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While reading Dan Proctor's free MUTANT FUTURE RPG, I felt compelled to pull TSR's Gamma World from my storage room.
Included in this thread:
>Sharing what the post-apocalyptic game feel is like? (How would you explain it to someone? Classic tropes?)
>Referencing works in this genere, including movies, fiction, and games
>Exploring why we like post apocalyptic settings?
I for one, love imagining standing on a field of grass where a city block once stood, looking out at the jagged bits of ruined skyscrapers jutting out angularly like living crystals, and reaching for my weapon while the fear of the setting sun signals time to take shelter from mutant horrors that only come out at night.
I loved George Peppard in the movie, Damnation Alley, one of my all time favorites. And I wonder if anyone thinks we enjoy post apocalyptic gaming for some of the same reasons we like fantasy roleplay games?
IS ANYBODY OUT THERE? ANYONE PLAY THESE GAMES? ANYONE.... AT .... ALL?
IS ANYBODY OUT THERE? ANYONE PLAY THESE GAMES? ANYONE.... AT .... ALL?
Strangely enough, I have been reading a D20 ogl aftermath game I got from a friend. It isn't good. I don't even remember the name of it. But in the past I have bought Gamma World, Aftermath, Morrow Project, Twilight2k, Living Steel, Rifts, and others I am sure I have forgotten including the one I just finished reading.
I think I keep looking for my Gamma World experience in the mid 80's. I was in middle school, but played in the Ball State student center every saturday with " the Club Time Forgot ". There was a student of library sciences there that was a mastermind of Gamma World. I think his name was Magstadt.. he did a few articles on jesters in Dragon magazine too ( Remove Hand was a fave spell of mine :P )
He ran a simple game for the the 12-16 of us. Had a notebook full of customized mutant animals ( I was an alligator with 16 legs and my best friend was a two story tiger :P ) As goofy as it got and as chaotic the crowd of crazies we all were, the GM managed us quite well. Part insanity, part his attention to details, and part the newness of it all.. it all came together then.
Since then, I have never captured that magic again. Earthdawn and Morrow Project came the closest for me. Both were fun playing..but somehow missed the "magic". I still read the genre.. and I still pick up games. Maybe someday I can be Andre Norton's Starman's son..but then again..my group prefers WoD and StarWars :/
wasgreg wasrememberin'
( and hopefully on topic )
We ran a post-apocalyptic zombie campaign in d20 Modern. I played a Tough Hero that was a former fire fighter. I fought zombies using a fireman's ax. Fun fun fun!!!
One of my most memorable encounters was when we met up with a survivalist camp, and they were betrayed from within, and the traitor drove off in the fuel truck...and left the gate to the fence open. I had to fight zombies in my boxers!!! Fortunately, I was real good at driving, so someone tossed me the keys to the Jeep and I just ran them (the zombies, not the humans) over. It was a mix of slow zombies and fast zombies. Real scary.
We ran a post-apocalyptic zombie campaign in d20 Modern. I played a Tough Hero that was a former fire fighter. I fought zombies using a fireman's ax. Fun fun fun!!!
One of my most memorable encounters was when we met up with a survivalist camp, and they were betrayed from within, and the traitor drove off in the fuel truck...and left the gate to the fence open. I had to fight zombies in my boxers!!! Fortunately, I was real good at driving, so someone tossed me the keys to the Jeep and I just ran them (the zombies, not the humans) over. It was a mix of slow zombies and fast zombies. Real scary.
You needed to work on your gardening.
>Sharing what the post-apocalyptic game feel is like? (How would you explain it to someone? Classic tropes?)
>Referencing works in this genere, including movies, fiction, and games
>Exploring why we like post apocalyptic settings?
>Fallout....Hands down to me Fallout is by far the best example of an apocalyptic RPG and what on should "Feel" like. As far as PNP rpg I would say Darwin's World by RPG Objects. I use Darwin's World to run a Fallout game blended with elements of Judge Dread (NOT that horrible movie version) and Mad Max.
>Fiction wise I love Zombie apocalypse Movies, like Land of the Dead and the Resisdent Evil movies. I also LOVED the book World War Z. Gamma World was a great game and I ran the TSR Alternity version for a few campaigns.
