Ascension
2008-09-01, 05:05 PM
I just got back from Dragon*Con, where, as usual, there were many cheap RPG books, and, as usual, I couldn't stop myself from buying cheap RPG books, despite quite possibly never being able to use them.
I haven't noticed anyone employing any of these books around here (save one), but I figured I might as well ask if anyone has, and if so, how were they in actual play?
Here's the list, organized by system.
d20:
Slayers d20: The only one I know someone here has played. Looks pretty good at first glance. I haven't read it extensively, though.
Swashbuckling Adventures (7th Sea d20): I love the concept, but the execution looks shaky, to say the least. It looks like game balance is completely and utterly screwed. I hope I'm wrong.
Starship Troopers d20: Although I have yet to read the original book or see the movie, though I have a copy of the book in my read soon pile, this actually looks like a solid game, apart from several typos in the text and a complete lack of CR ratings for the bugs. For survivability purposes I think I'd want to start at a high enough level to have someone in the medic prestige class (or maybe I could just use an NPC medic), but other than that it looks good.
A Magical Society: Ecology and Culture: Though billed as a d20 book, I have yet to find any actual OGL material in here apart from a few mentions of gp. This looks to be the best of the bunch, a ton of fantasy world building material which would be useful for any world building activity, not just RPG prep.
West End d6
I picked up both d6 Space and d6 Fantasy. On first observation I get the overwhelming feeling that these were rushed out the door. They're not bad, but they don't feel finished. Space, for example, contains multiple references to piloting exoskeletons... but doesn't have any rules for constructing them, no pre-built examples, and only vague hints at piloting mechanics. It also seems strange that two products which are based on the same system and should be freely compatible use different base attributes. While the names seem to be more of a fluff difference than a mechanical difference, it places more distances between Space and Fantasy characters and helps to discourage the sort of crossover campaign such rules should encourage.
Tri-Stat
Ex Machina (Tri-Stat Cyberpunk): I didn't even know this existed. I hear BESM mentioned often and fondly, I hear Silver Age Sentinels mentioned as that system some people play before they realize the awesomeness of Mutants and Masterminds, but I've never even heard of this third product of the Tri-Stat system. It has stats for a shoulder-mounted anti-materiel railgun. A shoulder-mounted anti-materiel railgun one could use the Massive Damage attribute with. There are also miniguns, and the 30mm autocannon can be hauled around if you have superstrength. Really, that's all I need to know. It gets two awesome thumbs up in my book
So anyway, do any of you have experience with any of these systems you'd like to share?
I haven't noticed anyone employing any of these books around here (save one), but I figured I might as well ask if anyone has, and if so, how were they in actual play?
Here's the list, organized by system.
d20:
Slayers d20: The only one I know someone here has played. Looks pretty good at first glance. I haven't read it extensively, though.
Swashbuckling Adventures (7th Sea d20): I love the concept, but the execution looks shaky, to say the least. It looks like game balance is completely and utterly screwed. I hope I'm wrong.
Starship Troopers d20: Although I have yet to read the original book or see the movie, though I have a copy of the book in my read soon pile, this actually looks like a solid game, apart from several typos in the text and a complete lack of CR ratings for the bugs. For survivability purposes I think I'd want to start at a high enough level to have someone in the medic prestige class (or maybe I could just use an NPC medic), but other than that it looks good.
A Magical Society: Ecology and Culture: Though billed as a d20 book, I have yet to find any actual OGL material in here apart from a few mentions of gp. This looks to be the best of the bunch, a ton of fantasy world building material which would be useful for any world building activity, not just RPG prep.
West End d6
I picked up both d6 Space and d6 Fantasy. On first observation I get the overwhelming feeling that these were rushed out the door. They're not bad, but they don't feel finished. Space, for example, contains multiple references to piloting exoskeletons... but doesn't have any rules for constructing them, no pre-built examples, and only vague hints at piloting mechanics. It also seems strange that two products which are based on the same system and should be freely compatible use different base attributes. While the names seem to be more of a fluff difference than a mechanical difference, it places more distances between Space and Fantasy characters and helps to discourage the sort of crossover campaign such rules should encourage.
Tri-Stat
Ex Machina (Tri-Stat Cyberpunk): I didn't even know this existed. I hear BESM mentioned often and fondly, I hear Silver Age Sentinels mentioned as that system some people play before they realize the awesomeness of Mutants and Masterminds, but I've never even heard of this third product of the Tri-Stat system. It has stats for a shoulder-mounted anti-materiel railgun. A shoulder-mounted anti-materiel railgun one could use the Massive Damage attribute with. There are also miniguns, and the 30mm autocannon can be hauled around if you have superstrength. Really, that's all I need to know. It gets two awesome thumbs up in my book
So anyway, do any of you have experience with any of these systems you'd like to share?