[OT and 4e] So Gamma World is ... D&D? WTF? • Collecting General • The Acaeum

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[OT and 4e] So Gamma World is ... D&D? WTF?
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Xaxaxe
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 3:47 pm

Of all the interesting things Wizards has prepped for the second half of 2010, I have to admit this one actually made my brain hurt for a few minutes:

Gamma World as a D&D setting

Okay, so ... Gamma World, a game with a long publication history and its own set(s) of rules ... is now a setting for D&D?

Ack. Brain hurts.

Is anyone else of a certain age range â€” I'll just say 38 to 48 â€” having the same reaction? That group, speaking very generally, pretty much "grew up" with either the classic GW first edition or else the more widespread, but still pretty damn cool, second edition.

Personally, I appear to be hard-wired to think of them as being separate. I can't seem to get over it.

(I'll probably still buy it, just for the record ...

)

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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 3:59 pm

Xaxaxe wrote:Is anyone else of a certain age range â€” I'll just say 38 to 48 â€” having the same reaction? That group, speaking very generally, pretty much "grew up" with either the classic GW first edition or else the more widespread, but still pretty damn cool, second edition.

Yes, I'm having trouble getting my head around this one. I'm tempted to buy it, too, just because I have a lot of love for Metamorphosis Alpha (duh) and its descendants. The idea of expansion card sets for feats or mutations or whatever (pardon my 4e-illiteracy, familiar with 3rd edition but not the latest) seems a little too much like M:tG for my tastes, but supposedly you don't "need" these. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

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Mars
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 4:39 pm

Anyone know how companies like Wizards determine their foreign pricing? This product is $39.99 USD or $47.99 CAD. That gives a conversion of 1.20 which seems ridiculous since it hasn't even been over 10% difference for a while now. Is this just another foreign gouge point or am I missing something?

jasonw1239
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 5:10 pm

It sounds like development-wise they only want to handle one set of generic rules mechanics and insert settings.
This is similar to the way that Chaosium releases settings using the BRP system or GURPS uses their standardized mechanics with different setting books.

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wavemotion
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 5:41 pm

Xaxaxe wrote:Of all the interesting things Wizards has prepped for the second half of 2010, I have to admit this one actually made my brain hurt for a few minutes:

Gamma World as a D&D setting

Okay, so ... Gamma World, a game with a long publication history and its own set(s) of rules ... is now a setting for D&D?

Yep. Same head scratching here. Gamma World d20 is among the worst RPG lines ... admittedly this may give it a run for its money. But the d20 version was clearly a precursor to this happening.

I'm still quite happy with Gamma World 4th Edition (1992). I'm playing a modified version of that mixed with Palladium's After The Bomb with my current group as we take some time away from D&D to awaken our appreciation for the granddaddy

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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 7:13 pm

The 1E DMG discussed possibly taking a party into GW, Boot Hill, etc.
It's not such a stretch.
Or maybe I should say it doesn't surprise me.

Isn't that also the basis for all of Terry Brooks' Sword of Sha-Na-Na books? Post-nuclear war setting for Tolkein-clone novels?

And to answer the original question, we had several campaigns when I was 13 or 14 years old that merged original D&D with classic GW or MA (1978-79 timeframe). One reason is that my friends could more easily afford GW, and we were all sci-fi fans, so that element appealed to us.

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Xaxaxe
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:14 pm

jasonw1239 wrote:It sounds like development-wise they only want to handle one set of generic rules mechanics and insert settings.
This is similar to the way that Chaosium releases settings using the BRP system or GURPS uses their standardized mechanics with different setting books.

Yeah, I can see what they're thinking here. Who knows, maybe they're making a really smart call?

It's just not computing for me right now. My mental firewall keeps rejecting it.

Doug Williams
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:27 pm

There's a sucker born every minute, and I'm right on time.

I'll buy it.

Traveller
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:35 pm

I won't. The only reason I have any d20 Gamma World whatsoever is because it was offered for free on DriveThruRPG at one time.

Omega World was far better.

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nyjastul69
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 2:44 am

wavemotion wrote:Yep. Same head scratching here. Gamma World d20 is among the worst RPG lines ... admittedly this may give it a run for its money. But the d20 version was clearly a precursor to this happening.

I'm still quite happy with Gamma World 4th Edition (1992). I'm playing a modified version of that mixed with Palladium's After The Bomb with my current group as we take some time away from D&D to awaken our appreciation for the granddaddy

Mutant plants... mmmm.

-Dave

What is it about Gamma World D20 that you dislike? Is it the mechanics themselves, or the meta-plot?

FormCritic
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 5:12 am

I've never played Gamma World, but I don't let that stop me from having opinions...

Wasn't Gamma World pretty much the D&D engine played with lasers and high tech battle suits instead of swords and sorcery?

Also, the D20 phenomenon included D20 Modern and games like D20 Star Wars...that used the D&D rules as an engine for sci fi with just some mechanical changes (very lethal combat in D20 Star Wars, for instance).

It seems logical to an opinionated ignorant person that what would matter about 4th Edition D&D Gamma World would be the presentation of the setting rather than the fact that it says 4th Edition D&D on it.

Right? :scratch:

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mbassoc2003
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 7:21 am

4E D&D is a game mechanic, and it can be applied to any setting. If Hasbro owned Traveller or Shadowrun, you can have D&D Traveller and D&D Shadowrun. D&D ceased being a traditional era dependant FRP a long time ago. It's just taken them time to extend the D&D world to other time periods.

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Keith the Thief
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:48 am

FormCritic wrote:Wasn't Gamma World pretty much the D&D engine played with lasers and high tech battle suits instead of swords and sorcery?

Yep.

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Xaxaxe
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 11:25 am

FormCritic wrote:It seems logical to an opinionated ignorant person that what would matter about 4th Edition D&D Gamma World would be the presentation of the setting rather than the fact that it says 4th Edition D&D on it.

Agreed. It's just a long mental leap for some of us.

Hell, it will probably be pretty good. I've been (mostly) impressed with the 4e products I've taken a chance on to date. Far, far more impressed than with the first two years of 3e stuff, I should add. I thought most of 3e was a pretty pure strain of crap.

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