Conversions Tables Page Added

I get asked for this a bit, so I created a Conversion Tables page for my notes on converting GURPS into 2d6 game skill levels. There are plenty of incredible 2d6-based games, such as Battletech, Traveller, Car Wars, and many others, and GURPS skill levels can convert easily into those systems.

These are amazing games, full of decades of designs, scenarios, and complete games that are fun and work great. Why am I converting this into GURPS with a system like GURPS Vehicles? While that is cool and gives me a great GURPS design, it is often unnecessary and a ton of work. I give up the entire original game to align with GURPS, even though the original game works fine and is amazing fun on its own.

This way, I get the best of both worlds. Amazing GURPS characters, and the original game, which is still great fun. My charts skew a little more towards balance with a larger middle area, making you work harder to go from a +1 to a +2, but this also reflects GURPS in that a 16-minus still misses quite a bit once the harder modifiers are applied. I do not want to "blow out" the original game, and keep the "respect" that a +1 skill has in these games, and also reflect that focusing on a GURPS skill to get a 20-minus is not too hard with a specialized character.

A +1 in a 2d6 game is huge, whereas in 3d6 GURPS, it is not as impactful.

Even moderately fun systems, such as the Cepheus starship design and combat systems, are easier to leave in that game than they are to convert to GURPS. This is a 2d6 system, and it is easier to just convert my GURPS skills into the 2d6 system, use all the original starship designs, use the Cepheus starship combat system, and play out space battles using these rules. The "universe" here works the same as it always has, and I am not losing anything. In fact, I can still use all the great ship designs here, often straight from adventures, and GURPS serves as my "personal combat and character engine" while the "wargame stuff" is left to the original games.

Even though the GURPS Starships systems give me the greatest "GURPS experience," it is much faster and easier to use the original system and save myself days of conversions that may never get used, and just use a quick "translation layer" between the games for compatibility.

If characters ever take personal damage as a result of these combat systems, apply that in GURPS with a similar damaging attack, weapon type, or caliber of gunfire. If a Cepheus result says "the character takes 2d6 damage," and that is what a standard 9mm pistol does in Cepheus, apply the same sort of damage using a 9mm pistol in GURPS (which is also around 2d6). In Car Wars, a light pistol deals 1 hit of damage, which is again 2d6 in GURPS.

And face it, none of these original games are all that hard to learn or complex, and they are often easier than doing the GURPS conversion and doing things 100% in GURPS. Yes, you are playing with two games, and that is more complex than one, but I can play Battletech, Cepheus ship combat, Car Wars, or any 2d6 game in my sleep by now.

If it is quick and dirty and just works, go with it.