The Modern Player's Companion Volume 2 is the third d20 Modern release from The Game Mechanics and the sequel to the wildly-popular Modern Player's Companion. Once again, Stan! and the Game Mechanics have shown their knowledge of the way the d20 Modern game works with another great supplement. With the previous volume, a lot of generic information and material was provided for all campaigns. This time, we get a bit more focused (and a little more FX-heavy) material while still maintaining usefulness for many campaigns.
Once again the game opens with a very personal introduction from the author, who uses a conversational tone to make the book seem more like the intimate conversation between gaming buddies than a cut-and-dry manual of d20 Modern material. While this tone does lose some of the professional feeling of many supplements that have a more withdrawn tone, it is refreshing (and perhaps more appropriate for a Modern supplement) when presented here. Once again, it is good to see Stan! advocating checking with the Gamemaster before whipping out new material, something many players forget nowadays when creating characters. Chapter 1 starts off on a great note, and features something I've been hoping d20 Modern publishers would pick up on for a long time: new character class talents. Yes, new talent trees for the base classes are presented here, thus making the already-versatile class system in d20 Modern even more more flexbile. On the one hand, the section presents new talents that can be dropped into existing talent trees, while on the other hand it presents entirely new talent trees for several of the base classes. This is a great idea, as it keeps me from having to take abilities that don't match my character just because I gained a level in a certain class. Another great part of this chapter is the number of variant rules. We've got new language rules and two new sets of money rules, each one providing a great alternative to the existing rules. Though these are probably more appropriate for the Gamemaster to decide on, it's nice to see that the author had flexibility in mind. And with sidebars throughout the chapter explaining why certain design decisions were made on the basic rulebook, this supplement gives real insight into the way the game works.
Chapter 2 forgoes the concept of multiclassing combinations from the first volume of the MPC and instead provides a number of new prestige classes. Some of them, such as the Martial Arts Master and the Silent Intruder, seem very frivolous or already covered. Others, however, are indispensible. The hacker, for example, is one of the most obvious choices for an advance class, so much so that I was amazed it wasn't in the d20 Modern core book. Someone obviously had the X-Men character in mind when designing the Psionic Assassin prestige class, but that doesn't stop it from being unique and useful. Another that seems to be obvious is the Commander, a character concept that has become a standard in many d20 games. While none stand out as much as those in the first MPC, they round out the selection of advanced and prestige classes nicely.
Chapter 3 is concerned only with feats, and comes up a little short as far as creativity goes. Though it seems like many are FX-based (meaning they relate to magic or psionics in some way), there are some non-FX feats. Still, the selection of non-combat feats is a little disappointing. The chapter has little in it to write about, but nothing seems broken or wildly out of place. Again, solid but not exceptional. Chapter 4, on the other hand, has some absolutely fantastic material in it. Dealing with equipment, there are a number of truly useful items in this chapter. For example, books are absolutely vital to us in the modern world, but have rarely been truly covered in roleplaying games with any game mechanics in mind. This chapter gives us some great insights into how books can be used in game, fromt textbooks to encyclopedias. Again, we have a number of equipment packages, something I can't get enough of. For anyone who wants a quick and easy way to pick equipment based on the general background of your character.
The final chapter is concerned with FX abilities, and this is one of the chapters that I expected to be bored with but was actually the most pleased with. The spells in this are fantastic and really capture the way magic can be used in the real world. For example, Mood Lighting affects the brightness and color of electric lights, an aspect of technology we all rely on daily. Others are absolutely hilarious, like Personal Soundtrack, which causes noises that could be an absolute riot in-game (imagine having the party walking down the street to a permanent 70's funk soundtrack). Resurrect Computer is a spell I wish I personally could cast (especially since PC problems delayed this review), bringing a computer "back to life" and functioning again. The FX items are great too, from the Barrel of Monkeys and Grinder Organ of Obedience for laughs to the Backup Disk and Laser Pointer Grappling Hook for usefulness. Again, giving us insight into the game, Stan! even includes a sidebar explaining how to turn magic and psionic FX into the products of super-science, something that was explained in detail at GenCon before the game was released but is often forgotten by many Gamemasters. The key to the chapter's usefulness is that it never forgets that the FX are for use in the modern world; a keen chainsaw is just a modernization of a D&D concept, but spells that cause physical objects to travel over computer networks are definitely the realm of creative modern gaming.
I can't say anything new (or bad, for that matter) about the art and layout. The same style from the original MPC is used here, and with the desired effect. The MPC2 is, visually, an extension of not only the MPC but also of the d20 Modern core rulebook. Again, the PDF is indexed with bookmarks and has the copy function enabled, two things that many have clamored for. This just shows the company's dedication to pleasing the fans while still providing useful material.
If the book has any weakness, it's definitely the feats chapter. Compared with the innovation of the other chapters, and the previous volume of the MPC, the chapter comes up lacking in many ways. In the larger context of the two volumes together, however, this is not such a big deal. Since this is a sequel to the first sourcebook, it can be forgiven that it chooses to excel in other areas while leaving behind things covered in detail in the first Companion. Overall, the book is just as valuable as the first MPC, though players and Gamemasters who do not use FX material extensively in their games will find themselves skimming over many parts of the book to get to the more general purpose sections.
