d20 Modern Dark*Matter hardcover from WotC?!?

[arscott]

On another note, if what we see here is true, WotC is moving away from the 96 page softcovers, which is pretty nice in and of itself.

 

[RigaMortus2]

I am not familiar with Alternity or Dark*Matter... Can someone fill me in on the setting and backstory?

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Alternity was an RPG system released just as the TSR/WotC switchover was taking place. I call it "The Sacrificial Lamb". For "various reasons" the system was dropped after just a few years. There were reports of "poor sales" and the like, but I think it was more about Wizards paring the TSR property down to one thing: Releasing a new D&D.

Alternity, as a system, wasn't bad. Alot of the underlying assumptions of the system were precursors to the changes from 2nd Ed to 3rd Ed. It had an "opposite" rolling system, however, where you sought to roll LOW, getting successes for rolling under your skill number. It was a "Leveled" skill-based system, which is to say, all the levels really did was give you a method for tracking how many skill points you should have. Everything was a skill, from handguns to "Resolve, Mental" which we would call a Will save in d20.

I have nothing against the system, and we actually play it about once a year or so. My brother-in-law and his friends really like it, so I tend to break it out when I go visit the in-laws in Cali.

Dark*Matter was one of the two full campaign settings released for Alternity. The other was Star*Drive, a "Space Opera" type setting.

Dark*Matter is a modern-day campaign setting similar in scope and theme to the X-Files. It was a little late on the draw for the full X-Files "explosion", but proved to at least garner a cult-like following (of which I'm a member). The PCs play agents of a non-governmental agency called The Hoffmann Institute, which investigates paranormal "stuff". UFO sightings, ghosts, alien abductions, psychic phenomena, etc. The PCs are supposed to investigate ... but standard issue equipment also includes a gun ... so yea. "The truth is out there ... and we shall shoot it."

In Dark*Matter the Greys are real and have been watching us for some time. In fact they have several city-ships, one on the dark side of the moon. Psychic abilities are real (you can even take a Wild Talent). Magic is on a comeback tour, and we're being invaded ... by about half-a-dozen different alien species who skulk about stirring up conspiracies to pave the way for bretheren (or maybe they just got stranded here and are trying to get home).

Agents are usually approached after something extraordinary happens to them ... thus rules for PCs who have wild talents, dabble in magic, or have been abducted. Of course your character may have had a run-in with government black-ops, the walking dead, or an angry demon.

I'VE always thought it was alot of fun ... but I'm biased.

--fje

 

[Staffan]

Since I left off supporting TSR after the last Spelljammer products were produced and didn't come back until after 3e, I missed out on the original Alternity line.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing what the fuss was about.

On another note, isn't this the first book Monte Cook has worked on for Wizards since he started Malhavoc? Clearly, they want him back to work on 4e with Mearls.

Given that Monte seems to have been pretty busy the last two years working on Ptolus (note that pretty much all things coming from Malhavoc in that time has been written by freelancers), I doubt that he made any work on this specific book. However, if they are releasing a d20M version of DarkMatter, I would expect him and Wolfgang Baur to get credit since they wrote the original.

 

[Staffan]

I am not familiar with Alternity or Dark*Matter... Can someone fill me in on the setting and backstory?

Alternity is a generic modern/future system. It doesn't have a built-in setting, though some of the fluff (e.g. races) is inspired by the Star*Drive setting (the space opera setting released for the game). Dark Matter was the second setting released for the game, and took place in the modern world but with all the X-files/daVinci codes and other conspiracy theories turned up to 11.

 

[Banshee16]

Well, I just gained a reason to purchase D20 Modern. Dark Matter was amazing!

I'm a little concerned just how the new book will stack up with the old though. The old book was a masterpiece, one of the best RPG books I've ever seen.

Banshee

 

[jaerdaph]

[stating the obvious] I'm sure if it is coming out, we'll get more info closer to the release date. [/stating the obvious]

On a related note, Heap, when we gonna see more SFX Skills? I got money earmarked for you that's burning a hole in my wallet.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

On a related note, Heap, when we gonna see more SFX Skills? I got money earmarked for you that's burning a hole in my wallet.

I'm not sure how much I can say from NDAs, but let's say that 'my' part of the next installment has been completed for quite some time. Nobody is "at fault", so to speak, but various SNAFU-type situations have conspired to confound and hinder. Enochian Theurgy WILL come out, and to be honest I wouldn't bat a lash if the people involved told me it'd be hitting upload a week from now ... and I wouldn't bat a lash if it took a month.

Beyond Eno ... I'm planning to fight for at least one more. With a Dark*Matter book in the wind, confirmation of its reality might spur acceptance of another pitch of mine.

*cue mysterious music*

--fje

 

[Committed Hero]

I am not familiar with Alternity or Dark*Matter... Can someone fill me in on the setting and backstory?

Dark*Matter tried to link all sorts of weirdness and secrets into a Grand Unified Conspiracy Theory. As such, the setting is pretty loose (and skirts around thorny historical questions like the Holocaust, as this edition will probably do with 9/11 if it tries to come up to the present). A good deal of the monsters and groups involved appear in the Menace Manual.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Sounds like Dark Matter is more "Men in Black" than it is X-Files (although I guess you could say they are pretty much the same, though one tries to be a comedy and the other more serious).