>What draws me to this genere, seems to be this will to survive at all costs Humanity seems to have. As a Christian, its got elements of the Great Tribulation and that attracts me.
Eric
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I think I keep looking for my Gamma World experience in the mid 80's. I was in middle school, but played in the Ball State student center every saturday with " the Club Time Forgot ". There was a student of library sciences there that was a mastermind of Gamma World. I think his name was Magstadt.. he did a few articles on jesters in Dragon magazine too ( Remove Hand was a fave spell of mine :P )
Mid 80s? Mid School? Ball State?!
Heh!
I would have been in high school hanging out at the student center at Ball State at that time.
Just out of curiosity, what mid school did you go to? (Storer Middle School and Northside High School for me.)
I think I keep looking for my Gamma World experience in the mid 80's. I was in middle school, but played in the Ball State student center every saturday with " the Club Time Forgot ". There was a student of library sciences there that was a mastermind of Gamma World. I think his name was Magstadt.. he did a few articles on jesters in Dragon magazine too ( Remove Hand was a fave spell of mine :P )Mid 80s? Mid School? Ball State?!
Heh!
I would have been in high school hanging out at the student center at Ball State at that time.
Just out of curiosity, what mid school did you go to? (Storer Middle School and Northside High School for me.)
World War Z was a fun read. A friend recomended it to me and I finished it before he did. :P
Though my favorite post holocaust book would be The Postman by Brin and yes.. I did hate the movie very much, thank you.
Also, Wolf and Iron by Gordon Dickson is a nice yarn. Many of the writers I like don't seem to like Dickson..but I rather like his work *shrugs* such is life.
As for movies, WOW there are so many good ones. And so many good bad ones. The problem is I am HORRID at remembering movie titles. Help maybe?
>Two brothers are kidnapped and grow up in a shelter with thier kidnappers believing them to be thier fathers. They leave the shelter and experience life in the crazy future.
>A strange alternate history in which Elvis rules Las Vegas and dies.. so different rocker types journey thru the wastelands to become the next king of Vegas. The villain was a Slash look alike.
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I've run Gamma World since second ed (83) came out and over time have collected pretty much every article or printed product that is tied to PA gaming. In some ways getting back into D&D 3.5 -and PFRPG have been a side distraction while I write up a "Final" version of my own Gamma World rules.
PA gaming is very much in my blood.
As to your points:
I think the PA feeling is an answer to our collective fears as a society. Growing up in the 70's and 80's we had the bomb, then as the cold war ended PA gaming sort of took a hit. But fear eventually always rears it's ugly head. Global disasters, ecological collapse, plague....social chaos. These are are real things that can push civilization into darkness.
So how do we cope with it, the possible bleak outcome?
Survival - what it would be like and how would the world look after it is gone/dead. Past our own mortality.
Also a strong theme of loss- and maybe the hope of gain, of learning a lesson somewhere in the whole mess.
As far as works of fiction I would have to say the Road Warrior (all three Max movies - but the RW is the darkest) is the peak. Damnation Alley was great in the sci-fi vein. Star Man Son is a great piece of GW feeling fiction. The Deathland Series of novels were pretty good in the fact that it combined guns, mutants, vicious bad guys - some high tech gear, all in one package. The Terminator PA setting (Created) is a big influence also. Robots in GW were the baddest mofos around. Remember Death Machines? Just insane, GW reflected that insanity in a semi-humorous way.
Also the precursor to the Fallout series - Wasteland. Just see if you can find an image of the game cover of 5 guys facing down one figure on a ruined street. GW all the way.
As to why we like them, I dunno know. A more modern take on adventure in a familiar setting vs a wholly fabricated one.
Hordes of orcs pale in comparison when a mixed race city state is facing down an army of Purist lined outside their gates with ancient weapons of war wearing the regalia of the old worlds cruelty. Even though the characters may not know, as weapons and heavily modified symbols are described to the players they may have an "ah ha" moment. You can even cue the Raider of the Lost Ark "March Theme" with 100% credibility. Not many games you can do that in.
So familiarity is a factor, also heavy desperation. And that desperation is what is so attractive to old school gamers.
