Long Time Gamma World fans - is the d20 game worth it?

[Samurai]

IMHO, 4th edition was the best. A few tweaks were needed (what game doesn't?), but it had the classic feel, loads of cool powers, sentient plants and animals, robots, etc. The Alternity version was a pretty major change in the feel of the game (no robots, no plants, etc), and the 6th ed/d20 version was a massive departure from the traditional stuff. It had very few mutant powers, few or no rules for mutant plants or animals, and added nanotech "magic", among other things.

I think if you are looking to recapture the old Gamma World you remember, the Alternity and d20 versions might be big disappointments for you... Go with 4th ed.

 

[Krieg]

The current edition although not as bad as many have painted it in other threads and on numerous boards is "good" in my opinion,

Count me among those who disagree pretty strongly with the above.

The D20 GWPHB is a pretty disjointed piece of work. Different rulesets for each type of FX, none of which are clearly defined and also which don't always mesh well together. There are some decent bits in the book, but all in all it is a incoherent mess (compounded by typos second only to Mongoose's first print of Conan).

That being said, the later books in the series are remarkably better and go a long way to salvage the line.

 

[Emiricol]

I gave up on D20 GW. I won't say it was horrible, but I will say I much prefer the alternatives.

 

[Neo]

Count me among those who disagree pretty strongly with the above.

The D20 GWPHB is a pretty disjointed piece of work. Different rulesets for each type of FX, none of which are clearly defined and also which don't always mesh well together. There are some decent bits in the book, but all in all it is a incoherent mess (compounded by typos second only to Mongoose's first print of Conan).

That being said, the later books in the series are remarkably better and go a long way to salvage the line.

Typos for me in a book although an annoyance do not by themselves alone give me cause for concern with any book.. Yes they shouldn't be there, absolutely a company that makes such errors should do better.. but typos aside their presence does not detract from what a book, "any" book is about and whether it is good or not. So long as the words are legible and the occasional typo doesnt prevent the word its in from being understood I can where necessary as can most people look past them and concentrate on the content, which at the end of the day is a far more important concern than spelling errors imo.
In that regard the current edition was still readable and understandable, at least I had no problems understanding the writing at any rate.

However the main gripe for me and most people from what I see on the numerous boards as I say was the difference in theme, the different explanations for things.. it just didnt "feel" Gamma anymore.. in truth even the name didnt belong to the current edition as there was no Fallout per se.. it is all a nano driven apocalypse.. And therein lies the problems yes the nanotech theme was probably more up-to-date, but for myself the setting and timeline as it stood the main premise for the whole Gamma World setting was just fine as it was, that of all that is Gamma World was the one part that didnt for me need re-writing, re-clarifying, re-updating or changing in anyway. The end result being they changed that and the feel and theme of the game now feels different.

Mechanically speaking there are a few issues though nothing humungously problematic, but then show me a book where there aren't.. they just don't exist. Most Companies Errata however, and msot groups can house rule what doesnt work too.

However all the above said for myself a more purer "Themed" post apocalyptic approach of all the current ones available is Darwins World by a long mile.

 

[Jack of Shadows]

For actual Gammaworld I'd have to say 4th Edition.

However I purchased D20 Modern solely because I read that D20 Gamma World was going to use it. I was SO disapointed by GW D20 though. It reads kind of like a sketch book. Their are some really great ideas in there but none of them were developed to the degree they needed to be.

So, I started hearing about this game called Darwin's World and I picked up the 2.0 hardcover when it hit my FLGS. This game blew away any expectations I had for it. I simply cannot say enough good things about DW 2.0.

In closing I'd have to say the best way to DO Gammaworld is to get Darwin's World and the use GW D20 as source material. That's what I've done and despite some issues around charater creation it has worked well.

Jack

 

[Darrin Drader]

In closing I'd have to say the best way to DO Gammaworld is to get Darwin's World and the use GW D20 as source material. That's what I've done and despite some issues around charater creation it has worked well.

I second this. On the other hand, you might just want to look at using the setting information for Darwin's World and incorporate in any bits of Gamma World D20 you happen to like.

 

[Krieg]

Typos for me in a book although an annoyance do not by themselves alone give me cause for concern with any book..

As I pointed out the typos were not in and of themselves a deal breaker, they were just a bitter cherry on top of a steaming pile of...

Individualy I could deal with the excessive typos, or the mish mash of rulesets OR the change in focus OR the numerous bits that should have been included but weren't (which were used to pad out further products)....but when you add them all together you have a product which left me (and quite a few others) severely, severely dissatisfied.

 

[Wombat]

What? No love for the original Metamorphosis/Alpha?

 

[0-hr]

IMO, d20 Gamma World is nice - but as it's own game, not as a child of the previous versions. It covers interesting material, but just doesn't bring out the feel that the old version did. Also, I think it tries to cover too much; like it's trying to cover all the bases and not going into anything deep enough. Yet another "toolkit" excuse I suppose. Give me a complete game (rules, setting, and flavor all in one) anyday.

 

[Tetsubo]

What? No love for the original Metamorphosis/Alpha?

Well I still own a copy...

Boy I'm old...