Ultramodern Firearms d20

[Messageboard Golem]

The best ever RPG gun resource is back! Chameleon Eclectics original Ultramodern Firearms was a marvel of research and illustration. Now author Charles Ryan, fresh from his work on the Wheel of Time RPG and d20 Modern for Wizards of the Coast, has revisited Ultramodern Firearms and updated it for the d20 System. The text is written for gamers, not gun enthusiasts, so it is clear, well-organized, and easy to use, focusing on the features, advantages, and uses of over 300 weapons and sights. Over 200 precise illustrations complete the package. Ultramodern Firearms is an indispensable resource for any contemporary d20 game.

 

[GameWyrd]

Right from the start the book pitches the bizarre idea that firearms are somehow important to modern day roleplaying. Hmm. I remain to be convinced. Change the spelling slightly so that firearms are important to modern day rollplaying and I’ll accept that. Sometimes firearms can be used as part of a story plots in modern day games. The peculiarity of a weapon can be used as a clue but typically RPG firearm encyclopaedia fail to make it easy to find the specific peculiarity you want. This is at least one test Ultramodern Firearms can try and pass in order to have some claim of appeal to those of us who aren’t gun-geeks. I’m a European without even the faintest trace of the "gun gene" and so if I can find my way around this collection of firearms then there’s another success.

Ultramodern Firearms is filled with modern firearms. Yeah, I know, the "ultra" seems redundant but the word is in the dictionary. The supplement is the evolution of Charles Ryan’s original Ultramodern Firearms for the Millennium’s End RPG. If you pick up your copy of d20 Modern, which you’ll most likely be using along with Ultramodern Firearms, you’ll see Charles Ryan’s name on the front cover as one of the designers. It’s there. Right on the end.

There’s more than just firearms and ammo in the book. Since this is a d20 product – you’ll find some more feats. Better than feats are the wealth of indices and appendixes.

You’ll find the features index in an unusual place: near the front of the book. It’s here that Ultramodern Firearms starts to prove that it’s more than just a pretty encyclopaedia of weaponry. These indices are presented in a series of tables for each weapon type; pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, rifles, shotguns and machineguns. If you want to know if any particular submachine gun comes with a bipod, whether a submachine gun is common enough to have found its way into the hands of your newly created criminal organisation or a pistol works well with a silencer then it’s just a simple matter of checking the table. A check-mark (a tick) is used to indicate whether the gun has the feature and a heavy cross is used when the feature is particularly appropriate for the weapon. At a glance I can see that FN Five-SeveN has an especially large magazine and that it’s on page 33. The same table tells me that the LEI Mark 2 is a good pistol to use if you care about silencers.

I even know how silencers work now. I don’t care about the details but I might want to know enough to have a realistic and convincing explanation for my game – and that’s exactly the level of detail that Ultramodern Firearms puts in. The basic ins and outs of each type of firearm is quickly and clearly described at the start of each chapter. The view is that it is as useful to dispel any misconceptions the reader might have about the weapon, as it is to teach gun lore. Along with the stats for any given gun; the damage, the critical, damage type, range increment, rate of fire, size, purchase DC or restrictions there’s a paragraph of two on the history of the gun. If I want to give my French police French guns than I can check the gun’s entry in the book or at an appendix at the back. Sometimes there are extra d20 Modern rules for the gun. The very first gun in the book, the Astra (Spanish, easily used by left-handed people) has such an added d20 Modern rule. There’s a +2 circumstance bonus to Sleight of Hand checks made to conceal this weapon.

Ultramodern Firearms is a pretty book. There are 160 pages if you don’t count the leading and trailing blank pages. It’s a hardback book and the paper quality is high. The layout is pristine. Text appears in a single column and covers about two-thirds of the page. In the other third of the page you’ll find detailed illustrations of guns. Every gun statted in the book is drawn.

Ultramodern Firearms does what it sets out to do – and that gives it a perfectly acceptable rating on the GameWyrd scale. Ultramodern Firearms is an especially easy book to use, it’s very easy to find what you want and because of this the book scores better than merely acceptable. If you’re planning to run a game where individual firearms will be important or could be important then you’ll not go wrong with this book.

