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arguskos
2011-02-02, 02:56 PM
Soooooo, Mongoose Publishing produced a Judge Dredd d20 line that turned out to be 14 supplements long. A buddy and I found the core book at Half-Price for like $7, so we're gonna play it in a few sessions, just for kicks.

I was reading over it, and a few things struck me: psi talent seems to completely utterly suck; the Rapid Fire mechanic is surprisingly effective seeming (Ricochet Rounds for the Lawgiver seem awesome, RF 10 is pretty amazing); the Called Shot rules look... functional, I guess.

I was curious if anyone has any experience with the Judge Dredd d20 by Mongoose and could give me a few pointers as to good things to be taking and doing. We're opening up at level 3, and I plan to take Psi-Judge (cause we should have one and no one else is volunteering). Not sure what else to really be doing past that though.

The Big Dice
2011-02-02, 07:49 PM
If you can get hold of the Rookie's Guide to Psi Power, that expands psi vastly. and bearing in mind that Dredd is an OGL game, you might be able to talk your Gm into letting you use stuff from the SRD to pad things out a bit.

One thing to bear in mind is, you're not alone. Use those backup checks to gain resources, support and information. Try and get to know, or have a printout of the criminal code and the sentences you can hand out, too. It helps you keep in character.

Another thing is, you only get 3 of each type of special ammo type, so conserve them. Only use them when you have to, and remember that Rapid Fire stacks with the Rapid Shot and Manyshot feats, plus with iterative attacks too. As a Judge, you can bring awesome amounts of firepower to bear if you need to. And a 30 round magazine can run out surprisingly fast if you're using Rapd Fire a lot.

Get to know your equipment. All Judges are issued with a large amount of gear, some in your utility belt and a lot more on your Lawmaster. It's all useful, as long as you know what it does and when to use it.

Most important of all, remember you're ultimately playing a cop. A cop with a LOT more power than you might be used to. But as tempting as it might be, your job isn't to blow perps away. It's to arrest them and cube them up for long periods of time, only resorting to the Lawgiver when you've got no other option.

arguskos
2011-02-02, 08:39 PM
If you can get hold of the Rookie's Guide to Psi Power, that expands psi vastly. and bearing in mind that Dredd is an OGL game, you might be able to talk your Gm into letting you use stuff from the SRD to pad things out a bit.
I did get a hold of both the Rookie's Guide to Psi Power and the Rookie's Guide to the Justice Department. Sadly, the DM has asked that we only use the core book, which is fair. First game with the material and all.


One thing to bear in mind is, you're not alone. Use those backup checks to gain resources, support and information. Try and get to know, or have a printout of the criminal code and the sentences you can hand out, too. It helps you keep in character.
Great advice about the printouts. I'll be doing that, thanks!


Another thing is, you only get 3 of each type of special ammo type, so conserve them. Only use them when you have to, and remember that Rapid Fire stacks with the Rapid Shot and Manyshot feats, plus with iterative attacks too. As a Judge, you can bring awesome amounts of firepower to bear if you need to. And a 30 round magazine can run out surprisingly fast if you're using Rapd Fire a lot.
Per clip, which you have base 5 (one in the gun, 4 extra) and another 12 on the Lawmaster, so you've got a lot of specialized bullets. I personally won't be the hail of fire guy, but I'll tell the other players to be careful with their ammo, so they don't run out at a bad moment.


Get to know your equipment. All Judges are issued with a large amount of gear, some in your utility belt and a lot more on your Lawmaster. It's all useful, as long as you know what it does and when to use it.
I noticed all of that jazz. It's like we get everything we could ever ask for! I mean, we get nets, shotguns, a club, a (silvered, in my case) boot knife, a city-wide radio, the list just goes forever. How often did you get to actually access your gear store on the Lawmaster, and how often did it all come in handy? Should I expect to need all of the esoteric stuff frequently, like the radcloak or whatever?


