As is my tradition, each time a game ends, I try to learn from it. This will be about my most recent trip into the radioactive (now) retro Gamma World 7e – based off the system for 4E D&D. I ran the adventure that came in the Core Rules Boxed Set, but spoilers will be kept to a minimum.
A Brief History of Me and Gamma World
I never played the previous editions of Gamma World (though I do own a few of them and have read them). I bought the rules and expansions when they were first released. Years later I even got a complete set of of the booster cards (Alpha Mutations and Omega Tech) from DriveThruCards. I ran the first two adventures but stopped before Legion of Gold. I thought it was a fun, fast, and beginner-friendly version of 4E.
After my groups moved on from 4E, I put away Gamma World.
About the Group and Selection of the Game
The group of players included my wife (a newish convert to 4E D&D), our neighbor (who grew up with THAC0-era D&D) and his teenaged son, and two teenaged sisters also from our neighborhood.
We started a group of 5E D&D about a year and a half ago. During that time, we played through a combination of Saltmarsh and OAR’s Isle of Dread, and then a following campaign of Curse of Strahd. As I’ve stated countless times on this board, I am a bit burned out on 5E, so I offered the group other options after the end of Strahd.
I covered the game table with a buffet of games for them to see, including Savage Worlds of many varieties, Old School Essentials, and our current topic – Gamma World.
“You mean I can play a psychic rat swarm?!!” one of the teens asked.
So, it was decided with great excitement to try Gamma World.
Character Creation
We used the random charts in the books to generate the origins. We were passing the books around to get their powers. I tried to help them. “Write down the powers, do the math, write it down.” (Of course, no one wrote down the math so literally every roll as we played was +level, +accuracy, +Dex … FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST PUT DOWN +7!!!!)
Anyways, this took forever. Not having access to online tools, multiple books, etc., made the fun randomness I remembered feel hellish. Couple that with the high turnaround for character deaths, and this was a major issue. I believe it will continue to be an issue with any out of print system that requires a lot of specific math.
But “Out of Print” Doesn’t Mean "Unavailable"
Checking online, factory sealed copies of this edition of Gamma World are plentiful. I bought extra copies of the three boxes (from Amazon) and another set of the cards from DriveThru. The prices were even less than when the sets were first released around 15 years ago.
Character Deaths
At first, we had a lot of character deaths. The players often didn’t coordinate well, were stingy with their Omega Tech, and would use Basic Attacks instead of their Origin Powers or Alpha Mutations. It took a couple weeks for them to get the hang of it.
"We Are Tired of Fighting Everything"
I ran the adventure as written. The story is minimal, but the fights are challenging and showcase interesting terrain, tactical combats, etc. If I considered this group “murder hobos,” they definitely got it out of their system. Going from one battle scene to another with little story to connect, no roleplaying, - just a series of (admittedly exciting) fights seemed to break them.
Quick Mutation
Outside of a dedicated one-shot, I’ve rarely seen a group fall off a system so quickly. After two sessions the group was getting ready to move on. After four sessions, that was it!
It’s time to put my (now expanded) collection of Gamma World in a barrel and bury it safely in a containment vault until it’s ready to irradiate the world again (maybe in a decade?)
What Next?
When we did the game selection, about half of the group seemed excited to try Savage Worlds – Holler: An Appalachian Apocalypse. The players voted to try that one next.
Our neighbor said he’d give it a try, but “his heart is with D&D” – even if it means playing 4E at my wife’s insistence.
I’m obviously concerned that if the group struggled with the tactics and rules of Gamma World that we’d run into similar issues with D&D 4E. A growing party size (sometimes up to 8 players) means that whatever we play will need to be fast and light enough to accommodate them.
My recommendation would be to try to stick with Savage a bit – maybe try Savage Pathfinder if they want something more of a traditional fantasy feel. Or we can do an OSR system.
Time will tell.
A Brief History of Me and Gamma World
I never played the previous editions of Gamma World (though I do own a few of them and have read them). I bought the rules and expansions when they were first released. Years later I even got a complete set of of the booster cards (Alpha Mutations and Omega Tech) from DriveThruCards. I ran the first two adventures but stopped before Legion of Gold. I thought it was a fun, fast, and beginner-friendly version of 4E.
After my groups moved on from 4E, I put away Gamma World.
About the Group and Selection of the Game
The group of players included my wife (a newish convert to 4E D&D), our neighbor (who grew up with THAC0-era D&D) and his teenaged son, and two teenaged sisters also from our neighborhood.
We started a group of 5E D&D about a year and a half ago. During that time, we played through a combination of Saltmarsh and OAR’s Isle of Dread, and then a following campaign of Curse of Strahd. As I’ve stated countless times on this board, I am a bit burned out on 5E, so I offered the group other options after the end of Strahd.
I covered the game table with a buffet of games for them to see, including Savage Worlds of many varieties, Old School Essentials, and our current topic – Gamma World.
“You mean I can play a psychic rat swarm?!!” one of the teens asked.
So, it was decided with great excitement to try Gamma World.
Character Creation
We used the random charts in the books to generate the origins. We were passing the books around to get their powers. I tried to help them. “Write down the powers, do the math, write it down.” (Of course, no one wrote down the math so literally every roll as we played was +level, +accuracy, +Dex … FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST PUT DOWN +7!!!!)
Anyways, this took forever. Not having access to online tools, multiple books, etc., made the fun randomness I remembered feel hellish. Couple that with the high turnaround for character deaths, and this was a major issue. I believe it will continue to be an issue with any out of print system that requires a lot of specific math.
But “Out of Print” Doesn’t Mean "Unavailable"
Checking online, factory sealed copies of this edition of Gamma World are plentiful. I bought extra copies of the three boxes (from Amazon) and another set of the cards from DriveThru. The prices were even less than when the sets were first released around 15 years ago.
Character Deaths
At first, we had a lot of character deaths. The players often didn’t coordinate well, were stingy with their Omega Tech, and would use Basic Attacks instead of their Origin Powers or Alpha Mutations. It took a couple weeks for them to get the hang of it.
"We Are Tired of Fighting Everything"
I ran the adventure as written. The story is minimal, but the fights are challenging and showcase interesting terrain, tactical combats, etc. If I considered this group “murder hobos,” they definitely got it out of their system. Going from one battle scene to another with little story to connect, no roleplaying, - just a series of (admittedly exciting) fights seemed to break them.
Quick Mutation
Outside of a dedicated one-shot, I’ve rarely seen a group fall off a system so quickly. After two sessions the group was getting ready to move on. After four sessions, that was it!
It’s time to put my (now expanded) collection of Gamma World in a barrel and bury it safely in a containment vault until it’s ready to irradiate the world again (maybe in a decade?)
What Next?
When we did the game selection, about half of the group seemed excited to try Savage Worlds – Holler: An Appalachian Apocalypse. The players voted to try that one next.
Our neighbor said he’d give it a try, but “his heart is with D&D” – even if it means playing 4E at my wife’s insistence.
I’m obviously concerned that if the group struggled with the tactics and rules of Gamma World that we’d run into similar issues with D&D 4E. A growing party size (sometimes up to 8 players) means that whatever we play will need to be fast and light enough to accommodate them.
My recommendation would be to try to stick with Savage a bit – maybe try Savage Pathfinder if they want something more of a traditional fantasy feel. Or we can do an OSR system.
Time will tell.
