Post by Gilvan Blight on Nov 26, 2007 8:43:23 GMT -5
Quickly: an interesting use of the D20 system, citizen play sounds great, judge play was done better by GW.
[glow=blue,2,300]Summary:[/glow]
The Judge Dredd Roleplaying game, D20 version is produced by Mongoose Publishing and has been around for a few years. It is set in the Sci-Fi world of the 2000AD comic books that have been around for years now starting in British newspapers.
The game is designed with two styles of play in mind. Players can create Judges (the ultimate in Law Enforcement, Judge Jury and Executioner all in one) or Citizens (just an average joe trying to get buy in a city of billions with a 97% unemployment rate).
The Judges are uber tough, starting at 3rd level and receiving special Judge Feats above and beyond normal level progression. They are the best of the best and have access to the best equipment and the best weapons. They also have access to backup, in the form of the worlds biggest most advanced law enforcement agency.
Citizens are not so tough. They start out as a lowly level one with limited cash and a few skills and feats learned from their previous hobby or profession. It's assumed that all citizens will be turning perp (aka becoming criminals), as playing a bored guy who works only 2 hours a week and trys to keep sane legally would be boring.
There are significant changes from the standard D&D D20 system to adapt the system for Sci-Fi play. The most jarring is a change to the AC system. Instead players have a DV (defense Value) which is derived the same as the Reflex save in D&D, which improves as the character levels up and includes their Dex bonus. This was done as it makes a lot more sense for someone to duck and cover in ranged combat then for armour to absorb the hit. The second is the way amour works, instead of increasing all amour provides damage Resistance. To counter the power of this all weapons have an Armour Piercing level, which negates damage resistance. Combat rules have been updated to include more rules for ranged combat including called shots and aiming (as there will be a lot more shotting then hacking in Judge Dredd's world). Combat rules have also been updated to include Vehicular combat, including Bikes, Ground Vehicles, Hover Vehicles and even Flying vehicles. Rules for combat with Robots is also included.
Character creation is changed quite a bit as well. All players are human, so there are no racial skills. In addition there are only 3 classes. Judge, Psi-Judge and Citizen. Citizens get to customize their characters further by selecting a previous life, which gives them what works out to be class skills and special abilities. These include things like Batter (someone who spends their hobby time flying around their block on bat like wings) or a Fatty (someone obsessed with obesity, a growing Fad in Mega City).
Level progression is the same as D&D but XP is awarded based on GM discretion and story progression as opposed to Challenge Ratings. Level benefits include skill points, ability increases and feats as normal. There are quite a few feats added just for this game, and a selection of standard D20 feats that cannot be chosen. There are judge specific feats that only Judges can take as well. There are quite a few prestige classes included for both Judges and Citizens. The Judge prestige classes include specialization in an area, such as Med Judge or Tek Judge as well as special units like the SJS (who Judge the Judges). The Citizen jobs are mainly focused on experts in various fields, like Pro Powerboarder, Vigilante, and Assassin.
For Citizens there are in depth rules about starting your own street gang, organizing that gang, adding members etc. For Judges there are in depth rules about the Laws of Mega City One and the punishment for each. There are rules for calling in back up and making arrests (and resisting arrest) as well.
There is a section on Psi powers that works similar to the Magic System in D&D. There really aren't many powers though and it's not something that you will see often. The system uses points instead of slots to determine how often powers can be used. Both Judges and Citizens can start with Psi powers but they can't be gotten after character creation.
The rest of the book is filled with a wide variety of background information and Judge Dredd Specific rules (for things like Mutants, the various Equipment, Vehicles and Robots). A short module exists in the back of the book to get both players and GMs used to the 2000AD world and the rules changes.
[glow=green,2,300]The Good:[/glow]
Mongoose did a great job keeping the Dredd look and feel. The details of the world are enough that a non-Dredd fan can get an idea of what the world of 2000AD looks like. The concept of playing a Perp or a Judge is great. Previous Judge Dredd rpgs only ever allowed for Judge characters so this is a great addition to the genre. Some of the rules are just excellently devised. The rules for Making Arrests and Calling for Backup really stand out as unique and well done. The more complex shooting rules are a nice touch, especially the called shot and aiming rules.
