What can anyone familiar with it tell me about the True20 system? Where can I find some reviews?
True20
- Thread starter The Grumpy Celt
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Crothian
First Post
I reviewed the system but it was from the Blue Rose book and not the True 20 release. It contains no setting info in the review, it was strictly game mechanics. It was released in a issue 0 of a new e-mag Emerald Press is doing. I'm not really that familar with that the magazine is all about all I know is I'm reviewing systems mechanics instead of games for it. Its a little odd.
The little bit I've read on it suggests it is a streamlined version of the standard d20 system. I wonder how they handle some of the number crunching.
What is Blue Rose all about? I read it is supposed to me "romance." Are we talking Harlequin type of romance here?
What is Blue Rose all about? I read it is supposed to me "romance." Are we talking Harlequin type of romance here?
Crothian
First Post
The Grumpy Celt said:
No, not that type. I define it as a greater focus on the emotionaql role playing. It is more femal centric then pretty much any other fantasy setting I've read. It centers around one country that has divine help (a deer) to choose the ruler. The place is very accepting of different religions, races, and beliefs. The writing some consider a little too sweet, I'm not sure how to discribe it. Romantic Fantasy is a genre popular with teenage girls so that might help to envision some of what they are going for. But it is done by Green Ronin and in the past few year they've had the Midos Touch.
Benben
First Post
The Grumpy Celt said:
Here's a quick essay Steve Keneson wrote about the romantic fantasy genre. It is not Harlequin style romance but coverse a sub-genre of fantasy usually written by women authors that stresses interpersonal relationships over continous combat. Also magic tends to be persuasive but orders of magnitude weaker than conventional D&D.
True 20 as presented in Blue Rose simplifes the D20 system. There are 3 classes: warrior, expert, and adept. Feats are gained every level and can simulate the more familiar class abilities. Combat follows a Mutants and Masterminds system, but armor adds to defense and not to damage reduction. Attacks of opportunity are removed from the system to keep things off of the battle-mat. Also do not get iterative attacks for a high base attack bonus. There are no skill points to hand out, the ranks are either maxed if known and favored by your class.
True 20 is the next revision of the system and made a few more changes. Base attack and Defense bonus were merged into Combat Bonus. All attacks be they melee or ranged use Combat Bonus + Dex + size modifier + misc. modifier. So Weapon Finesse was removed from the game. Armor now adds to the Toughness save. The Toughness save is no longer dependent on level, but is static and set at your con bonus. This makes combat much deadlier.
I bet a lot of this will roll into Mutants and Masterminds second edition.
It's a fast and light system that still gives a lot of room for custimization. The True 20 pdf is on sale for $12 so is worth an impulse buy. We won't see it in print for about a year, because Green Ronin's setting search to attach to the True 20 system.
I like it a lot. However, I have not yet had the chance to game with it!The Grumpy Celt said:
I bought the True 20 pdf even though I already have Blue Rose (and Mutants and Masterminds). The pdf is 95 pages plus the OGL, with no artwork.
I look on it as being a "pure" d20 system. A d20 is the only dice you use. Its the d20 system without the frills, and I find it beautiful in its simplicity.
Starting ability scores (the usual 6 suspects) range from -5 to +5; and are bought with a simple one-for-one point buy. All scores start at 0, and you have 6 points to spend. You gain points for reducing scores and spend points to increase them. Your ability score modifier (in D&D terms) is the same as your ability score.
If a score drops to below -5 during the game (whether as the result of poison or whatever) you are in trouble. You can increase a score by 1 every 6 levels and gain a feat every level, (except for 1st, when you get a few feats to start with).
There are 3 character classes - warrior, adept and expert. The only class featues are combat bonuses (i.e. BAB), saving throw bonuses and the number of skill points. However, some feats are class specific. All skills are considered class skills. You can freely multi-class.
Some D&D class features are reproduced as feats e.g. favoured enemy, evasion.
The pdf does not include any races. The future printed version will include 3 official campaign settings, and I imagine they will include campaign specific races.
There are no hit points. You are either unharmed, hurt, wounded, disabled, dying or dead.
The "magic" system is feat based. To gain a spell known you spend a feat. You choose which ability score governs your spell casting, and can cast any spells you know an unlimited number of times. Most spells have a chance of making you fatigued, however.
The arcane / divine / psionic distinction can be introduced for flavour reasons, but mechanically there is no difference. There's no arcane spell failure percentages, no need for components, no spellbooks or deities.
Characters gain levels whenever the DM (Narrator) feels they deserve it.
The pdf includes 21 "monsters", of which over half are animals (and 5 are dogs, cats etc.)
There is the very briefest of magic items sections (10 short paragraphs) and an appendix for using the rules in a modern setting.
There are no prestige classes, and no alignments, but there are character traits (choose one vice and one virtue, but only for flavour reasons) and the equivalent of action points and reputation.
I really like it, and it didn't cost much for the pdf. I recommend it to everyone.
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Let me know if you have any queries about specific game mechanics which weren't covered in my excessively long previous post. Always happy to help out a fellow celt.The Grumpy Celt said:
However, I'd recommend buying the pdf and finding out for yourself
Blue Rose has a page long description of "what is romantic fantasy" that is beyond my ability to paraphrase.The Grumpy Celt said:
Its inspired by authors like Mercedes Lackey, and characters have "fluffy bunny" type goals like finding a sense of belonging, finding love, protecting the environment etc. There are also generally talking animals.
It is a great opportunity to play something different to a traditional heroic fantasy, and none of my group will touch it with a 10' pole.
Karl Green
First Post
I would really love to see a Modern or SciFi based one show up in the printy version
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