2nd world war

[Derren]

I can't really help you with the material. I only bring up things which would concern a player and which I see as problems which have to be solved first.

You have to invent some very solid vehicel rules as the WW in europe were very vehicle heavy.
Also you should find a alternate mechanic to HP. That single high level soldier can mow down an entire enemy sqad + tank support doesn't fit well with the WW2 theme.

 

[Turanil]

I think this thread belongs either to the General or d20 modern forum. This off-topic forum is much more about sports or guys having problems with girls...

I Just read through the SRD of d20 modern and think about using the d20 modern SRD!

You want to write a d20 modern setting, but you just know the game through a casual look at the SRD??

I suggest you get the d20 Modern book (or Spycraft), plus the Dungeon Magazine #97 (Polyhedron side) which has an article on the WW2 in terms of gaming. IMO, this article is a must if you want to write such a setting, but otherwise is not at all inspiring to play in it.

You will have, of course, to create an advanced class for members of the Resistance Movement (in France): sabotage, undercover operations, etc. (Just for the anecdote: my grandfather was a Resistance leader and ordered the execution of some nazi collaborators).

There was a GREAT movie that I always loved, but alas cannot find in DVD, with Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton: Where Eagles Dare. You cannot make a game on the WW2 and not have seen this movie!

 

[Turanil]

but alas cannot find in DVD, with Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton: Where Eagles Dare.

Finally, I got the idea to see on Amazon.fr and discovered that this film was released in DVD two months ago! Great! I ordered it immediately! One of my prefered film ever, I must have seen it a dozen times (on video). As such, thanks for the thread!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

EDIT: I just got a look at Hell on Earth on rpgnow. At 8$ dollars, it looks like a good investment. In fact I bookmarked the page. I could well buy it at some later time. Right now I am preparing a Moorcock style campaign setting to play with Grim Tales (almost d20 modern rules), and thus there will be some travel in other planes in the typical Moorcock's style. As such, I think it can make a great idea to have the PCs enter WW2 Europe and have some adventure there (only one or two gaming sessions) that would bring some change in an otherwise Elric/Conan like campaign full of Chaos creatures and yuan-tis...

 

[Aaron2]

You have to invent some very solid vehicel rules as the WW in europe were very vehicle heavy.

An RPG with good vehicle rules is pretty tough to find. But, yes, this is a hole that needs filling. The d20 Modern rules just don't have enough granularity to do the setting justice.

Also you should find a alternate mechanic to HP. That single high level soldier can mow down an entire enemy sqad + tank support doesn't fit well with the WW2 theme.

I never had problem with hit points. If you start at first level [a -big- problem if you plan on using d20 Modern] and roll hit points at first level, a shot from a typical rifle has a decent chance of killing a character up to about third level. A crit from a rifle will take out a 5th level character. Hit points only become a issue at around 6th level, but by then your character is an Otto Skorzeny-type* and is expected to be able to "mow down" enemies and knock out tanks.


Aaron

*Or Major Jack Churchill if you prefer.

 

[Dogbrain]

I Just read through the SRD of d20 modern and think about using the d20 modern SRD!

You mean, you were originally going to use the D&D-style SRD?

 

[Dogbrain]

An RPG with good vehicle rules is pretty tough to find. But, yes, this is a hole that needs filling.

GURPS, specifically GURPS Vehicles.

See also GURPS WWII.

 

[DarkMaster]

Otto Skorzeny-type* .

Wow!!! you are one of the first person I see who knows this guy, Read his story, this guy was great. He brings a very interesting perspective to the german side, like how he beleived that the german saved europe by bleeding the russian like pig, forcing them to make a "peace" treaty with the US. According to him, wouldn't have been of the german the whole Europe would have been communist.

Also concerning Rommel he his better known for his battle against the british in North Africa, than the defense of France.

You know that if German high command had agreed to fortify all the northern beach of France like Ohama, Sword and I can't remember the other beach the american landed on, like Rommel told him the allied would have been stopped.

I really like WWII and I find it sad that because of the stupidity of their leader performing inhuman and useless mass murder, the German army and especially the SS (the fighting units not the murderer) are often left in the dark. And very few commercial game (Computer, RPG or table top) let you play their side.

I also understand that a millions of American, British, French died during this war and that we must respect that. My Great grand father fought the first world war and my grand father was sent in a "working camp" during the second. he was almost executed because he stole an amunition leather bag from a german boat to repair his boots.

My grand father was a real patriotic french and I remember him telling me how disciplined and impressive were the german soldier when they walked on the Champs Elysee compared with the american. That shocked me and pushed me to read more about the other side.

Sorry, just go taken by the Otto Skorziny's thing

When I was younger I tried to develop large scale WWII battle rule and a WWII RPG(that was way before computer game were able to do that) using scaled down AD&D rule and like somebody here said one of my biggest problem was with the vehicule. Take an airplane for example, you could shot down a Wolf 190 with a few lucky bullets well aimed in the engine (or in the head of the pilot) but you could also be emptying your machine gun on the fuselage without much results.

I was using a called shot system with various results table for various vehicule and the thing quickly became way too heavy.

I would be interested by such a book, so let us know if you complete it.

 

[Turanil]

I have been thinking about a really weird adventure idea, and would like some feedback, but don't want to begin a new thread about it, because it's touchy...

Well, I am preparing a long heroic fantasy Moorcock-like campaign. As such it will involve Law vs Chaos, and planar travel in the pure Moorcock style. So my idea for a high level adventure:

--PCs must perform some mission for a powerful and mad sorcerer. He needs the skull of an agent of Chaos to create an artifact. According to his research, this agent of Chaos is a king and warlord named "Adalh the Furious".
--PCs plane shift to this world, and found themselves... into the last days of the battle of Berlin. In the middle of a raging war, they finally understand this is not "Adhal the Furious" but rather "Adolf the Fuhrer". That is, the PCs must get the skull of Hitler and bring it back to the sorcerer (remember that Hitler's corpse was never found).

My question really is:
--Would be this adventure so weird and enormous that my players could have fun with this absurdity?
--Or is this so bad taste and politically so incorect, etc. (plus one of the players is of Jewish origin) that I should better forget about this idea?

 

[billd91]

One thing about WWII RPGs is to think about how to set up good, compelling adventure hooks that still allow the players to do much of whatever they want. Some players thrive on the military-style chain of command "Your mission is..." types of games. Others don't. Now it might be that the latter types of players won't want to play a WWII game anyway, but in case they are still interested, come up with character archetypes and hooks for civilian PCs as well as military: partisans, spies, locals working with OSS operatives, and so on.

Clearly, commando style adventures will fit in quite nicely as well as odd-squad level missions like in Saving Pvt. Ryan. For some further ideas, check out some of the histories of small commando groups like the SAS missions in North Africa. That should produce some good ideas.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

There's the successful Combat! model, otherwise known as "The Role of the Independent Rifle Squad in the European Theater of Operations." It oughta work well for an RPG.