Gamma World Dark Sun hybrid

[scourger]

Has anyone done or considered a Gamma World (GW) Dark Sun (DS) hybrid? I really like the new GW, although 4e wasn't to my taste; and reading another thread here about DS made me interested. So, I am thinking about a GW DS mash up. Basically, I would want to run GW characters & rules through the DS setting. Has anyone done it or thought about it?

Any ideas about how to make the GW rules feel more like D&D for the players? I mean, it really doesn't have the iconic D&D classes or races. Also, it seems a little light on the players' game-within-a-game of character development.

Also, the DS campaign setting and creature catalog got great reviews at Amazon whereas the adventure, Marauders of the Dune Sea, got bad reviews. Anyone have any expereince with the DS products? Are there any future adventures planned for DS?

Thanks for any ideas.

 

[Wik]

Also, the DS campaign setting and creature catalog got great reviews at Amazon whereas the adventure, Marauders of the Dune Sea, got bad reviews. Anyone have any expereince with the DS products? Are there any future adventures planned for DS?

Thanks for any ideas.

The Dark Sun campaign book and monster book are the best 4e releases to date. The monster book is perfectly balanced, and I use it heavily in my current (non DS) game - the monsters are rather brutal, so keep that in mind.

Marauders of the Dune Sea SUCKS. It's not a very good Dark Sun adventure, and it is a bit too high fantasy for Dark Sun. While Dark Sun is a very fantastic setting, I strongly believe that the main villains should be PEOPLE, not external threats. Add to that the fact that the adventure is very much "black and white" with few shades of gray, and the fact that it is a tight railroad, and you can see why I dislike it.

 

[Spatula]

I've been thinking of this myself since playing GW. My group has some non-rules-y types, and 4e is too much for them. But GW's stripped-down rules went over decently.

What I was considering stealing from GW is:
* stat generation: take a 16 & 14 and roll 4d6 (drop lowest) 4 times. Or an 18 and roll 5 times. this is before racial modifiers, of course.
* adding your full level to everything
* no feats
* no stat increases with levels
* flexible stats for basic attacks
* some kind of innate bonus damage for crits

I'm not sure about adopting the abstract equipment.

Adding +level to everything entirely removes the need for "plus" items (+1 sword, iron armbands of power, etc.), as well as passive "plus" feats (expertise, focus). It also fixes all the issues with "the math" that crop up as characters advance in levels.

I think it works perfectly with Dark Sun, as well. The characters' inherent bonuses are already included!

The side effects on the game are:
* Character creation becomes a snap. You might want the CharBuilder for selecting powers, but you can easily come up with the numbers right on the char sheet. And if you're using Essentials classes, you don't need the CharBuilder at all.
* Characters will do more damage. Personally I consider this a feature as it cuts down on grind without the DM having to do anything.
* Initiative & Skill Bonuses will be a lot higher than before. This is an issue with the skill DC values, and for monsters (who are adding 1/2 level to those numbers). So maybe just add 1/2 level to those values for PCs, or revise the skill DCs and boost the monster values.
* No stat increases means that class abilities/powers based off a stat value will have lesser effects. For example, a power that pushes a creature (STR mod) squares will always be stuck at the character's starting STR mod.

That's off the top of my head, there might be additional issues.

 

[scourger]

Yeah, a simpler version of 4e would be great. I hate that the Ravenloft RPG version has been cancelled. But, perhaps it is worth picking up the Essentials line for the simpler kind of game you suggest.