Masada
First Post
I picked up Blood & Space 2 from RPGO the other day and I've spent the last couple of days studying it.
Basic Stats:
Pages: 30
Bookmarks: Yes
Art: Yes (B&W)
Layout: Excellent (Print and Screen formats)
Format: PDF
30 pages is smaller than your typical RPGO product, but this PDF still delivers great content. Blood & Space combines with d20 Future and d20 Modern to deliver new Advanced Classes, new uses for Skills and new Feats. In addition it provides some of the most concise and usable rules for large scale combat rules that I've seen in a d20 systems. You can see a heavy influence from Blood & Guts, RPGO's modern military sourcebook.
B&S creates a starship/military focused campaign setting. The new classes are Operations Expert, Starship Gunner, Starship Navigator and Starship Marine. Each class offers enhancements to the performance of a starship. This makes for great settings based on Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica or the like. While reading I constantly visuallized a space pirate campaign where my players could each take a part of the ship--rapidly becoming the most feared pirates in the galaxy as the battled the Empire armadas... Oh yeah, the review!
RPGO typically shies away from creating new skills in favor of giving new uses to old skills. My favorite was the great detailed expansion of Craft (Structural) where RPGO included craft DC's and contruction times for well over 20 common military structures from foxholes to runways. Other skills expanded are Pilot, Comp Use, Navigate, Spot, Survival and Knowledge (Tactics).
They have no qualms about new feats! There are over 20 new feats that improve the starship flyboys and their helpful little brothers the Marines. Bonuses based on group tactics is the central theme and well done. For example, "Teamwork" which provides a +2 bonus to attacks and skills while working with another character with the same Teamwork feat.
Military rank and advancement are addressed in a game friendly format. Individual ranks are listed with corresponding "requisition" bonuses.
D20 Future starship combat is enhanced by more detailed Crew quality rules. These quality ratings transfer directly to ship performance AND boarding party quality. This is where RPGO introduces their short and simple unit combat rules. True miniature tactical combat junkies won't be satisfied, but the average GM just trying to toss in a battle or two will be very grateful!
The PDF wraps up with a wide variety of space hazards to use in ship to ship combat. Examples include gravity wells, blackholes, super novas and, of course, asteroid fields. *grin*
Overall, it's a great piece of work packed into a small package. Definitely two-thumbs up. Thanks RPGO!
RPGO plans to continue expanding Blood & Space. So this edition will be even more useful when combined with future releases.
Basic Stats:
Pages: 30
Bookmarks: Yes
Art: Yes (B&W)
Layout: Excellent (Print and Screen formats)
Format: PDF
30 pages is smaller than your typical RPGO product, but this PDF still delivers great content. Blood & Space combines with d20 Future and d20 Modern to deliver new Advanced Classes, new uses for Skills and new Feats. In addition it provides some of the most concise and usable rules for large scale combat rules that I've seen in a d20 systems. You can see a heavy influence from Blood & Guts, RPGO's modern military sourcebook.
B&S creates a starship/military focused campaign setting. The new classes are Operations Expert, Starship Gunner, Starship Navigator and Starship Marine. Each class offers enhancements to the performance of a starship. This makes for great settings based on Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica or the like. While reading I constantly visuallized a space pirate campaign where my players could each take a part of the ship--rapidly becoming the most feared pirates in the galaxy as the battled the Empire armadas... Oh yeah, the review!
RPGO typically shies away from creating new skills in favor of giving new uses to old skills. My favorite was the great detailed expansion of Craft (Structural) where RPGO included craft DC's and contruction times for well over 20 common military structures from foxholes to runways. Other skills expanded are Pilot, Comp Use, Navigate, Spot, Survival and Knowledge (Tactics).
They have no qualms about new feats! There are over 20 new feats that improve the starship flyboys and their helpful little brothers the Marines. Bonuses based on group tactics is the central theme and well done. For example, "Teamwork" which provides a +2 bonus to attacks and skills while working with another character with the same Teamwork feat.
Military rank and advancement are addressed in a game friendly format. Individual ranks are listed with corresponding "requisition" bonuses.
D20 Future starship combat is enhanced by more detailed Crew quality rules. These quality ratings transfer directly to ship performance AND boarding party quality. This is where RPGO introduces their short and simple unit combat rules. True miniature tactical combat junkies won't be satisfied, but the average GM just trying to toss in a battle or two will be very grateful!
The PDF wraps up with a wide variety of space hazards to use in ship to ship combat. Examples include gravity wells, blackholes, super novas and, of course, asteroid fields. *grin*
Overall, it's a great piece of work packed into a small package. Definitely two-thumbs up. Thanks RPGO!
RPGO plans to continue expanding Blood & Space. So this edition will be even more useful when combined with future releases.
