Roudi
First Post
Major Details
The book is hardcover, 159 pages including index(!) and the recommended reading/viewing page. The cover art is slightly raised and textured, giving the book a very unique and strange feel when held. Wolfgang Baur and Monte Cook are still the two authors credited in the cover.
The back cover touts the book as an update of Dark*Matter from the Alternity system. The inside cover states "sources for this product include the Alternity Science Fiction Roleplaying Game, the Dark*Matter Campaign Setting, the Dark*Matter Arms and Equipment Guide. and "Dark*Matter: Shades of Grey" from Dungeon #108.
This book contains no open gaming content.
First Impressions
I haven't completed reading through the book, but I've enjoyed what I've read so far. Some of the basics (What Is Dark*Matter? What Is The Hoffman Institute? etc.) appear to be verbatim reprints from other sources, except in places where d20 conversion was necessary. I cannot gauge just how much of the book is new information, and how much is reprinted material; regardless, as a newcomer to Dark*Matter, I've found this reprinted material essential.
Ironically, WotC managed to have their cake and eat it too. As with all WotC d20 Modern campaign settings, players are indeed members of Department 7... of the Hoffman Institute.
The book is crunch-light and setting-heavy. A brief chapter outlines new feats, classes, spells, and psionic powers (low priority for me, I plan on using the SFX Skills series for my FX; I'll get to this section last). The setting material is first covered by a section on the world's true history, complete with timelime (even extended to 2006). The it covers various organizations. The book ends with a gamemastering chapter (giving very useful advice for setting tone, maintaining suspense, and basically running the genre properly), a selection of plot hooks based on xenomorphs / monsters, and the Exit 23 adventure (again a reprint with conversions).
The index is a pleasant surprise. I picked up the d20 Modern core book a while back, and found myself without an index when I needed it. Seeing one in d20 Dark*Matter, a book that will become a heavily-referenced tome for me very soon, made me very happy.
Also, the book includes a statblock for Institute head Itohiro Nakami in WotC's new stat block format. This is the first time I've seen Modern stat blocks in such a format; time will tell if it works out better than the old format.
The book is hardcover, 159 pages including index(!) and the recommended reading/viewing page. The cover art is slightly raised and textured, giving the book a very unique and strange feel when held. Wolfgang Baur and Monte Cook are still the two authors credited in the cover.
The back cover touts the book as an update of Dark*Matter from the Alternity system. The inside cover states "sources for this product include the Alternity Science Fiction Roleplaying Game, the Dark*Matter Campaign Setting, the Dark*Matter Arms and Equipment Guide. and "Dark*Matter: Shades of Grey" from Dungeon #108.
This book contains no open gaming content.
First Impressions
I haven't completed reading through the book, but I've enjoyed what I've read so far. Some of the basics (What Is Dark*Matter? What Is The Hoffman Institute? etc.) appear to be verbatim reprints from other sources, except in places where d20 conversion was necessary. I cannot gauge just how much of the book is new information, and how much is reprinted material; regardless, as a newcomer to Dark*Matter, I've found this reprinted material essential.
Ironically, WotC managed to have their cake and eat it too. As with all WotC d20 Modern campaign settings, players are indeed members of Department 7... of the Hoffman Institute.
The book is crunch-light and setting-heavy. A brief chapter outlines new feats, classes, spells, and psionic powers (low priority for me, I plan on using the SFX Skills series for my FX; I'll get to this section last). The setting material is first covered by a section on the world's true history, complete with timelime (even extended to 2006). The it covers various organizations. The book ends with a gamemastering chapter (giving very useful advice for setting tone, maintaining suspense, and basically running the genre properly), a selection of plot hooks based on xenomorphs / monsters, and the Exit 23 adventure (again a reprint with conversions).
The index is a pleasant surprise. I picked up the d20 Modern core book a while back, and found myself without an index when I needed it. Seeing one in d20 Dark*Matter, a book that will become a heavily-referenced tome for me very soon, made me very happy.
Also, the book includes a statblock for Institute head Itohiro Nakami in WotC's new stat block format. This is the first time I've seen Modern stat blocks in such a format; time will tell if it works out better than the old format.
