The Inside Scoop on Gaming

The latest in the long and outstanding line of GURPS historical Sourcebook is GURPS Who's Who 1, a collection of 52 characters from history presented in GURPS terms. It has been followed by a second volume, containing 52 addition characters.

Physically, the books looks pretty good. Better, in fact, than some GURPS items which have come out recently, due to the traditional depictions of many of the characters and the typically solid work of Dan Smith. You'll find snazzier looking books from White Wolf and WotC/TSR, but the layout and art in most of these recent GURPS releases is solid and practical, if not dazzling.

This is an interesting idea, albeit one whose practical utility may prove elusive. After all, just how much use are you going to get out of GURPS stats for Oliver Cromwell? Even if you're running an ongoing campaign set during the Commonwealth period, how often are your PCs going to meet the de facto ruler of England?

Well, there's actually a fairly easy answer to this, but I'll get to that a bit later. In the meantime I shall point out some highlights of this book.

First off, GURPS Who's Who 1 makes for entertaining reading, right in line with the other works of the same general type which Steve Jackson Games has occasionally brought out (GURPS Places of Mystery, for example.) Though it was compiled by no less than thirty individual authors, the book seems well researched and accurate to me. However, I hasten to add that I am emphatically *not* an expert on many of the eras which these individuals called home. My own chief areas of interest are the ancient and medieval periods, and in those eras I was unable to detect any major errors, though in many cases the authors selected whichever historical interpretation appealed most to them.

So, who actually in the book, you ask? Well, I wouldn't want to completely ruin the suspense and thus deter you from buying the book. But I will say that the highlights include treatments of Julius Caesar, Albert Einstein, "Black Bart" Roberts, Mozart, Cardinal Richelieu, Sir Richard Burton (the explorer and infamous soldier of fortune, NOT the actor,) Vlad Tepes, King David, Dr. John Dee, Aristotle and Joan of Arc. Plus about twenty or thirty others of varying degrees of renown.

Oh, and there's an entry for H. P. Lovecraft. His contemporary, friend and colleague Robert E. Howard appears in Who's Who 2.

As the book states, the characters presented are *not* the 52 most important people in history. Rather, they are a selection of *interesting* people from history, some chosen because of their importance, others chosen because they would make good NPCs to drop into a historical campaign.

Some of the figures included are fairly obscure. Sei Shonagon, for example, who I'd imagine most readers of the book will not have heard of. Most of these, like Xenophon or William Marshal, led interesting lives and are here because their very obscurity makes them more usable as NPCs.

The entries themselves are divided by historical era, from the ancient period to the modern. There are a number of historical figures which I can pull out of my head who I'd have like to have seen in the book, though many important entries were pushed to the second volume.

All in all, GURPS Who's Who 1 is a pretty nifty book, one I'm happy to own, like most of my other (quite numerous I'm afraid) GURPS volumes. But this brings us back around to the point I raised earlier... just what good is this book?

Well, the book's utility is fairly obvious if you're running a time travel campaign. Hop on the TimeBike, jaunt back to 1598 and save Tokugawa from that 27th-century sniper... that sort of thing. If this is the sort of campaign you run (and GURPS is the natural system to choose if you're doing this, with its wealth of excellent historical sourcebooks,) Who's Who 1 will provide you with an endless source not only of NPCs, but of plot hooks and adventures.

For a historical game set in a specific period, the book is going to be less obviously useful, since you're only going to be able to employ a handful of these characters at a time.

However, the individuals herein can be seen not only as historical figures, but as archetypes. Need a seductive femme fatale for your 17th- century swashbuckling game? Model her after Mata Hari. How about a brilliant but eccentric scientist? Nicola Tesla *defines* brilliant but eccentric! How about a mighty orc warlord, drunk on his many conquests? Alexander the Great. All of these people can be found in this book.

