Rating: 
Summary: Well Crafted Role-Playing Experiance
Review: I just picked up the book last night and I must say it is very well thought out and a great read. I created a character last night and I just am amazed at the diversity and options given a character. The artwork is very different and may take some getting used to, but I think it is awesome. I love the idea of a Wealth system instead of keeping track of money (I made a character that was able to have a Mansion and a BMW right off the bat) Every object has a DC to purchase and you roll vs. your wealth score. The experiance table is just as abstract of a system and puts an emphisis on survival of obstacles more than just hacking and slashing.
If I could I would rate the book as a whole a 4 1/2 stars because I beleive they could have cut out all of the monster descriptions that were repeated from D&D and gave us more equipment or NPCs which I believe will be difficult for GMs to make since each character is such an individual. Also they could have cut out the campaign info because I am interested in making my own campaign world. But I gave it 5 stars because even though it wasn't perfect it was very well thought out and in my 15 years of GMing experiance I really can't say I've played a game like this. The closest I can say is GURPS, but without the headache of buying abilities with points. Now all they have to do is release a book full of either equipment or NPCs (GM characters) and I will be most satisfyed. WotC if you are listening how about a book called: "Friends and Foes"? I would say this book is a must buy for anyone into RPGs.
Rating:
Summary: d20 Modern rulebook review
Review: I started playing RPGs years ago with Dungeons & Dragons, Gamma World, and Top Secret. Then I broke away from those games and got into Rifts by Palladium for years. However, I became increasingly frustrated by Palladium's clunky rules. I found myself modifying too many of its existing rules and making up new ones where there were none to speak of. Then, while browsing the stacks at my local hobby store, I stumbled across d20 Modern.Simply put, this book is fantastic! Not only does it have great artwork, but it also has hundreds of ideas and concepts to stimulate the imagination of any gamer. But the best part of it is the d20 rule system. The d20 system is easy to use, logical, and covers any possible situation that characters could get into. The theme of d20 Modern harkens back to the old TSR version of Top Secret, which was basically an espionage game. However, d20 Modern expands on that and encompasses such wild and woolly aspects as psionics and magic. Tired of fighting enemy spies all the time? Then tackle a Bugbear security guard or try to depose a Mind Flayer disguised as a cult leader. The key word to the d20 system is flexibility. I just bought the new d20 versions of Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, and even Gamma World, which was just released again. I am waiting for someone to use the d20 open gaming license to create a compatible version of Rifts, but until then, I can use all my d20 books to create my own Rifts-esque setting and campaign. The possibilites are endless, and the d20 Modern book is a cornerstone for your wildest imaginings.
Rating:
Summary: d20 Modern rulebook review
Review: I started playing RPGs years ago with Dungeons & Dragons, Gamma World, and Top Secret. Then I broke away from those games and got into Rifts by Palladium for years. However, I became increasingly frustrated by Palladium's clunky rules. I found myself modifying too many of its existing rules and making up new ones where there were none to speak of. Then, while browsing the stacks at my local hobby store, I stumbled across d20 Modern. Simply put, this book is fantastic! Not only does it have great artwork, but it also has hundreds of ideas and concepts to stimulate the imagination of any gamer. But the best part of it is the d20 rule system. The d20 system is easy to use, logical, and covers any possible situation that characters could get into. The theme of d20 Modern harkens back to the old TSR version of Top Secret, which was basically an espionage game. However, d20 Modern expands on that and encompasses such wild and woolly aspects as psionics and magic. Tired of fighting enemy spies all the time? Then tackle a Bugbear security guard or try to depose a Mind Flayer disguised as a cult leader. The key word to the d20 system is flexibility. I just bought the new d20 versions of Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, and even Gamma World, which was just released again. I am waiting for someone to use the d20 open gaming license to create a compatible version of Rifts, but until then, I can use all my d20 books to create my own Rifts-esque setting and campaign. The possibilites are endless, and the d20 Modern book is a cornerstone for your wildest imaginings.
