How Weird is Gamma World?

[Havard]

I don't have much experience with Gamma World. Is this a good setting if you want to run Mad Max style post apocalyptic games, or is it a bit more extreme that than? I don't mind adding mutants, psionics and stuff like that, but when I heard that you can play mutated plants I was wondering if maybe Gamma World is like Mad Max times 50?

-Havard

[BlackBat242]

GW 1E did not have mutated plants as PCs - that came in with 2E, but they were not that playable (the only one I had direct knowledge of was the mutated Spanish Moss a friend played - its main ability was to drape itself over the shoulders of an animal/mutated human/pure-strain-human, dig a root into the spinal chord, and thus take control of that being to provide most of its mobility, usefulness, etc).

I never did anything with later editions, so I don't know how they did things.

As an aside, the first 2 editions had mutations as pretty well fixed after chargen - under very specific and rare circumstances you could gain another mutation, but there was none of that "random changes in mutations as a normal and frequent thing" that I have read infests certain later editions.

[dulsi]

Later edition not editions. Only 7th edition had "random changes in mutations as a normal and frequent thing".

GW 1-4 & 6 are largely the same. You have pure humans, mutant humans, mutant animals, and sometimes mutant plants. They have some weird elements to the setting and the mutations. To some degree you need to give the pure humans advanced tech to even out them with the mutants. Because of that I probably wouldn't use it to run a Mad Max game but you could. I'd probably use GW6 (d20 modern version) and maybe limit mutations.

GW 5 uses alternity and tones down the power of mutations. This is probably the closer to Mad Max tone.

I wouldn't play GW7 except as a one shot for fun. The system just isn't to my liking. I don't think you can play a Mad Max type game in it without modifying the system.

[Bouv]

I haven't read much but the 7th Edition has people in the Far-Go region worshiping "The Farve".

[BlackBat242]

Do they have the area around Oldur & Enver populated by "Followers of the El-Way"?

[genghisdon]

I don't have much experience with Gamma World. Is this a good setting if you want to run Mad Max style post apocalyptic games, or is it a bit more extreme that than? I don't mind adding mutants, psionics and stuff like that, but when I heard that you can play mutated plants I was wondering if maybe Gamma World is like Mad Max times 50?

-Havard

it is pretty damned weird (& silly) by default, but it is easy enough to make your own/to suit.

[Havard]

it is pretty damned weird (& silly) by default, but it is easy enough to make your own/to suit.

That is fair.

Right now I think my ideal version of a post apocalyptic setting is somewhere between Mad Max: Fury Road and the Fallout Games.

-Havard

[Dread Delgath]

Get "Car Wars", a cheap little game by Steve Jackson Games for Mad Max style vehicular murder hoboing.

Gamma World is based on Metamorphosis Alpha, and may best be described as watching Ralph Bakshi's "Wizards" the original "Heavy Metal", "Thundarr the Barbarian", "Jonny Quest" and "The Herculoids".

Games that are similar to Gamma World, but not really related: "TMNT and Other Strangness", "After the Bomb", and "Mutants in Orbit", all by Palladium/Rifts, and they all based on, or use the basics of those rules; and TSR's flop "Gammarauders" boradgame.

[The Dark]

For a Mad Max setting, I would look at either Twilight: 2000 or Twilight: 2013 (both out of print; T2K was by Game Designers' Workshop, T2K13 by 93 Games Studio), or Deadlands: Hell on Earth or Hell on Earth Reloaded (from Pinnacle; HoE is out of print, HoER is current).

The Twilight games are pure post-apocalypse. T2K was originally published in 1984 (and updated in 1990 and 1993), and was a straight look at survival in a post-nuclear situation. 2013 was a licensed remake (with a laughably improbable set-up that's best ignored). GDW focused mostly on military equipment, but there's a very well done fan site that has all sorts of other items to use.

The Hell on Earth games are science fiction horror, essentially the post-apocalypse of the Deadlands setting. I haven't seen Reloaded, but the original Hell on Earth had a sourcebook, Road Warriors, that would be perfect for a Mad Max game. It centers around modifying civilian vehicles for combat. It would be easy enough to ignore/drop the horror elements and play it straight.

Gamma World I would be more inclined to use for a humorous/light-hearted post-apocalyptic game, more like the lighter side of the Fallout games. It's the lightest (in tone) of the post-apocalyptic games I'm aware of.

[Hunter_Maddox]

@Havard

If you want more of a Mad Max style game but still in the D&D style, there is a free OSR based game called Ruinations http://ruinations-rpg.tumblr.com/. There is also another non-D&D based game that includes vehicles called Wreck Age check out http://www.wreck-age.net.

