d20 Apocalypse: Rehash of other books or stand-alone and uber?

[Herobizkit]

Hey all,
I've been a collector of the various d20 Modern supplements and I have just now discovered the release of d20 Apocalypse. I am curious about the product, but my biggest concern is content.

I currently own d20 Future, which goes into lots of detail about aliens, mutations, mecha/machines, vehicles, and so on... all things potentially present in an apocalyptic setting. Reading the review I found here on enWorld, it seems that this books contains most of the same stuff.

Would I be buying a redundant supplement if I bought d20 Apocalypse?

 

[Stormborn]

Does it have to be rehash or uber? Can't it fall somewhere in between?

As for content, there is a lot of expansion of rules that are in d20F, like mutations. There are also some post apaocolyptic AdvCl and IIRC starting occupations and feats. However, I think the main thing that is entirelly new is the scavange and barter system that replaces wealth in a postapocolyptic world. If I was running such a setting I would want it for that + the other options.

 

[Einan]

It's not a spectacular, knock your socks off book, but I think it's pretty solid. A lot of discussion about what type of Apocalypse and how to run the aftermath is included. There's some nice sections about varieties of society and how they'd be affected by an apocalypse. It's definitely not necessary to run a game, but it does lead me to believe that a game I ran using it would be better thought out than one I ran without it.

Einan

 

[Roudi]

Nothing is "rehashed" in the book. There are expansions to elements found in d20 Future (such as mutations; there are new mutations, new flaws, and new options for acquiring mutations). There are also new elements, like the Trade Units system, vehicle modification system, and new monsters (even the "zombie" template provided is fairly original). Nothing in the book is a reprint from another source.

 

[Ranger REG]

Would I be buying a redundant supplement if I bought d20 Apocalypse?

Nope. It has material about running a post-apoc campaign, including the effect of nuclear weapon (which does more than 16d-whatever in d20 Future), and a barter system to replace the creature comfort of our wealth system. It also offers three campaign models that includes one biblical post-apoc and one viral pandemic apoc.

IOW, it adds and expands to the material that are already in d20 Future.

If you're into apoc genre games, I would recommend picking up the book.

 

[Committed Hero]

It was nice to see the return of Charles Ryan to d20 Modern, if only for a small book. If you are interested in running a post-apoc game with any d20 system, the rules it contains make it a must buy IMO. The rest is genre discussion, whetting a GM's appetite and get you thinking about what you'd like to include. The settings themselves are pretty sparse compared to something like Darwin's World.