Grecian GURPS Gameworld

Location

Not sure yet, probably some small town near Athens.

Technology

I presume we are playing durring the "Classic Age" of Greece (from 500-300 BC) which would put us at Tech Level 2. Would someone like to confirm this, please?

Not all TL2 weapons and equipment were available to the Greeks. "Esoteric" weapons / equipment are not allowed without an Unusual Background. TBD: We need to figure out what is considered "Esoteric"

Literacy

Characters are presumed illiterate by default. You must purchase a 10 point Literacy advantage to be able to read and write.

Will we allow people to be considered partially literate with the 5 point version, or will it be all-or-nothing?

Magic

This gameworld is a blend of both the "historic" and the "mythic" where the gods of Olympus were real and powerful and the Stygian Witches could cast real and powerful spells.

The mana level is "Normal" on average with pockets of high and low here and there.

A character may purchase Magery up to three levels (we may allow for a fourth at a later time), but a 10 point Unusual Background is required. If the character wants to be able to learn spells with any degree of proficiency, a 10 point Literacty advantage is also required.

Psionics

Psionics are allowed but not actively encouraged. There is little sign of mental powers in the Greek myths, but one cannot ignore the existence of Cassandra and the numerous Oracles that predicted the future.

Therefore, characters may take ESP/Precognition as a "one skill power". Characters who wish to take Psi powers without skills (as in Danger Sense) are also okay.

Esoteric Skills

A character who wishes to take an esoteric skill must purchase an Unusual Background advantage.

We were debating between 5 and 10 points, I think we should leave it at 10.

Social Status

Ancient Greek culture was a bit of a quandry. On the one hand, they invented democracy and gave the populace at large tremendous freedom of expression. A sense of activist, civic duty was a deeply ingrained part of the culture. On the other hand, foreigners were not allowed to participate in matters of state, a woman's place was in the home, and most families owned slaves.

The following list shows the point value for various Social Stigmas:

Greek Male (Citizen) 0 points all Greek adult males
Greek Female 10 points all Greek women, can't be bought off
Male Foreigner 5 points all non-Greek males, can't be bought off
Female Foreigner 10 points all non-Greeks females, can't be bought off
Male Slave 15 points can be partially bought off, up to Male Foreigner
Female Slave 20 points can be partially bought off, up to Female Foreigner

The above point costs can be combined. If you are a foreign male slave, you have 20 points worth of disadvantages.

Slaves in Ancient Greece were allowed to become freemen (although not citizens) by buying their freedom or having their freedom granted to them by a kind master after many years of service. A freed slave would have to pay the difference between Slave status and whatever higher status applies, i.e. a male slave could pay 10 points and go up to "Foreigner" staus, a femal slave could pay 5 points and go up to "Woman" status.

It was frowned on that Greeks keep other Greeks as slaves. Therefore, most (if not all) slaves are considered Foreigners by default and that is factored into the point value above. Any Greek who became a slave did something bad enough to have his citizenship revoked. So, if you make a character who is a Foreigner AND a Woman AND a Slave, you do not get 35 points, you just get 20.

Do we want to say that Social Stigmas that can't be bought off (Foreigner, Woman) do not count against the disad limit?

Societal Control Rating

TBD: We need to figure out what is prohibited and what isn't.

Non-Human Characters

Plenty of the Greek myths featured non-humans (such as the Kraken), characters who were part-human (such as the Minotaur, Hercules, or water Nymphs), or characters who were once human and were then changed (such as Tobias, Arachne, or Medusa).

Players can therefore make animal characters.

Players can also use Supers ads / disads to make a half-god / half-monster / nymph / etc. character. A 10-point UB should be required for this, right?