d20 Modern Dark*Matter hardcover from WotC?!?

[2WS-Steve]

If this product does exist, Wolfgang Baur was not involved with it.

Monte Cook and Wolfgang Baur worked on the original one. So that could mean that Amazon is just glitching up a past book -- but it could also mean that a new, d20, version is planned but it will include enough material from the original to warrant them still getting a writing credit (and the rest of the team not being updated yet). Amazon also frequently mixes up authors of previous editions with authors of new editions if the book title remains the same.

Anyway, this would really kick ass so I hope it's the latter.

My vote would be to include spellcasting prestige classes or feats or however they want to handle it. It's cheesy gamemastering to hold back special powers for only NPCs (or main characters in the supporting novel line).

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Well if Wolfgang don't want to do it, I'm available...

--fje

 

[gladiator]

The original DarkMatter book was almost 300 pages. Some of that was Alternity specific crunch, but I expect the new book will include plenty of d20 crunch. If the new book is really only 160 pages it seems like a lot of material is going to be cut instead of reprinted.

 

[Ranger REG]

Otherwise, I was ready to become very excited. Not because I am a great fan of Dark*Matter, but because paying more attention to their Alternity IP for possible d20 Modern products means a much better chance of seeing an updated Star*Drive.

I dunno. Do we need Dark Matter for d20 Modern published in order to have Star*Drive?

I'm not knockin' DM. Personally, I'm just more interested in S*D.

Is Wolfgang Bauer peeved he's not involved? Does Wolfgang Bauer want to be involved?

 

[exile]

It's strange to me that Amazon touts, what, a September release date, yet I've seen no mention of this product in WOTC's release schedule. Did I miss something? Is WOTC pulling a fast one on us? Or does Amazon just have some bogus information? Anyone know for sure?

That said, I'd love to see both Dark Matter for D20 Modern and Star Drive fro D20 Modern/Future. In my opinion, they were both awesome campaign settings and if the quality of the fluff that they were born with could be ported to D20 and mixed with some nice consistent crunch...well, the Original Pancake House would no longer be my favorite place to eat breakfast.

Chad

 

[Johnny Angel]

I recall an obervant poster once alerting me to a similarly stumpy Amazon entry on d20 Future Tech well before I could find it on Wizards' site. Currently, I've got Future Tech sitting right next to me. I'm feeling pretty hopeful.

Mind you, as anyone who had followed my goings on may have noted, I'm more interested in the Star*Drive campaign. But this news suggests to me that an official d20 Star*Drive is a real possibility. I mean, yes, they've got Star Wars, but they've been finding it more profitable to use that license to produce miniatures. It's no longer competing with an actual science fiction RPG they might want to produce. They have a good setting that they don't have to rent from anybody else. I think they'd do themselves and the gaming community a great favor to pursue it.

 

[exile]

Thanks for the optimistic input Johnny Angel. I would very much like to see hardcover Drak Matter and StarDrive campaign setting gracing my bookshelves and gaming table. There was so much untapped potential that I never really got to explore with each of those settings.
Chad

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I dunno. Do we need Dark Matter for d20 Modern published in order to have Star*Drive?

No, but if they are publishing a Dark*Matter campaign setting for d20 Modern, it means they have changed their mind about refusing to reprint the Alternity settings. If it sells, it'll also prove that there is a market for specific campaign settings for Modern/Future.

It's no longer competing with an actual science fiction RPG they might want to produce.

That's a good point... Hadn't considered it previously.

 

[exile]

Amen...bring on the old Alternity settings (and give some thought to the old D&D settings).
I've always loved Dark Sun, Planescape, etc. and think single (or multiple), hardcover volume treatments of these would be very nice.
Chad

 

[Bront]

Amen...bring on the old Alternity settings (and give some thought to the old D&D settings).
I've always loved Dark Sun, Planescape, etc. and think single (or multiple), hardcover volume treatments of these would be very nice.
Chad

WOTC has allowed others to use the Dark Sun, Planescape, and Spelljammer licences and made them official (though since they also allowed the dragon release of DS, there are 2 official 3.5 versions of it that are not identical). So, that is probably less likely, as they are mostly concentrating on Eberron and Faerun.

I never got into alternity, so never read the settings, but a good D20 Future/Modern setting would be good for D20 Modern, which I think is greatly underutilized.