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Vigilance

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Average Rating:3.5 / 5
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Vigilance
Publisher: Vigilance Press
by Jeffrey V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/03/2005 00:00:00

This is an early edition of the Vigilance game, from 2002.

Things have moved on since then, but this product is still a good introduction on how to do a super hero game using the d20 system.

It retains most of the usual d20 features - character classes, prestige classes, "races" and feats - and adds on super powers.

Its very hard to give a star rating to a product this old, so I've compromised on 3 stars.

<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Its great value for money.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: It sticks too closely to the standard d20 system, whereas I think for super hero games the system needs to be tweaked a bit more.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Vigilance
Publisher: Vigilance Press
by Danilo M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/05/2004 00:00:00

Some ideas are interesting other a little less. I don't think that's the best implementation of Supers on D20 (simply because I don't think D20 is the right set of rules for a Supers Game)... The idea of a class or PrC for archetypes can be a cul-de-sac. Probably an approach like the classes of D20 Modern is more correct (but teh product was released well before D20 Modern). Layout is functional and clear but lacking structure and the pictures are simply put, ugly.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Vigilance
Publisher: Vigilance Press
by Lee L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/09/2004 00:00:00

This is possably the worst d20 superhero game I have bought to date. Do not bother!



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
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Vigilance
Publisher: Vigilance Press
by Charles B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/30/2004 00:00:00

Vigilance is a well written and well thought out game for fans of the Super Hero genre and the D20 System.

See its D20 Modern version for the DEFINITIVE D20 Modern Supers RPG. Blood and Vigilance.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Vigilance
Publisher: Vigilance Press
by Patrick G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/04/2003 00:00:00

I realy perferred Four Color to Fantasy & Deeds Not Words over this product. i have not had the chance to see the printed book for this system, which the author revised before going to print. I would recomend hitting your local hobby shop & flipping through the print copy to get a feel for it. Many people like this one. I like systems that don't deviate quite so much from the core D20 ruleset.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Vigilance
Publisher: Vigilance Press
by Chris J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/10/2002 00:00:00

Reading this has been a real joy for me. The author has an excellent attention to detail, and he really captured that 'super hero' feel in this work. While some of the rules I found confusing, I was able to get an explanation on them after I read through it, and some of it was explained in other portions - a good reason not to skim! The author definately has a high ethic about his product, not half-cocked like some others. If there is a complaint, it would be minor, and that would be that the typeface was too big and it took more paper and ink than I would have liked. If the author was taking suggestions, I'd suggest an RTF version included, with smaller typeface. Great product, and I highly encourage a purchase to encourage further releases on this line!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Vigilance
Publisher: Vigilance Press
by Denise T.
Date Added: 06/03/2002 00:00:00

My first impression of this book was primarily negative.

It's UGLY. It is obviously the output from a wordprocessor slapped right into PDF format. Nothing pretty to it at all.

U - G - L - Y.

Time to take the sales money and buy some publishing software. Also consider publishing in a SLIGHTLY smaller font. 12 point arial is huge, especially when you print it. Exported to RTF and reformatted in a word processor with the margins reduced and the font reduced to 9 pt Times New Roman or 8 pt Arial, each page of my version of the document held 3 full pages of the original. The full document is slightly under 27,000 words, definitely not worth 62 pages of dead trees to print.

BUT. Then I really started to work through the content, and I was impressed! This has obviously seen some major thought and work and probably playtesting too! New classes, prestige classes and so on. It really feels like a complete work, definitely infinitely superior to NightShift Games' nasty foray into the d20 supers market. Better than that, it is presented as a complete RPG (minus the character generation rules, as per the d20 license), not as a tack-on set of rules to turn another game into a superhero RPG.

Basics:

Vigilance uses the Wounds / Vitality rules. Which means it's most likely in violation of Wizard's latest decisions against other companies who were going to use this system. But it works better for the genre than straight hit points (at least, if yu want a more "realism-based" supers game... but then again, plain hit points should be fine considering the amount of abuse a super can take in most stories).

Instead of Races, there are origins. Classic to the genre. These include 'Advanced Training', 'Alien', 'Artificial Life', 'Mutant', 'Mystic Encounter', and 'Scientific Experiment'. I was surprised not to see 'Robot' on the list... but pleased to see the munchkin's choice from Marvel ('God') to be missing.

The classes seem fairly typical for a non-fantasy game. One has an odd saving throw progression, but otherwise they seem balanced and appropriate. Brick, for example, gains a bonus Wound point at every even level. I was surprised to see Gadgeteer here instead of as an Origin.

The feats and powers are what make the book truly part of the genre. I would have appreciated more powers (looks like it's time to crack open the Ultimate Book of Powers from the old Marvel RPG again), but the ones here are well done and the feats are very nice.

