Did any of you play Gamma World back in the day? Is anyone one still playing it? What edition did you/ are you playing?
What about clones like Mutant Future or Mutant Bastards?
What about similar games like Mutant Year Zero?
Who even owns the rights at this point?
I'm kinda surprised that with the rise of popularity of Bethesda's Fallout games, whoever holds the rights didn't try to get in on the action.
I know that 7e was built off D&D 4e, and went the way of a fart in the wind, but has that been it?
I played it, still have a copy, of both the 1981 & the 1983 versions. Played it a lot back in the day. Didn't play any of the later versions. Fun times. Also Metamorphosis: Alpha (1976), kind of a pre-Gamma World game that only took place on a generation starship that got lost. Really enjoyed both games.
There is a little bit of "Metamorphosis Alpha" out in the wild still.
Jim Ward ran a game of MA for me and some others at NTRPG back in 2013 or so. Pretty fun. He named the youngest player as the LT and the oldest player as Sarge. All party decisions had to be relayed to Jim through LT through Sarge. All party orders came through Sarge from LT. Created some funny moments. I think some really fast giant slugs killed us all in the end though. 8)
Quote from: Tasty_Wind on October 25, 2022, 11:52:27 AM
Did any of you play Gamma World back in the day? Is anyone one still playing it? What edition did you/ are you playing?
What about clones like Mutant Future or Mutant Bastards?
What about similar games like Mutant Year Zero?
Who even owns the rights at this point?
I'm kinda surprised that with the rise of popularity of Bethesda's Fallout games, whoever holds the rights didn't try to get in on the action.
I know that 7e was built off D&D 4e, and went the way of a fart in the wind, but has that been it?
I thought Darwin's world was probably one of the better spiritual clones of Gamma World, and given that is also has a Savage Worlds version, I am a pretty big fan of that. I do have the old box set that is in new condition (bought it at a used books store still sealed in the plastic a few years back) and have considered running the old version just for giggles. I find Mutant Epoch is also a pretty good spiritual clone as well (and maybe more so than Darwin's world, Darwin's world seems a cross between fallout and gamma world, and Mutant Epoch seems like Gamma world with a MUCH more prolific creator and different game system at the wheel).
Well if you like VTTs, you might like this. Made with the RPG Engine.
https://imgur.com/w8E1lrQ
DMed 2nd ed GW from around 1999 to 2005. And DMed it alot long before that.
Also did a bunch of sprite work for the Gamma World mod pack for FRUA. Have an unfinished Famine in Fargo module still on the drive.
2nd edition Gamma World is in my top 3 RPG's of all time. (D&D, CoC, GW). Every edition is pretty good in its own way except the White Wolf version. Even the card game version WotC made a while back has its virtues.
I read a lot of Andre Norton books in my tweens and it reminded me a lot of Starman's Son, so I was predisposed to like it. I hear another novel Hiero's Journey (1973 by Sterling Lanier) is even more similar to GW. It's on my shelf waiting to be read.
I absolutely loved GW and I played it a lot back in the 80s. There is a similar German rpg called Gammaslayers, which is set in a crazy post-apocalyptic Germany. It's based on a fantasy rpg called Dungeonslayers.
http://www.dungeonslayers.net/gammaslayers/ (http://www.dungeonslayers.net/gammaslayers/)
I never got the chance to play, but the setting sounds fun. If I understand correctly some editions changed the cause (https://gammaworld.fandom.com/wiki/Gamma_Terra) for the apocalypse. I think it would be neat to have multiple campaign settings using the same rules.
In early editions the reasons for the cataclysm were...
1st ed: A nearly prophetic depiction of ideology wars devolving into terrorist groups and then waging flat out super-science war on eachother.
2nd ed: Bare bones mention of the Social Wars. There was also mention of a terrorist group called the Apocalypse that may have done the deed in a bid to hold the world hostage.
3rd ed: No one knows other than war broke out and civilization laid ruin.
4th ed: Nothing other than mention of a war.
Alternity GW: Alien invasion
d20m GW: Outsourced to White Wolf: ideology wars armed with mind altering nanotech while AIs driven mad from boredom get in on the act when all hell breaks loose. Nano-World is the more fitting title.
4eD&D GW: aka 7e. Large Hadron Collider creates a poor mans Rifts setting.
