Re: (TFT) Converting GURPS to TFT (Monsters Animals)

[pvk@oz.net]

I would do it more on a stat-by-stat basis, rather than a character point
basis. The previous article's guidelines about point costs didn't match my
own measures very well at all. It seemed focused on balancing character
power levels and equating starting point levels, which perhaps doesn't so
much translate characters, as it tries to establish some sort of balance.

In translating animals... I'd think it would make even less sense to do it
that way, unless the players' concern was indeed to just establish
balance. For example, if a character knew he was as powerful as a baboon
in the one game system, and wanted to be sure he was as powerful as a
baboon in the other game system. Which is pretty meaningless IMO,
especially for monsters and animals, since they have very different kinds
of abilities, and my concern, anyway, would be with trying to get accurate
stats compared to real-life animals, rather than balancing point totals.
GURPS and TFT point-totals also measure very different things, since TFT
point totals are ST+DX+IQ, and GURPS point totals are those plus skills
and an endless potential list of advantages and disadvantages. A 100-point
GURPS slave might indicate Hercules in chains, while a 100-point king
might be a child about to be assassinated. A slave or king in TFT with the
same point totals will have the same basic ability levels, since social
advantages play no part in point cost.

And then I had various disagreements between the point levels in that
argument, too. For example, 100-point starting characters in GURPS are
"hero material" - a good deal better off than the 25-point average. TFT
32-point starting characters are only 2-points over the 30-point TFT
average. So it seemed to me that equating them only makes sense if you're
trying to balance PC parties' characters or something.

Anyway, if I were trying to convert monsters between GURPS and TFT, I
would suggest looking at the monsters that you have stats for in both
systems, and comparing to see what the relationships tend to be. Then for
a particular monster, try to find similar monsters that exist in both
systems, and see how they relate. When comparing, converting to total
character points would be extremely pointless, IMO. Instead, compare stat
for stat. Some stats may be appropriate to convert directly (often, DX and
IQ). Others may be a little trickier (TFT ST becomes ST and HT in GURPS,
and in GURPS there are often two HT scores for animals - 15/30 indicates a
health of 15 and the ability to take 30 points of damage before rolling to
pass out).

When looking at GURPS damage ratings, realize that the type of damage is
very important. Crushing damage works like TFT damage, but cutting damage
that gets past armor is multiplied by 1.5, and impaling damage past armor
is doubled (or tripled if vital organs are hit, and many animals do target
vital organs).

PvK

> I know this has been discussed before but I only got one entry on
> the archive and it didnt answer my question.
> Is there any differences in converting animals and monsters from
> GURPS stat to TFT stat or is it the exact same as converting
> characters?
> Has anyone made an applet or program that will convert stats from
> AD&D or GURPS to TFT or some other combination of the above?
>
> (Sorry in advance if you see another post almost the same my isp
> dropped me when I sent this the first time and I am not sure
> whether it went through or not)
>
> Robert Morger
> Pangaea_TFT Fantasy RPG adventure
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pangaea_TFT/
> Subscribe:  Pangaea_TFT-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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