GURPS Books
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Steve Jackson Games' GURPS is one of the most ubiquitous RPGs on the market. The system is bland but effective, and has some similarities to the Unisystem: characters are defined by attributes, skills, and advantages and disadvantages. The game is designed to be generic, and as a result the rules are not heavily tied to setting material. The flip side of this is that setting material is easy to extract for use in other games.
Converting material from GURPS to Unisystem, classic or cinematic, can be a challenge - the savvy Director would do well to read GURPS Lite first. It's a free download that provides a simple overview of the game system. Enough to play the game, and more than enough to interpret GURPS stat blocks and the like.
The real advantage to GURPS sourcebooks is the setting information, however. While it isn't always perfect, the writers usually provide detailed and well-researched material that can be used in any game. Subjects range from historical and realistic to utterly fantastic.
GURPS is currently in its fourth edition. Most of these reviews are of older books from the third edition.
GURPS Cabal
GURPS Myth
GURPS Cabal
Softcover, 128 pgs.
GURPS Cabal is an occult/horror setting book. It posits an ancient conspiracy of mages and monsters dedicated to keeping a monopoly on magic and the supernatural as part of a quest for enlightenment, personal power, and the secrets of true immortality. They do this by keeping the secrets of true Hermetic magic under tight control. The Cabal has been around for millennia in one form or another, from its founding in ancient Egypt through the fall of Rome, the Renaissance and up to today. Sometimes it has been powerful, sometimes all but destroyed, but it has always had the same aim: power and control.
The book opens with a description of the history, cosmology and mythology of the setting. Over time the Cabal grew from a collection of powerful (and possibly insane) human sorcerers to an organization that can be home for any supernatural entity. The Cabal is set up as simultaneously protagonist and antagonist - its members will fight demons and monsters that threaten to destroy humanity, but many will summon those same demons if it means getting them one step closer to eternal life. The Cabal's leaders (or Grand Masters) include such infamous characters as Koschei the Deathless and Erzsébet Báthory, and even the nominally less-evil Grand Masters like John Dee may be hiding some devious schemes.
The Cabal's grip on power is tied to its unique understanding of Hermetic magic - only Cabalists are able to take advantage of astronomical, chemical and symbolic correspondances to make their spells potent and nearly infallible. The Hermetic Magic system builds on the standard GURPS Magic rules, adding a degree of flexibility (and a lot of complications) to them.
The book includes guidelines on how to scale the Cabal from universe-spanning to insignificant and everything in between. The default Cabal is very powerful, but it is not omnipresent and not without rivals. Ultimately, the book is as much a toolkit for building occult conspiracies as it is a pre-made setting.
Steal This: The Cabal setting is a remarkably good fit for WitchCraft: the Hermetic magic system is quite similar in both form and function to the Classic Unisystem ritual rules, and the decanic correspondances could be added to the list of "symbols of power" that contribute additional Essence to a casting. Both cosmologies make use of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, many of the basic setting ideas can easily be ported to WitchCraft.
Perhaps even more useful is the Cabal itself. The book describes it as having many assorted rival Lodges that serve as fronts for the real organization, and only a few members of each Lodge know what the Cabal really is. The Cabal as written could have the same relationship with the WitchCraft covenants, as a more direct rival for the Combine. Or it could even be a way of portraying the Combine itself...
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GURPS Myth
Softcover, 128 pgs.
Myth: The Fallen Lords and Myth II: Soulblighter are a pair of strategy fantasy video games published by Bungie Software in the late 1990's. They developed a devoted fan following, but never approached the popularity of the Warcraft or Halo series. Still, there was enough interest for Steve Jackson Games to license the setting for an RPG supplement.
The world of Myth is a violent one. Every thousand years the forces of Light and the forces of Dark fight a total war for control of the world. The brave soldiers and bowmen of the Province fight against a seemingly endless horde of undead and monsters under the control of powerful sorcerer-kings. Fortunately they have strong allies on their side: the immortal Heron Guards of the Cath Bruig, Dwarven grenadier refugees, and even the ancient Trow to name but a few. Still, even if they win, they know that the Dark can never be completely defeated.
GURPS Myth presents the Myth setting in a clear manner. It details the history of the Great War against Balor and his Fallen Lords, Soulblighter's campaign to conquer the free lands, and Emperor Alric's attempts to rebuild the Cath Bruig Empure. The book details each nation, describes the unique magic available to spellcasters, and dedicates a chapter to the monsters and more civilized species that inhabit the world. There are also several pages of unique items and magical artifacts.
Steal This: The necromancers of Myth make a habit of throwing wave after wave of undead soldiers against their enemies. They range from the nearly mindless Thrall (zombies with axes) and Soulless (floating skeletons with javelins) to the explosive Wights and sorcerous Shades. If you need something a little different from the standard zombie, look here for inspiration. Even better are the living monsters of the setting: the only Tolkienesque race in Myth is the Dwarves - the Ghôls (dog-like cannibalistic creatures), Myrkridia (ancient rampaging beasts) and Trow (noble but brutal giants that once ruled the world) would be great additions to any demon roster. If you're looking to play a traditional fantasy (rather than modern occult) campaign Myth as a whole is a nice alternative to your typical Lord of the Rings clone.
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