Full Version: Twilight 2000
Does anyone play this? Would you mind giving me a little background on the setting and rule systems? I kind of heard about it, and the best I can find on the web is a bunch of broken down fansites, and I don't want to eBay a book for a game that's no good, so a quick rundown would be awesome. Beyond the whole "WW3 happened and nukes hit the ground" part, if there is any more. Thanks!
Excellent game with an age-old premise.
What you want is Twilight 2000, 2nd edition, v2.2 - that was the latest edition before the developers stopped publishing the game.
The system is a little unwieldy till you get used to it - after that, it's pretty simple and fast to resolve pretty realistic combat.
Basically, the game is geared HEAVILY towards a MILITARY campaign, favouring the INFANTRY. Although the game has options for you to create other character types, like chopper pilots, it doesn't support them very well in terms of rules. Since one of the basic premises of the setting is that most sophisticated vehicles, like helicopters, have been destroyed/not maintained/out of fuel, it really doesn't matter - if you have players who desperately want to play fighter jocks and the like, tell them to play Robotech, instead!
This is a MANLY game for groundpounders, grunts, and jarheads.
The core system is d20 based. You roll a number of d20's equal to your skill level modified by various circumstances (like security rating of a lock if you're trying to pick it or number of rounds in a burst if you're firing a weapon, etc.). D6's are used for damage resolution.
The core book has enough information in it for you to run any campaign but you might want to pick the expansion books that deal with personal weapons, armour (as in tanks), and other bits and pieces. They're not necessary but they will add colour - otherwise, it's pretty simple to create your own stuff. AFAIK, none of the expansions were converted to 2nd edition but the a conversion booklet is included with the core book.
The game assumes players are starting as soldiers of one or more units after an apocalyptic nuclear war but it's just as easy to play in a time before such an event - just be prepared for it to be an infantry-based game. I used to start my campaigns JUST BEFORE the first nuclear exchange.
Hope that helps.
What you want is Twilight 2000, 2nd edition, v2.2 - that was the latest edition before the developers stopped publishing the game.
The system is a little unwieldy till you get used to it - after that, it's pretty simple and fast to resolve pretty realistic combat.
Basically, the game is geared HEAVILY towards a MILITARY campaign, favouring the INFANTRY. Although the game has options for you to create other character types, like chopper pilots, it doesn't support them very well in terms of rules. Since one of the basic premises of the setting is that most sophisticated vehicles, like helicopters, have been destroyed/not maintained/out of fuel, it really doesn't matter - if you have players who desperately want to play fighter jocks and the like, tell them to play Robotech, instead!
This is a MANLY game for groundpounders, grunts, and jarheads.The core system is d20 based. You roll a number of d20's equal to your skill level modified by various circumstances (like security rating of a lock if you're trying to pick it or number of rounds in a burst if you're firing a weapon, etc.). D6's are used for damage resolution.
The core book has enough information in it for you to run any campaign but you might want to pick the expansion books that deal with personal weapons, armour (as in tanks), and other bits and pieces. They're not necessary but they will add colour - otherwise, it's pretty simple to create your own stuff. AFAIK, none of the expansions were converted to 2nd edition but the a conversion booklet is included with the core book.
The game assumes players are starting as soldiers of one or more units after an apocalyptic nuclear war but it's just as easy to play in a time before such an event - just be prepared for it to be an infantry-based game. I used to start my campaigns JUST BEFORE the first nuclear exchange.
Hope that helps.
A guy I work with has this system, still in the boxes , as it were. All brand new. he just buys books, and rarely plays. I liked Twilight 2000. I'll see if I can borrow some books from him.
It's an awsome game. One of GDW's greatest. I loved that game but remember that essentially it's post World War III and life it tough. Mostly you fight to stay alive otherwise it's death all around. We played and in the first ten minutes we lost all our gear when we were ambushed. I tried to kill they're commander with a knife in my boot and well, I didn't come out of it breathing. (I was 11 at the time.) The game is fun if you like the military feel. Basically after the nukes go off the US is so hosed that it's infrastructure is toast so your left to fend for yourself. Your last message is "Good Luck, your on your own".
