GURPS Illuminati University
Encyclopedia
GURPS Illuminati University (1995) (ISBN 1-55634-206-3), also called GURPS IOU, is a 128-page softbound campaign setting
sourcebook for the GURPS
role-playing game
. The authors are Elizabeth McCoy and Walter Milliken; the illustrations are by Phil Foglio
and Kaja Foglio
. The book details a fictional college where absurdity and awful puns are the order of the day; its students range from witches and werewolves to secret agents and space aliens. Adventures can involve joining fraternities, surviving dorm life, dealing with rampaging lab accidents, conquering other worlds on field trips, getting caught up in faculty bloodfeuds and even attempting to pass a class.
The setting began life as an online campaign run on the Steve Jackson Games BBS
Illuminati Online. It was codified into a book for the Third Edition of GURPS. There have been no announced plans to officially update the setting for 2004's Fourth Edition ruleset. Characters from every GURPS setting can be fitted into the campaign with little or no difficulty. The setting shares much in common with the equally bizarre game Teenagers from Outer Space
. Agatha Heterodyne, from the Foglios' Girl Genius
, is also featured in the book.
Due to the extremely dangerous nature of the academic work done at IOU, many of the staff undergo The Treatment, a mysterious and dreaded procedure that makes them virtually unkillable and thus immune to their own recklessness. In addition, there are resurrection facilities on campus for student use.
Academic rivalries at IOU tend to result in extreme violence, property damage, and mayhem. There are rules to such conflicts (Faculty Bloodfeuds), one of which is that "freshthings" in their first semester are off-limits and harm done to them will attract the unfavorable attention of the Archdean
.
Any student asking what the "O" in "IOU" stands for will be told he or she isn't cleared for that information.
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
sourcebook for the GURPS
GURPS
The Generic Universal RolePlaying System, or GURPS, is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. The authors are Elizabeth McCoy and Walter Milliken; the illustrations are by Phil Foglio
Phil Foglio
Philip "Phil" Foglio is an American cartoonist and comic book artist best known for his humorous science fiction and fantasy work.-Early life and career:...
and Kaja Foglio
Kaja Foglio
Kaja Foglio is a Seattle-based writer, artist, and publisher. Foglio co-won the first Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story in 2009 for Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones, and has continued to co-win two Hugo Awards the following years.-Early life and education:Born in...
. The book details a fictional college where absurdity and awful puns are the order of the day; its students range from witches and werewolves to secret agents and space aliens. Adventures can involve joining fraternities, surviving dorm life, dealing with rampaging lab accidents, conquering other worlds on field trips, getting caught up in faculty bloodfeuds and even attempting to pass a class.
The setting began life as an online campaign run on the Steve Jackson Games BBS
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
Illuminati Online. It was codified into a book for the Third Edition of GURPS. There have been no announced plans to officially update the setting for 2004's Fourth Edition ruleset. Characters from every GURPS setting can be fitted into the campaign with little or no difficulty. The setting shares much in common with the equally bizarre game Teenagers from Outer Space
Teenagers from Outer Space (role-playing game)
Teenagers from Outer Space is a rules-light comedy role-playing game written by Michael A. Pondsmith and published by R. Talsorian Games. It was inspired by gag anime such as Urusei Yatsura and Ranma ½. The game was first released in 1987, when anime was still mostly an underground sensation. The...
. Agatha Heterodyne, from the Foglios' Girl Genius
Girl Genius
Girl Genius is an ongoing comic book series turned webcomic, written and drawn by Phil and Kaja Foglio and published by their company, Studio Foglio LLC under the imprint Airship Entertainment...
, is also featured in the book.
School structure
IOU is divided into nine major schools of teaching, listed here, along with a sampling of the departments each contains.- School of Weird and Unnatural Sciences & Engineering (WUSE)
Mad scientists have to study, too.- Department of Recreational Biochemistry
- Department of Rude Engineering
- Department of Weird Science and Culinary Studies ("Can we eat it, or will it eat us?")
- College of Obscure and Unhealthy Professions (COUP)
Where straight professionals are set crooked.- Department of Dirty Tricks
- School of Law
- Department of Technical Difficulties
- College of Temporal Happenstance, Ultimate Lies & Historical Undertakings (C.T.H.U.L.H.U.; the periods are meant to be pronounced)
Whenever you go, then you are.- Department of Ancient History
- Department of Future History
- School of Conservative Arts (SCA)
Today the lemonade stand, tomorrow, the world!- Department of Empire-Building
- School of Performing & Creative Arts (SPCA)
"There's no business like show business" doesn't even begin to describe it.- Department of Melodrama
- Department of Cinematography
- College of Metaphysics (CoM)
Sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology. So there!- Department of Applied Theology
- Department of Political Thaumaturgy
- College of Communications (CoC)
Fnord. Ketchup is a Vegetable. Big Brother Loves Lucy.- Department of Disinformation
- School of Social Anti-Sciences (SSAS)
We have never made a profit! We don't do useful things here! We devote ourselves to pure Art and Research!- English Department
- Department of Misanthropology
- College of Zen Surrealism (CZS)
Ommmms! Ommmms for the poor!- Department of Inapplicable Mathematics
Due to the extremely dangerous nature of the academic work done at IOU, many of the staff undergo The Treatment, a mysterious and dreaded procedure that makes them virtually unkillable and thus immune to their own recklessness. In addition, there are resurrection facilities on campus for student use.
Academic rivalries at IOU tend to result in extreme violence, property damage, and mayhem. There are rules to such conflicts (Faculty Bloodfeuds), one of which is that "freshthings" in their first semester are off-limits and harm done to them will attract the unfavorable attention of the Archdean
Archdean
Archdean is a discontinued Catholic ecclesiastical officeEven in the 20th century it was maintained as a dignity among the canons of a cathedral chapters, occasionally alongside a dean .* Not to be confused with Archdeacon...
.
Any student asking what the "O" in "IOU" stands for will be told he or she isn't cleared for that information.
External links
- GURPS Illuminati University at Steve Jackson Games
- Independent review at RPGnet
- Masonic references in games (Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon)