Gamma World Feedback

[Achan hiArusa]

Gamma World

Darn End Key.

Anyway, I am a little biased since I have written a (very incomplete) version of Gamma World which is stored in the Black Pages. (I have much more respect for those people who take their time to create, convert, and organize spells, psionic powers, and mutations, my patience just wasn't enough). I have played 3rd and 4th edition and started my own conversion. All that is on hold because of graduate school.

Anyway what I'd like to see

1) The classic races. PSH, Plant, Mutated Animal, Altered Human. Actually I like variety, so I don't mind alternate races, friendly androids, and symbiotic plants. And to correct some of you, old Dragon articles had rules for androids and robots that predated Gamma World (fundamentally what is the difference between a tractor/pressor beam and a telekinetic mutation).
2) Lots of mutations, but with some balance to them. I would like powerful ones like Temporal Fugue as long as something that has it doesn't have many mutations in general (and for those of you who hate Deevolution, it has always been one of my GM favorites, players just hate it, all the more reason to have it).
3) Various tech levels. A mutated animal should have a chance to shoot himself in the face with a flintlock, just like an altered human would be at a loss to put a bullet in a modern automatic (where's the Ramrod).
4) Weird encounters. Strange Weather. Not just an automatic roll for monsters. The world shouldn't be dead and gritty, nor should it go too far into the wild and wahoo! It should be balanced enough between the two that GMs have room to play the game they want.
5) Yes, more on the rest of the world. I want to know what the world outside the US, Canada, and China look like. More on the rest of the solar system and the extrasolar colonies man established.

What I don't want:

Geez, that's hard I have found a way to incorporated a lot of stuff on my own. I left many things in the air and will probably use a lot of stuff from any article in my own campaign.

1) Classes that aren't the equivelent to D&D classes (for the most part, while interesting, the D&D classes outshine the other d20 classes). And no wild mutationist/structured mutationist structure (wizard/sorcerer, channeler/wilder, jedi/force adept).
2) No wild mechanics that hamper the efforts the cross D&D and Gamma World (all of DMs know you want to).

 

[Big Blue Pigeon]

D20 Gamma World

What's in d20 and what I like to see:

01. Prestige Classes based on Cryptic Alliances
02. Animal, Plant, and Humanoid mutations: Old Ones and New Ones, the more the merrier.
03. The "oops,wrong button" artifact examination chart of death: Loads of fun if your a sadistic GM.
04. Rules of Power Armor and Combat: a must for any Pure Strain Human.
05. Tech Levels: Not very player should have access to the same technology.
06. Robots, androids and A.I.: Have the players fight for their lives when a deranged vet-bot mistakes them for a sick chihuahua. Death MAchines are cool too.
07. Tycho Center: A campaign Source Book
08. A Mutant Manual: a Monster Manual Geared solely towards Gamma World
09. Radaition: Glowing in the Dark is fun.
10. A Technology Manual like they published in Fourth Edition.
11. A compiled collection of all mutant monster from past issues of Dragon Magazine.
12. A Vehicle Manual.

What I do not to see
01. No d20 Rip-off monsters
02. No exotic or weird settings: Archiac prisons are all right especially if the PCs need to beat the security systems. nothing like AI the movie
03. Nothing to do with Alternity: No rules of stuff incorporated into the new system
04. No Alien Monsters
05. No giant mutant single celled organisms with Force Field Generation and Death Field Generation. No super mutnats either!
06. Seattle?! A campaign setting. oNly if it's underwater and filled with exotic mutant fish. Right, Seattle hugs a fault-line. I can't see much of it standing after 500 years.

 

[Josiah]

Well, it has been some time since I have played GW, but I have always enjoyed it.

I have always felt that the basis of GW was to investigate and relearn about a world that destroyed itself. Almost like a new beginning, so with that as a premise and to answer the questions presented:

Must-haves:
1)Mutations (and their respective origins - animals, humans, (even though some of my friends think it is stupid)plants, and what about something along the lines of minerals or earthly elements (just an idea);

2)Some randomness in getting mutations - after all, it only adds more flavor to have a possible disadvantage, though definitely not necessarily ones that would kill you or do enough damage where the characters become unplayable (or unenjoyable) - though I could see some possibility for longer term disadvantaging mutations - unnatural aging, etc.;

3)A wide range of creatures - possible mixtures of various hybrids - i.e. Owlbear (from D&D, and used only as an example).

4) Possible alien involvement - not to the extent of Star Frontiers, but something along those lines - maybe the aliens help destroy the world, in some great last battle of mankind vs. aliens;

5) Add some sort of in-depth background or history

Must-nots:

1)Play only to survive;

2)Using the previous system of colors and such (not sure which edition that is).

