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Like all good Paranoia supplements The Mutant Experience is illustrated by Jim Holloway in his own easily recognisable style. In addition to this the book is well laid out with nice clear descriptions of each new power, many of which are illustrated, which makes it easy to refer to and fun to read. This is the sort of layout I would have liked to have seen in the equipment guide !
The books introduction sets out the fundamental purpose of this supplement which is to keep the players guessing. By introducing new powers even experienced Paranoia players will no longer be able to quite know what to expect. If mutant powers are the equivalent of a magic system the last thing you want is for players to consider them reliable or even defineable. So in addition to introducing new powers this book includes a number of ways to vary the rules on mutant powers like giving characters more than one power, giving them the chance to improve powers, or even making them addictive. There is some good practical advise here on getting the most out of the mutant powers in the game that any Paranoia GM could benefit from.
The main bulk of this book as already mentioned is the selection of new mutant powers. There are a whole selection of these to choose from and when mixed with the existing list there should be enough to keep players guessing for a long time. The inside cover of The Mutant Experience includes expanded tables covering all the powers which can be rolled on during character creation. As you can imagine this book is really aimed at GM's as letting the players browse through it would spoil all the surprise.
Each power if fully detailed rather than just a short one line description so you get hints on varying the powers, what happens if the power goes wrong, and what happens if it is too succesful ! All of the powers are well balanced with the existing powers and most of them made me laugh just reading about them. I can't wait to see them in action with an imaginative group of players using them.
After all these new powers there are more chapters discussing what makes a good power and guidelines on introducing your own powers. Again its a case of keep them guessing, if you can keep introducing new powers the players will never feel that they know them all. Guidelines are given on how to keep each power within the style of the game and also how to keep them within game balance. There is further discussion here of how mutant powers are dealt with in Alpha Complex society and how registered mutants work. Two new forms are introduced at the back for registering mutant powers and reporting mutant powers, both very nicely put together.
Although there is no adventure included, which is a shame, there is a section on adventure ideas which proposes a number of mutant related plots for a GM to use. There is also a selection of new mutant related equipment and drugs to introduce into the game. Everything in this book is obviously optional, but its all here. A GM can pick and choose which powers and other rules he wants to use or use it all as he wishes. There is everything you could ask for in a supplement about mutant powers and the writer, R Eric Reuss is to be commended on doing such a comprehensive job.
I would highly reccomend this book to anyone thinking of running a game of Paranoia. It should be one of the first additional rulebooks any GM buys as it adds so much to one of the basic fundamentals of the game. A near perfect supplement, if only there had been an adventure to round it off.
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