Most important of all, remember you're ultimately playing a cop. A cop with a LOT more power than you might be used to. But as tempting as it might be, your job isn't to blow perps away. It's to arrest them and cube them up for long periods of time, only resorting to the Lawgiver when you've got no other option.
Yeah, I was kinda seeing that. I figured that, as a psi-judge, I should focus on Arrests and Intimidate, so I did just that. My feat set up is Improved Arrest, Improved Interrogation, Menacing Presence (to trick perps into falling for my Improved Arrest, which is currently +11 at level 3; seems good), and Psychoanalyst (set up for Psychic Inquisitor, which just looks too fun to pass up :smallbiggrin:; we're a low-op group, so stuff like that is legit with us).

How often did Medical, Technical, Computer Use, Drive, and Pilot come up? I'm seeing Medical and Technical come up quite a bit, but the other three seem really kinda super specific and not extraordinarily useful. Also, I couldn't work getting ranks in Knowledge (law), so I just said screw it. Is this a bad decision?

I'm super-glad someone actually has played this, and can answer some basic questions, cause honestly, I'm a little at a loss for the use of certain things.

EDIT: Screw it, here's the character: Psi-Judge Tiberius Pain (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=272464). Yeah, Judge T-Pain. I was having fun. :smalltongue:

The Big Dice
2011-02-02, 11:27 PM
Per clip, which you have base 5 (one in the gun, 4 extra) and another 12 on the Lawmaster, so you've got a lot of specialized bullets. I personally won't be the hail of fire guy, but I'll tell the other players to be careful with their ammo, so they don't run out at a bad moment.
Using three rounds, then reloading, then using three rounds and then reloading and so on is all a lot of hassle. And it can lead to questions being asked back at the sector house. Inefficient use of resources and all that. Or you could try asking for a Mk II Lawgiver rather than a Mk III. The Mk II has four magazines, each loaded with a specific type of ammo. But it does 2d8 rather than 3d6 damage and doesn't have as much ammo capacity.

I found the most useful ammo types to be Incendiary for splash damage, Hi Ex for taking out vehicles and making holes in things, and finally Armour Piercing for those times when the perp is behind cover. Don't forget to use the 'voice controlled' feature on your Lawgiver when you change ammo type. Or, shout out the name of the bullet as you shoot the bad guy!


I noticed all of that jazz. It's like we get everything we could ever ask for! I mean, we get nets, shotguns, a club, a (silvered, in my case) boot knife, a city-wide radio, the list just goes forever. How often did you get to actually access your gear store on the Lawmaster, and how often did it all come in handy? Should I expect to need all of the esoteric stuff frequently, like the radcloak or whatever?
Things like the radcloak are a case of grab it as and when you need it. The stuff you carry on you all the time, like your Birdie Lie Detector and the key card override thing get used a lot.

The thing with me is, I'm a big fan of Dredd and I grew up reading 2000AD (Dredd Angel was my first story, waaaaaay back when) so I kind of have a feel for the right tool for the job at hand. Try and find creative ways to use your equipment and you should do fine.

Don't forget, a Judge has awesome amounts of authority, don't be afraid to use it.


How often did Medical, Technical, Computer Use, Drive, and Pilot come up? I'm seeing Medical and Technical come up quite a bit, but the other three seem really kinda super specific and not extraordinarily useful. Also, I couldn't work getting ranks in Knowledge (law), so I just said screw it. Is this a bad decision?
You can never have too many ranks in Knowledge: Law!

That said, you can drop a point into it every now and then, rather than maxing it out early on. Concentrate on the stuff you're going to use and don't be afraid to ask your GM about retraining if something isn't working out.

Medical and Technical things can often be handled by NPCs, unless you have a player interested in being a Med or Tech Judge. Computer Use is very useful, as your bike has full access to the Justice Department computer network.


