GURPS Religion

Elton Robb


Its time.  Now that I did a review on a book about Gods, it's time to talk about that most important aspect of a character's life.  It's time to talk about religion.  Oh, no, I'm not going to convert you to my religion, but here's what I mean.  You've developed your Gods, you even decided on how they grant power to their most trusted servants: the clerics (or priests and priestesses).  You even went as far as basing your world on Tracy Hickman's proposed ethics .  You even developed your players' characters' society.  But something is missing.  Because you don't know where to start.  The new Dungeon Master's Guide and Gamemaster Law provides little.  Even Deities and Demigods, the new edition is lacking on this subject.  What do you need?  To design a religion.

Where do you get the tools?  From Steve Jackson Games.  More Specifically, GURPS Religion.  Theology and Religion are exclusive: Theology is the science of religious belief.  Religion is a way of life.  And this book helps you develop it.  Here is a breakdown on what the book provides.

Introduction

The introduction of GURPS Religion introduces to you humanity's great questions.  Questions about humanity's existence: why are we here, where do we come from, and where are we going.  These questions are what mythology, theology, and religion answers.  The introduction also explains the purpose of the book: to provide Game Masters with the framework to design their own religions.  However, it warns you that it takes from Real World religions.  The reason is simple.  We live on Earth, and so far, no one has even visited another planet and has taken an anthropological study of the inhabitants of that other planet.

Chapter 1 --- the Cosmos

So, we are introduced to the Cosmos.  This Chapter is simple.  GMs are urged to design the Creation myth of their world system.  How did the Gods create the universe?  Who is the deus faber?  How did the Gods make humans [and elves, orcs, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, and other forms of life: plant, animal, and sapient]?  GMs are given examples on how to answer these questions in their world system.  Such examples include the Cosmic, or Orphic, Egg; creation by a sexual act (don't laugh, go review your Cliff Notes on mythology); creation as a byproduct, and such.  It also deals with endings such as Ragnarock, or Vishnu's Last Advent, or even Armageddon for examples.  

Also, in Chapter One, the GM is urged to develop a basic sense on how nature, time, and other aspects are viewed, like entropy and kharma.  As mentioned before, Creation of human or other sapient life is addressed.  Examples from the real world is also given; such as Man vs. Woman [e.g. The Greeks used Pandora and Aphrodite to defend their Male Dominate culture; while some sects of Christianity uses the Adam and Eve story to defend sexual equality].  Also, example reasons on why life was created are given.  Amusement (the Olympians), Glorification (the Judeo-Islamic-Christian Tradition), or as a byproduct (Odinism/Wotanism).

Also, ideas on how and why men fell from Eden are presented.  Was it a special fruit (the Bible)?  Was it fire (Greek)?  Or is it something else like Pandora's Box (also Greek)?  After that, the GM can deal with the question of the dead.  Does your main culture believe in a Single Incarnation?  Or does it believe in Reincarnation?  Examples on how this is presented are given.  What about the cultures of your other sapient races?  Is immortality possible?  What happens in the afterlife?  These questions are what a religion explains.

Chapter 2 -- Deities

I know I did a review on an entire book on Deities and Demigods the Upteenth Edition.  So many people have set me straight on that that I don't remember what edition for 3rd Edition the current book is in; but the best way to find out is to read the thread started by Sean K. Reynolds.  However, this chapter provides, in some cases, a more coherent view.

It tells you how to figure out what Gods (or concepts) your religion reveres.  Note that it may be different from the God(s) that actually made the world.  If in your World System a god named Marduk created the world, but the Talasians believe an a Pantheon of Gods that is totally different and takes them away from Marduk, there is nothing to stop you from this.  If the Four Elements created the world, but your clerics all revere the Four Winds, it's totally alright to do that.

Examples on how they work are given.  From familial relationships, to their level of power, and their politics.  Also, you can decide what the god gets from his or her worshipers.  Nothing (as in worship of the four elements) or Everything (like the Faerunian Pantheon).  And it gives examples of what your deity gives to its worshipers.  Answers, knowledge, pride, love, etc.  All these things can be considered.It even provides an overview on Demigods and their purposes.    Here, you can decide their relation to the divine and the profane.  Examples are as messengers, missionaries, or sycophants.  

