Gamma World Vs. Darwin's World

[EdwardForrester]

Okay,
I have a question for those more knowledgable than I . I have seen info about Gamma World and Darwin's World, i know what the setting is but I dont know which is better. If memory serves they are both older games that has recently recieved the a D20 makeover. If I am mistaken apologies but I am curious which, when all is said and done, is better. Including the setting and the rules itself sell me on which is better. Thanks in advance.

 

[Dark Psion]

For flavor, the previous versions of Gamma World win hands down. From the Image of Nort & Scar on the cover of 3rd edition to the series of adventures that put you on a path to a space shuttle.

For the current D20 Gamma World, well IMHO all the fun has been sucked out of it and the game mechanics of Nanotech, Psionics and Implants needs a lot of work because they exist outside of the basic rules.

Darwin's World has a far better system for playing in a D20, but the "Twisted Earth" is a little too Mad Max for some. I will need a winter project and this year it will be to reconstruct my Gamma World from all of the above.

 

[Gallo22]

For flavor, the previous versions of Gamma World win hands down. From the Image of Nort & Scar on the cover of 3rd edition to the series of adventures that put you on a path to a space shuttle.

For the current D20 Gamma World, well IMHO all the fun has been sucked out of it and the game mechanics of Nanotech, Psionics and Implants needs a lot of work because they exist outside of the basic rules.

Darwin's World has a far better system for playing in a D20, but the "Twisted Earth" is a little too Mad Max for some. I will need a winter project and this year it will be to reconstruct my Gamma World from all of the above.

Ditto, ditto and ditto. I'm doing the same and converting 4th edition GW to 3.0 D&D rules. So far it's going great. The physical mutations are 90% converted and the mental mutation at 40% converted. Next are the plant mutations. It has actually been alot of fun.

I'm very glad the new GW game came out if only to add fuel to my desire to have good GW rules and make them myself!!

Gallo22

 

[wingnut_dc]

Ditto, ditto and ditto. I'm doing the same and converting 4th edition GW to 3.0 D&D rules. So far it's going great. The physical mutations are 90% converted and the mental mutation at 40% converted. Next are the plant mutations. It has actually been alot of fun.

I'm very glad the new GW game came out if only to add fuel to my desire to have good GW rules and make them myself!!

Gallo22

Any hope of posting them when you are finished?

 

[Gallo22]

Any hope of posting them when you are finished?

I would be happy to share! But...all those reading this please keep in mind I made the changes and up-grades to suite my style of play...wild and wahoo, not dark and balanced. They are not crazy, but they are pumped. What I mean by pumped is, if you get the heightened strength mutation...you really have heightened strength! Not this +1 garbage! I think I gave a +6 to any heightened attribute.

Anyways...the conversion is being made to use with 3.0 or 3.5 as opposed to Modern, but I'm sure anyone out there can make changes from my changes.

Gallo22

 

[Forvalaka]

I have to completely agree. I was so disgusted with the new GW rules, and Darwin's World just kicks complete ass. The only thing I plan to use from the new GW is the equipment and the classic GW critters all in nice D20 Modern format.

Darwin's World has everything going for it except it's campaign flavor, IMHO. That is just my take on it since I like things a bit more wahoo. I never played GW as silly, but somehow straddle the fence between wahoo and Mad Max. Our groups never had trouble being serious, deadly and gritty, but allowing for the genetic freaks, talking animals and plants, etc. It just wasn't an "either or" situation for us. I also have years of GW campaign stuff and the GW factions that I much prefer over the "Twisted Earth".

I'm just using all the superior DW mechanics and classes (I'm so glad DW hardcover is rolling out now), and converting my old campaign stuff to work with them. I'm using DW classes, but GW "flavor". For example, I was working up some high-level Radioactivist NPCs from my GW stuff, and they were "Brotherhood of Radiation" guys in DW mechanics.

The only thing really unresolved is mutant animals. I dislike moreaus, so I'm trying to homebrew some animal rules. I see the difficulty in keeping things relatively balanced with them though, so it is still a work in progress. I'm not a "balance freak", but I want something a *little* less over the top power-wise than the animals from 4th Ed Gamma World. Also, there are no DW factions for mutated animals, so those factions and their advanced classes would have to be created too.

I worked up a *tiny* netbook for Darwin's World, but it will be growing. Right now it's version 1.0, and I have that on the first page of the PDF for anyone who checks back later to see if there are new additions. I hope to add some more content over the holiday weekend (converting some critters from various sources), plus some art from a friend of mine.

Right now, the netbook just contains some GW 4th edition mutations, defects, and neural feats that I converted to DW. This means they are toned-down a little bit. I'm trying to bring as much GW to DW as possible without completely breaking things It also contains a couple of new prestige classes.

The netbook is written completely in DW-ese, though, so I use "Brotherhood of Radiation" instead of "Radioactivists". I figured it would help support DW with directly-usable, free, fan material. Plus since I'm just mentally and verbally converting everything else in DW to GW terminology, I could convert my netbook stuff on the fly too when I use it.

The direct link to my little netbook is at http://www.falconx.com/gammaworld/software/DarwinNetbook1.pdf

I have a few DW resources (Random generators, random mutant character starter) at
http://www.falconx.com/gammaworld/darwinmain.html

Any feedback on any of my DW stuff would be most appreciated.

---
Tormentor
Tormentor's Virtual Wasteland at
http://www.gammaworld.us

 

[tburdett]

Thanks for sharing your work with us. Please let us know when if / when you update your netbook.

 

[Tetsubo]

I would be happy to share! But...all those reading this please keep in mind I made the changes and up-grades to suite my style of play...wild and wahoo, not dark and balanced. They are not crazy, but they are pumped. What I mean by pumped is, if you get the heightened strength mutation...you really have heightened strength! Not this +1 garbage! I think I gave a +6 to any heightened attribute.

Anyways...the conversion is being made to use with 3.0 or 3.5 as opposed to Modern, but I'm sure anyone out there can make changes from my changes.

Gallo22

I know I'm looking forward to sreeing your conversions.

Fourth Edition was my favorite version.

 

[Tormentor]

The direct link to my little netbook is at http://www.falconx.com/gammaworld/software/DarwinNetbook1.pdf

I have released a version 1.2 of this PDF now a the above link. I added the Confusion neural feat, and cleaned up my "DW-ized" writeup on Mind Flayers and Umber Hulks.

Also now have some original artwork from SpiderTrag for those two critters.

Thanks,
---
Tormentor
Tormentor's Virtual Wasteland at
http://www.gammaworld.us

"Oh Bother", said Pooh, as he chambered another round.

 

[Gallo22]

I know I'm looking forward to sreeing your conversions.

Fourth Edition was my favorite version.

Thanks. I hope to have them all done in January sometime, maybe sooner. Probably the best this to do for any of you who might be interested, is to have you send me your e-mail address and in return I'll e-mail you a copy for printing/editing to your hearts content. I've put it in microsoft word format.

Just wait til january and I'll post when I'm done with the conversions, then let the e-mailing begin!

Gallo22