GURPS is a role-playing game produced by Steve Jackson Games, and played in similar fashion as other pen-and-paper games are. The name stands for (G)eneric (U)niversal (R)ole (P)laying (S)ystem, and distinguishes itself from other game systems by being...well, generic and universal. No matter what your favorite game, style, or genre may be GURPS has the means to realize it. With a very open-ended character generation system, based on points rather than classes and levels, players can create a wide range of characters and concepts -- making GURPS a system that can be, literally, anything you want it to be.
For more information, check out the official website:
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/
Beginners to the system are more than welcome to join our lounge, and ask any question you might have about the system. GURPS can be intimidating at first, but the community is very helpful and receptive to new players. :)