PhantomNarrator
First Post
My Gamma World d20 experience so far
I haven't visited in a while, but while going through the archives I came across this thread and feel compelled to respond, as I have just started a d20 GW mini-campaign (running it as a break from my regular Pulp Hero game).
Dark Psion's comment is essentially what I have done, but I've also taken the steps to convert the old Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Powers Book as mutations. It's not quite finished but I have enough to greatly expand the list of beneficial mutations. Not an ideal solution for the harried GM, but it was a labor of love, as Gamma World has always been one of my favorite games regardless of the edition.
Unfortunately, I must concur with the comments here. D20 Gamma World is one of the worst incarnations of the game so far, I'm sorry to say. Not that there aren't some excellent ideas in it - Psionics, Cybernetics, Nanotech - these are all welcome additions, but they lack somewhat in execution (particularly psionics). The opportunity to play a synthetic PC is a big plus, but sadly, this is negated by the fact that mutated plant PC's are no longer available, even if some might prefer this arrangement. Me, I've always thought it was okay to get a little wacky with Gamma World. If I wanted to run a realistic PA game I would probably go with Darwin's World (an excellent resource for GW and a great game in it's own right), or Aftermath.
The Player's Guide doomed this game right from the start, in my opinion. The art was minimal and often poor. The focus was scattershot - why do we need community rules in a player's book? With the minimal amount of mutations (and I have all the supplements for it!) this is really an unforgivable oversight, or worse, a cynical ploy to sell supplements. If you're not prepared to do some of the work I've done, or if you just don't have older additions, you're pretty much on your own. I don't buy the excuse that player's should have a hand in the creation of their communities - I want mutations in my player's book, and community rules in my GM's book. This was a colossal mistake.
Which is too bad, because GW d20 had a lot going for it. Unfortunately the new features (biotech, cybertech, nanotech, robot/android PC's) don't outweigh the loss of many colorful mutations, the mutated plant PC option, or the sometimes dubious mechanics. The supplements certainly help, in fact they're all quite good, much better than the GWPH at any rate, but unless you have the older editions, Darwin's World, or are just a hard core fan like me, it's not worth the investment. Find a copy of the 1-4th editions and use that instead (just be sure to get the errata if you use the 3rd edition!).
So why am I running it? Well, I already spent the money on the books. I want some return on my investment! (Besides, I suspect no one wants to buy my copy...)
Dark Psion said:Remember, not all mutations are good ones.
If you have access to D20 Gamma World/ Darwin's World/ Omega World/ D20 Past-Modern-Future and previous versions of Gamma World, you could put together a mish-mash of a setting,..
.. which is basically what Gamma World is
I haven't visited in a while, but while going through the archives I came across this thread and feel compelled to respond, as I have just started a d20 GW mini-campaign (running it as a break from my regular Pulp Hero game).
Dark Psion's comment is essentially what I have done, but I've also taken the steps to convert the old Marvel Superheroes Ultimate Powers Book as mutations. It's not quite finished but I have enough to greatly expand the list of beneficial mutations. Not an ideal solution for the harried GM, but it was a labor of love, as Gamma World has always been one of my favorite games regardless of the edition.
Unfortunately, I must concur with the comments here. D20 Gamma World is one of the worst incarnations of the game so far, I'm sorry to say. Not that there aren't some excellent ideas in it - Psionics, Cybernetics, Nanotech - these are all welcome additions, but they lack somewhat in execution (particularly psionics). The opportunity to play a synthetic PC is a big plus, but sadly, this is negated by the fact that mutated plant PC's are no longer available, even if some might prefer this arrangement. Me, I've always thought it was okay to get a little wacky with Gamma World. If I wanted to run a realistic PA game I would probably go with Darwin's World (an excellent resource for GW and a great game in it's own right), or Aftermath.
The Player's Guide doomed this game right from the start, in my opinion. The art was minimal and often poor. The focus was scattershot - why do we need community rules in a player's book? With the minimal amount of mutations (and I have all the supplements for it!) this is really an unforgivable oversight, or worse, a cynical ploy to sell supplements. If you're not prepared to do some of the work I've done, or if you just don't have older additions, you're pretty much on your own. I don't buy the excuse that player's should have a hand in the creation of their communities - I want mutations in my player's book, and community rules in my GM's book. This was a colossal mistake.
Which is too bad, because GW d20 had a lot going for it. Unfortunately the new features (biotech, cybertech, nanotech, robot/android PC's) don't outweigh the loss of many colorful mutations, the mutated plant PC option, or the sometimes dubious mechanics. The supplements certainly help, in fact they're all quite good, much better than the GWPH at any rate, but unless you have the older editions, Darwin's World, or are just a hard core fan like me, it's not worth the investment. Find a copy of the 1-4th editions and use that instead (just be sure to get the errata if you use the 3rd edition!).
So why am I running it? Well, I already spent the money on the books. I want some return on my investment! (Besides, I suspect no one wants to buy my copy...)
