d20 Modern Dark*Matter hardcover from WotC?!?

[2WS-Steve]

Urban Arcana probably would have benefited from a nice little mini-campaign, like maybe a 128 pg book, that really focused on what the setting was about and what sorts of stories you could tell in it.

While it's great WotC and the Game Mechanics put out some modules via web-support or PDF, I think the scenarios they had were a little too generic to help drive an understanding of what Urban Arcana adventures are supposed to be like.

As it is, I think people (er, and by people I mean "me") weren't quite sure what to do with the setting, and then defaulted to running it either like Dark*Matter with different monsters and more magic, or like Shadowrun with lower tech and set in the modern day.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Urban Arcana probably would have benefited from a nice little mini-campaign, like maybe a 128 pg book, that really focused on what the setting was about and what sorts of stories you could tell in it.

While it's great WotC and the Game Mechanics put out some modules via web-support or PDF, I think the scenarios they had were a little too generic to help drive an understanding of what Urban Arcana adventures are supposed to be like.

As it is, I think people (er, and by people I mean "me") weren't quite sure what to do with the setting, and then defaulted to running it either like Dark*Matter with different monsters and more magic, or like Shadowrun with lower tech and set in the modern day.

The Game Mechanics adventures were supporting their Bronze Head setting. It's a modern setting with some FX, but Marc Schmalz said it was supposed to be more like Dark Matter than Urban Arcana here: http://p209.ezboard.com/fthegamemechanicsfrm16.showMessage?topicID=191.topic

Our Bronze Head adventure line was sort of Dark*Matter in flavor, actually, going more X-Files than Urban Arcana. I've never been a big fan of the overt modern fantasy flavor of UA, favoring the occult contemporary sci-fi/fantasy mix of Dark*Matter and X-Files.

 

[Ranger REG]

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.

More like a fantasy version of MiB ... or INS.

 

[hobgoblin]

heh...

as for not having it revolve around shadow, not to hard, if the gm is a bit creative.

problem is that there are so many shiny toys in the book that you want to play around with.

there is no reason why it cant be mobsters or the goverment or anything like that in a urban arcana setting, just as in shadowrun. its just that its simpler to set up a encounter by picking monsters out of the book based or CR then it is to create NPC's and so on.

in many ways, shadow in urban arcana is just like magic in shadowrun. its there, allways. you may not have to use it, but its there. and yes, im a big shadowrun fan.

basicly its about how you view the tools you have available. some may see them as walls, others may see them as lines in the sand.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Well, Urban Arcana "not being about something from Shadow" is sort of like saying: "Man, Shadowrun would be better without any cyber and Mr. Johnsons."

"Uhhhgggg, V:tM is always about angst and Vampires."

Stuff from Greyhawk in NYC might not be everybody's idea of a good time, but it isn't, on its own, bad.

I, myself ... much rather do D*M.

I'm just saying I think maybe they overestimated how many teenagers were going to think that D&D In NYC thing was cool. Or maybe they didn't and they carefully planned to release the one setting book that would sell like hotcakes and it STILL didn't sell all that well, and thus we don't get any more hardback setting books for d20Modern.

--fje

 

[buzz]

I'm just saying I think maybe they overestimated how many teenagers were going to think that D&D In NYC thing was cool.

I don't know if teenagers figured into it. UrA was a cool idea; very in keeping with current trends in fantasy fiction and comics. The execution was simply lacking.

 

[hobgoblin]

Well, Urban Arcana "not being about something from Shadow" is sort of like saying: "Man, Shadowrun would be better without any cyber and Mr. Johnsons."

more like, not being exclusively about it. ie, you can still play all those d20 modern settings with just a hint of magic in there. no need to break out all that shadow stuff or have the main bad guy be a shadow being.

and shadowrun works even when there isnt a johnson or cyberware used. try playing a face or gangers, and have them just horse around and get mixed up in stuff players have a bad habbit of creating half the trouble their chars get into.

but at the end of the line, i guess that urban arcana is somwhat interesting to me for the same reasons that you find it anything but interesting. each their own and all that.

 

[buzz]

and shadowrun works even when there isnt a johnson or cyberware used.

You know, given my lack of knowledge about Shadowrun[ and habitual use of "johnson" as a euphemism for a certain piece of anatomy... that sentence is pretty funny.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Well, Urban Arcana "not being about something from Shadow" is sort of like saying: "Man, Shadowrun would be better without any cyber and Mr. Johnsons."

And gangers and Lone Stars and arcologies and soy-stuff and political backstabbing and insect shamans and a wide variety of other things. Shadowrun adventures have so many different plot points to lock onto that each adventure is different. UA just has one thing - Shadow-born monsters.

Urban Arcana probably would have benefited from a nice little mini-campaign, like maybe a 128 pg book, that really focused on what the setting was about and what sorts of stories you could tell in it.

I've never seen such a product for any game system, except maybe the Chicago sourcebook for Vampire. In any event, I don't think it would do any good, except reinforce stereotypes

there is no reason why it cant be mobsters or the goverment or anything like that in a urban arcana setting, just as in shadowrun. its just that its simpler to set up a encounter by picking monsters out of the book based or CR then it is to create NPC's and so on.

It's not an Urban Arcana adventure, however, if that's the case. If I saw an adventure like that, I'd steal it for a non Urban Arcana campaign.

And, finally, Shadow obscures. Ew. It can severely break the suspension of disbelief. Dark*Matter and X-Files* came up with great ways of hiding FX, super-tech, etc, often right in the open without doing so. (I think Buffy did this too, but I didn't watch enough Buffy to know for sure.)

* Yeah, I know it's not a game system.

 

[buzz]

UA just has one thing - Shadow-born monsters.

I don't think that's fair. V:tM had just one thing—vampires—and it put WW in the #2 spot. Again, I see no inherrent problem with the UrA concept. The book just wasn't very inspiring. Frankly, I loved stuff like sending spells via email and enchanted ID cards. Lots of fun things to do.

I've never seen such a product for any game system, except maybe the Chicago sourcebook for Vampire. In any event, I don't think it would do any good, except reinforce stereotypes

Pretty much every supplement for Savage Worlds has followed this model. Ghostwalk for D&D was similar, as well as Ruins of Intrigue for AE. It seems to be a newer concept, but, IMO, it's a damn good one.

And, finally, Shadow obscures. Ew. It can severely break the suspension of disbelief. Dark*Matter and X-Files* came up with great ways of hiding FX, super-tech, etc, often right in the open without doing so. (I think Buffy did this too, but I didn't watch enough Buffy to know for sure.)

Buffy and Angel work exactly like Shadow. Everyday people see thigns and their brain, unable to deal with the idea of a werewolf, sees a big rabid dog.

IMO, the problem with Shadow was that it was so ill-defined. Other than "it's what brings fantasy creatures here" and "it's what keeps normal people from freaking out", the book kept Shadow incredibly vague. As I said earlier, I really wanted a setting, not a toolkit.