links at the upper left and lower left of each content page. This works online or offline.
There's no "right" way to game any specific thing. There are infinite methods, many of them equally workable and fun. To make some sense out of overflowing options, GULLIVER offers many rules in versions labeled simple, detailed, and advanced:
Pick and choose from among the options to create your own ideal set.
New traits and suggested revisions to old ones are written up in typical GURPS format, unless the suggestions are so short they take up only a couple sentences of main text.
In formatted write-ups, new advantages and disadvantages are marked (new), suggested new point costs for existing traits are marked (new cost), and larger revisions of existing traits are marked (revised).
Names of game terms and traits (new and existing) are capitalized. Non-game traits are not capitalized. For example, "Speed" is a GURPS game trait; "speed" is a generic term meaning velocity. Likewise, "radially symmetric" is an interesting creature trait, but is not a game trait with rules and a point cost.
Capitalization works similarly for races. A giant is anything big, a Giant is a specific fantasy race. There are exceptions: by convention, "human" as a race is not capitalized.
Abbreviations used include: BS = Basic Set 3rd Edition; BT = Bio-Tech; CI = Compendium I; CII = Compendium II; VE = Vehicles 2nd Edition; FF = Fantasy Folk 1st edition (sorry, 2E not available); MA = Martial Arts 2nd edition.
These new terms are used throughout all of the Books. Keep this list handy!
Area Scale: Linear Scale squared, representing surface area compared to the human norm. See Size.
athletics: Any DX or skill roll involving full body movement: Acrobatics, Jumping, melee combat skills, sports skills, and many more. Examples of activities not falling under athletics include Sleight of Hand, craft skills, and firing guns or other missile weapons.
balance: Not a skill, but refers to any DX or skill roll to maintain footing, avoid falling down, balance on a narrow perch, etc. Includes rolls to stay upright after knockback or a failed kick.
Combat ST: ST for damage purposes, not lifting or carrying. See Load ST.
Environment: The environments characters operate in: land, water, and air (or terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial). A home Environment is any that you operate effectively in; your primary Environment is your main one for cost purposes.
linear dimension: Approximate height or length, generally head to hind feet (ignoring long necks and tails). Determines Size.
Linear Scale: Linear dimension compared to the human norm: x1/2, x1, etc. See Size.
Load ST: Half-priced ST for lifting and carrying purposes, as well as Contests of ST, and not damage purposes. See Combat ST.
mass: Amount of "stuff", measured in pounds at 1-g. Unlike weight, does not change under natural conditions.
MAR: Mass-to-Area Ratio, expressed as a multiple of typical human norm (typically equal to Linear Scale; see the Appendix of Book 1 for detailed calculation). Needed only for advanced stuff. See WAR.
mobility, movement, maneuverability: Movement lets you go from A to B; maneuverability is ability to turn quickly, Dodge, etc. Mobility covers both.
mode of movement: Same as Environment, referring specifically to movement. You will likely have a different Move score in each of your modes.
MSR: Mass-to-Strength Ratio. Mass divided by Load ST. See WSR.
natural encumbrance: Encumbrance from body weight or mass alone, without carried items. Heavy creatures will be encumbered by their own weight or mass (positive encumbrance); light ones will enjoy speed and agility bonuses (negative encumbrance).
References to "Half modifier for encumbrance" are the standard GURPS penalties for encumbrance; "Full modifier" is a larger penalty (similar to the GURPS penalty for Swimming).
Nuisance Effect: Limitations introduced in Psionics and developed further in Bio-Tech. A Nuisance Effect: Temporary Disadvantage is a disadvantage that takes effect only when a certain advantage is used. This acts as a limitation on the cost of the advantage: -1% per point of the original disadvantage. However, the point break from a Nuisance Effect cannot exceed 80% of the value of the original disadvantage. See Bio-Tech p. 137 for details and examples.
Size: A label for rough size groupings, based on TH modifier for size. A human is Size 0, a humanoid half as large in all dimensions is Size -2, etc.
speed: Capitalized, the same as Basic Speed; uncapitalized, a generic term for speed of movement (i.e., Move).
thrust: Motive power in water or air. Equals Load ST by default, but can differ.
traits: Advantages, disadvantages, and attributes.
