d20 Modern Dark*Matter hardcover from WotC?!?

[buzz]

Urban Arcana isn't really THAT bad... I can't think of any popular fiction that really puts fireballing mages against dragons in down-town NYC.

Well, LA, if you want to count the final episode of "Angel".

See, I thought the concept of UA was really cool. The execution was, IMO, weak. I wrote a review of it for RPG.net. Summary: I was looknig for a fantasy D*M, and instead got a "setting toolkit" with just a lot of 'ported D&D mechanics.

I'm hoping that this new edition of D*M retains the setting, as opposed to just being a big book of conspiracy-themed bits with which to creatre your own setting.

 

[buzz]

How many modern games do actually exist and are succesful (beyond D20 Modern)?

Almost White Wolf's entire product line, Eden's Buffy/Angel and AFMBE line, Call of Cthulhu, and M&M if you want to count supers as "modern".

Shadowrun is more SF, or at least science/cyber-fantasy.

 

[Ranger REG]

What he said. If anything, it looks like the only reason this particular product was dropped is because of the possibility of a Marvel Supers RPG next year.

I still don't see how one product is predicting the downfall or discontinuation of a RPG line. If they don't want to offer a d20 Modern take of the supers genre so it won't conflict with a possibly more attractive Marvel-labeled RPG, that's fine. There are other uses for d20 Modern. Other genre ideas or elements they can introduce, like say Dark*Matter or Star*Drive.

This "end of the world" thing seems more like an overreaction.

 

[Ranger REG]

Probably WotC needs to put a lot more effort and money into D20 Modern, and that's something they probably can't afford unless they want to weaken their other succesful line(s).

Heh. Like D&D can ever suffer from that.

It's not like you can weaken Star Wars RPG line any further. Metaphorically, we're just waiting on a coroner to call TOD ... or a crash trauma team to resuscitate a v-fib.

 

[hobgoblin]

about urban arcana and the lack of grit:

the D20 modern book set the theme long before the urban arcana book came out. just look at some of the monster drawings, like the bugbear cop, the gnoll pimp or the illithid priest.

or for that matter the magical items. i belive the leather jacket of +1 protection was in d20 modern...

but thats not to say that it cant be a dark theme to it. its just not "supported" by the existing artwork...

Almost White Wolf's entire product line, Eden's Buffy/Angel and AFMBE line, Call of Cthulhu, and M&M if you want to count supers as "modern".

eden studios allso have witchcraft, somewhat similar to white wolfs stuff but originaly focused around magic.

btw, shadowrun is cyberpunk, as in near future. its setting is about 50 years from now, only with magic and a explosive tech curve. so many modern themes can be coverd in shadowrun if you put a low key on magic and tech.

still, there is more far future sci-fi (often with a space opera kinda air) and fantasy games and settings then there is hard modern ones. this as even the modern ones often have a fantasy kinda setting (often involving horror).

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

about urban arcana and the lack of grit:

the D20 modern book set the theme long before the urban arcana book came out. just look at some of the monster drawings, like the bugbear cop, the gnoll pimp or the illithid priest.

or for that matter the magical items. i belive the leather jacket of +1 protection was in d20 modern...

but thats not to say that it cant be a dark theme to it. its just not "supported" by the existing artwork...

I don't think making it darker would help. If I wanted dark, I'd still go with Dark*Matter. It does modern fantasy - including dark modern fantasy - way better.

I hate Shadow and will never like it. I can't take DnD monsters in a modern setting seriously no matter how they're presented (even seriously). And I hate how Urban Arcana can only have one type of plot, whereas Shadowrun and Dark*Matter are allowed to have whatever kind of plot you want.

 

[Ranger REG]

I hate Shadow and will never like it. I can't take DnD monsters in a modern setting seriously no matter how they're presented (even seriously). And I hate how Urban Arcana can only have one type of plot, whereas Shadowrun and Dark*Matter are allowed to have whatever kind of plot you want.

Meh. Maybe Urban Arcana could have been done better; removing some elements that seems to the signature staple of that setting (like the Shadow, Shadowkinds, and how no one but the heroes can see them). For me, it's more of a toolbook than a setting book.

You're not saying this permanently ruined the d20 Modern line, are you?

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

And I hate how Urban Arcana can only have one type of plot, whereas Shadowrun and Dark*Matter are allowed to have whatever kind of plot you want.

What plot is that?

IIRC, the first plot we did was an investigation into some mysterious warehouse arsons that seemed to be targeting our current employer. We had to do some investigative legwork that led to the Shadow slum area of the city. In that campaign, Shadow was sort of an open secret. Most people didn't want to know, of course, but there are always those that do, and since the things from Shadow can see eachother they tend to cluster together.

Eh, the GM was a geography major doing some stuff in city planning and social geography. He laid out a map of the city and explained how the hills, river, and bay would situate the social structures in town and where a moderate immigrant population of unskilled labor would settle.

At any rate, it was a classic investigation. Found out the arsonist was an Azer, tracked him down as he was about to torch another warehouse ... fight with an Azer with a flamethrower in a burning building. Pretty fun.

--fje

 

[hobgoblin]

when it comes to heros only being able to see the shadowkin, i think its more a case of people dont wanting to belive what the see. if they see a bugbear beating up someone, its rationalized as a big hairy man or something similar.

still, i think urban arcana is more open about the shadow then say shadow chasers are (the latter being more of a buffy/angel kinda setting). but then i dont have the big setting book and only working from the setting info in d20 modern.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

What plot is that?

IIRC, the first plot we did was an investigation into some mysterious warehouse arsons that seemed to be targeting our current employer. We had to do some investigative legwork that led to the Shadow slum area of the city. In that campaign, Shadow was sort of an open secret. Most people didn't want to know, of course, but there are always those that do, and since the things from Shadow can see eachother they tend to cluster together.

Eh, the GM was a geography major doing some stuff in city planning and social geography. He laid out a map of the city and explained how the hills, river, and bay would situate the social structures in town and where a moderate immigrant population of unskilled labor would settle.

At any rate, it was a classic investigation. Found out the arsonist was an Azer, tracked him down as he was about to torch another warehouse ... fight with an Azer with a flamethrower in a burning building. Pretty fun.

--fje

I could have told you it would be Shadow beings "doing something nefarious or mysterious", like every other Urban Arcana plot.

This isn't like Shadowrun, where the plot could revolve around mobsters, corporations, technology (I read a Shadowrun novel like that - the heroes rediscovered some old and extremely valuable optic cable surveillance technology) or magic (Queen Euphoria is a great adventure). You never know what the plot is going to be like at the start of the adventure. But when it's Urban Arcana, it's going to revolve around Shadow.

Dark*Matter also had a wide variety of plots. The plot of the Killing Jar is completely different from the plot of the Final Church - something like the first adventure wouldn't appear in Urban Arcana. Take a look at the the Urban Arcana plot hooks.