Spycraft

[Messageboard Golem]

Spycraft is a roleplaying game set in a world of dark secrets and high espionage, where players become larger-than-life superspies poised to take on threats of global scale – power-mad dictators, eccentric billionaire industrialists, and criminal masterminds obsessed with global domination. Join a team of highly trained professionals outfitted with the latest cutting-edge gadgets and a worldwide information network, then shoot, seduce, or speed your way through the deadliest missions your Game Control can devise.

 

[Psion]

Spycraft

AEG is one of the established game publishers banking on a strong showing from d20 system products. They began their efforts with their popular mini modules targeted at D&D players released under the d20 system license, and went on create source materials for their Legend of the Five Rings setting utilizing the D&D Oriental Adventures book.

Spycraft is AEG's first stab at a full d20 based game, and will be the basis for an upcoming setting, Shadowforce Archer. As the name implies, it is a game targeted at recreating the over-the-top superspy tales perhaps most solidly characterized by the James Bond novels and movies.

A First Look

Spycraft is a 288 page hardcover book, priced at $34.95. This delivers a price per page of around 12 cents a page. This is similar to other d20 system books of this size that I have reviewed (Star Wars, FRCS, and Kingdoms of Kalamar), but those other books are full color, have licencing fees, or both. It may make this book seem a tad

The cover of the book is silver and black, and depicts a shadowy image of a man bearing an automatic pistol with a silencer.

The interior is black and white, with borders and chapter and section headers printed in a silver ink. The silver looks attractive, but catches glints of light that can make the book hard to read. The art is comic book style ink art. The art varies in quality, from mediocre to good. The layout is very attractive and displays high production values.

The typeface is compact but readable and delivers good text density. The writing style is very good, as is the editing. However, there is very little in the way of flavor text.

Based on the price per page, text density, and production values, the book delivers a fairly good value.

A Deeper Look

Spycraft is arranged into 9 chapters plus an introductory section and a character sheet. The introductory section touches on the basic concept of the game, expectations the players should have, an introduction to the upcoming Shadowforce Archer worldbook, basic changes in Spycraft from the core d20 system, and terminology used in the game. To touch on the last, in Spycraft, a gamemaster is called Game Control, and adventure is called a serial.

The contents of the 9 chapters of the book are as follows:

Chapter 1: Agent Creation

The first chapter contains the rules and rules modifications you will need to create characters for the Spycraft system. It doesn't dive straight away into mechanics. It provides a short list of references elsewhere in the book to familiarize the reader with the types of activities their character will need to be familiar with, and some questions to think about when conceiving your character.

The first aspect of character generation in Spycraft that differs significantly from the baseline system is Department. Department is the division of the generic spy agency that trains the character, and it mechanically fills the shoes that Race does in the base d20 system rules; obviously since Spycraft is set on an analog of modern-day earth, the only arguably intelligent Race is human.

There are a total of 8 departments you can select for your character. Except for one, they are labeled by a "D" followed by a number. The departments are:

- D-0: The Home Office: The Home Office is the breeding ground of "prototypical superspies." Spies trained by the Home Ooffice get a bonus to Action Dice rolls (see the section on action dice in the chapter four description), additional class skills, and a bonus Feat related to covert operations or chases.
- D-1: The Power Brokerage: The Power Brokerage represents the political elite of the agency, who influence through guile rather than brawn. They receive a bonus to Charisma and a penalty to Strength. Members of the power brokerage also have a bonus to their Budget Points and Gadget Points, as well as bonuses to Diplomacy and Intimidate checks any a bonus Style Feat.
- D-2: Military Operations: The Military Operations department is responsible for the application of military tactics and hardware. They receive a bonus to one ability of their choice and a penalty to any one ability of their choice. They receive a bonus to any one class skill and a bonus Combat Feat.
- D-3: Computer Espionage: The computer espionage division are experts in using tools of the information age in their intelligence efforts. They receive a bonus to Intelligence and a penalty to Wisdom. They receive a free souped-up computer, a bonus to computer and electronic rolls, and a bonus Gear feat.
- D-4: Urban Assault: Those trained by the Urban Assault department focus on combat in close quarters. They receive a bonus to Dexterity and a penalty to Intelligence. They receive a bonus to Spot and Hide checks, a bonus to attack rolls when taking a ready action, and a bonus Ranged Combat Feat.
- D-5: Black Ops: Members of the Black Ops department are tough and live amongst corruption. They receive a bonus to Constitution and a penalty to Dexterity. They gain extra vitality and wound points and a free melee combat feat.
- D-6: Wetworks: Characters trained by wetworks are experts at unarmed combat. They receive a bonus to Strength and a penalty to Constitution. They receive bonuses to initiative and reflex saves plus a bonus unarmed combat feats.
- The Basement: The Basement is an obscure office that is relied upon to deal with fringe elements like cults and serial killers. Characters trained by the Basement receive a bonus to Wisdom and a penalty to Charisma. They receive bonus skill points and a bonus to their will save, and any basic skill feat.

It seemed to me that the Departments could easily get trashed by the GMs setting assumptions, and in some cases the Departments themselves seem a little cryptic in nature. However, it does seem like they wouldn't be that hard to tweak, and like races would be a way to add an emphasis to a character.

There are 6 new core classes provided just of Spycraft. As with standard classes, the Spycraft classes define details like class skills, base attack bonus, save bonuses, starting armor and weapon proficiency, and class abilities. In addition, your class and level provides a defense bonus (which applies to AC), an Initiative bonus, and new items called Budget Points and Gadget Points. Like d20 Star Wars, the bonuses use progressions not a standard part of the d20 system, but seem internally consistent.

The six core classes for Spycraft are:
- Faceman: The Faceman is a character class is an expert in social interaction and disguise. In addition to a set of in class skills relating to this pursuit, the faceman receives class abilities dealing with communications, discerning fact about others, disguising oneself, and lying effectively.
- Fixer: The Fixer is a character specializing in acquisitions and stealth. The Fixer's class abilities include d20 system Rogue staples like evasion, sneak attack, uncanny dodge, and some rogue-like special abilities that the character is allowed to choose from.
- Pointman: The Pointman is a leader and a sort of Jack-of-all-Trades. The pointman has abilities assisting other members of the team, as well as access to addition class skills and abilities.
- Snoops: Snoops are experts in gathering intelligence by technological means: computers, cryptography, and electronics. Snoops have class abilities that let them ferret out clues and to better repair or utilize electronic equipment.
- Soldier: The soldier is the combat "heavy" of the Spycraft system. The soldier receives extra feats as a d20 system Fighter does, but also gains other combat related class abilities.
- Wheelman: The Wheelman are characters specialized in the use of vehicles. Their class abilities allow them to better handle vehicles, and they gain bonus vehicle related feats.

