GURPS Adaptations Is Copyright © 2016, 2017 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated
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TM Written by WILLIAM H. STODDARD Edited by NIKOLA VRTIS Illustrated by PAUL DALY, JEAN ELIZABETH MARTIN, DAN SMITH, and NIKOLA VRTIS Additional Material by JOHN M. FORD, KENNETH HITE, and STEVE JACKSON GURPS System Design ❚ STEVE JACKSON Chief Executive Officer ❚ PHILIP REED GURPS Line Editor ❚ SEAN PUNCH Chief Creative Officer ❚ SAMUEL MITSCHKE Assistant GURPS Line Editor ❚ JASON “PK” LEVINE Executive Editor ❚ MIRANDA HORNER GURPS Project Manager ❚ STEVEN MARSH Marketing Director ❚ RHEA FRIESEN Production Artist and Indexer ❚ NIKOLA VRTIS Director of Sales ❚ ROSS JEPSON GURPS FAQ Maintainer ❚ Page Design ❚ PHIL REED and JUSTIN DE WITT VICKY “MOLOKH” KOLENKO Art Direction and Prepress Checker ❚ NIKOLA VRTIS Reviewers: Frederick Brackin, Roger Burton West, Douglas H. Cole, Peter V. Dell’Orto, S.A. Fisher, Andrew Hackard, Vicky “Molokh” Kolenko, Phil Masters, Christopher R. Rice, Emily Smirle GURPS, Pyramid, Warehouse 23, the pyramid logo, Adaptations, and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are trademarks or registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. GURPS Adaptations is copyright © 2016, 2017 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Art on p. 36 by U.S. Lithograph Co.; from the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, LC- USZC4- 1599. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this material via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. STEVE JACKSON GAMES Stock #37-0153 Version 1.0.1 – June 2017 ® CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......... 3 LOCATIONS . 20 Division of Labor ............ 39 Recommended Books ......... 3 Cities and Communities ...... 20 Templates .................. 39 About the Author . 3 Buildings................... 21 Expanding the Original Cast.... 39 About GURPS ............... 3 The Emerald City ............ 21 4. THINGS............ 40 BASED ON . .................4 Vehicles as Locations . 22 Multiple Sources Wild Places ................. 22 NARRATIVE FUNCTION . 40 and Mashups .............. 5 Destructive Environments..... 23 Gear ...................... 40 SETTING AND DRAMA ..........23 Evidence ................... 40 1. HIGH CONCEPT ....... 6 Parameters . 23 Personalizers ............... 40 Glossary .................... 6 Functions of Environments.... 24 Valuables .................. 41 Transcendents .............. 41 STARTING POINT . 6 The Pathetic Fallacy . 24 Prequels and Sequels .......... 6 Functions of Locations . 25 MacGuffins ................. 41 Filling the Gaps . 7 Indirect Exposition ........... 25 PHYSICAL FORM .............41 Displacements ............... 7 Clothing and Armor .......... 41 Alternate Universes . 7 Personal Gear............... 41 Retelling the Original Story...... 7 . a probable Furnishings................. 42 Reinventions................. 7 Vehicles.................... 42 impossibility is to be Structures . 42 PREMISE....................8 One Impossible Thing.......... 8 preferred to a thing Objects as Characters . 43 Mundane Premises............ 8 improbable and yet Other Machines . 43 Fantastic Premises ............ 8 Life Forms ................. 44 possible. VAILABILITY GENRE .....................9 A ................44 Why Genre Matters . 9 – Aristotle, Tech Level and What Defines a Genre ......... 9 Poetics Variant Technology........ 44 Common Genres ............ 10 Legality .................... 44 Wealth..................... 45 MOOD ....................11 Presupposed Items........... 45 3. PEOPLE............ 27 THEME ....................11 Fantastic Items.............. 45 The Central Idea............. 11 ROLES .................... 27 A Theme Is Not a Thesis ....... 11 Major Characters ............ 27 5. ACTION ............ 46 From Idea to Action.......... 12 Guest Stars . 27 AGENCY . 46 Inventing a New Theme....... 12 Supporting Characters........ 27 Outward Action . 46 Variations .................. 12 Extras ..................... 28 Inward Action............... 46 THE PLAYERS . 12 DEFINING MAJOR CHARACTERS ...29 ACTION AND THE WORLD . 46 Interest .................... 13 Attributes and Talents ........ 29 Possible Actions ............. 46 Familiarity . 13 Skills ...................... 30 Appropriate Actions.......... 47 Adaptations of Combat Skills ............... 30 Thematic Actions ............ 47 Roleplaying Games ........ 13 Social Backgrounds .......... 31 Motivated Actions ........... 47 Trust ...................... 13 Martial-Arts Styles............ 31 Conflicting Actions........... 47 Visible Qualities ............. 32 Horror and Tragedy ........... 