How many editions of Gamma World were made and which is the best?

[dead]

I never played Gamma World but it has me intrigued. So, I just wanna do a little research into its history. So . . .

1) Can anyone tell me how many editions were made for it?

I've seen at least 2 different boxed-set cover designs; and then there was Alternity's Gamma World expansion; and now there's the S&S d20 version.

2) Who were the original creators of Gamma World? Are the original creators on the S&S d20 Gamma World design team?

3) Is there a sub-culture of hardcore, "1st Edition" Gamma World players who "play it old-school like it was meant to be"?

4) Gamma World seems to have a following, so it must be good, right? But which edition is the purest form of GW?

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5) As a side note, how many editions of Star Frontiers were made? Was it just the one?

6) Was Star Frontiers any good?
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[Krieg]

1) Can anyone tell me how many editions were made for it?

I've seen at least 2 different boxed-set cover designs; and then there was Alternity's Gamma World expansion; and now there's the S&S d20 version.

There have been six versions (seven if you count Metamorphosis: Alpha to Omega).

2) Who were the original creators of Gamma World? Are the original creators on the S&S d20 Gamma World design team?

Gamma World is the brainchild of James Ward who unfortunately had nothing to do with the current version.

3) Is there a sub-culture of hardcore, "1st Edition" Gamma World players who "play it old-school like it was meant to be"?

Damn straight!

4) Gamma World seems to have a following, so it must be good, right? But which edition is the purest form of GW?

1st & 2nd Edition are the "purest".

5) As a side note, how many editions of Star Frontiers were made? Was it just the one?

I do not believe there was a 2nd Ed of SF.

6) Was Star Frontiers any good?
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It sure was a lot of fun back in the day.

 

[d4]

I do not believe there was a 2nd Ed of SF.

i think the original box set came with both a "Basic" and "Advanced" version of the rules, and then later didn't Zebulon's Guide basically revise the entire rules set?

so if i'm remembering correctly, you could say there are three editions of Star Frontiers, but they were never actually labelled as such.

 

[Tetsubo]

Gamma World editions:

1st Edition, the original was a boxed set.
2nd Edition, a "cleaning up" of the 1st. Also a boxed set.
3rd Edition, a completely new game mechanic using a resolution chart. Boxed set.
4th Edition, a perfect bound book. Sort of a pre-3.0 D&D game mechaic. This is my favorite Edition.
5th Edition was for the Alternity system. I thought this was a poor version of the game.
5.5th Edition was Omega World in a Dungeon issue.
6th Edition is a D20 Modern setting and is still a "live" set of rules. Books are still being published for it. I thought the players book was weak but the other volumes have been good.
D20 Future has a Post-Apoc setting that might be workable as a new version as well. Especially if you toss in the Genetech ideas.

Other suggestions for a similar style of game are Darwin's World and Mutazoids.

 

[johnsemlak]

Was Star Frontiers any good?

I thought it was.

It ran up against much more established SciFi games like Traveller and was generally considered poorer at the time, though I never played Traveller.

Star Frontiers had a pretty short product life as well. Several planned products were never published, IIRC. Was the Zebulon's Guide to the Galaxy ever published? I remember anticipating that book anxiously.

 

[Prince of Happiness]

I love Star Frontiers. It had that wacky "Star Wars Cantina/Taxi Cab segment of Heavy Metal/Space Ace/Buck Godot-Zap Gun For Hire/Fugitoid" feel that I really, really, really love.

 

[Neo]

Gamma World editions:

1st Edition, the original was a boxed set.
2nd Edition, a "cleaning up" of the 1st. Also a boxed set.
3rd Edition, a completely new game mechanic using a resolution chart. Boxed set.
4th Edition, a perfect bound book. Sort of a pre-3.0 D&D game mechaic. This is my favorite Edition.
5th Edition was for the Alternity system. I thought this was a poor version of the game.
5.5th Edition was Omega World in a Dungeon issue.
6th Edition is a D20 Modern setting and is still a "live" set of rules. Books are still being published for it. I thought the players book was weak but the other volumes have been good.
D20 Future has a Post-Apoc setting that might be workable as a new version as well. Especially if you toss in the Genetech ideas.

Other suggestions for a similar style of game are Darwin's World and Mutazoids.

From my own perspective I never had first edition, though I plan to acquire a copy soon as I can. I began on second edition which was given as a birthday present by one of my uncles to me and my brother when we were young, he used to run the odd game for us and I instantly fell in love with the game.

As with yourself however my preferred edition was the perfect bound 4th edition. It was that edition that I first exposed my current group to the game and they liked it too.

3rd edition wasn't very good imo I don't like the resolution system after having already discovered the issues with such system from the Marvel RPG (not that the system spoilt that game, it just made game balance issues common).

Omega World I enjoyed but didnt like the comedy angle to it, I had never viewed or run Gamma World in that comedy way, instead going more for a dark, grim futuristic feel... a la Fallout CRPG for example.

The 6th edition books from S&S have been hit and miss with me.. not necessarily because they are bad but more because they are a little different from what I expected and changes to something you already loved as it was are never easy to take and accept.

 

[dead]

Thanks, All, for the info.

Yeah, one reason I'm asking is because I love collecting old TSR stuff and there's a second-hand book store close to me that is selling 2 boxed-set versions. One has really tacky, old-school art on it . . . I'm guessing this is 1st Edition; while the other is cleaner and has the "Gamma World" logo on it.

Is there any site where I can look at pictures of the various Gamma World editions? Same goes for Star Frontiers.

Thanks.

 

[HellHound]

I'm a fan of the third edition of Gamma World - I like the essentially "leveless" system used throughout, and it is the ONLY game to use the success charts that I appreciated (Zebulon's Guide - the expansion for Star Frontiers - was a MUCH clumsier adaptation of the rules in question).

My players are fans of the fourth edition of Gamma World more than the third, but they tend to not like any game that isn't d20 or interlock driven.

Gamma World 3rd edition had more mutations, and more detail, than any prior edition, or later. Although I admit I don't own the Alternity edition (still watching for it to go on sale - I have 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th).

Anyone want to buy a copy of 6th edition off me? Trade?
I was sorely dissappointed with it.

 

[MonsterMash]

I have 0th Edition. Metamorphosis Alpha. I don't think the basic rules changed much to 1e Gamma World, but the setting was very different as MA was on the lost colonising spaceship.