ENWorld, what is best in d20 modern?

[Pramas]

FYI, our new d20 Modern campaign setting, Damnation Decade, should be in stores next week. You can read about it here:

http://www.greenronin.com/catalog/grr1411

You can find some designer's journals here:
http://www.greenronin.com/damnation_decade_devlog.php

We'll also be posting a PDF excerpt soon, so watch our frontpage for that. There aren't many d20 Modern campaign settings that come out, well, ever, so I thought it'd be of interest.

 

[Vigilance]

FYI, our new d20 Modern campaign setting, Damnation Decade, should be in stores next week.

Sweeet.

 

[jaerdaph]

This is really tough because there are so many great products for d20 Modern out there.

Let's see, in no particular order:

1. Thrilling Tales (Adamant Entertainment) - all of it
2. Blood and Spooks (RPGObjects)
3. Green's Guide to Ghosts (12 to Midnight)
4. Modern Player's Companion (The Game Mechanics/Green Ronin)
5. Modern: Occult Player's Compendium (Ronin Arts)

Honorable mentions: After Sunset: Werewolves (Clockwork Golem Workshop), 22 Talent Trees (Bloodstone Press), d20 Critical Locations (WotC), Ultramodern Firearms (Green Ronin), SFX Skills: Diabolism (Sleep Dep Creations), Elements of Magic Mythic Earth (EN Publishing), Santeria (93 Games), Postmodern: The Versatile Hero (Big Finger Games), Hot Pursuit (Adamant Entertainment), Superior Synergy: Modern and Future (Misfit Studios) I could probably go on and I'm sure I missed some very good ones. Plus I didn't take d20 Future in to account...

Best non d20 Modern built on d20 Modern: OGL Horror (Mongoose Publishing), Complete Mafia for d20 (Living Room Games)

 

[Roudi]

let's say it has to have the "requires use of d20 modern by wizards of the coast" blurb on the cover.

I'm going to ignore this, as it basically ousts any good OGL offerings that HAPPEN to be geared towards the d20 Modern ruleset.

That aside, let's begin.

1. Ultramodern Firearms: the book I turn to when I need to reference stats for real-world weapons (or extrapolate for weapons not found in the book). Also one of my writing inspirations.

2. d20 Future: this book is far from perfect. I can't count on two hands the number of threads spawned on this board geared towards fixing issues with some of the rulesets (starships and equipment especially) or offering alternatives. Still, I wouldn't be writing d20 sci-fi material if not for this book. It still serves as a reference point and inspiration.

3. Blood & Relics 2e: the original B&R made me fall in love with RPGObjects. The second edition of this religious-themed setting just plain offered more. If given the chance to run any d20 Modern game, I look to this setting first before considering any other. As a side note, Canadian Customs has taken offense to this book, as my copy is STILL sitting at the border after almost two years.

4. Modern Backdrops: another RPGObjects offering, this location book is a lot more than just maps and NPCs. While light on the crunch side, it offers more plot hooks than a tackle box. And not just plot hooks; GOOD plot hooks. Most of my modern games start in one of the five cities detailed within.

5. I don't have a #5. There are a lot of other modern books I like, but these are really the top of my preferences.

 

[kingpaul]

In no particular order

• Blood and Space 2 bundle - RPGObjects (I'll admit it, I worked on some of the pieces
• Modern Player's Companion - The Game Mechanics
• 22 Talent Trees / Another 22 Talent Trees - Bloodstone Press (I consider these really 1 product)
• Talent Trees Assembled - Sword's Edge Publishing

I'll stop there, as I've probably violated Psion's rule due to my PDF bundling.

 

[PosterBoy]

I think WOTC did a great Job with their initial slate of modern HCs. With the exception of the weapons book, they are all great and I used them constantly.

In no piratical order:

Menace Manuel – It was just so cool and so versatile. I have used it for nearly every modern game I have run from PA to religious horror.

Last Rites of the Black Guard – My favorite pre-made modern adventure to date.

D20 Critical Locations – A very useful book for modern day campaigns. Best of the WOTC softcovers.

Redline – It’s not a d20 modern product per say, but it’s my favorite d20 PA product beyond my own works. I had to steal some OGC from it for my DW 2.5 update.

I haven’t played with nearly enough other publishers stuff as I spend so much of my gaming time play testing our stuff.

Year of the Zombie looks as fun as hell. I got to play that. So does Sidewinder.

My favorite stuff by Charles Rice: Blood and Fist, Blood and Relics.

My favorite Darwin’s World book: Metropolis Rho

 

[SteveC]

Okay, noone else is going to post one... I'll post mine.

Off the top of my head, in no particular order

• Menace Manual (WotC) - Stuffed with organizations, creatures, and plot ideas, this is a decks out oppositon resource for d20 modern.
• Blood & Fists - Martial Arts goodness, modeling a wide variety of styles for a large vareity of character ideas.
• Second World Sourcebook - Okay, this is partly a D&D support book, but it makes a good basis for a "crossworld fantasy" sort of game. I also really dig the warden magic system and pact system.
• Dawning Star - A nice Earth 2 / Serenity type fantasy setting for d20 modern
• Psychics Handbook - A nice skill based psionic system. I do not think its a neat fit for fantasy, but think it slots nicely in modern/future.

This is a very good list, Psion. For me, special mention goes out to blood and fists. This was the first D20 modern add on I ever saw, and also the first PDF product I bought as well. I would compare this to having Cowboy Bebop be the first anime you ever saw: it ruins a lot of other series because it's so darn good! For me Blood and Fists is the product I judge all PDFs by.

--Steve

 

[The Shaman]

In the order I thought of them...

1. Modern Player's Companion: The appendix to the core rules, IMHO.
2. Sidewinder: Recoiled: How the West is done...right.
3. d20 Critical Locations: Eagerly awaiting volumes two, and three, and four...
4. Weapons Locker: This one may raise a few eyebrows, but it's proven very useful in our Modern military game, much more so than Ultramodern Firearms - since it gets a lot of use at my table, I have to call it a favorite.

That's it for me, really - I like a number of other books and .pdfs, but with those four and the core rulebook, I'm a happy camper.

 

[Committed Hero]

Sidewinder: Recoiled is a complete adaptation of the d20 Modern framework to its subject matter.

Green's Guide to Ghosts is expertly presentated with useful mechanics.

Blood & Circuits is a comprehensive design kit in a nifty little book.

Covert Forces packs real-world info and useful rules in one file.

Dark*Matter in Polyhedron promises more goodness to come.

 

[Justin D. Jacobson]

I'm a little late to the party, but here goes:

1) Dawning Star: Operation Quick Launch
2) Shadow Falling

--just kidding--

Here's my don't-be-crass-and-list-your-own-products-list (but thanks to all the people who did list DS):

1) d20 Future Tech - I really like this tidy, little book, and it hardly ever gets a mention. It's a real bargain, packed with stuff.

2) Future Player's Companion - Another super-handy resource from the Mechanics.

3) Red Star - Never played it, but it's purdy.

4) Etherscope - Ditto

5) Dragon Fist - Cheating, I know, but a guy can dream, can't he? (Hell, I don't think Chris has mentioned what system this will use, but they'll be at least a kernel of d20 Modern in there I'm sure.)