Best D20 product for running a WWII game?
- Thread starter mcrow
- Start date
V for Victory! This cool d20 mini-game was on the Polyhedron side of Dungeon # 97.
You can still pick it up for only $10:
http://paizo.com/dungeon/products/issues/shackledCity/97
It's based on core d20 D&D 3.0. There are a lot of really neat ideas in there--the "John Wayne option" for hit points springs to mind. It was written by Chris Pramas, so it is technically sound.
I think I would use Savasge Worlds for WW2,
http://www.peginc.com/Games/Games.htm
but it isn't d20.
You can still pick it up for only $10:
http://paizo.com/dungeon/products/issues/shackledCity/97
It's based on core d20 D&D 3.0. There are a lot of really neat ideas in there--the "John Wayne option" for hit points springs to mind. It was written by Chris Pramas, so it is technically sound.
I think I would use Savasge Worlds for WW2,
http://www.peginc.com/Games/Games.htm
but it isn't d20.
Committed Hero
Adventurer
scourger said:
But Pinacle's Weird Wars is d20 (maybe dual stat in some cases?). That is the most detailed d20 offering, but it is heavily supernatural.
All of the firearms books and D20 Past have weapons from the era.
If you like pdfs, rpgnow has quite a few options - esp Bloodstone Press' Hell on Earth and Steelmagic Studios' WW2 Heroes Players Guide.
Bar none, the best WW2 gaming book is GURPS Weird War II - that line is gold for any rpg set at that time, but if you are considering adding any weird wrinkles you will find it all in there. Don't be put off by the different system.
I found PEG's Weird Wars a little too weird and a little too much of a strain on the d20 engine for my tastes. Tour of Darkness, which is a weird Viet Nam setting for Savage Worlds, is great; but that's a little more off topic.
V for Victory! is more historical. And, it's succinct. I loaned it to a buddy in hopes that he would run a WW2 d20 game, but he's a confirmed player.
I didn't realize GURPS had such a WW2 line. I bought the Frozen Hell book from that line detailing the Finn-Russo conflict & alliance. It was a very interesting read. So, I checked out GURPS Weird War II. It looks good, too:
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/ww2/weirdwar2/
V for Victory! is more historical. And, it's succinct. I loaned it to a buddy in hopes that he would run a WW2 d20 game, but he's a confirmed player.
I didn't realize GURPS had such a WW2 line. I bought the Frozen Hell book from that line detailing the Finn-Russo conflict & alliance. It was a very interesting read. So, I checked out GURPS Weird War II. It looks good, too:
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/ww2/weirdwar2/
I highly recommend V for Victory, if you want to run a quick, lite campaign.
If you're looking to run something more long-term, then Hell on Earth may be what you're looking for. It is d20 Modern-based. I haven't used this supplement, but I have read it, and it seems pretty sound.
Weird Wars is not d20 Modern, IIRC. It's standard d20, so you won't get the customization you'd get with Modern.
Both Hell on Earth and Weird Wars have some arcane elements; Weird Wars is designed to be a 'horror' campaign in a WWII setting, so you have lots of zombies, and whatnot. There are still quite a few things to lift from both.
If you're looking to build something from the ground up, I'd suggest Grim Tales, since that system is designed to be a more flexible system for character development and to be low to no magic. A lot of the things built into the rules are excellent for a straight combat campaign: Horror rules, mass combat rules, talent trees, lack of advanced and prestige classes (you build what you want with talent trees), custom weapons design system, etc.
Also, look at Blood and Guts for a military take on d20 Modern. Lots of stuff to lift there and convert to a WWII setting (mostly the vehicles and equipment are what you'll want to omit), but you get some pretty generic military feats and other rules that span back to the era.
For my time and money, V for Victory is probably the best. It's quick to create characters and the rules stay out of the way for the most part. I just don't know how it would stand up to a long campaign.
If you're looking to run something more long-term, then Hell on Earth may be what you're looking for. It is d20 Modern-based. I haven't used this supplement, but I have read it, and it seems pretty sound.
Weird Wars is not d20 Modern, IIRC. It's standard d20, so you won't get the customization you'd get with Modern.
