Well, aside from the fact that at this point, I'm pretty sure skel's just pulling people's chains now in this thread to keep it going and keep things warm and flamey. And aside from the fact that I wonder why he's on a personal mission to kill one of Eden's money makers by warning everyone away. And aside from the fact that I have a suspicion that skel and Xy could be good friends away from happy internet land (as he has a similar hatred for Cinematic and says much the same things frequently, but at least gives concrete reasons for his displeasure). I will post some views on using both systems. It seems a waste of time, but Hell, I've got a little to waste today.

The first problem seems to be with Cinematic skill sets. Now, when I use both books, I use one or the other, depending on what kind of game I wanna run. Usually, I like the expanded skill-set of Classic. There is no trying to use both. You use one or the other. I don't see the sticking point here. And as for converting monsters skill-sets, I don't even really do that. I don't even touch my Monster Smackdown book, unless I'm running Buffy or Angel. The demons are too Buffy-centric, IMO, for my Classic games. However, if I were to do it, I'd just eyeball it anyway and assign some arbitrary skill points on the fly and move on, but then again, I tend to fly by the seat of my pants in a lot of my games. Some folks can't do that. I have a knack for it. This is why I can't see why the skills issue would be such a problem. If you have a Classic book and you have a Cinematic book, you use the skill-set you want, not both.

Essence: Here is where (and I'm gonna blow your mind here, skel) that it is actually EASIER to add Cinematic stuff into Classic campaign than it is to add Classic stuff into Cinematic campaign. If you try to add Essence powers and abilities into Cinematic, then you have to start figuring out what uses Essence and what shouldn't. Then you'd have to assign Essence to all the characters, creatures, npcs, etc, etc, ad nauseum. Still, not an impossible task if that is your choice from the get-go and I've actually done so. Still, I can see how it might be a problem. However, for someone who wants to run with the Classic rules anyway, I see no issue. Adding Cinematic to Classic is as easy as dropping it in. Just say the magic words, Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fie Di Jow, and presto, it's in. No need to add Essence to it. Example: I have a Classic character pick up a Cinematic power. I look at the power, which already has limitations placed within it. I say, hey, that doesn't cost Essence when you use it, but the limitations to how much time it takes, how long it lasts, etc, all apply. Yay! Done. Many Cinematic powers are based on how many Success Levels a person gets in the Activation roll. There's Success Levels in Classic Unisystem. Hmmm...pretty cut and dry in my book.

Another thing you can do here is simply call it another way of doing magic (or whatever). Sorcery as opposed to Wizardry, in other words, to use D20 terminology. The person using Classic magic with Essence is the Sorceror in this case and the person using Buffy magic is the Wizard. The Wizard doesn't need to use Essence to power the spells, but they are stuck with static "rotes", which work the same way every time. Essence sorcerors have far more latitude as far as how their magic works, but the limitation is that it costs Essence to use. I did this in a Classic fantasy campaign and it worked just fine.

Affecting Essence: Hm, again, if you are using Essence from the get-go and sticking with using predominantly Classic rules, I see no issue, as every character will have their Essence already calculated. Again, you're not going to have two of your players use Classic rules to make their characters and the other two use Cinematic rules. Aside from being a little silly, there's no point in it.

Drama Points: Use them or lose them. That simple. I've house-ruled it in my Classic based Odyssey Prime game. I give 3 and only three DPs, but they replenish after every session. Easy, elegant, and keeps people from running all over my Classic game with 20 DPs because they saved them up over all the other sessions. And so far, that's been the only real change to the Cinematic rules that I've needed to make. And it was a change I didn't even have to make. I could just as easily not used DPs.

Qualities/Drawbacks: I've made some damn nasty zombies and monsters because I've used the creature Qualities from the Angel book (incidentally, this is why I'm chomping at the bit for Beyond Human. Finally, I can make monsters for D&Z!). No changes need be made. Just drop them in, pay the cost and you're on your way. Couple this with the fact that there are some Qualities and Drawbacks in Cinematic Unisystem that aren't in Classic and it's a definite buy for me. Again, there's no need to change or modify any of the abilities, powers, qualities or drawbacks in Cinematic Unisystem books for use in Classic. Just drop them in and move on.

Weaponry: Aside from the fact that Cinematic Unisystem weaponry damage is nothing more than the average roll in parentheses that's in the Classic books, if you're using Classic weapons tables, there's no need to "convert" a Cinematic weapon...ever. Again, here's where if you are using one core rules set or the other you simply stick with it. You don't need to try to figure out stats to the Big-ass Pistol in Buffy because it's nothing more than the .44 Magnum in Classic Unisystem.

(Edit: paragraph edited out because I was beginning to sound all preachy, which wasn't my intent.)

Anyhoo, I've wasted enough time. Time to get back to writing. I need to make money off my talent so I can tell my current job what they can jump on and spin.

So, in closing, to quote one of my favorite quotes:

Achoo: [standing by a creek] "Look, Robin, you don't have to do this. I mean, this ain't exactly the Mississipi. I'm on one side, I'm on the other side. I'm on the east bank, I'm on the west bank. It's not that critical."
Remember Kids: Only professionals and the mentally ill should engage the undead.
Daniel R Davis
Freelance Writer
(I've jumped on the bandwagon & gotten a weblog
www.myspace.com/12339953)