I think you're looking for Complex Skill Checks from Unearthed Arcana:
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/complexSkillChecks.htm
That write-up is for D&D, but porting it to d20 modern won't be any trouble.
The product is described as an adventure, not as a comprehensive catalog of Undermountain room descriptions. Undermountain is the setting where the adventure takes place.
If the book is really lacking adventure material, or if there isn't information about the locations used in the adventure...
Yeah, I'll pick it up it "site unseen," because I'm a fan of Monte's other stuff.
If it turns out to be bad, it's not a big deal, because reading a novel doesn't require much of an investment on my part. I'll just move on to the next book.
I think that experienced gamers and long-time Game Masters sometimes don't give the hypothetical fresh kid off the street enough credit. I have a hard time imagining someone smart enough to learn how to play an RPG from a book, but not smart enough to eventually figure out that the you can play...
All I said was that the extra stuff wasn't needed, not that no one would ever be interested in it. I've bought plenty of non-WotC books myself, and am always interested in new adventures, regardless of the publisher.
You can (and plenty do) play D&D with just core rules. These people don't even...
This is really strange question, if you think about it- "why would you use D&D products to play D&D?" Would you also ask why someone would use World of Darkness products to play World of Darkness?
I think one good reason to not use 3rd party stuff is simply that there's no reason anyone needs...
No, it doesn't decrease options, it just streamlines their use and presentation.
And so far, both games that use Talent Trees still have PrCs. It's base classes (maybe) and alternate class abilities that would be replaced by Talent Trees.
Gleemax Magic Card:
http://ww2.wizards.com/Gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?name=Gleemax
I'm guessing Magic players are reacting to the name better than D&D players. It'd be like if they titled the site headofvecna.com.
Or, just look at the initial reaction when the "Revolution" was renamed the "Wii."
Jokes about the name will fade pretty quickly once people get used to it, I think.
In d20 Modern, talents are always specific to a particular class, while feats can be taken by anyone, wether they happen to be on a particular class's bonus feat list or not.
Also, talents don't necessarily balance with feats.
For those who game with non-computer users: are these people subscribers or purchasers of Dragon and Dungeon?
I wouldn't be surprised if "lack of interest in reading about games online" correlates with "lack of interest in buying gaming magazines." If so, the switch to digital won't effect them...