[ghendar]

it is pretty damned weird (& silly) by default, but it is easy enough to make your own/to suit.

That is fair.

Right now I think my ideal version of a post apocalyptic setting is somewhere between Mad Max: Fury Road and the Fallout Games.

-Havard

Fallout would be a given for me but in addition to that I prefer to go in another direction and add in some Thundarr The Barbarian. Mutants, Magic, Firearms, and Radiation. A little Kamandi The Last Boy On Earth as well for some good old fashioned Kirby inspiration.

[Dread Delgath]

it is pretty damned weird (& silly) by default, but it is easy enough to make your own/to suit.

That is fair.

Right now I think my ideal version of a post apocalyptic setting is somewhere between Mad Max: Fury Road and the Fallout Games.

-Havard

Fallout would be a given for me but in addition to that I prefer to go in another direction and add in some Thundarr The Barbarian. Mutants, Magic, Firearms, and Radiation. A little Kamandi The Last Boy On Earth as well for some good old fashioned Kirby inspiration.

There used to be a website dedicated to BJ Johnson's Weird West Gamma World game. He had some truly unique (for its time) stuff that added a lot of what you and I like, Ghendar.

I believe Johnson has put it all into a publishable format now, either PDF or deadtree or both, and is available on DriveThruRPGNow site(s).

[Yaztromo]

I would consider very well a crossover between Gamma World and Numenera...

[ghendar]

it is pretty damned weird (& silly) by default, but it is easy enough to make your own/to suit.

That is fair.

Right now I think my ideal version of a post apocalyptic setting is somewhere between Mad Max: Fury Road and the Fallout Games.

-Havard

Fallout would be a given for me but in addition to that I prefer to go in another direction and add in some Thundarr The Barbarian. Mutants, Magic, Firearms, and Radiation. A little Kamandi The Last Boy On Earth as well for some good old fashioned Kirby inspiration.

There used to be a website dedicated to BJ Johnson's Weird West Gamma World game. He had some truly unique (for its time) stuff that added a lot of what you and I like, Ghendar.

I believe Johnson has put it all into a publishable format now, either PDF or deadtree or both, and is available on DriveThruRPGNow site(s).

Is it this one?
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/214 ... 27_44499_0

[Dread Delgath]

it is pretty damned weird (& silly) by default, but it is easy enough to make your own/to suit.

That is fair.

Right now I think my ideal version of a post apocalyptic setting is somewhere between Mad Max: Fury Road and the Fallout Games.

-Havard

Fallout would be a given for me but in addition to that I prefer to go in another direction and add in some Thundarr The Barbarian. Mutants, Magic, Firearms, and Radiation. A little Kamandi The Last Boy On Earth as well for some good old fashioned Kirby inspiration.

There used to be a website dedicated to BJ Johnson's Weird West Gamma World game. He had some truly unique (for its time) stuff that added a lot of what you and I like, Ghendar.

I believe Johnson has put it all into a publishable format now, either PDF or deadtree or both, and is available on DriveThruRPGNow site(s).

Is it this one?
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/214 ... 27_44499_0

That is the very one! Sorry I couldn't recall the actual name, or provide a link earlier.

When there was a website, I borrowed all I could for my own GW game, and wound up not using any of it. I haven't played, or even looked at any of my GW stuff for a few years now, but I'd love to play in something like this.

[ghendar]

It sounds really cool and the book/PDF bundle is reasonable in price. hmmmmmm

[Malcadon]

Fallout would be a given for me but in addition to that I prefer to go in another direction and add in some Thundarr The Barbarian. Mutants, Magic, Firearms, and Radiation. A little Kamandi The Last Boy On Earth as well for some good old fashioned Kirby inspiration.

That is so right.

Gamma World predates the gritty Mad Max genre by years. Gamma World was more inspired by the Silver Age of Comic Books. In that era, technology was presented as fantastic to the point of coming off as a placeholder for magic, radiation was treating in a strange magical way like The Colour Outer Space, and characters are somewhat larger-than-life where where they can get away with ending a gunfight with fists alone!

Gamma World is a place where the bombs dropped on a futuristic society, leaving a lot a futuristic toys around, with few modern tech to be found. People are reduced in technology to a more primitive state, but they are smart enough to figure out old technology...with time. Radiation could cause you to spawn an extra arm or the ability to kill a man...WITH MIND-BULLETS!! (Who is going to get that reference?) Gamma World tires to increase survivalability with greater amount of HP at the start, but that would still not save you from a cheap death.

Mind you, my understanding with GM is mostly with the older editions.

[Dread Delgath]

Can't go wrong with GW4e. But if you can find GW1e or 2e... Mind blowing fun!