Rating:
Summary: d20 Modern rulebook review
Review: I started playing RPGs years ago with Dungeons & Dragons, Gamma World, and Top Secret. Then I broke away from those games and got into Rifts by Palladium for years. However, I became increasingly frustrated by Palladium's clunky rules. I found myself modifying too many of its existing rules and making up new ones where there were none to speak of. Then, while browsing the stacks at my local hobby store, I stumbled across d20 Modern. Simply put, this book is fantastic! Not only does it have great artwork, but it also has hundreds of ideas and concepts to stimulate the imagination of any gamer. But the best part of it is the d20 rule system. The d20 system is easy to use, logical, and covers any possible situation that characters could get into. The theme of d20 Modern harkens back to the old TSR version of Top Secret, which was basically an espionage game. However, d20 Modern expands on that and encompasses such wild and woolly aspects as psionics and magic. Tired of fighting enemy spies all the time? Then tackle a Bugbear security guard or try to depose a Mind Flayer disguised as a cult leader. The key word to the d20 system is flexibility. I just bought the new d20 versions of Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, and even Gamma World, which was just released again. I am waiting for someone to use the d20 open gaming license to create a compatible version of Rifts, but until then, I can use all my d20 books to create my own Rifts-esque setting and campaign. The possibilites are endless, and the d20 Modern book is a cornerstone for your wildest imaginings.
Rating: 
Summary: Lame adaption of a great concept
Review: I waited for weeks with anticipation for d20 modern and I have to say I was pretty disappointed. I definitely think WotC had a chance to really make something great out of this and failed. Too bad. Very generic book. Example: classes. The strong hero? The fast hero? Can't we do better than this. Really pretty pathetic.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprising...
Review: I was kind of looking forward to this. Sure, Spycraft is out, and is a great modern RPG, but surely WotC, makers of the d20 system, could come up with something great? Eh. In a synopsis, it's boring. Now PCs start out in one of six attribute-centered classes, with low saves and base attack. You can then move into an advanced class if you qualify for one, but those are currently fairly rare. They've factored in the extra human skill point, so everybody now has odd skill points/class. New to the d20 system is the Wealth rating. This is an attempt to represent modern finance, which is rather more complicated than piles of gold pieces. The idea is that one rolls against one's Wealth rating to purchase an item, which has a variable DC based on expense and rarity. It's a nice concept, but I'm not all that happy with it, mostly because it's possible for a 1st-level PC to not be able to afford to purchase duct tape. (No, really.) I'm not sure of a better way to represent modern wealth, but I'm not happy with it. The general trend is that one gets rich as one rises in level, and in practice, one skill point/level will get devoted to Profession (which is partially used for Wealth checks). Most of the other rules are similar, but new to d20 are action points, which one gains every level, and which are used to add to rolls and, if I'm not mistaken, activate critical hits. Unfortunately, there's no mechanism for regaining them that I could see, which makes them less useful than the action dice from Spycraft. The other new thing is Fx, which actually isn't new; it's weird stuff, like magic or superscience, that can be plugged into the game. However, there's not a lot of description about magic and almost none about superscience, which might be because it's a basic book. However, ALL THREE of the settings included in the book are supernatural to some degree, two with magic and one with psionics. It's at this point that I decided that d20 Modern had failed, because the Urban Arcana setting is, for all intents and purposes, D&D with less capable PCs (in that their base attack and saves are lower, so they're easy fodder for that mind flayer!). That also seems to be the first one they're developing for its own setting book. Shadow Chasers is a less magic-intensive, lite-horror setting, similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and shows of that ilk, and is fairly good. The psionics setting is okay, but was better done as part of GURPS Psionics. Honestly, what they really needed was to drop Urban Arcana and put in a good, regular setting that didn't involve magic, just to show how it would be done. You can have more or less regular games without magic or psionics, but you can't look to d20 Modern for that. Try Spycraft first.
Rating:
Summary: Well Done
Review: I'm impressed. Fun to read and to play and exceptionally modular.
