SPYCRAFT: The greatest RPG ever made! The best d20 game ever!

[Kevin Wilson]

Well, I for one am stoked that you guys are grooving on Spycraft, and I'm sure that Pat and the design team will be too (forwards them an email).

Thanks for making my day, guys.

-Kevin Wilson

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Hey, hey, hey! Don't forget to single out the Ol' Kap'n as your #1 cheerleader and unofficial "I love Spycraft" poster here at EN World!

Kevin, you and Patrick and the rest of the Spycraft team have outdesigned WoTC using their own d20 system! It's fantastic beyond words, though I keep trying to describe my enthusiasm for it, LOL. I can't wait for all the supplements to hurry up and come out, already!

Spycraft is perfect for running so many types of modern games: James Bond, Tom Clancy, G.I. Joe, Resident Evil, Bionic Man, Supers, Mack Bolan: The Executioner, A-Team, Sopranos, etc. It's just too freakin' cool! AEG needs you guys to do their fantasy stuff, too. Hell, WoTC needs you guys to do their D&D stuff!!!

Kevin, you and Patrick are officially now *THE* hotshot d20 game designers to watch as far as I'm concerned. Never heard of you two guys before, but rest assured I will remember your names and be watching for more stuff with your names on it as a "guarantee of excellence."

I have seen the future of RPGs, and their names are Kapera and Wilson!

 

[Kevin Wilson]

Hey, hey, hey! Don't forget to single out the Ol' Kap'n as your #1 cheerleader and unofficial "I love Spycraft" poster here at EN World!

You guys are officially now *THE* hotshot d20 game designers to watch as far as I'm concerned. Never heard of you before, but will remember your names and be watching for stuff with your names on it as a "guarantee of excellence."

Well, now you've done it, Kap'n. I'm blushing.

By the way, I noticed your D&D action dice conversion, and I thought I'd make a few TOTALLY UNOFFICIAL suggestions...

In addition to what you have already...

Barbarian - Allow healing use of dice during combat while raging.
Bard - Double dice for bardic lore or bardic music rolls.
Cleric - Double dice for turning checks or adding to domain spell-related rolls.
Druid - Can heal animal companion with dice, double dice to attack rolls while wild-shaped.
Fighter - Double dice on Fort saves and damage rolls.
Monk - Double dice when adding to unarmed attack rolls or when rolling to add to defense.
Paladin - Double dice when laying on hands or to smite evil attack rolls.
Ranger - Double dice on favored-enemy-related rolls or wilderness lore checks for tracking.
Rogue - Double dice on Ref saves and sneak attack-based attack rolls.
Sorcerer - Double dice on spell-related damage rolls.
Wizard - Double dice on spell checks or spell-related attack rolls.

Take or leave em, as you see fit, and remember, I was never here...you didn't see anything...

-PS (plug) I did a d20 product for Eden studios called Wonders Out of Time that I'm really pleased with too...

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Thanks for the UNOFFICIAL suggestions for my D&D action dice conversions. I will add them to my list!

 

[Mal Malenkirk]

Well, I bought this game. My players made players and I ran a little test run.

Amidst all the raving review, I feel I must bring some balanced feedback on this product and say that this system is

INCREDIBLY COOL!

I mean, it has a few things going for it. I could see why some people would like it.

The high point of the session occured when a PC came knocking on the door of an NPC that could be either murdered or murderer. The NPC wasn't answering, the door of the hotel room was locked and this particular PC, a soldier, couldn't pick the lock. So instead he took the service stair up to the last floor and then deftly climbed upon the roof.

At that point he used his stylish bungee suspenders to jump down from the roof and swing into the second floor room's window!

Overall we played 3 hours.

PCs played the part of scientific journalists, did some B&E in order to bug a building, were followed by bad guys, they investigated a murder, were victim of a nasty computer virus and of two ambushes and finished the session with the promise of a dramatic car chase as an opener for our next gathering.

All this in the famous corsair town of Saint-Malo. What more do you need?

 

[Geoff Watson]

I haven't read the book, (I haven't even seen it), but your description of skill criticals sounds like they don't understand the d20 rules. What about 'Take 20'? Automatic critical?

Geoff.

 

[JimWardrip]

Just a few additional cudo's.
From my point of view, where Kevin and Patrick may have approached things differently from the norm was that they allowed the design team a great deal of lattitude.
Every idea someone tossed out was considered and discussed. By acting as directors and not dictators they created an atomosphere that really encouraged being creative and stepping "outside the line".
When you find some talented people like Sean, B.D., and Scott and put them in that type of environment, chances are that the end result is a game that people will enjoy and that's all you can hope for.

It was a genuine pleasure to work with those guys,
Jim Wardrip

 

[Mal Malenkirk]

If you take 20 you haven't rolled a natural 20.

As a matter of fact, Spycraft p.39

You cannot take 20 if failing the skill check carries any penalty, and you may not score a threat when taking a 20

BTW, saying that D20 designers don't understand the D20 rules is equivalent to calling them morons. That's a bit presumptuous if you haven't read the rules yourself.

 

[Geoff Watson]

Taking 20 is the equivalent of rolling until they get a 20. Why wouldn't they get the critical? Are the players going to just roll until they get a 20 instead? Isn't that the point of Take 20?

Geoff.

 

[Horacio]

All this in the famous corsair town of Saint-Malo. What more do you need?

Now I'm scared...
Next Juin, I'm going to a small scientific symposium in Saint Malo

BTW, any of you know if AEG people want European 'bountyhunters' (their name for the volunteers that make demos of their games)??
BEcause I've sent my submission twice to be a 'bountyhunter' for Spycraft and I've received no answer.