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Tanuki Tales
2014-06-16, 10:51 PM
So, I'm of the mind to run a game for my group that's kind of a mix of Hellboy and the SCP Foundation, with Paranoia-style clones thrown in to keep the figurative (but not the literal) body count to a minimum. The dilemma I'm in right now is what game system to use to play said game idea. Most of my players have only ever played DnD 3rd edition (including 3.5), d20 Modern and Pathfinder, and two (or three) of them are very resistant to playing any other game systems (by resistant, I mean won't at all).

I was thinking of maybe using d20 Modern as the base ruleset, port in Pathfinder melee classes (maybe e6 them) and homebrew in some kind of minor psionics/magic classes (maybe just use the Adept NPC class, Psionic Warrior and a psionic version of the Adept). The idea would be for them to be top specialists and talented individuals from around the world who were brought in to be agents, being no more powerful than the non-Hellboy Hellboy characters or weaker Hellsing characters.

Thoughts?

Grinner
2014-06-16, 11:36 PM
Well...your players seem to have decided what system you'll be using, and you seem to already have your plan together. What's your question?

Tanuki Tales
2014-06-16, 11:38 PM
Well...your players seem to have decided what system you'll be using, and you seem to already have your plan together. What's your question?

If there's a d20 derivative, or a game system that is close enough to d20 that they wouldn't care too much, that would fit the game idea better out of the box?

Edit:

I should mention that the most vocal of the resistant faction has showed some interest in playing Dark Heresy before and was reading up on Numeria until he felt that the rules were too nebulous and undefined.

DM Nate
2014-06-17, 03:19 AM
Been wanting to see an SCP-themed campaign for a while. If you get this off the ground, keep us informed!

Arbane
2014-06-17, 04:39 AM
My first thought would be Call of Cthulhu modern, as CoC is something of an automatic go-to for any non-fantasy setting involving horrible unnatural unknowable things that will kill you (if you're lucky, that's ALL they'll do to you), but that's d%, not d20. (There was a Call of Cthulhu d20 book, but I don't know if it was any good.)

BWR
2014-06-17, 08:31 AM
I'd say something like CoC, in any form. I'm using the Laundry Files version, which sounds right up your ally - investigation, humor and alien horror, with a deadly system.
The d20 version of CoC was good. All complaints i've heard against it is people who haven't read it and assume that it's a Mythos supplement for D&D, with D&D classes and spells and everything. It works fine.

Jlerpy
2014-06-20, 06:43 PM
If they really, really won't play something other than d20, my advice is twofold:
1. Have a read of one of the Gumshoe games - probably Mutant City Blues as it's the one that's most about officially empowered investigators - just for advice on how to run and structure adventures
2. Find out why. What is it that makes them so keen to stick with d20? If you can tease that out, you can figure out what can change and have them stay okay with it. Would Mutants & Masterminds work? What about Spycraft?

Zavoniki
2014-06-20, 11:25 PM
I really don't think D20 anything is quite right for this style of game. To add to the list of systems that could do it however, New World of Darkness with or without the God-Machine Chronicle and with or without Hunter.

LibraryOgre
2014-06-24, 11:06 AM
You might take a look at Apocalypse Prevention Inc (http://thirdeyegames.net/apocalypse-prevention-inc/) from Third Eye Games. Eloy came out with a Savage Worlds conversion, but the DGS is pretty solid, even if it takes a little getting used to.

And buy the Anthology. Because good people worked on it. :smallbiggrin:

Segev
2014-06-24, 03:10 PM
Look for a game called "Spycraft." It will do well for an SCP-oriented game, particularly if the party are agents of an organization that deals with such things. It's d20 designed for spying antics in a modernesque setting.