Review of Gamma World Player's Handbook

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Introduction

The Gamma World Player’s Handbook is the first in a new line of products from Sword & Sorcery Studios that updates the classic post-apocalyptic RPG as a setting for the d20 Modern RPG by Wizards of the Coast. According to the company’s Web site, a GM’s guide, a book on technology, and a guide to creatures both biological and synthetic in origin will follow the Player’s Handbook. The line is being produced under license from Wizards, and as such contains no OGL content. The book is a 248-page, black and white, standard-sized hardcover.

What world?

The Gamma World setting began life as a game called Metamorphosis Alpha—published in 1976 by TSR and written by James M. Ward—about degenerated humans and mutants living on board a deep-space generation ship long forgotten by its creators. In 1981, the setting was expanded into a full-blown post-apocalyptic earth ravaged by the Final Wars, a la Mad Max, but with mutant badgers shooting GIANT FRICKING LASER BEAMS out of their eyes, if you get my drift. The game saw five different editions, each one with different mechanics, including a stint as a setting for the now-defunct Alternity RPG.

Reviewer Bias

This is a capsule review. I have not used this product in actual play. As this book is a supplement for d20 Modern, I feel that a capsule review can suffice. I regularly play and run various d20-based games, including d20 Modern, D&D, Call of Cthulhu d20, Star Wars d20, and Mutants & Masterminds. I have been gaming since 1980, and generally sit on the GM’s side of the screen.

Overview

The Gamma World Player’s Handbook is intended as a general introduction to the Gamma World setting. It contains information for both players and GMs, including character creation, “monsters,” equipment and technology, world-building resources for the GM, and a general introduction to the setting. The book also provides an appendix with guidelines for using it with D&D 3.5, if so desired.

This edition’s take on the Gamma World setting is that somewhere around the year 2100, humanity had mastered various technologies that put them on the verge of godhood. Hardtech (robotics, nanotechnology, manufacturing), soultech (artificial intelligence), and biotech (gene manipulation, biocomputing, medical engineering) had each reached a point where virtually anything was possible. Every single household appliance or tool was sentient. Nanounits powered by will alone could build—or level—entire cities with a thought. DNA became a toy for our amusement.

Naturally, factions developed, each fighting to prevent the other from reaching apotheosis. Eventually, a minor dispute over water rights escalated to all-out war. Weapons were launched, city-controlling AIs went rogue, armies were assembled, and the Final Wars began.

Now, generations later, the PCs face a world where the word “civilization” has little meaning. Isolated communities eke out a living amidst the rubble, bandits roam the lands, and half-forgotten technological marvels await discovery. The ones that aren’t trying to kill them with their GIANT FRICKING LASER BEAMS, of course.

The contents of the book are:

• The World the Gamma Subunit Made
• Chapter One: The Gamma World
• Chapter Two: Characters
• Chapter Three: FX
• Chapter Four: Home Sector and Beyond
• Chapter Five: Comrade, Nemesis, Mystery
• Chapter Six: The Gamma World Campaign
• Appendix: D20M to D&D 3.5 Conversion

All of the crunchy material works off the basic rules presented in d20 Modern, with modifications made for the conventions of the setting. Some Knowledge and Craft skills are changed to reflect the various technologies created before the Final Wars, and some adjustments are made for skills like Research to reflect the lack of access to technologies Information Age societies would take for granted. New feats are added, again mostly to reflect the setting, e.g., Nanotech Attunement, Mutation Resistance, and Tech Familiarity feats for pre-Final Wars technology.

The largest additions to, and deviations from, the core d20 Modern rules are the new races (called genotypes), rules for FX, and the rules for creating and running communities.

Genotypes

The genotypes are: Stock Humans, Pure Strain Humans, Mutants, and Synthetics. Stock Humans are the same as baseline humans in d20 Modern; they are humans who live among the ruins, and have no special abilities or adjustments. Pure Strain Humans (PSHs) are humans who have isolated themselves from the chaos of the Final Wars; they are more adept with technology, but are somewhat weaker than Stock Humans.

