Review: GURPS Meta-Tech

Review: GURPS Meta-Tech

GURPS Meta-Tech is finally out! I was excited for this book, but I did have my worries. In short, I’m both pleasantly surprised and disappointed. The book was written by Christopher Rice who has a broad range of writing quality – he wrote some of the best Pyramid articles but he also wrote GURPS Realm Management. The book also had the same questionable “marketing strategy” as GURPS Realm Management, which was one of my reasons to start worrying – I’ve already got burned once. So, let’s actually open the book and see what it is about.

Meta-tech refers to metatronic generators, a concept introduced in GURPS Psi-Tech and then made more generic in an article in Pyramid #3-46. I used that article quite a bit. In short, it’s a way to turn an advantage into gear. It may seem like something novel, but essentially it’s just advantages with gadget modifiers whose cost is derived from the conversion rate of points into money from the Basic Set.

The first chapter is the system itself. Most of these rules are taken from the original Metatronic Generators article, and expansions from Pyramid #4-3 were incorporated. The main table that ties together the device’s size, power requirement, and dollar cost, has been greatly expanded with extrapolated and interpolated values. However, I do find it weird that the table stops at SM-12 while the nanotech devices described later use SM-19. So, if you need to create your own nanotech, you have to find the values listed in its own section and not on the main table. One of the important additions from Pyramid #4-3 is the cost multiplier for item ubiquity. By default, metatronic generators are assumed to be uncommon, but if they are supposed to be more common, you can decrease their cost, and if they are supposed to be rare, you can increase their cost. Optionally, you could do that for categories of generators or even individual ones, which is bordering on “just make shit up.” But that aside, I have to say that the inclusion of the Object Size Examples table is very welcome.

One of the problems that can arise here is that some characters might’ve purchased an ability with points, and some decided to buy a metatronic generator that does the same thing with cash. This is something that came up in one of my games and wasn’t really resolved. Both the original article and Meta-Tech suggest having the inventor pay character points if they invent a generator that emulates something another character does with points. This may work for actual gadgeteers, but it doesn’t solve the root problem. The book refers to the gadget control guidelines from GURPS Basic Set, but I think a better choice would be the Body Modification guidelines from page 294. After all, this is exactly the problem the cybernetic implants have. It may be reasonable to have players buy metatronic generators with points at character generation and then let them buy them with cash in play. However, if we use the aforementioned ubiquity rules, things become more complicated. Metatronic generators of different ubiquity categories may have the same point cost value, so buying something ubiquitous and cheap with points would feel like a waste. It seems that there should be a certain breakpoint where a metatronic generator becomes common and cheap enough that these rules should not apply. After all, you don’t buy a gun with points, do you? This is something each GM should think through, and I really hoped that this would be explored in Meta-Tech. It wasn’t, so I’m a bit disappointed, but not surprised.

Then, you have a subchapter that tells you how to design the devices of various forms. I have to say that the list of various forms has been greatly expanded, and I cannot think of anything it doesn’t cover. However, I do have some complaints too. Metatronic generators in the form of armor left me with some questions. Light armor counts as a device three sizes smaller than the intended wearer, and heavy armor counts as a device two sizes smaller. First, what counts as light, and what counts as heavy? Second, this seems to imply an entire suit of armor which is rarely a single piece, unless you’re playing an ultra-tech game. What about armor pieces? What’s going to be the SM of a torso armor? What’s the SM of a helmet? What’s the SM of a pair of boots? It also feels strange that the effective SM scales with “heaviness.” I think if I were to make metatronic armor, I would use the size guidelines for cybernetics instead – they seem much more sensible.

Then, you have the Meta-Tech Modifiers – these are modifiers that are applied to the finished device. Each modifier has an associated Cost Factor. For the most part, it seems fine, but there’s one modifier that has changed significantly from its original form – Self-Powered. In Pyramid #3-46, it made the device cost twice as much. In Meta-Tech, it makes the device cost five times as much. I don’t know what’s the reason for this change. It also seems inconsistent with the power modifier rules. For example, the description says that a magical device that usually relies on ambient mana can have the Self-Powered modifier, and that would let it function in no-mana zones. However, isn’t this equivalent to decreasing the Magical power modifier from -10% to -5%? This should be a +0.05 CF, not a +4 CF modifier then. Maybe I’m missing something here.

After that, we have the Meta-Tech Origins chapter. One change from Pyramid #3-46 is that now you do not apply a power modifier to your device. Instead, you apply an origin which is… a power modifier under a different name. Seriously, I don’t know why this change was necessary. The only difference is that the discount or bonus for origin is applied to the base dollar cost of the device, not to the point cost. Basically, this is another cost factor. The origins themselves are quite nice, I can’t really complain. I appreciate the effort put into describing what devices would fit thematically for each origin. Each origin also has some mechanics attached to it, and some of them are new and interesting. My favorite is the winding mechanic for clockwork devices. However, I still have some nitpicking to do.