Rating:
Summary: Ultimately modular d20
Review: I'm more fond of d20 Modern than I have been of any other d20 product with the exception of Call of Cthulhu d20, which is an obvious influence. The nature of the class system, which seems designed especially for maximum variety (unlike D&D, there is no multiclassing penalty...indeed, the whole game is geared towards encouraging the multiclass player) and the inclusion of the Talent Tree only emphasizes that. Between multiclassing, talent selection and feats and skills, it becomes possible to grow into an enormously varied selection of character types...the closest I've ever seen a class and level system come to the flexibility of a point based system, in fact. With the addition of streamlined magic and psi systems derived from the ones in D&D (although I'll admit it would have been nice to have had the lost GeneTech setting included...I'm a sucker for Transgenics) and the nice assortment of monsters, it becomes possible to use this book for almost any genre you'd care to create, which is where it earns its cover price for me. I don't want limits, I want possibilities, and I can imagine using this book to create any campaign I'd want to run and almost any character I'd want to play. The cross-genre nature of the book wins me over. I do think the monster section (although useful for someone intending to use only this book) could have been removed and some rules for high-tech could have been included...but this isn't d20 Future, I guess.
Rating:
Summary: Great transposition of D&D to Modern Times
Review: I've been role playing for about fifteen years, much of that time spent with Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). I've enjoyed the new 3rd edition D&D rules and this book uses the same basic concepts to let you play in the modern world. I think the rules work well for the modern world whether you decide to run a fantasy campaign or a mundane spy campaign. The book is also attractive and well laid out, unlike the new D&D books. The biggest difference between D&D and D20 Modern is the attitude towards classes. In D&D, your class is what you are: a wizard, a barbarian, a cleric. In D20 Modern, a class just adds something to your character. The basic classes are Strong, Fast, Tough, Smart, Dedicated, and Charismatic. Each gives you abilities in line with one of the basic ability scores. You are not only free to mix different classes, but encouraged to do so. The addition of advanced classes like Soldier or Techie adds another layer of customization. The other modern concepts are handled well. Guns do decent damage but not vastly more than the weapons found in D&D. This is tempered by the massive damage rule which states that any time you receive damage equal to or greater than your constitution score you must make a fortitude save or be reduced to -1 hit points instantly. Similarly, driving vehicles is handled much like character movement, with associated feats and skills to allow you to be a more effective driver or pilot. Finally, the vagaries of modern finance are abstracted away with an elegant wealth system. If you're looking to move players who are familiar with D&D into a modern setting, this book is definitely the one for you. If you just want an RPG system that allows heroic modern scenarios, again this is the system to get. The D20 system allows you to take advantage of a wide variety of D20 compatible supplements as well. Overall, I think this is a great system and a great purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Great transposition of D&D to Modern Times
Review: I've been role playing for about fifteen years, much of that time spent with Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). I've enjoyed the new 3rd edition D&D rules and this book uses the same basic concepts to let you play in the modern world. I think the rules work well for the modern world whether you decide to run a fantasy campaign or a mundane spy campaign. The book is also attractive and well laid out, unlike the new D&D books. The biggest difference between D&D and D20 Modern is the attitude towards classes. In D&D, your class is what you are: a wizard, a barbarian, a cleric. In D20 Modern, a class just adds something to your character. The basic classes are Strong, Fast, Tough, Smart, Dedicated, and Charismatic. Each gives you abilities in line with one of the basic ability scores. You are not only free to mix different classes, but encouraged to do so. The addition of advanced classes like Soldier or Techie adds another layer of customization. The other modern concepts are handled well. Guns do decent damage but not vastly more than the weapons found in D&D. This is tempered by the massive damage rule which states that any time you receive damage equal to or greater than your constitution score you must make a fortitude save or be reduced to -1 hit points instantly. Similarly, driving vehicles is handled much like character movement, with associated feats and skills to allow you to be a more effective driver or pilot. Finally, the vagaries of modern finance are abstracted away with an elegant wealth system. If you're looking to move players who are familiar with D&D into a modern setting, this book is definitely the one for you. If you just want an RPG system that allows heroic modern scenarios, again this is the system to get. The D20 system allows you to take advantage of a wide variety of D20 compatible supplements as well. Overall, I think this is a great system and a great purchase.
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