Mutants come in four varieties, though there is little, mechanically, that distinguishes them from one another: Engineered Animals, Engineered Humans, New-Men, and True Mutants. All types begin the game with a handful of mutation FX, and are susceptible to developing new mutations when exposed to mutagens. New-Men and True Mutants also may spontaneously mutate when gaining a level or reduced to 0 or fewer hit points. Engineered Animals use the rules for moreaus found in d20 Modern before adding mutations.

Synthetics come in three varieties, also identical in game terms: Androids, Cyborgs, and Robots. All may start at small, medium, or large size and are considered constructs. Their programming restricts their ability to gain class skills by multiclassing and to change their Allegiances without the aid of someone who can reprogram them.

FX

FX is, of course, a staple of the Gamma World milieu. Pre-Final Wars technology run rampant gives characters access to powerful (and debilitating) mutations, nanotechnological marvels, psionic powers, cybernetic implants, and biological wonders. I.e., GIANT FRICKING LASER BEAMS. Each FX category uses a distinct subsystem.

Cellular Transformations (inclusive of mutations and biotechnological grafts and implants) are grouped along two axes, minor/major and positive/negative, which result in four categories: minor positive, minor negative, major positive, major negative. Each grouping averages about 10-12 separate mutations, for a total of roughly 40 or so, divided about 50/50 between beneficial and baneful. Starting mutant characters may pick 2 minor positive mutations, 1 major positive, and roll for 1 minor negative; some trading can be done to vary these numbers a bit. Biological implants or grafts can duplicate most of the mutations, though, as far as I can tell, these may not be taken at chargen.

The mutations don’t have a “system” per se; each mutation has a specific, fixed effect. Solar Discharge (i.e., GIANT FRICKING LASER BEAMS) does 6d6 damage, 100ft + 10/level, Reflex save for half damage. The Hirsute Horror, despite sounding like a long-lost Lovecraft story, means your body hair grows really fast. Some of the mutations have heightened effects if gained more than once, though most don’t. There was some mention by a designer on the RPG.net forums that the upcoming creature book would have feats that enhance and alter mutations, but there is nothing in the Player's Handbook that allows it.

Nanotech is all about controlling nanounits, atom-sized machines that can manipulate themselves and the matter around them to produce virtually any effect. Using nanotech involves finding nanounits (which can be all over the place, invisible to the naked eye) and hoping that they decide to bond with you. Once they bond, a Concentration check, and then a BAB + Wis based control roll allows the user to produce visible effects.

There are no hard-and-fast rules for nanotech usage. Nanounits respond to your will, so it’s simply a matter of describing the effect you want to achieve, assigning a DC to the control roll based on the effect’s parameters, and spending the required number of nanounits; a user can only have so many nanounits bonded to them at a time, which are then consumed when an effect is created. Example effects are given (including GIANT FRICKING LASER BEAMS), but, for the most part, it’s up to the user’s imagination.

Cybernetics involves beneficial “hardtech” implants joined to a human host: improved mental capacity, enhanced senses, and even GIANT you-know-whats. Characters may trade a starting feat to begin the game with a Cybertech item, with GM permission. Cybernetic devices have a certain number of charge units, and using their abilities depletes them. The devices, as far as I can tell, recharge on their own, but must make a recharge roll versus a DC specified for each item. Six items are presented in the book.

Finally, we have psionics. Psionics can be used by anyone who has the Psychic Aptitude mutation or the Psychic Potential feat. Such characters begin with one power. They may gain new powers by, essentially, practicing; for every successful use of a power, they gain a +1 bonus to rolls to learn new powers. Learning a new power requires a Concentration check to “attune” the PC to the “psionic energy field.” If successful, they can then make a power increase roll using the bonus for past successes. If they beat the DC for the power type (Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced), they gain the new power.

To use psionic powers, the player makes a power activation roll against a DC based on the power type. On a roll of 1, feedback occurs, and the character must make a Will save or suffer lethal damage. Feedback also causes the psionic effect to reverse itself, e.g., you push yourself back with a telekinetic blow.