Multiclassing is possible, and unlike the core d20 system (and like d20 Star Wars), there is no experience penalty for multiclassing. Additionally, one class ability of each class is called a Core Ability. A character may only receive the core ability for the first class.

Chapter 2: Skills

Chapter two presents skills to be used with a Spycraft game. The chapter contains many of the same basic attributes that the D&D 3e PHB skills chapter does. However, there are a few differences.

The most obvious difference is the skills that are available. Where possible, skills still appropriate to the setting from the core d20 system are kept, with perhaps some minor tweaks to accommodating the modern setting. Other new skills are added as appropriate to the setting: Boating, Bureacracy, Computers, Cryptography, Cultures, Demolitions, Driver, Electronics, First, Hobby, Mechanics, Pilot, Sleight of Hand, Sport, Surveillance, and Survival.

Another difference when using skills in Spycraft is that like weapons in the d20 system, skills can have critical successes if you roll high. They can also have critical errors if you roll low. You do roll the dice again to check to see if you get a critical. Rather, you can spend an action dice to get a critical success after you roll high enough, or an opponent can force an error if you roll low enough.

Chapter 3: Feats

As with the d20 base system, feats are special abilities or enhancements that your character gains as they advance levels. As with the skills, some skills are straight out of the core d20 system rules; others are new. In Spycraft, feats are divided into 6 categories:

- Combat Feats: Combat feats obviously enhance a character's combat capabilities. Combat feats are further divided into Basic Combat Feats, Melee Combat Feats, Ranged Combat Feats, and Unarmed Combat Feats. Many of the Basic Combat Feats are directly derived from the d20 system rules such as Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Endurance, Expertise, and so on. Melee combat feats include some classics like Power Attack and Cleave, as well as a few new feats like Flashing Weapon (allows the character an additional attack at -2, like the d20 system Monk's Flurry of Blows ability) and Master Assassin (increases the threat range with a melee weapon, and does not require an action dice expenditure to turn a threat into a critical hit.) Ranged Combat feats include classics like Point Blank Shot, as well as new Feats like Quick Reload (can reload weapons as a free action.) Finally, Unarmed Combat Feats provide feats that improve your damage and other capabilities in unarmed combat.
- Chase Feats: Chase Feats are pretty much all new, and add to a character's capabilities in driving in combat or other hazardous driving situations. Examples include One Hand on the Wheel (reduces penalties when doing some other task while driving) and In My Sights (increases your threat range when firing against vehicles.)
- Covert Feats: Covert Feats enhance a character's abilities to get around and do things without too much attention. For example, Hidden Run lets you move at full speed without a penalty to Hide and Move Silently checks, and Traceless makes you more difficult to track.
- Gear Feats: Gear Feats are a small selection of feats that improve your access to equipment. Extra Budget and Extra R&D Support increases your Budget Points and Gadget Points respectively. Signature Gear and Signature Gadget or Vehicle provides you with a piece of equipment with improved characteristics when you use it.
- Basic Skill Feats: These feats are all basic skill enhancing feats similar to feats like Alertness in the d20 system rules. Each Feat requires one or more rank in the affected skills. Each such Feat grants a +2 to each of 3 skills, and the skills receive an improved threat range.
- Enhanced Skill Feats: Enhanced Skill Feats include Feats that can improve on any Basic Skill Feat, and other Feats that allow you to use existing skills in new ways. For example, False Start reduced the time wasted on a failed skill check. Training simply gives you 4 extra skill points.
- Style Feats: These feats enhance the character's ability to interact and rub elbows. Card Shark makes you very good at gambling. Filthy Rich makes your character rather wealthy. The Look improves Charisma based checks against members of the opposite sex.

Overall, I have to say I am fairly impressed with the feat selection. There are plenty of options to make your character distinctive, they all seem mechanically sound, and other d20 system publishers should sit up and take notice of the breadth of genuinely useful Feats that aren't directly related to combat.

Chapter 4: Finishing Touches

The Finishing Touches chapter provides a number of additional details, most of them new and unique to Spycraft.

The first detail is Backgrounds. Backgrounds are somewhat close to flaws or disadvantages in other games. You must expend a number of skill points to get a Background. The Background becomes a sort of subplot (or even main plot) that the GM can use to torment the player. Whenever a background pops up, the character gets bonus experience points for it.

I'm not sure what to think about Backgrounds. On the bright side, I think they are better than typical disadvantages that are simply credited to your "points" or other resources of a game; since you have to buy a Background with skill points, you probably wouldn't take one to add to your character in the short term. However, I think that I might have trouble parting with skill points for Backgrounds.

Action Dice are perhaps the most exciting innovation in the Sypcraft rules. PCs and major NPCs receive a number of Action Dice to use at the beginning of each session. For PCs, level determines the number of action dice. For example, a first level character gets 3 four-sided dice that can be used during the session. A 20th level character gets 6 ten-sided dice. Some uses of Action Dice don't involve actually rolling the cited type of dice.

In addition to the automatic action dice all PCs get at the beginning of a session, the GM can reward players with additional action dice during the game for exceptional contributions to the game, such as exceptional role-playing, leadership, or problem solving.

Ways that you can use an action dice include:
- Adding to a Die Roll: After you make a roll but before the GM describes the result, you can decide to roll one or more Action Dice to add to the result. This includes attack rolls, skill checks, damage rolls, and so forth. Action Dice cannot be used to modify permanent boons to the character such as hit dice rolls. Action Dice rolls are open ended, so if you roll the maximum roll on an action dice, you can roll the dice again and add the results together. This approach has some minor probalistic foibles, similar to the old Deadlands system (which uses an open ended dice system with differing dice for its basic resolution system). Under some circumstances, you are better off rolling a smaller dice when you are working with an open-ended system with varying dice types.
- Add to Your Defense: You can also roll Action Dice to add to your defense to keep from being hit in combat. The bonus lasts until the end of the round. Considering that the d20 system de-emphasizes the role of the round, I think it would have been better to have the bonus be until your next turn.
- Activate Threats and Errors: As mentioned earlier, the Spycraft version of the d20 system has threats for more activities than combat rolls. It also has a new converse effect, errors, which are the potential for an adverse affect in an opponent rolls low. Unlike the core d20, these events are not purely random; you must expend an action dice to turn a threat into a critical success, or an error into a critical failure. For example, if you roll a threat using a weapon, if you expend an action dice, it is applied directly to the opponent's Wound Points. Or if an opponent is trying to shoot you and the GM rolls a 1, if you expend an action die, his gun might jam.
- Heal Yourself: If your character is not engaged in combat, you can expend one or more action dice to heal 2 WPs per die or VPs equal to a roll of the dice.
- Ask for an Inspiration Check: If you are stumped during the game, you may expend an action die to make an inspiration check. The inspiration check is a level check made against the DC set by the GM. If the roll succeeds, the GM gives you a hint to move the game along.
- Ask for a Favor Check: If you need assistance from the agency to perform a task (other than by fellow PCs), you can spend an action die to request a Favor Check. Like an Inspiration Check, a Favor Check is a level check against a DC set by the GM.

