Editing GURPS Supers

{{Infobox RPG
|title = ''GURPS Supers''
|image = [[Image:GURPS Supers.jpg|200px]]
|caption = ''GURPS Supers'' 2<small>nd</small> edition cover
|designer = Loyd Blankenship
|publisher = [[Steve Jackson Games]]
|date = 1989 (1st edition; for 3rd edition GURPS)<br>
1990 (2nd edition; for 3rd edition GURPS)<br>
2007 (3rd edition; for 4th edition GURPS)
|system = [[GURPS]]
|genre = Super-hero
}}
{{italic title}}
'''''GURPS Supers''''' is a superhero roleplaying game written by Loyd Blankenship and published by Steve Jackson Games. The first edition was published in 1989.

==Contents==
''GURPS Supers'' is a supplement of rules for comic-book superhero characters and campaigns for ''[[GURPS]]''. The first edition book includes new combat rules, 24 superpowers, bionic superlimbs, gadgets and equipment, and rules for creating new powers, sample heroes and villains, and a briefly described campaign world.<ref name="HW"/> The second edition book is revised and corrected.<ref name="HW"/>

''GURPS Supers'' deals with super-powered characters in a modern-day setting, and contains all the necessary rules to create superheroes for the ''GURPS'' basic system.<ref name="Arcane6"/> The book also contains suggestions for running a superhero campaign, and a detailed background setting with the UN controlling most superheroes.<ref name="Arcane6"/>

==Setting==
The official "house setting" for ''GURPS Supers'' is the "IST World", described briefly in chapter 7 of ''GURPS Supers'' and later appearing in its own full-length supplement, ''GURPS International Super Teams''.

==System==
''GURPS Supers'' is a supplement for the GURPS roleplaying game and uses that basic rule system. The supplement offers additional rules and options for characters with superpowers.

Players can choose from several different basic types of superhero characters that influence how the character's [[Power (role-playing games)|powers]] are selected. Players can select from a wide variety of powers and their modifications given in ''GURPS Supers'', augmented by those in the ''GURPS Basic'', plus any other GURPS book included by the campaign. The rules book included advice on creating superhero campaigns, and ways for the [[game master]] to customize the style of the campaign.

As part of the GURPS system, ''GURPS Supers'' allows the exchange of a player's characters between any of the numerous other genres supported by GURPS. ''GURPS Supers'' favors lower-powered heroes over higher-powered ones. Many of the superpowers unique to ''GURPS Supers'' appear as Advantages and Disadvantages in the [[GURPS 4e Basic Set]].

==History==
''GURPS Supers'' was written by [[Loyd Blankenship]], with a cover by [[Alan Gutierrez]] and Charlie Weidman, and was first published by [[Steve Jackson Games]] in 1988 as a 112-page book.<ref name="HW">{{cite book|last=Schick |first=Lawrence|author-link=Lawrence Schick|title=Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games|publisher=Prometheus Books |year=1991|isbn=0-87975-653-5 |page=392}}</ref> ''GURPS Space'' was one of the broad genre books that was published after the ''[[GURPS Basic Set]]''.<ref name="designers">{{Cite book|author=Shannon Appelcline|title=Designers & Dragons|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|year=2011| isbn= 978-1-907702-58-7}}</ref>{{rp|107}}

The 2nd edition of ''GURPS Supers'' was published in 1990 and featured a cover by [[John Zeleznik]].<ref name="HW"/>

===Earlier editions and supplements===
The first edition of ''GURPS Supers'' was printed in 1989, and the second edition was published in 1990. The first edition had groupings of character powers that were not used in the second edition. Both were based on the Third Edition of ''GURPS Basic''.

