Infinite - Epic Modern
- Thread starter Crothian
- Start date
Alzrius
The EN World kitten
Infinite: Epic Modern review
Infinite: Epic Modern is the third E.N. Minigame from E.N. Publishing. It's $3.95 pay-for-download (I'm not sure what the print-on-demand options are) at the EN Gamestore. The zipped file (as well as the PDF itself) are just under 1 meg in size.
The book itself is 28 pages long. This includes the front and back covers, and OGL license. The covers are in color, with the interior artwork being black and white. The product has a table of contents, and bookmarks. There don't appear to be printer-friendly modifications on the PDF, or a separate printer-friendly file.
As I've come to expect from E.N. Publishing, the book really has two aspects; a new set of mechanics, and a campaign (fleshed out only a little) in which to use them. The new mechanics are the epic d20 Modern rules, and the campaign is the Infinite campaign. While the campaign uses the mechanics to advance it quite well, it is exceptionally easy to peel away the relatively thin campaign to use these in any epic Modern or Future game.
The book opens with the Introduction, which is a slightly-expanded version of the back cover blurb, which you've likely seen repeated elsewhere, so I need not go over it again here.
The first chapter of the book dives right in, detailing the Hidden Masters, the secret cabal of immortals who control mankind for the last ten thousand years. The current rulership is presented, each of the nine immortals getting a paragraph of description about them. No game stats are given, letting the GMs customize each of these guys at will. They tend to be archetypal figures, representing, if not larger-than-life mythical figures, then archetypes. For example, Vlad the Impaler is one of the Hidden Masters. So is Tesla.
The second chapter takes us into the rules of the Modern epic. First, the basics are reiterated; how BAB and saves use a flat rate for everyone after 20th level. Modern-specific things are also covered, such as Defense, Reputation, Wealth, and even Action Points.
A short template is given after that: the Chosen. Interestingly, this template is meant to represent people who are, for whatever reason, just born better than everyone else. They're smarter, stronger, faster...they're just better examples of people. The Infinite take on this is that many of the Chosen are offspring of the Hidden Masters. The template increases all of a characters ability scores, and moreover, lets the character qualify for epic feats and talents without being epic level (all other prerequisites must still be met).
Following this comes the epic class progressions. These are levels 11-20 of the six base classes (Strong Hero, Fast Hero, etc.), which can only be taken after 20th level. Without exception, they all progress the same, alternating gaining bonus feats and bonus talents at every level. The individual class descriptions then give us the new epic talents, and a list of epic bonus feats for that class. A short two paragraphs then covers epic advanced classes; noting only that characters who take advanced classes after 20th level can choose epic feats for bonus feats.
Chapter three talks about epic feats. First, it gives us a list of what feats from the Epic SRD are useable for an epic Modern game. Three dozen new epic feats are then given. A few of them are adaptions of existing epic feats, but most of them are original, and quite innovative to boot. For example, the Arsenal epic feat (Weapon Focus with a specific firearm prereq) not only makes you proficient with all firearms, but also lets you apply your Weapon Focus feat (and other feats on that feat tree) to any firearm of the same general type that you took the feat in (e.g. pistols, rifles, etc.).
Chapter four gives us eight new epic prestige classes: Adventurer, Avenger, Champion, Discoverer, Immortal, Legacy, Mentor, and Paragon. All of these are five-level classes. The Immortal PrC is of particular importance, as the Hidden Masters are the only ones who have unlocked the secret of immortality, and annoint their greatest servants with it. A sidebar here taks about how the Infinite campaign is meant to have a pulp-hero, not superhero, feel to it, and mentions checking out RPG Object's Blood and Vigilance, which struck me as odd since E.N. Publishing has their own superhero product, Four-Color to Fantasy Revised.
Chapter five discusses campaign options, giving us about a page-and-a-half of discussion. The first half discusses optional rules, talking about how you'd add technology of a higher PL, magic, psionics, or mutations to your Infinite campaign. The second half of the chapter discusses campaign options, such as setting Infinite in the future, or how you can tack the Hidden Masters onto another Modern campaign, where the characters realize only when they hit epic levels that these were always the villains behind everything else from the start.
Finally, there's a page talking about inspirational books and movies that'd be great for ideas on the style that an Infinite campaign should have.
Overall, Infinite: Epic Modern is a great addition to any d20 Modern of Future campaign. The idea of epic gaming isn't necessarily limited to fantasy, so a product that expands like this is a welcome addition. Likewise, the Infinite campaign is thin enough to be applied easily to any existing game, though it'd take a little more work to run an Infinite campaign from the ground up.
