RodneyThompson
First Post
The Modern Player's Companion is the third release from The Game Mechanics, and their first for the d20 Modern game. Though both of the Mechanics' previous products have shown ingenuity and a creative outlook on a particular topic, this more generic sourcebook seems to be more along the lines of a book that will be appreciated by all players of the target game, and not just ones looking for information on a certain subject.
The premise of the book is simple: more character options. To this end, the book accomplishes what it sets out to do admirably, though not much more than that. It seems strange to be left wanting by a book that does exactly what it says it's going to do, but that's exactly how I feel about this book. I want more; fortunately, a followup volume has been announced. More on this later.
The introduction to the book shows a good deal of insight into the mindsets of d20 Modern GMs and players. One of the nice aspects of the book is that it is written in an almost conversational tone, as though Stan! were actually telling me all the things in the book. The introduction gears readers up for a book on characters, and then jumps right in. Chapter 1 contains two sections, one on backgrounds and one on class combinations. The first section provides some more specific backgrounds in the place of the generic ones provided by the d20 Modern book, and will be just what players of these characters types need to more accurately represent their characters. The second section, on class combinations, is one something I think is absolutely necessary in the d20 gaming scene. D&D already suffers from "Prestige Class Avalanche" as I like to call it: if you want a prestige class, prepare to wade through an avalanche of sourcebooks to find one that you like. By presenting class combinations, which use only the 6 base classes to illustrate a given concept, players and GMs are put in the mindset that the base classes can be used to accomplish things that many people would automatically assume an advanced class is needed for. This is absolutely the right philosophy, and one the d20 Modern core book didn't drive home hard enough to most d20 gamers. It is my hope that other publishers will take a queue from this book and present some more class combinations rather than crank out yet another advanced class.
Having said that, the next chapter on advanced classes contains some real winners, and some I'm a little iffy on. First, let me make it clear that the classes are all very balanced and none seem broken. My distaste for some of the classes only stems from a question of whether or not an advanced class was really needed. Of the ones presented here, there are three that are absolutely indispensible. The Adept is basically a cast-on-the-fly magic user for the modern world, and a sorely needed addition (who ever heard of modern magic users needing spellbooks, anyways?). The Dead Shot is this book's version of the sniper, and does for longarms what the gunslinger does for pistols (as far as providing a specialized class). The Gentle Warrior is a new type of martial artist that focuses on defensive and more reactive martial arts as opposed to the kick-butt stylings of the Martial Artist class from d20 Modern. The last class is particularly cool to me, as it presents a new take on an archetype that is not only frequently glossed over but also stereotyped into action movie combatants.
The feats chapter is next, and includes a good number of new feats. I'm of mixed opinions about this chapter. On the one hand, there are several new non-combat feats, which thrills me. In writing a few articles for Polyhedron, the biggest problem I ran into is that after a while the feat selections for high level characters started to blur together. Noncombat feats are so much harder to come by than combat feats that seeing several appear in this volume makes it worth picking up. The downside to the chapter is that several of the feats are reprinted from Green Ronin's Ultramodern Firearms; though it's nice to see collaboration between the two companies (Green Ronin will also be publishing print versions of TGM products), I already own Ultramodern Firearms and would prefer to see the space used for new material.
The equipment chapter is an absolute treat for GMs and players that don't spend eons micromanaging their personal gear. While there are several new items listed, particularly in the realms of containers and computer equipment, it is the selection of equipment packages that makes the chapter really great. Easy-to-purchase bundles of equipment help make character creation a quick process, and optional additions to each one help expand the options to allow for some customization. The only drawback is that only 4 packages are presented, where one could easily imagine a package for almost every occupation and background. Still, they are quite nice if you're not sure what kind of gear you want for your character in advance.
Once again, the PDF team has done a stellar job. Full use is made of bookmarks and copy-protection has been removed to allow for easy copy-paste of material, which pleases many who wish to use the information in their games. The nice part is that almost the entireity of the book is Open Gaming Content, meaning the stuff inside can be used by others to flesh out characters in other supplements. The artwork is superb and definitely feels like it comes from the same vein as the d20 Modern book. Formatting makes good use of space without egregious white space (though there are a few notable exceptions). The side border and covers are intended to fit a computer theme, which helps distinguish the product as intended for modern scenarios. The only problem is that at close examination some of the border edges seem a little pixellated, but that is nitpicking most reader's won't notice.
Overall, the book is solid and accomplishes its goals well. The book seems to be concerned heavily with the character creation process, and I would have liked to have seen more along the lines of gameplay material (new uses for skills, etc.). Fortunately, a second volume has already been promised, and here's hoping that fan feedback will help shape the next book. A very crunchy-bits-heavy book, the Modern Players Companion will not disappoint anyone looking for new character options for d20 Modern. At only $5 for a full-color supplement, this book is an absolute steal for modern gamers.