EDIT: Screw it, here's the character: Psi-Judge Tiberius Pain (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=272464). Yeah, Judge T-Pain. I was having fun. :smalltongue:
The sheet looks fine. Other than the deity, the main religion of Mega City 1 is the Church of Grud the Avenger. :smallwink:

arguskos
2011-02-02, 11:40 PM
Using three rounds, then reloading, then using three rounds and then reloading and so on is all a lot of hassle. And it can lead to questions being asked back at the sector house. Inefficient use of resources and all that. Or you could try asking for a Mk II Lawgiver rather than a Mk III. The Mk II has four magazines, each loaded with a specific type of ammo. But it does 2d8 rather than 3d6 damage and doesn't have as much ammo capacity.
Source on the varying Lawgivers? The "core" one is the Mk II. The Mk I, in Rookies Guide to the Justice Department, seems to be what you're talking about (same source as the Lawrod, which is awesome IMO), but it didn't seem that great honestly. I'm going to try to talk my DM into letting me acquire a different weapon though, probably the Lawrod, since as the only Psi-Judge in the party, I want something thematically unique (I'm like that0.


I found the most useful ammo types to be Incendiary for splash damage, Hi Ex for taking out vehicles and making holes in things, and finally Armour Piercing for those times when the perp is behind cover. Don't forget to use the 'voice controlled' feature on your Lawgiver when you change ammo type. Or, shout out the name of the bullet as you shoot the bad guy!
Yeah, I'm def. using the voice control. Also, the Incendiary was really that useful, I didn't figure on AoE stuff mattering that much?

Also, I kinda figured the Stun-Shock would be a big winner, due to being basically a taser++.


Things like the radcloak are a case of grab it as and when you need it. The stuff you carry on you all the time, like your Birdie Lie Detector and the key card override thing get used a lot.
The Override Card gets used a lot? Yeah, I guess for breaking into houses and stuff.


The thing with me is, I'm a big fan of Dredd and I grew up reading 2000AD (Dredd Angel was my first story, waaaaaay back when) so I kind of have a feel for the right tool for the job at hand. Try and find creative ways to use your equipment and you should do fine.
We're running it a little camp, since most people in the group only know about the godawful movie.

I'll keep the idea of creativity in mind though.


Don't forget, a Judge has awesome amounts of authority, don't be afraid to use it.
Yeah, I plan to. With a name like Judge Pain, I better! :smallbiggrin:

I do need to find out how much connection the DM is going to give me with the Psi Division of the Justice Department, or if he's just tossing me in a Sector House with the rest of the street judges.


You can never have too many ranks in Knowledge: Law!
Figured. XD


That said, you can drop a point into it every now and then, rather than maxing it out early on. Concentrate on the stuff you're going to use and don't be afraid to ask your GM about retraining if something isn't working out.
I figure someone else is gonna max out Knowledge (Law), so I can serve as a backup. Might move my Concentration ranks to it for now though.


Medical and Technical things can often be handled by NPCs, unless you have a player interested in being a Med or Tech Judge. Computer Use is very useful, as your bike has full access to the Justice Department computer network.
I think I'll keep the Technical (ideally, I'd be shooting for SJS Judge, though I can't take it :smallyuk:), but yeah, skipping Med. CU stays, then.


The sheet looks fine. Other than the deity, the main religion of Mega City 1 is the Church of Grud the Avenger. :smallwink:
Right, right. Grud, not God. Totally forgot that change. Thanks for the heads-up!

Another question: how common is it for judges to acquire other, non-standard issue, weaponry? Is it acceptable for a street judge to use, say, a light disintegrator if they take it off a resisting perp? Or do judges have to turn all that jazz in?

The Big Dice
2011-02-03, 09:38 AM
Source on the varying Lawgivers? The "core" one is the Mk II. The Mk I, in Rookies Guide to the Justice Department, seems to be what you're talking about (same source as the Lawrod, which is awesome IMO), but it didn't seem that great honestly. I'm going to try to talk my DM into letting me acquire a different weapon though, probably the Lawrod, since as the only Psi-Judge in the party, I want something thematically unique (I'm like that0.
I got mixed up on the various models of Lawgiver. All the Justice Department issue gear is in the Rookies Guide.