Darwin's World has an excellent write up of the city of LA. I still get a kick on how I am going to eventually use that setting (plus my own additions) to show them something very familiar yet very different. With some fun meta gaming they may figure out where they are at and find some funny/weird/horrific changes to what was once their home in the real world. The Darwin's World hardcover rules is an excellent investment, even if is just for a read.
>Exploring why we like post apocalyptic settings?
Why do we like post apocalyptic settings?
Because soon we may be living in one.
Roll up your unemployment score....
The build I use gives my character maximum ranks in siphon gas....
Make your unreasonable bureaucracy save! Oooh critical fail....you forgot to fill out Subform B. Back to the end of the initiative order...
Don't forget to add in your negative credit modifier.
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My dad introduced me into the post-apocalyptic when we watched The Road Warrior for the first time. I think that has to be the ultimate archetype for me at least. I like zombies and such, but the tribalism and DIY-punk-metal-barbarian look and feel from the Mad Max movies has stuck with me. I don't have any experience RPing a post-apocalyptic game, but I would love to try. It's one of my favorite genres. A game I would look for would be one with very well-developed vehicle rules, rules for scrounging, and a setting that has good inter-tribal conflict. I love little civilization microcosms.
By the way, anyone read the Road? It offers few details on the setting, but it has a few images that stuck in my mind, like that of a "military" train of cannibal-warriors carrying cobbled together uniforms, their slaves and catamites in tow behind them. And it is one of the best books I have ever read. They don't just hand out Pulitzers. ;p
Growing up in the 70's and 80's, I would have to fall into the "Road Warrior" is PA king mode also. However, I love what they did with Fallout and what they accomplished using the 50's Atomic age background, then letting it all hang-out with future tech and such. I have played nearly every PA system out there (both bad and good). Of course, my favorites are Gamma World, Darwin's World, and Rifts.
Overall I would say most people like to play PA for the thinly veiled background threads related to our own time period. As stated above, most of us have grown-up in a world on the verge of everything from Nuclear/Biological WW3 to Catastrophic planet destruction (ie meteor or astroid destruction) and everything in between including 12/21/2012 (Mayan Calendar "end of the world"). So gaming about it lets us explore the WHAT IF scenarios without really going there. Also, I'm sure many of us like the cool overlay of ancient weaponry with vast futuristic technology both sometimes equally incomprehensible to the games current period of education/society.
Although, my friends prefer fantasy RPGing, I have always been intrigued by PA and Sci-Fi. My only wish is that I had more time to game and could play many of the games I have bought. For now I will have to be satisfied with my computer and playing my 1/wk Fantasy campaign. Of course that is better than most 38 year old gamers could hope for. Especially when you consider work and family life.
Badders? We don't need no stinkin' badders!
I played the heck out of Gamma World back in the day...even bought the edition when they switched it to that horrible color-coded percentile chart ala Marvel Super Heroes. Blech.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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I think hope is also part of it.
PA represents that humanity can survive the end of civilization. One of the things I find neat about Primeval is
But in Gamma World/Mutant Future/Thundarr the past isn't forgotten. It's distorted but not forgotten.
BTW, my first Gamma World Character was Ttam Sirrom :-)
I have always loved the PA setting as a game. I have played many of the various incarnations of Gamma World, Aftermath (ick) and Darwin's World. I even run a heavily ammended D20 Gamma World PbP game on the boards here called Appalachee Jihad and I am a player in a PA zombie game here as well called Z-Day. I think the interest is that you can take the normal world, smash it up, and add fantasy monsters and super science to it. It's the world we know reimagined as a fantasy setting.
I think hope is also part of it.
Which is interesting, because that idea runs counter to the reasons I've seen proposed as to why Gamma World never did as well as D&D. Supposedly the idea of nuclear holocaust wasn't conducive to the escapist nature of an RPG during the ongoing cold war between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. The threat of nuclear holocaust was entirely too real.
Still, I think Gamma World did better than Twilight 2000 for that very reason. Gamma World was still a game of high adventure and certainly carried that idea of hope, where the other provided a certain realism that may have been too sobering for people. After all, you get exposed to radiation in GW and you might grow a third arm. In T2000, you just get sick and die.