Overall, I like the effects that action dice would have on the game. It really is a fairly central mechanic that emphasizes the larger-than-life nature of the heroes, and I like that it gives the GM a resource to kick an investigative game along if the players get stuck without giving it to them on a silver platter.

The chapter rounds up with details on personal gear and character details such as a name, codename, age, gender, physical characteristics and personality traits.

Chapter 5: Gear

The Gear chapter covers equipments and the means of getting it. Equipment budgets are split into three categories: budget points, gadget points, and field expenses. Each is distinct and they cannot be interchanged. Budget points are used to buy relatively normal equipment. Gadget points are used to requisition superscience vehicles and equipment. Field expenses are handled in terms of dollars, and are used for in-play expenditures.

All agents receive an allotment of budget points for their own personal gear, depending on their class and level and charisma modifier. Each agents also have a budget allotment depending on the difficulty and threat of the mission. Gadget points are determined by class and level and difficulty / threat of the mission. Field expenses are determined by a random number plus a number determined by class and level, and you can garner emergency expenses by trading in part of your XP bonus for the adventure. All of these except for personal budget can be shared between team members except for personal budget.

As you might expect, the remainder of the chapter is filled to the gills with modern equipment (including weapons, armor, and other equipment), as well as exotic gadgets that are the stuff of spy movies such as grappling hook belts and exploding pens.

Chapter 6: Combat

Combat is Spycraft uses most of the same conventions as the d20 system rules. There are a few differences, however. There are accommodations for modern weapons, as should be expected, with rules for firearms and automatic weapon fire. I must confess I prefer the automatic weapon rules in Dragonstar and Deadlands d20. A burst in Spycraft is merely modeled by combat modifiers. A narrow burst causes +2 damage but is -3 to hit. A wide burst grants +1 to hit.

As mentioned, the combat system uses a Vitality Point and Wound Point system similar to d20 Star Wars.

Spycraft handles actions slightly different than the d20 system rules. There are no distinctions between standard and move equivalent actions. All actions are sorted into full and half actions; some half actions are attacks. There is no "full attack action."

Chapter 7: Chases

One staple of spy films that is not addressed by the existing d20 system rules is the chase. Spycraft provides a set of rules for resolving this old favorite.

Vehicles have given statistics that bear on a chase such as speed, handling, hardness, and wound points. There are also general categories for the terrain: open, close, and tight. Each terrain category can be applied to different types of chases, air, ground, water, or foot chases.

Chases, like normal combat, are divided into rounds. Each round, there is a chase speed and a lead, corresponding to the difference between the pursuer and its quarry.

Each round of the chase, each driver selects one of a number of maneuvers. What maneuver is selected is limited by the lead or other factors. One both have chosen manuevers, each makes the appropriate maneuver checks, and the effects of the maneuvers are applied. Random obstacles may come up, characters are allowed to perform other actions, and characters may need to make crash checks to see if they collide with anything.

There are a variety of maneuvers listed such as gunning, ramming, or bootleg reverses. Some feats are affected by the use of Chase Feats.

The chapter also has rules for resolving vehicle damage and handling different kinds of chases. There is also an example of a chase.

Chapter 8: Tradecraft

The Tradecraft chapter is a miscellany on espionage, apparently for both player and GM use. Some of the inspiration appears to be drawn from real world sources; other bits seem to be drawn from more romantic depictions of espionage such as modern espionage and action movies. Topics covered include means and motives for espionage, types of missions Spycraft PCs would be involved with, agency resources, team composition, and investigation techniques.

The majority of the chapter is non-mechanical in nature, but there are a few mechanical bits. The chapter discusses how to assign threat codes for missions, which helps determine agent resources). It also provides advice on adjudicating inspiration and favor checks (see the comments on Chapter 4 under "Action Dice.")

Chapter 9: Control

Game Control is the title given to the GM in Spycraft; the control chapter is basically a collection of tools and advice for running the game.

Similar to the DMG, advice is provided for assigning DCs of various tasks. Spycraft touches on how to figure the probabilities involved. I thought finding probabilities in d20 was fairly straightforward, but they break it down for you in case you aren't a math guru.

The Control chapter outlines the rules for use of action dice by the GM. To start with, the GM gets a number of dice equal to the number of dice the highest-level PC has, plus one per team member. However, the GM also gets an action dice each time the players do. Further, the GM always uses twelve sided dice, where only the highest-level PCs use twelve sided dice for action dice.

I can see a potential problem here; if the GM is not judicious in using these dice to keep the game fun, this has the appearance of heavily favoring the NPCs. If the players get this impression, it can actually discourage players from doing interesting things, as every action that they do that earns them an action dice earns the GM an action dice that is, in all probability, larger. Obviously, it is paramount that the GM not take up an adversarial role in the game, and be willing to do things like spend action dice on foils (potential allied NPC/love interest types) and save action dice so the big villain can get away.

Of course, there are two paragraphs that say as much, but that won't stop bad GMs from being bad GMs.

The chapter provides techniques and mechanics for introducing encounters and handling obstacles and hazards.

The chapter forgoes the CR method of assigning XP as in the 3e DMG. Instead, it provides experience awards for completing missions, performing appropriate and productive actions, following a trail of clues, and resolving encounters.

Though the Gear chapter provides a variety of gadgets, it cannot possibly list everything that a character would ever want. However, the Control chapter provides a simple system for designing new gadgets, primarily based on what the gadget does and how often you can use it.

Of course, what spy game would be complete without your suave agents mixing it up with arrogant villains and sultry foils at the blackjack table? A simple system is provided for using the d20 dice mechanic to simulate games of chance. As you might imagine from the escapades of the most famous superspy of them all, agents can be extraordinarily lucky, thus action dice can be used to modify games of chance.

Perhaps one of the most extensive subsystems in the Control chapter is the mastermind design system. Basically, it is a technique that theoretically creates a villain and his lackeys appropriate to handle characters of the PCs levels. Basically, the GM receives a number of mastermind points to create the NPCs with based upon the number of serials (adventures) in the season (campaign), and the average level of the agents. These points are then used to purchase the mastermind's levels, as well as the capabilities, equipment, and loyalty of other NPCs.

