Which is the best edition of Metamorphosis Alpha?

[dead]

I wanted to track down a copy of MA for a sci-fi/fantasy cross-over I had in mind but wasn't sure which edition to pick up.

1st Edition
32-page original booklet that is still available as a pdf

2nd Edition
144-page book released under the Amazing Engine system. I heard most of the book repeats the Amazing Engine rules (so the book can be a stand-alone game) and there is little new info on MA.

One thing I have noted with this edition is that the shape of the Starship Warden has changed. The original Warden is meant to be oval in shape but the Warden of the 2E book is rectangular.

I notice this edition is also written by Dale Slade Henson. Was James Ward involved at all in this edition? Did it get his approval?

3rd Edition
64-page book using Ward's 3d6 system. Rewinds timeline to when disaster strikes the Warden (instead of generations after).

4th Edition
176-page book using 3d6 system. Rewinds timeline to when disaster strikes the Warden (instead of generations after).

I was put off getting 3rd and 4th edition as it seems to focus on the timeline just when disaster strikes the Warden, ie. the PCs play through this disaster as it happens (radiation takes over the ship, creating mutants and hostile robots). In the original, the game was set up so that it was generations after the disaster struck and all forms of strange mutant societies have formed (indeed, some are oblivious to the fact that they are on a spaceship).

I guess I'm leaning towards just picking up the 1E pdf but the 2E book has me intrigued. I'm especially interested as to why the Warden looks different in this one.

Thanks!

 

[Morbius_of_Oz]

I was the editor of the 4th edition of this game and turned the 1st and 4th editions into pdfs .

I believe the main reason for changing the shape of the ship in MA3e and MA4e was Jim's idea because he wanted to update the game and have the ship a little more realistic, with levels of extremely different sizes.

Jim wasn't heavily involved in MA2e, and while he owns the rights to MA, he won't be selling MA2e as a pdf as he doesn't own the rights to the Amazing System mechanics that it uses. MA2e was originally written for GW2e to be a stand-alone boxed set, but with the cancellation of the GW2e line, they decided to change it to the Amazing Engine system instead of dumping it.

MA2e has a lot going for it, but I prefer MA1e over it. MA4e was designed to eventually take the story back to the MA1e storyline, after a series of adventures. Unfortunately, due to finances, that may not see the light of day, except in Jim's or mine own campaigns.

In your situation, I would recommend MA1e and suggest that you cruise by the official MA forums at www.metamorphosisalpha.net • Index page and take a look at the latest News articles. You might find the play testing opportunity there to your liking.

Regards,

Craig J. Brain

 

[Plane Sailing]

MA1 was my first ever RPG purchase (I couldn't afford the D&D white box, but I could get MA and Dragon#4 !)

I've got the amazing engine edition too, and I don't think it really brought anything significant to the party.

I loved the original rules, although there were some things we didn't really 'get' at the time (i.e. the reason that 'leadership potential' was used to get to grips with tech was because the humans has LP but the mutants didn't... which was a way of balancing out the amazing mutations that the mutants enjoyed)

I liked the oval decks of MA1. I remember my dad teaching me how to draw perfect ovals with a ruler so that I could draw out my deck plans in detail.

May your protein disrupters never fail you when you really need them!

Cheers

 

[grodog]

I vastly prefer the 1e version of MA, mostly because of the vision of the Warden therein (vs. the 3rd/4th editions being pre-apocalypse). It's also got the best cover art, and is featured in Gygax's great short story in The Dragon #17 "Faceless Men & Clockwork Monsters"

 

[Morbius_of_Oz]

I vastly prefer the 1e version of MA, mostly because of the vision of the Warden therein (vs. the 3rd/4th editions being pre-apocalypse). It's also got the best cover art, and is featured in Gygax's great short story in The Dragon #17 "Faceless Men & Clockwork Monsters"

The 3rd and 4th editions are not pre-apocalypse. They take place after the disaster. They just don't have a couple of hundred years to let things fester and brew. I am a fan of the 4th edition's cover art, but 1st edition's cover remains a sentimental favorite.

Craig J. Brain

 

[dead]

Thanks everyone for the responses!

Yes, I think I'll go for the 1E version as I can get it cheap on pdf. The 2E version I'd have to buy in print but some people are asking USD $100+ for it!

There's a fan-based Gamma World adventure out there (GW11 Omega Project) that includes a Warden. Not "the" Warden but another one. The oval shape is retained but, interestingly, the multiple levels of the starship don't go from top to bottom in the traditional sense of up/down. Instead, they are layered like the layers of an onion. So, buildings are built on the top, bottom and sides of a level. Here is a description:

There is at least 300 feet between each deck containing insulation, conduit, pipes, wiring, etc. Since this is a spaceship there is no need for conventional ‘up/down’ thinking. Many of the decks actually use the ‘ceiling’ and walls to place equipment, buildings, etc. as gravity can be controlled in any direction. This, in effect, doubles the usable space throughout each deck.

You can find it here:
RPGnet RPG Game Index: GW11: Omega Project (2003 Self-published edition)

 

[Bumbles]

100 bucks? It's not worth that much.

Save your money. Check out online stores, check the used book stores around you, and the gaming shops.

 

[Morbius_of_Oz]

GW 11 - Know it well. I helped them put it together so it could be published.

It's a good adventure and people put a lot of effort into it.

I have to agree with Bumbles about the price, look elsewhere for MA2e. I was on the official MA boards the other day commenting about the crazy prices being asked for it

Craig J. Brain

 

[Treebore]

Maybe James W. has some copies hanging around? Plus we have been hitting him up to do some more MA from time to time. Maybe after he gets his editorial job as smoothed out as he wants it.

 

[Morbius_of_Oz]

Metamorphosis Alpha

Maybe James W. has some copies hanging around? Plus we have been hitting him up to do some more MA from time to time. Maybe after he gets his editorial job as smoothed out as he wants it.

He's actually working on a bit for me at the moment - as a freebie for the MA forum members. I hope to see the results shortly.

Craig J. Brain