Like a lot of things in GURPS, it looks intimidating at first, but don't be thrown by it. In my experience, you can mostly get away with eyeballing or approximating a lot of things in the translation between editions. The only time you would need the level of detail provided in the pdf is if you're translating a player character(s) over from 3rd to 4th and want to make absolutely sure that the points all balance. With almost anything else, a rough carryover will work.

It's also where you'll find various worked examples of what can be done in GURPS, from sample characters to writeups of super-powers or other abilities. Historical Folks Conversion for GURPS Fourth Edition. A few years back, Brian C. Smithson released Historical Folks as a free (unofficial) supplement for GURPS Third Edition.

Hell, you could even have NPCs (or PCs, if you want), creatures, powers, whatever still use 3rd rules and mix with 4th rules. You'll likely have to houserule a good number of things, but, given that the core mechanic of GURPS (roll 3d6, lower is better) remains consistent through both editions, the game can tolerate a surprising amount of mixing. Honestly, GURPS supplements are as useful for their non-mechanical information as their game rules. I would say that, more or less, you can get some use out of any 3rd book, with some exceptions. Chertezhi modelej tankov iz dereva.

The books are gold for background, info, and flavor text, as all of that would still be usable, of course. But even mechanically, you could still get some mileage out of certain books. For example, maps and physical write ups for locations and such are useable as is (the game's scale for size and distance didn't change between editions). Another example, 3rd GURPS Magic presented some magic ideas and systems that still haven't been replicated in 4th.

Some books will be harder to use than others. The details about how combat works have changed; particularly notable are changes to how active defenses are calculated when used in conjunction with armor and advanced combat options, making 3rd Martial Arts a challenge to utilize. Also, the power systems from 3rd Supers and Psionics have changed completely, but both still have cool ideas.

That one is pretty much a wash, but that book is a monster so many people didn't use it in 3rd. Again, those you could probably port over any or all of these rules if you're willing to deal with the added bookkeeping. It should work, as long as you are willing to justify the differences between some characters functioning one way and other characters functioning another, and as long as you can maintain a kind of consistency, even if it's consistency within just those select characters. Even if you don't use the mechanics from the older books, they will have some interesting passages to draw from.

GURPS is the abbreviated term referring to Generic Universal RolePlaying System – but of course you knew that, as well as the fact that it was developed by Steve Jackson Games in the 1980s as a way for the gamer to play in pretty much any imaginary setting. The idea behind GURPS is that it allows a core set of gaming rules to be carried to any fantasy gaming environment, and with this difference to, say, comes a difference in the way characters are assigned abilities. Rather than the dice-based method of D&D, GURPS uses a points-based system, where each character has points to “spend” developing certain skills. Although generic and universal, GURPS isn’t open standard – as such you will need to be careful where you search for GURPS PDF files online. Finding Free PDF Files Online You need to be careful when looking for free stuff online – especially as you can end up visiting websites that are offering copyrighted material for free.

These sites should be avoided at all costs, more so when you’re looking for PDFs. Illegal download sites are already untrustworthy by their very nature, but downloading PDFs from such a source could open your PC open to invasion by malware and Trojans. Your best bet is to stick to trusted resources, and the best place to find free GURPS PDF files is the home of GURPS itself,.

Here you will find downloadable PDF files for GURPS Lite, a stripped-down version of GURPS intended for newcomers that don’t want to be bogged down by the games terminology and trivia at this stage. Visit to download for free the 32 page guide.

Meanwhile experienced gamers will have some idea of the amount of paper they go through in the shape of character sheets and planning forms, control sheets and more, so a hop over to will let you replenish your stock and save you from scanning that last crumpled copy of your character builder reference. Finally, there are hundreds of fan-made games resources available online that use the GURPS gaming system. Such an example can be found at, while you can find many more full GURPS games in PDF form via the list at. Purchasing PDF Games You don’t have to stick to free GURPS PDFs, of course – there are plenty out there that can be purchased and downloaded. These are cheaper than the books for obvious reasons and the direct distribution that PDF offers means that these games can be downloaded and saved to an eBook reader or printed out minutes before a gaming session begins. To begin with, don't miss GURPS Space, available from. In fact, a huge selection of PDFs are available from e32 – far too many to list here!