" ...it can be a little unsatisfying since everything does the same 2d6 or 2d8. "

      Title: D20 Modern Weapons Locker by Wizards of the Coast

      Format: A big book o' guns

      Reviewing Monkey: Mojo Jojo

      The Hype: D20 games need weapons and, for Modern, that means guns. Lots and lots of guns. WotC has finally come through with the Weapons Locker. But will it give you the firepower you need or just plink around? Read on and find out.

      What This Monkey Thought...

          Surprisingly, near stunningly, there is almost nothing in this book except for guns. Now, while that may seem a bit obvious, typically in a compendium like this you'll also get background, usage, tactics, and design elements. Now, granted, to a small degree you do-there are approximately 10 pages of basic definitions, rules, and ammunition explanations, but realistically it's the absolute tip of the proverbial iceberg. Anyone with any moderate level of firearms knowledge will learn very little here and it will be quickly scanned through and then forgotten.
          So now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about what you do get. Mainly, that's about 170 pages of guns, guns, and more guns. Ranging the spectrum from the well known to the obscure, the exclusively military to the marksman mini-gun, this book almost has it all. I say almost because there is a decided lack of mouseguns and hold out pistols as well as some of the older or more obscure weapons still in use by some third world countries, drug lords, and petty dictators. Still, if you can't find enough weapons here to meet your needs you definitely need to get out more and worry about things like a job and maybe the opposite sex.
          Still, I haven't told you much yet about what you're getting and that's really what this review should e about. In short, what you're getting is a lot. Including several hundred weapons (there's no index and I ain't counting so I don't know for sure), each with stats and a nice three or four paragraph description, there's more than enough bang to be had here. Accuracy of the text is typically fair, though there are some rather glaring errors, and the book as a resource is pretty sound overall. Including most everyone who is anyone in the modern combat scene, regardless of where you're taking your gun ideas from; first hand knowledge, video games, the tv, or movies, you'll find the goodies here. Unfortunately, within a d20 context, there's fairly little reason to care.
          Primarily revolving around the same four or six damage and stat bases, the only thing that sets these weapons apart are their looks and descriptions. And while that's not a horrible thing, since it does give you the satisfaction of pointing to a pretty picture and saying, "you see a bunch of guys carrying these" it can be a little unsatisfying since everything does the same 2d6 or 2d8.
          Winding up on the book itself, the artwork is good and nicely detailed but a bit universally drab and exclusively revolves around museum-esque pictures of each weapon (there's not a single action shot to be found). But, really, the only thing that actually annoyed me about it is the total lack of an index, leaving you to scrub through the pages alphabetically until you can track down the specific piece you're looking for.

      The Verdict:

In the end, the Weapons Locker is nice and a fun read for background stuff but really won't lend much to your game. Given that the core book shipped with all the weapon stats you'll find in here you may feel a bit empty after paying the $30 price tag.

      The Good: Tons of different weapons

      The Bad: That are all basically the same

      The Overall Ugly: Nice but not particularly inspired, you may enjoy it, and will geek hard on being able to equip your bad guys with relatively obscure weapons like the Gepard and the Pallad, but it offers little more than that.

      What it's Worth: Maybe 20 bucks for the hard-core gun enthusiast.