Altered Time Rate options

5 Comments

1. What the max GURPS Speed do you want to chart? I recommend 12 or 16.

2. One of the very difficult things about converting from HERO to GURPS or vice versa is how to reconcile the differing assumptions of the two systems. In this case the turn system. For instance, as the turn in HERO is 12 seconds and the turn in GURPS is 1 second you might say that in GURPS all characters start out at HERO speed 12. Another way to look at it is that the average speed in HERO is 2, you use that as the equivalent of a GURPS character without any speed modifiers. Based on that the conversion that I used when taking Champions characters from HERO to GURPS worked out as follows; Spd 1 = 1 level of Reduced Time Rate, Spd 2 no change, Spd 3-4 = +1 Extra Attack, Spd 5-6 = +1 Altered Time Rate, and so on adding +1 more altered time rate until Spd 11-12 gives you +4 Altered Time Rate. I did not split initiative up though as I felt that the complexity was not worth it.

3. The problem with putting it in the sequence that way is that it gives wildly different dynamics for situations where all your opponents act on 6 and situations where some of them act on 2: You lose the ability to All-Out Attack with impunity.

   It has long been my opinion that All-Out with no consequences is an aberration, especially because two speedsters would each All-Out Attack on their first maneuver each turn, which is certainly not how a battle at double speed should play.

   The other problem with breaking up initiative is that durations become much harder to track.

   The important bit is that slower opponents should get to choose whether they act between your second and third action’s (i.e. the first action of next turn) or betweeen your third and fourth (in the middle of your next turn). As long as that option is being provided, I feel every major issue is being handled.

   My recommendation, for minimum bookkeeping, is that when others take their turn, they can choose to treat the speedster as either how he is then, or how he was at the end of any of his actions. For example, you can attack him on any space where one of his turns ended, and if that was an OoA turn, he can’t defend. You act as you are now, so if he knocked you unconscious on his second turn, though luck.

   I have universal (i.e. mostly any system) initiative rules which allow fractional speed and solve most issues of turn order manipulation, which could easily be applied to GURPS (and have been, for that matter). I’m not sure which of my blogs I could post those to, though.

4. EBWOP: If you break up ATR, consider reducing the cost to ~[80]. Losing the free AoA is significant.

5. Pingback: GURPSDay Summary Mar 2, 2018 – Mar 8, 2018 – Gaming Ballistic

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