That was a really fun game from what I remember. It's nothing like shadowrun. You get hit with a gun it's going to hurt. Hurt really bad. Think Red Dawn without the South Americans. Originally you were trapped in Europe but there was a module released called "going home". So games can take place in the US. It's got a great feel to it. I've not played since 1987 but I bought suppliments from time to time. You could do just about anything with the set of rules.....Hey Six String Samurai could be a good home brewed type of tounge in cheek campaign....Hey someone has to be the king......(Independent film that came out around 2000 with must by the Red Elvises).
They released a zombie adventure as well at one point. That looked kind of funny.
That was a really fun game from what I remember. It's nothing like shadowrun. You get hit with a gun it's going to hurt. Hurt really bad. Think Red Dawn without the South Americans. Originally you were trapped in Europe but there was a module released called "going home". So games can take place in the US. It's got a great feel to it. I've not played since 1987 but I bought suppliments from time to time. You could do just about anything with the set of rules.....Hey Six String Samurai could be a good home brewed type of tounge in cheek campaign....Hey someone has to be the king......(Independent film that came out around 2000 with must by the Red Elvises).
They released a zombie adventure as well at one point. That looked kind of funny.
Getting hit doesn't hurt that bad in Twilight2k. There are several interesting aspects to damage in the game, like shock and infection, but death doesn't happen that easily. The big guns kill you dead immediately, but the average unarmored grunt can take 8 decent hits to the center of his chest from a 9mmP pistol and live to tell the story.
Some more comments on TW2K here.
Some more comments on TW2K here.
Great game. Perfect for your average run of the mill teenager during the Cold War. Me and a buddy used to play all the time... Keeping track of Rads was fun!
I've still got the boxed set, and most of the modules in storage someplace... Most of the modules assumed you were stationed in Europe somewhere, as they generally revolved around being in Germany & Poland.
On a related note, anyone remember the computer game?
I've still got the boxed set, and most of the modules in storage someplace... Most of the modules assumed you were stationed in Europe somewhere, as they generally revolved around being in Germany & Poland.
On a related note, anyone remember the computer game?
I agree with AE on the damage in the game - it's not so bad that it's not survivable unless you get hit by shotguns, SMGs, assault rifles and the like or if you have an average Constitution rating (although I do remember it taking quite a bit less than 8 hits to kill the average Joe). Like I said, the game is pretty realistic simulation of weapon damage (both ranged and melee) - enough to reflect real life but toned down enough to be playable. You can die easily if you're hit by multiple shots or enemies.
The rules for infections, blunt trauma, rads, etc. were GREAT FUN!
And the computer game was a BLAST - excellent and quite addictive. Very good for its time.
The rules for infections, blunt trauma, rads, etc. were GREAT FUN!
And the computer game was a BLAST - excellent and quite addictive. Very good for its time.
9mm pistols do 1d6. The average guy has CON and STR (or whatever the stats are in English) of 5, for 30 hit points in the chest. That means that, at average damage, only the 9th shot causes a Serious wound on the average guy. At that point there is a 75% chance of the average guy of dropping unconscious. On average, you'll need 18 shots with that pistol to get the guy into Critical damage in the chest, which causes automatical unconsciousness and rapid bleeding to death.
Basically, pistols are pretty useless. Assault rifles, at 3d6, are a whole lot better already, and even the lighter wounds make fighting a whole lot more difficult. But actually dying is not that easy.
If you tune the weapon damages and the actual figures involved in the calculations a bit, it can be quite realistic indeed. It's just really silly that, as it stands, a PC is better off getting hit in the chest than in the abdomen. And the 1d6 damage pistols vs 2d6 SMGs, and the recoil values of many of the weapons, are truly fucked. On the same order of fucked as shotguns and choke or AVSs with called shots to avoid armor in SR.
Basically, pistols are pretty useless. Assault rifles, at 3d6, are a whole lot better already, and even the lighter wounds make fighting a whole lot more difficult. But actually dying is not that easy.
If you tune the weapon damages and the actual figures involved in the calculations a bit, it can be quite realistic indeed. It's just really silly that, as it stands, a PC is better off getting hit in the chest than in the abdomen. And the 1d6 damage pistols vs 2d6 SMGs, and the recoil values of many of the weapons, are truly fucked. On the same order of fucked as shotguns and choke or AVSs with called shots to avoid armor in SR.
