Why I struggle to run D20 Modern games

[Sebastian Francis]

I want a "Book of Challenges." For real, this time. I want it to detail typical problems that a group in the present day or near future might encounter. In game terms, how do you forge an ID? Fake out a biometric ID? How do you stop a plummeting elevator? What's the average modern day security in a jail cell? Where in the modern world are the sewers big enough to walk in? What's down there?

I thought that rather than thread-jack I'd start a new thread. The quote above illustrates perfectly my frustrations with trying to run a D20 Modern game. In D&D the technology is all either (a) medieval or (b) magic, so explaining how things work is easy. In Modern, you potentially run into SO many problems with "how things work", especially if the players are smart.

Example:

GM: You enter the room. There's a power generator.

Player: What kind of generator? How does it work? How can we shut it down? Are there levers? Switches? Magnetic tape? Punch-card? Digital readout? Circuit breaker? What?

GM: Uh...want to play D&D instead?

 

[Sebastian Francis]

Okay, here's what I mean.

If you don't know how this works:

http://www.legend.org.uk/~acovell/t.../adges_photographs/power_generator_house2.jpg

...then you can't run d20 Modern. At least not with a power generator in it.

The power generator thing is just an example, but the same problem comes up with *any* modern technology in the game. Cars, airplanes, infrared, satellite phones, radar, sonar, etc. Anytime the players need to know how something works, you have to have an intelligent answer. I don't know enough! And I don't want to run all my D20 Modern games as one-shots in a cabin in the woods. Technology has to be a part of the game! :\

 

[jezter6]

I think the appropriate GM answer to the question is...who cares?

Unless they use disable device, they can't disable it. Doesn't matter if it has switches, dials, levers, digital readouts, whatever. If they wanna turn it off, give it a target DC and go with it. If it's a highly technical one like the picture above, make the number fairly high. If it's a common gas operated camp generator, make it low. Asking if it has dials and switches or whatever is kinda metagame...the PLAYER may know that some switches may disable it, but the PC likely won't have a clue how to do it.

And if you want a better answer to the 'any switches' question: Yes or No. Make it as complicated as you want. No reason they always have to have easily identifiable switches. No reason they don't have to have switches.. It all depends on what you as a GM wants them to have. (Most do have a pretty good sized lever for main power to turn it off, but what consequences that holds is up to you)

You don't have to know everything, because likely the characters don't know anything. Dont let your industrial engineer player use his knowledge to let his cop PC disable a major electricity terminal.

 

[JoeGKushner]

For me, it's more of a matter of d20 modern being too generic without enough setting support.

Sure, there was that campaign setting by WoTC but I hated it. I'm not a huge fan of holocaust stuff either so that goes Darwin's World. Some of the mini-campaigns described in the d20 Modern book could be fleshed out with a lot of work... but then again, who has time for that.

The how technology works is another problem though. It's like playing with high level wizards. After a while, it's too much to keep track of.

 

[Falkus]

Okay, here's what I mean.

If you don't know how this works:

http://www.legend.org.uk/~acovell/t.../adges_photographs/power_generator_house2.jpg

...then you can't run d20 Modern. At least not with a power generator in it.

That's a thingy with switches, buttons and lights on it. The most pertinent details that you'll ever need to know is that it can easily be disabled with a few bursts from an automatic weapon, or a brick of C4.

 

[nobodez]

How Stuff Works

Well, me, I'm the kind of guy who grew up with these kinds of books. I read encyclopedias for fun (well, it was a very boring summer).

For me, I love describing the minutiae, but it almost never comes up. If I'm running a d20 Modern game, I'll scratch out a rough plan of what's in a room, and then they'll just Breeze past it. if it's a D&D game, it's much the same, only if it looks valuable, they take it to sell.

I have the complete opposite problem, but it comes down to the fact that, you know what, it doesn't matter. Just grab a picture off of Google for what's in the room, and if they want to mess with it, show them. Also, ask yourself these kinds of questions. Is is a diesel generator? Ok, then it's making a lot of noise, and smells bad, plus it's probably running low on fule unless it's connected to a larger tank. Or, don't put these things in if they aren't needed.

As for setting information, you live in the modern world. Just grab the paper, and boom, current events and plot ideas all in one place.

 

[JPL]

That can indeed be a challenge. Here are my thoughts:

1. Work with the smart players, not against them.

If a player has a specialized area of knowledge, defer to him to fill in the details. Give the players a bigger role in shaping the story. The players should be using that knowledge to advanced the story, not to start arguments.

2. Do your homework

Not always possible...but as much as you can, do the research for a modern adventure. Anticipate the tough questions. Cover your weak areas. If we're doing a martial arts campaign, or a military campaign, or a tech-intensive campaign ["Lone Gunmen" or "Sneakers"], you'll need to do a little extra prep.

This works great with #1...give the player some homework. I did a "Sliders"-type one-shot a while back, and prepped a little handout for the guy who was playing the scientific genius, explaining the pseduoscientific basis of dimensional travel.

When the time came, we glossed over the Knowledge checks and just let the man talk. He busted out some crazy Reed Richards sounding stuff, and the players asked HIM questions.


3. Lighten up

I don't mean that critically. I'm just saying that if the players understand that you are trying to emulate an action movie, or a spy novel, or a thirties cliffhanger serial, and not "the real world" per se, they will hopefully understand, at least intuitively, that fudging the details is acceptable.

I don't know how to forge an ID, or defuse a bomb, or hack a computer, or other stuff like that [and I don't think WotC would be wise to explain it to us]. Get close enough that it would work in a movie.

 

[Vigilance]

I'm real big on the following answer:

Player 1: What kind of generator?

Me: How many ranks of Knowledge (technology) do you have again?

Player 1: uhhh

Me: It looks shiny.

If the player is a smart hero and does have ranks in Knowledge (tech) then he will get an answer along the lines of "you understand how to turn this device on and off and think it supplies power to X part of the complex".

If a player asks a specific question "Is this a framistat generator or an INVERSE framistat generator"? And has the appropriate ranks in Knowledghe (tech) roll a d6... on a 1-3 it is on a 4-6 it isnt.

If the player says "AH HAH!" to either answer, and attempts to use that to blow up the world, he better have a lot of Disable Device ranks.

Chuck

 

[jaerdaph]

roll a d6... on a 1-3 it is on a 4-6 it isnt.

MY LOVE OF d02 KNOW NO LIMIT!!!!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[talien]

Two great resources: http://www.howstuffworks.com and http://www.worstcasescenarios.com/

Game terms are easy. Pick a skill or stat, a DC, and a determine how many rolls you have to make. What's probably more important is being familiar with the D20 Modern skills system than anything else.

In game terms, how do you forge an ID?

Skill: Forgery. According to the skill description a driver's license is complex, incurs a -4 penalty and 1 hour: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/identity-theft.htm/printable

Fake out a biometric ID?

Skill: Disable Device. Probably an ultrahigh security device (DC 40): http://computer.howstuffworks.com/fingerprint-scanner.htm/printable

How do you stop a plummeting elevator?

Skill: Craft (mechanical): http://science.howstuffworks.com/elevator.htm

What's the average modern day security in a jail cell?

Don't have an easy one here as it's a much larger question that requires more research.

Where in the modern world are the sewers big enough to walk in? What's down there?

Again, not a rules question: http://people.howstuffworks.com/sewer.htm

Modern campaigns take more work, but there's lots of resources out there that allow you to fake enough knowledge to get by.

When in doubt, set it in a local area where you live and work!