Other NPCs are divided into three categories: minions, henchmen, and foils. Minions are faceless lackeys and have no vitality points. Henchmen are basically PC caliber villains, but typically of lower level than the mastermind. Foils are characters of uncertain loyalty that are somehow involved with the mastermind, and are often love interests of the mastermind and/or the PCs. You know the type. Solitaire. Paris Carver. Natalya Fyodorovna Simonova. Etc.

I am uncertain how much I like the mastermind system. It looks like it would produce effective opposition without too much GM fiddling, but I can see many instances in which it would not be entirely effective depending on the sort of investigation the GM is running, and it might be a bit too much effort for the return. This appears to be an aspect I may have to try in play before I decide.

After the mastermind system is complete, the Control provides you with a number of example "threats", each including a mastermind, minions, henchmen, and possibly a foil, as well as ideas for adventures involving each. It's a nice assortment, and gives you most of the meat you need to run adventures without sticking you with a sample adventure of dubious value. I am particularly fond of Martin St. James, and interesting inversion of a familiar concept.

The Control chapter provides some advice on adjudicating encounters and NPCs, including a regurgitation of the encounter level charts from the DMG. Some quick NPC guidelines are provided. Unlike the DMG, there are not tables for each class of each level. Rather the NPCs are broken out by role and allegiance, and common skills are provided for each of them in terms of levels.

Of particular interest in this section is a genre breakdown. Spycraft owns the fact that it is primarily targeted at the "larger than life superspy" genre. However, it does take a look at related genres and discusses the sort of changes in both mechanics and GM styles should be used to accompany each. Advice is provides for genres ranging for the Clancy style political thriller, to X-files-ish supernatural conspiracy to more gritty and realistic espionage settings.

The Control chapter provides a slightly modified version of the NPC interaction rules called the "disposition" system. Some agent skills checks are affected by the NPCs disposition, which only makes sense. Someone who is hostile to you is less likely to believe a bluff.

A good portion of the chapter is devoted to ideas and advice for running adventures and campaigns using Spycraft.

Finally, the control chapter contains a bibliography and a very exhaustive index in very small print (get out your magnifying glass!)

Conclusion

Spycraft is an enormously meaty book, with some very imaginative takes on the d20 system rules. The action point system changes many assumptions about how combat works, and the new feats and gear and the chase rules really bring home the feel of the superspy genre. Though there are some subsystems that I am not certain are too useful, my overall impression is rather positive.

If the lack of background in the Dragonstar Starfarer's Handbook bothered you, this one is going to throw you into a fit. The book doesn't devote to much space involving you in the genre with flavor text or other efforts to get you into the feel of the game. This isn't too much of a travesty, as the inspirational material is near and dear to anyone into the genre. But I do think it could have used more flavor than the one line outtakes from genre movies at the beginning of each chapter.

I'll forgive them for actually mentioning the atrocious movie Charlie's Angel in the book. Yech!

-Alan D. Kohler

 

[Messageboard Golem]

For those of you looking for a good read, this is not the product to buy. Rather, this product is packed with excellent hard core information to adventure in the world of espionage. It is like reading a facts and rules book. Quite dry if you are interested in the world and backstory which are not covered in this product.

Classes are all new with the Faceman (Master of Disguise), Fixer (Modern Day Expert Burglar), Pointman (The Leader), Snoop (Computer Whizz), Soldier (Combat Specialist), and Wheeler (Ace Pilot). It is good to note that one's Defense Bonus increases substantially in line with your other skills. I find that one of D&D's weaknesses is that everything increases apart from one's Armour Class.

There are numerous new skills and feats. The feats are especially well done, adding to the flavour of the genre as a whole. I find that the quality and variety of the Unarmed Combat feats included here surpasses that of Oriental Adventures, capturing the feel of martial arts much more effectively. For example, there is an ability under "Dodging Mastery" called Iron Man where one can tense his muscles to reduce damage taken (like being smashed with wooden planks and shrugging them off).

What is a Super Spy without his / her nifty gear ? The Gear Chapter is over 50 pages packed with equipment and gadgets. The amount of equipment (including vehicles) and gadgets one can have are generally limited by money, Budget Points and Gadget Points; factored already into the character creation process. With new equipment comes new rules for their handling which are all pretty intuitive and expanded upon for vehicles in the Chases Chapter whereby a system for resolving all types of chases is detailed (land, sea, air).

The last two Chapters, being Tradecraft (flavouring of what Super Spy adventures are all about) and Control (ala GM's section) are well done with plenty of support for designing Masterminds and various Organisations. Handy information are available for running a world spanning campaign such as a Travel Time Table.

 

[trancejeremy]

I liked the Charlie's Angels movie. Very campy (and funny).

 

[poilbrun]

The modern genre for the D20 system is on its way. With Call of Cthulu d20 and the upcoming d20 Modern by WotC, Spycraft is one of the game that will bring this genre to life. And quite frankly, it does it well.


First impression
The book is beautiful. The cover is silver and black, with the name of the product in green. The art depicts a man holding a gun with silencer, already putting you in the mood for the gun. The inside of the book is black and white, a silvery ink is often used which gives it a good look.

At 34.95$, the book may be a bit expensive, but compared to other books this size, the price is near the same.


Chapter by chapter description
Introduction: 3 pages. The introduction includes an overview of the genre, a description of the game and the usual "What you need to play" part. An overview of the book is then given, as well as a list of the differences between Spycraft and other D20 games. The introduction ends on a table of common terms used in the game.

Agent Creation: 25 pages. After an introduction on how to define your agent's personality and a description of the character sheet, the creation of the creation of the agent rule-wise begins with the various options specific to Spycraft agents. A description of abilty scores follows.

Departments: as the only playable race of the game is human, the race selection has been replaced by the selection of the department in which your agent was trained, each similar to a race in other D20 game. An interesting new bonus is introduced: a bonus either to a saving throw or to a skill that goes up as you gain levels (+1 at level 1 that becomes +2 at level 4, +3 at level 8,...). Other bonuses include ability modifiers, extra class skills, extra budget points, extra vitality or wound points, extra equipment or extra skill points. Furthermore, every department offers a free feat that must be choosed in a specific lists. It is unclear whether this feat replaces the feat everyone gets at first level or not.

Classes: Spycraft introduces 6 new classes that replace the classes found in the Player's Handbook.