The premise of the book is simple: more character options. To this end, the book accomplishes what it sets out to do admirably, though not much more than that. It seems strange to be left wanting by a book that does exactly what it says it's going to do, but that's exactly how I feel about this book. I want more; fortunately, a followup volume has been announced. More on this later.
The introduction to the book shows a good deal of insight into the mindsets of d20 Modern GMs and players. One of the nice aspects of the book is that it is written in an almost conversational tone, as though Stan! were actually telling me all the things in the book. The introduction gears readers up for a book on characters, and then jumps right in. Chapter 1 contains two sections, one on backgrounds and one on class combinations. The first section provides some more specific backgrounds in the place of the generic ones provided by the d20 Modern book, and will be just what players of these characters types need to more accurately represent their characters. The second section, on class combinations, is one something I think is absolutely necessary in the d20 gaming scene. D&D already suffers from "Prestige Class Avalanche" as I like to call it: if you want a prestige class, prepare to wade through an avalanche of sourcebooks to find one that you like. By presenting class combinations, which use only the 6 base classes to illustrate a given concept, players and GMs are put in the mindset that the base classes can be used to accomplish things that many people would automatically assume an advanced class is needed for. This is absolutely the right philosophy, and one the d20 Modern core book didn't drive home hard enough to most d20 gamers. It is my hope that other publishers will take a queue from this book and present some more class combinations rather than crank out yet another advanced class.
Having said that, the next chapter on advanced classes contains some real winners, and some I'm a little iffy on. First, let me make it clear that the classes are all very balanced and none seem broken. My distaste for some of the classes only stems from a question of whether or not an advanced class was really needed. Of the ones presented here, there are three that are absolutely indispensible. The Adept is basically a cast-on-the-fly magic user for the modern world, and a sorely needed addition (who ever heard of modern magic users needing spellbooks, anyways?). The Dead Shot is this book's version of the sniper, and does for longarms what the gunslinger does for pistols (as far as providing a specialized class). The Gentle Warrior is a new type of martial artist that focuses on defensive and more reactive martial arts as opposed to the kick-butt stylings of the Martial Artist class from d20 Modern. The last class is particularly cool to me, as it presents a new take on an archetype that is not only frequently glossed over but also stereotyped into action movie combatants.
The feats chapter is next, and includes a good number of new feats. I'm of mixed opinions about this chapter. On the one hand, there are several new non-combat feats, which thrills me. In writing a few articles for Polyhedron, the biggest problem I ran into is that after a while the feat selections for high level characters started to blur together. Noncombat feats are so much harder to come by than combat feats that seeing several appear in this volume makes it worth picking up. The downside to the chapter is that several of the feats are reprinted from Green Ronin's Ultramodern Firearms; though it's nice to see collaboration between the two companies (Green Ronin will also be publishing print versions of TGM products), I already own Ultramodern Firearms and would prefer to see the space used for new material.
The equipment chapter is an absolute treat for GMs and players that don't spend eons micromanaging their personal gear. While there are several new items listed, particularly in the realms of containers and computer equipment, it is the selection of equipment packages that makes the chapter really great. Easy-to-purchase bundles of equipment help make character creation a quick process, and optional additions to each one help expand the options to allow for some customization. The only drawback is that only 4 packages are presented, where one could easily imagine a package for almost every occupation and background. Still, they are quite nice if you're not sure what kind of gear you want for your character in advance.
Once again, the PDF team has done a stellar job. Full use is made of bookmarks and copy-protection has been removed to allow for easy copy-paste of material, which pleases many who wish to use the information in their games. The nice part is that almost the entireity of the book is Open Gaming Content, meaning the stuff inside can be used by others to flesh out characters in other supplements. The artwork is superb and definitely feels like it comes from the same vein as the d20 Modern book. Formatting makes good use of space without egregious white space (though there are a few notable exceptions). The side border and covers are intended to fit a computer theme, which helps distinguish the product as intended for modern scenarios. The only problem is that at close examination some of the border edges seem a little pixellated, but that is nitpicking most reader's won't notice.
Overall, the book is solid and accomplishes its goals well. The book seems to be concerned heavily with the character creation process, and I would have liked to have seen more along the lines of gameplay material (new uses for skills, etc.). Fortunately, a second volume has already been promised, and here's hoping that fan feedback will help shape the next book. A very crunchy-bits-heavy book, the Modern Players Companion will not disappoint anyone looking for new character options for d20 Modern. At only $5 for a full-color supplement, this book is an absolute steal for modern gamers.
