The Generic Universal Role Playing System , or GURPS , is a tabletop role-playing game system published by Steve Jackson Games . The system is designed to run any genre using the same core mechanics. The core rules were first written by Steve Jackson and published in 1986, at a time when most such systems were story- or genre-specific. Since then, four editions have been published. The current line editor is Sean Punch .
146-604: GURPS Infinite Worlds is a supplement for the Fourth Edition of the GURPS role-playing game , published by Steve Jackson Games in 2005 and written by Kenneth Hite , Steve Jackson , and John M. Ford . It expands upon the campaign setting of conflict between the Infinity Patrol , which is the dimension-jumping agency on "our" Earth, referred to as Homeline, and Centrum across a multiplicity of alternate history Earths. This
292-648: A GURPS sourcebook is 10,452 for the Harvester (p. 88) in GURPS Monsters . In principle, a Game Master can balance the power of foes to the abilities of the player characters by comparing their relative point values. Characters in GURPS have four basic attributes : Each attribute has a number rating assigned to it. Normally they begin at 10, representing typical human ability, but can go as low as 1 for nearly useless, to 20 (or higher) for superhuman power. Anything in
438-508: A computer or flying a fighter jet would not normally be available. Skills are rated by level, and the more levels purchased with character points, the better the characters are at that particular skill relative to their base attribute. Skills are categorized by difficulty: Easy, Average, Hard, and Very Hard. Easy skills cost few points to purchase levels in, and the cost per skill level increases with each level of difficulty. Game mechanics allow that eventually it may be less expensive to raise
584-452: A fantasy environment. Another game from the same company, Star Frontiers , was developed for science fiction –based role-playing. TSR produced other games for other environments, such as Gamma World ( post-apocalyptic adventures), Top Secret ( spies and secret agents), Gangbusters ( Roaring Twenties adventures), and Boot Hill ( American Old West ). Each of these games was set with its own self-contained rules system , and
730-497: A GURPS question-and-answer seminar at Origins 1984 in Dallas. The combat system for GURPS was published in 1985 as Man to Man: Fantasy Combat from GURPS to meet the deadline for Origins 1985 and was followed up later that year by the adventure supplement Orcslayer . The Basic GURPS set was published in 1986 and 1987 and included two booklets, one for developing characters and one for Adventuring. In 1990 GURPS intersected part of
876-407: A beginning character in an average power game, the 4th edition suggests 100–150 points to modify attribute stats, select advantages and disadvantages, and purchase levels in skills. Normal NPCs are built on 25–50 points. Full-fledged heroes usually have 150–250 points, while superheroes are commonly built with 400–800 points. The highest point value recorded for a canon character in
1022-512: A burgeoning global war between the tradition-minded major states ( Sofala , Persia , Andalus , the Bulgarian Caliphate and the Ummah ) and the technocratic Jamahiriya of the western continents threatens the existence of this advanced society. Named for the early death of influential science fiction editor John W. Campbell which occurred in this parallel but not in real history, Campbell
1168-509: A character is physically, the less damage he or she is capable of inflicting with such a weapon. Purely mechanical weapons (guns, beam sabers, bombs, etc.) have a set damage value. When damage is inflicted upon characters, it is deducted from their Hit Points , which are calculated with the Strength stat (prior to GURPS 4th Edition, Hit Points were derived from the Health stat). Like most other RPGs,
1314-847: A character with a Dexterity of 12, is using the Climbing skill untrained. Climbing has a default of DX-5 or ST-5, which means that using the skill untrained gives him a Climbing skill level of 7 (12–5) if he tied it to the Dexterity stat. If the character had a higher Strength stat, he could have a better chance of success if he tied the Climbing skill there instead. Some skills also have a Tech Level (TL) rating attached to them, to differentiate between Skills that concern similar concepts, but whose tasks are accomplished in different ways when used with differing levels of technology. This helps during time traveling scenarios, or when characters are forced to deal with particularly outdated or advanced equipment. For instance,
1460-669: A fleet to reach Peru by sea, and sought the military support of various rebels from the Viceroyalty of Peru. In 1822 the two men met at the Guayaquil Conference in Ecuador, where they failed to agree on governance strategies for the liberated nations. Two years later Bolívar's forces beat the Spanish at the Battle of Ayacucho , securing the independence of Peru and the rest of South America. In
1606-494: A fully rounded game of any type, apart from gladiatorial combat and medieval adventures." The Games Machine reviewed GURPS and stated that "If the idea of a generic system appeals, or you want a straightforward set of rules with which to run adventures in a setting of your own making, GURPS is worth a look." South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in
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#17328516858461752-466: A gunslinger from the Old West is facing a foe: If the gunslinger lacked these advantages, skills, and techniques, then readying, aiming, firing, aiming again, and firing again would take at least 5 seconds. If the gunslinger lacked these traits and tried to shoot two pistols at once: Damage from muscle-powered weapons, (clubs, swords, bows, etc.) is calculated based on the character's ST rating. The weaker
1898-454: A long history of colonialism , the overwhelming majority of South Americans speak Spanish or Portuguese , and societies and states are rich in Western traditions . Relative to Africa, Asia, and Europe, post-1900 South America has been a peaceful continent with few wars, although high rates of violent crime remain a concern in some countries. South America occupies the southern portion of
2044-494: A loss of hit points indicates physical harm being inflicted upon a character, which can potentially lead to death. GURPS calculates shock penalties when someone is hit, representing the impact it causes and the rush of pain that interferes with concentration. Different weapons can cause different 'types' of damage, ranging from crushing (a club or mace), impaling (a spear or arrow), cutting (most swords and axes), piercing (bullets), and so on. One peculiarity about loss of Hit Points
2190-405: A modern boat builder's skills will be of less use if he is stuck on a desert island and forced to work with primitive tools and techniques. Thus, the skills he uses are different when in his shop (Shipbuilding/TL8) and when he is on the island (Shipbuilding/TL0). GURPS uses six-sided dice for all game mechanics using standard dice notation . An "average roll" of three six sided dice generates
2336-635: A new character generation system for the microgames Melee and Wizard that used a point-buy system: players are given a fixed number of points with which to buy abilities. (The Hero System first used by the Champions role-playing game published two years later also used a point-buy system.) GURPS' s emphasis on its generic aspect has proven to be a successful marketing tactic, as many game series have source engines which can be retrofitted to many styles. Its approach to versatility includes using real world measurements wherever possible ("reality-checking"
2482-653: A part of Oceania, also administered by Chile), the Galápagos Islands (administered by Ecuador , sometimes considered part of Oceania), and Tierra del Fuego (split between Argentina and Chile). In the Atlantic Ocean, Brazil administers Fernando de Noronha , Trindade and Martim Vaz , and the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago , while the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas ) and South Georgia and
2628-431: A party have a set initiative that is entirely based upon their Basic Speed characteristic. There are two kinds of attacks: Melee (possibly with hand-to-hand weapons, or unarmed combat) and Ranged (bows, guns, thrown weapons, some Innate Attacks, etc.). Attacks made by a character are checked against their skill with the particular weapon they carry. For instance, if a character is using a pistol, as with any other skill, it
