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D20 Modern vs. Spycraft: Tell me which one you like better
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<blockquote data-quote="takyris" data-source="post: 2974026" data-attributes="member: 5171"><p>First off, let me emphasize that you can have a fun experience either way.</p><p></p><p>My personal belief is that Spycraft is definitely better by itself for a spy-themed game -- but if your group knows d20 Modern well already, I don't know that it's better ENOUGH that it's worth learning a new system with some major rules differences. They aren't insurmountable, but they will definitely have your group looking at the book during combat again, even if you'd reached the point of being able to whip through d20 Modern combats by now.</p><p></p><p>To answer the critique of d20 Modern that said that d20 Modern characters are weak at low levels... yes. Which is why (and this should have been made clear in the book) one of the most important things a GM does when starting a campaign is set the starting level. For a super-spies-type game, you might want to set your heroes at 10th level and run a slow-advancement campaign -- or 8th level, maybe, if they're advancing at the normal rate. The average bad guy guard should be 2nd level, with lieutenants and bosses scaling up from there.</p><p></p><p>Give your average thug an assault rifle (or, if that doesn't make sense, assume that the guards are trained well and give them Point Blank Shot and Double-Tap as starting feats (with Firearms proficiency from an occupation)) and they still won't hit often, but if they do, it's still possibly scary for the PCs. (This is if you're concerned that 10th-level characters wouldn't be scared by 2nd-level guards, even in large numbers.)</p><p></p><p>As I said, though, I think you'll be satisfied either way.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="takyris, post: 2974026, member: 5171"] First off, let me emphasize that you can have a fun experience either way. My personal belief is that Spycraft is definitely better by itself for a spy-themed game -- but if your group knows d20 Modern well already, I don't know that it's better ENOUGH that it's worth learning a new system with some major rules differences. They aren't insurmountable, but they will definitely have your group looking at the book during combat again, even if you'd reached the point of being able to whip through d20 Modern combats by now. To answer the critique of d20 Modern that said that d20 Modern characters are weak at low levels... yes. Which is why (and this should have been made clear in the book) one of the most important things a GM does when starting a campaign is set the starting level. For a super-spies-type game, you might want to set your heroes at 10th level and run a slow-advancement campaign -- or 8th level, maybe, if they're advancing at the normal rate. The average bad guy guard should be 2nd level, with lieutenants and bosses scaling up from there. Give your average thug an assault rifle (or, if that doesn't make sense, assume that the guards are trained well and give them Point Blank Shot and Double-Tap as starting feats (with Firearms proficiency from an occupation)) and they still won't hit often, but if they do, it's still possibly scary for the PCs. (This is if you're concerned that 10th-level characters wouldn't be scared by 2nd-level guards, even in large numbers.) As I said, though, I think you'll be satisfied either way. [/QUOTE]
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