high action modern d20 system?

[AscentStudios]

I'd submit Spycraft 2.0 for a cinematic d20 game. Spycraft has always been a multigenre cinematic RPG, what with more over-the-top classes than d20 Modern, action dice (allowing tricks similar to Stunts in Fung Shui, IIRC) and a great many ways to dial up or down the cinema in your game (campaign qualities, mook NPCs, etc). My home game is VERY cinematic along the lines of Fung Shui - just last Sunday we had characters fist-fighting a Chinese wizard on a train speeding a nuclear payload towards Johannesburg The second printing is out in PDF with dead-tree coming late this summer.

 

[Hjorimir]

True20 would be my suggestion. It plays a lot like d20, but is MUCH faster and you can do anything you want with it.

 

[Aus_Snow]

True20 would be my suggestion. It plays a lot like d20, but is MUCH faster and you can do anything you want with it.

This would be my suggestion too. And for the same reasons, pretty much.

It's a breeze to prep, gen, run - and learn, where that's relevant.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

So far, I've found Star Wars Saga to be a very nice "d20 edition of Savage Worlds"

If you're looking for a fast d20 game that requires little or no conversion, Saga should work just fine with d20 Modern classes. You'd have to change saves to defenses (a 1-for-1 conversion of 1st level save bonuses works for Modern; for D&D it's slightly more complicated because 1st level save bonuses tend to be higher) and triple the first level hp of heroic characters, but everything else will work straight out of the Modern book.

You could also use Grim Tales classes and gear and the Saga rules, if you prefer GT's 20-level versions of the classes to Modern's 10-level ones.

EDIT: The big disconnect between True20 on the one hand and d20 Modern, Saga and Savage Worlds is that the last three all explicitly have a strong tactical component. Savage Worlds, like D&D, actually began its existence as a miniatures game, and unlike D&D is still designed with the idea you can play it as such (a big part of how it acquired and has kept its lean, fast system). True20 definitely does not have a strong element of this, and Mutants and Masterminds totally abstracts tactical movement.

True20 also requires considerably more conversion work; you can't port classes and such directly from other d20 products and use them with its rules.

 

[Psion]

I'd submit Spycraft 2.0 for a cinematic d20 game. Spycraft has always been a multigenre cinematic RPG, what with more over-the-top classes than d20 Modern, action dice (allowing tricks similar to Stunts in Fung Shui, IIRC) and a great many ways to dial up or down the cinema in your game (campaign qualities, mook NPCs, etc). My home game is VERY cinematic along the lines of Fung Shui - just last Sunday we had characters fist-fighting a Chinese wizard on a train speeding a nuclear payload towards Johannesburg The second printing is out in PDF with dead-tree coming late this summer.

I'd also add that some of the things that make other versions of D20 drag (Attacks of Opportunity, Iterative Attacks) are absent from Spycraft 2.0, and simplified NPC tracking and "mook" NPCs can make combats quicker as well.

Make no mistakes, it's still a very robust system. But I personally find that Savage Worlds cuts some corners you don't need to cut to speed up a game.

 

[Vigilance]

True20 would be my suggestion. It plays a lot like d20, but is MUCH faster and you can do anything you want with it.

If simple is the goal, Id go with either d20 Modern or True 20.

Wait, I said d20 Modern?!?!? OMG, looking at most of the posts here, you'd think I'm advocating playing Russian Roulette with 5 of your closest friends.

But it would definitely be simpler. Why?

Because if your group is already familiar with d20, then d20M would have the gentlest learning curve. After becoming familiar with the basic classes and advanced classes, your players could probably see almost instantly how to stat up the iconic characters from movies and fiction they plan to base their PCs on.

As for combat, eliminate AoO and d20 Modern combat goes very fast. First, many more people have ranged weapons (guns). Secondly, those weapons average a little more damage than bows (about twice as much in fact). Add to that, that d20M PCs aren't *quite* as diesel as their D&D counterparts.

These changes make combat start sooner (PCs don't have to close, and they aren't trying to close like chess pieces to avoid AoO). They also make combat faster, since the PCs are slightly less sturdy, and weapons do a little more damage.

But if the goal is cinematic, d20M delivers that with the least amount of book fumbling. Playing Spycraft 2.0 was the world's most frustrating exercise for me and my players. There are a LOT of little rules differences that mired down play for us weeks down the line.

(I KNOW I KNOW... I'm speaking heresy here on these boards. But these are just my experiences. Your mileage may defeinitely vary.)

Now True 20 is very streamlined. But still has a relatively light learning curve.

Again, your PCs can look at the roles and feats, and begin statting iconic PCs that they want to play in minutes.

So for cinematic, simple, and robust, those would be my choices.

Chuck

 

[Psion]

As for combat, eliminate AoO and d20 Modern combat goes very fast.

Lesson learned from third party D20 products, I see.

First, many more people have ranged weapons (guns). Secondly, those weapons average a little more damage than bows (about twice as much in fact).

Ironically (or perhaps not), my three favorite uses/supplements for D20 Modern feature PLENTY of melee combat.

(I KNOW I KNOW... I'm speaking heresy here on these boards.

Were you going for irony? 'cause I think you succeeded.

This forum is the d20 Modern, d20 System & OGL Games on ENWorld. Bashing Spycraft is normal here. Bashing D20 Modern is heresy.

 

[AscentStudios]

This forum is the d20 Modern, d20 System & OGL Games on ENWorld. Bashing Spycraft is normal here. Bashing D20 Modern is heresy.

Heh, I was suprised it took this long

 

[Vigilance]

Were you going for irony? 'cause I think you succeeded.

This forum is the d20 Modern, d20 System & OGL Games on ENWorld. Bashing Spycraft is normal here. Bashing D20 Modern is heresy.

Uh, you need to read a little more carefully. First, I certainly wasn't "bashing" Spycraft. I was simply stating my preference, just as others stated theirs.

Secondly, I see very little "bashing" of Spycraft generally on these boards. Not everyone likes it. Since that seems to be your definition of "bashing", I guess you see more than me.

I mean, it's not like anyone has come on the boards and said "Spycraft is dead! Play d20 Modern if you want to play the living game!"

Which *was* said once about d20M by a Spycraft afficionado.

Other than that, I don't see a lot of dissing of any system on this forum, which is a big reason I frequent it.

For myself, Spycraft has some interesting elements, but I found it more trouble than it was worth.

But d20M works for me and my group, so going to the trouble to learn something new, when I can run anything they want to play in d20M, makes us a bad test case for Spycraft.

And I didn't even just list one option. If I wanted something crunchy and robust, I'd pick d20M, if I wanted something fast and light, I'd pick True 20.

In case it wasn't clear, the "YMMV" thing was meant to assure people that I don't think Spycraft is a bad game and that I wasn't pronouncing universal truth. Just tossing my .02 in the ring, same as plenty of others.

 

[Psion]

Uh, you need to read a little more carefully. First, I certainly wasn't "bashing" Spycraft.

I wasn't saying you were. I was stating that your perception of what constitutes "heresy" on these boards is seems off target to me.


If you hadn't tossed the heresy comment in, I wouldn't have said a thing.

And I didn't even just list one option. If I wanted something crunchy and robust, I'd pick d20M, if I wanted something fast and light, I'd pick True 20.

\

IMX, True20, whilst chargen is lighter, actually plays slower than D20 Modern or Spycraft.