Fun with GURPS Ultra-Lite

I copied the text from GURPS Ultra-Lite, pasted it into a LibreOffice document, and made a one-page rules version of the game. This was one of the best ideas I've had in a while, and it makes a perfect "GURPS on the go" game that replaces a bunch of rules-light games, such as FATE, Index Card RPG, BX, and others. I keep this by my computer, along with my dice, and I can quickly test ideas in GURPS and run short scenarios with minimal time investment.

Yes, it is not "full GURPS," but it does not need to be. Ultra-Lite works with the full GURPS rules. I can sit here with a printed-out copy of the referee's screen and pull in tables, modifiers, and as many rules from the full game as I want. I can convert between the UL "levels" and CP pretty easily, so I can use the advantages and disadvantages in this rules-light system.

If an idea really clicks, I can graduate this to full GURPS and bust out my character sheet program.

If it doesn't, hey, at least I played GURPS today, kept in the mindset, and had a little fun.

Ultra-lite also works great alongside GURPS for quick NPCs. Need a quick Battletech pilot, 40K marine, or Car Wars driver for a roleplaying moment, but you don't want or need a full RPG for the system (if there is one)? And you don't want to haul out the full set of GURPS books and force players to go through a session zero? Ultra-Lite will fill that need perfectly, and you can have instant characters, keep in the GURPS mindset, and play whatever scenario comes into your head with the system.

If it gets interesting, start pulling in a few more GURPS rules to cover situations, like fatigue points, fright checks, critical hits, reaction rolls, or other systems from full GURPS.

If you really start to love the idea, upgrade the game to full GURPS and start that campaign!

But try starting an idea with Ultra-Lite first. You can even stay here, making up systems as you need them, and pulling in character and tables from other games to fill in the gaps. Let's say you run a BX-style dungeon game using Ultra-Lite. I would make "magic user" and every other class a skill. You can use the charts of Vancian magic if you want, too, or just come up with a quick FP cost for spells and handle it more like GURPS. Thief skill? You can do thief things with that and use thief weapons to make attacks. Cleric skill? Cleric stuff, religion, influencing followers, and divine magic.

It all works.

In fact, Ultra-Lite is my best "NPC and monster" generator for my full GURPS games, and few know I even use it that way. The giant spider? It has the "Giant Spider" skill at a +3, and can use that for combat, spinning webs, entanglement attacks, leaping, setting ambushes, and other spider stuff. Zombies, ghouls, skeletons, goblins, orcs, mimics, medusae, and others all have "monster skills" that I use in my games, much like a GURPS "bang skill," but these also cover special attacks and powers. When in doubt, make an opposed roll against a GURPS attribute.

The one-page sheet sits by my computer every day, giving me a quick and fun way to play GURPS whenever I want.