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A near-future post-apocalyptic setting offers great opportunities for social commentary and/or satire on the issues of the present, or recent past.
When I think of PA, I see The Cursed Earth, from the Dredd strips.
An environment where all sorts of crazy elements could be justified.
Mutant gangs, scavengers, cannibals, slavers, mad scientists, the poisonous Gila-Munja assassins, land-sharks, The McDonald Clan vs The Burger Kings, Satanus the Tyrannosaur, velociraptor pit-fighting (eat it Michael Crichton, Pat Mills did it first).
I grew up with 2000AD magazine, and (among other great strips) the Judge Dredd stories were a great source of enjoyment. I agree with the poster above, forget the film, go for the source, which runs the whole spectrum from comedy to drama, depending on the writer concerned and his current mood (mostly John Wagner throughout its so-far 32-year run).
A lot of potential readers may be put off reading by a misconception of the main character, who suffers from 'Born in the USA'-syndrome (ie the surface imagery adopted by gung-ho yahoos, who just don't 'get' the subject. Not helped by certain artists OTT style, I admit).
I think a lot of people who've only seen the "Whoo-Hoo! Big F***n'guns!Shoot to Kill! F**k Yeah!" drek, would be surprised to find Dredd has been, for over 20 years, the pro-Democracy face of Justice Dept, resigning over what he saw as abuses of the clone program, to become a marshall in The Cursed Earth, then, after returning (to deal with an undead plague), pushing through the referendum that established their mandate to rule.
"Fido"
It's like Pleasantville, but with zombie butlers. And the Matrix's Trinity dressed like Patty Duke.
"Propriety!!!"
While reading Dan Proctor's free MUTANT FUTURE RPG, I felt compelled to pull TSR's Gamma World from my storage room.
Included in this thread:
>Sharing what the post-apocalyptic game feel is like? (How would you explain it to someone? Classic tropes?)
>Referencing works in this genere, including movies, fiction, and games
>Exploring why we like post apocalyptic settings?
Personally, I'm not terribly keen on the whole comedic / mutant angle of the games, so I like to keep it gritty, raw, and "real".
The Road Warrior stands out to me as reference #1.
One scene from that movie (among it's many, many good scenes) was when the road warrior was taking a break to eat. He opens up a can of dog food and just starts to eat it - meanwhile his dog stares at him intently. When finished, he throws down the can and the dog goes to lick the remnants in the can. Then, the gyro-captain, who is just as hungry, tries to get the can from the dog - who growls at him. It just says so much with so little. It's post apocalypse in small, that men are reduced to eating dog food, and the dog goes hungry.
Oddly enough, I also think back to the Dark Ages and the fall of the Roman Empire. Unlike a worldwide nuclear holocaust, this apocalypse did actually happen and I can't imagine what it would have felt like to the people of that time. Imagine being the garrison commander in some outlying city facing hordes of unwashed barbarians hell bent on tearing down your walls and raping your women. There is no powerful Rome to appeal to. There is no legion on it's way to save you. Civilization is dead. Your gold and your books won't help you. Bleak. Hopeless. Dark. Desolate...
It's all about a different, unattainable experience (in game) than what can experience now, for the most part. For example, we enjoy playing powerful wizards and chivalrous knights because we can't be that in real life. We wouldn't really want the experience of eating out of a dog food can, or fighting over food or fuel, or killing someone who wants to steal your beat up motorcycle in real life, but it might be fun to do all that in a game... a game where your survival depends on saving that one last shotgun shell from falling off the truck. No resting overnight to get back your spells... because once that shell is gone, it's gone.
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Encouraged and motivated by these many responses, I just got back from the local copy store with a shiny spiral-bound color-cover copy of Mutant Future, with a protective plastic cover. (Maybe it will survive the fallout!? lol)
I can't stop generating a bunch of ideas for adventures. Its all coming back to me now. And I also stumbled upon this trailer for Fallout by sheer coincidence... and thought I'd post a link, just to get the juices flowing.
I'd love to watch some other great post apocalyptic links too, if you'd like to contribute.
I'm hoping you'll all join me in this thread for the long haul, as I read through the game, and perhaps get a group together for some good old fashioned post apocalyptic gaming.