Volume Scale: Linear Scale cubed, representing volume and mass compared to the human norm. See Size.
WAR: As MAR, but replacing mass with weight.
weight: Mass x gravity. Also changes with effects of buoyancy. Weight is measured in lbs. and can be negative.
WSR: Weight-to-Strength Ratio. Weight divided by Load ST. See MSR.
The downloads below utilize an HTTP server.
You need Adobe Acrobat or other PDF viewer to read this file. (Mac OS X's built-in Preview app works wonderfully.)
Set consists of nine content files, this Index page, and all frame-related files. Download and decompress, using the appropriate software.
Note: Windows users can open Stuffit files using Aladdin Software's free Stuffit Expander.
Head right for the individual Books, using the file list above. As each file loads, save it as a source file (HTML code), and you'll have the full set of Books, if not the navigation frames.
Data file that brings GULLIVER options to the popular GURPS Character Assistant program! (Note: This file was created for GULLIVER v5.2.)
Download the data file here (look under the "From Other Sources" heading), and find more information on Miser Software's GURPS Character Assistant here.
Send your questions (and heaping bouquets of thanks) to file creator David L. Watkin! (Anti-SPAM measure: Remove the name of our favorite game from this address: gurpsdavidlwatkins@sluggy.net)
ALL GURPS and v5.2 GULLIVER traits, listed in Book 3 fashion, in one text file. Perfect as a "checklist" for creature designs. Expertly compiled by Joel Oberdieck.
This system is now moved to GLAIVE (relatively unchanged; sorry, no meaningful update!). Head there for the rules and the spreadsheet.
For those who love "designer's notes" in RPGs, some lengthy answers to questions paraphrased from reader feedback:
A: Only a small portion is directly concerned with "scaling", in the narrow sense of adjusting stats for creature size. There are also rules for centering gameplay around any character size, but anyone who's played GURPS Bunnies & Burrows is familiar with that process.
The whole work, though, is concerned with "scale" in the broader sense of creating rules at every level, not only stats, that work independently of unit measurements, creature size, power level, and so on. That's the real issue of scale tackled here.
A: No. You don't need any of it to play anything. In fact, you can GM all situations on the fly and dump 90% of existing GURPS rules. Maybe 95%. Roleplaying is about adventure, storytelling, characters, and having fun, not rules.
That said, players do like to resolve many situations with rules, which is why there's the whole Basic Set. And the Compendiums. And Vehicles, and Martial Arts, and detailed job tables, and precise mechanics for thousands of spells, and...
If character and storytelling are the heart of roleplaying, simulation at least merits a lung. GURPS began life as the combat simulation game Man-to-Man and still revels in realistic simulation. GULLIVER adds more of that – but only for those who want it.
A: Please see it as a tribute to GURPS, not a repair job! There are plenty of "fixes" for rules, but most of GURPS is a remarkably robust and flexible system for simulating "reality", or a gameable version of it.
If anything, GULLIVER is concerned with extending GURPS where the game stops short of its own considerable potential. All of its detailed simulation would be pointless if GURPS weren't already equipped to support it.
A: Ha. There are a lot of areas where a "fresh start" approach would have been the easiest and cleanest, and to be sure, many peripheral topics do take the clean sheet approach. But where core rules are involved, GULLIVER bends itself into pretzels to stay compatible. (For example, its "split" handling of ST in won't win points for elegance; it's a tradeoff between the need to fix aspects of the stat in the game, while staying compatible with GURPS rules and designs.)
Of course, there's no harm in suggesting clean-sheet optional approaches to core rules, and the text indulges at times.
A: Okay, this is a common comment, and a pet peeve. The problem: in the context of complex/simple/difficult/easy, there is no "it". "It" is a set of many, many independent rules items, some of which are complex (these are usually labeled as such) and can slow play, and some of which are easy and can speed up play. If you'd to talk about complex/simple/difficult/easy, Your Author would like to hear it – but please talk about specific items, not a whole "it"!