2774-455: A player makes a pick pocketing test for her character. The character has a Pickpocket skill with a level of 11. Under normal circumstances - i.e., under an average stressful situation , according to the manual - the player must roll an 11 or less for the character to succeed. If the player rolls above 11, then the character has failed the attempt at pick pocketing. There are some exceptions for very high or low rolls, deemed criticals . No matter
2920-481: A site called Chavín de Huantar in modern Peru at an elevation of 3,177 meters (10,423 ft). Chavín civilization spanned 900 BC to 300 BC. In the central coast of Peru, around the beginning of the 1st millennium AD, Moche (100 BC – 700 AD, at the northern coast of Peru), Paracas and Nazca (400 BC – 800 AD, Peru) cultures flourished with centralized states with permanent militia improving agriculture through irrigation and new styles of ceramic art. At
3066-515: A species of Troodon are the dominant sentient lifeform. The similarities exist down to cultural and political divisions (resulting in this world's colloquial name) and are assumed by Homeline scientists to be evidence of a "law of temporal inertia" (or "gods with a strange sense of humour"). A world reminiscent of several fantasy tropes, inhabited by humans, dwarves , elves etc., all of whom have been involuntarily taken from other worldlines. The setting of GURPS Banestorm . This chapter deals with
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#17328516858463212-670: A subtropical climate of the dinaric type. At the highest points of the Andean region, climates are colder than the ones occurring at the highest point of the Norwegian fjords. In the Andean plateaus, the warm climate prevails, although it is tempered by the altitude, while in the coastal strip, there is an equatorial climate of the Guinean type. From this point until the north of the Chilean coast appear, successively, Mediterranean oceanic climate , temperate of
3358-406: A total of 10.5; this makes an "average" skill check (a skill of 10, based on an unmodified attribute) equally likely to succeed or fail. Making statistic and skill checks in GURPS is the reverse of the mechanics of most other RPGs, where the higher the total of the die roll, the better. GURPS players hope to roll as low as possible under the tested statistic's rating or skill's level. If the roll
3504-456: A wide variety of skills intended to enable it to support any conceivable genre (such as Acrobatics and Vehicle Piloting). Each skill is tied to at least one attribute, and the characters' abilities in that skill is a function of their base attributes + or - a certain amount. The availability of skills depends on the particular genre in which the GURPS game is played. For instance, in a generic medieval fantasy setting, skills for operating
3650-480: Is a world notable for the poverty of its scientific advancement. While military applications of scientific research advanced rapidly enough, science as an intellectual pursuit became associated exclusively with death, destruction, and catastrophe (especially after World War II ended with the bombardment of Germany with radioactive dust , killing hundreds of thousands of people). This led to an anti-scientific wave of pacifist Luddism and charismatic religious revival in
3796-477: Is an important part of any GURPS book). GURPS also benefits from the many dozens of worldbooks describing settings or additional rules in all genres including science fiction, fantasy, and historical. Many game designers began their professional careers as GURPS writers, including C. J. Carella , Robin Laws , S. John Ross , and Steffan O'Sullivan . A character in GURPS is built with character points . For
3942-473: Is aware of their actions and has begun spying on them in return. The setting of GURPS Technomancer . A world where magic entered the world in 1916, and is centered in Germany . In "current year" 1942, World War II is being fought with magic. The setting of GURPS WWII: Weird War II . Many worlds have inhabitants that closely resemble characters from the myths, legends and stories of Homeline. The characters from
4088-515: Is because the most extensive part of the continent is in the equatorial zone (the region has more areas of equatorial plains than any other region), therefore giving the Southern Cone more oceanic influence, which moderates year round temperatures. The average annual temperatures in the Amazon basin oscillate around 27 °C (81 °F), with low thermal amplitudes and high rainfall indices. Between
4234-457: Is beneficial to have a high level in the Guns skill. Like any other skill check, a player must roll equal to or less than the level of the skill to succeed. Failure means a miss, success scores a hit. Similarly, critical hits mean that the blow might inflict significantly more damage to its target; critical misses may lead to a rather unpleasant and unexpected event (such as dropping the weapon or hitting
4380-460: Is by far the most populous South American country, with almost half of the continent's population, followed by Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and Peru. In recent decades, Brazil has also generated half of the continent's GDP and has become the continent's first regional power. Most of the population lives near the continent's western or eastern coasts while the interior and the far south are sparsely populated. The geography of western South America
4526-597: Is dominated by the Andes mountains; in contrast, the eastern part contains both highland regions and vast lowlands where rivers such as the Amazon , Orinoco and Paraná flow. Most of the continent lies in the tropics, except for a large part of the Southern Cone located in the middle latitudes . The continent's cultural and ethnic outlook has its origin with the interaction of Indigenous peoples with European conquerors and immigrants and, more locally, with African slaves . Given
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4672-480: Is important to note that in the Infinite Worlds setting, most magic fits under the category of "accepted laws of physics". Rustic (where artificial electric discharges are impossible to generate), Enigma (where the entire population of the world disappeared on July 12, 1982) and Blip (where one day spent there is equal to a little over six minutes on other worlds) are some examples. Widely regarded as one of
4818-576: Is less than or equal to that number, the check succeeds. There is no "target number" or "difficulty rating" set by the Game Master, as would be the case in many other RPG systems. Instead the GM will apply various modifiers to add or subtract to the skill level. In this way, positive modifiers increase the chance for success by adding to the stat or skill level the player must roll under while negative modifiers deduct from it, making things more difficult. For example:
4964-600: Is named for Albert Gallatin , the dominant member of Thomas Jefferson 's government due to Alexander Hamilton having died in the Battle of Trenton . Without Hamilton to defend and explain the United States Constitution in the Federalist Papers , it was never ratified and the independent colonies balkanized into nine separate republics across the continent by 1860. In "current year" 2004, Gallatin's great powers include Texas (whose nuclear arsenal shields
5110-595: Is now Colombia. They established the Muisca Confederation of many clans, or cacicazgos , that had a free trade network among themselves. Many were goldsmiths and farmers. Other important Pre-Columbian cultures include: the Cañaris (in south central Ecuador), Chimú Empire (1300–1470, Peruvian northern coast), Chachapoyas , and the Aymaran kingdoms (1000–1450, Western Bolivia and southern Peru). Holding their capital at
5256-476: Is one of the most biodiverse continents on Earth. It is home to many unique species of animals including the llama , anaconda , piranha , jaguar , vicuña , and tapir , and to one of the largest known insects in the world, the Titan beetle . The Amazon rainforests possess high biodiversity , with Brazil estimated to contain 10% of Earth's species . 83% of South America's large mammals ( megafauna ) became extinct at