I recommend this book heartily -- if for no other reason that I would recommend any GURPS historical book, because its well-written, well-researched and a gold mine of ideas for virtually any conceivable type of campaign.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

GURPS Who's Who 1
Author: Phil Masters, compiler, with many others Category: game Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Line: GURPS Cost: 19.95 Page count: 128 ISBN: 1-55634-367-1 SKU: SJG6088 Playtest Review by Gary N. Mengle on 11/26/00. Genre tags: Historical Espionage Conspiracy Old West Generic	The latest in the long and outstanding line of GURPS historical Sourcebook is GURPS Who's Who 1, a collection of 52 characters from history presented in GURPS terms. It has been followed by a second volume, containing 52 addition characters. Physically, the books looks pretty good. Better, in fact, than some GURPS items which have come out recently, due to the traditional depictions of many of the characters and the typically solid work of Dan Smith. You'll find snazzier looking books from White Wolf and WotC/TSR, but the layout and art in most of these recent GURPS releases is solid and practical, if not dazzling. This is an interesting idea, albeit one whose practical utility may prove elusive. After all, just how much use are you going to get out of GURPS stats for Oliver Cromwell? Even if you're running an ongoing campaign set during the Commonwealth period, how often are your PCs going to meet the de facto ruler of England? Well, there's actually a fairly easy answer to this, but I'll get to that a bit later. In the meantime I shall point out some highlights of this book. First off, GURPS Who's Who 1 makes for entertaining reading, right in line with the other works of the same general type which Steve Jackson Games has occasionally brought out (GURPS Places of Mystery, for example.) Though it was compiled by no less than thirty individual authors, the book seems well researched and accurate to me. However, I hasten to add that I am emphatically not an expert on many of the eras which these individuals called home. My own chief areas of interest are the ancient and medieval periods, and in those eras I was unable to detect any major errors, though in many cases the authors selected whichever historical interpretation appealed most to them. So, who actually in the book, you ask? Well, I wouldn't want to completely ruin the suspense and thus deter you from buying the book. But I will say that the highlights include treatments of Julius Caesar, Albert Einstein, "Black Bart" Roberts, Mozart, Cardinal Richelieu, Sir Richard Burton (the explorer and infamous soldier of fortune, NOT the actor,) Vlad Tepes, King David, Dr. John Dee, Aristotle and Joan of Arc. Plus about twenty or thirty others of varying degrees of renown. Oh, and there's an entry for H. P. Lovecraft. His contemporary, friend and colleague Robert E. Howard appears in Who's Who 2. As the book states, the characters presented are not the 52 most important people in history. Rather, they are a selection of interesting people from history, some chosen because of their importance, others chosen because they would make good NPCs to drop into a historical campaign. Some of the figures included are fairly obscure. Sei Shonagon, for example, who I'd imagine most readers of the book will not have heard of. Most of these, like Xenophon or William Marshal, led interesting lives and are here because their very obscurity makes them more usable as NPCs. The entries themselves are divided by historical era, from the ancient period to the modern. There are a number of historical figures which I can pull out of my head who I'd have like to have seen in the book, though many important entries were pushed to the second volume. All in all, GURPS Who's Who 1 is a pretty nifty book, one I'm happy to own, like most of my other (quite numerous I'm afraid) GURPS volumes. But this brings us back around to the point I raised earlier... just what good is this book? Well, the book's utility is fairly obvious if you're running a time travel campaign. Hop on the TimeBike, jaunt back to 1598 and save Tokugawa from that 27th-century sniper... that sort of thing. If this is the sort of campaign you run (and GURPS is the natural system to choose if you're doing this, with its wealth of excellent historical sourcebooks,) Who's Who 1 will provide you with an endless source not only of NPCs, but of plot hooks and adventures. For a historical game set in a specific period, the book is going to be less obviously useful, since you're only going to be able to employ a handful of these characters at a time. However, the individuals herein can be seen not only as historical figures, but as archetypes. Need a seductive femme fatale for your 17th- century swashbuckling game? Model her after Mata Hari. How about a brilliant but eccentric scientist? Nicola Tesla defines brilliant but eccentric! How about a mighty orc warlord, drunk on his many conquests? Alexander the Great. All of these people can be found in this book. I recommend this book heartily -- if for no other reason that I would recommend any GURPS historical book, because its well-written, well-researched and a gold mine of ideas for virtually any conceivable type of campaign. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)