If you're just looking for the simple/easy parts, it's true, they may be hard to pick out quickly. See this separate list of GULLIVER bits that Your Author would actually recommend for 4e inclusion; it does a better job of identifying the simplifications. (And as shown here, SJG had similar thoughts about many of those items.)
A: Humility off:
The natural encumbrance rules inject power-vs-weight considerations into creature design, modeling creature mobility more accurately than any RPG ever has. Yet they're only a simple extension of the GURPS encumbrance rules we all use, not a brand new system.
Rules for athletic feats go far beyond the cursory once-over of other RPGs. The jumping rules work for Olympic athletes and Pedicula pedicula (fleas) alike; the throwing rules can measure the speed of a major league fastball in mph.
Simulation lovers should enjoy detailed handling of collisions, weight vs mass in mobility, "working" airfoils in wings, Move adjustments for air or water drag, attacker and target size in combat, effects of size on sustenance requirements and life span, and other flights of geekery.
Simplicity fans will appreciate new, easier ways to handle situations including odd-sized creature design, shock and pain, and relative size in combat, with fewer patches, special rules, and tables than GURPS uses.
There are lots of new creature features for getting a design just right. Choose your level of bioluminescence, mix and match claw types, create a squishy body, steady yourself with a tail, or add oddball details like a slimy hide and giant eyes.
There are lesser, easy-to-miss goodies hidden among the reams of text; you'll have to find your own favorites.
A: Boy, this one's easy. The HTML files are long. That's a tremendous load of reading, though GULLIVER LITE puts all the important stuff into a very useable size.
As mentioned earlier, there are compromises made for playability and compatibility, at the expense of greater realism or a clean tossing out of legacy rules.
And there's no way Your Author and his immediate circle could have playtested this all! Many of the basics, like natural encumbrance, size-based stats, and movement-related rules have seen the light of the gaming table. But Your Author has yet to put a Size +3, Slime-covered invertebrate with Locking Muscles and Wrestling-14 through an unarmed brawl with a Size -1 foe in microgravity while making Climbing control rolls on a cliff ledge. That's for readers to help with!
A: Glad you asked. Start with the many topics covered, add reasonings behind rules, pontification on needed changes, detailing of multiple simulation options, and warnings of the pitfalls lurking under every suggested tweak, and you've got a mega-set of rules plus full designer's notes.
That's intentional; why would anyone bother to implement some unhinged fan's rules changes without a word on the point behind them? Reasonings, explanations, and options make it easy to choose or modify rules to your liking.
But it all makes the work one big, long exercise in game design, exploring the most gearheaded, dry reaches of combat, creature design, and more. Some of it's meant for immediate play, some is an investigation into how much simulation of a real-world field (primarily biomechanics) can be packed into game rules, and yet more is there just for the heck of it.
If you want just the rules, there's LITE. And the HTML files are digital text, so you can also delete everything else that you don't need.
A: Okay, so nobody's asked this one, but someone might, someday. Preemptively:
A "methodology" only became clear in hindsight, but it's clearly inspired by GURPS' focus on "reality check"-based simulation. You could perhaps label it "deconstruction and reconstruction". For an odd situation like whacking a tiny target with a stick, or detailing flight performance, this work tries to arrive at a "correct" simulation by breaking the situation down into the factors involved. And then trying to put those back together into some sort of game rule.
Deconstruction involves separating and looking over all of the components (i.e., what are the biological effects of size on muscle strength?). Reconstruction asks what you want to do with those (i.e., how do you want muscle strength to relate to damage in the game?).
But even if methodology was little more than the firing of a few shy, subconscious neurons, there are several intertwined design goals for GULLIVER that Your Author kept closer to the front burners:
Realism: Specifically, more realistic simulation of many physical aspects of designing and gaming characters. The underlying premise is that GURPS can offer more realistic simulation in many areas through new or revised rules, often without adding complexity.
Choice: GULLIVER's all about options, not forced changes. For those areas where increased realism does mean added complexity, it usually tries to offer an option that adds less realism but little or no extra complexity. And of course, you always retain original GURPS rules as options.