Quote from: Chainsaw on October 25, 2022, 07:20:56 PM
Jim Ward ran a game of MA for me and some others at NTRPG back in 2013 or so. Pretty fun. He named the youngest player as the LT and the oldest player as Sarge. All party decisions had to be relayed to Jim through LT through Sarge. All party orders came through Sarge from LT. Created some funny moments. I think some really fast giant slugs killed us all in the end though. 8)
This is a great story! Jim ran me in an MA adventure at GaryCon one year. We were consumed by some sort of mold or fungus. Pretty nasty stuff and I was the only one who made it back to the rocket and escaped the planet.
Quote from: Tasty_Wind on October 25, 2022, 11:52:27 AM
Did any of you play Gamma World back in the day? Is anyone one still playing it? What edition did you/ are you playing?
Yes, I bought it the same day I bought Holmes. I went up to Toys by Roy in the mall in Beaumont Texas to get the Holmes box. They were sold out (Christmas of 77) but had the stand alone book. What they were also sold out of was dice, but another customer said I could get the dice in Gamma World.
So I bought both. Memories are dim, but I think I read Gamma World first as I was more a sci-fi reader than fantasy at the time.
I do remember trying to trace the hex grid on the back cover to make my own hex paper.
Quote
What about clones like Mutant Future or Mutant Bastards?
What about similar games like Mutant Year Zero?
Yes, no, and no, but I have played MCC.
QuoteWho even owns the rights at this point?
I'm kinda surprised that with the rise of popularity of Bethesda's Fallout games, whoever holds the rights didn't try to get in on the action.
I know that 7e was built off D&D 4e, and went the way of a fart in the wind, but has that been it?
Wizards still owns it to the best of my knowledge. If that's true, the cluster that is Wizards around knowing what to do with RPGs explains why. Maybe it'll be a 5e setting next year. Arguably it is more amenable to the "modern Seattle" feel they want all their settings to be than most classic D&D settings. Hell, some of the residents of Seattle and Portland look like GW mutants.
7th was fun in a goofy way, but then again I enjoyed Type IV D&D as a running board game with friends. GW7 is that just more random because of the semi-collectable powers cards. It was closer to what I'd expected Wizards to try with Type IV D&D.
Quote from: Greentongue on October 25, 2022, 01:49:16 PM
There is a little bit of "Metamorphosis Alpha" out in the wild still.
Goodman Games is actively producing MA material, both for the classic and a hinted version for the redone Star Siege.
They did a huge Starship Warden book by Jim Ward that came with a preview of the redone SS rules.
Last year played online in a 1e game. Detroit Suck City. I went full Kamandi with a shoot first ask questions later Pure Strain Human. I like going against the odds. Once I got guns and decent armor I could fight it out with the best of those mutie scum! The BBEG was the band KISS and their KISS Army of course.
Back in the day I ran a lengthy Gamma World campaign using the Phoenix Command system for the joy of realism. I dropped the more ridiculous stuff like army bunnies and such to make it more like Mad Max with some horrible mutated monsters here and there. We had a blast and it all ended on a high note.
I liked the 4th edition best. Not 4th edition as in D&D 4e, but the TSR release that replaced the faserip version. I liked 2nd pretty well too. Wasn't a fan of faserip gamma world though, but a lot of people seem to like it best.
That being said, if/when I get to run Gamma World again, I suspect that I'll just use Mutant Future. Everyone can get a copy and I don't have to risk passing around non-free PDFs. It's very much like 2nd ed GW.
I liked first and fourth edition and actively disliked the others.
Quote from: David Johansen on October 26, 2022, 08:48:04 PM
I liked first and fourth edition and actively disliked the others.
Aside from the "language drift" obsession they had and took too far in 4e. It was not a bad effort overall. One of my players gave me theor badly beat up copy years ago. Ironic that it looks like something that survived a post-apoc setting.
3e for some reason just never clicked with me. I didnt like the "crystal tech" obsession and the MSH-esque colour system just did not grab me for some reason. I liked Gammarauders more. Though that is purely a wargame.
I've played most of the old editions of GammaWorld many years ago. Was lots of fun.
I did run the 7th Edition, based off 4th Ed DnD. sometimes. Mostly for sort of RPG party weekends, which involved lots of Gonzo style games, drinking , partying etc.
Whilst I did not like 4th Ed DnD, it's use for 7th Ed GammaWorld worked quite well really. Very easy to run. Fun powers.
