Publisher: Steve Jackson Games

System: GURPS 4E

Author: David L Pulver

Format: PDFs (main book also PoD)

The GURPS Spaceships series comprises eight PDF volumes. 309 pages for $67. The core concept is building up spaceships abstractly as a series of three hull sections (front, central, rear) each of six systems, with two core systems that can go anywhere.

This gives you 20 things you can buy for your spaceship: armor, weapons, engines, control, living space, cargo, science, sensors, etc. To go along with that there is an abstract hexless combat system (though a hex-based combat system is introduced in volume 3).

Each system you can buy has a tech level, location restriction, description and a table showing x vs ship size where x is cost or a numeric value like cargo capacity in tons.

Volume 1 is the base rules with no ships. The other volumes have lots of example ships plus usually new or expanded rules. New ships are presented in categories with usually four or so ships per category (low tech, high tech, super science, an another example). Each ship has some flavor text, spaceship design stats (what is in each system + notes for things that don't fit in a system) and a GURPS vehicle stat block.

The Series

1. 1.GURPS Spaceships (64 pages, $11) - spaceship design system, space travel, basic space combat
   

2. 2.Traders, Liners, and Transports (41 pages, $8) - expenses running a ship, trade rules
   

3. 3.Warships and Space Pirates (36 pages, $8) - tactical space combat (with hexes)
   

4. 4.Fighters, Carriers, and Mecha (37 pages, $8) - cinematic action, expanding design system to handle SM +4 (10 ton) vehicles
   

5. 5.Exploration and Colony Spacecraft (39 pages,  $8) - discussion on exploration missions and space hazards
   

6. 6.Mining and Industrial Spacecraft (20 pages, $8) - space industry and construction
   

7. 7.Divergent and Paranormal Tech (34 pages, $8) - introduces magic based systems (high magic, Space 1889-type), systems for living organisms, systems that strain the system (like helicopter rotors or gasbags to build zeppelins), weird science fiction tech
   

8. 8.Transhuman Spacecraft (38 pages, $8) - converting Transhuman Space spaceships to GURPS Spaceships, plus lots of converted THS spacecraft.
   

The big thing is GURPS Spaceships gives you a simple way to design spaceships. GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars gives you a more complex way. Theoretically a GURPS 4E Vehicles would give you the most complex way.

For a GM who wants stats and verisimilitude good enough for role-playing this is a great set of supplements. Gearheads won't be satisfied. But GURPS Spaceships does allow you to describe a lot of ships fairly well and even have a "stock cargo freighter with a few custom modifications" and have the stats actually turn out different.

Frankly some of the volumes are much less useful but I guess that's one of the advantages of splitting it up into volumes. Volume 1 is essential. Volume 2 if you have a trading campaign. Volume 3 for the tactical combat system which, I really like. Volume 4 for BattleTech (though the system can't handle the sheer number of primary BT designs, much less variants to each design). The others I'd find much less use for.

Overall an excellent series.