I have the last edition of TW2K and I actually preferred the older one (if you could get the original boxed set, with the map and other goodies). I would suggest ditching the system and just using your favrite instead of TW2K's since it's kind of obtuse -- you could probably graft Shadowrun or Silhouette onto it easily (just toss the magick/cyberware/metahumans for Shadowrun). Some very good modules were put out fo the game too, particularly The Black Madonna, which has some of the creepiest stuff in it I've ever read in a "realistic" (in other words, non-magic/non-sf) setting. Definitely worth looking into if you can find it. I found a bunch of stuff at GenCon last year at various "old stuff" game store booths.
| QUOTE (Austere Emancipator) |
| 9mm pistols do 1d6. The average guy has CON and STR (or whatever the stats are in English) of 5, for 30 hit points in the chest. That means that, at average damage, only the 9th shot causes a Serious wound on the average guy. At that point there is a 75% chance of the average guy of dropping unconscious. On average, you'll need 18 shots with that pistol to get the guy into Critical damage in the chest, which causes automatical unconsciousness and rapid bleeding to death. Basically, pistols are pretty useless. Assault rifles, at 3d6, are a whole lot better already, and even the lighter wounds make fighting a whole lot more difficult. But actually dying is not that easy. If you tune the weapon damages and the actual figures involved in the calculations a bit, it can be quite realistic indeed. It's just really silly that, as it stands, a PC is better off getting hit in the chest than in the abdomen. And the 1d6 damage pistols vs 2d6 SMGs, and the recoil values of many of the weapons, are truly fucked. On the same order of fucked as shotguns and choke or AVSs with called shots to avoid armor in SR. |
That's not how I remember it, but I played mostly the first edition. Weapons did damage based mostly on range depending on their damage rating which was usually 0-4, at the low end of the scale the .22LR was a 0 while some of the larger caliber weapons of .50 cal were up around the 4 mark some like the KPV had 5.
9mm weapons had the range of 2 if I remember, 5.56 had a three.
Damage was based on the four ranges short, medium, long, and extreme with different target mods to your CRM or PST depending on the range which was different for the different calibers. At short range the weapons did 4x damage +4d6, medium 3x damage +3d6 etc. While a .22LR weapon might only do from 4-24 points of damage a .50 cal round has a minimum damage of 20. For your average joe with 30 con pretty much instantly fatal, could possibly survive a direct hit from a .22 at short range. The kicker was the armor multiplier from .5 to 4 which made having a kevlar or plate insert jacket a must having respective armor ratings of 6 and 8. Back to our .22LR round which has a multiplier of x4 the kevlar vest had a value of 24, while our .50 BMG round has a multiplier of .5 cutting through personal armor which then only would have a value of 3.
What this all means is that all firearms could be suitably deadly given how accurate the shot was which is reflected by how much damage you rolled. Larger weapons had similar damage systems and the vehicle combat (Which the books US, NATO, and PACT Vehicle Guides are a must) Making it near impossible for the stories I always hear of people surviving 125mm HEAT rounds and the like because of faulty game mechanics. By comparisson the armor rating of the M1's glasis plate was around the 800 range (don't quote me I don't have my book handy
) suitably making it invunlerable to almost anything except close range ATG hits, and even then only if they're lucky.Melee combat damage was similar with typical weapons as knifes and such having a damage rating base on a character's strength x damage rating +?d6 depending on the weapon.
| QUOTE (Black Isis) |
| I have the last edition of TW2K and I actually preferred the older one (if you could get the original boxed set, with the map and other goodies). I would suggest ditching the system and just using your favrite instead of TW2K's since it's kind of obtuse -- you could probably graft Shadowrun or Silhouette onto it easily (just toss the magick/cyberware/metahumans for Shadowrun). Some very good modules were put out fo the game too, particularly The Black Madonna, which has some of the creepiest stuff in it I've ever read in a "realistic" (in other words, non-magic/non-sf) setting. Definitely worth looking into if you can find it. I found a bunch of stuff at GenCon last year at various "old stuff" game store booths. |
If you're looking for just the game system MERC 2000 used the same combat system but just had a different setting to be tailored to whatever modern day conflict you desired the characters be involved in.
I had some of the Black Madonna series of campaign stuff and I'd reccomend them, White Eagle wasn't too bad and had a ton of NPCs to use in the game world, and especially set the tone for the whole campaign.
lodestar: Yep, that must be the 1st edition. The 2nd edition works exactly like I said. In that, a .50BMG HMG does 8d6, 6d6 vs an armored vest, or 7d6 with SLAP ammunition. Range doesn't affect damage in 2nd ed, or at least in V2.2, only penetration.
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