Another question: how common is it for judges to acquire other, non-standard issue, weaponry? Is it acceptable for a street judge to use, say, a light disintegrator if they take it off a resisting perp? Or do judges have to turn all that jazz in?
Non standard gear isn't common. Senior Judges might get a Lawrod instead of a scattergun and sectors that haven't upgraded to the new model Lawgiver might issue the old ones. But on the whole, standardisation is the way to go. Gear gets turned in atthe end of your patrol or mission.

It's not a gear game, really. And Judges live like monks as a means of not having the kinds of temptations that lead to corrupt policing.

That's not to say that there's never a corrupt Judge, mind you.

arguskos
2011-02-03, 10:19 AM
I got mixed up on the various models of Lawgiver. All the Justice Department issue gear is in the Rookies Guide.


Non standard gear isn't common. Senior Judges might get a Lawrod instead of a scattergun and sectors that haven't upgraded to the new model Lawgiver might issue the old ones. But on the whole, standardisation is the way to go. Gear gets turned in atthe end of your patrol or mission.

It's not a gear game, really. And Judges live like monks as a means of not having the kinds of temptations that lead to corrupt policing.

That's not to say that there's never a corrupt Judge, mind you.
Hmm. Curious. I'll talk to the DM and see if I can trade out my stand stuff for the older, inferior, Lawgiver Mk 1 and a Lawrod, since I kinda like the theory of Pain's original Sector House being a little older and crappier before joining his new unit (the PCs).

Also, I'm planning to avoid corrupt Judgment, at least at first. ;)

shadow_archmagi
2011-02-03, 10:48 AM
Instead of contributing in a useful manner to this thread, I'm just going to pop in and say


IAM

THELAW

DROP

YOURWEAPONS

arguskos
2011-02-03, 11:17 AM
Instead of contributing in a useful manner to this thread, I'm just going to pop in and say

*awesomesauncesnippedforspace*
This is already planned, but not by me. Another player already called it, actually. :smallcool:

The Big Dice
2011-02-03, 12:14 PM
You know Karl Urban (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/11/19/karl-urban-is-judge-dredd-pic/) is going to be playing Dredd in the upcoming movie?

arguskos
2011-02-03, 12:18 PM
You know Karl Urban (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/11/19/karl-urban-is-judge-dredd-pic/) is going to be playing Dredd in the upcoming movie?
...:smalleek: I had no idea there was another one coming. Don't like the Lawgiver design, but the armor is quite good looking. I wonder how it's going to play out.

The Glyphstone
2011-02-03, 02:52 PM
...:smalleek: I had no idea there was another one coming. Don't like the Lawgiver design, but the armor is quite good looking. I wonder how it's going to play out.



Because one of the main provisos of the deal is that, just as in the comic, Judge Dredd will not remove his helmet.

So it's automatically better than the Stallone rendition on that point alone.

arguskos
2011-02-03, 02:53 PM
So it's automatically better than the Stallone rendition on that point alone.
Dear lord, it is! :smallbiggrin:

Ok, really, has anyone else actually played this, or are we now in general Judge Dredd discussion mode?

The Big Dice
2011-02-03, 03:16 PM
Dear lord, it is! :smallbiggrin:

Ok, really, has anyone else actually played this, or are we now in general Judge Dredd discussion mode?

General Dredd talk would probably belong over in the Media section.

The Glyphstone
2011-02-03, 03:22 PM
True. So is there anything further to be said about Judge DredD20, or should this thread be moved?

arguskos
2011-02-03, 03:29 PM
General Dredd talk would probably belong over in the Media section.
Thus my query.

I still am curious about Rapid Fire's general usefulness. Was it really used that much, even through the stupidly high penalties it produces? The way I'm reading it, it works like so:

Judge Bill, with his standard attack bonus of +6 (and no iteratives), decides to rapid fire with his Lawgiver at Perp Skeletor. He makes three attacks, each with a -3 penalty (so, at +3 total), since the Lawgiver's RF score is 3 and he can't make less attacks than that.