First, the Alchemical origin lists the following as examples: “Crafting potions in MMORPGs; historical alchemical texts such as those of Paracelsus or Albertus Magnus.” First, everything else lists actual device examples and “crafting potions” is not a device. Second, “historical alchemical texts” aren’t alchemical devices either!

Second, the Bio-Organic Technology sounds weird. Doesn’t “bio” imply “organic” and vice versa? This is just redundant. Also, all other “tech” origins shorten “technology” to “tech,” but this one does not. This is just a stylistic nitpick.

Third, the Dieselpunk origin probably should’ve been named Diesel-Tech. “Punk” is a setting aspect, not a technological aspect. Reminds me of that “Just glue some gears on it and call it steampunk” song. This will make it consistent with all the other “-Tech” origins, including Steam-Tech.

Finally, I have to say that I appreciate the inclusion of the guidelines for creating new origins.

The next chapter is full of new modifiers for traits. Some are new, some are reprints from Pyramid, and some are taken from the author’s blog and PK’s blog. You know well that I like powers and all powers-relating things, but most of this chapter seems… misplaced. What is it doing in Meta-Tech? I understand that inclusion of new options for Energy Reserve, such modifiers as Extra Bulk, Extra Minimum ST, and Hotshottable, because they are appropriate for devices, but much of the rest feels tacked on, such as the numerous Healing modifiers from the author’s blog or Obscure from the author’s Pyramid article. That seems more appropriate for a Powers or Power-Ups book, especially the Obscure modifiers, as those were already printed in Pyramid, and here they take up almost an entire page of space.

I have to say that there’s a lot of excellent stuff here, such as the interpolated table for Resistant bonuses and the “More Than a Sword” box. But there are some questionable bits as well. Warp has the new Line of Sight Required limitation that is worth -30%. It can work not only with your eyes, but also if you are viewing the destination remotely. Then why is it worth -30% when Vision-Based, Reversed is worth -20% and is more limited?

Binding has the following: “Binding lasts until destroyed or escaped from. To change this, add Maximum Duration.” Are you nuts? First, Maximum Duration is available only for “switchable, beneficial abilities that you could normally leave “on” indefinitely”. Binding isn’t one of them. Second, Binding is mostly a combat ability, and limiting it to 30 seconds is a -75% limitation. Do you have combats taking longer than 30 seconds often? ARE YOU NUTS? And people will refer to this bit as the precedent from now on! Playtesters, what were you thinking? (EDIT: Even the book says that you can't do that on page 31: "You cannot put Maximum Duration on things with shots, though – it’s strictly for switchable, beneficial abilities that you could normally leave “on” indefinitely. You can’t stick it on your attack or Healing and say, “I can use my attack or Healing for this long.”)

Then Binding is given new optional rules. One of them is “If your target’s ST is at least twice your Binding level, they can move normally – they aren’t rooted in place. They still suffer the ‑4 to DX, regardless of their ST.” First, are you sure this is optional? Without it, Binding is just broken. I always thought that this is the intentional behavior and used this rule. Second, I understand that this is meant as an extension of the grappling rule from p. B370, but the author either made a mistake or misremembered the rule. The target’s ST should be not “at least twice your Binding level” but “more than twice your Binding level.” That’s actually a big deal.

The Retractable modifier for Binding isn’t new, but it’s still unclear in terms of mechanics. What does “pull” mean? How fast can you pull? In my games, I ruled that this allows you to make a ranged shove towards you without a roll to hit.

Then we have an appendix with some examples. One of my worries was that the majority of the book would be examples, so I’m happy to see that this is not true. The examples are very varied, but I find it strange that the author chose to make many of them practically unusable – many of them have costs in millions, tens of millions, and even hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s as if it was written by Dr. Evil. Also, the Amulet Arcane should not have No Signature, +20% - this is covered by Stealthy, +100%.

The book is over. However, doesn’t something seem amiss? Something that wasn’t present in the original article and that would have made it much better? That’s right – the crafting rules. So, you devised a price for the device, but who makes them? And what if a player character wants to make one? Do you go full Dungeon Fantasy and say “uh… no, that’s only for NPCs?” That was the only thing missing, and I really expected it to be covered in this book, so this is a big disappointment for me. The problem here is that the metatronic generator cost makes sense in the internal game mechanical balance way (unless you add ubiquity multipliers) but makes no sense economically, unlike magic items enchanted with Sorcery. You can devise a crafting time by assuming an enchanter’s wage, but it’s probably going to be too low. I will have to come up with something myself then, as always.

Anyway, the book is okay. It’s not spectacular, but it’s a solid 7/10 or so. My expectations were far lower, so I’m content with what I got. I don’t know if I’m going to be using it, but I will have to experiment and see if it’s worth giving a try.