* This GameWyrd review was first published here.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Green Ronin Publishing has another winner on its hands. With the d20 Modern game being out only a short time, they’ve done what Sword & Sorcery Studios managed with 3rd edition, and that is to come out with a core book at almost the same time as the game system was published.

Ultramodern Firearms has everything I need to incorporate it into game play right away. It introduces new feats, breaks up firearms by type, includes ammunition types, and provides great illustrations for almost every weapon listed and then throws in some variety to insure that the mix isn’t boring.

It starts off with an introduction, but unlike most, this one has rules you can use right off the bat. A section on reliability gives the GM ways that guns may fail to work all the time. Perfect for those running Mad Max type of world where weapons become damaged or clogged with sand and soot. Want to use this book with a Vitality and Wound Point system? Rules are provided for that as well.

The new feats will be crowd pleasers too. I know, strange that instead of having a small chapter for feats we get them in the introduction, but I’m not complaining. Goods like Armed to the Teeth allow you to fight with a ranged weapon in one hand and a melee weapon in the other, while Improved Autofire increases the DC of the Reflect save by 5. The feats end with a nice collection of firearm related feats so at a glance you can see what you want your gunman to have. Want that Skip Shot? How about Guns akimbo? It’s there.

Now here’s another goodie. It’s a features index. Each weapon is lain out in a table with the different types of information that apply to weapons and the page it’s on. This is an excellent resource for the player who wants a specific type of weapon effect. Want a pistol with a large magazine that’s concealable and very reliable? How about a submachine gun that allows one-handed use and has a folding stock with a silenced feature?

Now the bulk of the book consist of seven chapters, pistols, submachines guns, assault rifles, rifles, shotguns, machineguns and ammunition. Each chapter opens up with a blank page with the title of the chapter and the subheading, like “Chapter Two SUBMACHINEGUNS”, which I didn’t care for too much, but it’s one small issue in a book of goods. After the splash page, the section introduces what the weapon is, common uses, creations and important features of each weapon. It’s not going to make you an expert able to strip down a weapon into its component parts but it may clear some misconceptions and provide some solid ideas on which weapons are best to use when.

The weapons are broken down by manufacture and then by alphabetical order. This adds to the ‘waste’ factor of white space (especially if the company only has one weapon), but it makes the book clean and easy to read. Each weapon has background details, d20 modern rules, information on caliber, length, weight, and magazine, and most come with illustrations. The few that aren’t illustrated are usually variants of one weapon that is illustrated.
I’m no gun expert but even I can see that some of these are taken right off today’s presses like the OICW by Alliant Techsystems. This prototype takes the assault rifle and combines it with a “long-range heavy weapon somewhat akin to a grenade launcher.” Now that’s firepower at your service.

One of other things I really enjoyed about the book is that it has ammunition types. The sizes of the different rounds really gives you an eye opener about what these suckers could do to a human but the rule effects are what catches my eye. It’s always nice to be able to go from regular rounds to armor piercing, cold-loaded, glaser, hollowpoint or tracer ammunitions.

The appendix contains some materials that are interesting for providing bad guys with appropriate weapons. Want to know what El Salvador is using in the Amry? How about Colt M16A1, and HK G3AG among others? How about the U.S.? Yeah, it’s a pretty big section because it’s broken down into Army, Customer Service, Delta, FBI and other forces that use firearms.

Those looking for a comprehensive listing of each weapon with it’s damage, critical threat, rate of fire and purchase DC will flip to the D20 Modern Game Stats section and drool at over ten pages of collected material. They’ve even done the work of showing what different ammunitions do in different pistols, submachine guns, rifles and machineguns. It’s always nice to see all the different goods in one spot and helps the users get the information they need quickly and easily.

One complaint I’ve heard is that the book doesn’t cater enough to the weapon fanatics who want stats for older weapons, say, prior to 1950, but I can’t fault them for that. That subject could be another book in and of itself. Another issue some have is that there are no prices. This isn’t an issue in standard D20 Modern with it’s DC rolls for purchasing, but in other game rules, it becomes a little more problematic but is a minor issue as this book isn’t one that requires the Player’s Handbook, but the D20 Modern book as stated on the cover. I can’t fault Green Ronin for not catering to everyone but perhaps we’ll see a web expansion with real world prices soon.