The equipment section seems lacking. The vehicle rules are rudimental and the weapons are about the same. There is more detail for the six types of hand grenades than there is for all the firearms thrown together. While the introduction to the document mentions that armor provides DR instead of AC benefits, NO body armor is included in the rules, and in the section on buying material from the PHB, it doesn't say how to handle the switch from AC to DR.

The next chapter is Prestige Classes, and they are Golden. Behemoth, Mentor, Mind Master, PowerHouse, Secret Agent and Speed Demon all feel perfect for the game. Just by expanding on this chapter and the powers chapter, this could evolve into a masterpiece of a game.

All in all, this BARELY rates better than a 2 as it is really an incomplete work being sold as a finished product. But the groundwork is excellent and later editions should be something to watch out for.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Vigilance
Publisher: Vigilance Press
by Jamie W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/26/2002 00:00:00

Okay I finally got through reading this and it is by far the closest thing to perfect I've seen out of a D20 super-hero game yet.

The Good: There is a lot to like in this book, I've kicked around ideas for a D20 super-hero game for a while. This is pretty darn close to what I'd been thinking about. Lots and lots of room for growth.

The Bad: It has flaws, some are pretty big, but with a little time it's quite useable and shows a lot of potential. It's annoyingly vague in a lot of areas and the potential for massive rules abuse is there too.

The Ugly: The book layout and fonts. Yuck.

The Skinny: I know it may look like I bashed this product all to heck, but it really is quite good. I plan to make some modifications before I actually run it, but I do plan to run it. One possible suggestion, make the power cost VP to use, it might help reduce abuse on certain powers. And a question: how many powers does a character have access to at first level? I've looked, I can't find it. Well worth five clams.

-JW



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Vigilance
Publisher: Vigilance Press
by John K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/29/2002 00:00:00

I've been looking for a fastplaying, fun - but not limited - set of Superhero rules for some time. I was beginning to think that you couldn't get all of that in one game. However, it looks like Vigilance has done just that with a wonderful adaptation of the d20 system. The only downside to the rules is the presentation, which is a bit drab and uneven.

As for the free module - a terrorism scenario - I don't think it gives a very good idea of the true possibilities of the system. I plan on using it to run broader, four-color style games, like the classic comic books I grew up with.

There are a lot of d20 superhero games coming out, but this one will be hard to beat.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Vigilance
Publisher: Vigilance Press
by Rich R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/21/2002 00:00:00

OK, I know all of you have read Dominick Covey's review so all I will say is I agree with him. The reason I'm posting this is because all of you are wondering if one review is enough and in fact I originally wasn't going to buy it based on the one review but my curisosity finally got the best of me.

Yes, if you want a d20 super-hero game, this works quite well (again, see previous review).

No, if you intend to use these rules to supplement another d20 game (my actual intention), it doesn't work. I planned on seeing how he handled mutations so that I could supplement the Horror/Post-apoc game I running now (I'm using Darwin's World rules and a mix of Cthulhu d20 and Ravenloft - Mutants and Zombies, oh my!)... The game is not even remotely designed to be used in conjunction with and to supplement other d20 games. It does not balance rules against others. It does however balance against itself (again, see previous review). The opposite is not-so however and you could certainly throw Cthulhu or the Tarrasque against the super-team your players create.

I really hope this is helpful and informative enough so you can make your decision to buy it or not. Any more inquiries, write me at ridd8191@chartertn.net and I'll be happy to provide answers to specific questions...



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Vigilance
Publisher: Vigilance Press
by Dominic C.
Date Added: 04/16/2002 00:00:00

In my opinion Vigilance is an ingenious adaptation of the d20 system. The author, Mr. Rice, was able to seamlessly capture almost every element imaginable in the super-hero genre in just one neat and well-organized book of rules. The classes, feats, powers, and origins all help to make characters truly three-dimensional. Origins and Disadvantages also lend a hand in creating ideas for spontaneous adventures or entire campaigns that can revolve around the character?s weaknesses and history without ever getting tired. Nice touch there, it shows a lot of attention to detail. Each rule, feat, and special power is also easily envisioned (unlike some games, where it often takes a stretch of the imagination), because you can really see super-hero or comic book characters, in film and literature, with these same powers. It helps stoke the imagination in a lot of ways. Really cool!

One of the best things I noticed, technically, was the ingenious way the author made powers like "skills", with increasing ranks giving increasing abilities. I think this system blows away traditional feats, which primarily give a one-time bonus, and add a new dimension to level gains. It really feels like gaining levels equates to gaining power; I like that a lot.

All in all, Vigilance is really well-written, well-researched, and inspired!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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