Gamma World!

I finally gave in and ordered a copy of Gamma World (3rd Edition) from Amazon. This is by far my favorite 'pen and paper' RPG. Mutations? Check. Lasers? Check. Post-apocalyptic struggle for survival? Check. In short, it has just about everything needed to make the post-apocalyptic reality of your choosing.

I will concede that the rules take some getting used to. I will even concede that I might not-so-secretly completely ignore some of the rules that are just too cumbersome or that otherwise get in the way of playing the game. Is it perfect? No, but most aren't. Anyhow, I made this site to talk about all things post-apocalyptic, and this is sort of the game that started it all for me.

My Order

Alas, the copy of the boxed set I ordered from Amazon is incomplete. I know for certain that I'm missing the world map, the referee's screen, and a few other necessary items. The lack of the referee's screen is particularly unfortunate, because it has all of the weapon stats (why they weren't also included in the rule book is an absolute mystery). Still, most of the essentials are there. Everything is hole-punched, but overall that hasn't detracted from the usability of the books. If anyone reading this can hook me up with the weapon tables, that would be amazing. Otherwise, I might just have to order another copy of the boxed set and hope for the best. 

The seller even threw in a bag of dice.

Our Campaign

Our story began in a small town nestled in the corner of a mountain range in what was once Colorado. The town has found itself at the edge of an all out war between the Knights of Genetic Purity (a group of Pure Strain Humans that seek to wipe out all mutants) and the Iron Society (the diametrically opposed faction that seeks to wipe out all pure strain humans). Clearly, these two groups can't just all get along.

Our party is a mix of mutants being led by a pre-war Android. The Android has hired the party as guides and henchmen to help him reach a pre-war military installation. According to the Android, known as Zyton, he's on a mission to discover and preserve pre-war information and relics. His travels have brought him here, but now he needs some help avoiding the conflict breaking out throughout the valley and reaching his destination. What's his destination? Why, NORAD of course! 

I don't want to reveal too much more of the campaign, lest my party members read this and find some spoilers. We've having a blast getting to know the rules and the limits of our fledgling characters' abilities. 

Issues

Not knowing the specifics on the weapon damages is a big problem. Luckily, I found a fan site  (wow a Tripod site!) that had some believable weapon damage ranges we've temporarily adopted. I'm still holding out hope that we'll obtain a copy of the referee's screen, but we're managing well enough without it. Remembering all of the minute details for each mutation is a bit of a struggle, but it's only slowing the game down slightly to reference the rule books. If we keep playing, I'll probably make the effort to make some mutation flash cards or something. 

Otherwise, we've sorted out the armor class side of the equation, and we're all getting used to the weird rules again. 

Other Editions

So, I've tried out some of the newer editions. Wow, Wizards of the Coast really let me down. The latest edition was especially annoying. I also tried what I think is the 5th edition, which was written to use the d20 rule set. It wasn't bad, but it just didn't have that same sense of post-apocalyptic chaos that I'd learned to love in the third edition. I can't really say why, but I think it has something to do with the move to D&D-style character classes and rules. 

Future Plans

I've had a dream of building a full expansion for either Wasteland 2 or one or more versions of Fallout that heavily borrows from the Gamma World campaign. I think Gamma World's playable mutant options would make a fine edition to either game. I'm hoping our tabletop campaign will spur my interest in getting those projects started. For now, though, I'm having fun just getting this campaign started. If you're reading this and ever played Gamma World (any edition), feel free to share what you liked (or disliked) about the game in the comments. Know where I can get a referee's screen? Let me know! (Okay, I won't mention that again.)