Perhaps to me part of the lure of this product is that I've owned several like it, including the original. I have very fond memories of it, but it strikes me as a very useful product for any d20 modern campaign that uses guns for combat. For me, this is a great example of why Green Ronin, despite some products odd off products like Assassins Handbook and Wrath and Rage, continues to be one of my favorite companies. Quality over quantity.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

[No message]

 

[Messageboard Golem]

Looks like you learn something new every day. . .

I wasn't aware that the federal government had a "Customer Service" department that relied heavily on the use of firearms.

 

[Simon Collins]

This is not a playtest review.

Ultramodern Firearms is a sourcebook on modern firearms for d20 Modern, and is published by Green Ronin. The book is written by Charles Ryan, and is an updated d20 version of a book originally written by the same author for the Millenium's End RPG.

Ultramodern Firearms is a 160-page mono hardcover book and costs $27.95. Margins and font are fairly average. There is a great deal of white space in the book due to the nature of the content. Though this reduces the amount of possible content in the product, it does make for clear presentation of each firearm. The art is clear and helpful in understanding the look of each firearm. Writing style is excellent considering the subject matter - I really dislike the concept of guns and gun culture, but I found myself several times immersed in the text of the book, due to the interesting explanations and idiosyncrasies of each weapon. Editing is good though not perfect.

Ultramodern Firearms is split into seven chapters covering pistols, assault rifles, rifles, submachine guns, machine guns, shotguns, and ammunition. All the weapons have stats covering caliber, length, weight, damage, critical, range increment, rate of fire, size, Purchase DC, and restriction rating (with a modifier to purchase on the black market). The weapons are listed alphabetically but have their country of origin listed also. Where appropriate, a weapon may have some specialised d20 rules applied to it, such as a penalty to conceal a particularly bulky weapon. Each weapon is accompanied by a picture of the weapon.

What brings this product above the average is the tables and text before and after the entries, though the entries themselves are very readable and pertinent to creating a realistic feel for the weaponry. The introduction is a real eye-opener for those who know little about firearms. It discusses basic concepts such as what different weapons are designed to do, as well as misconceptions such as the word 'auto' (which actually refers to autoloader, not autofire) and silencing, which can be accomplished by the manufacturer at three different levels - the muzzle blast, the bullet breaking the sound barrier, and the mechanical noise of the wepaon's actions. These concepts are discussed intelligently and can have repercussions in game terms. Reliability is also discussed, and there are some optional rules given to represent environmental influences to the firearm. Rules for use with a Wound/Vitality point system are also given.

There are also 10 new feats to enhance firearm use such as 'Hail of Bullets', which allows the use of autofire attacks using semiautomatic weapons due to a quick trigger finger. All firearm-related feats including the new ones presented are then presented in a table. There is then a table called a Features Index, which lists all the weapons and cross-references them with relevant features such as whether they are silenced, accurate, reliable, or inexpensive, as well as many other issues. This makes it very useful for players choosing firearms for their PCs to find a suitable weapon easily without having to read every single entry in detail and remembering enough to compare different models. There is also a page reference for each weapon included in the table.

Each chapter begins with plenty more information about the weapon type in general, discussing the different options available along with some history of their development and usage. At the end of the book, there is more useful information. A glossary clearly explains the technical language surrounding firearms, where one learns what cold-loaded ammunition is and what a two-stage trigger does. Next up is a table entitled Weapons In Use, which gives a country-by-country breakdown of the weapons in common use by different services such as the army, police, and special forces in each respective country - though not definitive, it certainly helps GMs define what weapons PCs will see used locally.

The book ends with over 300 entries giving a summary of the stats for each firearm and the various ammunition presented in the book plus a few other variations. The only downside for conversion to other game systems is that direct prices are not given. Not that this influenced my score, but a point to note.

Conclusion:
Ultramodern Firearms takes the equipment guide to a new level of organisation and interest in an easy-to-use, intelligently written guide to common firearms and ammunition currently used around the world. It will certainly satisfy all GMs and players who wish to know more about current firearms and bring a more realistic feel to weaponry in their d20 Modern game. For others, it's not absolutely essential, but makes a fine read and reference book anyway.

 

[Rodrigo]

Of course they do. It's called the US Postal Service.

 

[dpmcalister]

This Modus Operandi review originally appeared here.

