Military based D20 game

[VirgilCaine]

Thank you to everyone who contributed. Also, the reason I post things is so that I don't have to hear my english teacher yelling at me for spelling things wrong.

Heck, I'm only 13.

A 13 year old should know how to spell "experience." And "psychological."

First of all, the D20 system isn't what you want for realism. It came from D&D and D&D was made to be fun first, not realistic. My opinion, at least. For realism, you might try GURPS.

 

[Emiricol]

A 13 year old should know how to spell "experience." And "psychological."

Plenty of adults spell all sorts of things in very odd ways I'm not going to be too hard on him for it.

First of all, the D20 system isn't what you want for realism. It came from D&D and D&D was made to be fun first, not realistic. My opinion, at least. For realism, you might try GURPS.

I agree that D&D isn't "realistic". If you are not looking for simulation, Mr. T, you can do well enough with D&D, absolutely. If you want simulationist rules, D20 is probably not the best set of mechanics to build off of.

Generally speaking, in a simulationist game when you get shot, you will not be doing a Rambo and spraying the enemy with your 1-handed machine gun fire. You will be lying on the ground bleeding out and possibly dying.

So the first step is "how realistic?" The second is "what mechanics do that for me?" Then narrow it down based on the other factors that matter to you.

 

[qstor]

If you want more realistic damage rules you might switch to GURPS. I'm sure there are some 3rd party d20 products that might cover more realistic damage rules but I'm not aware of them.

There's lots of good non RPG books on the military that you could use for adventure ideas too.

Mike

 

[JPL]

First of all, the D20 system isn't what you want for realism. It came from D&D and D&D was made to be fun first, not realistic. My opinion, at least. For realism, you might try GURPS.

"Realistic" is a matter of degrees, and can be adjusted. Look at "Blood and Guts" --- depending on how which optional rules you decide to use, you can probably go anywhere from G.I. Joe to "Blackhawk Down" in terms of realism. "V for Victory" in Polyhedron was another attempt to offer a more realistic look at war.

I would note that one of the creators of d20 Modern was a tank commander in Desert Storm. I'm sure he was trying for "fun over realism"...but he's probably the only game designer [only one I'm aware of, anyway] qualified to speak as to what "real" is really like, based on first-hand experience.

Yeah, the default setting for d20 Modern is "action movie," but a few tweaks and some research can make it feel more real.

Whether Blood and Guts or V for Victory are really "realistic" or just the sort of things that seem realistic to folks who have never experienced actual military combat are two different issues....

verisimilitude \ver-uh-suh-MIL-uh-tood; -tyood\, noun:
1. The appearance of truth; the quality of seeming to be true.
2. Something that has the appearance of being true or real.

 

[dpmcalister]

First of all, the D20 system isn't what you want for realism. It came from D&D and D&D was made to be fun first, not realistic. My opinion, at least. For realism, you might try GURPS.

I disagree... Spycraft, which is a d20 System game, can do realism extremely well. Indeed, the main rule book explains just how to do that in a couple of easy steps.

I would note that one of the creators of d20 Modern was a tank commander in Desert Storm. I'm sure he was trying for "fun over realism"...but he's probably the only game designer [only one I'm aware of, anyway] qualified to speak as to what "real" is really like, based on first-hand experience.

And the Militaries series for Spycraft (U.S. Militaries, World Militaries, and Battlegrounds) had a large number of military consultants (from around the world) as well as writers with military backgrounds.

It should be remembered that d20 Modern isn't the only d20 System capable of handling modern military games...

 

[Widowmaker]

My opinion is that if you are going to create a setting based on Military and Law Enforcement, you are going to have a tough time.

I am not trying to brag but I spent 6 years in the Army. If you have not experienced it, the experience is hard to describe in accurate and correct detail. Many non-military people have been able to accomplish this - Tom Clancy. But he gets paid to do it.

I am now a police officer. Being a police officer is a lifestyle change. You see and react to things in a way different than most normal people.

If you are serious about it the one thing I recommend is doing you homework and doing a lot of research.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Sounds pretty cool.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Check out GDW's Twilight:2000. It is by far my favorite modern military RPG. I just got out of the Air Force a year ago after serving for 9 years. Did you have any specific questions?

 

[Christopher Lambert]

Check out GDW's Twilight:2000. It is by far my favorite modern military RPG. I just got out of the Air Force a year ago after serving for 9 years. Did you have any specific questions?

Is that a D20 Modern book?

 

[Emiricol]

Is that a D20 Modern book?

No, it's a separate game system by the now out of business Game Designer's Workshop. There are several versions you can find at ebay sometimes, but DriveThru has a PDF of the classic original version. I miss my T2K games