Grade the Modiphius 2d20 System

[Thomas Shey]

I own at least three (STA, the Conan game, and the Fallout game) and I see real virtues from what I've read, but I haven't seen the game in play so my vote should be taken with a grain of salt.

Edit: In fact I went back and changed it to "never played", but it appears to have a lot of potential.

 

[Arilyn]

I get unreasonably frustrated when people pair "it's bad" with "I haven't played it." I know that's a me problem, but it still rankles.

Yep, I get it! Sometimes game mechanics play better than they read. I had all kinds of reservations with 13th Age, for example. Then I played it and fell in love.

I have STA but haven't played it yet. I really want to run Star Trek but it never seems to happen, although I'm now looking at using FAE, replacing the usual approaches with positions: medical, command, security, etc. I think Star Trek will work best in a very light system. I can use my 2d20 star trek books as resources. Or maybe, just use 2d20! Dune looks like it's really well done, but I'm not a fan of the book, so no point in picking that one up.

 

[Randomthoughts]

I voted "I love it." I just got into Fallout - played it online (Fantasy Grounds) and in person - and I can't get enough of it. It's just a fun iteration of the 2d20 system. I also played STA and really enjoyed that. Haven't GM'd it yet, and intend to, but there's more rules that I still need to digest.

For those of you who have played this system and enjoyed it: what game/product would you recommend to a complete noob, that would showcase the system and "sell" me on it?

Not surprisingly, I'd recommend Fallout, and I say this even if you're not a fan of the IP. They released a couple of adventures IIRC and a new sourcebook (Winter of Atom), but the Core book is all you need.

It's simpler than STA (and Conan, so I've heard). It has meta-currency called Action Points (AP). Having played it a half-dozen times, it all works: the SPECIAL Attributes, Skills and Perks; the fast combat system; and the aesthetics of the Fallout world. It also has rules for survival and crafting (not surprisingly), which I'm just exploring. I'm a bit obsessed, thinking of how to bring the Fallout world to life for an online game.

 

[CubicsRube]

I've not yet played it unfortunately, but I have a few of the books as Modiphius have some fantastic IPs and make beautiful books, art and lore.

 

[overgeeked]

I really cannot stand it. It’s far too complicated. The lightest version they’ve done, John Carter, is still far too complicated. And pointlessly so. STA and Conan are just absurdly heavy versions of the system. Robert E. Howard is one of my favorite writers and I absolutely love Conan. The books were made with clear affection for the material and are wonderful sourcebooks. But the system is just ridiculous. Same with STA. The closest to playable STA has gotten is the recent paired down Captain’s Log solo game. Even that version is too much.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I really cannot stand it. It’s far too complicated. The lightest version they’ve done, John Carter, is still far too complicated. And pointlessly so. STA and Conan are just absurdly heavy versions of the system. Robert E. Howard is one of my favorite writers and I absolutely love Conan. The books were made with clear affection for the material and are wonderful sourcebooks. But the system is just ridiculous. Same with STA. The closest to playable STA has gotten is the recent paired down Captain’s Log solo game. Even that version is too much.

I largely agree with this. And my negative feelings toward 2d20 is largely from my experience with Conan, about which I was initially excited but then very disappointed with the result. It felt like a 90s crunch game with a veneer of Conan.

That’s on top of, in general, not liking the result when generic systems are applied to specific settings, and also thinking that all the posturing about “licensing” Conan (which is mostly public domain) and supporting the charade that the people trying to extract those licenses are “REH Scholars” is just tawdry.

I’ve largely ignored Modiphius ever since.

 

[ichabod]

I played it once and don't remember it enough to have an opinion, so I didn't vote.

 

[damiller]

Pretty good. It is the ONLY RPG I have ever played that reliably creates fiero moments.

 

[General_Tangent]

I'm not a fan of the system.

I really have tried to figure the system out and make it work but the whole mechanics is just too fiddly for me to deal with these days.

 

[Divine2021]

I have run multiple games of Star Trek Adventures and the system matches the theme extraordinarily well. Haters gonna hate hate hate, but STA is really good, so just shake it off, shake it off.