Modern Backdrops (Print)

[PosterBoy]

Modern Backdrops (Print Edition)

Modern Backdrops is a collection of detailed locales for d20 Modern. The book is written by Carrie Baize and published by RPGObjects. The book is a print version of the original PDF, though the formatting is changed from the original (which was landscape format.)

A First Look

Modern Backdrops is a 96 page perfect-bound softcover book available for $19.95. Those who already purchased the PDF version can get the print version at a discount from RPGObjects.

As with the original, there is no interior art other than the maps. This is somewhat regrettable, as a good character artist like Marcio Fiorito could have put a face to many of the NPC personalities in the book.

The maps are illustrated by Jeremy Simmons. The maps come in two sorts: overhead views of multiple buildings and building interior maps with grids. The main part of the book has all greyscale maps; some of the maps do not have a strong enough contrast and it is difficult to make out the grid in some cases. The inside cover also has duplications of some of the maps, which makes some of them clearer.

The print format is very much more pleasant to read than the PDF format. The shaded blocks seem better arranged and more convenient, and the size of the maps as compared to a typical computer screen is probably also more convenient.

A Deeper Look

When I got Modern Backdrops, I was expecting something like a modern version of well, Atlas Games' Backdrops, which featured small locations with large detailed maps and descriptions and situations.

If fact, what I got was somewhat different. The maps, though nice, aren't the centerpiece of Modern Backdrops. Modern Backdrops is about the five communities that comprise the book, including background, history, NPC details, adventure ideas, and yes, maps.

There are five small communities described in Modern Backdrops, ranging from the site of an ancient Spanish mission to a getaway for the wealthy. All seem to be set in some unspecified locale in the us, though some can be isolated to smaller areas (for example, the Spanish mission San Carillo would apparently be in the southwest and the afore mentioned resort is a coastal retreat for the California upper crust.)

The format of each community is similar. Each is divided into three sections, describing common knowledge (that most community members know), more obscure knowledge, and GM information. The non-GM sections include descriptions of various important people in the town, history, community events, history, and important places; some of these important places have maps and keys. Which of the first two sections the information is in defines DC for knowledge or research checks related to the town.

The GM information section defines the more adventure related material related to the town: places of power, places of interest to the PCs, supernatural residents, and dark secrets, and sample plots.

Game information is also included in each section in shaded sidebars, including D20 Modern game statistics for significant NPCs as well as a "challenge level" guideline describing what level party should be required to handle various challenges in the community. Generally, the book recommends levels ranging from 1st to 6th level, though you can see looking at some statistics that you could probably afford to go a bit higher than 6th for some challenges.

The plot hooks are perhaps the most accommodating feature of the book. The plot hooks are arranged into three "levels", and there are two plot hooks for each level for each community. The "levels" here are grades of FX involvement. Level I are straight up plots with no FX. Level II plot hooks have a little bit of strange happening or FX powers, and level III has the highest level of strange happenings and FX involvement.

In addition to the five communities are two supporting rules sections: a new FX advanced class, the Psionic Student, and possession rules.

The Psionic Student class is structured like many FX advanced classes, with several class related bonus feats in addition to psionic powers. The class is passable, but I noticed that the BAB advancement and will save advancement are close to the standard progressions, but not quite. This is the same as the original PDF, so apparently there was no attempt (or time) to correct the error.

The possession rules originally appeared in RPGObjects' Blood & Relics, and are quite detailed. The rules described here model possession as a step by step process in which a victim is gradually drawn closer to possession by a fiend. The victim suffers a progression of very Exorcist-like symptoms, until eventually the possession culminates in the victim acquiring the fiendish vessel template.

Conclusions

Modern Backdrops is a nice resource for d20 Modern games. What impressed me the most was the ease with which the book is used in a variety of different FX-level settings. I could see using it in a fairly mundane setting, or in the likes of a Blood & Relics, Urban Arcana or Second World Sourcebook campaign with a little tweaking. Perhaps the most startlingly appropriate use for this book that I saw would be to form a variety of stops in the Hitchikers campaign suggested on the Second World Sourcebook website.

As mentioned, in addition to better fulfilling the preferences of those who demand that trees be killed to support their RPG habit, the print version seems to be better laid out and easier to use than the PDF version.

