Basic Roleplaying vs GURPS
Compare Basic Roleplaying and GURPS side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Basic Roleplaying | GURPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Tags | Skill-Based, Modular, Simulation, Gritty, Roleplay-Heavy, Investigation, Low-Fantasy, Classless | Crunchy, Simulation, Character Building, Classless, Skill-Based, Modular, Toolkit, Tactical, Grid-Based, Strong GM Support |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d100 under your skill percentage to succeed. Critical success on 1/20th of skill value, fumble on 99–100. Opposed rolls compare results. Optional rules layer on complexity as desired. | Roll 3d6 at or below a modified attribute or skill to succeed. Quick contests compare margins of success or failure. |
| Dice | d100 | 3d6 |
| Complexity | Medium | Very High |
| Availability | Free core rules | Free quickstart |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | ORC | SJ Games Online Policy |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Noncommercial only — SJ Games Online Policy |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Chaosium Inc. | Steve Jackson Games |
| Year | 2023 | 2004 |
| Languages | English | English, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese |
| Best For | GMs who want a modular, genre-agnostic percentile system they can tailor to any setting with optional rules for powers, combat, and more. | Groups who want detailed character customization and consistent simulation across different genres. |
| Highlights | Highly modular: add or remove subsystems at will, intuitive percentile mechanic, unified system across any genre, skill-based progression through use, long design heritage | Point budgets let players build characters around chosen strengths and limitations. Optional rules let the GM tune the level of detail for a campaign. Maneuver choices give combatants trade-offs between attacking, moving and defending. |
| Considerations | Can feel generic without a specific setting, requires GM effort to select which optional rules to use, combat can be deadly and swingy | Selecting and modifying character traits takes time during character creation. Detailed combat can require several rolls to resolve one attack. The GM must establish which abilities and optional rules fit the campaign. |