[Mutant Future]Welcome to Slimy Lake! (OOC)

Alvordian · Jan 13, 2010

The journey across the barren Crunchy Desert took nearly a week on foot. Only by sheer will and good fortune did you and your companions make it through the wasteland of broken glass and oily sand, alive.

Now, standing on the edge of the desert, you and your comrades peer at the bartered map you've carried all those long miles. The promise of adventure, unearthed tech and a better life lured you to this spot. All you need to do to achieve these goals is to learn the lay of the land, survive dangerous radiation and fight off the attacks of mutated monsters.

Welcome to Slimy Lake!

Having failed in an earlier attempt to recruit a rules lite d20 variant game, I have decided to DM an opened ended sandbox style game. I've always found the denizens of ENWorld hospitable to a wide range of games, even those that aren't d20 or D&D. So the rules I will use are arguably my favorite- the free, new OGL based "old school" styled post apocalyptic game, Mutant Future.

What is Mutant Future? Its a rule set in the vein of Gamma World, based on the rules that powered Basic D&D circa 1981. Its a crunchy and slightly gonzo set of rules, where players take the role of mutant human, plant or animal; one of three types of android; or pure human. For more info, take a look and grab the rules here. Just scroll down and click on the core rules download to get the free pdf.

What is a sandbox, you might ask? A sandbox goes back to the earliest days of role playing. Its a setting, mostly unexplored, which the characters explore, hex by hex. The PC's decide where they want to go and what they want to do. Monsters are fought, ruins explored, and loot is taken.. and there's no real plot except that the players make as they interact with the world. The players PCs are the heroes of the setting, and shape the world by what they do (or don't do).

The setting? Its a mini-sandbox created by Jeff Rients in the old school fanzine Fight On! called Slimy Lake. The map (by Chrisitan de la Rosa) is attached.

Characters will begin at level 1. Chargen info will follow if I get enough interest. Looking for at least 3 or 4 players.

Interested? Just look at the rules, chime in, and let's go!

Walking Dad · Jan 13, 2010

Call me intrigued, but I will have to take a longer look at the rules first.

GlassEye · Jan 13, 2010

I'm interested. I also need to look over the rules to see what is possible...

Alvordian · Jan 13, 2010

No problem either of you. I think you'll find the chargen and mechanics different yet familiar, especially if you've played any other edition of D&D. And even if you haven't its a fairly rules light game.

But thanks for responding.

GlassEye · Jan 13, 2010

Looks very reminiscent of Gamma World.

Hopefully some others will chime in with interest...

How do you plan on creating characters? All random? Or something else?

Alvordian · Jan 13, 2010

For chargen I will go by the book and go random. The whole random mechanic for creation and leveling up is fun, unpredictable and usually results in some interesting (and sometimes powerful) characters.

Androids get to pick mutations, but have different bonuses and weaknesses.

For chargen I'll probably use a dice server like hamete.

I'm still mulling over the idea of doing all the die rolling in game or letting players..or both. I'm leaning over doing all the rolling given the format. So input in that regard is appreicated.

GlassEye · Jan 13, 2010

I have no problems with randomly generating mutations. That was a big part of the fun when we played Gamma World way back when. As for rolls required during play: my personal preference is for the GM... er, Mutant Lord to make the rolls. Many people prefer using a dice rolling site like Invisible Castle and linking the rolls. I have no objections to that if that is the way you choose to go.

Alvordian · Jan 14, 2010

Ok then here is what Ill do. I will make the die rolls in game.
And as long as we're on the subject of die rolling lets talk chargen.

If you wish to play go to Invisible Castle and start rolling. Please link rolls here. Chargen will be by the book except that when rolling for attributes roll 3d6 six times and assign one of the rolls to an attribute as you see fit.

Alvordian · Jan 14, 2010

Here are just a few slightly disjointed thoughts concerning rules and setting..

A game like Mutant Future utilizes no feats or skills. I advise players unfamiliar with such a system not be phased by this and not limit a PCs actions because they don't feel they have the ability. Being descriptive in roleplaying and trying imaginative actions in combat and out are helpful to the DM and can be liberating to the player.

Also be advised that as the setting is a sandbox, not all areas are necessarily scaled to the PCs power level. Sometimes being cautious, parleying, or even running away are advisable to fighting.

Also, I will be using most of the optional rules including disease, and repairing technology. Initiative will be by group with a roll of d6 to speed things up.

If any player (s) gain the Plane shift mutation, I assume it was used once, if out of curiosity if nothing else. As per the rules I will generate randomly the dimension type which your PC has opened a portal to.

Languages- all PCs speak Common, which sounds surprisingly similar to English. As per the rules, the Int bonus allows PCs to know other languages. However as the characters are all level 1, leave the extra "slots" blank. In the course of the game PCs with open slots can learn a language (like figuring out a tech) as the game progresses.

In regards to setting, in Mutant Future the setting is an implied stand in for our earth. The apocalypse's cause is unknown to the characters, and how much time has passed since the time of the Ancients is unclear as well. Many local communities have their own timekeeping conventions, but the time reckoning most places at least recognize is the calender calculated by the sage monks of the Bodhisattva Elvis. By their reckoning it is May in the 475th Year of the King.

The World is at a quasi medieval level and has changed in climate, geograpy and culture since the Ancients' time. So there won't be as many obvious one to one correlations as there were in Gamma World in regards to geography, place names etc...

Also, PCs know vaguely of tech, like magic items in D&D. PCs have heard stories or seen pictures of the Ancients before the Bad Times. So there is a rudimentary familiarity with guns, robots and some tech.

Finally, it is assumed the PCs left their homes back east to escape; to get away from ostracism for being a mutant or android;because of war, famine or some other calamity. The map you posses has some landmarks that are labeled but many spaces are still blank. The trader that provided the map gave few details except that the settlements around Slimy Lake had food and shelter.

Ok I think that's enough. I await questions, character ideas, and comments.

Thanks!

Alvordian · Jan 14, 2010

Ahh I did forget one more thing. Gaining mutations is random, so once everyone rolls a character, a playe may have a duplicate power that another player has, or may find himself with two powers that negate each other.

If this occurs, the player or players may opt for your friendly Mutant Lord to reroll the offending power or powers to get rid of duplications.

Ok, now that's enough.