Shatterzone- Uses the Masterbook Rules?

[The Game Guy]

I have been reading through Shatterzone (and I really like what I have seen) but I am curious, the rules D6 but they dont look like the standard D6 rules.

Do they use the masterbook set of rules? Or are they a totally seperate of rules just for Shatterzone?

[skeloric]

I have been reading through Shatterzone (and I really like what I have seen) but I am curious, the rules D6 but they dont look like the standard D6 rules.

Do they use the masterbook set of rules? Or are they a totally seperate of rules just for Shatterzone?

The rules were in a state of transition from TORG to Masterbook within Shatterzone.

[Stormchild]

In MB you have 68 attribute points and your skill points are derived from Intellect and Mind with a maximum of 26. In Shatterzone you roll on Attributes and Skills - the more Attributes the less skills and vice versa. But for 68 Attribute points you only get 14 skill points.

In both versions Toughness is a derived attribute though allocated differently. With an Endurance of 8 and a Strength of 8 you get a Toughness of 8 in Shatterzone and a Toughness of 9 in Masterbook. With 13/13 it gives 13 in Shatterzone and 12 in Masterbook. 13/8 is 11 in both, 8/13 is 10 in both, so not much difference.

The .44 slugthrower has a damage value of 15 in Shatterzone and 17 in Masterbook (though here it is a 45 Magnum, 15 is caliber 38). In both padded leather is Toughness +3.

The biggest difference ist the combat damage chart. I love the 7 in Masterbook - Knockdown KO - in Shatterzone it is Wound K/O5. This tends to get combatants far often unconscious than in Shatterzone.

Though it looks as if they have different number of wound levels, this is not true. Shatterzone features 6 Wound levels but 5 wounds is mortally wounded and 6 is dead, while Masterbook only has 5, but here 5 is also mortally wounded, and with a damage of 15 you get 6 Wnd KO 15 in Shatterzone and 3 Wnd KO 7 in Masterbook. As thedamage tends to be 2 points higher in Shatterzone it has to be damage 17 in Masterbook which relates to 4 Wnd KO 7. Still not as deadly as Shatterzone. So Shatterzone tends to be much grittier and this is on intention I presume.

But the differences are few enough that it should be no problem to use characters and creatures in both games.

[The Game Guy]

The rules were in a state of transition from TORG to Masterbook within Shatterzone.

I have to say the rules in Shatterzone are workable but wonky, to say the least

[Stormchild]

Yes they are. They have the feeling of an unfinished first version compared to Masterbook. But Masterbook also has a lot of holes and mistakes. D6 is clearly the better system and I always prefer Kansas Jim's compiled and clarified Torg to Masterbook.

[The Game Guy]

Yes they are. They have the feeling of an unfinished first version compared to Masterbook. But Masterbook also has a lot of holes and mistakes. D6 is clearly the better system and I always prefer Kansas Jim's compiled and clarified Torg to Masterbook.

So do you think that Shattezone coverted to the current version of D6 would be better then the rules as they stand now?

[Stormchild]

I am not that familiar with D6. I read it, played it maybe three times but never GMed it, so I can't say which one worked better for me.

[The Game Guy]

I am not that familiar with D6. I read it, played it maybe three times but never GMed it, so I can't say which one worked better for me.

Oh.

I am not sure if a Shatterzone revision would be better with an updated version of the current system, using the newer version of D6 or whether a custom system created just for Shatterzone would be best.

[Kansas Jim]

I have to say the rules in Shatterzone are workable but wonky, to say the least
To me, sections of the Shatterzone ruleset felt terribly rushed. As I recall they didn't even define most of the combat modifiers in the rulebook, just gave you a chart listing the modifiers. And it was obvious that they had not playtested things enough to notice that the modifiers, many lifted straight from Torg, did not work properly with the new result point damage bonus method. (For example, Vital Blow is listed as +8 DN for +4 damage. But with the result point method that +8 DN penalty reduces your result points and thus your damage bonus by eight points, so by using Vital Blow you're actually going to do four fewer points of damage than if you had just attacked normally!)

[skeloric]

I'd revert Shatterzone to TORG personally, Eric had the right of it.
Whatever cool mods to the TORG system that Shatterzone had -- if they were really of value to keep -- could be World Laws.

But then again, I firmly believe that all sourcebooks should be dual statted to use both D6 and TORG and probably get the right to add Unisystem and Savage Worlds and a few other (non-D20/non-WotC/OGL) systems as well, just to guarantee the maximum number of people giving it a glance.

[The Game Guy]

To me, sections of the Shatterzone ruleset felt terribly rushed. As I recall they didn't even define most of the combat modifiers in the rulebook, just gave you a chart listing the modifiers. And it was obvious that they had not playtested things enough to notice that the modifiers, many lifted straight from Torg, did not work properly with the new result point damage bonus method. (For example, Vital Blow is listed as +8 DN for +4 damage. But with the result point method that +8 DN penalty reduces your result points and thus your damage bonus by eight points, so by using Vital Blow you're actually going to do four fewer points of damage than if you had just attacked normally!)

You make a good point. The rules do feel rushed which is a shame. It makes me wonder how many people gave up on Shatterzone because of the rules being so rushed and confusing.

I have seen the rules kill more then one game.

[The Game Guy]

But then again, I firmly believe that all sourcebooks should be dual statted to use both D6 and TORG and probably get the right to add Unisystem and Savage Worlds and a few other (non-D20/non-WotC/OGL) systems as well, just to guarantee the maximum number of people giving it a glance.

Sorry, I don't dig games that are dual statted and I just dont buy them. I don't want to pay for stats I am not going to use. Please it can get too confusing with too many stats.

[Jamfke]

Not if it's done right. Stats for ships, weapons, gadgets and other type stuff could have a separate appendix for each rules set, that way things don't get cluttered about.

[Stormchild]

Sorry, I don't dig games that are dual statted and I just dont buy them. I don't want to pay for stats I am not going to use. Please it can get too confusing with too many stats.

What do you think about the way WEG did the dual stats in world of Aden?

[The Game Guy]

What do you think about the way WEG did the dual stats in world of Aden?

Truthfully I havent looked at World of Aden so I couldn't tell you. If I come across a copy I will look at it and let you know.