Design
Ultramodern Firearms d20 is a hardback book comprising 160 pages. The cover is simple and uncomplicated with a colour image of some weaponry and ammunition on the front and an image of rows of weapons on the back, while the interior is printed on non-glossy paper. Almost every weapon listed within has a black and white image (those that don't have an image are, in the majority of cases, similar in appearance to one those already presented). Finally, new rules are presented in an easy to digest manner adding to the view that the presentation and layout is of a very high standard.

Content
With a title of "Ultramodern Firearms d20" it is fairly obvious as to its likely content. Divided into seven chapters (Pistols, Submachine Guns, Assault Rifles, Rifles, Shotguns, Machineguns, and Ammunition) with three appendices (Glossary, Weapons in Use, and d20 Game Statistics) the relevant information is easy to find.

In addition to the chapters, there is the Introduction, which serves to explain the purpose of the supplement in greater detail as well as exposing the majority of misconceptions regarding firearms (especially silenced weapons - my personal bugbear). Following this are additions to the d20 Modern rules system including a simple conversion to the damage value which makes allowance for those who which to use the supplement with the vitality point/wound point damage system (such as Star Wars and Spycraft). Also included are ten new feats for use with firearms.

At the end of the introduction is the Features Index. This handy table allows you, as player or GM, to see, at a glance, how weapons compare with each other in categories such as silenced, concealable, large magazine, common, and inexpensive.

Each chapter, apart from Ammunition, opens with two or three pages detailing how that particular type of weapon works, in layman terms, as well as supplemental rules for use with d20 Modern. Following this are the details of individual weapons, ordered by manufacturer. Each weapon follows a similar layout, detailing the weapon name (followed by different version names), calibre, length, weight, magazine capacity and type, a descriptive paragraph or two, d20 Modern rules for use (if applicable) and a stat block. The stat block provides the standard information required for play: damage, critical range, damage type, range increment, rate of fire, size, purchase DC and restriction.

The Ammunition chapter opens with four pages detailing the different types of ammunition available, and even provides outline images (at 1:1 scale) allowing players to understand just how big some of these rounds are (the .50 Browning rifle round might scare a few people!). Like the other chapters, it also contains some rules that supplement those presented in the d20 Modern rulebook.

Of the appendices, perhaps the most useful is Weapons In Use. This appendix lists individual countries further split by Service (army, police, special forces, etc) and details their primary weapons. This sort of information is a boon to the average GM in that it allows levels of realism to be maintained.

It must be said that, in a small number of cases, the information appears to be contradictory to real life experiences. Perhaps this is to be expected as converting something a complex as weaponry into game statistics can be a very subjective experience. Regardless, barring these very small contradictions, the information provided contains everything you need to use the weapons in your games.

Overall
An extremely well written supplement, Ultramodern Firearms d20 will be of instant use to all d20 Modern players. Its price compares favourably with its main competition (Spycraft's Modern Arms Guide) and the addition of the damage conversion rule will no doubt be of interest to Spycraft players. Finally, the hardback format is a boon and will ensure that heavy use won't shorten the shelf life of the supplement.

 

[Warrior]

Having reviewed both this product as well as the Modern Arms and Equipment Guide (and giving them both superior marks), which would you select if you could only own one? Is there much overlap in the material presented? What about differences in their presentation of identical weapons?

 

[Messageboard Golem]

By John Grigsby, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine Rack

Sizing Up the Target
Ultra-Modern Firearms, by Charles Ryan, is a supplement for the D20 MODERN game. It is a 160-page hardcover from Green Ronin Publishing and retails for $27.95. It requires the D20 MODERN rules published by Wizards of the Coast.

First Blood
Right off, this book has two things going for it. First, it is the first supplement available for D20 MODERN and it makes great use of that distinction. Instead of a campaign setting or a book of prestige classes, this is a book that every D20 MODERN player and GM will doubtlessly find useful. It’s a book about guns. Secondly, it’s written by Charles Ryan, one of the co-authors of D20 MODERN, so you know that it’s faithful to the source material.

One of the most-commonly perceived “failings” of D20 MODERN has been its lack of weapon selection. I use the quotations because I really don’t think that it’s fair to judge a book which is designed to provide rules for role-playing in the modern era solely by the fact that due to space limitations, they didn’t represent every firearm known to man. Be reasonable! That would take, well, a book unto itself. Hmm, maybe we’re onto something here.