Universality: Closely tied to "genericness", or putting the GU back into GURPS. GULLIVER doesn't want to be a set of special rules for Pixies and Giants. It wants to be a set of normal, everyday game rules for humans – which happen to work for Leprechauns, Jotuns, cats, blobs, and space wyrms too.
Modularity: GULLIVER is a collection of many independent rules or systems, not a use-it-all-or-leave-it whole. Some items work best in combination with others, but overall they're mix-and-match; use as much or as little as you like. (Where necessary, there's plenty of exposition on how to use Rule X with or without Rules Y and Z.) Even the individual Books are designed to be as stand-alone as possible.
Extension: GULLIVER prefers putting existing GURPS rules into new uses, over creating all-new rules. Rules for the effects of a high ratio of ST to body mass? The basic solution's already there: just extend the existing encumbrance rules into the other direction.
Definition: Getting the terms straight does wonders for getting to the bottom of a problem. This includes correcting wrong definitions, like the mistaken "Dodge = Move" in GURPS that causes such trouble.
Simplification: GULLIVER adds lots of detail, which by definition decreases simplicity – but it also uncovers areas where cleaner design removes excess baggage. Why use GURPS' separate encumbrance rules for humans, Supers, beasts, and fliers, when one properly-done rule does for them all? Why add a separate rule for computing animals' Dodge, when the normal human rule (once defined properly!) works perfectly for animals too?
Codification: GURPS already offers stats for some large and small creatures – so why not codify guidelines for how those stats can be set with consistency? Why not codify a single master rule for collisions, which works in slams, falls, or car crashes? Codification often leads to simplification, as in core rules for pain and shock that replace a number of disparate, single-case GURPS rules, or a single set of throwing rules for both weapons and non-weapons.
Playability: Yep, even that is in there. After deconstructing a situation into a mess of components, the next step is to see whether a quick'n'easy game rule can be assembled from the parts. An example is the "simple" rule for Contests of ST, which looks foreign to a GURPS player but is easier than the existing patched rule from CII.
Compatibility: For all its changes, GULLIVER doesn't want to create a new game; it goes to great lengths to stay compatible with GURPS. Continuing with the preceding example, the default "detailed" rules for Contests of ST aren't nearly as elegant as its new "simple" rule, but are more "GURPS-like".
Completeness: Why do things halfway? Within the limits of Your Author's time, patience, and knowledge, GULLIVER tries to explore the threads of any topic far enough to touch on all likely complications, exceptions, and special considerations. This is, of course, a major hindrance to:
Brevity: Not. The Good Twin of Completeness, this goal was maimed and buried alive by its Evil Twin sibling.
A: The short version: Years ago, Steve Jackson Games was interested in a GURPS book for tiny PCs; Your Author was interested in PCs of any odd size. They talked a little, and the original GULLIVER was written and submitted.
Through some wacky mix-up over in the Austin offices, Mr Jackson actually saw the work years after it was sent to him, and GURPS and Your Author had each moved on. GULLIVER has undergone several revisions and expansions. As Steve Jackson Games has no plan for a derivative of GULLIVER in the GURPS product lineup, these rules are now online.
A: Aside from the first crude submission many years ago, GULLIVER's goal is not publication. First off, it'd make a lousy GURPS book as is! The HTML version has the word count of two large worldbooks or more, is as much verbose designer's notes as it is rules, takes shocking liberties with some existing rules, and includes topics nobody's ever asked about. Most GURPS players are clamoring for settings and other fun stuff, not for more rules!
A: As noted here long ago: while GULLIVER would make a poor commercial product in itself, parts of it would make fine additions to GURPS. So were those parts added to 4e?
Yes and no, though not necessarily as direct borrowings.
The fine folks at SJG have been aware of this über-supplement for GURPS. Your Author flogged it to them in person – both GULLIVER itself and its stripped-down list of 4e inclusion wannabees from Ingredients for a Better GURPS – and SJG even gave it a mention in the famous GURPS 4e poll.
