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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Psion" data-source="post: 2975008" data-attributes="member: 172">Not that it bears on the question of the OP, since he's playing an espionage themed game, but I'd like to point out that while the statement that it's focused on spy-themed games, while a fair criticism of Spycraft 1.0, is incorrect of Spycraft 2.0. The campaign qualities are one of the biggest new features of the game, and it makes Spycraft very flexible for most modern action subgenres. There are numerous other strides in the system between 1.0 and 2.0. Spycraft 2.0 took the game from being my default for modern espionage to my default for most modern action genres.I enjoy and have run both, and think they each have certain advantages. I feel Spycraft 2.0 is a more robust system that supports more of the things I would want to do, but d20 modern enjoys more support.Things that draw me to spycraft as a default include:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The aforementioned campaign qualities. Out of the box, the game provides a variety of means to change the feel of the game to accomodate specific campaigns that I am interested in emulating.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Doing the accounting it takes to make an NPC in most d20 games has always been something of a burden. Spycraft has an NPC system in which most NPCs are covered in a manner that not only simplifies their writeup, it allows you to adapt them to the level of the party.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dramatic Conflicts. Some have mentioned the chase system, as a positive quality, which is true, but in 2.0 it doesn't stop there. The system has been expanded into the dramatic conflict systems, which models a variety of tense conflicts -- in addition to chases, you have infiltration, seduction, interrogation, brainwashing, hacking, etc. These provide many avenues for tense nail-biting conflict other than combat. And they have the additional quality that they streamline action that otherwise might require an extended amount of spotlight time on one player. For example, in one game I had, I was able to handle a hacking attempt with a satisfying level of detail in less than 5 minutes. If you've ever played Cyberpunk and twiddled you thumbs while the netrunner did his part, you know the advantage to this.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The gear system. I prefer it to typical faux-modern accounting as well as the much rued d20 modern wealth system. (I don't dislike d20 modern wealth as much as some do, as it was an alternative to all the accounting, but it has always had its quirks.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I prefer action dice to action points. Action points are nice little kickers. But action dice flow more easily, are geared as rewards to the player, and are more capable of letting the PCs perform larger than life stunts.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Related to this, how the game handles critical success and errors. Crits are not just part of combat, almost any check can get a critical success. D20 core avoids this because it can cause some wild hiccups in the action of the game. But in Spycraft, major botches are not left to chance; the game doesn't get screwed up just by a bad roll. It's entirely left to the GM discretion whether to invoke a threat or error to make like interesting.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I feel that Spycraft handles fully automatic weapons better than d20 modern. This is something that I have always house ruled in d20 modern.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I also feel that Spycraft handles non lethal/subdual damage better than d20 modern. This is also something that I always house rule and I know I'm not alone... I have seen many supplements, even by WotC, that conveniently forget the d20 modern nonlethal damage system.</li> </ul>So you might say I am sold on Spycraft 2.0. But I try to recognize what d20 modern is good at, and it has its place. I would use d20 modern if:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I wanted to run a game with heavy supernatural elements, as the presence of FX seems to be implicit in many d20 modern products. Or</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The campaign I was looking to run was particularly well supported by a certain d20 modern supplement or group of supplements. Or</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I want to run a campaign where all players are the same profession (like the deep sea mining crew in the Abyss) or lack a profession (i.e., a high school setting.) In these sorts of game, the non-professional d20 modern base classes shine. Elsewise, I find their distinctions less useful to me.</li> </ul>Elsewise, Spycraft 2.0 would be my first choice.</blockquote>

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