Will Spycraft dominate d20 Modern?

[Pbartender]

In Spycraft 2.0...

Captain Kirk, the Daring Playboy Explorer/Tactician vs. Mr. Spock, the Disciplined Researcher Scientist/Field Analyst.

Dramatic Conflict time!

Lol! That's just awesome .

Looks like base attack bonus modestly favors Kirk - before the non-proficiency penalty for using an exotic edged weapon trips him up (though Kirk might just have picked up the proficiency after the whole Gorn incident).

Well, now that we've got Tactician Expert Class preview to look at...

Kirk is going to get a lot of help from Surge of Speed/Tempo, and if he got a peek at the GC's adventure notes befor ethe game started, he might be able to get the exotic weapon proficiency (I don't remember if that's a melee combat feat or a basic combat feat) from Art of War. Would Spock still count as teammate in this instance? If not, Kirk could also get an edge from the Strategem and Blood of Heroes class abilities.



My FLGS is supposed to get the books in Tuesday about noon.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I actually prefer it when games don't have a strong setting. For instance, I find the Diamond Throne kind of interesting, but I'd rather own the rules from Arcana Unearthed without the setting.

I also look askance - like this! - at the claim that Greyhawk is the "default" setting for D&D. They talk a good game in Seattle but it just ain't so. A dozen gods don't a default setting make.

 

[Desdichado]

There are two BIIIG draws for d20 Modern still:

1) Established customer support outside of WotC
2) The rules are still 99% available for free; therefore, you don't have to coax members of the group to buy a $40 book.

A third too--because the d20 Modern is available in the SRD and is open content, there are third party publications specifically for d20 Modern as well. Some of them quite keen, as a matter of fact.

 

[C. Baize]

A third too--because the d20 Modern is available in the SRD and is open content, there are third party publications specifically for d20 Modern as well. Some of them quite keen, as a matter of fact.

A fourth, as well...
Because the D20 Modern rules, by and large, work quite well...
I have less house rules for D20 Modern than for anything else because we've found that for the most part, they work.

The only things we've really houseruled are progressive non-lethal damage, and an alternate autofire rule. Although we're considering a new rule for explosives that will take a bit more bookkeeping.

 

[Psion]

My FLGS is supposed to get the books in Tuesday about noon.

Mine too.

It's gonna take a will save to not cut out of work early today.

 

[AscentStudios]

A third too--because the d20 Modern is available in the SRD and is open content, there are third party publications specifically for d20 Modern as well. Some of them quite keen, as a matter of fact.

Spycraft is mostly Open Content, but like almost every other d20 publisher save WotC, they have not assembled an SRD for people to use. Look at the OGL notice in the back of any Spycraft book starting with the first and you'll see almost everything is Open.

As for 3rd party stuff - it's there. Dark Inheritance and Most Wanted are the main examples, though a few others have been slated and/or written but not published, sadly. The downturn in the market surely has had an effect on that. I know of at least 3 3rd party prodcuts in production right now for 2.0, one of which is nearing completion as I type

 

[Desdichado]

Really? Is that new for 2.0? I had thought that it was not completely open in the past.

Either way, there's a lot more d20 Modern OGC than there is Spycraft OGC out there, so I think the advantage still goes to d20 Modern in that aspect even if Spycraft is 100% open content.

 

[SteveC]

Really? Is that new for 2.0? I had thought that it was not completely open in the past.

Either way, there's a lot more d20 Modern OGC than there is Spycraft OGC out there, so I think the advantage still goes to d20 Modern in that aspect even if Spycraft is 100% open content.

The big thing about Spycraft 1.0 was that the Vitality/Wounds mechanic was not open content when it came out. That's no longer true, so you have a lot of open gaming goodness with this book.

--Steve

 

[SteveC]

Mine too.

It's gonna take a will save to not cut out of work early today.

Psion,
I hope you have a moment to give your thoughts on the book. I am really of too minds on it: it is a great resource: I'd say it would be an entire product line in one book for some game companies! I'm currently looking for rules for kitchen sinks in it somewhere.

At the same time, this is some of the most dense reading I've had in a long while. It really could have used some examples to go with the rules, but I suppose that would have made the book even longer.

 

[Morgenstern]

I'm currently looking for rules for kitchen sinks in it somewhere.

Common item as described on page 213.
Also probably included in the expanded "construction supplies" in Construction Kit III (page 218)