Pyramid Review
The Foundation (for d20)
Produced by Nightshift Games
Written by Eric Metcalf, Michael Nunn, Dale Perkins, Paul Arden Lidberg
Cover by Derrick Thomas
Illustrated by Kenneth Petersen, Phill Kniclt, Michael Kasinger, Derrick Thomas, Johnny Mince, Michael Nunn
128 pages; $19.95
The Foundation from Nightshift Games is an RPG that uses the d20 System of mechanics that powers D&D 3rd Edition from Wizards of the Coast. This makes it our first look at a d20 game that does not come from WotC, and our chance to see how the d20 system works in a genre other than high fantasy or space opera.
The Foundation claims to be a d20 game of Superheroics, providing a setting -- including the background and its heroes and villains, the rules for super-powered d20, and a novella detailing the origins of the setting. This setting is adapted from a series of short stories by the author, Eric Metcalf, about a team called the Guardians. These can be found at the author's website (http://members.tripod.com/Eric_metcalf). Much of the book is devoted to the background and the thirty or so heroes and villains. To be honest, the setting is somewhat run of the mill, and there is little here to grab the imagination in comparison with other superhero RPGs such as Aberrant or Brave New World.
Gamers coming to The Foundation after seeing the crisp layout and art of the third edition D&D books will be in for a disappointment. The layout appears rushed and slipshod, with . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: February 23, 2001
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