In 2004 4e finally came out. Your Author compares his original wishes with what 4e brought us in The New GURPS Delivers – Or Does It?. The short story: yes, many of those wishes were granted, and the new 4e is cleaned-up, scalable, and universally and generically spiffy enough that a good swath of GULLIVER can be safely retired.
But to repeat part of that article's vital disclaimer:
This article does NOT take credit for any of the new bits in 4e, or even suggest such. I'm not the sole (nor necessarily the first) creator of many those ideas; half of them are common-sense notions that any number of players will have thought up independently. SJG, for its part, hardly needs enlightenment from benevolent fans to come up with improvements as obvious as, say, giving creatures SM, or losing an unnecessary extra table for biting damage.
Please follow the link to the article and read the rest of the disclaimer.
So, the summary: yes, many of the common-sense improvements suggested by GULLIVER are now in 4e. For that, you can thank common-sense thinking by the good folks at SJG, as well as the whole larger world of GURPS players who had latched upon and called for those changes.
There are still a number of good suggestions in Ingredients for a Better GURPS that were not reflected in 4e. And, of course, GULLIVER is chock-full of bits that are fine additions to some peoples' games, but were never suggested as being 4e additions anyway. Lots of that goodness is fair game for a 4e-compatible upgrade.
No idea when that might happen. On the gaming front, Your Author is mostly keeping busy with some brand new (and unnamed) stuff. Watch the new Games Diner's Bloggy Thing for any news of a GULLIVER update and requests for help, should those happen.
I'll start listing these here as they come up. For starters:
What else, Dear Reader?
A: Ask! Gurpsnet and rec.games.frp.gurps are great places to discuss anything GURPS. Asking one of these forums lets you tap the wisdom of fellow gurpsters, who may come up with far better solutions than appear in GULLIVER.
If you want a response from Your Author, please send a CC to tbone@gamesdiner.com. Your Author can't always follow the newsgroup.
A: Send 'em in! Many readers have helped a lot by sending in notices of errors. Even notice of a typographical error is appreciated.
Your Author will make the correction and note any significant contributions in the Errata list, with your name as it appears in your email, unless instructed otherwise.
A: Please do! Your own web page with home-brewed additions or modifications to GULLIVER, or just a link to these pages, is a fine and good thing. You don't need permission for either. Please set links to T. Bone's GURPS Diner at http://www.gamesdiner.com/gurps/ . An email notice sent this way is also appreciated.
A link to your GULLIVER add-ons may appear on this site. It'll use your name and URL as contained in your web page or email message, unless you instruct otherwise.
Please exercise basic courtesies if you create add-ons. Three humble requests:
Note that "everyone uses it" does not make a standard! HTML is free and widespread. Text or clean RTF is free and widespread. MS Word, on the other hand, may be fairly widespread, but it's definitely not free.
If there isn't a nice open standard, do the best you can. For example, Excel 98 files can only be opened by Excel 98 or other new packages, but files saved as older versions of the program can be opened by many older applications or file translators.
A: The material is copyrighted, so your checking is appreciated! We should find it simple to agree on terms for using content in a non-commercial product. Proper credit, including what was borrowed and in what form it appears (simplified, heavily modified, as-is, etc.), plus a link to T. Bone's GURPS Diner (http://www.gamesdiner.com/gurps/ ; not the main GULLIVER page), are the basics. Use in a commercial product would entail more discussion. Either way, drop a line and let's talk.
Be sure to see the add-on goodies offered under Must-Have Toys above, including a data file for GURPS Character Assistant. And on top of that, we have:
A few sites offering more GULLIVER-related content. Any others out there?
The Albion gameworld uses a fair amount of GULLIVER goodness in character creation.
http://fantasy.geographic.net/albion/2.%20GURPS/
Tail Kinker's big fantasy supplement for GURPS, Caverns and Creatures, uses weapon readying time and reach rules adapted from the Weapon Design System in Book X. (C&C is a great tool for introducing D&D players to GURPS.)
http://tailkinker.contrabandent.com/gurps.htm
Matt Jozwiak offers a GULLIVER-inspired, formulaic encumbrance variant for his "newGURPS" at http://www1.freewebs.com/red-bearded_demon/GURPS/index.html .
