Good d20 Steampunk game?

[MoogleEmpMog]

As with many Mongoose products, OGL Steampunk's mechanics are somewhat weaker than its superb flavor. In this case, the actual steamtech rules are extremely complicated and somewhat arbitrary.

Nonetheless, I love the book to death and have gotten a lot of use out of it. The classes are both extremely flavorful and great fun to play, the thinly described setting is interesting (though I haven't been using it), the skills, feats and spellcasting are all very well done, and the races are almost painfully cool. The race point system in particular is a nice touch, well worth adapting to other settings. Besides, Journeyman class with the Valet profession: Combat Jeeves. You know you want it.

The Iron Kingdoms Character Guide is sort of like OGL Steampunk only moreso (and without adventuring valets). Very cool flavor, great production values, and the most God-awful wonky mechanics this side of The Complete Book of Elves. I don't like it as well as Mongoose's offering and it's much more specific, but there's no denying the enthusiasm and quality work that went into the creative setting and the gorgeous art.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

In order of preference:
OGL Steampunk - a stand alone game, you don't need anything else to play the game. (And the game that I am currently running.)

Steam & Steel - a very good supplement, and on sale? DON'T SKIP IT! I am using elements from Steam & Steel with OGL Steampunk. (The Prosthetics are much cooler.)

Sorcery & Steam - is a much better book if you have Steam & Steel as well, while Sorcery & Steam does a very good job with flavor and prestige classes Steam & Steel is much better in regards to equipment. Together they are terrific. I use the weapons in Sorcery & Steam in preference to the ones in OGL Steampunk, as I was looking for a Victorian setting. I have the hardcover, and picked up the PDF while it was free at DTRPG.

The best choice is all three, each has strengths and weaknesses, unless you get one or both of the other books I would not bother with Sorcery & Steam, but if you have either of the others it becomes a much more useful supplement.

Iron Kingdoms is also very good if you want something halfway between Steampunk and regular D&D, again, I would use both Sorcery & Steam and Steam & Steel with the setting, IK was the setting I was running before switching to OGL Steampunk, and I will likely go back to it once the setting book comes out.

The Auld Grump

 

[Turanil]

I really liked Mongoose's OGL Steampunk and recommend it

I second this opinion. I got a thorough look at it in a sales, and although I didn't buy it (not a genre I intend to run) I found it very well done.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Steam and Steel is a good product. Sadly, I am not familiair enough with OGL Steampunk to make an opinion.

 

[DMH]

One of the nice things about Steam and Steel is the sidebars that describe how the individual races (the core plus others) react to steamtech.

Also are you looking for steamtech or magi-tech? Iron Kingdoms and AEG's magic are the latter.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

IK is really more magi-steam-tech. It has non-magical guns (that use magical gunpowder), non-magical big constructs and engines (that have magical brains), and similar things. I like it a lot.

 

[tjoneslo]

Not d20, and not fantasy-steampunk...but "GURPS Steampunk" is a hell of a book.

I heartly second this suggestion. And it's companion volume: GURPS Steam-Tech for more crunchy goodness.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Let us know which way you jump, the world needs a few more steamheads.

The Auld Grump

 

[Carnifex]

Just came across this while browsing the forums... it's really nice to see all the support for Steam & Steel

Of course I'd recommend Steam & Steel myself to the original poster but, as others have said, it certainly is not an actual setting itself; I wrote it as best I could to serve as a toolbox to implement steam tech and tried to avoid any assumptions about how a DM might choose to use it. I've only briefly looked through Sorcery & Steam; it certainly looks to have a lot of useful info for a Victoriana-style game with all the prestige classes and suchlike, but I don't think it has any direct specific setting material either?

I of course have to pimp OGL Steampunk now as well, as I work for Mongoose There's a *lot* of stuff in there to plunder, though I haven't read all of the book myself yet. Equally, Iron Kingdoms is an excellent choice for a whole-cloth existing setting for you to just take and use as-is, and though it's not entirely steampunk-ish you can easily emphasise such elements in it to make it so. On the other hand, the general fusion of magic and steamtech in the setting might not be what you're looking for; still, I'd at least check it out for the excellent setting feel and writing, especially once the World Guide has come out.