5402-463: Is that characters can achieve a relatively high Active Defense value, drawing out fights considerably. The only mechanic within the system to address this is the Feint action, which if successful will place the adversary in an unfavorable position, reducing their active defense against that character only, on the subsequent turn. Skills, advantages, and equipment, can be combined to great effect. For example,
5548-561: Is that in GURPS, death is not certain. While a very high amount of total HP loss will cause certain death, there are also several points at which a player must successfully roll HT, with different grades of failure indicating character death or a mortal injury. Depending on the nature of the attack, there will sometimes be additional effects. Character advancement follows the same system as character creation. Characters are awarded character points to improve themselves at regular intervals (usually at
5694-476: Is the chapter that describes Homeline's adversaries and hazards. The major adversary is Centrum, the only other reality known to have a public parachronics program, who can be played as a deadly adversary, occasional opponents or grudging allies depending on the GM's preference. The secondary adversary is Reich-5, the worst of the five known ' Nazis win/survive WWII ' realities in the setting. An ill-advised raid by Spetsnaz troops from Homeline Russia resulted in
5840-571: Is the largest country in South America, covering a little less than half of the continent's land area and encompassing around half of the continent's population. The remaining countries and territories are divided among four subregions : the Andean states , Caribbean South America , The Guianas , and the Southern Cone . Physiographically, South America also includes some of the nearby islands. The Dutch ABC islands ( Aruba , Bonaire , and Curaçao ),
5986-560: Is well behind those of the other two. Here Nero Claudius Drusus did not die in 9 B.C. In turn, he became the successor to Augustus instead of Tiberius . The imperial line that followed was so successful that when the First Empire fell apart in the 5th century the guiding ideals of Rome were never discarded and were ultimately restored. After the Mongol invasions broke the Second Empire in
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6132-510: The Altiplano , Tiahuanaco or Tiwanaku (100 BC – 1200 AD, Bolivia) managed a large commercial network based on religion. Around the 7th century, both Tiahuanaco and Wari or Huari Empire (600–1200, Central and northern Peru) expanded its influence to all the Andean region, imposing the Huari urbanism and Tiahuanaco religious iconography. The Muisca were the main indigenous civilization in what
6278-797: The American Civil War this provided a way around the Union blockade for the Confederacy that ultimately ensured their victory. In revenge for British support of the rebels, the United States invaded and annexed most of Canada ; meanwhile the Southrons reintroduced their "peculiar institution" into Central America and the Caribbean at gunpoint. Today ("current year" 1993) the U.S.A. and C.S.A. watch each other warily across an armed border that stretches to
6424-647: The Arabian Nights stories, three different King Arthurs ( Riothamus , the Vulgate Cycle Arthur, and Thomas Malory's version ) and Sherlock Holmes are all represented by various worlds, along with hundreds of others. Shalmaneser III of Assyria wiped out Jerusalem and Tyre in this world in 854 B.C., and his successors destroyed the Greek city-states a century later. In the "current year" of 1678, various empires based on slavery and human sacrifice cover
6570-572: The Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina ( San Andrés Island , Providencia Island , and Santa Catalina Island etc., which are administered by Colombia ) are politically parts of South American countries but physiographically parts of North America. Other islands often associated with geopolitical South America are the Chiloé Archipelago and Robinson Crusoe Island (both administered by Chile), Easter Island (culturally
6716-802: The Atacama Desert ; the wettest place on earth, López de Micay in Colombia; the largest rainforest, the Amazon rainforest ; the highest capital city, La Paz , Bolivia ; the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca ; and, excluding research stations in Antarctica , the world's southernmost permanently inhabited community, Puerto Toro , Chile. South America's major mineral resources are gold, silver, copper, iron ore, tin , and petroleum. These resources have brought high income to its countries, especially in times of war or of rapid economic growth by industrialized countries elsewhere. However,
6862-686: The Bering Land Bridge (now the Bering Strait ) at least 15,000 years ago from the territory that is present-day Russia. They migrated south through North America, and eventually reached South America through the Isthmus of Panama . Amongst the oldest evidence for human presence in South America is the Monte Verde II site in Chile, suggested to date to around 14,500 years ago. From around 13,000 years ago,
7008-568: The Caribbean colonies and Brazil, as European nations built up economically slave-dependent colonies in the New World . Nearly 40% of all African slaves trafficked to the Americas went to Brazil. An estimated 4.9 million slaves from Africa came to Brazil during the period from 1501 to 1866. In contrast to other European colonies in the Americas which mainly used the labor of African slaves, Spanish colonists mainly enslaved indigenous Americans. In 1750,
7154-503: The English in 1588, Armada-2 is a world just now (in "current year" 1812) emerging from the shadow of Catholic Spanish hegemony , with Sweden , an industrialised Egypt and Huguenot Nouvelle France as other powers. A parallel where city-razing Mongol hordes under Genghis Khan destroyed first Beijing and then all the cities of Europe, where now their descendants (in "current year" 2004) rule an entirely nomadic continent. The world
7300-489: The FBI . Operation: Sundevil was in action at the same time, but it was completely separate. See Steve Jackson Games, Inc. v. United States Secret Service . The 1995 supplement GURPS Illuminati University introduced Agatha Heterodyne , the character who would go on to star in the popular comic series Girl Genius in 2001. A free PDF version of the GURPS rules was released in 1998 as GURPS Lite . This limited ruleset
7446-1000: The Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ; and one internal territory : French Guiana . The ABC islands of the Dutch Caribbean (north of Venezuela in the Leeward Antilles ), Ascension Island (a part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha ), Bouvet Island (a dependency of Norway ), Panama , and the Caribbean island country of Trinidad and Tobago may also be considered parts of South America. South America has an area of 17,840,000 square kilometers (6,890,000 sq mi). Its population as of 2021 has been estimated at more than 434 million. South America ranks fourth in area (after Asia, Africa, and North America) and fifth in population (after Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America). Brazil
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#17328516858467592-465: The Fishtail projectile point style became widespread across South America, with its disappearance around 11,000 years ago coincident with the disappearance of South America's megafauna. Maize was present in northern South America by around 6,000 years ago. By 2000 BC, many agrarian communities had been settled throughout the Andes and the surrounding regions. Fishing became a widespread practice along
7738-467: The Fortaleza area, contemporaneous with the pyramids of Ancient Egypt , one of the oldest-known civilizations in the Americas and one of the six sites where civilization separately originated in the ancient world. Caral–Supe governing class established a trade network and developed agriculture then followed by Chavín by 900 BC, according to some estimates and archaeological finds. Artifacts were found at
7884-516: The Korean Peninsula ), and the isolationist South American kingdom of Huaraca . In this "four-cornered world" Juan, Prince of Asturias , the son of King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain survived to take the Spanish throne as King John III. The resulting changes in history spread all the way to Japan, where an increased Jesuit presence prolonged the life of Oda Nobunaga and prevented