There were various aids, supplements and ready-made adventures available, including:
* ''GURPS Supers Adventures''
* ''GURPS Supers: Death Wish''
* ''[[GURPS Mixed Doubles|GURPS Supers: Mixed Doubles]]''
* ''GURPS Supers: School of Hard Knocks''
* ''[[GURPS Super Scum|GURPS Supers: Superscum]]''
* ''GURPS Supers: Supertemps''
* ''Hellboy Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game'' (based on the ''[[Hellboy]]'' series)
* ''[[GURPS Wild Cards]]'' (based on ''[[Wild Cards]]'' series) 
* ''GURPS Wild Cards: Aces Abroad''

===4th Edition===
''GURPS Supers'' for 4e was published in 2007, one of several genre books published by Steve Jackson Games for the new edition.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|112}}

For the 4th edition of GURPS, the majority of rules governing the creation of superhero characters are covered in the more generic ''[[GURPS Powers]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/supers/|title=GURPS Supers|website=www.sjgames.com}}</ref> A [[Portable Document Format|PDF]] release by William H. Stoddard covers the genre specific information in a similar style to ''[[GURPS 4e Fantasy|GURPS Fantasy]]'' and ''[[GURPS Space]]'' books for the fourth edition of GURPS.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.warehouse23.com/products/SJG37-0302|title=Warehouse 23 - GURPS Supers|website=www.warehouse23.com}}</ref>

==Reception==
In the August 1989 edition of ''[[Games International]]'' (Issue #8), [[James Wallis (games designer)|James Wallis]] liked the design and layout of the book, but pointed out that "the rewriting of a large number of rules [...] shows that ''GURPS'' is not a truly generic rolegame and makes ''GURPS Supers'' substantially harder to learn". He disliked the additional complexities around character generation, and was disturbed that the book did not spend much time on the creation of character background, saying this was a failure of the system to properly engage with the nature of comic books. He also commented that ''GURPS'' combat was frequently deadly, whereas in comic books combat is not usually lethal. Wallis concluded by giving this book a below average rating of only 2 out of 5: "For my money, ''GURPS Supers'' is flawed [...] There is too much emphasis on rules changes; it fails as a superhero rolegame because of the overrealism of the ''GURPS'' rules, and it fails as a generic sourcebook because it is not generic".<ref name=gi>{{cite magazine|last=Wallis|first=James|author-link=James Wallis (games designer)|date=August 1989 |title=GURPS Supers|journal=[[Games International]]|issue=8|pages=42}}</ref>  

In the September 1996 edition of ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' (Issue #233), [[Rick Swan]] compared the second edition of ''GURPS Supers'' to ''[[Champions (role-playing game)|Champions]]'', and commented that "''GURPS Super'' takes a more realistic route, stressing personality over punch-outs. That's not to say it's stodgy; a typical chapter is titled 'Unnatural Multiple Limbs from Another World'. The Second Edition streamlines the occasionally awkward mechanics of the First Edition and adds some nifty new powers".<ref name="Dragon #233">{{cite journal | last = Swan | first = Rick | author-link = Rick Swan | title = Role-playing Reviews | journal = [[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]] | issue = #233 | page = 113 | publisher = [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]] | location = [[Lake Geneva, Wisconsin]] | date=September 1996}}</ref> 

In the May 1996 edition of ''Arcane'' (issue #6), Steve Faragher gave the second edition of ''GURPS Supers'' a below-average rating of only 6 out of 10, and called the background setting "rather dull", saying it is "fine if you want to recreate a Saturday afternoon TV show, but not so great for a more fantastic, underground campaign of the ''Watchmen'' variety". Faragher concluded that "it's a competent enough set of rules - and one that's well presented - but ''GURPS Supers'' is not exactly compulsive playing material".<ref name="Arcane6">{{cite journal|last= Faragher|first=Steve|date=May 1996|title=Games Reviews|journal=Arcane|publisher=[[Future plc|Future Publishing]]|issue=6|pages=71}}</ref>

==Other reviews==
* ''Games Review'', vol. 2 #1
* ''Dragão Brasil'' (issue #4 - Jul 1995) (Portuguese)<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rpggeek.com/rpgissuearticle/35615/gurps-gurps-supers | title = GURPS - GURPS Supers {{!}} Article {{!}} RPGGeek}}</ref>
* ''Dragão Brasil'' (issue #41 - Aug 1998) (Portuguese)<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rpggeek.com/rpgissuearticle/153715/abc-do-rpg | title = ABC do RPG {{!}} Article {{!}} RPGGeek}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Supers/ Official site]

[[Category:GURPS books|Supers]]
[[Category:Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1989]]
[[Category:Superhero role-playing games]]