It doesn't seem that good, especially when you take the frankly awesome cover bonuses into account. Stuff like the Bike Cannon, with RF 6, seems utterly useless. When would I ever want to RF 6 it? That's 12 shots (due to the Bike Cannon being fire-linked), each of which is at a -6! And that's only one attack action! It looks like a massive waste of ammo. The reasonable RFs are 3 or less, such as the Lawgiver, which I can at least see hitting something with at a -3, and if you're using Incendiary or HiEx rounds, you just have to get close-ish anyways.

Was RFing with Standard Executions, or really really hardcore RFs (like the Bike Cannon) ever super useful?

The Big Dice
2011-02-03, 03:46 PM
Thus my query.

I still am curious about Rapid Fire's general usefulness. Was it really used that much, even through the stupidly high penalties it produces? The way I'm reading it, it works like so:

Judge Bill, with his standard attack bonus of +6 (and no iteratives), decides to rapid fire with his Lawgiver at Perp Skeletor. He makes three attacks, each with a -3 penalty (so, at +3 total), since the Lawgiver's RF score is 3 and he can't make less attacks than that.

It doesn't seem that good, especially when you take the frankly awesome cover bonuses into account. Stuff like the Bike Cannon, with RF 6, seems utterly useless. When would I ever want to RF 6 it? That's 12 shots (due to the Bike Cannon being fire-linked), each of which is at a -6! And that's only one attack action! It looks like a massive waste of ammo. The reasonable RFs are 3 or less, such as the Lawgiver, which I can at least see hitting something with at a -3, and if you're using Incendiary or HiEx rounds, you just have to get close-ish anyways.

Was RFing with Standard Executions, or really really hardcore RFs (like the Bike Cannon) ever super useful?

Don't forget that defenses are much lower in JD. It's the same as your Reflex save rather than any kind of armour class. So on average, you're not trying to beat the same kind of DC as you would be shooting at a D&D character. Feats that might seem a bit lame in D&D, like Weapon Focus and Greater Weapon Focus are much more useful when you're offsetting penalties and you're not likely to be rolling against a DC much higher than 20 or so.

So assuming a fairly standard perp with a Ref save of around +4 or so, that -3 on each attack isn't so bad. Judge Bill is looking to beat 11 on each of his shots. Suddenly, 9d6 damage seems like overkill. Add in Rapid Shot, which is pretty useful for any Judge who is concentrating on being as good as he can with his Lawgiver and you're looking at being able to do crazy amounts of damage.

Bike Cannon are better against bigger targets. Use them to blow holes in vehicles and buildings, rather than shooting at people. And you've got a fire control system giving you +1 to hit.

If you're getting into the situation where people on each side of the firefight are hiding in cover, popping out to shoot and then ducking back, I'd say you have two options.

One is to Ready an action. When the creep sticks his head up, blow it off. The other is Stumm gas. You have a respirator on your helmet, put it in place and gas the perps into the cubes.

Rapid fire can be seriously hardcore. A starting Judge can put 18d6 damage into a target is he's set up for shooting. But don't forget the rest of your gear.

arguskos
2011-02-03, 03:52 PM
Don't forget that defenses are much lower in JD. It's the same as your Reflex save rather than any kind of armour class. So on average, you're not trying to beat the same kind of DC as you would be shooting at a D&D character. Feats that might seem a bit lame in D&D, like Weapon Focus and Greater Weapon Focus are much more useful when you're offsetting penalties and you're not likely to be rolling against a DC much higher than 20 or so.
Oh, right, DEEEEEERP. I completely blanked on the DV thing. Man, this is taking some getting used to.


So assuming a fairly standard perp with a Ref save of around +4 or so, that -3 on each attack isn't so bad. Judge Bill is looking to beat 11 on each of his shots. Suddenly, 9d6 damage seems like overkill. Add in Rapid Shot, which is pretty useful for any Judge who is concentrating on being as good as he can with his Lawgiver and you're looking at being able to do crazy amounts of damage.
Well, with Rapid Shot, that's now a -5 to all attacks. Question: can you vary between rapid fire and non-rapid fire on iterative attacks?