8030-688: The Maracaibo Lake and the mouth of the Orinoco, predominates an equatorial climate of the type Congolese, that also includes parts of the Brazilian territory. The east-central Brazilian plateau has a humid and warm tropical climate. The northern and eastern parts of the Argentine pampas have a humid subtropical climate with dry winters and humid summers of the Chinese type, while the western and eastern ranges have
8176-549: The Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Rules of 1988 , and in 2000 it was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame . Many of its expansions have also won awards. Prior to GURPS , most roleplaying games (RPGs) of the 1970s and early 1980s were developed especially for certain gaming environments, and they were largely incompatible with one another. For example, TSR published its Dungeons & Dragons game specifically for
8322-585: The Orinoco Llanos and in the Guianas Plateau , the precipitation levels go from moderate to high. The Pacific coast of Colombia and northern Ecuador are rainy regions, with Chocó in Colombia being the rainiest place in the world along with the northern slopes of Indian Himalayas. The Atacama Desert, along this stretch of coast, is one of the driest regions in the world. The central and southern parts of Chile are subject to extratropical cyclones , and most of
8468-563: The Pacific , while India , the Chinese republics and their neighbors expand their economies at the expense of the moribund European monarchies that never fell after 1918. (See American Civil War alternate histories ). Here the Columbian Exchange occurred two thousand years early, when a Carthaginian fleet was blown across the Atlantic to discover the New World . This premature contact gave
8614-539: The Portuguese Crown abolished the enslavement of indigenous peoples in colonial Brazil , under the belief that they were unfit for labor and less effective than enslaved Africans. Enslaved Africans were brought to the Americas on slave ships , under inhuman conditions and ill-treatment, and those who survived were sold in slave markets . After independence, all South American countries maintained slavery for some time. The first South American country to abolish slavery
8760-705: The Portuguese Kingdom of Brazil , Dom Pedro I (also Pedro IV of Portugal), son of the Portuguese King Dom João VI , proclaimed the independent Kingdom of Brazil in 1822, which later became the Empire of Brazil . Despite the Portuguese loyalties of garrisons in Bahia , Cisplatina and Pará , independence was diplomatically accepted by Portugal in 1825, on condition of a high compensation paid by Brazil mediated by
8906-424: The South American Plate . South America is home to several superlatives, including the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall , Angel Falls in Venezuela; the highest single-drop waterfall Kaieteur Falls in Guyana; the largest river by volume, the Amazon River ; the longest mountain range, the Andes (whose highest mountain is Aconcagua at 6,962 m or 22,841 ft); the driest non-polar place on earth,
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#17328516858469052-557: The Southern Hemisphere , with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere . It can also be described as the southern subregion of the Americas . South America is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean ; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest. The continent includes twelve sovereign states : Argentina , Bolivia , Brazil , Chile , Colombia , Ecuador , Guyana , Paraguay , Peru , Suriname , Uruguay , and Venezuela ; two dependent territories :
9198-411: The Spanish American wars of independence between the patriots, who promoted such autonomy, and the royalists , who supported Spanish authority over the Americas. The Juntas, in both Spain and the Americas, promoted the ideas of the Enlightenment . Five years after the beginning of the war, Ferdinand VII returned to the throne and began the Absolutist Restoration , as the royalists got the upper hand in
9344-537: The biosphere ) and the worrisome Gotha parallels (where a prion -based disease has turned almost all humans into bloodthirsty cannibals on 19 otherwise dissimilar worlds). The main world in the game. The world of "our" timeline (apart from the development of parachronics) and home base of Infinity Patrol, and of players in the game. Seeks to counteract Centrum and its efforts to interfere with natural development of alternate worlds. Here Franklin D. Roosevelt maintained Henry A. Wallace as his vice president when he
9490-426: The closing of the country by the Tokugawa shogunate . In the resulting cyberpunk "current year" of 2027, the dominant powers include a Japanese Empire that covers China, India , New Zealand , and much of East Asia, the economic superpower of Brazil , the totalitarian Swedish Empire and the technologically advanced Kingdom of France . A world very similar to our own, except reptilian creatures descended from
9636-432: The hacker subculture when the company's Austin , Texas, offices were raided by the Secret Service . The target was the author of GURPS Cyberpunk in relation to E911 Emergency Response system documents stolen from Bell South . The incident was a direct contributor to the founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation . A common misconception holds that this raid was part of Operation Sundevil and carried out by
9782-712: The native populations had no immune resistance – caused large-scale depopulation of the native population under Spanish control. Systems of forced labor, such as the haciendas and mining industry's mit'a also contributed to the depopulation. After this, enslaved Africans , who had developed immunities to these diseases, were quickly brought in to replace them. The Spaniards were committed to converting their native subjects to Christianity and were quick to purge any native cultural practices that hindered this end; however, many initial attempts at this were only partially successful, as native groups simply blended Catholicism with their established beliefs and practices. Furthermore,
9928-411: The wizard of that name , Merlin-1 is a world where magic entered the world due to the Trinity nuclear test in August 1945. In "current year" 2004 America (where much of the magic is centred) uses both magic and technology to be the dominant superpower . Homeline has begun investigating this world to obtain information about this mana-rich reality, but unbeknownst to them the Merlin-1 American government
10074-453: The "current year" of 1848, the expansionist, steam-powered Tenochca Empire faces off against the Hotinohsavannih League to the north and the Songhay Empire (the last remnant of Roman culture) to the east; whoever wins is likely fated to take on the somnolent but fearsomely large Mongol Khaganate that covers most of Eurasia. This parallel world is named for the Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa , who in this timeline managed to be
10220-405: The "default" Infinity setting. GURPS Infinite Worlds was designed by Kenneth Hite , Steve Jackson , and John M. Ford , and published by Steve Jackson Games in 2005. GURPS Infinite Worlds won the 2005 Origins Award as Best Game Supplement. GURPS Sessions are run by a game master (GM), who controls the world and adjudicates the rules, with any number of players controlling
10366-499: The 14th century, colonies in the Hesperides preserved these ideals in turn and ultimately re-restored the empire in the late 18th century. The "current year" is 1893, and the Musket -wielding legions of the Third Empire are found from the Magna Campania to the Ganges , with no sign of retreating anytime soon. The only other significant political entities in the world are Serica (China) and its North American kingdom Fu-Sang (centered on San Francisco ), Taehan (a growing empire based on
10512-427: The 1960s. Lacking the positive fruits of scientific inquiry, the world heads (in "current year" 2004) through ecological disaster and failing economies to a nigh-inevitable showdown between its capitalist and communist societies. The nominal villains of the campaign, Centrum is a totalitarian , homogenized world-state, and the only world other than Homeline to have a major parachronic program. Its point of departure