48 LACES 2. P ............ 14 Motivation and Personality .... 33 Consequences of Actions ...... 49 DESCRIBING THE WORLD . 14 Perks and Quirks . 33 MODES....................49 The Source Material ......... 14 Esoteric Arts................ 33 Cinematic Modes ............ 49 Further Research ............ 15 Special Abilities and Realistic Modes . 49 Inventing New Material....... 16 Power Modifiers . 34 NARRATIVES . 50 ENVIRONMENTS ..............16 Racial Traits ................ 35 The Unities . 50 Planets .................... 16 Examples .................. 35 Episodic Campaigns ......... 50 The Retro Solar System........ 17 SPECIFICATIONS FOR Story-Arc Campaigns......... 50 Terrains ................... 18 ORIGINAL CHARACTERS . 38 Developmental Campaigns . 50 Technologies................ 18 Point Value ................. 38 Revelatory Campaigns ........ 51 Populations................. 19 Excluded Options PREPARING THE PAYOFF ........51 Cultures ................... 19 for Characters............. 38 Slice-of-Life Campaigns . 51 War and Politics............. 20 Unusual Background . 38 Supernatural Forces ......... 20 Required Traits ............. 39 INDEX............... 52 CONTENTS 2 INTRODUCTION One of the big attractions of roleplaying games is explor- Pick your favorite novel, graphic novel, movie, television ing the worlds of our favorite books or movies. The Cthulhu series, or other inspiration – and get started! Mythos, The Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, and many other pub- lished works have licensed game rules – sometimes multiple sets. But maybe you’d rather use GURPS than another system. RECOMMENDED BOOKS Or maybe you like a fictional world no one has thought of The only books that are required for use with GURPS making into a game, or one whose author or publisher won’t Adaptations are the GURPS Basic Set. For adaptations of license it. One of the major uses of GURPS is running cam- works in specific genres, the GM may find appropriate source- paigns in such worlds. And one of the big topics for GURPS books useful, such as GURPS Fantasy, GURPS Horror, questions is how to do it right! GURPS Mysteries, GURPS Psionic Campaigns, GURPS GURPS writers have addressed this topic in the Basic Space, or GURPS Supers. Any book with game mechanics Set (especially pp. B486-522) and in supplements, especially can be useful for the right source material – GURPS Power- genre-focused supplements such as GURPS Fantasy, GURPS Ups 2: Perks and GURPS Power-Ups 6: Quirks in particular Horror, GURPS Space, and GURPS Zombies. This material is are good with almost any source. helpful and is highly recommended. But many questions about adapt- ing fictional sources are broader than a single genre. It’s time for a Of all fictions, the marvelous journey is systematic, full-length discussion – GURPS Adaptations. the one formula that is never exhausted. In gaming, “adaptation” doesn’t mean quite the same thing as in lit- – Northrop Frye, Anatomy of Criticism erary, graphic, or cinematic media. Rather than a retelling of the orig- inal story, new stories emerge from campaigns: sequels, pre- quels, alternative versions, or more radical transformations ABOUT THE AUTHOR (see Reinventions, p. 7). This supplement’s focus is on trans- William H. Stoddard and his wife life in San Diego, lating the original setting and characters, but if you want to California, with two cats and more books than they have time reenvision a favorite work, you’ll find suggestions on how to count. He has been running GURPS campaigns for over to do so. 20 years, starting with GURPS Uplift. He has run many cam- When you’re planning a campaign based on a work of fic- paigns based on fictional or dramatic sources, about half of tion or drama, GURPS Adaptations is your “how to” guide. them using his own adaptations of the source material. ABOUT GURPS Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at of GURPS players. Our address is SJ Games, P.O. Box sjgames.com for errata, updates, Q&A, and much 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Please include a self-addressed, more. To discuss GURPS with our staff and your fel- stamped envelope (SASE) any time you write us! We low gamers, visit our forums at forums.sjgames.com. can also be reached by e-mail: [email protected]. The web page for GURPS Adaptations can be found at Resources include: gurps.sjgames.com/adaptations. Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bib- New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to liographies, and we’re putting them online – with links to grow – see what’s new at gurps.sjgames.com. let you buy the resources that interest you! Go to each Warehouse 23. Our online store offers GURPS adven- book’s web