[glow=yellow,2,300]The bad:[/glow]
Certain aspects of Sci-Fi play just don't seem to translate to D20 very well. The Psionics rules especially seem like someone adapted the magic rules as opposed to coming up with a better new system. The vehicular combat rules are pretty weak, and I would suggest grabbing D20 star wars and adopting those rules. I can't see this game being fun for people who don't know Judge Dredd. Sure it's all described in the rules, but it's not the same as having read the comics. The biggest problem is that the book makes it sounds all doom and gloom, where fans of the comic realize it's a Dark Comedy and there is fun to be had. I am also disappointed with the lack of small details regarding the judges and their equipment. The old Games Workshop Judge Dredd rpg had an insane amount of detail dealing with each little bit of tech a judge used in their daily lives, including rules for breaking and fixing them. In addition more room was spent detailing the judicial system and how everything works. This could have used to be included in this addition as well.
[glow=red,2,300]The Ugly:[/glow]
I don't quite get this one. It's a licensed game, but quite a bit of the art in the book looks pixelated, like someone went online and did a google search for Judge Dredd and found some shots of old comic strips in a low res format and decided they would look good in the book. Also near the end of the book are some amazing colour plates that just don't fit in with the rest of the look of the book. Also this was a boring read, I expected something Judge Dredd to have more humor in it. My biggest complaint though is that the rules are incomplete. This was obviously written as a core book and designed to sell other books. There aren't really enough rules for enemies for the players. You basically need to create all npcs and villains (or heroes as the case may be) from scratch from level 1. Heck there isn't even stats for the man Dredd himself. All of whats lacking though is promised in future "Rookies Guides" Rookies Guide to Psionics, Rookies Guide to The Justice Department, etc.
[glow=purple,2,300]Overall:[/glow]
I'm pretty impressed with this new edition of Judge Dredd roleplaying. The way they adapted the D20 system for Sci-Fi play is brilliant in some areas but awkward in others. Most of it seems to work though. The system for playing Citizen Perps is excellent and a great idea. Previous Dredd RPGs always focused on the Judges, so the ability to play perps is unique, interesting and appealing. The one problem with this is that there is less focus on the Judges so I find that the older systems are better designed and written for Judge play. Overall if you ever wanted to play a generic citizen turning to crime in the world of judges then pick this up, if you want to play a Judge in Mega City One, I suggest you pick up the old Games Workshop Judge Dredd rpg instead. Then perhaps pick this up for some great background and adventure ideas.
EDIT: I had the original write up of DV a bit wrong, it's based on the characters Reflex Save, not just level and Dex. Also there was no module in the back, though I could have sworn that they referanced the sample adventure more then once while reading the book.
[glow=blue,2,300]Summary:[/glow]
The Judge Dredd Roleplaying game, D20 version is produced by Mongoose Publishing and has been around for a few years. It is set in the Sci-Fi world of the 2000AD comic books that have been around for years now starting in British newspapers.
The game is designed with two styles of play in mind. Players can create Judges (the ultimate in Law Enforcement, Judge Jury and Executioner all in one) or Citizens (just an average joe trying to get buy in a city of billions with a 97% unemployment rate).
The Judges are uber tough, starting at 3rd level and receiving special Judge Feats above and beyond normal level progression. They are the best of the best and have access to the best equipment and the best weapons. They also have access to backup, in the form of the worlds biggest most advanced law enforcement agency.
Citizens are not so tough. They start out as a lowly level one with limited cash and a few skills and feats learned from their previous hobby or profession. It's assumed that all citizens will be turning perp (aka becoming criminals), as playing a bored guy who works only 2 hours a week and trys to keep sane legally would be boring.
There are significant changes from the standard D&D D20 system to adapt the system for Sci-Fi play. The most jarring is a change to the AC system. Instead players have a DV (defense Value) which is derived the same as the Reflex save in D&D, which improves as the character levels up and includes their Dex bonus. This was done as it makes a lot more sense for someone to duck and cover in ranged combat then for armour to absorb the hit. The second is the way amour works, instead of increasing all amour provides damage Resistance. To counter the power of this all weapons have an Armour Piercing level, which negates damage resistance. Combat rules have been updated to include more rules for ranged combat including called shots and aiming (as there will be a lot more shotting then hacking in Judge Dredd's world). Combat rules have also been updated to include Vehicular combat, including Bikes, Ground Vehicles, Hover Vehicles and even Flying vehicles. Rules for combat with Robots is also included.
Character creation is changed quite a bit as well. All players are human, so there are no racial skills. In addition there are only 3 classes. Judge, Psi-Judge and Citizen. Citizens get to customize their characters further by selecting a previous life, which gives them what works out to be class skills and special abilities. These include things like Batter (someone who spends their hobby time flying around their block on bat like wings) or a Fatty (someone obsessed with obesity, a growing Fad in Mega City).
