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The presentation of the book is fine. The cover prominently features the FBI seal, the Hoover building, and agents whose photographs appear throughout the book. In fact, nearly all of the art is photographic, with the same models striking various action poses that we commonly associate with FBI agents. One distracting thing is that the front cover says “FBI d20 Modern” while the spine says “FBI d20 Law Enforcement” and the interior of the book refers to itself as “FBI d20.” I imagine that this could lead to difficulties identifying the book, especially with store clerks who may be unfamiliar with it. There is no index, and apart from a chopped-off sentence ending the editing is above average.
The first chapter is a nice historical introduction to the FBI, from its origin to today. It touches on several precursor or related groups like the Secret Service and Scotland Yard before presenting a decade-by-decade rundown. The end of this chapter, like the ones detailing equipment and procedures, has bibliographic information with additional sources (which include several websites, which for some reason doesn’t impress me, and personal interviews, which does). The only thing I felt it lacked was some text about the interaction of the Bureau and the Department of Homeland Security.
Chapters two and three are for character construction. There are three advanced classes for players (making this officially a d20 Modern product): Special Agent, the Profiler, and Forensic Scientist. Oddly, the Forensic Scientist has only five levels while the others have ten. Based on the skill prerequisites (8 ranks), these are unattainable before fifth level, which is definitely later in a character’s development than other d20 Modern classes. Finally, a fourth “NPC-only class,” the Survivalist, is presented for Unabomber types. Although the concept is fine, I dislike the NPC-only mechanic and think it is a step backward from d20 Modern’s class philosophy.
There are no new Feats, despite the fact that Chapter 3 is titled “Skills, Feats, Flaws & Equipment. The 11 Flaws are pretty general (I don’t know whether the FBI would employ field agents with one arm or leg, even post-ADA), and there’s no real explanation of why these flaws are a good idea, although it suggests the players choose an extra Feat to offset the disadvantage.
My biggest problem with this book appears in the short section about new uses for skills. There are three: Diplomacy to obtain a warrant, Knowledge (Earth Sciences or Life Sciences) to do a post-mortem, and Knowledge (whatever appropriate) for Lab Tests. I’m floored that Investigation (the narrowest of d20 Modern’s skill set, which applies solely to gathering and analyzing evidence at crime scenes) is not mentioned. It’s not even a prerequisite skill for the Forensic Scientist class! This is probably the least-used of d20 Modern skills, and it’s a shame that it’s overlooked in a book and setting for which it is tailor-made.
The Equipment section has a large list of nonlethal guns and ammo, but nothing about the FBI’s current inventory of lethal firearms – and this book was the place for it, since several weapons (Sig-Sauer P228, Colt M4, Remington Model 700) don’t appear in the d20 Modern core book (but c.f. Ultramodern Firearms or Weapons Locker).
Chapter Four is a no-rules description of internal procedures of today’s FBI, going over federal jurisdiction, administrative departments, and investigative procedure. It goes off onto tangents at times, but it is a good guide to provide some everyday details for an FBI campaign. Notably, it includes some post-Patriot act information which other modern books (including a reprinted Delta Green) don’t address. I would have liked some of this information to be incorporated with actual d20 rules, especially considering the lack of new skill applications mentioned earlier. The next chapters contain setting information for a campaign set in New Orleans, including sample agents and personalities, and three cases with the potential for multi-session play. These are the strongest part of the book, despite their relatively compact presentation, with plenty of physical evidence, interesting characters, information obtainable through interrogation and streetwise, and some red herrings. As befits a game about real life roleplaying, there are no supernatural twists, although several NPCs believe in such phenomena, which effects their motives and actions. The final case, billed as a “strategic campaign,” has a set of linear and modular encounters for agents to encounter. There are rules to track public opinion as well, by which heroic or smart acts on the part of the PCs will improve their standing within the agency and New Orleans – and screwups could ultimately lead to their dismissal. It’s a neat little mechanic that would work well in any law-enforcement game.
The last chapter has some ideas for alternate campaigns. Some historical eras and styles are suggested, but other than the history section there is little to assist a GM interested in these settings. I like their twist on an X-Files campaign: the PCs essentially making up supernatural events, like Scooby Doo villains (although there are ideas to bring in weirdness that isn't fake). The other detailed example is a futuristic setting involving some typical cyberpunk themes (hard to describe without revealing spoilers). Both of these campaigns are the only place in which traditional sci-fi/fantasy additions are suggested; they are squarely billed as "Alternate Campaigns" for a decidely non-realistic option.
In conclusion, this book is an competent and nearly-complete starting point for setting up a contemporary FBI game. I was impressed that the author stayed true to the no-supernatural premise, but its workmanlike approach results in a workmanlike product: solid, useful, but it's not likely to inspire a GM to run a groundbreaking campaign.
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