True20
Encyclopedia
True20 is an award winning universal generic role-playing game
designed by Steve Kenson
and published by Green Ronin Publishing
.
:
The Revised Edition has four different settings:
A follow up volume, True20 Worlds of Adventure includes five additional settings:
, True20 is derived from Wizards of the Coast
's d20 System
. Differences from the parent game include the following:
for Best Rules in 2005) which itself was based on their multiple award winning Mutants & Masterminds RPG. Later that year, Green Ronin released a PDF distillation of the Blue Rose rules, with an appendix of some modern-era rules, as a generic form of the game. This was followed by an expanded hardcover release in 2006. A revised softcover rulebook, combining the rules section of the True20 Adventure Roleplaying book with the True20 Companion was released April 25, 2008.
On April 12, 2008, Chris Pramas of Green Ronin Publishing announced a new, free, licensing agreement with third party publishers to produce True20 products. Details were posted on the company’s website and forums and met with praise from publishers, freelancers and players alike.
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
designed by Steve Kenson
Steve Kenson
Steve Kenson is a writer and designer of fantasy role-playing games and related fiction.His most notable creation is the d20 System superhero roleplaying game Mutants & Masterminds for Green Ronin Publishing, which won multiple ENnie awards. He also designed True20 Adventure Roleplaying and the...
and published by Green Ronin Publishing
Green Ronin Publishing
Green Ronin Publishing is an American company based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2000 by Chris Pramas, they have published several role-playing game–related products...
.
Settings
Although presented as a generic role-playing game, the original hardcover printing of the True20 Adventure Roleplaying book included four sample settings. These were chosen among publisher submitted setting with the winners announced in Dragon MagazineDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
:
- "Caliphate Nights", a fantasy version of the golden age of IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, circa 800 AD. A full-color stand-alone hardcover was released for the setting at Origins 2006Origins International Game ExpoOrigins Game Fair is one of North America's most prominent annual gaming conventions, second in size only to Gen Con. Origins takes place each year in Columbus, Ohio at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, in late June or early July....
. - "Lux Aeternum", a swashbuckling space operaSpace operaSpace opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap...
. - "Mecha vs. Kaiju", in which giant robots protect Japan from giant monsters.
- "Borrowed Time", a setting of Kung Fu action and gunplay against a backdrop of time-controlling conspiracies.
The Revised Edition has four different settings:
- Fantasy Adventures
- Space Adventures
- Horror Adventures
- Modern Adventures
A follow up volume, True20 Worlds of Adventure includes five additional settings:
- "Agents of Oblivion"
- "Blood Throne"
- "Land of the Crane", an Asian fantasy setting.
- "Nevermore"
- "Razor in the Apple", a horror setting in which kids face monsters lurking the neighborhood, inspired by films such as The GooniesThe GooniesThe Goonies is a 1985 American adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. The premise surrounds a band of pre-teens who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon hoping to save...
.
System
Utilizing the Open Gaming LicenseOpen Gaming License
The Open Game License may be used by game developers to grant permission to modify, copy, and redistribute some of the content designed for their games, notably game mechanics.-Language of the licence:The OGL describes two forms of content:...
, True20 is derived from Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
's d20 System
D20 System
The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
. Differences from the parent game include the following:
- There are only three character classes, referred to as roles: warrior, adept and expert.
- A single 20-sided die is used for each roll.
- Ability scores are given as simple modifiers (+1, +2, etc.) rather than as a statistic ranged from 3-18 (which in other systems would then be cross referenced against a table to convert them to simple modifiers).
- There are no class-specific or restricted skills, thus characters of any role can have any skill.
- New featsFeat (d20 System)In the d20 System, a feat is one type of ability a character may gain through level progression. Feats are different from skills in that characters can vary in competency with skills, while feats typically provide set bonuses to or new ways to use existing abilities.Feats were first implemented in...
are available at each level. - Magic spells are treated as feats and do not have "levels".
- Instead of hit points, characters simply experience "damage conditions" like that of Mutants & Masterminds.
- Instead of experience pointExperience pointAn experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
s, characters automatically increase in level at the Narrator's discretion, usually after one or two adventures.
History
The True20 system was originally used in Green Ronin's award winning Blue Rose (Blue Rose won the Silver ENnieENnies
The Annual Gen Con EN World RPG Awards are annual, fan-based awards for role-playing game products and publishers hosted at Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana...
for Best Rules in 2005) which itself was based on their multiple award winning Mutants & Masterminds RPG. Later that year, Green Ronin released a PDF distillation of the Blue Rose rules, with an appendix of some modern-era rules, as a generic form of the game. This was followed by an expanded hardcover release in 2006. A revised softcover rulebook, combining the rules section of the True20 Adventure Roleplaying book with the True20 Companion was released April 25, 2008.
Licenses and Third Party Products
Since before its release, the True20 system has been open to users under the terms of the Open Gaming License. To use the True20 logo though required a separate license and license fee purchased from Green Ronin. Several companies have taken advantage of this to produce their own True20 titles.On April 12, 2008, Chris Pramas of Green Ronin Publishing announced a new, free, licensing agreement with third party publishers to produce True20 products. Details were posted on the company’s website and forums and met with praise from publishers, freelancers and players alike.
See also
- Blue Rose
- Mutants & Masterminds - True20's damage mechanics are shared with this game.