Level progression is the same as D&D but XP is awarded based on GM discretion and story progression as opposed to Challenge Ratings. Level benefits include skill points, ability increases and feats as normal. There are quite a few feats added just for this game, and a selection of standard D20 feats that cannot be chosen. There are judge specific feats that only Judges can take as well. There are quite a few prestige classes included for both Judges and Citizens. The Judge prestige classes include specialization in an area, such as Med Judge or Tek Judge as well as special units like the SJS (who Judge the Judges). The Citizen jobs are mainly focused on experts in various fields, like Pro Powerboarder, Vigilante, and Assassin.
For Citizens there are in depth rules about starting your own street gang, organizing that gang, adding members etc. For Judges there are in depth rules about the Laws of Mega City One and the punishment for each. There are rules for calling in back up and making arrests (and resisting arrest) as well.
There is a section on Psi powers that works similar to the Magic System in D&D. There really aren't many powers though and it's not something that you will see often. The system uses points instead of slots to determine how often powers can be used. Both Judges and Citizens can start with Psi powers but they can't be gotten after character creation.
The rest of the book is filled with a wide variety of background information and Judge Dredd Specific rules (for things like Mutants, the various Equipment, Vehicles and Robots). A short module exists in the back of the book to get both players and GMs used to the 2000AD world and the rules changes.
[glow=green,2,300]The Good:[/glow]
Mongoose did a great job keeping the Dredd look and feel. The details of the world are enough that a non-Dredd fan can get an idea of what the world of 2000AD looks like. The concept of playing a Perp or a Judge is great. Previous Judge Dredd rpgs only ever allowed for Judge characters so this is a great addition to the genre. Some of the rules are just excellently devised. The rules for Making Arrests and Calling for Backup really stand out as unique and well done. The more complex shooting rules are a nice touch, especially the called shot and aiming rules.
[glow=yellow,2,300]The bad:[/glow]
Certain aspects of Sci-Fi play just don't seem to translate to D20 very well. The Psionics rules especially seem like someone adapted the magic rules as opposed to coming up with a better new system. The vehicular combat rules are pretty weak, and I would suggest grabbing D20 star wars and adopting those rules. I can't see this game being fun for people who don't know Judge Dredd. Sure it's all described in the rules, but it's not the same as having read the comics. The biggest problem is that the book makes it sounds all doom and gloom, where fans of the comic realize it's a Dark Comedy and there is fun to be had. I am also disappointed with the lack of small details regarding the judges and their equipment. The old Games Workshop Judge Dredd rpg had an insane amount of detail dealing with each little bit of tech a judge used in their daily lives, including rules for breaking and fixing them. In addition more room was spent detailing the judicial system and how everything works. This could have used to be included in this addition as well.
[glow=red,2,300]The Ugly:[/glow]
I don't quite get this one. It's a licensed game, but quite a bit of the art in the book looks pixelated, like someone went online and did a google search for Judge Dredd and found some shots of old comic strips in a low res format and decided they would look good in the book. Also near the end of the book are some amazing colour plates that just don't fit in with the rest of the look of the book. Also this was a boring read, I expected something Judge Dredd to have more humor in it. My biggest complaint though is that the rules are incomplete. This was obviously written as a core book and designed to sell other books. There aren't really enough rules for enemies for the players. You basically need to create all npcs and villains (or heroes as the case may be) from scratch from level 1. Heck there isn't even stats for the man Dredd himself. All of whats lacking though is promised in future "Rookies Guides" Rookies Guide to Psionics, Rookies Guide to The Justice Department, etc.
[glow=purple,2,300]Overall:[/glow]
I'm pretty impressed with this new edition of Judge Dredd roleplaying. The way they adapted the D20 system for Sci-Fi play is brilliant in some areas but awkward in others. Most of it seems to work though. The system for playing Citizen Perps is excellent and a great idea. Previous Dredd RPGs always focused on the Judges, so the ability to play perps is unique, interesting and appealing. The one problem with this is that there is less focus on the Judges so I find that the older systems are better designed and written for Judge play. Overall if you ever wanted to play a generic citizen turning to crime in the world of judges then pick this up, if you want to play a Judge in Mega City One, I suggest you pick up the old Games Workshop Judge Dredd rpg instead. Then perhaps pick this up for some great background and adventure ideas.
EDIT: I had the original write up of DV a bit wrong, it's based on the characters Reflex Save, not just level and Dex. Also there was no module in the back, though I could have sworn that they referanced the sample adventure more then once while reading the book.