• Faceman: the typical agent, think James Bond. Specialized in disguise and infiltration, this is the guy supposed to do the talking. He gets abilities such as extra languages, being able to get information on NPC's simply by looking at them or improvements to his ability to disguise.
• Fixer: the rogue of the game, he is specialized in breaking and entering. He gets abilities such as being able to requisition items in the field without any penality, Evasion, Sneak Attack or Uncanny Dodge.
• Pointman: the jack-of-all-trade, he is good at helping the other members of the group. He has few class skills, but an ability he gets at 1st level enables him to select 6 cross-class skills to become class skills. Other abilities include Assistance, which helps reduce the amount of time it takes for a teammate to use one of his class skills, and Lead, which enables the whole party to use the result of the pointman to a skill roll for the entire group.
• Snoop: he is specialized in data gathering and analyzing, as well as in computers and cryptography. His ability include never to completely miss a Search check, the ability to ask a hint about a clue to the Game Control (the DM) or having a backdoor in a computer system, enabling him to get information from that system easily.
• Soldier: specialized in fighting, the soldier gets ability such as bonus feats, damage reduction and bonus to his use of armors.
• Wheelman: a vehicle specialist, he is also very good during fights. He gains extra gadget points (see below) to buy or modify a vehicle, access to specific maneuvers during chases or bonuses to his mechanics skill.

Furthermore, this chapter introduces either new game mechanics or mechanics that were used in other D20 game, but not in D&D.

• Action Dice: at the start of every game session, a player receive a number of dice that enable him to modify their die roll, to transform a threat into a critical, or a number of other effects. The number and type of dice varies as you go up in levels (you start with 3d4 at level 1 and finish at 6d10 at level 20).
• Vitality/Wound points: similar to the system used in Star Wars and other D20 games, this system gives each agent a number of vitality points that represent his luck, endurance and training, and woundpoints representing his toughness.
• Defense: similar to the system introduced in Star Wars. An agent's AC depends on a bonus to his defense dependant on class. Armors also sometimes give bonus to defense, but their main advantage is that they give damage reduction.
• Initiative Bonus: a bonus added to the agent's initiative rolls.
• Budget Points: each agent receives a number of budget points that enable him to select "normal" gear at the start of a mission.
• Gadget Points: similar to budget points in that they enable an agent to select gear at the beginning of a mission, they are specific to gadgets, which are described later in the book (and in this review).

Skills: 30 pages. After explaining the mechanics used for skill checks (identical to other D20) games, this chapter gives a description of every skill, as well as a description of critical successes and failures for each skill. It also introduces skills not found in the Player's Handbook such as Boating, Bureaucracy and Driver.

Feats: 26 pages. This chapter lists all the feats available to agents. The feats are divided in various feat trees.

• Combat feats: this tree is then divided in Basic, which concerns combat fundamentals, Melee, which focuses on the use of melee weapons, Ranged, which focuses on the use of firearms, and Unarmed Combat Feats, which focuses on combat without any weapon.
• Chase feats: focuses on driving and piloting.
• Covert feats: focuses on stealth and subterfuge.
• Gear feats: contains new equipment options.
• Skill feats: contains feats that improve skills.
• Style feats: focuses on savoir faire and personal wealth.

Finishing Touches: 7 pages. This chapter includes all the little touches that bring your agent to life. It includes a new game concept, Backgrounds.

Backgrounds are bought with skill points. The more skill points you invest in backgrounds (to a maximum of 5), the more dangerous it is. What is the point in spending skill points for this will you ask me. Simple. Each time a background comes into play, you gain a number of experience points (that goes up as you go up in level) more or less large whether the background is the focus of the mission or just plays a minor role. Of course, the more skill points you invest, the more the background is dangerous, and the more XP it gives. The background options include amnesia, debt, hunted, hunting,...

The chapter then deals with action dice and the description of the agent.

Gear: 50 pages. This chapter is divided in two parts, the first one dealing with the mechanics, the second one being a list of gear for your agent. There are three types of budget that enable an agent to get gear:

• Budget Points: they enable you to get normal equipment. An agent has a personal budget that enables him to get equipment that remains with him from mission to mission and a mission budget that is defined by the difficulty of the mission plus the budget modifiers an agent gets as bonus from his class. All the equipment acquired using missions budget must be returned at the end of ths mission.
• Gadget Points: they enable the agent to get special equipment and vehicles. The number of Gadget points is calculated using the number given for each type of mission according to its difficulty and the bonus given by the class of the character.
• Field Expense: this represent cash that an agent gets to spend on the field.An interesting mechanic is introduced that enables an agent to sacrifice a part of the XP he'll get at the end of the mission to receive more funds.

The rest of the chapter is devoted to the various types of equipment available (weapons, protective gear, other gear, gadgets, vehicles).

Combat: 27 pages. This chapters include the mechanics used in combat, from the attack roll to the use of action dice in combat, passing throught the various actions available during combat. The chapter ends with a 3-page example of combat.

Chases: 15 pages. This chapters begins with the basics of a chase and then deals with a step-by-step desciption of a chase, including the various mechanics used and a list of maneuvers available to agents, some of them limited to agents who belong to the wheelman class. After the beginning of the chapter, which deals with car chases, a description of other chases is given with modifications specific to other vehicles. The chapter ends with a 2-page example of a chase.

Tradecraft: 25 pages. This chapter answers the questions "What is a spy?" and "How does a spy work?". It begins with a definition of espionnage, then follows with a desciption of mission and their threat code (in short, the importance of the mission and the resource allocated to deal with it), the means to resolve a mission (in general, during combat, and the way to deal with authorities) and the way of investigating. It then deals with the various tools available to agents, such as favor checks (which enable an agent to ask help from various sources, such as his agency or a government), education checks (which are used to simulate whether an agent knows something even if the player doesn't) and inspiration checks (which are used by players when they need some help to be put back on track). The chapter ends on travel, with a description of the various means of transport. A useful table listing flight travel time is given, but it unfortunately lacks many places in the world where an agent might want to go.

Control: 52 pages. This chapter deals with game mastering. It is divided in numerous parts, including setting DC for checks, use of Action Dice by the GC, Encounters, Environment, Scenery, Traps & Alarms, Poisons & Diseases, Rewards (XP & other rewards), and a method to design new gadgets. It then includes rules for gambling, and rules to create the mastermind and its organization. The system seems to be well-thought, but only after some use will it be clear whether they are good or not. Several examples are then given of threats created using this system. The chapter goes on with advice to design a serial (= campaign) and the various genres (historical, paranormal,political,...) and rules for creating NPCs, as well as a system to determine how an NPC reacts to the agents' actions. The chapter then ends with advice on running serials.

End: 11 pages. The book ends with 2 pages on spy jargon, a bibliography, a 5-page index, the OGL and a character sheet.


Conclusion
This book is a must-have for anyone willing to play a modern game. Even if some modifications need to be done if you do not want to play a game in the spy genre, this book is full of interesting parts for modern play. Some mechanics might even be useful for non-modern campaigns.

