Cinematic Combat Rules

The Cinematic Combat Rules (BX417) are ...kind of fun.

I forgot that GURPS had these, and I had always ignored and skimmed over them. However, upon taking the time to reread them, I was surprised to find that very few other games have these, and they work on a deeper mechanical level than I had expected.

Please never censor the Bulletproof Nudity rule; this applies to males as well as females, and it perfectly explains any 1980s movie like Rambo, where the hero can walk around shirtless and still never have anything hit them. Even the topless rule could be applied to men with large enough pectoral muscles (STR 14+). This rule is also highly Conan, and keeps those genre characters from walking around in field plate armor everywhere they go. He-Man characters also use this rule, along with Schwarzenegger in Commando, so it is not salacious - just a part of many genres.

The Cannon Fodder rules are the D&D 4E minions rule decades before that existed.

Cinematic Knockback and Explosions are perfect. Again, this is Rambo and Conan.

Flesh Wounds is a fantastic rule that consumes character points, and I wish more parts of the system used CP as a resource.

Infinite Ammo is often seen in TV shows like Miami Vice, where a character fires a revolver 10 times without reloading, and you see this again and again. A silly continuity mistake becomes a part of the genre and thus becomes a rule in the game. I love it.

Melee Etiquette is another fun rule, and this can be seen in classic swashbuckler movies, such as those starring Errol Flynn. From a cinematography point of view, it is easier to coordinate and frame the one-on-one fights. You can even see some of this silliness in the new Star Wars movies, where melee combatants stand in the background twirling their swords with no targets near them, spin away when they have an obvious opening, or stand in the background attacking air. You bet I could not find a modern example of this, did you?

TV Action Violence is another fun rule. Expending FP and losing the next turn puts a character on the defensive, and it is not a foolproof defensive tactic. It can explain why Gandalf gets into a fight with an orc and just stands there, blocking with his staff again and again, until one of the melee or ranged characters is freed up to deliver a killing blow. Losing the next turn makes this less useful in melee, though the Flesh Wound system could come into play should a hit get in.

I added all of these rules to the GURPS Character Sheet so I could tag them to my character sheets if a character is in "TV or Movie Land" and is following all or some of these rules.

Why do I need a pulp adventure game again? GURPS does it all.

GURPS, never change, you are full of silly and strange rules that I love.