Altogether, I give this one full marks. More than just a minigame, it expands Modern gaming in ways that were needed, and does so masterfully. There's no Modern or Future game that wouldn't benefit from tapping into the Infinite.
Infinite: Epic Modern is the third E.N. Minigame from E.N. Publishing. It's $3.95 pay-for-download (I'm not sure what the print-on-demand options are) at the EN Gamestore. The zipped file (as well as the PDF itself) are just under 1 meg in size.
The book itself is 28 pages long. This includes the front and back covers, and OGL license. The covers are in color, with the interior artwork being black and white. The product has a table of contents, and bookmarks. There don't appear to be printer-friendly modifications on the PDF, or a separate printer-friendly file.
As I've come to expect from E.N. Publishing, the book really has two aspects; a new set of mechanics, and a campaign (fleshed out only a little) in which to use them. The new mechanics are the epic d20 Modern rules, and the campaign is the Infinite campaign. While the campaign uses the mechanics to advance it quite well, it is exceptionally easy to peel away the relatively thin campaign to use these in any epic Modern or Future game.
The book opens with the Introduction, which is a slightly-expanded version of the back cover blurb, which you've likely seen repeated elsewhere, so I need not go over it again here.
The first chapter of the book dives right in, detailing the Hidden Masters, the secret cabal of immortals who control mankind for the last ten thousand years. The current rulership is presented, each of the nine immortals getting a paragraph of description about them. No game stats are given, letting the GMs customize each of these guys at will. They tend to be archetypal figures, representing, if not larger-than-life mythical figures, then archetypes. For example, Vlad the Impaler is one of the Hidden Masters. So is Tesla.
The second chapter takes us into the rules of the Modern epic. First, the basics are reiterated; how BAB and saves use a flat rate for everyone after 20th level. Modern-specific things are also covered, such as Defense, Reputation, Wealth, and even Action Points.
A short template is given after that: the Chosen. Interestingly, this template is meant to represent people who are, for whatever reason, just born better than everyone else. They're smarter, stronger, faster...they're just better examples of people. The Infinite take on this is that many of the Chosen are offspring of the Hidden Masters. The template increases all of a characters ability scores, and moreover, lets the character qualify for epic feats and talents without being epic level (all other prerequisites must still be met).
Following this comes the epic class progressions. These are levels 11-20 of the six base classes (Strong Hero, Fast Hero, etc.), which can only be taken after 20th level. Without exception, they all progress the same, alternating gaining bonus feats and bonus talents at every level. The individual class descriptions then give us the new epic talents, and a list of epic bonus feats for that class. A short two paragraphs then covers epic advanced classes; noting only that characters who take advanced classes after 20th level can choose epic feats for bonus feats.
Chapter three talks about epic feats. First, it gives us a list of what feats from the Epic SRD are useable for an epic Modern game. Three dozen new epic feats are then given. A few of them are adaptions of existing epic feats, but most of them are original, and quite innovative to boot. For example, the Arsenal epic feat (Weapon Focus with a specific firearm prereq) not only makes you proficient with all firearms, but also lets you apply your Weapon Focus feat (and other feats on that feat tree) to any firearm of the same general type that you took the feat in (e.g. pistols, rifles, etc.).
Chapter four gives us eight new epic prestige classes: Adventurer, Avenger, Champion, Discoverer, Immortal, Legacy, Mentor, and Paragon. All of these are five-level classes. The Immortal PrC is of particular importance, as the Hidden Masters are the only ones who have unlocked the secret of immortality, and annoint their greatest servants with it. A sidebar here taks about how the Infinite campaign is meant to have a pulp-hero, not superhero, feel to it, and mentions checking out RPG Object's Blood and Vigilance, which struck me as odd since E.N. Publishing has their own superhero product, Four-Color to Fantasy Revised.
Chapter five discusses campaign options, giving us about a page-and-a-half of discussion. The first half discusses optional rules, talking about how you'd add technology of a higher PL, magic, psionics, or mutations to your Infinite campaign. The second half of the chapter discusses campaign options, such as setting Infinite in the future, or how you can tack the Hidden Masters onto another Modern campaign, where the characters realize only when they hit epic levels that these were always the villains behind everything else from the start.
Finally, there's a page talking about inspirational books and movies that'd be great for ideas on the style that an Infinite campaign should have.
