Looking back at the d20 boom...

Skywalker · July 04, 2012, 11:26:37 PM

My favourites were:

- A Game of Thrones OGL
- Slaine d20
- Blue Rose and True 20
- Monte Cook's World of Darkness
- Ptolus
- Star Was Saga Ed (RCR was fun too)
- Lone Wolf OGL

Mostlyjoe · July 05, 2012, 08:35:21 AM

For me, it was True20/M&M that I valued the most.

RPGPundit · July 06, 2012, 03:51:35 PM

Quote from: Piestrio;555907What's so shitty about it?

On its own merits, assuming you have no prior investment in Gamma World.

A huge part of what is bad about it is that it was literally an attempt to "teach gamma world fans a lesson" from someone who hated the idea of a fun gonzo post-apoc game. But of course, the result of that "lesson" is that the game itself would suck ass even if it wasn't named "gamma world". Its a preachy pretentious piece of bullshit about environmentalism, "society", and goes on and on with boring drudgery and pseudo-intellectualism in the place of anything resembling an actual fun game.

RPGPundit

Tetsubo · July 06, 2012, 04:03:50 PM

Quote from: DKChannelBoredom;556494Like the safest course in D&D is not going down the dungeon?

I don't live in a D&D setting. While it is a whole lot of fun playing in a D&D setting I don't ever project *myself* into that setting. Theoretically *I* live in the CoC setting. And from having read Lovecraft, if you seek knowledge of the Elder Gods or the Old Ones you are doomed to madness and/or death. You can actually go adventure in a D&D setting without risking madness at least. And death is at least possible to avoid. Not so much in CoC. I simply find the entire model of CoC bizarre and not to my liking in the least. For those that favor madness and/or death, game on.

Tetsubo · July 06, 2012, 04:05:51 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;557279A huge part of what is bad about it is that it was literally an attempt to "teach gamma world fans a lesson" from someone who hated the idea of a fun gonzo post-apoc game. But of course, the result of that "lesson" is that the game itself would suck ass even if it wasn't named "gamma world". Its a preachy pretentious piece of bullshit about environmentalism, "society", and goes on and on with boring drudgery and pseudo-intellectualism in the place of anything resembling an actual fun game.

RPGPundit

While a little over the top (it wouldn't be the Pundit if it weren't), this is essentially accurate in my opinion. Someone tried to 'correct' Gamma World. Like I've said before, go check out The Mutant Epoch. I just posted a supplement review for that line today.

KenHR · July 06, 2012, 04:14:34 PM

I haven't seen it mentioned here, so I have a feeling the answer is self-evident, but was Northern Crown any good?

I love the idea of Colonial-era fantasy, just not sure a d20 implementation would work.

Tetsubo · July 06, 2012, 04:19:59 PM

Quote from: KenHR;557290I haven't seen it mentioned here, so I have a feeling the answer is self-evident, but was Northern Crown any good?

I love the idea of Colonial-era fantasy, just not sure a d20 implementation would work.

I quite liked it. My YouTube review [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u02PCtOCbFo]. Please ignore the poor image, it was an older camera. Though I think the sorcerers of Salem would take out the mundane Puritans without a lot of trouble. Especially if they allied themselves with the Native Americans.

jcfiala · July 06, 2012, 04:41:23 PM

Quote from: Black Vulmea;556342Y'know, I don't really get the love for d20 CoC. I'm still stuck on the glaring omission of anything related to vehicles.

Well, there's not a ton of vehicle-related rules in base BRP as I remember it - maybe there is more than I'm remembering, but I would tend to run vehicle stuff off the cuff if I were playing CoC. And... I can't really remember doing much in the way of chases or the like in my various years of running CoC, other than combats on trains, which isn't really a vehicle as much as a combat platform that's moving at 50 mph.

But, y'know, if you've needed vehicle rules in the past for CoC, I can see how the lack of them in the d20 book would be a downer.

RPGPundit · July 08, 2012, 02:55:08 AM

As far as the OP, I have to think back to those I most played and enjoyed. I'd have to say the best of D20 were probably:

Call of Cthulhu d20
Star wars d20 revised
Traveller T20
Midnight
Blue Rose
Jonathan Tweet's Omega World
And I can't really ignore the original 3.0 D&D rules as having been fairly good until they were over-laden with sourcebook crap. There were individual sourcebooks that were very good for both 3.0 and D&D in general, but those would be too much to list.

I'm sure I'm forgetting one or two great ones there.

RPGPundit

FASERIP · July 08, 2012, 05:41:39 AM

Castles & Crusades served a useful role in my gaming history.

I had (re)started gaming with Hackmaster and C&C was a good detox from the crunch overdose. Later of course, as I scoured my old (A)D&D stuff for things to use with C&C, I gradually just started using the old stuff on its own, cutting out the middle man.

jeff37923 · July 08, 2012, 12:33:03 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;557761Blue Rose

Blue Rose? You have hated the magic deer infested thing for awhile now. What gives?

KenHR · July 08, 2012, 01:59:33 PM

Quote from: jeff37923;557858Blue Rose? You have hated the magic deer infested thing for awhile now. What gives?

The Magic Deer threatened to take his life and livelihood...

John Morrow · July 08, 2012, 03:49:39 PM

Quote from: jeff37923;557858Blue Rose? You have hated the magic deer infested thing for awhile now. What gives?

He hated the magic deer but really liked True20 and pushed for it to be published as a standalone rule system independent of Blue Rose.

Philotomy Jurament · July 08, 2012, 05:21:03 PM

I liked the *idea* of True20 better than I liked the actual play experience, for some reason.

Machinegun Blue · July 08, 2012, 08:51:30 PM

I'm drawing a blank. Well, there was a book all about running a game in the "On Stranger Tides" vein (you know, golden age piracy with magic and the supernatural). I can't think of the title. It was pretty good. I got rid of it. I liked BESM d20 too but I also got rid of it. Mongoose Conan was nice but, you guessed it, I got rid of it.