# D20 Steampunk Setting?  Does one exist?



## Stomphoof (Apr 3, 2008)

So I am trying to find a good Steampunk based D20 Campaign setting / system.  But I personally have been unsuccessful in my search.  Does anyone here have any suggestions for a Steampunk styled D20 system or setting?

And if you do, why do you like / dislike that particular system?


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## boerngrim (Apr 3, 2008)

I believe Etherscope from Goodman Games is a steampunk type setting. I have not played it, but Goodman Games has a good reputation, so it may be worth checking out.


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## Aus_Snow (Apr 3, 2008)

Hm, well there're these. . .

Iron Kingdoms (Privateer Press)
OGL Steampunk (Mongoose Publishing)
Sorcery & Steam (Fantasy Flight Games)
Steam & Steel (EN Publishing)

. . . and probably many others.


edit --- it might also be worth your while checking out the reviews section of this site, as well as others (at RPGnet, f'rex.)


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## Voadam (Apr 3, 2008)

Couple options

OGL Steampunk by Mongoose http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2177&it=1

Steampunk Musha looks interesting and is getting a d20 update soon (there is a preview thread in the publisher's forum) http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=15846&it=1

Sorcery and Steam by Fantasy Flight Games
http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=498&it=1

Steam and Steel by E.N. Publishing
http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=18141&it=1

Doomstriders by Dragonwing Games is D&D Mecha with Steampunk elements http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=51358

DragonMech by Goodman Games is another D&D MEcha Setting with Steampunk elements
http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=1202&it=1

You might also check out Adamant Entertainment's Imperial Age supplements (based off d20 Modern) http://enworld.rpgnow.com/index.php?cPath=4158

And Goodman Games' Etherscope stuff http://enworld.rpgnow.com/index.php?cPath=342


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## Voadam (Apr 3, 2008)

And there are also Iron Kingdoms stuff by Privateer Press, http://www.privateerpress.com/

World of Warcraft RPG stuff by WhiteWolf/Arthaus (particularly the core books and the magic and mayhem ones), 
http://enworld.rpgnow.com/index.php?cPath=260 

and Blackmoor's Clock and Steam by Zeitgeist Games http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=54724&filters=0_0_0&manufacturers_id=2236


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## Stomphoof (Apr 3, 2008)

Has anyone played or used any of the above systems?  OGL Steampunk looks decent, and I am checking out the others as I go.


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## Voadam (Apr 3, 2008)

Another one coming out is steamworks by Silven Crossroads/Twelve to Midnight. http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=221354


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## Voadam (Apr 3, 2008)

Stomphoof said:
			
		

> Has anyone played or used any of the above systems?  OGL Steampunk looks decent, and I am checking out the others as I go.




I played in a WoW RPG game using a troll barbarian, our party had a goblin techno guy and we encountered some big battle suits. It was fun but I couldn't tell you about the specifics, I only own the monster and gazeteer books for the game.

Sorcery and Steam PDF by FFG is a dirt cheap good price for a pdf of a 176 page hardcover.

Iron Kingdoms has coal powered steam jack pseudo mecha and gunpowder in a D&D setting with tons of descriptively neat monsters (I own the two monster books).

Doomstriders is mass combat and D&D Mecha of various kinds, not really my thing though I read all of it for a review in Pyramid.


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## Stomphoof (Apr 3, 2008)

I noticed the dirt cheap price of Sorcery and Steam and I know I am gonna get that PDF.  I just need to make sure I can download a copy both here at work and at home of the PDF before I buy it.  

I have the WoW RPG system but I also happen to play WoW normally and don't really wanna do that on the table top   I have enough WoW as it stands.\


Etherscope sounds very interesting!  Has anyone messed around with that?


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## jezter6 (Apr 3, 2008)

While I haven't played it, I've purchased everything for it and it is quite neat. My only issue is that, while d20, is not d20 fantasy, or d20 modern. It's sort of in the middle. It uses most of d20 modern, but has it's own base classes. Either way, it is a great book for inspiration of a steampunk game even if you don't use the RAW.

Steampunk Musha is also very neat, but a little 'too fantasy' for my tastes.


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## edemaitre (Apr 3, 2008)

*D20 Steampunk*

I used the D20 Sorcery & Steam sourcebook for a side adventure when my regular D&D3.5 party ended up 500 years in the future from its usual ancient/medieval setting. However, I had run and played GURPS steampunk games before that, so I had many resources (such as Space 1889, Castle Falkenstein, Forgotten Futures, and D20 Ravenloft) to draw upon. Wasn't there also some Dragon/Dungeon and D20 Modern support for steampunk?

The Fantasy Flight book has decent crunch and would probably dovetail well with the OGL reference. I thought both tomes weren't as good as the non-D20 sources for the history of the subgenre or examples and characters from 19th century literature. I bought Etherscope after running my Sorcery & Steam scenario (which took about three or four sessions), but I liked the setting. I also recommend the pulpy D20 "Forbidden Kingdoms" for flavor.