Overall, Infinite: Epic Modern is a great addition to any d20 Modern of Future campaign. The idea of epic gaming isn't necessarily limited to fantasy, so a product that expands like this is a welcome addition. Likewise, the Infinite campaign is thin enough to be applied easily to any existing game, though it'd take a little more work to run an Infinite campaign from the ground up.
Altogether, I give this one full marks. More than just a minigame, it expands Modern gaming in ways that were needed, and does so masterfully. There's no Modern or Future game that wouldn't benefit from tapping into the Infinite.
E.N. Mini-Games: Infinite - Epic Modern is a pdf product from E.N. Publishing for the d20 Modern game. Written by John Lee, this product allows players to take the roles of epic heroes and legends in a d20 Modern environment, and face up against a sinister cabal of immortals called the Hidden Masters in a battle of epic proportions spanning centuries. This pdf has a page count of 28 pages, 23 of which are devoted to actual content. E.N. Mini-Games: Infinite - Epic Modern normally retails for $3.95. I received a complimentary copy of this product for review purposes.
Disclaimer: The reviewer is also a d20 fantasy freelance writer with recent published material through another publisher. Every effort has been made by the reviewer to ensure that this is an impartial review.
Initial Impressions:
Infinite - Epic Modern comes as a single fully bookmarked pdf file which should be easy to print if the covers are excluded from such a job. The artwork is by Juan Navarro is very good, with some impressive images throughout the pdf that slots in nicely with the overall feel of the work. Layout is professional, and there's really nothing negative to say about the overall presentation of the pdf. The writing is excellent, with almost no errors, and it's a well presented and put together pdf. The only thing different about the layout to comment on is a brief blurb of introductory material that comes before the table of contents. This is a slightly expanded version of the blurb contained on the back cover, and the one posted as advertising. Given that it's largely repeated material, it's probably not necessary given that the majority is already contained on the back cover. I'd certainly have preferred to see a much more expanded introduction, but more on that in the details.
The Details:
Infinite - Epic Modern is a mini-game of epic proportions where heroes of legend that push the limits of human potential and are frequently enhanced with some form of longevity, face up against the Hidden Masters, a secret organisation that has ruled the world for millennia. These heroes are the stuff of myth and legend, and as epic forces are capable of forging their own legends as they take the battle to the immortals and their chosen and servants.
The pdf itself is divided into five chapters, each one detailing a different aspect of this mini-game. Mini-game is perhaps somewhat of a misnomer, but a positive one - the pdf is in part an epic supplement for d20 Modern with some additional material presenting options for using the material in the form of a mini-campaign. As a supplement it's equally usable in any d20 Modern game outside the confines of the 'mini-game' element, and as such more valuable because of it. Players and DMs can use the material to create characters that partake in destroying or fighting against the Hidden Masters, or DMs can create their own epic challenges for d20 Modern characters using the solid framework provided for epic characters in this pdf. Overall, this pdf is more supplement than mini-game.
Chapter 1 - The Hidden Masters: The Hidden Masters are a cabal of nine men and women that hold the secret to eternal life and are the secret rulers of the world. This chapter details the nature and background of each of the nine Hidden Masters, from Uruk the Skyfather, a former god-king of Egypt, to Thoth the Sage, an immortal master of knowledge, to Tesla, a master of new technologies and ultratech. Each master is presented with a short few paragraphs of background detail describing their interests, histories and nature. The chapter continues by discussing the servants of the masters, those legends that have shown the potential the masters are interested in, and have been lured to the causes of the masters by the gift of immortality. Standing against the masters and their immortal and other lesser servants is Prometheus, an organisation of people that attempt to foil the operations of the Masters.
The chapter was well-presented but perhaps lacking in detail. How do the Hidden Masters rule the world, what are their operations, what are they attempting to do, etc. While many DMs can come up with interesting material on their own, the lack thereof made this less of a mini-game and more of an epic expansion of rules with some additional fluff material. I would've liked to see expanded detail or examples on the activities of the Hidden Masters and their servants, and more about their motivations. If they are the supposed rulers of the world, what are they attempting to achieve that is so bad they need to be stopped? Why are they doing the things they're doing? What are their ultimate goals? While some of these ideas are touched upon, more material on the Hidden Masters would certainly have been an improvement to this pdf.
