Which suit would fit me best

[Ka-bar]

I am in the very early creation stage of a campaign and would like to hear what you have to think about the game I would use.

very rough initial tagline. Think of 1920-35 shadowchasers/buffy/the mummy/indiana jones. Fast, fun, some investigation and exploration, but still with some grit and ugliness.

So my question is would d20M work for this, or would CoC d20 be better. I have no interest in using Cthulhu mythos (I don't own CoC d20 but I do own d20M) and will just come up with monsters and villians on my own. On the other hand I think that CoC is set in that time period, which would save me from having to convert alot of skills/equip etc. I sure would appreciate some general thoughts on this subject.

<goes back to figuring out ways to get his secret nazi necromancers into Washinton DC>

 

[Moonsword]

I don't own CoC, but from what I've read looking through the book in bookstores, it seems to use a lot of the same rules handling modern society, at least so far as occupations are concernec. I don't know anything about the class system, however.

 

[Crothian]

THe big difference is power of characters. In CoC the characters are not that powerful, at all. Everyone has d6 HD either offensive or defensive class, 8 skill points a level. D20 Modern, you are actually make more herioc type characters that can survive getting hit with a bullet or two.

However, CoC does have info on that time period where d20 Modern is all 21st century stuff.

 

[Ka-bar]

good point Crothian, since I don't own CoC d20 I didn't know about the relative power levels. Being that I'm going for the Indiana/the mummy thing, maybe d20M is a little better suited for that.

Ohhh, I just remembered that movie The Rocketeer, so many good ideas.

 

[RodneyThompson]

Actually, for this kind of game I would highly reccommend picking up a book called "Forbidden Kingdoms." It's designed for exactly the kind of game you're looking at: pulp mystery/action. I played in a demo run by Owen K.C. Stephens at GenCon and it was a lot of fun.

 

[Mistwell]

I think d20 Modern would work just fine for this kind of game. In fact, the free module offered by WOTC right now takes place in that period of time I seem to recall.

[Edit: Actually it takes place in the 18th century not long after the French Revolution.]

 

[Gospog]

Ka-Bar,

Have you considered using the Pulp Heroes and/or Shadow Chasers mini games from Polyhedron?

Shadow Chasers is a blatant tribute to Buffy, while Pulp Heroes emulates the Mummy quite well.

My group has played both and enjoyed them immensely.

If you want to do a little more work and customization, try using D20 Modern. You'll have to write/steal more of the details , but you'll have a ton of flexibility with what you can do.

By the way, your game sounds really fun!

 

[Morgenstern]

These is also pretty easily within the abilites of Spycraft, as the Hand of Glory threat book is devoted using mystically powerful nazi-esque cults as bad guys, and the Explorer base class in that book is ALL about making your own Dr. Jones . If you are looking for a cinematic, faster paced, two fisted action take on it, definitely check Hand of Glory out. (hey- it's got gouge beetles in it - little critters that eat all the parts of you that were injured, and return you to life. After a few used, you start looking rather like the mummy, with more and more bits eaten away... Good, wholesome pulp villian fun ).

 

[Voneth]

Well it depends how you want to handle the cinematic nature of your game.

From realistic to pure adventure I'd rank things like this.

CoC
d20 Modern
Spycraft
Forbidden Kingdoms
Pulp Mini-game-Dragon Magazine
Mutants and Masterminds