Thanks for all the input - this is going to continue to be a great discussion!!!
-Pax-
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Though not my favorite version of GW, I rather liked White Wolf's (d20) take on GW...
I would have to say that my personal favorite version would be Nesmith and Ward's 4th Edition GW. I guess that's because that is the version I spent the most time running. I actually started playing GW with the original black and white cover booklet, but we played it so sporadically (our gaming time being used mainly for D&D back then).
Road Warrior was a huge influence for me...
Ah, the memories...
-That One Digitalelf Fellow-
The Road Warrior is an excellent film, one of my favourites.
Another example of a good scene is going to the movies in "A Boy and his Dog". The armed camp that offers movies to various traders, wanderers and hunters for the price of a can of food or something equally useful. The 'ticket taker' is offered a can of beets; he turns it this way and that, squinting, and finally says, "What is it?" and the reply is "Peaches...can't you read?"
I had a whole library shelf of post apocalypse literature, from Whitley Strieber's "Warday" to "The Last Ship" "On the Beach", and so on. For more fantastic/sci fi stuff I preferred "Outlanders" and stuff like that.
On the subject of PA reading, S.M. Stirling's Embervese series is an interesting take on what would happen if all forms of high-energy technology, including steam and gunpowder, suddenly stopped working. Although there isn't an explanation as to how this occured (yet) in the series, it is a great read and full of interesting ideas to yoink.
I've loved post-apocalyptic stuff since Fallout. Can't really say why, but it appeals to me. I want to put together my own setting like a D&D world devastated entirely by magic, which has seeped into everything and caused mutations. Crops sometimes spontaneously explode and at other times effect anyone who eats them as if they had used a potion. Whole regions take on planar traits from the DMG, the barriers between the prime material and the outer planes thin out in many places, allowing outsiders to come and go almost as they please. Someday I'll get my notes in some sort of order and put something together.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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On the subject of PA reading, S.M. Stirling's Embervese series is an interesting take on what would happen if all forms of high-energy technology, including steam and gunpowder, suddenly stopped working. Although there isn't an explanation as to how this occured (yet) in the series, it is a great read and full of interesting ideas to yoink.
Thanks, trip to the library in the future
I've loved post-apocalyptic stuff since Fallout. Can't really say why, but it appeals to me. I want to put together my own setting like a D&D world devastated entirely by magic, which has seeped into everything and caused mutations. Crops sometimes spontaneously explode and at other times effect anyone who eats them as if they had used a potion. Whole regions take on planar traits from the DMG, the barriers between the prime material and the outer planes thin out in many places, allowing outsiders to come and go almost as they please. Someday I'll get my notes in some sort of order and put something together.
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FALLOUT3 TRAILER
Man, I've never seen that particular trailer, awesome. Great game too. I think I need to break it out again...
I've loved post-apocalyptic stuff since Fallout. Can't really say why, but it appeals to me. I want to put together my own setting like a D&D world devastated entirely by magic, which has seeped into everything and caused mutations. Crops sometimes spontaneously explode and at other times effect anyone who eats them as if they had used a potion. Whole regions take on planar traits from the DMG, the barriers between the prime material and the outer planes thin out in many places, allowing outsiders to come and go almost as they please. Someday I'll get my notes in some sort of order and put something together.** spoiler omitted **
Is it? I haven't followed 4th edition at all, beyond flipping through at the bookstore.
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*Ring Ring!*
Get your post-apocalyptic fix here!"
I stumbled upon a blog by dysonlogos and found the following summary of his top recommended PA games (besides beloved gritty Gamma World that he is playing right now). I thought I'd share it with you. Note: I don't necessarily hold these views, and I'd like your input, especially on 'Darwin's World.'
Twilight: 2000 (GDW)
This is, in my opinion, the post-apocalyptic miltitary simulation. Especially in the first edition this is a game about taking a small team of surviving US (and allied) soldiers stuck behind enemy lines in the last days of World War III and trying to figure out how to survive, and when that is working, what to do next. The game is the essential sandbox setting – here’s a map of Poland, here’s where a bunch of the major Warsaw Pact forces are, what do you do? The game doesn’t assume the players are going to keep up the good fight or even “do the right thing”. They may set themselves up as warlords, marauders, guerrilla fighters, or just keep on keeping on, trying to find their way home. Game play is fairly simple with a combat system that feels detailed while still playing through fairly quickly for it’s age. The first edition is almost a book-keeping game, but I love it nonetheless.
