Skills in GURPS started out as Talents in The Fantasy Trip. It is a little strange going in reverse, from skills to talents–but it is very important to game depth to have them.
The concept of skills/talents is a powerful one to me: it brings a realism to the game with (ideally) very little cost. The challenge in converting GURPS skills to talents is not letting the mechanics of the game get in the way of the fun.
Obviously, the wealth of skill listings in GURPS can be brought into TFT quite easily. One issue is assigning IQ levels for each skill (something that is not present in GURPS). Another is determining the level of difficulty (Easy, Average, Hard, Very Hard).
The difficulty level can be pretty straightforward: Easy = 1/2 IQ point, Average = 1 IQ point, Hard = 2 points and Very Hard = 3 points. I don’t mind using 1/2 IQ points for easy talents or languages–it fudges a little more in the player’s favor, but it adds to the fun.
Assigning IQ levels for skills is a little more tricky. It should be a matter of eyeballing the skill and writing down an IQ level. Brain surgery is harder than automotive repair, juggling is easier than than flying a fighter jet. Take a whack and move on.
My suggestion is this: don’t let complexity get in the way of the game. Try to remember that the rules are not the point of the game, but the fun is. Talents should help playability and depth of the storyline, not force you to get bogged down in debates about "realism."
Along those lines, I will be converting a number of skills to talents for my own world that others can use as well. If you have any that you have converted, let me know in the comments or forums!
Marko ∞
(Originally published on inthelabyrinth.org, on 2/22/2015.)