10658-420: The 8 to 12 range is considered to be in the normal or average area for humans. Basic attribute scores of 6 or less are considered crippling —they are so far below the human norm that they are only used for severely handicapped characters. Scores of 15 or more are described as amazing —they are immediately apparent and draw constant comment. Players assign these ratings spending character points . The higher
10804-732: The Americas. The continent is generally delimited on the northwest by the Darién watershed along the Colombia–Panama border , although some may consider the border instead to be the Panama Canal . Geopolitically and geographically, all of Panama – including the segment east of the Panama Canal in the isthmus – is typically included in North America alone and among the countries of Central America . Almost all of mainland South America sits on
10950-666: The Argentine Patagonia is desert . In the Pampas of Argentina, Uruguay and South of Brazil the rainfall is moderate, with rains well distributed during the year. The moderately dry conditions of the Chaco oppose the intense rainfall of the eastern region of Paraguay. In the semiarid coast of the Brazilian Northeast the rains are linked to a monsoon regime. Important factors in the determination of climates are sea currents, such as
11096-675: The Breton type and, already in Tierra del Fuego , cold climate of the Siberian type. The distribution of rainfall is related to the regime of winds and air masses. In most of the tropical region east of the Andes, winds blowing from the northeast, east and southeast carry moisture from the Atlantic, causing abundant rainfall. However, due to a consistently strong wind shear and a weak Intertropical Convergence Zone , South Atlantic tropical cyclones are rare. In
11242-739: The Creation, Worlds Enough, ...And Time, Infinite characters, Infinite Campaigns, and Alternate Infinities. This chapter describes one of the two worlds (known locally as Homeline) that have full-fledged, public "parachronics" programs (the technology behind traveling between parallel universes ). Travel between worlds is generally done through ground-based equipment ("projectors") or vehicles ("conveyors"), but magic, parahuman abilities and even stranger methods can and have been utilized by both. Alternate worlds (also known as realities or worldlines) are grouped into "quanta", which have varying degrees of ease of access not only to Homeline but to her opponents. This
11388-569: The Great Man, Great Moment, and Great Motherland. This is the chapter on some of the alternate worlds in the setting. Reich-5, Caliph, Dixie, Ezcalli, Gernsback, Roma Aeterna, and Shikaku-Mon all appeared in slightly different forms in the older Alternate Earths volumes. So named because it is the second world discovered by the Infinity Patrol in which the Spanish Armada was victorious over
11534-504: The I-Cops in here is to prevent Centrum from taking over, as Centrum regards Gernsback as a potential ally. Many timelines have suffered catastrophes (some natural, others man-made) that have rendered humanity either extinct or nearly so. These are colloquially known as the "hell worlds". Examples include Ariane (where the Spanish flu killed 99.9% of the population), Lenin-2 (where nuclear war and unconstrained industry have combined to crash
11680-516: The Infinity Patrol the key to understanding and besting Centrum proper. Also known generally as "Reality Vanish", there are at least 41 parachronic coordinate settings where people or objects sent into them never return. These are assumed to be worlds where the laws of physics are sufficiently different from that of our own universe to kill visitors and/or cripple their equipment (see Rustic under Puzzle Worlds, below). In this world, William Walker succeeded in conquering Nicaragua in 1856; during
11826-523: The Labyrinth , to form The Fantasy Trip ( TFT ), an early role-playing game. Several of the core concepts of GURPS first appeared in TFT , including the inclusion of Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence as the core abilities scores of each character. By April 1984, the core rules for GURPS (at that point referred to as the "Great Unnamed Universal Role-Playing System") was being playtested in preparation for
11972-534: The Native American civilizations time to recover from the shock of new diseases and adopt the newcomers' technology; in addition, the early introduction of maize and the potato to the Old World eventually reduced Rome's ability to control its subjects through Egyptian grain. The Empire ended with Nero , and the patchwork of European successor states were ill-equipped to resist subsequent barbarian invasions. In
12118-557: The South Sandwich Islands ( biogeographically and hydrologically associated with Antarctica) have been administered as two British Overseas Territories under the Crown , whose sovereignty over the islands is disputed by Argentina . An isolated volcanic island on the South American Plate , Ascension Island is geologically a part of South America. Administered as a dependency of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha ,
12264-995: The Spaniards brought their language to the degree they did with their religion, although the Roman Catholic Church 's evangelization in Quechua , Aymara , and Guaraní actually contributed to the continuous use of these native languages albeit only in the oral form. Eventually, the natives and the Spaniards interbred, forming a mestizo class. At the beginning, many mestizos of the Andean region were offspring of Amerindian mothers and Spanish fathers. After independence, most mestizos had native fathers and European or mestizo mothers. Many native artworks were considered pagan idols and destroyed by Spanish explorers; this included many gold and silver sculptures and other artifacts found in South America, which were melted down before their transport to Spain or Portugal. Spaniards and Portuguese brought
12410-530: The Spanish and Portuguese colonies. First, Napoleon invaded Portugal, but the House of Braganza avoided capture by escaping to Brazil . Napoleon captured King Ferdinand VII of Spain, and appointed his own brother instead. This appointment provoked popular resistance, which created Juntas to rule in the name of the captured king. Many cities in the Spanish colonies, however, considered themselves equally authorized to appoint local Juntas like those of Spain. This began
12556-588: The United Kingdom. The newly independent nations began a process of fragmentation, with several civil and international wars. However, it was not as strong as in Central America. Some countries created from provinces of larger countries stayed as such up to modern times (such as Paraguay or Uruguay), while others were reconquered and reincorporated into their former countries (such as the Republic of Entre Ríos and
12702-689: The West and tell of Stalin 's plans to create atomic weapons, the League of Nations declared war on the Soviet Union , which fell on April 30, 1953, with the death of Joseph Stalin . In "current year" 1965, the World Science Council and the League of Nations are putting down all threats to the techno-utopia that has resulted from the inventions derived from Tesla's work. However, this is a world where race and sex discrimination still run rampant. The main mission of
12848-429: The actions of a character. Most actions are resolved by rolling three six-sided dice (3d6), trying to roll below a certain number, usually a skill. GURPS uses a point-based character creation system; characters are represented by four basic stats (Strength, Dexterity, IQ and Health), and players can buy any number of advantages, disadvantages, perks, quirks and skills. GURPS consists of a GURPS Basic Set , which contains
12994-531: The area being studied. Self-study and on the job experience take more time per character point while high tech teaching aids can reduce the time required. Some intensive situations let a character advance quickly, as most waking hours are considered study. For instance, characters travelling through the Amazon may count every waking moment as study of jungle survival, while living in a foreign country could count as eight hours per day of language study or more. The computer game publisher Interplay licensed GURPS as
13140-568: The attack with a limb or weapon), or Block (effort to interpose a shield or similar object between the attack and the defender's body). Unlike many RPG systems, an Active Defense is an unopposed check, meaning that in most cases, the success of an attack has no effect on the difficulty of the defense. Dodge is based on the Basic Speed characteristic, while Parry and Block are each based on individual combat skills, such as Fencing, Karate, or Staff for Parry, and Shield or Cloak for Block. A common criticism
