Mastercraft & Spycraft

[Azgulor]

I purchased Spycraft 2.0 years ago. Loved the game but didn't have a chance to play it. I recently purchased Fantasycraft based on the good word-of-mouth and was suitably impressed by it.

I've dived back into Spycraft 2.0 in greater detail in the hopes of getting to use it to run a Drake's Fortune/Indiana Jones style game or a sci-fi game. (I've since ruled out True20.) Things are really clicking for me now with Spycraft and I think I "get" the system in a way I didn't originally.

Which brings me to my questions:

1. How does Spycraft relate to the overall Mastercraft strategy? Spycraft & Fantasycraft seem pretty compatable. But reading some of the posts on these boards has me wondering if Spycraft is going away in favor of whatever shiny new toy Mastercraft will evolve into.

2. Will additional Spycraft content continue to be produced?

3. Are there plans to utilize Mastercraft as a genre framework? I.e. - 10kB = Crime Noir/Action, FC = fantasy, etc. (It sure seems like the answer is YES) What other genres are under consideration? Is Spycraft essentially, the first Mastercraft genre book (even though it predates Mastercraft)?

I'm eyeing up a WoF purchase and some other Spycraft purchases. I'm hoping to avoid buying into a dead game line.

Thanks!

(I posted at the Crafty forums as well but thought some ENWorld opinions couldn't hurt.)

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

(I posted at the Crafty forums as well but thought some ENWorld opinions couldn't hurt.)

Link? I went over there are couldn't find it.

And as to the answer to #3, in order:
* Yes, that's the whole point of it, though only 10,000 Bullets is currently confirmed.
* Not really, the systems are kind of different. Not too much, as you can see, but different. Probably something like the differences between 3.0 D&D and Pathfinder.

 

[Azgulor]

Mastercraft & Spycraft

Thanks for the sanity-check. I can see how Spycraft & Fantasycraft differ in certain areas. However, I really like the way Spycraft handles certain things, esp. with regards to combat, equipment (differentiation, gadgets, etc.). I'd hate to see those things lost or become incompatible.

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

The other side of the coin being some people don't want that level of complexity. Myself I read an example combat I downloaded and there were just too many pieces to each turn, to say nothing of the fact that I play PbP exclusively and thus do not have time for systems where it's advantageous to wait for results before continuing.

But I have no quarrel. I would really just prefer one book of generic Mastercraft, and then you could have all the Spycraft you want.

 

[Azgulor]

True, but given the fact that Spycraft & Fantasycraft lean closer to the crunch side than the rules-light side of the RPG spectrum, I'd rather have the detail present and options for skimming it down than the omission of content.

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

options for skimming it down

Depending on how integrated elements of the system are this could be tricky (that may be the reason why they didn't just do that for Fantasycraft). And if the slimming rules for Spycraft weren't at least to the level of Fantasycraft I wouldn't be interested.

 

[Psion]

Yep, Spycraft will be around, and there are more books for it in the hopper.

Mastercraft isn't THAT dissimilar from Spycraft 2.0, but it's a bit slimmer. I do like the way they did some things in Fantasy Craft better (like the way conditions work for subdual and stress damage) and put those in SC. Some things I do like a bit better in spycraft (like synergies that scale with level and skill prereqs for feats.)

 

[pawsplay]

The only thing that would be really hard to convert would be something really reliant on special gear options, which would require different mechanisms in Fantasy Craft.

It will probably be possible to use 10K Bullets with SC 2.0 classes and expansions and have essentially a Mastercraft generic modern.

 

[mr_outsidevoice]

Spycraft is more detailed and more all-purpose toolkit.

Mastercraft of each type will focus on whatever basic genre it supports
Fantasy
Gritty Crime Noir.

I know they have a Cyperpunk setting in mind one day, or at least did.