There are four different psionic powers: Precognition, Psychic Shield, Telekinesis, and Telepathy. Each power has a Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced power level.

Communities

The last big contribution of the Gamma World Player’s Handbook is the rules for building communities. In this system, a community—anything from a band of nomad ruffians to a high-tech city of pre-Final Wars civilization—is described the same way as a PC. Communities have ability scores, types (i.e., classes), levels, skills, feats, and Wealth and Reputation bonuses.

The abilities roughly correspond to the ones for PCs: Force, Mobility, Resilience, Learning, Awareness, and Command. Force, for example, represents the community’s ability to bring power to bear against others, be it military or industrial might; Learning, on the other hand, measures the knowledge available within the community, i.e., libraries, schools, or just people with know-how. The community’s Population Level determines how many points are available to purchase ability scores—the bigger the community, the more points. Purchases are made using the planned generation system presented in d20 Modern.

The community type (i.e., class) determines how many skill points per Population Level a community receives. The list of skills for communities is identical to that for PCs; ranks in these skills represent the existence of someone in the community with that degree of skill. Community type also determines the number of feats the community gains for its first Population Level, with additional feats are gained at every even level thereafter. Population Level maxes out at 10 (roughly 13,000 people or more). The list of community feats will feel familiar to anyone who’s ever played Sid Meier’s Civilization game. Essentially, they represent resources, mostly of the intellectual type, available to the community as a whole: Nanotech Usage, Advanced Farming, Fuel Production, etc.

The selected feats, in conjunction with the GM’s whimsy, then help to shape community philosophy, government, any factions that exist within the community, neighboring communities, Wealth level (the maximum available purchase DC of items in the community), and Reputation bonus.

Lastly, the book presents a system for running the community in the form of the Community Behavior Map. The map is a flowchart with a number of represented Factors, such as Dissent, Prosperity, Disasters, Strong Leadership, and Population Happiness. Factors have a “numerical level” scaled from 0-100. Each of these Factors is positioned on the map in sort of a wiring-diagram style, with paths linking all of them. Each path is marked with either a plus or minus. When a Factor’s numerical rating changes, the rating of all connected factors change as well, increasing if the path between them is marked with a plus, or decreasing if marked with a minus. These changes cascade to all connected factors.

E.g., an increase in the rating for Strong Leadership boosts the community’s Influence on Others and Prosperity. Prosperity, in turn, increases Population, Resources, as well as Influence on Others. Strong Leadership has a negative connection to Outside Influence, which in turn has a positive influence on Dissent. Ergo, both of these will decrease with Strong Leadership. Multipliers may also be assigned to each connecting path to reflect an individual community’s focus (or lack thereof) on certain Factors over others.

Everything Else In addition to the major sections listed above, the Gamma World Player’s Handbook also contains a number of classic creatures, such as the mutant rabbit Hoop and the Centisteed, as well as high- and low-tech equipment, new Advanced classes (Cybercologist, Leader, Nanosmith, Prophet, Survivor, and War Chief), campaign and GM advice, background information, and the aforementioned D&D 3.5 appendix.

The Good

The authors’ take on the Gamma World setting is a far more sober one than pervious editions, which could be either a good or bad thing, depending on your preference. It’s less Thundarr and Mad Max and more Akira and Transmetropolitan. I generally liked their take on things, despite missing the more “gonzo fun” of previous editions. The “factions vying for apotheosis” back-story serves well to set up reasons for the Final Wars, as well as rationale for the technology, mutations, abilities, and the Cryptic Alliances (new factions vying for power) that make up the setting. The sections of the book that detail this back-story are probably the best-written. It’s not quite the GFLBs (see above) of earlier incarnations of Gamma World, but it’s generally well imagined and compelling.

The community-building rules are also a very interesting concept. The idea of treating a community, mechanically, the same as a PC is a novel one. It also emphasizes the role that the authors see community playing in the campaign, something that doesn’t seem to be as important to previous editions. Heck, what are the Mad Max movies about if not the trials of various communities as they try to sustain themselves amidst the ruins? I’d certainly like to see other games experiment with this take on world building.