So how complete is Ultramodern Firearms? There’s always going to be some gun-nut in the group who reads Soldier of Fortune monthly and wants to get the latest and greatest firearm to hit the black market. This book isn’t going to please them. However, for anyone who is seeking a good compromise between that and the 30+ firearms described in D20 MODERN, this is for you.

This book provides excellent detail for over 350 firearms from around the world. It doesn’t have everything, but there’s enough here to keep even the most adrenaline-driven character happy for a while. The book is divided into 7 chapters; pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, rifles, shotguns, machineguns, and ammunition. Each weapon is given a technical description (which includes details about construction, variants, and usage), a detailed grey-scale drawing of the weapon, caliber, length, weight, magazine size, and D20 MODERN game mechanics.

Each chapter is headed up with an introduction which introduces the class of firearm to the reader; basically, a crash-course in armament. History, construction, and common features are all covered here. This is followed by any aspects of or additions to the D20 MODERN rules that apply to that particular class of weapon, such as Reliability and Chambered Rounds, for pistols, or Scopes for rifles.

The chapter on ammunition delves into the wonderful world of chambered rounds, from the standard “ball” ammo to the latest in Glaser Safety Slugs. Yes, the incendiary shotgun ammo (“dragonfire shells”) that is becoming controversial is also covered here. But more than that, this chapter also talks about choosing the right ammo for the job and what kinds of ammo different groups of people might use.

And there’s still more. A chart showing which country’s forces use what weapons insures that your players will never catch you with your pants down. You’ll know that most local police forces in Austria use Steyr G8’s, for example. There are detailed rules for reliability, silenced weapons, bipods and mountings, and using this book with a vitality point/wound point system that many players have adopted. Still not enough? Toss in a features index that, at-a-glance, provides action and caliber size of all the weapons featured in the book, in addition to such features as whether the weapon can be silenced, concealment, ease-of-use, and accuracy. Now, who could possibly ask for more? Okay, yes, there are also nine new feats and a table that compiles all firearm-related feats into one place.

Critical Hits
There is no one great thing about this work that stands above all the rest, because all of it is superior. From the drawings, to the mechanics, to the loving detail that Charles has put into the design, everything about this book is a delight to the eyes and mind of the modern-genre gamer. The format is easy to read, the design allows for easy reference, and the real-world specifications are nicely balanced as D20 MODERN mechanics.

Critical Misses
The only negative thing I can say about the book, and this is by no means a failing, is that it is limited in scope. It covers its topic matter very well, but modern firearms are as far as it goes. If your game is set in World War II or the Roaring 20’s, you aren’t going to find much here of use. I stress that this is not a failing because, as Charles has pointed out in defense of the work on various forums, the title is Ultramodern Firearms, not Guns! Guns! Guns!

The decision to focus on the more modern weapons was intentional and to this end, you will not find any older firearms in this work. If that’s what you are looking for, you need to search elsewhere. But if what you want are the latest and greatest methods of long-range destruction available, this is your book!

As stated earlier, Ultramodern Firearms does not have everything. Already, a few people on various forums have begun to nitpick over what is not included. Reasonably, I believe that what is provided is more than enough to give players and GMs plenty to work with. It may not have specs for the super-godawful .50 cal sniper rifle with the starlight/ thermal/30x scope that was featured in this month’s Sniper’s Digest, but with over 350 weapons to choose from, I think you’ll find something for almost everyone.

Coup de Grace
The bottom line is simple: if you include firearms in your D20 MODERN game, you need this book. All of the game mechanics are designated as Open Game Content, so you can use this as a resource in your own supplements and adventures, but weapon descriptions and introductions are not. A fair exchange, I’d say. As might be expected (since it is penned by one of the designers), the book meets d20 Compliance spot-on.

I award high marks for originality as it relates to the D20 MODERN system. Books on firearms are nothing new. Over the years, we’ve seen BTRC’s Guns! Guns! Guns!, the Palladium Book of Conventional Weaponry, and Steve Jackson Games’ GURPS High Tech, to name a few. But these have all been aimed at other game systems. Ultramodern Firearms provides the same level of detail and is aimed at D20 MODERN. Playability scores high marks because everyone will want a copy of this work, whether a player or a GM.

To see the graded evaluation of this product, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.