Ie. Judge Bill RFs Perp Skeletor into the ground, but has one iterative left, and wants to just fire once at Perp Hordak. Can he do that, or is he doomed to have to use RF again on poor Hordak?


Bike Cannon are better against bigger targets. Use them to blow holes in vehicles and buildings, rather than shooting at people. And you've got a fire control system giving you +1 to hit.
That's what I figured the Cyclops was for, but fair enough.


If you're getting into the situation where people on each side of the firefight are hiding in cover, popping out to shoot and then ducking back, I'd say you have two options.

One is to Ready an action. When the creep sticks his head up, blow it off. The other is Stumm gas. You have a respirator on your helmet, put it in place and gas the perps into the cubes.
I figured that was the use of Stumm Gas, gas+respirator=lulzperps.


Rapid fire can be seriously hardcore. A starting Judge can put 18d6 damage into a target is he's set up for shooting. But don't forget the rest of your gear.
Yeah, I keep forgetting about the defenses, so it totally can be hardcore.

The Big Dice
2011-02-03, 04:03 PM
Question: can you vary between rapid fire and non-rapid fire on iterative attacks?

Ie. Judge Bill RFs Perp Skeletor into the ground, but has one iterative left, and wants to just fire once at Perp Hordak. Can he do that, or is he doomed to have to use RF again on poor Hordak?
After checking the book, it says "Rapid Fire weapons may not make more or less attack rolls in an attack action than is listed in the Rapid Fire score." So it seems poor Hordak is out of luck. However, there's nothing to say you can't opt to make those shots into warning shots. Shoot to miss, attempting to discourage Hordak from fleeing the scene. That's got to be worth a bonus on your Arrest Check :smallsmile:

arguskos
2011-02-03, 06:39 PM
After checking the book, it says "Rapid Fire weapons may not make more or less attack rolls in an attack action than is listed in the Rapid Fire score." So it seems poor Hordak is out of luck. However, there's nothing to say you can't opt to make those shots into warning shots. Shoot to miss, attempting to discourage Hordak from fleeing the scene. That's got to be worth a bonus on your Arrest Check :smallsmile:
Well, I was more curious if you can switch between Rapid Fire and normal fire in-between iterative attacks. The idea is that you hammer Skeletor with a rapid fire hail of pain then HiEx Hordak once, both to conserve ammo and for the badass factor (you gun down dude one, then shoot dude two instantly thereafter and he just explodes, that's awesome looking). I wasn't sure if it was actually possible, though. I can't tell from the entry.

I can see how in a single attack action (so, one iterative), you have to make the Rapid Fire # of attacks, but I can't see how to switch. Probably not a big deal though.

I was further curious if you'd played a citizen campaign, and if so, how it worked out.

The Big Dice
2011-02-03, 09:25 PM
I can see how in a single attack action (so, one iterative), you have to make the Rapid Fire # of attacks, but I can't see how to switch. Probably not a big deal though.

I was further curious if you'd played a citizen campaign, and if so, how it worked out.

I'm pretty sure you can't switch ammo types during a Rapid Fire. And we never bothered with a Cit campaign. Who would want to give up the power and the toys to play Cyberpunk in a setting where the cops give you one chance then blow your bones away?

arguskos
2011-02-03, 09:44 PM
I'm pretty sure you can't switch ammo types during a Rapid Fire. And we never bothered with a Cit campaign. Who would want to give up the power and the toys to play Cyberpunk in a setting where the cops give you one chance then blow your bones away?
Cause Citizens get the better guns? :smalltongue:

I mean, Citizens get the Lazooka, the BEST GUN EVER (in name, anyways)! Also, it's not half bad mechanically, actually.

I'm sure I'll have more questions at a date when I'm not brain-melted from a long week of class (and another one coming up, ugh multi-exam weeks >_>).

Thought of one: do you think the Rapid Fire mechanic (and gun mechanics in general) would transfer well to 3.5, assuming we remove all sources of bonus damage with rapid firing weapons?