 

[Morrus]

It took me a while to get around to reviewing Spycraft. It's not that I couldn't find anything to say, but more because I was waiting for my initial enthusiasm for the game to die down and allow me to construct a less "excited" review. Unfortunately, that enthusiasm hasn't yet died down, so I resigned myself to the struggle that an objective review would present.

I'll tell you immediately that I'm using this game. I started running an "A-Team" style Spycraft game within a week of receiving the book and, so far, the game has proven to be fun, streamlined and flexible. Don't make the mistake of thinking that Spycraft is only for "James Bond" style games; within certain constraints presented by the system (more on those later), the game can be used to play in any modern-day style or setting.

Spycraft does the one thing that I really look out for in d20 products. The sort of thing that makes me sit up and take notice, and which makes me fight back an impulse to use the material immediately in the way that a new prestige class (yawn), new feats or new spells don't. And it does it well, with flair and elegance.

You'll be asking by now - "Yeah, yeah, so what is it that Spycraft does that excites you so much?" Well, it uses and adds to the d20 System in a major and innovative way. It introduces new concepts and mechanics while remianing firnly within the d20 goalposts. Of the various new features introduced, there are three which I find really add to the game:

• Chases - you really have to see the chase mechanics to understand why they're so good. I've used them in two car chases now, and they proved elegant and simple, yet flexible and exciting. Each vehicle (the predator and prey) selects a maneuver, and then each driver makes a drive check to accomplish that maneuver. For example, the pursuing driver may try and "herd" his prey, while the leading driver may attempt a stunt to lose his pursuer; or the pursuer may attempt to reduce the lead distance, while the prey attempts to "barnstorm" a mall in the hope that the predator will get left behind. The two maneuvers are cross-indexed on a chart to arrive at check modifiers for the drivers' opposed skill checks, and the result of the winning driver's maneuver is applied. Of course, while this is all happening, the passengers could be shooting at the other car or performing other actions. These chase mechanics cover ground, sea and air chases.
• Backgrounds - a player may buy a background; this could be anything from having a mortal enemy to a romantic interest. This sort of thing is usually handled in inherently flawed advantage/disadvantage systems, in which players balance role-play disadvantages against mechanical advantages, with the net result being that the player ignores the disadvantage and effectively gains a mechanical advantage for free. Well, that ploy won't work here. You buy your background at a cost, and the GM is then obliged to introduce it into the game within a certain frequency range. This earns you experience points each time. However, if your GM does not bring the background into the game within the required time frame (usually measured in game sessions), you gain a very large one-off XP bonus. Thus you can be confident that your mortal enemy will show up every 4-5 sessions or so, or that your romantic interest actually forms part of the game.
• Action Dice - the weakest of my "top three cool things in this game" list, Action Dice are a fun and simple way to let your players accomplish those heroic, lucky actions at the right time. Each player gets a number of Action Dice per game session (the number and type of dice depends on character level) which can be used to add to die rolls, activate a critical threat or an opponent's critical failure or call in favours. The GM also gets a pile of them which he can use in the same way. Action Dice mean that dramatic actions and heroic maneuvers form a large part of the game without removing any of the uncertaintly created by a dice-driven game. Drama takes precedence over randomly generated results with the constraint that the player only has a limited capacity to affect the story in such a way.

Spycraft, of course, also contains lots of modern weapons and equipment along with the associated rules. Martial arts feats and new skills add to the mix to create a system ideal for modern-day play.

Now, there are things that I don't like about Spycraft. These mainly came to light through play. I really don't like the rules for acquiring equipment and gadgets. Without going into too much detail, these consist of an unwieldy combination of mission budget points, personal budget points, gadget points and field expenses, all of which are acquired in different ways and all of which is very much tied into a default "Here's your mission brief from your agency, now requisition X amount of equipment for the mission" set-up. I'd much prefer a simple cost system like that found in the D&D core rules and allow players to keep track of how much money they have; if the GM wants a set-up whereby the players can requisition equipment, he can easily give them a budget to spend at the start of each mission.

This probably wouldn't have been a problem had I been running a default game. But I'm running an A-Team game, and the characters have no agency to requisition materials from. I found myself juggling justifications for the mechanical ways in which players can gain equipment and money, and none of it really came across quite right. Admittedly, I could have just ignored it all, and just used the dollar cost of equipment, but gadgets don't have a dollar cost, just a cost in gadget points and, even worse, vehicles are considered gadgets. The whole system also doesn't easily accommodate permanently owned items, as budget and gadget points only last for one mission. It is possible to juggle all this and fit it into your game, but I feel that a simpler system would alleviate that necessity.

I also have a minor problem with the layout of the book. In general, it is very well presented. It looks slick, it's easy to understand and is very clear. However, I find myself having to look up the stats for various weapons etc. regularly during the game - and each time I find myself searching for the stats on various weapon charts placed throughout the equipment chapter. One chart has simple, melee weapons, another has pistols, another for rifles or shotguns, another for machine guns etc. It hold the game up, and this could be easily solved with a master weapons chart. I'm guessing that the GM screen (available separately) has such a thing, but the rulebook is in dire need of one instead of the scattered equipment lists currently to be found there.

Another very minor gripe that I have with the book is the way "races" are dealt with. In Spycraft, instead of choosing a race, you choose a "department" which represents your core training. The thing is, the distinction between "department" and class are blurred; why is "wheelman" a class but "black ops" a department/race? I can see the mechanical thinking behind such a decision, but I don't like the result.

However, I can get over these issues. Despite them, I'm enjoying Spycraft immensely. Not only does it introduce nifty new d20 mechanics, it also clarifies and, in some cases simplifies/streamlines certain D&D rules in a manner that should really have been in the core rules to start with. For example, no longer do we have full actions, moves, move-equivalent actions, partial actions and so on - instead we now just have two half actions or one full action per round. Simple.

Now, I mentioned that I didn't like the gadget points and other aspects of equipment acquisition. But I didn't actually mention the gadgets themselves. These are just great - from simple things like gun silencers and bugs to elaborate things like x-ray contact lenses, bungee suspenders or grenade cigarettes to vehicle modifications such as bullet-proofing, souped up handling, or the ability to transform into another vehicle type. It's all very James Bond-like and great fun!

All in all, this is my favourite d20 product to date - by far. Perhaps I'm jaded from seeing so much of the same stuff over and over again, and I've been waiting for someone to do something interesting with the d20 system, but this is a true jewel in the d20 crown. It has its problems, sure, but they are far, far outweighed by the good. Despite its flaws, it still gets a superb 5/5 from me because my grips are just that - gripes. The problems that I have with the game will not be a problem at all to many, and much of it is because I'm already trying to bend the system rather than use the default set-up of Agency/Spy. Even if you're not going to play the game, it's worth getting just to see it.

 

[DM_Jeff]

Spycraft is a fine example of the d20 system rules broadened and used right to fit an entirely different genre.

