D20 Modern and Dark Matter?

[SemperJase]

I haven't bought D20 Modern yet, but I'm wondering if it would be an opportunity to use my Dark Matter Alternity source book again.

My Dark Matter book is packed away, but I don't really recall any system specific info. Wasn't really just ideas that could be converted to D20 Modern?

Any thoughts?

 

[Alzrius]

I haven't gotten d20 Modern yet either, so my answer here is somewhat tentative, but I think you could pretty easily use the Dark Matter book again.

Dark Matter was an incredible sourcebook, probably the best one ever done by the pre-Wizards TSR. It was incredibly intricate and was dripping with flavor for the setting. Since most of the rules-specific stuff dealt with weapons, monsters, PC classes, and FX (a term for magic and psionics that has been kept in d20 Modern), and all of these are covered in d20 Modern, you should easily be able to lift all the stuff you need to from the Dark Matter book into a d20 Modern campaign. Heck, the campaign ideas in the book are damn similar anyway. I can easily envision people who see through the Shadow effect in the Shadowchasers campaign being recruited as new operatives at the Hoffmann Institute, or that all the Hoffmann agents are psionic in d20 Modern's Agents of PSI campaign. All in all, mixing the two should be very easy to do.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Dark Matter was an incredible sourcebook, probably the best one ever done by the pre-Wizards TSR. It was incredibly intricate and was dripping with flavor for the setting. All in all, mixing the two should be very easy to do.

Actually Darkmatter was post-WotC. Alternity wasn't released until after WotC acquired TSR. Darkmatter was released sometime after that.

I do completely agree that it was one of the best "campaign settings" done for roleplaying period. I think that Darkmatter could easily be emulated by mixing D20 Modern and Call of Cthulhu D20, using Spycraft to fill in any of the holes.

I wrote a conversion article for Darkmatter to D20 quite a while ago. Even though a couple people in R&D liked it quite a bit, Dragon didn't pick it up.

 

[Alzrius]

Actually Darkmatter was post-WotC. Alternity wasn't released until after WotC acquired TSR. Darkmatter was released sometime after that.

Really? Ah well, my sense of time eroded when my memory did. WotC bought TSR in '97 right? So...wait, what was I talking about again?

 

[Brutorz Bill]

I just picked up d20 Modern yesterday, so I'm still digesting it. But also being a fan of Dark*Matter, I'd have to say it looks like you could do a really cool Dark Matter Campaign with the d20 Modern rules.
Later,
Brutorz Bill

 

[EarthsShadow]

DM d20 using d20M

I have had the d20Modern book for about four days now, I have digested it and read all three campaign models in the book. Shadow Chasers is the key to running a good Dark Matter game, but you would also have to include at least the psi rules also to incorporate psionics into the game.

I agree that Dark Matter was one of the best setting books ever written full of great sources of material, and combining it with elemets of call of cthulu and Shadow Chasers you have all you need to run the ultimate paranormal game.

So, use Shadow Chasers and the psi rules from Agents of Psi model, use the Dark Matter setting book for setting elements, the d20 Modern classes and races, and possibly converting the spells from CoCthulu over to d20 Modern and maybe sanity (if you want that element) and there you go. The options are there.

 

[Voneth]

Re: DM d20 using d20M

So, use Shadow Chasers and the psi rules from Agents of Psi model, use the Dark Matter setting book for setting elements, the d20 Modern classes and races, and possibly converting the spells from CoCthulu over to d20 Modern and maybe sanity (if you want that element) and there you go. The options are there.

The only reason to get the Agents of Psi setting book will be for new classes and new powers. There will be no rule changes to how Psi works.

 

[Andy_Collins]

Dark Matter D20

It strikes me that porting the Dark Matter setting and mood over to a D20 Modern game would be pretty easy, particularly if the group is willing to play a little fast-and-loose with the translation.

Technically, there isn't even all that much unique mechanical information in DM--a bunch of monsters, some spells, and a few skills, perks, and flaws. I'd think that an experienced GM could prep a Dark Matter-style D20 Modern adventure in under an hour.

That said, it'd be great if somebody actually went to the trouble of publishing an official conversion of that kind of material, along with some highlights of the flavory bits (such as the Hoffmann Institute, the Dark Tide, and so on).

If only we could find someone (or someones) with experience working on both Dark Matter and the d20 system AND a frequently stated, heartfelt love of the Dark Matter setting.

Nah, it'd never work.