John Wood's GURPS site has been updated with more GULLIVER-enhanced alien designs from James White's Sector General stories. See the critters here.
Ideas for a "modern fantasy game" employing GULLIVER rules and other house rules for 2-cm PCs. Great detail on tech and magic in the tiny world.
http://seasong.idempot.net/ideahole/
Lots of combat and other rules, including a pared-down version of GULLIVER natural encumbrance rules.
http://www.kolumbus.fi/raine.maattanen/gurps/arete.htm
Alexander Shearer's The Night Sky game world page offers The Lizard Game, a brief campaign background featuring GULLIVER-scaled reptilian PCs.
It's only a beginning translation of v5.0, but includes interesting translators's notes.
Here's what the public says, in messages to Your Author or to others in online forums:
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I have just finished reading over GVER 5.2, and what can I say, I am seriously impressed, it is brilliant, inspired, and just plain good. It has truly become an impressive document since the last version I looked. . . . The detailed extrapolation and in-depth treatments, and copious designers notes have truly made it much more than just a size scale to figure out ST and HP. I am majorly impressed by it. – R.M.
– M.D.
– R.B.
– M.J.
– R.W.
– J.S.
– J.W.
– L.I.
– B.B., in discussion at egroups
– W.K. [Submissions are wonderful! Let this be an example to all! – T.Bone]
– E., in rec.games.frp.gurps
– J.S.
– Netscape
Open Directory Project
– K.L.
– V.B.
– A.
– R.C. at rec.games.frp.gurps [Thank you ver – hey, wait a minute... – T.Bone]
– P.M.
– K.B.
– CJB – E.H. – A.A. [Best not to give me ideas. – T.Bone] |
Last year I found your GULLIVER and was impressed – you have solved a lot of problems which everyone complains about but cannot do anything to solve. – A.K.
– D.H.
– A.J.
– T.B.
. . . for anyone who isn't familiar with GULLIVER, i *highly* recommend checking it out if you like fine-noodling and extra details. GULLIVER is to designing monsters, aliens and creatures what "GURPS vehicles" is to designing hover-tanks and tiltrotor attack craft. (so what's the term for that? if vehicle nuts are "gearheads", what are those of us who geek out about the same level of detail for characters and creatures?) anyway, it's all that and a bag of chips. and much, much more . . . it rules. – A.J.
– W.G.
– M.G. ["Metal Gods"? Don't know what that means, but I like it. – T.Bone]
– S.W.
– M.G., on GURPS page
– G.
– A.
– J.R. [The trees! Won't somebody think of the trees? – T.Bone]
– D.
I've just spent the better part of a week perusing them on the web, and I can't recommend them highly enough. One of the self-promotional lines in the intro is "I've got your Basic Set 4th Edition, right here, baby!!" It's not far wrong. – D.C.
I have found myself, however, sometimes almost queasy with guilt - so much effort has gone into GULLIVER that to benefit from your achievement without me giving something in return seemed like stealing. I thought about sending you a thick, smelly wad of well-used US dollars . . . – P.J. [No money necessary! Or at least, make it crisp, non-smelly Benjamins. – T.Bone]
– R.W.
– B.L.
– Link at http://quillan.altervista.org/pagine/links.htm [The magic that is machine translation renders that as: "A menu that every gurpsista would have to often try to digest... It contains moreover the profit and interesting GURPS Gulliver, rising of maxi-house rule that it see again several aspects of the system of GURPS... for who is not never pleased!"] – W.M. – S, in online forum |
All this didn't come from Your Author's walnut-sized brain alone:
A great many of people have offered help or encouragement. These acknowledgments are without doubt short a few names. Please write if you've been unfairly overlooked!
