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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2009914" data-attributes="member: 18387">By John Grigsby, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine Rack Sizing Up the Target Ultra-Modern Firearms, by Charles Ryan, is a supplement for the D20 MODERN game. It is a 160-page hardcover from Green Ronin Publishing and retails for $27.95. It requires the D20 MODERN rules published by Wizards of the Coast. First Blood Right off, this book has two things going for it. First, it is the first supplement available for D20 MODERN and it makes great use of that distinction. Instead of a campaign setting or a book of prestige classes, this is a book that every D20 MODERN player and GM will doubtlessly find useful. It’s a book about guns. Secondly, it’s written by Charles Ryan, one of the co-authors of D20 MODERN, so you know that it’s faithful to the source material.One of the most-commonly perceived “failings” of D20 MODERN has been its lack of weapon selection. I use the quotations because I really don’t think that it’s fair to judge a book which is designed to provide rules for role-playing in the modern era solely by the fact that due to space limitations, they didn’t represent every firearm known to man. Be reasonable! That would take, well, a book unto itself. Hmm, maybe we’re onto something here. So how complete is Ultramodern Firearms? There’s always going to be some gun-nut in the group who reads Soldier of Fortune monthly and wants to get the latest and greatest firearm to hit the black market. This book isn’t going to please them. However, for anyone who is seeking a good compromise between that and the 30+ firearms described in D20 MODERN, this is for you. This book provides excellent detail for over 350 firearms from around the world. It doesn’t have everything, but there’s enough here to keep even the most adrenaline-driven character happy for a while. The book is divided into 7 chapters; pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, rifles, shotguns, machineguns, and ammunition. Each weapon is given a technical description (which includes details about construction, variants, and usage), a detailed grey-scale drawing of the weapon, caliber, length, weight, magazine size, and D20 MODERN game mechanics. Each chapter is headed up with an introduction which introduces the class of firearm to the reader; basically, a crash-course in armament. History, construction, and common features are all covered here. This is followed by any aspects of or additions to the D20 MODERN rules that apply to that particular class of weapon, such as Reliability and Chambered Rounds, for pistols, or Scopes for rifles. The chapter on ammunition delves into the wonderful world of chambered rounds, from the standard “ball” ammo to the latest in Glaser Safety Slugs. Yes, the incendiary shotgun ammo (“dragonfire shells”) that is becoming controversial is also covered here. But more than that, this chapter also talks about choosing the right ammo for the job and what kinds of ammo different groups of people might use. And there’s still more. A chart showing which country’s forces use what weapons insures that your players will never catch you with your pants down. You’ll know that most local police forces in Austria use Steyr G8’s, for example. There are detailed rules for reliability, silenced weapons, bipods and mountings, and using this book with a vitality point/wound point system that many players have adopted. Still not enough? Toss in a features index that, at-a-glance, provides action and caliber size of all the weapons featured in the book, in addition to such features as whether the weapon can be silenced, concealment, ease-of-use, and accuracy. Now, who could possibly ask for more? Okay, yes, there are also nine new feats and a table that compiles all firearm-related feats into one place. Critical Hits There is no one great thing about this work that stands above all the rest, because all of it is superior. From the drawings, to the mechanics, to the loving detail that Charles has put into the design, everything about this book is a delight to the eyes and mind of the modern-genre gamer. The format is easy to read, the design allows for easy reference, and the real-world specifications are nicely balanced as D20 MODERN mechanics. Critical Misses The only negative thing I can say about the book, and this is by no means a failing, is that it is limited in scope. It covers its topic matter very well, but modern firearms are as far as it goes. If your game is set in World War II or the Roaring 20’s, you aren’t going to find much here of use. I stress that this is not a failing because, as Charles has pointed out in defense of the work on various forums, the title is Ultramodern Firearms, not Guns! Guns! Guns! The decision to focus on the more modern weapons was intentional and to this end, you will not find any older firearms in this work. If that’s what you are looking for, you need to search elsewhere. But if what you want are the latest and greatest methods of long-range destruction available, this is your book! As stated earlier, Ultramodern Firearms does not have everything. Already, a few people on various forums have begun to nitpick over what is not included. Reasonably, I believe that what is provided is more than enough to give players and GMs plenty to work with. It may not have specs for the super-godawful .50 cal sniper rifle with the starlight/ thermal/30x scope that was featured in this month’s Sniper’s Digest, but with over 350 weapons to choose from, I think you’ll find something for almost everyone. Coup de Grace The bottom line is simple: if you include firearms in your D20 MODERN game, you need this book. All of the game mechanics are designated as Open Game Content, so you can use this as a resource in your own supplements and adventures, but weapon descriptions and introductions are not. A fair exchange, I’d say. As might be expected (since it is penned by one of the designers), the book meets d20 Compliance spot-on. I award high marks for originality as it relates to the D20 MODERN system. Books on firearms are nothing new. Over the years, we’ve seen BTRC’s Guns! Guns! Guns!, the Palladium Book of Conventional Weaponry, and Steve Jackson Games’ GURPS High Tech, to name a few. But these have all been aimed at other game systems. Ultramodern Firearms provides the same level of detail and is aimed at D20 MODERN. Playability scores high marks because everyone will want a copy of this work, whether a player or a GM.To see the graded evaluation of this product, go to The Critic's Corner at <a href="http://www.d20zines.com" target="_blank">www.d20zines.com.</a></blockquote>

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