d20 Modern or Spycraft

[Aopy]

Hello there,

I have been away from these boards for a few months as our regular D&D group has disbanded and I have been unable to find another. I have recently gotten an itch to play again and am trying to decide between the two "modern" systems.

I don't really know much about either system - d20 Modern or Spycraft - but I am interested in buying and playing one. I basically want to play a game with a small group of PCs who are a group of mercenaries with access only to real life gadgets that are available in the open market. I am not really interested in magic, monsters or the like. I want real life - not James Bond real life - but real life to people like you and me!

So which is it??? d20 Modern or Spycraft???


Thanks in advance,

Aopy

 

[Crothian]

Spycraft is more along those lines. d20m modern is really modern fantasy.

 

[takyris]

Crothian: Devil's advocate -- Weren't people talking about how Spycraft was more heroic and movie-style action than d20 Modern? I mean, you can easily take the magic out of d20 Modern, but the cinematic elements of Spycraft are built into its very rules, no?

If he wants "like you and me, not like James Bond", that sounds like d20 Modern without magic or psionics.

But again, just playing Devil's Advocate.

-Tacky

 

[Crothian]

They are both action oriented. I think the HP system of modern is much less lethal then WP/VP.

I just feel that more of spycraft will be useful since getting rid of the fantasy negates about a third of d20 modern

 

[takyris]

Fair enough. I don't have enough experience with either to make a real argument -- I just remembered opinions in the other direction from another thread.

-Tacky

 

[Crothian]

You are right, neither is perfect for real world stuff. I'm not 100% on either, I know Modern better but have both.

 

[Magius del Cotto]

You want Call of Cthulhu. Yeah, yeah, I know it's supposed to be a survival/horror type setting, but the rules are designed around running normal, everyday characters using normal, everyday equipment and weapons. Granted, they're supposed to be facing mind-shredding horrors and worm-infested zombies, but they're still normal, everyday characters.

 

[Mistwell]

Spycraft is more along those lines. d20m modern is really modern fantasy.

By fantasy I assume you mean magic and monsters. If you mean "cinematic", or "sci-fi", then I think it is just a definitions issue.

But assuming fantasy means what I think it means, I really have to dispute this statement. This is the third time I've seen you say this, and I really want to know why. You have 2 of the 3 campagin settings in the appendix that are magic-oriented, you have a relatively small section on spells, and you have a relatively small section for non-real monsters. The vast, overwhelming majority of the book is oriented to a non-fantasy world. None of the designers of the game who are playing weekly d20M games at WOTC are playing in a fantasy-oriented campaign as far as I have heard, and none of the modules or additional source material that have been announced, other than Urban Arcana, are fantasy-oriented. Probably about 15% of the pages in d20M, most of which is optional rules anyway, are fantasy-oriented. What makes you think d20M is "modern fantasy"?

 

[Crothian]

Well, the fifty pages of monsters is a good start. I consider all 3 of their campaign ideas fantasy. The psionics really don't have a any science fiction elemet in them, so that really only lives them as fantasy. The campaign section is another 90 pages, so that totals a third of the book give or take. However, reading through the book as I have just gives me the impression that it is fantasy. I'm not saying and have never said you can't do other things with it. CoC is a horror game, but you could ignore those elements and also play a realistic modern game.

I can't comment on what the people at Wizards are playing or about future products. The only one I've heard of Shadowchasers, but I really haven't been paying attention to d20 modern support.