First, big thanks to Jonathan "Dataweaver" Lang, a veteran GURPS nut who continues to serve players everywhere out there as a caretaker of the gurpsnet list. Despite extensive assistance, review, and creative input for the GULLIVER project, Dataweaver humbly requests no special accolades on this page. From tasty rules tidbits and ideas on overall structure, to expert Vehicles commentary and HTML improvements, there's a lot on this site that he helped bring about. Say thanks by visiting http://dataweaver.tripod.com/play/ or by email. (Anti-SPAM measure: Remove the name of our favorite game from this address: gurpsdataweaver42@yahoo.com)
Thanks to an old gaming group – Geoff Leigh, K. "Bruce" Abe, Dave D. Trang, Mike Owenson, and Ken Hayashida – for enduring campaign disruptions, half-considered one-shots, and a won't-leave-well-enough-alone GM, all in the name of playtesting. Beyond the call of duty, gentlemen. May the words "I'd like to try a new rule this session..." cause you to wake screaming at night no more.
Some material is adapted from contributions by the following friends on gurpsnet: P. McCurry (ideas for impaling weapon damage limits), D. Weber (ST cost suggestion in Book 1), E. Joinson (reality-checking of jumping distances, leading to v5.3 improvements), T. Barnes (Obvious Trail advantage, Catsleep advantage, Travel Restrictions, various suggestions related to floating creatures), Eric B. Smith (suggestion for piecemeal DR/HP costs), Alex Koponen (HT roll-based shock recovery option), Revenant (thoughts on shapeshifting and many other topics) Craig Roth (long discussions on physical capabilities and thoughts on scaling magic), Keith Horsfield (ideas on race construction and limits on scaled stats), Martin Leuschen (notes on terminal velocity and falling), Anthony Jackson (physics behind throwing and jumping), Mark Wells (suggestions for better Toughness description in v5.3), and Dr Kromm, gurpsnet guru (ideas on... well, just about everything).
A few creature designs are based on the work of others. Mark Nettle is a veteran in underwater campaigning, and offered ideas for underwater play, creature designs, and brainstorming on some physics problems. The Book 7 sea creatures are based on his designs. Meanwhile, the Book 7 dragon designs are modified from original designs by William Knowles.
Finally, John Wood and Andrew Stoner contributed the HTML frame sets that made GULLIVER v5.x a lot more fun to use; the former set is now online and is part of the download. John also made helpful pre-release comments on LITE.
The following were most helpful in the physics behind GULLIVER, especially the mechanical workings of living things:
Scaling: Why is Animal Size so Important?, Knut Schmidt-Nielsen (James B. Duke Professor of Physiology, Department of Zoology, Duke University), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK, 1984.Life's Devices: The Physical World of Animals and Plants, Steven Vogel (James B. Duke Professor of Biology, Duke University), Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, 1988.
Cat's Paws and Catapults: Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People, Steven Vogel (James B. Duke Professor of Biology, Duke University), Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, 1998.
Biology (4th Edition), Helena Curtis, Worth Publishers Inc., New York NY, 1983.
The Ultimate Dinosaur Book, David Lambert, Dorling Kindersley Inc., New York NY, 1993.
And a special nod to the several dozen GURPS books consulted.
Websites too numerous to mention provided information on biology and physics.
Two software products by Yves Pelletier (http://www.kagi.com/pelletier), YP Projectiles and YP Collisions, helped inject real physics into the rules for jumping, throwing, and collisions.
Special thanks to Apple Computer, Claris, Adobe, Netscape, Trans-Tex Software and others for the rest of the toys behind GULLIVER.
Last but hardly least, big, big thanks to Steve Jackson Games for making the only game system worthy of such obsessive contemplation!
T. Bone is the lame net name of Your Author, who has been playing GURPS since the first printing of Man To Man (and then there's The Fantasy Trip before that). Like most gamers he's finding less time than ever for the hobby as the years and Real Life march onward, but still manages to indulge. In wanton violation of the Universal Gamers Code, he has no cats.
See T. Bone's GURPS Diner at http://www.gamesdiner.com/gurps/ for more original GURPS stuff, including magic rules, house rules, and conversions.
Playtesting has been aided by Your Author's gaming group, reader feedback, and the gurpsnet crowd. Major playtesting, rules revisions, and brainstorming came from Dataweaver. Please see Credits and Acknowledments above!
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