Chapter 3 --- Development

AT LAST!  THE MEAT!!!!  So, how does the Religion of your deity operate?  Does it operate as a real Church? a Cult? or an Occult?  This Chapter gives you the tools to build your religion.  First, the chapter presents the Great Questions any religion answers.  From the purpose of life, to why there is human suffering, to what happens when they die, to the explanation of natural phenomenae.  After that, you get to make up your religion's Scripture, the religious heirarchy, and their orders.  You can also figure out how recruitment works and the punishment for disobedience.

After that, you can figure out how Church and State interacts with each other.  Is your designed religion the State Religion?  Is it not the State Religion?  Does have to deal with a State religion?  Is there a state religion?  Also, how does Civil Law and Canon Law relate to each other?  This is included in development, and this chapter provides examples.

Also, it provides ideas on how religion should deal with property, other religions, the religion's roots: like Prophesy and Divine Descent; Ancient Ways, maybe even constructs.  You even have to think about how the religion changes over time: like decline, propagation, and others.  You also have to decide how the religion adapts to unexpected changes (one real world example was the declaration that there was life on Mars).  Examples of this include conquerers, natural change, magic, scientific development, and other considerations.  

Then you can decide on how Schisms arised.  Examples include divine revelation, interpretation and politics, and reunification.

Chapter 4 --- Symbols

This chapter presents symbols you can use: and why they are used.  How are they connected, what acts can be considered symbols, even appearance and dress.  The ideas on using symbols are prolific.  Ceremonies and rituals are also presented in this chapter.  You can decide what ceremonies are being used, how they are used, and what role they play (I nominate passion plays as examples).   What rituals are observed, and festivals that are celebrated  You can decide on some ecofests (the Saturnalia, Beltane) and theofests (Passover and Easter) that the religion celebrates.

Then there is the rites of passage.  In your world, you can have prenatal rites (the closest in American culture is visiting your OB/GYN for an ultrasound of your baby), Childhood rites (naming), rites of Initiation into adulthood (the Hero Quest, the Hunting alone, Graduation from High School, or Bar Mitzvah), the marriage rite, and funeral rites.  The role of prayer and sacrifice can also be considered, even though prayer is ignored in may games.  Sacrifice can range from animal sacrifice (the ancient isrealite traditions of sacrifice is a good start), to monetary sacrifice (Tithing is the basic sacrifice of at least two Christian churches), to human sacrifice.  The GM may consider what part sacrifice plays in the religion.

Finally, there's one of the most basic of human expression: dance.  You can decide on how dance works in the game.  You can even go beyond dance and decide that theater can be a symbolic religious act, or painting, or anything.  Some of the religions in the Fertile Crescent during the bronze age believed that physical, sexual conjugation was a religious act.  

*Ahem* moving right along, holy sites can also be considered symbolic. They can enhance rituals (Stonehenge) or represent the divine intersecting with the mortal world (a Latterday Saint temple).  Pilgrimage to these holy sites can also be important.  Like the Muslims making their pilgrimage to Mecca.  Also, to a culture that keeps time, it's religion will hold certain time (like a day or a week) as holy.  Like the Jewish and Christian Sabbath or the Muslim week of fasting, or like Samhain.
Then there is sacred items: like animals who are considered sacred or arks, or even flags, beads, banners, drums, chalices, the list is endless.  Then there is time to reflect after putting it altogether.  So, after all that, you have your religion: now you get to decide the individual roles of the priesthood within that religion.  And the next chapter provides just that.

Chapter 4 --- Clerics

This chapter provides ideas on chareotypes and stereotypes for your player's cleric; invariably in GURPS terms.  The first section is System Friendly --- it provides the types of priests.  From roles of the bard priest, healer priest, sage priest, and ascetic monk to the parish priest, the itinerate priest to the fake and lay clergy.  This section can be used for character ideas.  Then for GURPS Users, the obligatory new ads/disads are included.  Thankfully, you can import the skills section into any game, including D20.  New uses for old skills, and even a new Perform skill that can be considered a Class Skill for clerics.