When I ran it, I based it in the Fallout 3 setting PC game. So I more used the rules, some factions from it and then the setting for Fallout 3.
I used to love Gamma World. The problem with me running it today is I suspect I'd be making changes to it and it would end up resembling Rifts... at which point I'd just run Rifts.
Gamma World definitely had a lot of innovation going for it. Of course this depends on the editions of preference.
Quote from: tenbones on October 27, 2022, 10:29:20 AM
I used to love Gamma World. The problem with me running it today is I suspect I'd be making changes to it and it would end up resembling Rifts... at which point I'd just run Rifts.
Gamma World definitely had a lot of innovation going for it. Of course this depends on the editions of preference.
Aren't the Palladium rules overcomplicated?
Also, I didn't realize the 7e setting had a similar premise to Rifts until you guys pointed it out. My brain is just not working today.
Quote from: tenbones on October 27, 2022, 10:29:20 AM
I used to love Gamma World. The problem with me running it today is I suspect I'd be making changes to it and it would end up resembling Rifts... at which point I'd just run Rifts.
Gamma World definitely had a lot of innovation going for it. Of course this depends on the editions of preference.
Guess what?
4e D&D GW, AKA 7e, which it aint, WAS Rifts. With a dash of Torg. And a CCG! yaaaay!
In the year Two Monkey Slap Slap The Large Hadron Collider is fired, causing multiple parallel dimensions to overlay on Earth.
QuoteHilarity ensues.
Of which the actual RPG... aint hilarity.
Abject setting failure aside... its still 4e done right. Or as right as 4e could ever get to an actual RPG.
We play weekly on my show's livestream on Friday nights (although we're taking a hiatus here in October to play some classic Call of Cthulhu).
Almost two pages and nobody has mentioned (unless I missed it) Rabbits with rifles. That may be a record.
Quote from: FingerRod on October 28, 2022, 03:48:25 PM
Almost two pages and nobody has mentioned (unless I missed it) Rabbits with rifles. That may be a record.
You missed it.
Quote from: Neoplatonist1 on October 28, 2022, 08:20:04 PM
Quote from: FingerRod on October 28, 2022, 03:48:25 PM
Almost two pages and nobody has mentioned (unless I missed it) Rabbits with rifles. That may be a record.
You missed it.
So I did!!! Sorry man. You nailed it a few posts above.
I liked that fourth edition was more about automatic rifles and real technology and less about black ray pistols and death machines. From what I recall the mechanics were just a reasonably clean D&D implementation. But for me it'll always be first edition with its bizzare esthetic and D&D mechanics. Really, Gamma World 1e is a part of OD&D rather than anything that came later.
Quote from: David Johansen on October 28, 2022, 10:22:25 PM
I liked that fourth edition was more about automatic rifles and real technology and less about black ray pistols and death machines. From what I recall the mechanics were just a reasonably clean D&D implementation. But for me it'll always be first edition with its bizzare esthetic and D&D mechanics. Really, Gamma World 1e is a part of OD&D rather than anything that came later.
From my somewhat hazy understanding, 4e was pretty much 2e AD&D with ascending armor class
Quote from: Tasty_Wind on October 28, 2022, 11:31:23 PM
Quote from: David Johansen on October 28, 2022, 10:22:25 PM
I liked that fourth edition was more about automatic rifles and real technology and less about black ray pistols and death machines. From what I recall the mechanics were just a reasonably clean D&D implementation. But for me it'll always be first edition with its bizzare esthetic and D&D mechanics. Really, Gamma World 1e is a part of OD&D rather than anything that came later.
From my somewhat hazy understanding, 4e was pretty much 2e AD&D with ascending armor class
Correct. They originally touted it as semi compatible with 2e. Though I think they drifted outside that box a little by time of reliease. It definitly had the feel of 2e and I think they even use kits.
sigh. I'll go dig it out... *insert "sounds of someone getting up and digging through boxes" here.*
Yep. 2e system. THAC0. Classes, levels. Though no proficiencies though at a quick glance through chargen?
And sorry, No. Theres alot more zappy than shooty guns in 4e. But as with at least 2e, projectile weapons were easier to come by. Depending on the locale and luck of course. 6 in 20 chance of finding vs 2 in 20. And being mostly tech 4 they were nominally easier to figure out if found.
Comparing it to 2e GW I think 4e has about the same amount of modern-ish guns vs zappers of you include the ones from the 2e pack in module.