Sell me on True20!

[Knightfall]

Yeah, that's me! We had alot of fun with Alternity back in the day. I think my old site is still around, I just don't update it anymore. No time. It was easy for me to convert stuff to Alternity, 3.x not so much for me. I'm hoping True20 will let me do that again.
Thanks again for all the input/info! Urizen looking forward to that preview on Discordia!
Bento, I think I will work on that one-shot playtest idea you suggested. Glad I have tempted you Treebore!
Thanks gang!!

Yep, I still have my limited edition Player's Handbook, my Gamemaster's Guide, and a few other Alternity books I just couldn't let go of. I don't get to use them much anymore, but I'm kind of attached to them.

 

[Greg K]

I get asked about Blood and Vigilance, which is flattering, but Im not sure that would fly. I tend to think people who want Kenson-y supers will gravitate toward M&M.

As much as I love your work, yeah, I would definitely go with M&M- I'm just not a fan of many standard d20 conventions for supers. That said, I would still love to see more RPGObjects products converted to True20. True20 Blood and Guts, True20 Blood and Space, True20 Blood and Time, True20 Blood and Horror (Blood and Spooks, Blood and Blades, and Blood and Brains), True20 Modern High (maybe with more campaign samples), etc.

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

I have to put up the lone voice of disappointment with True20. It has a bit to do with how gritty everyone says the damage mechanic is (I really like characters who can just jump in and have a shot at winning with no plan), but I'm fairly certain only a tiny little house rule would be needed to change that.

What I really find turns me off is the power system: the core list is a jumble of specific and generic powers, which is at odds with True20's claim to adaptable genericness.

 

[jaerdaph]

What I really find turns me off is the power system: the core list is a jumble of specific and generic powers, which is at odds with True20's claim to adaptable genericness.

Even though I'm a True20 fan, I will say I think this is a valid criticism. The rules for Powers are not as intuitive as they could (should) be because the mechanics aren't standardized across the board, and exceptions to the rule seems to be the only consistent rule.

 

[ValhallaGH]

I have to put up the lone voice of disappointment with True20. It has a bit to do with how gritty everyone says the damage mechanic is (I really like characters who can just jump in and have a shot at winning with no plan), but I'm fairly certain only a tiny little house rule would be needed to change that.

Actually, it's not gritty, it's heroic. Mooks die by the truck load, and after a dramatic and heroic spree, even the heroes may have to actually worry, but the combination of the Damage Track and Conviction allow even heroes with little or no planning to pull off some truly amazing feats.

I ran a game with four first level characters (two archers, two swordsmen) who had deal with a garrisoned fortress. Other than sneaking up at night, they didn't really have a plan, and they still killed or captured the entire 30 man garrison.
They were terribly mangled but they lived and did pretty well.

What I really find turns me off is the power system: the core list is a jumble of specific and generic powers, which is at odds with True20's claim to adaptable genericness.

The powers are ... a mixed bag. The basic system is smooth, elegant, and fun but the individual powers are often clunky, unbalanced, or weird. Given the mish-mashed hodge podge of superhero abilities, D&D spells, romantic fantasy tropes, psychic powers, urban fantasy tricks, sci-fi abilities, and sword & sorcery classics that compose the powers list, I'm not surprised.

That said, the list has a lot of ability and simply by limiting available powers to a much shorter list, you can easily get a very appropriate supernatural effects system for your campaign.
Or you can simply ban powers all together and force players to build heroic 'normals' like Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Flash Gordon, John Carter, Conan, Kull, Juan "Jonnie" Rico, or dozens of others.

 

[Aus_Snow]

That said, the list has a lot of ability and simply by limiting available powers to a much shorter list, you can easily get a very appropriate supernatural effects system for your campaign.

Yep. Another instance of a house rule that felt so intuitive (and obvious) that I kinda assumed everyone would do that. Of course, no. And that's not to say you need to. But yeah, I agree, this is a good approach. Same goes for M&M, depending.

 

[Darrin Drader]

True20 is full of rules for a variety of genres, so it only makes sense to limit options based on the game you're playing. In Reign of Discordia, the Adept class is definitely available, but the powers list is limited to match the genre. There's nothing wrong with doing that.

 

[ValhallaGH]

Which reminds me of the other thing I really like about True20. It defines heroes by what they do, not what they call themselves. It does not have classes, it has roles and the difference, subtle as it is, is very real.

Classes are a collection of abilities to make the character do things according to a certain archetype. If you want a guy that uses swords, magic fire, and chain mail, then he'll have a different class than the guy that uses a crossbow from cover, or the frenzied warrior who rushes into and revels in close combat.

Roles are a character's role in the story. What's the character's primary job in the story? Characters defined by their combat prowess generally use the Warrior role (though they have other abilities; they are heroic in ability if not in personality). Characters defined by their breadth and depth of skill generally use the Expert role (though they have other abilities; they are heroic in ability if not in nature). Characters defined by their manipulation of supernatural forces generally use the Adept role (though they have other abilities; they are heroic in ability if not in character).
And it allows for characters to mix the various types of characters, using multi-role rules and backgrounds (favored feats and favored powers cut back on the need to level-dip).

I've found that 95% of all character concepts, and 98% of actual characters, are easily built using the existing roles. If the Narrator is willing to generate new Core Abilities for specific concepts then those rates change to 96.5% and 99.87%

 

[Treebore]

That is what draws me to True 20, and M&M, is the system has you build the "role" you have envisioned. I think it succeeds in allowing players and GM's to do that better than most systems. In fact, I cannot think of a system, that I know, which does do it better.

 

[Brutorz Bill]

Well the Revised True20 book is now on my "To Buy" list. In the meantime I will keep running my C&C Fantasy Campaign, but once I've got a handle of the True20 rules, I'll be running a True20 playtest and we'll see how it goes. I like the idea of not being "bound" by classes.
I'm wanting to run a cross-genre Campaign next and True20 sounds like what I've been looking for.
Thanks again for everyone's input. I really appreciate it!
Also wanted to add, I just stumbled upon Blight Elves! Great reviews for it and it sounds really cool. So I just ordered the print version of it. Mwha ha ha!!