Chapter 2 - Epic Basics: This chapter covers the basics of epic play (character level 21 or higher) in a d20 Modern game. It explains the basics of epic progressions and advancements, and then expands all the base classes found in d20 Modern up to level 20. New talents and bonus feats are presented for each of these progressions, and it's generally a solid and welcome addition to the d20 Modern game. From this point, however, the supplement takes over from mini-game. In addition to the basics and base classes, a Chosen template is provided for those servants of the Hidden Masters, and details are provided on using advanced classes at epic levels.
Chapter 3 - Epic Feasts: The crunch of the pdf continues with the epic feats, and a whole range of new epic feats are presented, in addition to selecting those most appropriate from the epic SRD. The chapter contains everything in terms of feat that an truly legendary modern hero would need, with a good collection of useful feats and strong game mechanics. Examples include One Shot, One Kill (deadly when using the Dead Aim feat), Lethal Weapon (can quickly take down people), Efficient Killer (killing quickly when the opportunity is right) and Cutting Edge (progress to Progress Level 6 technology).
Chapter 4 - Epic Prestige Classes: This is the longest chapter of the pdf and does an excellent job at presenting eight prestige classes for the Infinite game. These include: Adventurer (one seeking adventure in all things), Avenger (dedicated to repaying wrong), Champion (upholding a particular code), Discoverer (a curious character that probes mysteries, uncovers truths and experiments with technology), Immortal (a prestige class for the Hidden Masters and their Chosen, but also those of Prometheus that have some semblance of longevity), Legacy (one who builds on the legacy of another), Mentor (one who trains and teaches heroes), and Paragon (devoted to self-perfection). There's a good variety here that should cater for most types of characters in the Infinite game, backed up by strong mechanics and good presentation and background material for each class.
Chapter 5 - Campaign Options: In this section I was expecting to see some of the ideas I mentioned earlier, but instead it looks at additional campaign options such as magic or ultratech technology in campaigns, and different campaign styles or types that introduce PCs to Infinite - Epic Modern. Suggestions include mentoring PCs through epic characters, or suddenly facing off against unkillable foes. I was hoping to see more 'mini-game' focused material that allowed you to run this as a mini-game rather than an expansion on another campaign (something that it does very well).
Conclusions:
E.N. Mini-Games: Infinite - Epic Modern is a d20 mini-game (supplement) that takes legends and heroes and turns them into flesh. The pdf is very good and well presented, although too much supplement and not enough mini-game. I was hoping to see more material that would expand on some of the ideas presented, such as the agendas of the Hidden Masters, their modus operandi and other information. As is it provides an interesting idea for a game (although lacking in detail on how to flesh it out) with some excellent and most welcome material for expanding d20 Modern towards epic levels. I think most d20 Modern players will find this material welcome as additional rules material, though perhaps not as a self-contained mini-game. Based on good presentation, strong mechanics, welcome material, but perhaps missing something more tangible required to make the most of the material as a mini-game, I'd grade this pdf with four stars.
Disclaimer: The reviewer is also a d20 fantasy freelance writer with recent published material through another publisher. Every effort has been made by the reviewer to ensure that this is an impartial review.
Initial Impressions:
Infinite - Epic Modern comes as a single fully bookmarked pdf file which should be easy to print if the covers are excluded from such a job. The artwork is by Juan Navarro is very good, with some impressive images throughout the pdf that slots in nicely with the overall feel of the work. Layout is professional, and there's really nothing negative to say about the overall presentation of the pdf. The writing is excellent, with almost no errors, and it's a well presented and put together pdf. The only thing different about the layout to comment on is a brief blurb of introductory material that comes before the table of contents. This is a slightly expanded version of the blurb contained on the back cover, and the one posted as advertising. Given that it's largely repeated material, it's probably not necessary given that the majority is already contained on the back cover. I'd certainly have preferred to see a much more expanded introduction, but more on that in the details.
The Details:
Infinite - Epic Modern is a mini-game of epic proportions where heroes of legend that push the limits of human potential and are frequently enhanced with some form of longevity, face up against the Hidden Masters, a secret organisation that has ruled the world for millennia. These heroes are the stuff of myth and legend, and as epic forces are capable of forging their own legends as they take the battle to the immortals and their chosen and servants.
The pdf itself is divided into five chapters, each one detailing a different aspect of this mini-game. Mini-game is perhaps somewhat of a misnomer, but a positive one - the pdf is in part an epic supplement for d20 Modern with some additional material presenting options for using the material in the form of a mini-campaign. As a supplement it's equally usable in any d20 Modern game outside the confines of the 'mini-game' element, and as such more valuable because of it. Players and DMs can use the material to create characters that partake in destroying or fighting against the Hidden Masters, or DMs can create their own epic challenges for d20 Modern characters using the solid framework provided for epic characters in this pdf. Overall, this pdf is more supplement than mini-game.
