Trinity (Arthaus d20)

Rating:
Summary: Trinity deserved better
Review: I recently read through a friend's copy of this book and was very happy I wasn't the poor sap who dropped $35 on it. My gaming group loved the original Storyteller (ST) system version of Trinity (or Aeon, as we still call it). It was well-designed setting with a good psionic system. The refinement of the old ST system rules was so good White Wolf implemented most of it in their revised Vampire setting. Unfortunately, the d20 version is one of the least innovative gaming systems I've seen.

The setting information in d20 Trinity is lifted, nearly verbatim, from the old WW Trinity book. In fact, some of the images in the setting section appear to be stretched, suggesting that the only editing performed in the transfer was a 'fit to page' function. Also, the ST setting section was in color, while the d20 section is black and white, presumably to cut costs that, based on the rest of the book, were already quite low.

Another major disappointment is the lack of metaplot advancement. The sourcebooks and modules for ST Trinity had advanced the timeline and metaplot three years, but when the game was cancelled things were left hanging. Rather than expand the setting, S&S has simply 'reset the clock' by recycling all the original information.

But if the setting section is weak, the game mechanics are worse. The central problem is S&S's decision to use the D&D base rules rather than d20 Modern. There is a statement explaining the decision was based on more players owning the D&D d20 books than the Modern book. While this seems like a helpful act on the part of S&S, it was in fact a critical mistake.

In short, the D&D system just doesn't work when guns are involved. The lowering of the 'massive damage threshold' in d20 Modern is a necessity that makes Modern combat more believable. Without it, d20 Trinity combat doesn't make any sense. A character beyond 3rd or 4th level doesn't need to fear guns any more than a 3rd or 4th level fighter fears a single hit with a sword in D&D.

The psi system feels very slapdash. They tried to force the 'mode' structure of ST Trinity into the spell level system of D&D using feats as a vehicle. The result is an unwieldy system that requires new character classes with tons of extra feats.

Adapting ST Backgrounds into the feat system was better, but it essentially restricts a character to one or two backgrounds. Also, the 'damage adds' used in ST Trinity for vehicle weapons translated into higher crit multipliers and wider threat ranges in d20, which looks like it should work well.

The equipment lists are truly pathetic. ST Trinity had an extensive list of weapons, accessories, and vehicles, often with illustrations. In d20 Trinity those lists have been stripped down to a generic heading (i.e. Cruiser) with a few names listed under it with no variation between them.

And finally, the index. The ST Trinity index quickly became a running joke in our group, since it included a number of insignificant terms (often with references to the wrong page) and was lacking some very important ones that we often needed to look for. It was the flaw that gave a good book character. Well, the only difference here is the joke's not funny in a book this bad.

To sum up, do not waste a dime on this book. It's just a regurgitation of a much better book and system, cobbled together with too little attention or effort. The $35 price tag is an insult.