D&D5e // Gamma World at GaryCon

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Gamma World would be pretty awesome to see a return of. I have fond memories of playing a mutant mushroom. Sounds like you had an awesome experience.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Star Frontiers wasn't complicated (IMO) here- take a look:

http://www.starfrontiers.com/Rules/

(All of the stuff!)

That said, they used percentiles instead of the d20. Also? The system wasn't interesting enough until Zebulon's (Expansion) and, most importantly, Knight Hawk (space ships, pew pew pew!).

Hah, I had forgotten how badly laid out rule books where in those days!

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

After buying and reading my book of "Eclipse Phase" I have got a different vision of the sci-fi RPGs.

And about sci-fi with the d20 system, there is a problem, and this is weapons and machines break the balance of power. With high-tech you can kill a dinosaur with only a shot, or you can drive a big truck to run over a horde of zombies. A simple goblin with an axe and a shield isn't so dangerous like the same goblin with the same stats but with a sniper rifle from the top of a building shooting your PCs. They are different menaces and they should be a different XP reward.

And if the firearms are allowed, then lots of players don't want martial artists or hand-to-hand fighters. And a survival horror campagin where PCs are normal civilians without weapons isn't like playing a campaigns about soldiers in the battlefield. This needs a special system for XPs.

If my friend is roleplaying Tyrion Lannisters who order my PC to shot a fire arrow to the wildfire on the water to destroy the Stannis Baratheon's fleet, for whom is the XPs reward? And what if my PC creates a combat drone what is controlled by my friend's PC to attack an enemy?

 

[exile]

So on Friday of Garycon, I had the opportunity to play (along with a game of Starfinder Society and Dungeon Crawl Classics celebrity game) a Star Frontiers hack of D&D5e. Mike Mearls was again DM, and this game was every bit as fun as the Gamma World hack-- which is to say a lot of fun.

We played as members of Star Law, an agency tasked with maintaining peace in the space between allied planets/stellar nations. One of our greatest threats was, of course, the Said her, a snake/worm-like alien race with psuinic powers and advanced technology, especially biotechnology.

We were tasked with investigating Space Station Tyche, a casino-station controlled by a space pirate. As it turned out the station was an entryway for mind-control drugs crafted by the Said her into the allied planets/stellar nations.

The characters were more detailed than the GW characters (they actually had classes). Mearls actually contacted us all some time prior to the game to ask if we wanted any particular type of character. I told him to make whatever, I had no preference. I really liked the character I ended up with. Ket Furloch was, as written, a human observer. He was supposed to be played as a spy and sniper. I was indeed able to do some spying/investigating with him, and when things all went to heck-- as they always do-- his special abilities let him serve admirably as a tactical rifleman. His shots were quick and/or deadly, and even when he missed, they helped set up other team members.

Speaking of team members, we had a vrusk mind (minds as a class reminded me a lot of mentats from Dune), an explosives-happy AI, a dralasite tech, and several other humans. In all we were a solid, well-rounded team. We all brought something different to the table, yet had enough overlapping secondary roles that we could often lend a hand. I often helped the dralasite tech.

Combat was quick and dangerous, though we all pulled through. I believe this owes to deadlier weapons relative to HP totals. Again. I am happy to try to answer any questions.

 

[Azzy]

Very cool! I had playing Star Frontiers in the past. Do you have any idea what they did with the dralasite (mechanics-wise)? Also, did you like adventuring with a walking amoebae? Was the tech able to build and control robots?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I like that this version of SF (I see what they did there) used classes. I thought the classless system I was reading in Alpha Dawn sounded a bit hm, dull. I know some people say they prefer classless systems, but I think classes make the game more fun. Mearls must have put a lot of work into creating them...

Did you notice if the psionic class used mystic-like rules or was more like a conventional spellcaster?

Draliasite does seem to be one of the more unusual player races I have come across. Community-minded insectoids and psychotic furrys are ten-a-penny.

A marketing strategy could be to release a "Return to the Barrier Peaks" campaign book, say late 2018, then a Star Frontiers 5e spin-off game in 2019, with a campaign telling the other side of the story.

 

[SilentWolf]

So on Friday of Garycon, I had the opportunity to play (along with a game of Starfinder Society and Dungeon Crawl Classics celebrity game) a Star Frontiers hack of D&D5e. Mike Mearls was again DM, and this game was every bit as fun as the Gamma World hack-- which is to say a lot of fun.

First of all, thanks for your updates!

Can you tell us more about the rules you used?
How were the Star Frontiers Classes designed? Were they simply reskin of the D&D 5e ones or brand new Classes designed for SF? There was some more mundane Class, without spells?
The SF conversion had some new mechanics for sci fi settings, similar to the one you described for Gamma World?

And what about Gamma World?
How were the Gamma World Classes designed? I've heard that there were scavenging rules or something like that. If yes, how did they work?

 

[GreyLord]

So on Friday of Garycon, I had the opportunity to play (along with a game of Starfinder Society and Dungeon Crawl Classics celebrity game) a Star Frontiers hack of D&D5e. Mike Mearls was again DM, and this game was every bit as fun as the Gamma World hack-- which is to say a lot of fun.

We played as members of Star Law, an agency tasked with maintaining peace in the space between allied planets/stellar nations. One of our greatest threats was, of course, the Said her, a snake/worm-like alien race with psuinic powers and advanced technology, especially biotechnology.

We were tasked with investigating Space Station Tyche, a casino-station controlled by a space pirate. As it turned out the station was an entryway for mind-control drugs crafted by the Said her into the allied planets/stellar nations.

The characters were more detailed than the GW characters (they actually had classes). Mearls actually contacted us all some time prior to the game to ask if we wanted any particular type of character. I told him to make whatever, I had no preference. I really liked the character I ended up with. Ket Furloch was, as written, a human observer. He was supposed to be played as a spy and sniper. I was indeed able to do some spying/investigating with him, and when things all went to heck-- as they always do-- his special abilities let him serve admirably as a tactical rifleman. His shots were quick and/or deadly, and even when he missed, they helped set up other team members.

Speaking of team members, we had a vrusk mind (minds as a class reminded me a lot of mentats from Dune), an explosives-happy AI, a dralasite tech, and several other humans. In all we were a solid, well-rounded team. We all brought something different to the table, yet had enough overlapping secondary roles that we could often lend a hand. I often helped the dralasite tech.

Combat was quick and dangerous, though we all pulled through. I believe this owes to deadlier weapons relative to HP totals. Again. I am happy to try to answer any questions.

I'd be so pre-ordering it if they put out a 5e based Star Frontiers game.

Classes came into Star Frontiers at least during the period of D20/3e. Star Frontiers was NOT as fleshed out as it was in Alpha Dawn, Knight Hawks, or Zebulon's Guide, but it existed.

It was basically a much shorter blurb about it in D20 Future. As D20 Future was an extension of D20 Modern, they had classes if you decided to play in that campaign world.

 

[Azzy]

I'd be so pre-ordering it if they put out a 5e based Star Frontiers game.

You and me both.