4e Modern | Future Settings: What do we want?

[Knightfall]

I know what I don't want - magic! Or at least magic that doesn't make sense. That rules out Urban Arcana and Shadow Chasers right away. Dark Matter is a far more acceptable setting, and you can even see it on TV (it's called X-Files, Fringe, or any sci-fi TV series that doesn't suffer from Sunnydale Syndrome). I wonder... can you fit Agents of Psi into Dark Matter?

Dark Matter would be an okay 4e Modern setting with some options for psionics-based FX. Agents of Psi would fit into Dark Matter without too much difficulty.

I'm personally a big fan of vigilante, true crime (either side of the fence) or military. Usually said settings have no FX or very minor advanced tech. (Considering how much I hate having cell phones in a campaign, I'd probably veto any advanced tech I saw, but I suspect marketing would require that be included in the setting.) My favorite so far was d20 Colombia, which gave a place to play, plots to breaks up, and NPC descriptions with undefined resources. (You had to make your own stat blocks though, which can be real fun.)

Hmm, it sounds like you'd be more interested in a 4e modern setting based on the V for Victory d20 mini-game (Dungeon 97) or maybe the Pulp Heroes d20 mini-game (Dungeon 90).

Sci-fi is a lot harder to do than modern, which is in turn harder to do than fantasy. Sci-fi tech invariably reacts badly with rules. More rules = bad, more tech = bad, high tech and loads o' rules = doubleplusbad. I've only seen the rules-light FATE and Bughunter systems work well with sci-fi. Alternity, GURPS Traveler and Warhammer 40K did passably well, Dark Heresy was overpowered and d20 Future was just terrible, and that was before you got into the settings (some of which were redeemable, if only by controlling tech). Even d20 Star Wars had tech problems, but the focus on cool class abilities and the Force meant the DM simply had other things to think about.

The Bughunters system, Amazing Engine, was pretty unique. I wish it could have had more of a chance to succeed.

 

[El Mahdi]

• As-yet unnamed class which includes medics, preachers, and the like

How about Expert or Academic?

(These would have been Tech-Ops and Diplomats in Star*Drive.)

 

[El Mahdi]

...Any other sugggestions for modern/future settings designed using 4e?

Nope...but I'll put my vote in also for Star*Drive and Dark*Matter. Like you I'd like to see the former more than the later, but I'd love to see both of them return to print.

 

[Knightfall]

Nope...but I'll put my vote in also for Star*Drive and Dark*Matter. Like you I'd like to see the former more than the later, but I'd love to see both of them return to print.

I really wished that WotC had completely revised Star*Drive for d20 Modern; the campaign model they did in d20 Future was just not enough.

i want a full-fledged 4e modern three-book campaign setting that revisits it. A full campaign guide, a comprehensive player's book, and an alien vault with tokens.

The campaign guide would have a heroic tier adventure in it and the alien vault could have one or two adventures that continue on from where the heroic adventure left off.

 

[Kichwas]

I'd prefer a modern that was a modern genre. Not modern with elves and orcs. But modern like 'law and order' / 'military' / 'spy' / etc...

I'd prefer a future setting that was likewise based on some common sci fi tropes, and not 'orks in space'. Give me Foundation, Star Trek, Uplift, or even 'Earth Girls are Easy' before you give me the elves and orcs again.

Peanut Butter may go well in chocolate - but that doesn't mean every mix works. And sometimes when it does work, that doesn't mean it should be the focus. Make the elves and orcs in modern and future an optional suppliment or the fourth or fifth setting put out. Not the core.

 

[Mentat55]

I think the 4e engine would rock for a supers game. You could either go class-based, which is probably not the preference for the supers genre, or go point-based, which would blow the balance of 4e out of the water, but the framework of powers, feats, skills and things like themes, paragon paths, and epic destinies would do well, I think.

A giant robot/mecha setting would be perfect for 4e as well. Mechs = classes, powers = weapons and equipment on said mechs, and voila!

 

[Terramotus]

As you mention, EN Publishing is doing SANTIAGO. It's magic-free (tech takes its place) although it includes rare cases of psionic power. Much of 4E can easily be reskinned - a healing potion is an adrenaline injection, for example; the hardest part is the new classes. So far we have (and this is not final):

• Frontiersman
• Engineer
• Psion
• Scoundrel
• Soldier
• As-yet unnamed class which includes medics, preachers, and the like

Monsters, aliens, NPCs, etc. are all very easy in 4E - just name a monster's ability "Laser pistol" and ave it do fire damage and voila! I've whipped up a sample, below.

We're largely ignoring space travel and combat (although SPACE FIGHT is based on 4E, so it would be compatible). Unless time is critical, space travel will be more a narrative device than a mechanical one.

Morrus - I'm really excited about this. Have you guys considered putting out a core rulebook if the adventure path is successful, maybe with support for Modern as well? I know I'm buying it for the future stuff alone, even though I read and enjoyed Santiago as well. It's a good fit.

Also, one of the things I've found in modern games is that they involve more creative problem solving than just fighting things head on. Are you guys planning on giving more explicit recommendation as to how player powers (psionics especially) can be used out of combat, such as charming your way into the building?

 

[Morrus]

Morrus - I'm really excited about this. Have you guys considered putting out a core rulebook if the adventure path is successful, maybe with support for Modern as well? I know I'm buying it for the future stuff alone, even though I read and enjoyed Santiago as well. It's a good fit.

One thing at a time! The free intro pack will contain enough material for you to run your own far future games, and setting material if you want to set it in Mike Resnick's universe - classes, races (aliens), magic items (tech) etc. And, hopefully, you'll want to play the actual adventure path!

But that's an intro pack for an adventure path, not a new RPG.

Also, one of the things I've found in modern games is that they involve more creative problem solving than just fighting things head on. Are you guys planning on giving more explicit recommendation as to how player powers (psionics especially) can be used out of combat, such as charming your way into the building?

We haven't gotten far into it yet, but rest assured it won't be a "dungeon crawl in space".

BTW - there's a couple of previews up in the articles area!

 

[dirklancer]

Here is what I came up with a few months back and its what we are using in our game currently. It seems to work pretty well so far, and it is serving our needs until something formal or better is published.

4EModern

And this is some of the stuff we have been using for the homebrew sci-fi setting we are playing.

4ESciFi

I am looking forward to seeing more about Santiago. When is the free intro pack going to be available?

 

[beverson]

For another modern take on 4e, take a look at this thread in the industry forum. My group has playtested some of their stuff, and it's pretty good. They are working on a Cyberpunk setting called Neurospasta, and a "generic" modern port of 4e called Ultramodern4. I'm very interested to see how it comes out.