Spycraft
By Patrick Kapera and Kevin Wilson
Cover Art by: Veronica V. Jones
$34.95 288-page d20 hardcover rules book
ISBN 1-887953-43-4

Disclaimer: I am a freelance d20 mechanics editor and writer for AEG. I did not work in any way on the Spycraft game.

Introduction: One of the biggest undertakings by any 3rd party d20 publisher is taking the theory that you could create an entire d20 role-playing game using the license to fit any genre. While we've seen campaign settings galore there hasn't been what one would call a new d20 role-playing game until the recent Dragonstar game. With WotC's "d20 Modern" open rules still eight months away AEG has released their long-anticipated espionage RPG "Spycraft" and their "Shadowforce Archer" accompanying campaign setting.

The experience I've personally had with spy games may mirror some others. I ran a single game of first edition Top Secret and it was awful. Years later I came to run an entire campaign using the awesome (and very underrated) engine of Top Secret/S.I., which resulted in loads of cool gamer tales to this day. There were other spy games (James Bond RPG and Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes come to mind) that came and went with little impact. While I admit I was very interested to see what AEG had done with this project, I wasn't jumping for joy. Well, I read it cover to cover, and I am now.

Review: Spycraft is a 288-page hardcover d20 role-playing game. The cover texture is the now-familiar style used for Oriental Adventures and Forgotten Realms. Border size is very good and text density is excellent. Layout and style are crisp and clear, chapters are well organized, headers and subsections are clear to find. There is an excellent table of contents and a gigantic full glossary for the whole book, making lookups easy. Only a single page is taken up with the Open Game License. Interior artwork is all black and white line art, and (from what might be a deliberate move) seems to mirror much of the artwork of the original Top Secret game from the early 80's. The interior pages are durable glossy, again like the hardcovers mentioned above.

The game jumps in immediately with introductions to the atmosphere and style as well as the game itself. To note first off, this is an RPG in itself. Sure it needs the D&D Players Handbook for the most basic of things, but it stands quite well on its own, covering all aspects as if it were a stand-alone RPG. Chapters are briefly discussed to help you organize your reading, and a very nifty feature: the differences between this game and D&D are highlighted. In short they use Vitality and Wounds from the Star Wars RPG, multiclassing into anything incurs no XP penalty, AoO are gone, Armor provides damage reduction instead of an AC bonus, and there's interworking systems as well.

First, there's this cool device called Action Dice that help your agent through luck and fate. If you know how force points work in the Star Wars RPG then you are on the right track, except they are even more versatile. You need to spend them to turn a 20 into a crit. You spend them to make a foe who rolled a 1 suffer a really bad mishap. You can spend 'em to roll extra dice (d4, d6, etc.) to add to your d20 rolls when trying something you just have to succeed at. You can even use them to heal yourself. There's also the idea of backgrounds, which aren't just roleplaying fluff, but actual game mechanics in that it helps the GM create tailored adventures and provides you possible XP bonuses! There's a mechanic called the Favor check to get additional equipment, a helping hand, or special information. Education checks help determine how knowledgeable your character is over you, and Inspiration checks help you worm your way out of a tight spot when you, the player, are stumped.

Agent creation is handled in its own chapter and goes step by step helping you bring your agent to life. Dozens of questions are asked to help you conceptualize your character long before numbers are rolled. In a handy move there's a page with the Spycraft character sheet with each section described with callouts leading you to pages where to reference those rules.

Since everyone is a human in this game, characters still tend to have their differences. So races in Spycraft are represented by Department, which is your PC's education, training and interests. Eight different backgrounds provide the equivalent of what racial packages did in D&D: provide ability bonus, extra feats, etc. The Departments are Home office, Power Brokerage, Military Operations, Computer Espionage, Urban Assault, Black Ops, Wetworks and "the Basement" (Fox Mulder was in this department). Next there is a set of new character classes to further define your PC. There's Faceman (Intelligence), Fixer (Burglar), Pointman (hmm, um, Bard), Snoop (Computer Geek), Soldier (Fighter), and Wheelman (Vehicle Specialist). Each covers an obvious niche and work well. We're told that the accompanying volume, the Shadowforce Archer campaign setting hardcover will feature a plethora of Prestige Classes to look forward to.

Skills work almost exactly like in D&D, with the exception that many were deleted, and many more added (like Computers, Mechanics, Surveillance, etc. The entire chapter is detailed very similar to the D&D PHB and this make it instantly accessible and understandable for d20 players. Feats, too, are either reproduced from D&D and many, many more are added. They are also further broken down into special categories that help separate concentrations (like Ranged Combat Feats, Melee Combat Feats, Chase Feats, etc.) that help the designers focus class and prestige class abilities and help organize the literally dozens of new powers you can get. Handy flowchart "trees" are shown in chart form so you can quickly see requirements and flow.

Happily, the Gear chapter helps me tout the game as a complete system. It's not a watered-down version to help you buy; it covers hundreds of items in excellent d20 detail conversion. There are modern weapons, computers, vehicles of all kinds and types, etc. In familiar style the equipment is first shown in charts and each item also has descriptive text with any special rules following. A barrage of armor types shows off the new d20 modern way of assigning damage reduction rules to protective gear, and rocket launchers, sniper rifles, all the way down to bayonet's are covered! Of course there's also a huge host of special bizarre super-spy equipment to go along.

The game's combat plays very familiar, and very fast. If you know how to fight in D&D you know how to fight in Spycraft, although crits and fumbles need Action Dice to work and there's no Attacks of Opportunity…it's all real familiar. Very simple, quick and easy rules for multi-shot handguns, strafing, cover fire, are all covered and work seamlessly into d20 combat. The best part is these don't feel like tacked-on systems nor are they the endless calculation of burst rules of yesteryear, they are easy to remember and apply as basic d230 rules, and yet they still provide detail. The question is d20 can handle a modern system well has long bee answered here, folks.

One other cool new added system is the chase rules. They really turn it into a battle of wits and skill between the players and GM! In my D&D game I've made up a set of psionic attack and defense mode cards that my psionic player and I each have. When psionic combat comes up there's a cool effect while we each try to outguess each other and each reveal our power at once for cross-referencing. In similar fashion, depending on your vehicle and conditions, each round there's a maneuver and counter-move that can be declared which then results in special action depending on the choices. I can't WAIT to use this! Alderac has really hit the nail on the head with design problems of systems of the past and really turned them around!

