In combat, each round represents one second, which is a point of contention among people who argue the merits of roleplaying systems. All modifiers can only apply to that target number, and never to the number rolled on the dice. The difficulty of a task is represented by a modifier to the character's skill level, and not by the target number itself. Success is awarded if the total of the die roll is equal to or less than a target number, usually a character's skill level. All tasks are resolved by rolling three six-sided dice, creating a bell-curve of probability instead of a flat line of equal chance. However, when the time came to release the product, they had not been able to come up with a better name for it.Īs a generic system, GURPS has no inherent story or background, although several settings have been developed specifically for the system-see Settings.įor those curious about where GURPS fits in the taxonomies of game mechanics, GURPS is point-based and skill-based rather than level- and class-based. The name comes from both Steve Jackson's description of what he wanted and the in-house code for the project, 'The Great Unnamed Role Playing System'.

Although the system has roots in Jackson's Melee, Wizard, and The Fantasy Trip, GURPS was developed in direct response to Hero Games' Champions: The Super Roleplaying Game (the original Point Buy game).

In 1986, Steve Jackson Games released the first edition of the GURPS Basic Set.

Gurps 3rd edition body hit chart