Convince me to buy Urban Arcana!

[VorpalBunny]

Half-baked D&D re-tread? Nope. Absolutely not. There's nothing at all "half-baked" about Urb Arc. Sure, Urb Arc and D&D share a lot of similiarities (fantasy setting, similiar monsters, etc.) but there is still enough disparity between the two "settings" to make Urb Arc worthwhile.

IMO, Urb Arc is all about "Stranger in a Strange Land," not "urban dungeon crawl" (although admittedly it can be run as such). Yeah, there are drow, bugbears and magic but they're not iconic D&D drow and bugbears. These creatures have been taken away from their world and stranded in ours with no foreseeable way to return. How will they adapt to modern life? What changes must they make to do so? How do magical beings fit into things since magic isn't ubiquitous (or at least doesn't have to be)...

Bottom line: Urban Arcana is a "setting-lite" toolkit for running modern fantasy campaigns. How use use the tools in the kit are up to you.

 

[Psion]

Sorry, I cannot in good conscience talk you into buying it. It's okay, and I could see using some parts of it. Nothing about it I would call bad, but it's not especially inspiring or inviting.

Edit: I will say that I found some of the organization material interesting and potentially useful.

 

[Stormborn]

Oh, and incantations. Incantations are cool.

Incantations are the best part of the book, and one of the most original. A great way to simulate different magic systems. Great for a Buffy or Angel game when you take out some of the magic using classes. Great for a high conspiracy game where magic is very rare and requires lots of careful palns and ingrediants and ritual. An entire campaign can be built around the incantation mechanic.

As was stated earlier: what kind of campaign do you want to run? I found lots of ready made Advanced Classes for several modern magically oriented games. But then I happen to like the setting. If you don't then its not going to do you anygood. Because I like the settign potential I liked READING the book, even though the campaign I had planned in it got derailed.

If you want equipment get it somewhere else. If you want "straight" modern advanced classes, and a few magical ones, pick up the Game Mechanic's/Green Ronin's Modern Players Companion. If you just want monsters and organizations then get the Menace Manual. If you want flavor, and a few ideas for campaigns, and just like reading game books then get this book.

 

[Pagan priest]

What it really comes down to is this: If you are planning to run or play in something like the urban arcane setting, it is a great book to have. Most chapters have good things in them, the organizations are good, incantations are great, etc.etc.etc.

If you are planning on a shadow chasers type game, there are some useful bits in it, here and there. Most of the organisations, a few of the critters can be used.

Agent of Psi or any type of non-FX based game, it would be a waste of money, unless you've got money to burn. Maybe a couple of things throughout the whole book would be nice to have.

For me, I snapped it up as soon as I could. One of the monsters listed is the sentient killer bee swarm!

 

[Kesh]

Agent of Psi or any type of non-FX based game, it would be a waste of money, unless you've got money to burn. Maybe a couple of things throughout the whole book would be nice to have.

Actually, I rather liked the Psychic Agent AdvClass. Adds a bit more flexibility to the psi rules.

 

[Katowice]

Why? Just go to the local bookstore or FLGS, flip through it and decide for yourself.

I keep flirting with this book but I haven't made a commitment to her yet. Why should I buy Urban Arcana? Talk me into it!

My one fear is that it's a half-baked D&D retread...I also detest the "Fantasy Fast Food" adventure in the back...

But I want to want this book, if that makes any sense. Convince me. Begin.

 

[Biohazard]

Why? Just go to the local bookstore or FLGS, flip through it and decide for yourself.

Man, you're a barrel of laughs, you know that, Katowice?

 

[Wraith Form]

At that point, your mother will be released completely unharmed.

Oh $hi+....that was *TOTALLY* cool. Very inventive. Man, I wish I'd thought of that.

(I'm not being sarcastic, I promise!)

Bio: if you wanna sink $32 into a d20 Modern book, very seriously consider Menace Manual, if you don't have it already. MenMan RAWKS, dude.

 

[takyris]

Oh $hi+....that was *TOTALLY* cool. Very inventive. Man, I wish I'd thought of that.

Hey, man, we gotta do what we gotta do to get the book sold, know'm sayin'?

By the way, off-topic -- are any of the Advanced Classes going to become SRD-material? I'm not running a fantasy campaign, so most of their stuff isn't for me, but I remembered seeing a Sniper and a Swashbuckler that looked decent -- the Sniper was the Gunslinger with a few changes toward fewer shots that did more damage, (or so it seemed after one brief look) and the Swashbuckler was the soldier with his strategic abilities swapped out for flashy stuff, right (again, in the one brief look)?

I could use those, at least. If I'm remembering them correctly.

 

[Kesh]

From what was said on the WotC boards, a good chunk of Urban Arcana will be folded into the SRD (along with the setting-specific classes from the core book).