"New version of Gamma World, the art" Topic

I have not picked up the new version, the completely random and changing of the mutations as well as making it a card game pretty much burns my ars…but the art…spot on.

The following art is an exact vision of what I think off when I think of Gamma World…the artist is my mutant world hero.

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I've never been an RPGer, but I've bought many, many rule- and sourcebooks over the years, for the background information, scenarios, creature descriptions, and artwork. I'm tempted to buy this just based on those pieces of art. Nice!

I have the new rules. The artwork is really good, at least the best since 2nd edition.

The whole card thing throws me off too. The game plays more like a wargame than an RPG.

I agree with you guys. The art is really good. I like the artist's style for the genre. Fits very well.

I'm not much for the 4th edition d20 cardflopping… but my exodus d20 group gave the new version a shot one night, and we had a blast with it. The art really is pretty fantastic, especially the in-box maps and some of the more "scene" pieces in the book.

Case in point, the players ran into an alien scrapheap being tended by porkers and badders… I showed them the scene from the book with the porker in the yard and said "This is exactly what you see".

They completely missed all the badders in the background of the picture that snuck up on them afterwards!

Fan-tastic!

I am REALLY considering in getting this game.

I am sure that at some point I will pick up the new edition but it pains me to do so…perhaps just for the collection and the art :)

The card flopping can be, with some deck shuffling, explained without the rather odd justification they decided to use. Think of your character as a mass of schizophrenic mutations, with some more "ready" than others to be expressed, or perhaps some actively suppressing others. Build a short deck, then draw to see which mutation is in charge today. When that one blows its wad, another comes to the fore…

It is also possible to forego the randomness of the cards entirely, just using them as power references or at character generation (and after radiation accidents). Because of the nature of found items in Gamma World, it can more easily avoid the "samey" nature of combats found in the parent game, D&D4. It would probably benefit from the chains of rock-paper-scissors powers found in older editions, but that effort is only going to be worth it if you are looking at an extended game.

Tinker a bit. Just because WotC no longer encourages game tinkering doesn't mean you have to stop, and Gamma World certainly has the tools for it.

Here is a fun one…just based upon the images from my first post, which character stands out as the one you would most want to play?

List your top one, three, or five…so many choices :)

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Mine

picture spider guy in upper right of panel…(#2)

picture damaged android/robot in center of panel…(#3)

picture fishman and the flock of red birds both offer potential fun

picture robot drone in upper right of panel would present a challenge

picture bugman in lower left of panel…..(#1)

picture the little red guy in the iron suit, lower right of panel, is too funny

I think I will pick up the game, hopefully not at a full price…not because I am cheap but rather because I must protest in some manner :)

Pick up the game so I can fix it.

Yes it is waiting for me to apply my every being to correct the horrors that await within this vile tome :)

Heh!

Yeah, the little red guy in the tin can for me.

JP…I am not picking or digging, just asking :)

What is it about the red bean in the can that you like? I have my preferences and tend to get blinded by the same, so I like to ask when I can to record the different view points.

Is it the general look and feel?

Is it the idea of functionality with the big gun and power fist?

Or that there is a funny tiny guy in the can looking out?

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Please…don't say all of the above :(

I am curious what drives people to pick one character over another.

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That said, I liked the red bean in a can because he is a little reg guy in a can! I could build a story around him in minutes…a fun story like he is stuck in there due to serious issue with the outside world…maybe he needs constant IR light on him and he is actually an albino…maybe he is contained in there with an exotic gas or fluid to keep him alive…perhaps it is a seemingly primitive cyborg/powered suit that the little dude inside made with his hyper intellect and mechanical genius talent.

He is fun…but again, in your words what was the focus factor in your pick? (please :)

Like you say, he's easy to make up a backstory for, or even several backstories.

Maybe he made the basic "suit" years ago, and he adds to it as he stumbles across newer or better armament.

Or maybe he found the suit as-is, or maybe he killed the previous owner.

Is he confined to the suit, like Tony Stark/Iron Man, or can he come and go as he pleases?

You can make him as good or as bad as you want, and the artwork still works.

I especially like the way the artist shows just one eye peeking out, and the determined (or peeved?) look on the red guy's face.

To me, that's the mark of really excellent RPG artwork: It not only illustrates some character or aspect of the game, but it inspires scenario ideas and situations all by itself.

That's also one of the big disappointments, for me, with the D&D 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 artwork: It was very "spiky," reflecting some current trends in fantasy (especially anime) art, but it was entirely uninspiring. It didn't *lead* me anywhere.

Good points, thanks!

Next though…would you still like the little red bean (who is not all that little if you look at the scale comparison :) if the suit did not include the big gun?

The look on his face is fun…peeved is a good descriptor :)

He struck me as a realistic (well, more so than the original design :) dalek.

Heck, yeah, in that suit, I wouldn't need a gun at all.

JP, you are my kind of guy :)

I was curious if it was the gun that caught your eye initially.

I would be cool with the gun as a GM.

The idea of the ultra smart environmentally challenged red bean making his own ammo is fun…recover the casings and repack with whatever later.

What would be even more fun would be if the loads were more than just HE. Sleep gas, magnetic dust (burst that draws metal), disorienting mist, etc.

Or just HE if you would prefer :)

He is a fun dude.

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My first pick, the bug guy picture looks to be a good fit with red bean.