The Inside Scoop on Gaming

The new version of GammaWorld has been a long time and coming for some. You can easily count me among that number since I never got a chance to play any othe the other 4 versions that circulated. And how can it go wrong, especially if you like the Alternity rules?! Well, I gotta say that my hopes were probably a little high and I'm a little disappointed in a way.

First off, I'm glad that they put a trimmed down version of the Alternity mechanic included in the package. I feel that it was a good mechanic and was disappointed when they discontinued the line. Unfortunately, there's really not much background information for the setting. Granted, they tell you about some areas, a general mood, and organizations that operate in the setting, but they left a lot wide open, which is good and bad. It's good since you can customize the feel of the game to suit what you want. It's kinda bad since they don't give you really much to work with history-wise to incorporate into your story. That was what really saddened me about this supplement, no really developed backstory for the people that never got a chance to play it before. You almost get more source from the cover art. To be fair, though, I guess for a line with so much history involved, it'd be hard to decide where to go with it, especially since your hitching it to an unsupported system.

That's my only real complaint about the product. The lack of any real story. The good things are niceties that are inherent to game itself, such as mutations, equipment, creatures, and new character races. The mutation rules are simple enough to follow, since they follow the basic guidelines of Perks and Flaws from the Alternity base system. A lot of good and bad mutations are included and they are evenly done. The equipment has a lot of gadgets, some cobbled together, others vital, and some that are even revered. The creature section of a book always scares me, since they aren't always done well and given any attention. They seemed able to make the creatures a little less standard, and fit more with the mood of the game. Of course, these are creatures that have probably been around in the game since it's inception for all I know, so take that for what it's worth. Race-wise, I think the addition of androids and mutants are a definite plus in the Alternity system; they are balanced and have reason to be wih nearly any group. About the best thing about Gamma World's new face, if you're have the relatively few Alternity supplements, is the fact that you can pull it into or out of any current Alternity game, thanks to the Tangents alternate timeline supplement. (I know, I've been beating the drum for Alternity...I've never written a review before, so gimme a break.)

They include a quick view of Settle (Seattle after the bomb). Not to mention a quick start game. These are ok, but they do give you a certain feel the game should have, but chances are, you already know how it's supposed to feel and play out.

All in all, I like the supplement, but I just wish there was more meat to it. Maybe if they had waited to hook this pup to the D&D 3rd Edition rules, they could've expounded more on the setting than mechanics. But who knows, eh? I hope this wasn't a complete waste of time. Thanks for reading.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Gamma World (the Alternity version)
Author: Andy Collins and Jeff Grubb Category: game Company/Publisher: WotC Line: Alternity Cost: $24.95 Page count: 192 Capsule Review by Sean Milliff on 08/02/00. Genre tags: Science fiction Post-apocalypse	The new version of GammaWorld has been a long time and coming for some. You can easily count me among that number since I never got a chance to play any othe the other 4 versions that circulated. And how can it go wrong, especially if you like the Alternity rules?! Well, I gotta say that my hopes were probably a little high and I'm a little disappointed in a way. First off, I'm glad that they put a trimmed down version of the Alternity mechanic included in the package. I feel that it was a good mechanic and was disappointed when they discontinued the line. Unfortunately, there's really not much background information for the setting. Granted, they tell you about some areas, a general mood, and organizations that operate in the setting, but they left a lot wide open, which is good and bad. It's good since you can customize the feel of the game to suit what you want. It's kinda bad since they don't give you really much to work with history-wise to incorporate into your story. That was what really saddened me about this supplement, no really developed backstory for the people that never got a chance to play it before. You almost get more source from the cover art. To be fair, though, I guess for a line with so much history involved, it'd be hard to decide where to go with it, especially since your hitching it to an unsupported system. That's my only real complaint about the product. The lack of any real story. The good things are niceties that are inherent to game itself, such as mutations, equipment, creatures, and new character races. The mutation rules are simple enough to follow, since they follow the basic guidelines of Perks and Flaws from the Alternity base system. A lot of good and bad mutations are included and they are evenly done. The equipment has a lot of gadgets, some cobbled together, others vital, and some that are even revered. The creature section of a book always scares me, since they aren't always done well and given any attention. They seemed able to make the creatures a little less standard, and fit more with the mood of the game. Of course, these are creatures that have probably been around in the game since it's inception for all I know, so take that for what it's worth. Race-wise, I think the addition of androids and mutants are a definite plus in the Alternity system; they are balanced and have reason to be wih nearly any group. About the best thing about Gamma World's new face, if you're have the relatively few Alternity supplements, is the fact that you can pull it into or out of any current Alternity game, thanks to the Tangents alternate timeline supplement. (I know, I've been beating the drum for Alternity...I've never written a review before, so gimme a break.) They include a quick view of Settle (Seattle after the bomb). Not to mention a quick start game. These are ok, but they do give you a certain feel the game should have, but chances are, you already know how it's supposed to feel and play out. All in all, I like the supplement, but I just wish there was more meat to it. Maybe if they had waited to hook this pup to the D&D 3rd Edition rules, they could've expounded more on the setting than mechanics. But who knows, eh? I hope this wasn't a complete waste of time. Thanks for reading. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average)

Gamma World (the Alternity version)