Living Steel (Leading Edge Games)
A first look at this game and it seems like another military sim (quite understandable since it shares a system with the incredibly detailed Phoenix Command). However this is a game about rebuilding a whole planet after an apocalyptic alien invasion gone wrong. The aliens “won”, but have been stranded and lost and underequipped and now the players arrive as the last remnants of an older human civilization with the chance to start again without the mistakes of the heavily caste-based system of the Empire. The game assumes that players will have more than one character each – one combat character who wears power armor and handles frontline combat (the Living Steel), and one or two characters who will operate as the rebuilding / recivilizing team. The first adventure for the game, KViSR ROCKS is an awesome post-apocalyptic urban adventure that makes the whole game worth learning in all it’s intricate details.
octaNe (Momento Mori Theatrics)
At the other end of the scale from Living Steel, octaNe uses a very dramatic system based on exciting game play and plot instead of simulationist rules. If anything, this was my first exposure to “narrative” gaming – if you roll well, you get to describe the results of the action, if you suck the GM gets to describe the results. octaNe, like many post-apocalyptic games, is very tongue-in-cheek, or just plain cheeky. This game is set in the American West after the apocalypse, with emphasis on hotrods, elvis, bad-guys with mohawks and mad max on cocaine. It’s about the genre schticks and to hell with the rest. Have I mentioned that you should be playing more Jared Sorensen games?
Dark Sun (TSR)
Not all post-apocalyptic settings have to be science fiction. Dark Sun was one of the hottest second edition Dungeons & Dragons settings released. After magic has shredded the ecosystem of the world and society has collapsed, the dragon-kings have forged a new civilization based around a variety of city-states throughout the post-apocalyptic deserts. Wizards are distrusted, hated or even slain on sight; the “best” clerics are granted spells from the dragon kings (tyrants of the cities) instead of gods; arcane magic destroys all plant life when cast; and the halflings are cannibals. This is D&D, but not like it was played back in the dungeons.
After the Bomb (Palladium)
One thing this list is lacking that Gamma World gives in spades is mutants. After the bomb covers this angle with room to spare – while avoiding the bizarre mutations that make Gamma World somewhat difficult to take seriously. After the bomb is the post-apocalyptic setting from the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles RPG, now re-done as a full game of it’s own. This is a world where just about everyone is a walking, talking, mutated animal. From ferrets with custom hot rods to aligator badlands barbarians, this game has them all. Character creation tends to be long (as this is a Rifts-era game with many of hte physical skills in turn modifying the character’s physical stats), but you are given a fair amount of leeway in designing your mutant animal after rolling up the base stock from a variety of tables – each mutant species having access to specific powers unique to it using a point-based system of Bio-Energy to “pay” for the mutations. The game system itself works well, although characters tend to have a lot of SDC, thus making them pretty resistant to damage.
But wait! There’s more!
A big fan of Gamma World too? Then check these babies out!
Omega World (WotC)
Take Gamma World, drop any chance of a serious game, add the d20 system, have Jonathan Tweet write it as a mini-game, and publish it in Polyhedron. This is the most extreme of the Wild and Wahoo theme of Gamma World. This is beer and pretzels roleplaying after the end of the world. Let’s hope the giant mutant ladybugs don’t eat you! Probably the cleanest and smoothest d20 minigame out there. And a worthy inheritor of the Gamma World title.
Mutant Future (Goblinoid Games)
An offshoot of the retro clone movement. Take Moldvay Basic and make it feel like classic Gamma World with mutations and robots and all that goodness. Mutant Future is even more compatible with D&D than Gamma World was, and play is rock-solid. Definitely worth checking out. And you can download it for free from the Goblinoid Games website!
