WOTC D20 Modern vs AEG Spycraft

[woodelf]

Most movies allow heroes to win, if you take the definition of "cinematic" literally. It all boils down to what type of movies are we talking about: Commando starring Arnold Schwarzeneggar or Blackhawk Down starring Josh Hartnett.

Or, heck, we could even look at non-Hollywood movies. I'd go so far as to say that many(most?) *good* movies are precisely about how the main characters *fail*: Leon/The Professional being an excellent example. I certainly prefer action flick about the costs of goals/ideals over those about success.

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled OT debate about RP systems.

 

[woodelf]

They are still testing the modern-day roleplaying genre. They can't just put out a product and hope that every d20 Modern Rulebook owner will buy it. They risked making Urban Arcana because the target group have always been their largest fan base, D&D.

Actually, my understanding is it's the other way 'round: They had Urban Arcana first, and decided to extract the rules content for a semi-generic modern system, which became D20M, so that they could then publish UrbArc. IOW, they risked making D20M, so that they could sell the hopefully-reliable UrbArc to their usual demographic.

 

[Dismas]

Actually, my understanding is it's the other way 'round: They had Urban Arcana first, and decided to extract the rules content for a semi-generic modern system, which became D20M, so that they could then publish UrbArc. IOW, they risked making D20M, so that they could sell the hopefully-reliable UrbArc to their usual demographic.

Link please.

 

[woodelf]

Link please.

<http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20modern/article/20030506a>

 

[Psyckosama]

Hell, i'm working on a *high-fantasy* genre game, and it's got more bits from Spycraft in it than from D&D3E or D20M. The system's just that good, IMHO. [Oh, and the more i look at BESM D20, the more i think it'll have bits of that in there, too.]

For my campaigns I use a mix of Spycraft and now BESM d20.

Kinda depressing that other companies seem to be better with d20 then the creators. Oh well, it's all inovation IMHO. AEG and GoO inovate. Wizards no longer is willing to takes the risks. They don't need to WotC had brandname recognition. They don't NEED to...

 

[Ranger REG]

Heh. I wonder if those companies with their own popular in-house rules systems are smacking their head and asking themselves, "Now why didn't we thought of that first?" I mean, imagine having third-party publishers using GURP or Storyteller or Tri-Stat for compatibility with their own core rulebooks, making it indispensable.



All I can say to those companies like SJG, White Wolf, Palladium, if you prefer your current flow of revenue coming in, keep doing what you're doing in. But if you want to push your wares, you better think of a marketing strategy fast, unless you wish to quit the industry. Your choice. Just don't sit on your ass and complain like an unemployed skinhead (whose job was taken by a minority who is better educated, creative, and have initiative).

You could hire Ryan Dancey to help you guys out.

 

[Dismas]

<http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20modern/article/20030506a>

Thanks. It is just that this article http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20modern/article/20020930a says that The d20 Modern Roleplaying Game enjoyed humble beginnings as the brainchild of Bill Slavicsek. It was proposed first as an action-horror game called Shadow Chasers...

I guess everyone remembers differently

 

[Psyckosama]

Thanks. It is just that this article http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20modern/article/20020930a says that The d20 Modern Roleplaying Game enjoyed humble beginnings as the brainchild of Bill Slavicsek. It was proposed first as an action-horror game called Shadow Chasers...

I guess everyone remembers differently

Only diffrence between Shadow Chasers and Urban Arcana is in one you kill everything that moves, in the other, you ill <I>almost</i> everything that moves! ;p

Really, they're almost the same setting just from a diffrent point of view.

 

[Dismas]

Only diffrence between Shadow Chasers and Urban Arcana is in one you kill everything that moves, in the other, you ill <I>almost</i> everything that moves! ;p

Really, they're almost the same setting just from a diffrent point of view.

I disagree, just look at the amount of magic available in the different campaigns. ShadowChasers is Call of Cthullu / X-files / Buffy, no - low level magic. Urban Arcana is more DnD / Charmed. To me that is a huge difference in setting and style.

 

[Voneth]

Thanks. It is just that this article http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20modern/article/20020930a says that The d20 Modern Roleplaying Game enjoyed humble beginnings as the brainchild of Bill Slavicsek. It was proposed first as an action-horror game called Shadow Chasers...

I guess everyone remembers differently ... Dismas

Seeing as how one article is highlighting Urban Arcana, no surprise. If Shadow Chasers comes out then we'll see more designers remembering it the other way.

I disagree, just look at the amount of magic available in the different campaigns. ShadowChasers is Call of Cthullu / X-files / Buffy, no - low level magic. Urban Arcana is more DnD / Charmed. To me that is a huge difference in setting and style. ... Dismas

Depends on where you sit. As compared to the SF step children of d20 Modern, Agents of Psi and Genetech, The two magic settings have a lot more in common, including termonolgy ("Shadow Chasers" and "The Shadows!" and in both games, isn't about some supernatural leakage to boot?) The biggest difference to me is only the demographic that the two magic settings aim for, Buffycrowd and DnDcrowd.

You'd have to ground down the two SF settings to "SF gov. conspiracy" to equate the simlarities. Beyond that, there are much bigger differences. In one game, some rouge agents could hide because they can pass for human ... for a short time. In the other game, no one can ever hide, thanks to telepathy.

For me? Make mine SG-1. I can't wait to use my AEG feat and skill psionic rules as new ways that aliens can muck up my SG PCs.