13286-490: The average of 10. Attribute scores also determine several secondary characteristics . The four major ones are each directly based on a single attribute: The other secondary characteristics (Damage, Basic Lift, Basic Speed, Dodge, Move) are calculated from one or more attribute values using individual tables or formulae . GURPS has a profusion of advantages and disadvantages which enable players or Game Masters to customize their characters. The myriad options available and
13432-401: The basis for a post– nuclear war role-playing video game ( Fallout ) in 1995. Late in development, Interplay replaced the GURPS character-building system with their own SPECIAL System . Brian Fargo , one of the executive producers of Fallout , stated during an interview that Interplay dropped out of the licensing deal, following fundamental disagreements on the game's content. "[Jackson]
13578-665: The capture of a troop conveyor, a handful of live prisoners, and the corpse of a scout with a genetically-linked psionic world-jumping ability. A quick-thinking local Brigadeführer made a deal with the mystical SS society of the Ahnenerbe to take possession of the booty (and to keep it all secret from the mainstream Nazi hierarchy); Reich-5 scientists and sorcerers are using occult rituals and horrific medical experiments to slowly spread their Thousand Year Reich to other realities. This chapter describes how to create your own alternate reality and offering inspirational concepts to look at such as
13724-522: The character a bit, but they mostly add role-playing flavor. Enhancements and limitations can tailor an advantage or disadvantage to suit creative players. These modify the effects and point cost of advantages and disadvantages. For example, to create a "dragon's breath" attack, a player would select the Innate Attack ability (the ability that allows a player to perform an attack most humans could not), and select burning attack 4D (normally 20 points). Then,
13870-496: The character and cost points to purchase. Selecting Disadvantages returns character points and allows players to limit their characters in one way in exchange for being more powerful or gifted in other areas. Disadvantages include such positive attributes as honesty and truthfulness which limit the way a character is played. There are also many Perks and Quirks to choose from which give a character some personality. Perks (minor Advantages) and Quirks (minor Disadvantages) benefit or hinder
14016-437: The coast, helping establish fish as a primary source of food. Irrigation systems were also developed at this time, which aided in the rise of an agrarian society . South American cultures began domesticating llamas , vicuñas , guanacos , and alpacas in the highlands of the Andes circa 3500 BC. Besides their use as sources of meat and wool, these animals were used for transportation of goods. The rise of plant growing and
14162-461: The concentration in producing one, or few, major export commodities has often hindered the development and diversification of its economies. The fluctuation in the price of commodities in international markets has led historically to major highs and lows, booms and busts, in the economies of South American states, often causing political instability. This has led for calls to diversify production and increase trade within South America itself. Brazil
14308-535: The conflict. The independence of South America was secured by Simón Bolívar (Venezuela) and José de San Martín (Argentina), the two most important Libertadores . Bolívar led a great uprising in the north, then led his army south towards Lima , the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru . Meanwhile, San Martín led an army across the Andes Mountains, along with Chilean expatriates, and liberated Chile. He organized
14454-403: The core rules required to run most games. In addition, more than a hundred supplemental books provide optional rules and details about different settings and genres ( GURPS Martial Arts , for example). By adapting the various optional rules and systems, GURPS can be run with as much or as little detail as required, and can accommodate virtually any genre, character or style of play. GURPS won
14600-617: The current Humboldt and Falklands . The equatorial current of the South Atlantic strikes the coast of the Northeast and there is divided into two others: the current of Brazil and a coastal current that flows to the northwest towards the Antilles , where there it moves towards northeast course thus forming the most Important and famous ocean current in the world, the Gulf Stream . South America
14746-502: The differences between abilities from experience and from inborn talent, more detailed language rules, and revised technology levels. Designed by Sean Punch , the Fourth Edition is sold as two full-color hardcover books as well as in the PDF format. Role-playing games of the 1970s and 1980s, such as Dungeons & Dragons , generally used random numbers generated by dice rolls to assign statistics to player characters. In 1978, Jackson designed
14892-532: The end of a game session or story). GMs are free to distribute experience as they see fit. This contrasts with some traditional RPGs where players receive a predictable amount of experience for defeating foes. The book recommends providing 1-3 points for completing objectives and 1-3 points for good role-playing per game session. Advancement can also come through study, work, or other activities, either during game play or between sessions. In general, 200 hours of study equals one character point which can be applied for
15038-533: The end of the Pleistocene around 11,000 years ago as part of the Quaternary extinction event , among the highest of any continent, with the casualties including saber-toothed cats , ground sloths , glyptodonts , gomphotheres , the equines Hippidion and Equus neogeus , and all remaining South American native ungulates . South America is thought to have been first inhabited by humans when people were crossing
15184-416: The ensuing chaos William Dudley Pelley was elected president. Pelley quickly assumed dictatorial powers, and his blatant theft of the 1948 election from Robert A. Taft triggered wholesale civil war. The president called for aid from Nazi Germany , which quickly sent 40 Wehrmacht divisions through Canada . The pro-democracy resistance collapsed after Werner Heisenberg developed the atomic bomb which
15330-433: The globe (except for an Infinity Patrol-supported haven in southern Africa ) while an anomalous ice age threatens to wipe out those unfortunate to live in a world where monotheism , democracy and the Greek and Latin alphabets were destroyed almost before they could begin. Some worlds that do not follow the generally accepted laws of physics in one way or another or otherwise demonstrate unusual characteristics—it
15476-469: The globe. Centrum is a socialist technocratic meritocracy ; the government provides all employment and handles the economy, which is bolstered by the massive resources acquired from other worldlines. They believe other worlds should be aiming to follow their example and have a dedicated program of supporting political and economic groups that reflect their own values—stability, meritocracy and an unconscious prejudice against non-English speakers. They view
15622-601: The great city of Cusco , the Inca civilization dominated the Andes region from 1438 to 1533. Known as Tawantin suyu , and "the land of the four regions", in Quechua , the Inca Empire was highly distinct and developed. Inca rule extended to nearly a hundred linguistic or ethnic communities, some nine to fourteen million people connected by a 25,000 kilometer road system . Cities were built with precise, unmatched stonework, constructed over many levels of mountain terrain. Terrace farming
15768-517: The great imperial unifier and conqueror that the vagaries of fortune prevented him from being in our history. In "current year" 1219, seventeen years after his death, Friedrich is notable for being a hotbed of activity by the SS Raven Division from the Nazi-dominated parallel Reich-5, who seek to turn his Holy Roman Empire into a First Reich and breeding ground for Aryan warriors. Gallatin