Darwin’s World (RPGObjects)
This is really the d20 inheritor of all things Gamma World. I have multiple editions, but the huge hardcover second edition is one of my favourite d20 games. It is the serious side of Gamma World (the opposite of Omega World), crafted with love and attention. As you read through the various editions it is obvious that this game is both a labour of love, and a truly powerful game of post-apocalyptic survival.
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You can't go wrong with Darwin's World as a d20 game system, and yes it is the true inheritor of the Gamma World legacy. You cannot go wrong with the hardcover core rulebook if you like GW. It has the feel with various alliances and map of America that GW held, just a more violent and realistic version of the game - with plenty of horrific mutants and realistic futuristic weapons.
They even have Screamers (Legion of Gold), Plague Zombies (Albuquerque Starport) and Cyclats - which are basically Obbs, all in the bestiary section of the core book.
YOU CANNOT GO WRONG.
On a side note: Obbs have been recycled into D&D multiple times, even in D20. Here is some GW trivia - what other mutant critter from GW has made an appearance in a D&D monster manual/folio?
I would like to also add another title which gets little coverage but was a good game:
Aftermath!
The most realistic and rules detailed PA system ever made. Some of the best modules out in print can easily be adapted to any PA game and even feature different versions of the fall. One of the modules actually fully details a University complex, while another details the world ending due to all petrol fuels being consumed by a petrolphage
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You can't go wrong with Darwin's World as a d20 game system, and yes it is the true inheritor of the Gamma World legacy. You cannot go wrong with the hardcover core rulebook if you like GW. It has the feel with various alliances and map of America that GW held, just a more violent and realistic version of the game - with plenty of horrific mutants and realistic futuristic weapons.
I'd like to hear a little more, please, prior to buying....
Let's say outside of Mutant Future or another 1e/retro game, I decided to play a gamma world style - post-apocalyptic adventure game on the level of professional feel/quality as Pathfinder or v.3.5.
Would Darwin's World be my choice?
What about the most recent Gamma World that hasbro made after it was sold back to them from white wolf?
Which of these is more "fungible" with v.3.5/d20 gaming? Is there a particular (newest) edition I would be searching for (of each?)?
I am curently creating an adventure plan, and had planned to go "retro" but, are the two games mentioned above the two very best in terms of quality, playability, level of depth, resources, support, and material presentation?
Does Darwin's World follow its own game mechanic, whereas Gamma World (is it 5th edition) follows the same format as d20/d20 Modern/v.3.5
I do not know - can anyone enlighten me, please?
Thanks,
-Pax-
Love post apocalypse. There's something about the panic of everything we depend on falling through, of the Jungle spilling into our living room, about testing yourself against the end of everything--seeing the page turn on our history the same as it did for Rome.
I Am Legend (the movie--not super familiar with the novel or graphic novel).
Dawn of the Dead (the remake).
28 Days/Weeks Later.
Appleseed (the manga and the CG film--Not Deus Ex Machina, also not the terrible crusty anime).
The Signal (more the beginning and end parts--excluding the weird Shawn-of-the-Dead-esque party scenes).
Fallout
As far as roleplaying settings, D20 Apocalypse is a great book--most of the mini settings in it are just compelling like crazy. Dark Sun, of course.
Though for my money, the coolest, most gritty and horrible Post Apocalypse setting ever is EABA's Age of Ruin setting. It's only $8.50 and is both bleak like crazy as well as exceptionally smart and well-researched.
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Love post apocalypse. There's something about the panic of everything we depend on falling through, of the Jungle spilling into our living room, about testing yourself against the end of everything--seeing the page turn on our history the same as it did for Rome.
I Am Legend (the movie--not super familiar with the novel or graphic novel).
Dawn of the Dead (the remake).
28 Days/Weeks Later.
Appleseed (the manga and the CG film--Not Deus Ex Machina, also not the terrible crusty anime).
The Signal (more the beginning and end parts--excluding the weird Shawn-of-the-Dead-esque party scenes).
Fallout
As far as roleplaying settings, D20 Apocalypse is a great book--most of the mini settings in it are just compelling like crazy. Dark Sun, of course.
Though for my money, the coolest, most gritty and horrible Post Apocalypse setting ever is EABA's Age of Ruin setting. It's only $8.50 and is both bleak like crazy as well as exceptionally smart and well-researched.