Both Hell on Earth and Weird Wars have some arcane elements; Weird Wars is designed to be a 'horror' campaign in a WWII setting, so you have lots of zombies, and whatnot. There are still quite a few things to lift from both.
If you're looking to build something from the ground up, I'd suggest Grim Tales, since that system is designed to be a more flexible system for character development and to be low to no magic. A lot of the things built into the rules are excellent for a straight combat campaign: Horror rules, mass combat rules, talent trees, lack of advanced and prestige classes (you build what you want with talent trees), custom weapons design system, etc.
Also, look at Blood and Guts for a military take on d20 Modern. Lots of stuff to lift there and convert to a WWII setting (mostly the vehicles and equipment are what you'll want to omit), but you get some pretty generic military feats and other rules that span back to the era.
For my time and money, V for Victory is probably the best. It's quick to create characters and the rules stay out of the way for the most part. I just don't know how it would stand up to a long campaign.
Seeing the replies, I thought they meant PEG Inc.'s Hell on Earth, which is not WW2.
I see that they mean Bloodstone Press' book:
http://www.bloodstone-press.com/hellonearth.html
That site has some free previews. It's on sale now at rpgnow:
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2284&
This thread inspired me to re-review V for Victory One thing I think you would like is that V4V presents a complete game in about 40 pages. It focuses on unit tactics, which is the strength of the d20 system. Also, importantly, it has a few sample bad guys all statted out & ready to drop into your game. As a DM, I love that. It's easy to drop in a few orcs, spells, magic tiems, etc.; but it's hard (too time-consuming) to stat out the bad guys using new rules presented in a new game.
I also found the 1st paragraph inspiring again:
"Welcome to V for Victory, the d20 RPG of World War II combat. V for Victory focuses on the exploits of the grunts who brought a personal touch to the war. This is not a game about politics or global strategy. It's about sitting in a muddy shell hole with three of your buddies, waiting for the next attack as artillery shells rain down around you. It's about parachuting behind enemy lines to blow up enemy rail lines. It's about crawling through the jungle to take out a pillbox with your last grenade. This is a ground's eye view of the war that shaped today's world."
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
I see that they mean Bloodstone Press' book:
http://www.bloodstone-press.com/hellonearth.html
That site has some free previews. It's on sale now at rpgnow:
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2284&
This thread inspired me to re-review V for Victory One thing I think you would like is that V4V presents a complete game in about 40 pages. It focuses on unit tactics, which is the strength of the d20 system. Also, importantly, it has a few sample bad guys all statted out & ready to drop into your game. As a DM, I love that. It's easy to drop in a few orcs, spells, magic tiems, etc.; but it's hard (too time-consuming) to stat out the bad guys using new rules presented in a new game.
I also found the 1st paragraph inspiring again:
"Welcome to V for Victory, the d20 RPG of World War II combat. V for Victory focuses on the exploits of the grunts who brought a personal touch to the war. This is not a game about politics or global strategy. It's about sitting in a muddy shell hole with three of your buddies, waiting for the next attack as artillery shells rain down around you. It's about parachuting behind enemy lines to blow up enemy rail lines. It's about crawling through the jungle to take out a pillbox with your last grenade. This is a ground's eye view of the war that shaped today's world."
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Bobitron
Explorer
I just started a WWII pbp game based on d20 Modern, but with material used from Grim Tales and Hell on Earth. You can check it out here.
While I'm not blown away by any single WWII d20 product, I think Hell on Earth is the best I've purchased. I still haven't had a chance to check out V for Victory, but I've heard plenty of good stuff. I wish they would sell it as a pdf for $5 or something.
While I'm not blown away by any single WWII d20 product, I think Hell on Earth is the best I've purchased. I still haven't had a chance to check out V for Victory, but I've heard plenty of good stuff. I wish they would sell it as a pdf for $5 or something.
Turanil
First Post
d20 Modern: Aside from Hell on Earth (which is the obvious choice IMO), you may also get Pulp Villains: Nazis, that will give you d20M stats for Nazis NPCs.
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