Overall Grade: B+

-Alan D. Kohler

 

[Messageboard Golem]

Modern Backdrops is a unique and exciting resource for the Modern d20 System gamemaster. This collection offers you a series of well-developed cities, each with its own unique history, information on the important people and places, maps of specific locations, and plot hooks to help jump-start your campaign and get your players involved. These cities were created with the FX game in mind, but the information provided for each city should be sufficient for any style of game to be set, successfully, inside the city limits.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Modern Backdrops is part map-sourcebook, part adventure seed sourcebook and part idea generation in one product. It clocks in at 96 pages for $19.95. The interior covers have full color maps and full color maps are available from the website for the interior black and white maps.

The problem I sometimes have with material like this, is that I have certain expectations from reading other books. For example, Champions Battlegrounds has five mini-adventures in it with locations that can be reused. It’s well illustrated and has some great details on the characters in the various scenarios.

Modern Backdrops doesn’t. This is a collection of six “towns and cities”. The introduction does an excellent job of showing how things are broken down as follows; Introduction, Character Suitability, What Every School Kid Knows, Rumors, Important People, Other Information, Community Calendar, Time Line of Important Events, More Important People, Places to Go, Organizations, Official Reports, Places of Power, Things to See, Supernatural Residents, and Dark Secrets. The book does break things into different levels in the Plot Hooks to let a reader quickly see what level of FX is necessary to run the adventure seed.

My problem would be in the methodology used here. For example, there are no illustrations in the book. Does this mean there are no maps? No, the maps by Jeremy Simmons are all okay. I say okay in part because I’ve lived in Chicago a great deal of my life and find some of the scale on these maps a little off. Nothing too crazy mind you, but when I look at something like The Secret Garden and see tables/seating booths that are a little less than ten feet across with five foot tables with them…well, it doesn’t look right.

Without art, the book is lacking in personality. No overview shots of the town, no illustrations of the residents, no pictures of things lurking in the shadows. That means to me, the writing better be crisp, concise and exacting to provide the reader with a great breakdown of the places in the book.

Looking at the break down above though, you’ll note that it’s not easy to spot. For example, in most standard D&D town stat blocks, they give you a break down under the population field. This allows you to see what’s in the town at a glance. In a real world book, it would be helpful to see the racial background broken down so that characters can use their heritage in different areas. In some cases, I can’t figure out how the location survives.

Let’s take the start of Delora Valley for instance. “There are rumors of mafia involvement, shady deals, and things that might not be considered ‘nromal’ in other towns…” and then, let’s look at Rumors. “Many of the citizens of Delora Vallye have deep mafia connections.” Let’s cut redundant material eh?

When looking at the characters, I find that it’s not enough information. Even the most important people are mixed into others like Mario and Geneva Giovanni, each detailed with one another. Other characters have a sentence or two to flesh them out. I have a hard time giving these shadows personality. For example, Desmond Grant just moved into Delora Valley and is an up-and coming actor. Does he have a tainted past with an underage girl? Does he hide homosexual tendencies? Does he just want to move up in the world and make all the right contacts? Is he really a loner by nature and moved to Delora Valley to get away from it all?

The material is also split up too much for my taste. For example, in Delora Valley, they have The Secret Garden. We have it listed in “Places to Go”, “Places of Power”, and under “Things to See”. If the authors had just put everything into one section, it would reduce page flipping and increase utility.

The plot hooks are little more than adventure seeds thrown out with some notes for the GM. Fashion Police pus the players as employees on a lower level of Department 7 and sent by their commander to perform recon on the mafia activity in Delora Valley. That’s it. Some note about there being supernatural problems but just keep to the recon. That’s a pretty shallow plot hook.

Overall, I found it to be a good idea, but it needs much more focus. Material needs to be in one spot. Perhaps use different shades of grey to indicate what one bit of information is from another. Cut out all redundant material and provide plot hooks that go beyond, “See the planetarium and insure that no evil is around!” For those looking for maps and pregenerated characters with little background and details, for those who are “Fixer Uppers” if you will, this is perfect. For me, it’s going to be used for mapping purposes and that’s it.