Pyramid Review
d20 Future
Published by Wizards of the Coast
Written by Christopher Perkins, Rodney Thompson, & JD Wiker
Edited by Tammie Webb Ryan & Michelle Vuckovich
Art by Dave Johnson, Timothy II, Kalman Andrasofszky, Daniel Falconer, Langdon Foss, Grafikismik, Matthew Hatton, Karl Kerschl, Stephan Martiniere, Warren Mahey, Christian Piccolo, Joel Thomas, Chris Trevas, Francis Tsai, & Ronald Wimberly
224-page full-color hardcover; $34.95
Wizards of the Coast has now formed a troika of sorts with their roleplaying volumes. Dungeons & Dragons covers the fantasy genre and d20 Modern the contemporary, and now d20 Future is supposed to handle all your sci-fi needs. It's not really a core book, however, as you need Modern to use it to the fullest. It's not a standalone product, and the new material (including features like action points and wealth bonuses) means the Player's Handbook won't cover everything.
As thin as the setting may have been in d20 Modern, the background material here is almost nonexistent in spite of drawing a lot from other sci-fi works in Wizards of the Coast's and TSR's past. The bits they do have are mixed in with some character types. The campaigns chapter is preceded by new feats, high-tech skills, and advanced classes -- such as the xenophiles who seek all things alien, the space monkeys who clear planets for colonization, and the ambassadors to other stars. Some of them are even intriguing enough to start charging the creative batteries. But the rest are mixed . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: October 8, 2004
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