I have been quite delighted to read the TimeWatch RPG over the last few days — I’m not sure why it took me so long to get around to it. What a great book!
I’m particularly interested in the time travel system, which promotes A LOT of cheap time travel, if I understand it.
Just because I am used to GURPS I thought I would make some notes as to what GURPS rules are equivalent to the way TimeWatch is running its time travel system as I read the TimeWatch book.
What would the GURPS equivalent be of TimeWatch rules for time travel? As it turns out GURPS already has basically all of the rules that make up TimeWatch. Indeed I seem to remember the author of TimeWatch mentioned GURPS Time Travel as an inspiration.
How to Play TimeWatch With GURPS Rules
Since GURPS is a modular system, the idea is that you just switch on the rules you want and each campaign has a somewhat different rule set. That means this post is also a quick guide to how to play TimeWatch with GURPS rules.
As you’ll see, some TimeWatch concepts have identical counterparts in GURPS. In other instances, multiple GURPS rules need to be used to get a TimeWatch effect.
TimeWatch
GURPS
How does time travel work? Think of history as a great twisting and turning river, impossible to stop and difficult to redirect. (p. 10)
The Plastic Time With High Resistance rule: Think of time as a river that resists changes (G:IW p. 154).
TimeWatch
GURPS
Chronal Stability is a health-like meter indicating your ability to withstand time travel (p. 46)
The Temporal Snarls rule (G:IW p. 157) makes the fatigue meter your ability to resist paradox: Paradoxes cost fatigue, starting at 3 FP for a minor paradox, rising to 6 FP for meeting yourself. You can know the FP cost of some paradoxes in advance and budget for this (e.g., you can decide to spend 6 FP and resolve to come back in time later to meet yourself).
TimeWatch
GURPS
If your Chronal Stability is too low, you are “Fading,” creating a penalty or test before using any ability.
McFly’s Syndrome, a.k.a. “Fuzzing Out,” (G:IW p. 181) tells us that a serious Paradox can cause -1 HT per hour. When reaching 1/3 HT you “fuzz out” and are at -1/3 to all DX skill rolls due to your increasing insubstantiality; you will lose an additional DX skill point per hour after this.
TimeWatch
GURPS
If your Chronal Stability is even lower, you are “Subsumed,” forcing the loss of your identity.
Time Travel and Paradoxes cause Fright Checks and Confusion Checks at increasing penalties. As your results get worse, bad check results can cause you to lose your identity. e.g., You can acquire Confused [-10], Short Attention Span [-10], Partial Amnesia [-10]. This is particularly true of Confusion Checks (GURPS: Powers p. 85).
TimeWatch
GURPS
When your Chronal Stability reaches -12, you never existed.
When you reach 0 HT from McFly’s Syndrome, you never existed. (See G:IW p. 181.)
TimeWatch
GURPS
Time travel requires a Travel Test. Failing the test causes a loss of Chronal Stability (p. 91)
Frequent, Mild Timesickness rule: Roll HT when you time travel. Failure causes 2d FP loss and you are stunned (p. B158, p. G:IW 181).
TimeWatch
GURPS
Loss of Chronal Stability can be restored by characters with Reality Anchor, who function somewhat like “Chrono-Medics” (my term) that heal paradox damage.
This could be modeled as: Loss of FP due to Timesickness or Paradox can be restored by a character with linked Healing (limited to this damage type; modified to heal self at half rate; p. B59) powered by a dedicated Energy Reserve (GURPS Powers p. 119). [Note 1.]
TimeWatch
GURPS
If you are Subsumed, a character with Reality Anchor can use it as a skill test to temporarily restore your identity.
This could be modeled as: A positive hearing-based Affliction can temporarily remove the disadvantages (Confused [-10], Short Attention Span [-10]). [Note 2.]
TimeWatch
GURPS
If you are Grounded you are good at time travel — you ignore the first four Travel Test rolls.
Resistant (Timesickness) provides variable protection to Timesickness rolls depending on how many points you spend (p. B80, also see note on p. G:IW 181).
TimeWatch
GURPS
You can use the Preparedness general ability to time travel and produce a piece of equipment.
Similar to: Gizmo [5/level]: You always seem to have just the piece of gear you need (p. B57). [Note 3.]
TimeWatch
GURPS
You can use the Flashback booster to time travel to automatically produce a situation that benefits you.
This is the Foresight [10/level] advantage as specified in the Pyramid 3-32 article “Fortunately, I Saw This Coming” on p. 32.
TimeWatch
GURPS
Paradox Prevention points can be spent (along with a Paradox Test) to call a future version of yourself into a combat scene to help out.
This is the Fugue [50] advantage (GURPS TT p. 29) and also similar to Duplication [35/level] (p. B50).
TimeWatch
GURPS
Timecraft: ability with time machine-y things and procedures.
Expert Skill (Cliodynamics) (GURPS IW p. 182), Professional Skill (Infinity Patrol/TimeWatch/etc.) (IQ/A) from p. B215, with Temporal Operation (IQ/A), Temporal Electronics (IQ/H), and possibly Temporal Physics (IQ/VH) from GURPS 3e TT p. 35; these last three were further divided into Electronics Operation (Parachronic), Electronics Repair (Parachronic), Engineer (Parachronic), and Physics (Parachronic) in 4e GURPS:IW.
There is one GURPS idea that isn’t in TimeWatch but it’s relevant:
TimeWatch
GURPS
?? (Reality Anchor has the right sounding name, but it has different mechanics.)
Temporal Inertia [15] makes you resistant to Fading (a.k.a. “Fuzzing-Out”) and erasure, as well as providing better knowledge of paradoxes (GURPS TT p. 31 and p. B93)
Notes
The TimeWatch “Reality Anchor” ability in GURPS Powers terms could be the advantages: Healing (Heals FP Only -0%; Heals only FP from Time Paradox -10%; Uses ER Only -5%; Preparation Required: 1 minute -20%) [21] AND Energy Reserve 10 (Paradox Healing) (Abilities Only: -10%; Special Recharge: Once Per Session -75%) [5] for a total of [26]. An IQ roll is required to successfully heal. Note this build requires physical touch.
A GURPS power that eliminates the effects of being Subsumed (the two -10 disadvantages listed) might be statted as: Affliction (Negated Disadvantages +200%, Malediction (-1/yd) +100%, Hearing-Based -20% ; Preparation Required: 1 minute -20%) (Negated Disadvantages are discussed on GURPS Powers p. 41) [13/level]. Each level grants a +1 to hit using a Will roll.
GURPS Gizmos are small though. They are Basic Lift/10 lbs., no longer than Reach 1, and can’t have Bulk worse than -4 according to GURPS DF 12.
Requires Concentrate 