The Bad

The first and foremost problem with the Gamma World Player’s Handbook is the editing. Even for an RPG product there are an inordinate amount of typos, errata, and layout gaffes. A number of tables have columns shifted so data doesn’t line up properly, entries in the index are often incomplete or erroneous, and “see page XX” seems rampant. Some of these errors are innocuous, but enough of them are fairly major. Examples include a completely incorrect formula for figuring a PC’s starting Action points (it should read 5 + one-half the character’s level, rounded down), incorrect skill points for some of the Advanced classes, and ranged weapon purchase DC data missing from Table 2-9.

The editing issue also isn’t simply limited to errata and typos. I got the distinct impression that the multiple authors working on this project weren’t fully aware of what each other were doing, and the text seems to reflect that. For example, radiation seems to be treated as an energy type in the section on equipment, as some items have entries like “radiation resistance 20.” However, the GM chapter treats radiation as a disease which does ability damage.

Or take the rules for nanotechnology. Finding ambient nanotech requires a Survival skill check, and using it requires a Concentration check followed by a “nanotech control roll,” which is based on the PC’s BAB + Wis modifier. Does the Nanosmith Advanced class have Survival as a class skill or a good BAB progression? Nope. Apparently, the better you are at, say, pit-fighting and wilderness survival, the better you are at telepathically controlling nanotechnology. Fortunately, the Nanosmith does have Knowledge (nanotechnology) as a class skill; unfortunately, this skill has absolutely nothing to do with finding or using nanotechnology.

Or how about the creatures? Most of those listed have special qualities marked as Extraordinary (Ex), a known type in d20, but also “Mut” and “Psi.” Many of the creature types are listed as “mutant beast,” “mutant humanoid,” or sometimes just “mutant.” I asked one of the designers who was kind enough to respond on the forums what these terms meant, mechanics-wise, because they’re not defined in the book. The answer was that they were added, “in case any of the other designers wanted to use them.” Otherwise, they don’t mean anything.

Or the rules for figuring out how to use Final Wars technology. This involves making a relevant Knowledge skill check against a DC. P.227 states, “Each item should have a list of functions and a list of DCs for discovering those functions (See Chapter Two for common equipment).” No such DCs are listed for any of the equipment in Chapter Two.

Oh, and the FX abilities of the creatures listed in the book don’t use the FX systems presented in Chapter Three. E.g., the psionic telepathy possessed by the doglike Ark is wholly distinct from the telepathy used by PCs. Apparently, even the designers found the FX rules too skimpy for extensive use.

Or the fact that the numerical ratings used for Factors in the Community Behavior Map DON’T ACTUALLY MEAN ANYTHING. The map system is complicated enough that regular use of it essentially demands creating a spreadsheet, the end result being simply that the GM has a vague idea of what’s happening in town that week. Nowhere is it defined what the difference between, say, a Population rating of 83 versus 46 might be. It’s all just an elaborate guideline. The fact that certain Advanced classes’ key abilities hinge on the map system makes this doubly ridiculous.

And these are just a few of the mistakes I found.

Aside from this, I also didn’t get the impression that the authors really have a good grasp of the d20 Modern rules. Rather than building off any of the existing systems in the core book, or sticking to conventions established in the d20 system, the authors seemed more interested in making up as many disparate sub-systems as possible, many of which simply don’t make a lot of sense. In almost any situation where an existing mechanic might do, they choose to create something entirely new, especially if it involves questionable formulae that produce bizarre results.

Look at telepathy. Basic telepathy uses a "ranged attack roll" using the PC’s Wis modifier in place of Dex versus the target’s "Defense," which is defined as "(10 + [one-half his character level, rounded down]) or (5 + [one-half his character level, rounded down]) if the target is a willing subject." Never mind that "ranged attack roll" and "Defense" have specific meanings in d20 Modern, and it’s not those, or that there’s no precedent for FX of this nature to require an "attack roll" of any kind in d20 Modern.

