A great time to be a Modern gamer?

[RangerWickett]

I don't really watch much modern sci-fi or fantasy TV, but I love modern gaming. It just feels more challenging as a GM, since I have to make an adventure work, often crafted on the fly, without getting the PCs arrested and ending the campaign.

In my latest session, they killed a Nazi occult scientist and his Austrian bodyguard, Helga.

Helga: "This is how we say goodbye in Austria." *kiss*
Nazi: "And this is how we say goodbye in Berlin." *slap!*

Of course, I'd be thrilled if folks took not just to modern gaming, but to modern fantasy myth-oriented gaming. I recently put out what I think is the best book I've ever written (link in my sig), and so I hope folks are into modern gaming. I mean, the book works for D&D as well as D20 Modern, but it's inspired by real-world myths, so it seems almost a waste not to use it in the modern day.

 

[Glyfair]

I admit I find it a bit puzzling that there aren't more gamers playing in the Modern genre, particularly with games like d20 Modern, Grim Tales, and Spycraft available. What do you suppose it would take for these games to become as popular among gamers as their medieval fantasy counterparts?

Personally, the thing I dislike about modern games is the high research threshold. While the advantage of running a modern game is that players are familiar with the world, it's also the disadvantage. Sometimes players are too familiar with the world.

For example, I am getting ready to run a James Bond campaign. Say the plot I come up with has my players go to France. I've never been to France, but one of my player's has. I'm going to have a hard time not infringing on his suspension of disbelief if that happens.

Now, I'm getting around it somewhat by setting it in a "spy genre" fictional time that will seem to be in the 60's-80's (the time when James Bond and similiar spy shows were hot). The only other time I've run any length modern era games was when I was running Champions. In a superhero world you have the right mix of real world and fantasy, since comic books always have fictional cities, countries on the like.

 

[Henry]

I have to agree: If I were better at modern conspiracy plots, I'd dive into a d20 Threshold type scenario immediately. Besides Supernatural, Threshold definitely is looking and playing like some devious DM throwing all kinds of weird junk at the players.

"Darn it, Henry, what the ******* does 'My Brain's emitting Theta-waves' mean?"

"***** it! Bullets aren't killing him! Guys, RUN! RUN!

Ah, happiness.

 

[The Shaman]

I have to agree: If I were better at modern conspiracy plots, I'd dive into a d20 Threshold type scenario immediately. Besides Supernatural, Threshold definitely is looking and playing like some devious DM throwing all kinds of weird junk at the players.

"Darn it, Henry, what the ******* does 'My Brain's emitting Theta-waves' mean?"

"***** it! Bullets aren't killing him! Guys, RUN! RUN!

Ah, happiness.

Great example!

The image of that huge monster rising out of the depths and swallowing that runabout in Surface has my dastardly GM wheels turning...

Personally, the thing I dislike about modern games is the high research threshold. While the advantage of running a modern game is that players are familiar with the world, it's also the disadvantage. Sometimes players are too familiar with the world.

For example, I am getting ready to run a James Bond campaign. Say the plot I come up with has my players go to France. I've never been to France, but one of my player's has. I'm going to have a hard time not infringing on his suspension of disbelief if that happens.

I waiver on this one.

On one hand, gaming in the modern world is the easiest way to play, since the world is already detailed for you and the only thing that you need to be concerned about as the GM are the things that are different from the norm. Plus there are abundant sourcebooks for the setting, and with a library card, they don't cost a thing!

On the other hand, it can be tough if you don't know much about computers and one of your players is a software engineer for NASA. IMX I find it's best to do two things in this instance: one, generalize broadly, and two, ask someone knowledgeable for help when you plan the encounter, to get the flavor right.

I tend to pick settings that are a bit different from the norm: for example, for our Modern military game, I picked an obscure (at least to North Americans) conflict from fifty years ago, instead of the generic "special-forces-in-Vietiraqomaliastan." It did away with a lot of the preconceptions and baggage.

 

[Herobizkit]

I DMd a lovely Matrix-esque campaign using the rules for d20 Fantasy, Modern, Urban Arcana, and (briefly) Future.

It's wonderful how easy it is to plug n' play prefab Dungeon adventures using d20 Modern/Urban Arcana rules.

The same game also involved a Buffy/Angel-like lust for the termination of vampires.

All in all, it was kooky as hell. The only difficulty I had running the game was how ridiculously combat-effective my PCs became in such a relatively short time... especially when you front-load the Fast Hero for one or two levels.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

In my latest session, they killed a Nazi occult scientist and his Austrian bodyguard, Helga.

Helga: "This is how we say goodbye in Austria." *kiss*
Nazi: "And this is how we say goodbye in Berlin." *slap!*

I have to ask this.

Was there a father and son involved in this...and did they both like the Austrian way better?