Buyer's remorse (Spycraft 2.0)!

[jdrakeh]

Don't get me wrong, it's a great rule set - but I'm starting to think that I should have picked up Shadowrun 4 instead. Like I said, Spycraft is a great rule set - but that's all it is, really (i.e., there isn't any actual setting in the book). After reading a review of the new Shadowrun release over at RPGnet, I'm pretty convinced that I could have a lot more fun with that game than with Spycraft, for a lot less effort (i.e., it comes with a detailed setting).

Arg. Now I need your help to decide whether I trade my copy of Spycraft and some other books off for a copy of Shadowrun, or wait it out for a few months until I can scrape together some cash to pick up a copy of Shadowrun. I'm torn here.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

get shadowrun now. I got it I like it. Me though I'd just brown bag my lunches for a couple weeks and that would quickly let me scrape together the money needed.

 

[jdrakeh]

get shadowrun now. I got it I like it. Me though I'd just brown bag my lunches for a couple weeks and that would quickly let me scrape together the money needed.

Yeah - I had a lot of fun with Shadowrun 1e and 2e, but abandoned it for more intuitive games in 1999 (the old die mechanic just flat out sucked). I had no interest in 3e as it still seemed pretty counter-intuitive, but this new edition... it might be just what I need to rekindle my unhealthy love for the hobby

 

[2WS-Steve]

I don't have SR4 so my vote is uninformed (kinda like A LOBOTOMIZED ETTIN/A JAR OF VEGEMITE/THAT DUDE WITH THE ALUMINUM TUTU WHO ALWAYS COMES INTO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY AND CREEPS ME OUT...) but I prefered SR1e with some house rules to Second Edition, so figure that editions builidng off those changes won't be so appealing.

I do like the sound of the net overlay on reality and how the pulls deckers into the game -- very cool.

But for both Shadowrun and nWoD I have to wonder why bother with the dice pool if you get rid of the variable target numbers? That was always the interesting feature of dice pools for me -- the fact you had a couple ways to tweak the difficulty.

Edited by Pielorinho: even one-off flippant political attacks can stir arguments, so please refrain!

 

[wingsandsword]

Don't get me wrong, it's a great rule set - but I'm starting to think that I should have picked up Shadowrun 4 instead. Like I said, Spycraft is a great rule set - but that's all it is, really (i.e., there isn't any actual setting in the book).

You mean like core D&D, lots of rules but not much in the way of setting? Is a lack of much of an actual setting in the core books a real weakness of Dungeons and Dragons?

Spycraft already has a setting, the real world. Read through some international news, then look around on sites like the Federation of American Scientists (http://www.fas.org), and you can come up with lots of plots. One weakness (IMO) of Spycraft 1.0 was that many of the suppliments were campaign specific for one setting, and a setting that diverged a lot from the real world and only appealed to a smaller subset of the general audience.

For somebody who already isn't a Shadowrun fan, there is a lot of setting material there to learn, setting conventions, prior metaplot & future history, alternate metaphysics, and so on. If you're walking in fresh to both games, you have a lot more setting to learn with Shadowrun.

Spycraft can be run "out of the box" with a quick rehash of the plotline of any Tom Clancy book, Mission Impossible episode or movie, James Bond movie or novel, or even a lot of TV shows (like with 1.0 they licensed Stargate SG-1 as a Spycraft setting).

 

[Crothian]

The grass is always greener, keep what youi have and just wait till you can have both

 

[jdrakeh]

But for both Shadowrun and nWoD I have to wonder why bother with the dice pool if you get rid of the variable target numbers? That was always the interesting feature of dice pools for me -- the fact you had a couple ways to tweak the difficulty.

Luckily it only takes a fraction of a second to implement variable target numbers in either game, should you decide that you want to use them

 

[jdrakeh]

For somebody who already isn't a Shadowrun fan, there is a lot of setting material there to learn, setting conventions, prior metaplot & future history, alternate metaphysics, and so on.

As I mentioned, I'm not at all new to Shadowrun.

Spycraft can be run "out of the box" with a quick rehash of the plotline of any Tom Clancy book, Mission Impossible episode or movie, James Bond movie or novel, or even a lot of TV shows (like with 1.0 they licensed Stargate SG-1 as a Spycraft setting).

To be fair, so can Shadowrun if you know the very basics of the setting (which I do)

 

[jdrakeh]

The grass is always greener, keep what youi have and just wait till you can have both

This may well be true - I'm merely impatient

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Looking through my soul for any remorse...
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Sorry, none. I really like Spycraft 2.0 and my previous experiences with Shadowrun do not endear me to the system. (The setting is okay,and I considered converting it to D20 Modern, but I pure hated the system.)

The Auld Grump