Practice Makes Perfect

Spycraft 2.0 – Practice Makes Perfect

This product is an expansion of options for Spycraft Characters. It gives alternative combat options instead of new weapon proficiencies....

This review is after I have looked over the book and read it to see what I liked and didn’t like… (I do hope that Crafty Takes the initiative and create a large print book with most of the PDF options that they have released, I for one would much prefer to hold the items in my hand at the table with a heft and feel that only a book can offer.)

All ratings are based out of 5 points…

1. Art:
a. Cover Art – This is a good evocative drawing, but I feel that it lacks some of the realism that prior art has shown. It is cartoonish and just lacks that something that grabs my eye. - 3.5 points

I wish that there had been interior art, but it seems as if the Crafty people are being Frugal with limited art added.

2. Layout:
a. The book looks clean and the layout is easy to follow, there are some issues where things are in strange places… Like an explanation before the new mechanic that looks like it is a part of the new mechanic instead. – 4 points
b. Tables – Now these are an improvement over the old tables and are cleaner and easier to print as well. The tables layout Cost/Bonus in an easy to read format. – 5 points

3. New Mechanic:
a. The new option to trade Weapon Proficiencies for Tricks is an interesting take and allows a combatant to do more than just have the golf-bag of weapons option. – 4 points
b. The new options themselves are interesting, but there are some that are mechanically the same for a slightly different thing. (Example is actions that use a different stat in place of strength to modify your attack check.) They could have been rolled into one and been a choose the one that fits option. - 3.5 points

4. New Feats:
a. These are also similar to the new mechanic in that they are good but there are multiple ones that allow the same effect for a different subset of weapons (One of Blunt and One for Edged that offer the exact same benefit but use a different subset of weapons.) – 3.5 points

Critical Hit: This is a great tool for players that want to create that alley fighter or sniper that does not do only that. They can take the Wheelman and make him a specialist in a mode/method of combat that the Soldier does not use. I can see some of these also being ported over to D&D.

Critical Miss: Very Little, there is pretty good checking on the document and it appears to be well balanced. They added check to abilities where they would have been broken otherwise.

All in all I feel that this is a great option for players or GC’s to use to modify a PC/NPC to make them a specific type of fighter without using Feats alone.

Total – 23.5/6 = 3.916 (Rounded to 4 points)

There are a few issues, such as Ranged Feats mentioned where Melee Feats would be more appropriate...