"J. Michael Looney" wrote:
>
> What, aside from background fluff and char gen rules are missing from the
> D20 rules? Please compare the current D20SRD (with chapter 11, when they
> put it back up) vs the original D&D rules for characters (you know, Men &
> Magic). Clue: The D20SRD is as more detailed and better set of rules
> than the booklet that started this whole hobby. It _is_ very close to a
> complete set of rules.
When I refer to the core elements of D20, I refer to the following
(taken from one of Ryan Dancey's posts that was forwarded to the TrekRPG
list):
>>>>>
For me, this is what I consider to be "key" about the d20 concept:
* Rolling higher is always better than rolling lower.
* Your character has at least six ability scores (STR, DEX, WIS, INT,
CON,
CHR) which mean the same thing in every game. You may have others based
on
the needs of the genre.
* To check to see if you can accomplish something, the test is D20 +
relevant
ability modifier + other modifiers vs. a target number (known currently
as a
"Difficulty Class" or DC).
I think that if a game has those three things it is "in the ballpark"
and
should be pretty easy to connect to the larger network. I have some
personal
opinions about other parts of the game rules and how effective I think
that
network tap will be as well.
>>>>>
I hope this clears things up for you.
> Granted as of now there are no monsters, but if what Ryan said is true, at
> least 70% of the monsters in the current MM will make it into the D20SRD.
Probably, but given how much of the D20SRD will be in Star Wars, I
somehow doubt that all of the material in the D20 SRD really counts as
core. The only real core elements are:
* Character Creation (roll 4d6 six times, discard lowest die in each
case, assign to six attributes as desired)
* Task Resolution (roll a D20, add modifiers, try to roll over
Difficulty Class).
Character classes are fine...for a fantasy setting. Some of them might
be applicable to a modern setting, but their abilities should be
modified to fit (I don't see a modern day "jack of all trades" or a Star
Wars "scoundrel" being able to disarm magical traps, for example).
> > Anyway, I don't see how your response negates the basic point that D20
> > is unlikely to touch GURPS' customer base in any significant fashion.
>
> More people know how to play D20 _right_ _now_ than know who to play
> GURPS, unless the gaming groups in my area are a complete aberration.
> Take a gander at the back of a D&D 3E Players Handbook some time. Note the
> Red ,White and Black logo on the back.
I didn't say that D20 or D&D or Star Wars cannot *exceed* GURPS'
customer base, I said that D20 is unlikely to touch the *GURPS* customer
base in any meaningful fashion. The people who play GURPS will continue
to play GURPS and they will likely coast along with their GURPS rule-
and worldbooks and continue as they have for years, with or without the
input/presence of D20 products. I have no doubt some GURPS fans will
purchase D20 products (since I'm a GURPS fan, and I own D20 products,
I'd be silly to think otherwise), but I doubt that D20 is really in
competition for the GURPS fanbase simply because the GURPS fanbase is
not attracted to the assumptions inherent to D&D and Star Wars.
D20 and GURPS set out to accomplish two different (similar, but not
identical) tasks. The overlap is not that large.
I'll rephrase it one more time:
D20 is designed to handle complete games - you get the Star Wars game,
the D&D game, the Wheel of Time game, the Harry Potter game, the
Midkemia Riftwar game, the Night's Dawn game or whatever properties WotC
does end up developing, plus whatever other companies publish. You start
with D20 and build a game around it.
GURPS is a complete game intended to handle any genre, but within
"realistic bounds." GURPS: Traveller isn't a complete game, nor is
GURPS: Fantasy, GURPS: Technomancer, GURPS: Time Travel or GURPS:
Illuminati University. They all use the same core rules, the same core
assumptions and do not require a retooling to handle each different
world/setting/genre, as D20 is apparently set up to handle.
To put it another way: GURPS handles armor one way, and it's handled
that way in any world or genre you care to name. D20 can handle armor in
the same fashion as D&D does, the same fashion GURPS does, some
combination of the two or yet another option (like slowly
ablative/resistant armor). It depends on what the genre/world demands.
The D20 SRD is a nearly complete *Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook*.
It's not a nearly complete generic game, although it has all the
elements for a generic game. Just remove the D&D-specific items (like
the classes, spells, etc).
--
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