 

[Tetsubo]

The color chart was used in 3rd Edition. I ran my longest campaign with a heavily modified version of 3rd. It ran just over three years. Great game.

 

[Urklore]

I like the ranking system that one of teh Gamma World versions had, where you rolled to see what rank/level it was. I think that mutations should be able to be improved on, maybe like a skill system like d20 has in place now, and you can then put skill ranks into them.

What happened to the Star Frontiers D20 that was suppose to be in the next polyhedron? Perhaps this a start of Wizards revisted all of the old classics (one issue on Al-Qadim d20, one issue on Boot Hill D20, etc).

 

[beta-ray]

I think I said earlier... just as long as it's fun..

Like Spelljammer I LIKED the goofiness of Gamma World (haven't played since first edition)... I have to admit a D20 GW sounds like great fun!

I almost envision Army of Darkness when I think of Gamma World (in style)... I also wouldn't mind seeing... GW Kaiju!

 

[BRJN]

I have played Gamma World since late 1980 (vol 1). I suggest you get a copy of those rules to get the flavor of the game. As we have found out since, GW is a setting, not a rule set. So I hope GWd20 will become a favored place to stop in for D+D players.

Include:
1) A good number of cryptic alliances, and some sort of ongoing project for them to be working on.
2) Some more-civilized areas, some frontier areas, and some wilderness.
3) Mutated animal PCs (and plants if you have the space).
4) Lots of Artifacts; not just weapons. And in varying states of repair.
5) Tombs of the Ancients. You can dungeon crawl through an abandoned but still-functioning building, or visit a completely plundered old village or map out a few blocks square of taboo Ancient city.

Do NOT include:
1) Space aliens.
2) That 'the Future is dark and hopeless' feel. In GW, the future is challenging and exciting. Also, stay away from over-inked artwork.

BRJN

 

[EricNoah]

Re: Whatever

Is there an "ignore" feature on the new boards?

Thanks,

Erik

Yes, Erik, there is (haven't tried it myself yet as being a moderator means you can't really ignore stuff... darn it!).

Under the offending post click the little Profile button. At the bottom of the person's profile is a link allowing you to ignore the poster in question.

Unfortunately as I learned on the original WotC message boards, that doesn't keep you from seeing the person's posts when they are quoted in subsequent posts.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Must Haves:

* Robots and Androids and Think Tanks and Death Machines
* the Starship Warden (glad I'm not the only one)
* Mutants (and why not some aliens?)
* that map of a ruined US
* that picture of the rabbits with guns

Must Not Haves:

* Stupid post-nuclear-holocaust truncated/misspelled place names. Hated 'em all.
* Any group that worships machines or tries to destroy them. OK, maybe they're good for a plot device, but they seem too much like a DM balance enforcer (and I'm almost always the DM, so you can imagine that for me to complain means that I seriously hate 'em)
* any picture in which a character is using a Stop sign as a shield or piece of armor
* villages that send members out to irradiated areas as a rite of passage, so they can get mutations.
* insane mixes of technolgies from the prehistoric to the far future without a really good rationale

 

[Dark Psion]

I was toying around with a few Gamma World D20 ideas a few months ago, here are the highlights.

Use race in the place of the basic classes: This would make mutations a "Class Ability" that could be balanced to Pure Strain Humans better saves, Hit points and Tech skill bonuses, a Cyborg's implants or use a gamma world race as a PC.

Use Mutation points: They would be like skill points, so that the more you have, the more powerful your mutation. This would allow mutations to scale with level.

Tech Feats: These would allow you to use the skills you already have, but in a "Higher Tech" fashion. For example, you have Open Locks skill, a Tech III feat would allow you to now atempt to open tech level III locks.

Create a variety of Origin options for the races.
For PSH;
Survivor: like Mad Max, you just won't die.
Ancient: A sleeper who has awakened.
Hidden: From a domed or underground city.
Cyborg: Replace the parts that fall off.
For Mutant Humanoid;
True Mutant: Son of a Mutant.
Alt-Human: A PSH who has mutated.
Geno-Mod: Your ancestors used genetic enginering.
Bioroid: An artifically created slave race.
For Mutant Animal;
Uplifted: Animal who gained sentience
De-evolved: A PSH or MH who has become an animal
Geno-Pet: Genetically enginered animal.
Proto-Race: Could be the father of a new Gamma Race.
For Android;
Personality Download: A PSH who survived in a robot body.
AI Download: An AI who got tired of being stuck in a little room.
Fuzzy Logic: A Robot that has achieved sentience.
Re-Awakened: An Ancient android thas has just awoke from a long winter's nap.
For Mutant Plants;
Uplifted: A plant that has gained sentience.
Geno-lily: A geneticly enginered plant.
Assimillation: A plant that absorbed intelligence from a PSH or other.
Spirit Orchid: A plant posessed by a psychic force.