Dissertation on Disadvantages

I think that one of the best aspects of the GURPS RPG is the Disadvantages and Quirks. Other role playing games will try to encourage you to make an "interesting" character and "develop a unique role" and then proceed to provide absolutely no incentive for doing so. Other RPGs will present player races that have numerous difficulties (like playing a Jawa or an Ewok in a Star Wars setting) and then provide absolutely no additional benefits for playing these difficult characters. The Powers That Be at SJ Games who designed GURPS made a very wise design descision: Pay the players to make an interesting character. Smart.

What follows is some advice and ramblings on what disadvantages you should choose for your character that you will realistically be able to role-play, and that will keep things fun and interesting.

Credit Where It's Due: The bulk of this page comes from Jared Whitley's emails.

General Advice

• Pick disadvantages that will be fun to play, even if they get you in a lot of trouble.
• Pick disadvantages that will entertain the other players in your group, even if it gets them in a lot of trouble.
• Pick ones that fit your character.
• Don't pick ones that will be difficult to roleplay because they are so at odds with your real-world personality. Part of the fun of role-playing games is that you get to pretend to be in a different role for awhile, but if you are a pacifist in real life, taking the 'Bloodlust' disadvantage is probably going to be difficult for you.
• Don't pick ones that you'll be too scared to act on.
• Don't pick ones that don't fit your character.
• Don't pick lame ones that'll have absolutely no bearing. (ie, Severe Phobia of the Number 13 Triskadecaphobia) (Although, some people might consider it a good idea to pick these kind of disadvantages on the rationale that they would seldom ever come into play...)

Disadvantage Recipie

Some characters have trouble coming up with a well-formed list of disadvantages (i.e. ones that fit their character, harmonize well together, etc.) or have trouble filling up all their disadvantage slots. Here's a recipie to follow that will help you accomplish this. The alert reader will note that this list bears some similarities to the Character Creation Checklist page.

The disadvantages you should get are:

• A motivational disadvantage
• A team player disadvantage
• Some humorous disadvantages (see The Quintessence of Quirks)
• A fun disadvantage (see below)

Each of the above items should be worth at least 5-10 points each. Doing the math, we see that following this recipie, you can either get halfway to the max (40 points) or all the way there.

Flavors of Disadvantages

Submitted by Jared:

I've been rethinking the division of disads and people don't REALLY take disads that seriously hinder them (which is why you'll see most ereybody takes social or at worst mental disads and never physical). The categories could divide thusly:

1. Personality (bully, overconfidence compulsive carousing, code of honor, curiosity, demolitions)
2. Minor Impingement (one or two minus reaction penalties, migraines, bad temper, demolitions)
3. Motivation (duty, sense of duty, dependents, greed, obsession, fanaticism, demolitions).
4. Major Disads - people usually skip over - (hideous appearace, blind, one arm, combat paralysis, dead broke Cursed, jinxed level 3)

The motivation disadvantages are where GMs can find their adventure 'lures'.

We dont want to force people and say 'you have to spend 10 to 15 points on each of those three categories' but would want to say 'Choose at least one motive disadvantage which explains why your character is an adventurer.' and then suggest a disadvantage from the 'Motivation' list.

Note that unlike demolitions, some disads actually can fit all three (like code of honor and delusional and curiosity)

If a character wants to fill up his disad counter with other stuff then motivation should be covered by quirks 'Wants to find his father' 'Likes proving shes as good as any man' 'thrill seeker', or 'accepts offers from strangers in bars at the drop of the hat'.

Fun Disadvantages

Here's a list of disadvantages that will cause tons problems but be a lot of fun:

1. Delusional
2. On the edge
3. Wierdness Magnet
4. Bad Temper
5. Impulsiveness
6. Lecherousness
7. Bully
8. Pyromania
9. Overconfidence
10. Curious