Working as both a Player's and Gamemaster's book, the tome also dives into giving the GM (in the came called "Control") lots of ammo to dig his hands into. Campaign crafting and adventure design (seasons and missions, respectively) are fully detailed with great care, offering design formulas in the way of classic spy flicks to exactly how to craft a balanced yet challenging opposition force and villain for your PC's to face called a mastermind. This really helps the Control get into the spy mode, challenging him with questions and ideas that will impact his group's characters skills and interests (and it's darn fun to boot). Loads of solid advice on running modern spy games, player pitfalls, and how to best work all the new system introduced are covered making the GM feel like another play, not the big, bad guy left out of all the fun. When I mean they make the job easy, think back to all the spy games you played and some of the items you weren't prepared for. There's a chart detailing flight times to and from nearly anywhere in the world! Exactly how effective all those favors the PC's build up are. All the dangers from the DMG are updated for the modern world. Trap sat blocks updated to current technology and security is detailed. How to simulate gambling games of chance using the d20 system is explored. And to help out the fledgling GM (and to provide good examples) a full set of developed, stat-blocked villains and henchmen (and plots) are presented. This is also where the DM can come across generic reusable thugs and different NPC archetypes to reuse in his own designs like cops, other agents, and regular folks. To help you set the mood there's also a nice big set of spy jargon to interject in your games for flavor, and of course a new double sided character sheet!

The best part about reviewing this project is not only does it meet and exceed all my expectations as a designer and rules stickler for d20, but as a fan who GM'd (and found all the pitfalls) of running modern spy games in the past, it fills all the holes by providing the tools and information necessary to make running a game a joy.

Conclusion: Spycraft took the base d20 rules and carefully worked them into a system that accurately details modern espionage, and the action and adventure genre overall. New systems fit seamlessly into the overall package so it all works together giving the players and GM the feel they are not playing D&D with guns. The book is loaded with d20 goodness, the mechanics are solid and trustworthy, and best of all complete (yes there can and will be a dozen rules supplements, but this book easily covers ALL the basics). I cannot recommend this game highly enough; it is an excellent piece of work.

-Jeff Ibach

 

[Messageboard Golem]

hey D00D, this crap sucks as hard as an iranian in a nuclear silo, I had more fun playing monopoly with my family!!! Get a life!!!

 

[Morrus]

I had to revise my score after some play - Spycraft, while good, didn't quite play out as well as it read.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

By Steve Creech, Executive Chairman, d20 Magazine Rack

This review is for Spycraft by Patrick Kapera and Kevin Wilson. Published by AEG (Alderac Entertainment Group), Spycraft is a modern day espionage role-playing game for the d20 system. The book is a healthy 286-pages in length and retails for $34.95.

Spycraft represents a break from the typical fantasy style setting that we have been accustomed to in worlds such as Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonstar, Ravenloft, or any others where nearly everything is derived from the Player’s Handbook and the Monster Manual. There are no fantasy races (elves or dwarves) nor are there monsters here (dragons or any other) in this game; only humans.

If you think about the greatest secret agents and spy movies that Hollywood has produced, you get an understanding of the flavor of this game. Your character can be a suave James Bond, or an agent like the one on ABC television’s Alias, or even part of a Mission: Impossible team. Spycraft really succeeds in providing the tools to customize our character as you want rather than limiting your options.

The first five chapters give you everything you need to create a Spycraft character. Initial creation is exactly like any character from the Player’s Handbook. One difference is that characters come from a department that has trained him or her in special techniques. Each department gives certain benefits to the character, so planning and wise choices are needed. There are six possible classes a character may select from: Faceman (master of disguise), Fixer (the team’s early warning system), Pointman (a jack-of-all-trades), Snoop (the computer geek), Soldier, or Wheelman (the team mechanic). Each class has its own special abilities that are gained through level progression just as any class from the Player’s Handbook.

The skills and feats are diverse and appropriate for the genre. In addition to familiar skills such as Appraise, Handle Animal and Search, there are also new ones like Boating, Driver, Mechanics, and Surveillance. The feats are one of the strengths of Spycraft. There are 131 feats to choose from, including those originally listed in the Player’s Handbook. The feats are divided into several different categories, or “feat trees” to better organize the type and purpose of each feat. This is something I wish everyone would do. It makes it very easy to ascertain appropriate feats for a character and what required feats that are needed beforehand.

New combat feats include Career Operative (your superspy experience makes you hard to kill), Confident Charge (you can charge around corners – think Han Solo from Star Wars), Master Assassin (expertise with striking at your opponents’ weak spots with a weapon), and Iron Fist (you can easily shatter items with your attacks). Chase feats include Baby It (you can coax a damaged vehicle to continue to perform), Lock It Down (you can put a vehicle back together with duct tape and bubblegum while it’s moving), and Wave Runner (you are completely undaunted by high seas, narrow channels, or churning rapids). Covert feats list Hidden Run (you are a fleeting shadow, nearly invisible even as you rush past opponents), Spider Walk (capable of climbing wet or slippery surfaces effortlessly), and Traceless (the habit of removing signs of your presence) as a few choices. There are also gear feats (which offer more equipment), basic skill feats (such as acrobatic or athletic), and advanced skill feats (talented or track).

An additional category of feats called Style feats is one of the cooler aspects of Spycraft. Style feats “deal with the matters of espionage lifestyle and methods, enhancing your basic ability as a spy.” Choices of style feats include: card shark, charmer, filthy rich (I like this one!), five star service, flawless identity (another good one), hard core, the look, old debts, private identity, and safe house. These feats can really add flavor to your character.

The chapter devoted to gear is everything you would expect in a book like this. The modern weapons are relatively balanced as far as game mechanics go with nearly everything covered or at least mentioned. The rest of the chapter goes into the more mundane equipment that would keep Q at MI-6 (James Bond reference for those who don’t recognize it) quite busy.

Combat is very similar to what you are accustomed to from the Player’s Handbook. The differences are minor and actually add to the overall experience. An example of this is the use of wound and vitality points rather than straight hit points. This definitely adds to the realism of the game. The rules presented for combat cover just about every foreseeable scenario and course of action. It is very well done.

The chapter covering chase rules is equally well done with a step-by-step guide on handling them. Personally, I like the maneuver descriptions and how to adjudicate them. The chase rules are not restricted to vehicles only. Air, water, foot and other chase variations are also addressed.

The remaining parts of Spycraft address tradecraft (how to use your character’s abilities in the world of espionage) and control (the GM section on running a mission). Both chapters are a wealth of information and are filled with enough stuff to keep a creative GM busy for some time.

In conclusion, Spycraft has the stuff to make a real winner. As a GM who likes to occasionally combine elements of cross-genre games, this book has awesome potential for a character I created some time back. It is a breath of fresh air to the standard Dungeons & Dragons game and should be essential material for anyone wanting a modern d20 game setting. Despite the $34.95 price tag, this book is worth every cent. I highly recommend it!

To see the graded evaluation of this product, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.