15914-417: The island is geopolitically a part of Africa. All of the world's major climate zones are present in South America. The distribution of the average temperatures in the region presents a constant regularity from the 30° of latitude south , when the isotherms tend, more and more, to be confused with the degrees of latitude. In temperate latitudes, winters and summers are milder than in North America. This
16060-653: The islands of Trinidad and Tobago ( Trinidad Island and Tobago Island etc.), the State of Nueva Esparta , and the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela sit on the northern portion of the South American continental shelf and are sometimes considered parts of the continent. Geopolitically, all the island countries and territories in the Caribbean have generally been grouped as a subregion of North America instead. By contrast, Aves Island (administered by Venezuela ) and
16206-526: The land outside Europe should be an exclusive duopoly between the two countries. The treaty established an imaginary line along a north–south meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands , roughly 46° 37' W. In terms of the treaty, all land to the west of the line (known to comprise most of the South American soil) would belong to Spain, and all land to the east, to Portugal. As accurate measurements of longitude were impossible at that time,
16352-450: The level of the base attribute the skills depend on as opposed to purchasing higher levels of skills. Players can generally purchase a skill for their characters at any level they can afford. The lower a player chooses, the fewer points it costs to buy the skill, while higher levels cost more points. Some skills have default levels, which indicate the level rating a character has when using that skill untrained (i.e. not purchased). For example,
16498-424: The level of the skill, a die roll of 18 is always a critical failure , and a roll of 3 or 4 is always a critical success (a roll of 17 is a critical failure as well, unless the character relevant skill level is 16 or more). The Game Master may decide in such cases that, in first case (a roll of 18, or 10+ over the modified skill level), the character has failed miserably and caused something disastrous to happen or, in
16644-476: The line was not strictly enforced, resulting in a Portuguese expansion of Brazil across the meridian. Beginning in the 1530s, the people and natural resources of South America were repeatedly exploited by foreign conquistadors , first from Spain and later from Portugal. These competing colonial nations claimed the land and resources as their own and divided it into colonies. European infectious diseases ( smallpox , influenza , measles , and typhus ) – to which
16790-466: The many theories of Temporal Physics both real and fictional that exist. There are some other ideas provided to make things either easier or more difficult for your intrepid travelers such as Linearity Principle, Oscillating Time, Recency Effect, and Temporal Exclusion as well how communication works. Special notes on certain rules in the setting and character templates. Designing the campaign's scope and direction. This chapter provides alternatives to
16936-453: The mid-17th century. It became a Dutch colony in 1667. The indigenous peoples of the Americas in various European colonies were forced to work in European plantations and mines; along with enslaved Africans who were also introduced in the proceeding centuries via the slave trade . European colonists were heavily dependent on indigenous labor during the initial phases of settlement to maintain
17082-408: The mix of competing government agencies and private companies from Homeline as dangerously reminiscent of the period prior to their own "Final War". One of the most important parallel Earths from the Infinity Patrol's point of view, Centrum Beta appears to be an exact copy of the home parallel of Centrum - except that the "current year" is only 1895. Understanding Centrum Beta as it is now might give
17228-596: The most disturbing and potentially dangerous worlds so far discovered, in this parallel Giuseppe Zangara succeeded in assassinating Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933. His successors Garner , Lindbergh and Wallace proved unable to handle the Great Depression , and America stood by while Hitler conquered Europe and Japan took over most of Asia. In 1944, Japan attacked Guam , the Philippines and Hawaii ; in
17374-689: The other libertarian American republics), German-dominated Europaverein, the British Empire , the Soviet Union , and the Japanese Empire ; peace is maintained by the fear of mutual destruction in an atomic war. This parallel world is named after editor Hugo Gernsback , due to the futuristic architecture and technology being used there. The divergence happened in 1893, when Nikola Tesla married Anne Morgan, daughter of millionaire and philanthropist J. P. Morgan , an event that helped him to stabilize his life and make many of his inventions reality thanks to
17520-422: The other case, that he or she succeeds incredibly well and gains some benefit as a result. Combat in GURPS is organized in personal turns: i.e., every character gets a turn each second , and during a character's turn he or she may take an action, such as attack or move. After all characters have taken their action, one second has elapsed. Free actions are simple actions that can be done at any time. Characters in
17666-479: The player would modify it as follows: cone, 5 yards (+100%); limited use, 3/day (-20%); reduced range, x1/5 (-20%). The final percentage modifier would be +60%, making the final cost 32 points. This addition to the system greatly increases its flexibility while decreasing the number of specific advantages and disadvantages that must be listed. Finally, mitigators can themselves tailor advantages and disadvantages (see GURPS Bio-Tech for such an example). GURPS has
17812-466: The rating the more points it will cost the player, however, assigning a score below the average 10 gives the player points back to assign elsewhere. Since almost all skills are based on Dexterity or Intelligence, those attributes are twice as expensive (or yield twice the points, if purchased below 10). In earlier editions (pre–4th Edition) all attributes followed the same cost-progression, where higher attributes cost more per increase than attributes close to
17958-534: The rebellion of James, Duke of Monmouth against James II of England in 1685 is the point of divergence between our own world and Britannica-3 ; wiser and more Protestant rule in Britain meant that tensions with the North American colonies never reached the point of rebellion as they did in real history. Despite the rise of other strong European powers, the world is free of major conflicts, which can be attributed to
18104-537: The rewards the system provides players for carefully creating their characters are attractive to gamers who enjoy a high degree of flexibility in character design. A player can select numerous Advantages and Disadvantages to differentiate the character; the system supports both mundane traits (such as above-average or below-average Wealth, Status and Reputation) as well as more exotic special abilities and weaknesses. These are categorized as physical, mental or social, and as exotic, supernatural, or mundane. Advantages benefit
18250-584: The romance of an Egyptian campaign (which he conducted in 1798 in our timeline) for a stealthy invasion of Ireland , granting him victory over Britain . By "current year" 2024, the world is divided between French , Japanese , Russian , and Brazilian Empires , along with the United States and the Russian Republic, and the world has achieved a stage of technological achievement and social disaffection and tension reminiscent of cyberpunk . The success of
18396-576: The rules for playing each game differed greatly from one game to the next. Attempts were made in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons to allow cross-genre games using Gamma World and Boot Hill rules; however, characters could only be used in a new genre by converting their statistics. Although GURPS was preceded by Basic Role-Playing ( Chaosium , 1980) and the Hero System ( Hero Games , a system that expanded to multiple genres starting in 1982), GURPS
18542-462: The strong influence of Centrum in this parallel. In this world the printing press was invented in Baghdad in 796 and was shortly followed by the widespread adoption of the scientific method and an oil-based Industrial Revolution . The current year here is 1684, but the technological acceleration stemming from these changes has resulted in a society seemingly centuries ahead of Homeline. Unfortunately
