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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 2443335" data-attributes="member: 9254">The prolific <a href="http://philipjreed.com" target="_blank"> Phil Reed </a> has put out another baker's dozen of useful things.   13 Mecha Devices syncs up with  <a href="http://roninarts.com" target="_blank">Ronin Arts'</a> Future d20 line which includes Future: Datastream and several other Future: 13's.  Phil's Dozens are popular for a reason: once you read them you have trouble believing you hadn't already thought of them yourself.  Anything that makes me say "Why didn't anyone notice those were missing?" indicates a sharp mind.  13 Mecha Devices is a well done 8-page PDF.  The "cover" has a title font  reminiscent of military markings and there is a subtle textured border that reminds me of leather or worn vinyl, which feels appropriate.  The inner borders are a drab tan-gray that somehow implies "painted armor plate."   The text is searchable, and can be copied, the fonts are well chosen, and the page widths are good.  I found a grand total of 4 typos; "supercede," "selfdestruct" and two colons followed by a period (Range:.Adjacent).  Other than the missing hyphen, I never would have found these without my word processor since I thought "supercede" was a word but Dictionary.com backs up spellcheck.  The 13 items are well aware of that mythical thing called Game Balance and toe the line.  Nothing here would make a GM flinch and more than a few should have appeared in the d20 Future core rules.  Really, who forgot to put in a Remote Operating system? Or a self-destruct?   C'mon!  I really can't discuss the other 11 items because they are just so blatantly obvious once you notice their omission.  It hurts my brain, it really does.  The devices are explained clearly and unambiguously, both in use as well as impact on the mecha.  Things that I wouldn't think are armored aren't and equipment that might blow up has damages listed.  The handful of items that have the potential for complication get the attention they deserve.  While I'm sure someone will come up with a weird way to use these things in a way the PDF doesn't cover, I can't conceive of it.  13 Mecha Devices gets 4 stars if only because I can't quite bring myself to give out 5 stars for things the Future d20 game should have had from the beginning.  (Yes, I know Phil was not responsible for Future d20.  It simply offends my sensibilities and Phil will have to suffer through with a 4.0.)  You can pick up 13 Mecha Devices at Roninarts.com for $1.75 along with Another 13 Mecha Devices for $1.25 and a couple other 13 Future d20 supplements for $2 or less each.</blockquote>

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