Mission X introduces the “B-scale” logarithmic damage system. The “B” stands for Basic – it’s the same clean progression every GURPS player already knows and loves from the Size and Speed/Range Table. +1B ≈ ×1.5 incapacitation potential. +6B = exactly ×10. It presents one elegant scale – one GURPS veterans are intimately familiar with –...
The post B-Scale: Damage That Scales from Tardigrades to…
Strength is cheaper in Mission X – only 5 points per level instead of the old 10. Toughness is no longer tied inextricably to ST. In the face of rapid-shooting firearms, being a giant pile of “hit points” is devalued. Why did the cost change? In some respects, strength is always useful. In others, it’s...
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GURPS veterans will notice the first big change the instant you look at a character sheet: there are “officially” six Basic Attributes instead of four, representing the game’s core stats. Physical side is still ST (strength), DX (agility & coordination), and HT (health & grit). But the mental side finally gets the same love: IQ...
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Character points are the currency of Mission X, giving a measure of player choice. Every beneficial trait – better stats, skills, advantages, gear – costs points. Every disadvantage or quirk that limits your options gives points back. The GM sets the total budget and a recommended –50-point disadvantage cap. Those guardrails stop the game from...
The post Points Measure Player Choice … and the…
These next few posts will start delving into the character generation chapters. The last few were basically the introduction to the character toolkit book, which explains a bit of the “let’s explore the mission statement” tone of the posts. From here, we’ll be talking about making paper people, and trying to hit up the right...
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You may feel disappointed if you come to Mission X hoping for a generic “anything goes” toolkit. GURPS Third and Fourth Editions offer that, but they had my lifetime to get there. Players who want a complete, self-contained game—create an operator, grab their gear, and kick in doors with their squad—can get to the table in under an hour. This is exactly what the Introduction promises—and exactly…
Conditional injury has evolved substantially since it originally appeared in Pyramid thanks to real-world stress testing.
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If you’ve played GURPS for years, you’ll recognize the bones instantly – but the muscles have been boosted for modern action the same way Dungeon Fantasy RPG enchanted them for fantasy. Skills are consolidated and broadened for speed and to avoid newb-traps. Traits have been reorganized and repriced. The entire damage and injury system has...
The post Who’s Mission X’s Target Audience? (You Are)…
Per anni si è pensato che della primissima incarnazione di Fallout fosse rimasto ben poco. Prima di diventare l’RPG del 1997 che tutti conoscono, infatti, il progetto era nato attorno al regolamento GURPS, poi abbandonato dopo il fallimento della licenza e sostituito dal sistema SPECIAL. Ora, però, Tim Cain ha ritrovato una traccia concreta di […]
L'articolo Fallout, riemergono gli appunti…
The rules exist for one reason: to turn uncertainty into drama; when the outcome isn’t obvious, we roll dice.
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If you’ve been following the recent episodes of Roleplay Rescue, you’ll know I’ve been spending a lot of time testing my ‘Priors‘ and exploring the architecture needed to sustain a high-fidelity, long-form campaign. Traveller was my very first roleplaying game back in 1977, and the sheer gravity of the Official Traveller Universe (OTU)—particularly the Third Imperium—has always held […]
Mission X: Kick the door. Bring the violence. Don’t talk. Don’t hesitate. Solve problems with hot lead and cold nerve. If it ends in decisive, kinetic fury, this is your game. No plot armor. Just skill, steel, and nerve. Welcome to Mission X.
The post What ‘Modern Action’ Really Means in Mission X appeared first on Gaming Ballistic.
Mission X is the modern-action counterpart to the Dungeon Fantasy RPG: a 100% complete, self-contained Powered by GURPS game that keeps the elegant 3d6 core while streamlining everything for fast, lethal play in Stargate-style first-contact horror, XCOM raids, and desperate last stands. Veterans feel instantly at home, new players are shooting bad guys in the face in under an hour, and the whole…
I have spent a significant portion of the last few years trying to repatriate a ghost. I suspect many of you are doing the same. We look back to that first spark—for me, it was 1980, aged nine—when the world suddenly became larger than the suburban streets of my youth. We remember a feeling of […]
For many of us, the greatest hurdle to a successful long-form campaign isn’t the rules or the world-building, but the relentless, anxious chatter of the GM’s own mind. We need a way to quiet the noise, and for me, that begins with invoking the Sentinel, the Scout, and the Sojourner. While these names might feel […]
In Cyfaraun, the Empire is rotting from the inside out, and the only thing keeping the city from drowning in its own filth is you. As desperate ‘Gutter Runners’ for the Curia’s Deep Watch, you’ll dive into a labyrinth of ancient sewers and forgotten ruins to troubleshoot the city’s deadliest problems. Down in the sunless […]
One area of reflection has been the idea that I enjoy several variations of game play that are often lumped together into the category of “roleplaying games”. While many folk tend to assume that the term “roleplaying game” (RPG) is a firm one, the reality is nuanced. Being able to “attempt any action” is perhaps […]