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## Galieo (Apr 3, 2008)

Stomphoof said:
			
		

> Etherscope sounds very interesting!  Has anyone messed around with that?




I have and it is probably my favorite setting and rules that I never get to play.  We all have that game that we expect may really scratch a particular itch--unfortunately, I cannot seem to get a critical mass to play.  Since reading "The Difference Machine" I have found Steampunk conceptually very interesting.  And to my mind, Etherscope does an excellent job of pulling in a number of notable influences.  I highly recommend it.


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## Stomphoof (Apr 3, 2008)

Well, I bit the bullet and ordered the Softcover edition of the Etherscope Corebook.

I know one of my two players is interested, and I am sure the other will be.  They tend to be happy just to play, regardless of setting.

So I should be getting it in 2ish weeks according to the shipping type.  I hope sooner of course


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## Voadam (Apr 3, 2008)

Stomphoof said:
			
		

> I noticed the dirt cheap price of Sorcery and Steam and I know I am gonna get that PDF.  I just need to make sure I can download a copy both here at work and at home of the PDF before I buy it.




RPGnow default is now 5 downloads then e-mail them if you need to get it reset. I think the file is small enough you could e-mail a copy to yourself for your second computer once you download it once.


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## Stormborn (Apr 3, 2008)

Alot of it depends on what you are looking for.  If you are most interested in a System then I would, with a degree of bias, recommend using d20 Modern (or Grim Tales or one of the other compatible systems) along with Imperial Age books.  Thats what I would do if I were to decide to get one together right now. I have run several Steampunk games with various systems and feel like a tweak d20 M would be the way to go.  You might, however, want to wait for the IA Omnibus.  

If, however, you are mainly looking for a Setting then you probablly want to go with Etherscope or Iron Kingdoms, dependign on your preference.

Etherscope is, really, an excellent source for steampunk like games.  You should note, however, that the setting is an alternate version of the modern world that retains a lot of Victorian ideas and instituitons along with a pseudoscience quasi steampunk tech that replicates the blending of cyberpunk and victoriana that was the genesis of steampunk in the first place - with a slight shift toward the cyber.  This is your choice if you want something that feels very close to the steampunk source material.


WoW has steampunk elements to it, but overall is not a steampunk setting so may not be what you are looking for. 


Iron Kingdoms has a strong steampunk feel, overall, but many of the mechanics are, in my experiance, a bit off.  New classes and races are either over or underpowered and the mechanics for actually building mekanica (I think thats right) are just overwhelming.  Having said all that, the flavor or fluff of the books (epseically the Monsternomicons) is excellent.  If you are looking for elements to make a DnD campaign feel more Steampunk then thats certainly the way to go.


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## Voadam (Apr 3, 2008)

edemaitre said:
			
		

> I had many resources (such as Space 1889, Castle Falkenstein, Forgotten Futures, and D20 Ravenloft) to draw upon. Wasn't there also some Dragon/Dungeon and D20 Modern support for steampunk?




There is a 3.0 dragon issue focusing on steam stuff, I forget which one but it can be found scrolling through Paizo's pdf selection of dragons.

I didn't really think of Ravenloft as a Stempunk resource. It has Victorian age tech realms and there is a gear type mechanical golem monster I remember, but that's about it. Steam punk can fit in easily, but it is not part of the setting as is IIRC.


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## Stomphoof (Apr 3, 2008)

Well as I said, I ordered the Softcover Edition of the Etherscope Core Rulebook.

Can anyone give me some info on the races in Etherscope?  It mentions Humans, and then some other hybrid things...


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## Galieo (Apr 3, 2008)

You hit upon one of the touches that I enjoy so much about Etherscope--namely, its use of a eugenics systems ala A. Huxley's ranking mechanism from "A Brave New World."

Here is a brief summary from Psion's review [http://www.enworld.org/reviews.php?do=review&reviewid=2886110]:

"Etherscope uses the race mechanic, but most of the races in Etherscope are human variants. But in the setting, eugenics and genetic experimentation has occurred, and was (as the book discusses briefly) considered acceptable practice by Victorian society. The eugenics programs produced human subraces. Normal humans are called Beta humans in the game. Alpha humans are of a superior breed, but start with an XP deficit compared to other character races.

Other human offshoots Beta, Gamma, and Epsilon, all what are called “transgenic strains” that arose as a replacement for lost workers after a pretty bloody rebellion putdown. These three strains are engineered with DNA of animals, rats, canines, and horses, respectively.

A final race is the Fey. Fey are fundamentally human, if beautiful looking beings. The truth is that they are inheritors of the lost legacy of lemuria, descendants of an ancient lost race. Fey can detect the presence of etheric energy and receive a familiar similar to the classic D&D familiar in etherspace."

You may also want to check out this site:  http://www.redmondsonline.org.uk/


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## jezter6 (Apr 4, 2008)

Also, while not steampunk - if you end up liking Etherscope, check out A|State from contested ground studios. It's also got that 'Modern Victoriana' feel to it. Less steampunk, but if you add the 'scope stuff from Etherscope, it makes for a hella fine addition.