Then money and equipment is provided.  Even more ideas on how the religion interacts with it's clergy is also provided.  Including recruitment and protection.  We are almost to the end, just bear it a little longer.

Chapter 6 --- Divine Magic

This chapter handles Divine Magic.  How does one get the power and authority to act in the name of their god?  This is described as investiture.  How are clerics invested.  Fortunately, the book gives some ideas, but leaves it up to you.  Then it  goes on how divine magic works, this is in GURPS terms.  Although some of the spells listed can be imported into other games quite easily. You can decide on ceremonial magic, holy or blessed objects, modified magic, and so forth.  The spells listed include but not limited to: consecrate, excommunicate, final rest, and summon allied entity.  Then divine intervention is also covered.  Even Shamanism is covered in detail.

Chapter 7 --- Traditions

Several traditions are given in this chapter.  Animism, the Human Soul, Reincarnation, Nonhuman Spirits (elves, nymphs, etc.), ancestor worship, Earth religions, dualism, monotheism, polytheism, atheism, agnosticism, metaphysics, maltheism, and geographical traditions like those found in Africa, the Americas, South Asia, and Australia.  Note that the side bar on maltheism, does not list Satanism as a maltheistic religion.  Instead it lists it as a religion of rebellion, which it is anyway.

Chapter 8 --- Sample Religions

In this chapter, we see how the principles of this book are used to create some religions: one for strange cultures, one for a cyberpunk setting, one for spacefarers, one for aliens, and one as a different fantasy pantheon.  The first is T'Si'Kami based on Shinto, perfect for a fantasy asia or for an alien race.  The second is the Flatliners, a sort of cybershamanism; perfect for Shadowrun or Cyberpunk 2020.  The Kalm of Sequan --- a hindi-based religion for a cat like race.  Then there is the Disciplines of Change, a religion that works well in a Space Opera game.  Then there is a maltheistic religion example: the cult of Dhala, the Destroyer of Worlds.  It is an alien religion for a race of the same name.  Finally, an Euro-Fantasy pantheon is presented.  These include all the Gods that fulfill the archetypical roles: there is a God for justice, a god of creation, A god of evil, a god of knowledge, and so forth.  All these have their myths and so forth.

Appendix and Art

The Appendix is just a checklist on what you've done.  However, the artwork does it's job.  Unlike the full color art you will see in most WotC publications, all of it is black and white.  Plus, it can be impressive to some people.  My brother was very impressed that the artwork included the Orphic Egg.  And I must confess, I did find the picture of the physical worship of a shoe to be very humorous.

Conclusion --- 

Or how you can use this book in three easy lessons

When I do a review on a GURPS sourcebook, I am surprised on how it can be utilized by other GMs who use other systems, such as Palladium, Rolemaster, and D20.  So let me proceed.

Palladium Users:  Okay, palladium game masters can use this book to flesh out parts of the Religions found on the Paladium World.  Or Rifts.  Need something for your hackers to believe in?  Import the flatliners.  How about Dimensional beings?  This book provides everything you need to make Rifts THAT MUCH BETTER in the way of Religion.

D20 Game Masters:  Okay, Deities and Demigods was skimpy on making up religions.  So why not get this book and use it?  Already, I had ideas on fleshing out the religions for my Atlantean campaign.  More gods, or even concepts, can be worshiped than Poseidon.  Why not do the same?  This book is a mine of ideas and can get you started.

Rolemaster/Spacemaster:  These GMs, although Gamemaster Law is an invaluable resource, can use this book to flesh out the religion of their cultures.  This book goes into greater detail than even the Channeling Companion.

Ars Magica:  Using Ars Magica as a basis for an alternate fantasy setting?  Then this book can be used to help you flesh out the religions on your alternate world.

GURPS Gamemasters: Awe, you already know how to use it if you bought the book.  Anyway, the book is about relgion.  Not worshiping a particular religion or a true anthropological or theological study of the various religions of the world; but on how to design one, a few, or many for your game.  It's only 170 pages and it's packed with inspirational goodness.  Bottom line, buy it, get it, make your world richer with it.  It's that good.  I give it a 5 in substance!