Chapter 1 - The Hidden Masters: The Hidden Masters are a cabal of nine men and women that hold the secret to eternal life and are the secret rulers of the world. This chapter details the nature and background of each of the nine Hidden Masters, from Uruk the Skyfather, a former god-king of Egypt, to Thoth the Sage, an immortal master of knowledge, to Tesla, a master of new technologies and ultratech. Each master is presented with a short few paragraphs of background detail describing their interests, histories and nature. The chapter continues by discussing the servants of the masters, those legends that have shown the potential the masters are interested in, and have been lured to the causes of the masters by the gift of immortality. Standing against the masters and their immortal and other lesser servants is Prometheus, an organisation of people that attempt to foil the operations of the Masters.
The chapter was well-presented but perhaps lacking in detail. How do the Hidden Masters rule the world, what are their operations, what are they attempting to do, etc. While many DMs can come up with interesting material on their own, the lack thereof made this less of a mini-game and more of an epic expansion of rules with some additional fluff material. I would've liked to see expanded detail or examples on the activities of the Hidden Masters and their servants, and more about their motivations. If they are the supposed rulers of the world, what are they attempting to achieve that is so bad they need to be stopped? Why are they doing the things they're doing? What are their ultimate goals? While some of these ideas are touched upon, more material on the Hidden Masters would certainly have been an improvement to this pdf.
Chapter 2 - Epic Basics: This chapter covers the basics of epic play (character level 21 or higher) in a d20 Modern game. It explains the basics of epic progressions and advancements, and then expands all the base classes found in d20 Modern up to level 20. New talents and bonus feats are presented for each of these progressions, and it's generally a solid and welcome addition to the d20 Modern game. From this point, however, the supplement takes over from mini-game. In addition to the basics and base classes, a Chosen template is provided for those servants of the Hidden Masters, and details are provided on using advanced classes at epic levels.
Chapter 3 - Epic Feasts: The crunch of the pdf continues with the epic feats, and a whole range of new epic feats are presented, in addition to selecting those most appropriate from the epic SRD. The chapter contains everything in terms of feat that an truly legendary modern hero would need, with a good collection of useful feats and strong game mechanics. Examples include One Shot, One Kill (deadly when using the Dead Aim feat), Lethal Weapon (can quickly take down people), Efficient Killer (killing quickly when the opportunity is right) and Cutting Edge (progress to Progress Level 6 technology).
Chapter 4 - Epic Prestige Classes: This is the longest chapter of the pdf and does an excellent job at presenting eight prestige classes for the Infinite game. These include: Adventurer (one seeking adventure in all things), Avenger (dedicated to repaying wrong), Champion (upholding a particular code), Discoverer (a curious character that probes mysteries, uncovers truths and experiments with technology), Immortal (a prestige class for the Hidden Masters and their Chosen, but also those of Prometheus that have some semblance of longevity), Legacy (one who builds on the legacy of another), Mentor (one who trains and teaches heroes), and Paragon (devoted to self-perfection). There's a good variety here that should cater for most types of characters in the Infinite game, backed up by strong mechanics and good presentation and background material for each class.
Chapter 5 - Campaign Options: In this section I was expecting to see some of the ideas I mentioned earlier, but instead it looks at additional campaign options such as magic or ultratech technology in campaigns, and different campaign styles or types that introduce PCs to Infinite - Epic Modern. Suggestions include mentoring PCs through epic characters, or suddenly facing off against unkillable foes. I was hoping to see more 'mini-game' focused material that allowed you to run this as a mini-game rather than an expansion on another campaign (something that it does very well).
Conclusions:
E.N. Mini-Games: Infinite - Epic Modern is a d20 mini-game (supplement) that takes legends and heroes and turns them into flesh. The pdf is very good and well presented, although too much supplement and not enough mini-game. I was hoping to see more material that would expand on some of the ideas presented, such as the agendas of the Hidden Masters, their modus operandi and other information. As is it provides an interesting idea for a game (although lacking in detail on how to flesh it out) with some excellent and most welcome material for expanding d20 Modern towards epic levels. I think most d20 Modern players will find this material welcome as additional rules material, though perhaps not as a self-contained mini-game. Based on good presentation, strong mechanics, welcome material, but perhaps missing something more tangible required to make the most of the material as a mini-game, I'd grade this pdf with four stars.