Now, that’s just for basic telepathy, mind you. Attempting to do anything more than read surface thoughts requires Improved or Advanced Telepathy. In those cases, the "ranged attack roll" is made against a fixed DC listed in a table. Ergo, it is possible that commanding a high-level NPC to open a secured area or forget you ever met will be EASIER than scanning their brain to see that they’re idly balancing their checkbook while they tie their shoes.

And then there’s learning new psionic powers being solely dependent on practice. A 1st-level PC can master psionic abilities by sitting at home and successfully using low-level powers; with only a 5% per attempt of any sort of feedback, a PC could theoretically master every psionic power in the book in a few days’ time. (A table in this section also mentions something about "Points earned per use" when practicing psionics, but what this means is not explained anywhere in the text.) As all FX abilities apparently have no effect on CR, this PC would still be considered a 1st-level character.

There are plenty of examples of this sort of thing, including the nanotechnology rules mentioned above. There are all sorts of formulae that involve dividing the character’s level by 2 or 4, or taking the absolute value (seriously) of an ability modifier, and so on. The Cybernetic Synapse Control FX rules re-define Defense yet again. The Ability Enhancement/Degradation mutations provide +/- 1 bonus to ability scores, which often doesn’t mean anything in terms of an ability modifier increase; racial ability adjustments (to which this is mechanically identical) always use +/- 2 in d20. Not to mention that none of the FX systems ever define, say, what kind of action it is to use them. As far as I can tell, a PC can move, shoot a gun, blast someone with GIANT FRICKING LASER BEAMS twice, and telepathically invade someone’s mind all during a single round.

I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point. I was keeping notes of questions I had, sections of the rules that were vague, errors, and goofy rules as I read the book. I gave up after the list hit 51.

The Ugly

The Gamma World Player’s Handbook, in my opinion, is a very ugly book. The cover is quite engaging, but the interior is mostly a big wash of various shades of grey. The page ornamentation—rusted wire fencing, metal, and tattered paper—takes up quite a bit of space on each page, adds nothing to the reference functionality of the book, and shifts around the placement of page numbers and chapter titles from chapter to chapter. Font size is on the large side, a good portion of it black text on some shade of grey. Add to this generally unimpressive art and a very bland layout, and it’s just a big wash of grey blah. Subsections of each chapter simply run into one another, occasionally with a dividing horizontal rule accidentally omitted. The tables, as mentioned above, are simply plain white with no guide-lines or shading, and often with poorly aligned columns and awkward spacing. Overall, it feels very slapdash and hastily assembled. Not to mention, I’ve had the book only about a week now and the binding already seems to be coming apart.

Conclusion: Style 2, Substance 1

248 pages should have been ample room to present a complete picture of the Gamma World setting as a supplement for d20; this isn’t Glorantha, people. Entire editions of previous incarnations managed to do it in a fraction of the page count. They also managed to provide complete, detailed systems for creating mutant PCs—THE key element to any game that calls itself Gamma World. This book, however, deemed it more important to present a flawed community-building mini-game, as well as essential GM content such as, "Formed where the continental plates have forced the land upwards, mountains can be found on every continent," and stats for boxes and sacks. Creating mutated animal PCs, or "mundane" mutations such as an extra limb or darkvision, are left to the reader’s imagination and kit-bashing skills. That the FX rules are not grounded in any existing d20 Modern systems make this doubly difficult.

It may be that future products will expand upon the various shortcomings of the Player’s Handbook—though, as of this writing, none of the scheduled products provide any more material on mutations. If the quality of this product is any indication, however, I cannot justify purchasing any of them. Sloppy editing, uninspired visual design, and a seemingly incomplete understanding of d20 mechanics make this book, in my opinion, essentially unusable; what little useful material that is provided is simply not enough to justify the work needed to bash the game into shape. Its sober take on the setting and lack of sufficient FX rules will disappoint Gamma World veterans, and it’s overall poor quality will likely frustrate everyone else.

If you're seeking post-apocalyptic d20 fun, I would avoid the Gamma World Player’s Handbook and instead check out Darwin's World or the most excellent Omega World d20 mini-game from Polyhedron #94. The latter manages to do in about 50 pages what the Player's handbook fails to do in 248.