Two quick questions: Is Fallout also a movie? (thought it was just a video game). Also, is there a hardcopy of the EABA setting? I see the .pdf for sale at PAIZO, but not the book?
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I'd like to hear a little more, please, prior to buying....
Let's say outside of Mutant Future or another 1e/retro game, I decided to play a gamma world style - post-apocalyptic adventure game on the level of professional feel/quality as Pathfinder or v.3.5.
Would Darwin's World be my choice?
What about the most recent Gamma World that hasbro made after it was sold back to them from white wolf?
Which of these is more "fungible" with v.3.5/d20 gaming? Is there a particular (newest) edition I would be searching for (of each?)?
I am curently creating an adventure plan, and had planned to go "retro" but, are the two games mentioned above the two very best in terms of quality, playability, level of depth, resources, support, and material presentation?
Does Darwin's World follow its own game mechanic, whereas Gamma World (is it 5th edition) follows the same format as d20/d20 Modern/v.3.5
I do not know - can anyone enlighten me, please?
Thanks,
-Pax-
I have the book out right in front of me. It is 380 pages long and has sections on weapons, mutations, gear, locations , terrors (monsters), organizations, etc.
For Darwin's World you can use D20 modern, D&D 3.5 or even the PFRPG rule set with little or no modification. As a matter of fact, they even use creatures that fit from the D&D Monster Manual (any OGL stuff), like molds, and weird critters. You DO need a core rule set and I would go with D20 Modern since those rules include more weapon variants that fit with the theme vs D&D which would only have swords, etc.
It is gritty, but not as gritty as Aftermath! These guys got GW right the same way that Paizo got D&D, ...er Pathfinder right.
The book truly is a labor of love for both GW and PA gaming in general.
The only drawback is that Robots are not included in the core book, but are detailed heavily in a separate dedicated source book. There are some very simple weapon drones but the heavy robot detail is in another book.
Again it has a very retro GW 1st and 2nd ed, with a map of America on the inside cover and detail about many of the locations listed on the map.
One very nice feature is the sample stats they have for various level of different organizations e.g. mid level (3rd level.) entropist, then they have the stats for a higher level one (level 15).
There are a ton of ebooks and modules they have on sale on their website and they take the Paizo approach quality over quantity.
As far as the White Wolf version of GW, I do have all of those books and they are written well. That being said the style and feel of the apocalypse is different than any other versions of GW, as are the source of mutations (mostly bio- or nano tech, with some spawned from radiation) and that put many people off. There is not as much of a mushroom cloud Pok-y-klypse feel in this edition, but some very cool ideas and some cool crunch to supplement another game.
If you have the cash and want to run a good D20 version of GW I would use Darwin's World as the core material (besides using Modern, 3.5, or PFRPG as actual rules), pick up the White Wolf Gamma World PHB, Monster book (excellent book) and the Tech book. The other three books are good but are more fluff oriented vs actual stats for weapons, monsters, vehicles.
I would go with the Darwin's World HC, and the updated Metal Gods book. The Darwin's World Hardcover is out of print, but you still may be able to track it down if you're lucky.
They have a free download of the Darwin's World gazette, and a few free short modules - Skeleton base, Salvage Rights and Cave of Life. Check those out first and see if it's something you like.
Two quick questions: Is Fallout also a movie?
Man, don't I wish. That would be AWESOME. Nah, just the games so far.
Also, is there a hardcopy of the EABA setting?
Man, don't I wish. That would be AWESOME. Unfortunately EABA games is the work of just one really creative, amazing guy. I don't think he can afford a full scale printing operation and just puts out his books in PDF. They really are good though. I own like four of them so far.
RIFTS
One of the best post-apocalyptic worlds IMNSHO...the rules are cumbersome...the fluff is great.Shadowrun
Great near apocalyptic setting. The world has changed, splintered and been transformed, but it's not quite fallen...yet. I think that's where Equinox comes in.
I like the idea of a rifts setting. I like the possibility of nearly anything occuring at once.
Also I love Shadowrun. I have played and own 1e, 2e, 3e, and own 4e but can't get behind the rules changes for some reason even though they look better streamlined. I think its the fact that I dont really grok the setting change well.