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## Vigilance (Apr 4, 2008)

Not to plug something I wrote (ok, I actually love doing that) but doing the d20 conversion for Steampunk Musha was extremely fun.

If a clockwork samurai dueling it out with a samurai who has a steam powered arm sounds fun to you, then Steampunk Musha has your back.

The d20 version is in layout now.


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## Stomphoof (Apr 4, 2008)

Not really.  After watching enough anime the Asian theme sorta bores me.  Same with basic Fantasy 

2 weeks till I get mah book


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## HyrumOWC (Apr 5, 2008)

Stomphoof said:
			
		

> So I am trying to find a good Steampunk based D20 Campaign setting / system.  But I personally have been unsuccessful in my search.  Does anyone here have any suggestions for a Steampunk styled D20 system or setting?
> 
> And if you do, why do you like / dislike that particular system?




The first section of our Forbidden Kingdoms pulp setting is titled Steampulp and the expansion Paris: The Spectral City is also set in the 1889 time period. You can get both here:

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2691&it=1&filters=0_0_0&manufacturers_id=97

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info....d=2690&it=1&filters=0_0_0&manufacturers_id=97

Hyrum.


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## malladin (Apr 5, 2008)

Always nice to hear kind words about Etherscope, thanks. I can also recommend Imperial Age and OGL Steampunk. Stomphoof, hope you like the game when it arrives and happy to answer any questions you have, though don't pass by here as often as I use to I'll keep an eye on the thread.

Chuck, looking forward to seeing Steampunk Musha for D20, good setting not so fond of Iron Gauntlets, is this going to be dead tree as well as PDF?


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## rick_hershey (Apr 6, 2008)

Steampunk Musha will have a Player's and GM's guide that will be both pdf and softcover, with plans on a combined Hardback in the works.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Apr 6, 2008)

I reccomend both Iron Kingdoms and Etherscope- both are quite well done.  Dragonmech has some nice ideas in it as well.

However, if you're so inclined, there are some older, non-D20 "steampunk" games that you might like for inspiration, if nothing else.

First would be TSR's Amazing Engine system sourcebook "For Faerie Queen and Country."

The second is the great game, Space: 1889.  In some ways, its like RIFTS (bear with me!)- its mechanics aren't the best, but the love & work that went into it are quite evident.  Very creative, very "true" to the works of Wells, Verne and others, and it had a number of sourcebooks.  There is even a related boardgame, Sky Galleons of Mars.


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## malladin (Apr 13, 2008)

For those of you interested in Etherscope, particularly if you live in NW England, might want to check out this thread: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=223739

Cheerio,

Ben


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## Khairn (Apr 13, 2008)

Hey Ben !

I just wanted to let you know that I'm using Etherscope as my core system for a new Rocketship Empires game and it works out great!  You, Nigel and the rest of the guys did a fantastic job with that game.

Kudo's


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## malladin (Apr 13, 2008)

Devyn said:
			
		

> Hey Ben !
> 
> I just wanted to let you know that I'm using Etherscope as my core system for a new Rocketship Empires game and it works out great!  You, Nigel and the rest of the guys did a fantastic job with that game.
> 
> Kudo's




Hey thanks, Devyn, that's great to hear. I'm always interested to see how Etherscope can be used as a system for other settings - I think its a pretty flexible system at its heart.

Ben

PS I'm Crab too.


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## malladin (Apr 13, 2008)

Damn that tests opinion about me being a Dragon, I'm a Scorpion I tell you !   

Nigel

PS: How have you found Rocketship Empires, it looked really interesting.


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## tadk (Apr 14, 2008)

*Rocketship Empires*

I grabbed the pdf of Rocketship Empires, looks awesome. One thing I like is that it is system neutral.


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## malladin (Apr 14, 2008)

tadk said:
			
		

> I grabbed the pdf of Rocketship Empires, looks awesome. One thing I like is that it is system neutral.




Yeah I like the look of it, just spend so much on games it's hard to justify especially as I'm targeting Steampunk Musha D20 when it's out, got the Iron Gauntlets version-great setting.

Nigel


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## Vigilance (Apr 16, 2008)

Just a quick note here to let folks know there's a preview of the d20 player's guide for Steampunk Musha up.


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## Gundark (Apr 16, 2008)

Stormborn said:
			
		

> Iron Kingdoms has a strong steampunk feel, overall, but many of the mechanics are, in my experiance, a bit off.  New classes and races are either over or underpowered and the mechanics for actually building mekanica (I think thats right) are just overwhelming.  Having said all that, the flavor or fluff of the books (epseically the Monsternomicons) is excellent.  If you are looking for elements to make a DnD campaign feel more Steampunk then thats certainly the way to go.




Agreed the fluff of the IK is top notch, and the crunch....is well....not so good. 

The true downside to the Iron Kingdoms is alot of the books are out of print currently as the company waits to see what they are going to do about 4e.


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