18688-421: The subsequent appearance of permanent human settlements allowed for the multiple and overlapping beginnings of civilizations in South America. One of the earliest known South American civilizations was Caral–Supe , on the central Peruvian coast. Though a pre-ceramic culture, the monumental architecture of Caral–Supe created one of the first cities of the world, generally dated to around 3500 BC, at Huaricanga in
18834-411: The subsistence economy, and natives were often captured by expeditions. The importation of African slaves began midway through the 16th century, but the enslavement of indigenous peoples continued well into the 17th and 18th centuries. The Atlantic slave trade brought enslaved Africans primarily to South American colonies, beginning with the Portuguese since 1502. The main destinations of this phase were
18980-472: The support of his father-in-law. In 1902, he created a radio tower that broadcast to the entire world from Long Island , and he later managed to develop wireless electricity broadcasting, which eventually helped Germany to stabilize and avoid falling under the control of Adolf Hitler and Nazism , and strengthening the League of Nations , avoiding World War II . When, in 1951, Andrei Sakharov managed to defect to
19126-517: The surface, and in 1902 unknown parties decapitated the ruling house by detonating a nuclear device in London . The resulting succession wars included nuclear and biological weapons, wiped out much of humanity and reduced most of the survivors to preindustrial barbarism . But Terraustralis (Homeline Australia) escaped much of the destruction, and the techno-military cabal known as "The Centrum" that took control there ultimately extended its authority across
19272-457: The way for an Alchemical Revolution that has left Azoth-7 dominated by the magical might of Britain , Venice , Prussia , and Spain by "current year" 1780. Notable for having space travel - though whatever Polaris and Sirius may be, they are not balls of hydrogen tens or hundreds of light-years away from Earth. (The Rivers of London series is also based on the premise of a magical Isaac Newton) In Bonaparte-4 , Napoleon sacrificed
19418-568: The western European architectural style to the continent, and helped to improve infrastructures like bridges, roads, and the sewer system of the cities they discovered or conquered. They also significantly increased economic and trade relations, not just between the old and new world but between the different South American regions and peoples. Finally, with the expansion of the Portuguese and Spanish languages, many cultures that were previously separated became united through that of Latin American. Guyana
19564-442: The wrong target). Attack modifiers are set by the GM when factoring in things like distance, speed and cover that make a successful strike more difficult. After a successful attack, except in the case of a critical hit, the defender usually gets a chance to avoid the blow. This is called an Active Defense, and takes the form of a Dodge (deliberate movement out of the perceived path of the attack), Parry (attempt to deflect or intercept
19710-465: Was Chile in 1823, Uruguay in 1830, Bolivia in 1831, Guyana in 1833, Colombia and Ecuador in 1851, Argentina in 1853, Peru and Venezuela in 1854, Suriname in 1863, Paraguay in 1869, and in 1888 Brazil was the last South American nation and the last country in western world to abolish slavery. The European Peninsular War (1807–14), a theater of the Napoleonic Wars , changed the political situation of
19856-614: Was a useful form of agriculture. The Mapuche in Central and Southern Chile resisted the European and Chilean settlers, waging the Arauco War for more than 300 years. In 1494, Portugal and Spain, the two great maritime European powers of that time, on the expectation of new lands being discovered in the west, signed the Treaty of Tordesillas , by which they agreed, with the support of the Pope, that all
20002-401: Was also included with various books such as GURPS Discworld and Transhuman Space . Steve Jackson Games released GURPS Fourth Edition at the first day of Gen Con on August 19, 2004. It promised to simplify and streamline most areas of play and character creation. The changes include modification of the attribute point adjustments, an edited and rationalized skill list, clarification of
20148-625: Was in 1120, when the White Ship carrying William the Aetheling , the heir of Henry I of England , did not hit a rock in the English Channel . William's survival precluded The Anarchy and the Hundred Years War , and ultimately the "Anglo-French Empire" became a world-spanning power, with technological progress centuries beyond that of Homeline. However unbearable tensions existed just below
20294-549: Was initially colonized by the Dutch before coming under British control , though there was a brief period during the Napoleonic Wars when it was occupied by the French . The region was initially partitioned between the Dutch, French and British before fully coming under the control of Britain. Suriname was first explored by the Spanish in the 16th century and then settled by the English in
20440-540: Was mistakenly named for Attila the Hun by early Infinity Patrol researchers who were confused as to which nomadic leader was responsible for the destruction. Meanwhile, Japan trades across the Pacific Ocean with the urbanized tribes of North and South America , and city-states of Africa , where steam engines have just been developed. When Isaac Newton discovered the secret of the philosopher's stone in 1693, he paved
20586-416: Was offended by the nature of the content and where it was going. ... He saw [the opening cinematic], and he just wouldn't approve it." Jackson said "I made a lot of concessions because I want to save the project" and that he felt "all the original problems could be resolved". GURPS for Dummies ( ISBN 0-471-78329-3 ), a guidebook by Stuart J. Stuple, Bjoern-Erik Hartsfvang, and Adam Griffith,
20732-577: Was presented in the Fourth Edition GURPS Basic Set (and originated in the Third Edition supplements GURPS Time Travel , GURPS Alternate Earths , and GURPS Alternate Earths II ). GURPS Infinite Worlds builds on the idea of player characters travelling from one world to another, even across genres, for the fourth edition of GURPS . GURPS Infinite Worlds has eight chapters: Infinity Unlimited, Enemies Everywhen, Present at
20878-411: Was published in 2006. Marcus L. Rowland reviewed GURPS in 1986 for White Dwarf #83, and stated that "While I can applaud the idea behind the system, I can't really recommend GURPS at its present stage of development. In the long run, GURPS and all its supplements may cover more ground than other systems, possibly at less expense, but in the short term there isn't enough support material to run
21024-408: Was reelected in 1944 ; consequently Wallace became president on April 12, 1945 upon Roosevelt's death. His passive stance (and that of his successors) against the Soviet Union resulted in the steady expansion of Communism across the globe. In the "current year" of 1989, the isolated and malaise-stricken United States is essentially the sole remaining capitalist country on the planet. Named after
21170-698: Was the most commercially successful generic role-playing game system to allow players to role-play in any environment they please while still using the same set of core rules. This flexibility of environment is greatly aided by the use of technology levels (or "tech-levels") that allow a campaign to be set from the Stone Age (TL-0) to the Digital Age (TL-8) or beyond. The immediate mechanical antecedents of GURPS were Steve Jackson's microgames Melee and Wizard , both published by Metagaming Concepts , which eventually combined them along with another Jackson game, In
21316-452: Was used on four American cities in 1950. A second attempt at rebellion in 1976 failed, and America is now a (very) junior partner of the World-Axis that dominates the planet. Reich-5's technology (military or otherwise) is superior to that of any Homeline country, and despite being the only known timeline besides Homeline and Centrum to possess world-jumping technology, their parachronic program
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