D20 Sci-Fi

[Roudi]

d20 Future is built off the d20 Modern core system. If you aren't new to gaming and know how to generate characters, you can get by with simply the Modern System Reference Document, which includes most of the material from d20 Future. Otherwise, the answer is yes: you do need d20 Modern to be able to use d20 Future.

However, I'll be the first to admit that few of the offerings in d20 Future are enough for me. I won't use that Starship system without significant modifications, and I'll only tolerate Mecha when combined with my Mecha Power Cores expansion (in the least). d20 Future is a great building block for creating your own sci-fi d20 game. If you are looking for a complete game that has everything done for you already, you will probably want to look elsewhere. You CAN play a d20 Future game with the system as-is, but I doubt it would be long before you feel the urge to revise & expand.

 

[Bront]

So, if you want to use d20 Future, you need to have d20 Modern anyway?

Baron Opal

Not an issue for me, as I do have D20 modern, but I've not had a chance to actualy use it.

My GM has a soft spot for apocolyptic games. He likes Darwin's World, but hasn't been able to get a game off. The new upcoming D20 Apocolyps might help him out as well.

I'm looking more for ships, planetary travel, and not mecha. T20 and Fading Suns seem good, I'll have to try to get in a T20 game.

Any links to Bulldogs! 20 and Dawning Star?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well yes, if you pick classes that don't traditionally receive any combat training, they won't have a good BAB progression because they haven't been getting into much combat. It's more realistic. And there are people who like playing those types of characters, that's one of the reasons they like playing Traveller -- all of the emphasis is not on combat. You can create and play skills-oriented characters who can make significant contributions to the game without pulling out a gun and shooting something or someone. And XP is not determined by what you've killed. That doesn't make the game bad or broken or unplayable, IMHO. It just makes it different from most FRPGs.

But there is already a bad BAB progression. We have 1/2, 3/4 and 1 per level. That is sufficient. I played T20 for a session, and I didn´t really like that, nor most of the rule changes they did.

If you don´t want combat an integral part of your game (and rules), don´t use D20.

Their barter/trade rules were nice, and we had some fun with it, though eventually, I didn´t get the impression it was difficult to make a lot of money in that system, so there wasn´t really a challenge..

 

[Turanil]

Any links to Bulldogs!

3 Bulldogs reviews and the Bulldogs! website. Bulldogs is a pulpy sci-fi game, just one book totally compatible with all DnD 3.5 products (and thus incidentally with Dragonstar).

 

[Psion]

But there is already a bad BAB progression.

No, not really. Its a matter of perspective, but as some d20 bashers delight in point out, D&D's "bad" progression isn't all that "bad".

We have 1/2, 3/4 and 1 per level. That is sufficient. I played T20 for a session, and I didn´t really like that, nor most of the rule changes they did.

The players in the con and game day sessions I ran seemed to have a different opinion.

If you don´t want combat an integral part of your game (and rules), don´t use D20.

Um... why? It works. D20 actually has one of the easier to use yet robust (if underutilized) skill systems out there, and adopting its use is entirely a boon. Because it's a shade different than D&D is hardly a reason to kick it to the curb.

 

[HellHound]

If you don´t want combat an integral part of your game (and rules), don´t use D20.

That sounds kind of silly... I like the resolution mechanics and skill mechanics of d20, but I want to run a game based around diplomacy and trade, so I shouldn't use d20?

Bah.

I'm going to be playing d20 variants for a long time to come - in games with lots of combat, and in games with none at all. Honestly, I'm with Alan on another part of T20, I would have given -all- the classes in T20 no BAB combat advancement at all, and just instituted combat skills.

 

[DragonLancer]

D20 Babylon 5 from Mongoose is the best D20 Sci-Fi game I have seen thus far. Star Wars is ok, and I was very dissapointed looking through D20 Future.

 

[philreed]

The best source for a wide variety of D20 sci-fi supplements is definitely RPGNow. Especially supplements that work with D20 Modern/Future.

Ronin Arts has several starship PDFs there.

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=4308&SRC=EnWorld

 

[DMH]

Deadstars Deadstars may not be the best d20 sci-fi game, but it's available for free on RPGnow.com

What is it like? What kinds of settings could it be used for?

 

[Kanegrundar]

I'm really liking D20 Future. Although I'm not entirely sold on the starcraft combat. It's servicable, but not the best.

Kane