Using BRP to run Gamma World (some suggestions needed)

[smkun]

Howdy Folks,

So I am 100% new to BRP. I am looking to use the system to run a "Gamma World" style of game (damn wotc to hell). Amazingly enough that stats between the two systems meld perfectly. I also got Ruble and Ruin to help me out as well. I'll definately be using Powers/Mutations/Etc to make the mutants and mutated animals from GW in BRP. My concern is those characters that choose to play Pure Humans. What suggestions might you have to help keep these non "powered" characters on an equal power level.

Thanks!!

[vagabond]

Howdy Folks,

So I am 100% new to BRP. I am looking to use the system to run a "Gamma World" style of game (damn wotc to hell). Amazingly enough that stats between the two systems meld perfectly. I also got Ruble and Ruin to help me out as well. I'll definately be using Powers/Mutations/Etc to make the mutants and mutated animals from GW in BRP. My concern is those characters that choose to play Pure Humans. What suggestions might you have to help keep these non "powered" characters on an equal power level.

Thanks!!

I don't recall how TSR's GW handled pure strain humans? What advantages did they get? IIRC, not a whole lot. You could take some inspiration from other games/systems and make most energy weapons only usable by pure humans (a DNA/tuned biometrics safety switch). This doesn't mean that mutants cannot use such weapons, but that mutants weapons must be modified (and thus, potentially, become less reliable/stable, less powerful, more expensive) for use. Maybe additional skills and/or skill levels to represent living in some sort of "society" for a longer period of time and thus exposed to more formal training?

Ian

[The Venomous Pao]

A couple of thoughts come to mind. I think it's actually suggested in the Big Gold Book that if you have some character with powers and some without that you adjust the skill points totals to favor the non-powered characters by a step. So if you've got Mutants at 250 skill points with a 75% cap ("normal" level), you let the pure strain humans have 325 skill points with a 90% cap ("heroic" level). I used this in a fantasy game with spell casters vs. non-casters and it seemed to work well. Check page 87 of the BGB for the official take on this.

I don't remember how it was done in Gamma World, but Mutant Future (the closest we've seen to a retroclone of GW) gives pure strain humans a higher hit die. So maybe pure strain humans in your game could have more HP? Perhaps going the full "Total Hit Points" distance (BGB p. 30) would be too much, but then again, maybe not. Anyway, it's just a thought.

I hope that helps!

[Questbird]

Venemous Pao's 'step-up' idea might be a good one for skills if you want pure mechanical balance. I think the benefits of being a PSH would be more in the setting than the characters. Ancient technology, especially biotech, biosecurity or medical technology, would be more effective on pure human characters. You could make these things relatively common in the setting, but discarded as useless by non-humans. Vehicles, etc. are made for human sizes and physiology. But as in Rubble and Ruin, it is the transhumans who have the edge when it comes to pure survival.

[seneschal]

In Mutant Future, normal ("pure") humans not only are comparatively tough, but they have a better shot at understanding and using ancient technology.

[Simlasa]

'Balance' can come from the setting as well as mechanical bits.

In my early games of Gamma World pure-strain humans (or those who could pass) got a lot less hassle from various factions that were concerned with 'preserving the gene pool'... sometimes that just meant extra rations or access to survivor colonies... other times it meant being ignored by lynch squads or slavers.

Of course, there were people and places that were unfriendly to the non-muties as well... but they tended to not be as organized or well-equipped.

[smkun]

Thanks for all the input. I'm putting together my list of things now that will diferentiate the 4 types of "races".

[Baron]

I would be interested in seeing your "mod doc" for Gamma World, whenever it's finished. I loved that game!

[Eric L. Webb]

Mutations in the real world are almost always some sort of defect. If i were running a Gamma World style campaign id make Mutant characters choose at least one if not two Defects. Sure you can be Super Strong but you have a noxious smell pheremone that attracts predators etc. Id probably throw in alot of ancient tech that was only usable by pure-strain humans as well, as mentioned earlier..Bioscanning technology..thats a great idea. Id give pure strains a skill advancement boost as well ( 1d8 instead of 1D6) if i could think up a way to justify it in the game.

[1d8+DB]

I would cap most technical skills for 'mutes', and perhaps even allow human characters extra points for skill purchases. For a rationalization you could say the humans are from technological enclaves and simply had the leisure to learn things like reading (pre-apocalyptic technical manuals).

[Skunkape]

Mutations in the real world are almost always some sort of defect. If i were running a Gamma World style campaign id make Mutant characters choose at least one if not two Defects.

That's very true for the real world, and would be fine for your game, but in the original Gamma World you could have mutants with no defects, and remember it's a game and not the real world and in your game, that's how you could do it.

What I would do is try and make BRP versions of the mutations from one of the versions of Gamma World and take the random chart for mutant characters to roll on from the same version, that way you get BRP system with the flavor of the TSR Gamma World.

Edited February 10, 2012 by Skunkape
changed some of the wording.

[seneschal]

To do BRP Mutant Future you'd need the BRP super powers section as well as the mutations. Many of the "mutations" include powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal ... er, irradiated things that were once men.

[girtablilu]

I, too, would love to see any more information about a conversion. I have Gamma World 2nd ed, and have ran games since it came out in 1983. Some conversion tables would help with equipment, robots, machines, weapons, and armor. Hit points were much higher than in BRP too, so the weapon damage would have to be altered. The basic characteristics would be practically the same from what I can tell.

Edited February 19, 2012 by girtablilu

[Skunkape]

As far as weapon damages are concerned, there are some rules for future weapons in BRP or in supplements that would help get an idea of just how much damage to assign to each weapon in Gamma World.

[Draconis13]

I ran about 5 sessions of a Gamma World game using the BRP rules. If I did it again I would have expanded out the mutations to better reflect the gonzo and had a good go to table for making mutants. What I did have however was have the races tuned in pretty well.

Since BRP and Gamma World in its D&D incarnations used 3d6 stats I kept Pure Strain close to that with them as +3 con, int and APP with full use of all prewar gear and not being able to mutate by contact to low grade mutagens and radiation

Mutant humans lose the stat bonus but had a selection process for mutations I was continually tweaking to represent lightly mutated/lucky and heavily mutated random individuals. As well being able to use gear unless it had soultech DNA checking or mutations had altered them heavily enough to keep them from using gear due to antlers or whatever.

Mutant animals types were a huge revision based on a 6 point system to buy your species of real world animal based on its actual abilities. 1 point would be aquatic but not able to breath water, dangerous claws or hooves, a bite attack, +2 mov or a minor movement gimmick ability like a sticky tongue, prehensile tail/trunk or ability to glide but not fly or hide scales worth 2 natural armor. 2 points would be a major power like 2 extra arms or legs, fully aquatic and can breath underwater, wings that can fly, 4 points of armor or a huge maw bite attack for 2d6 w/ half damage bonus.

+6 points to any combination of dex, str and con with a further +4 at a +1 for -1 tradeoff with another physical stat with finally a +2 or -2 siz mod based on what animal they are.

This basically cut out the superfluous genotype charts from the old TSR version and how they were lumped in with the mutants for no flavor.

Sentiant plants were pretty close to the old TSR stats with a few modifications stuff like trees +2 str and natural armor but not against fire and fungi getting psionic resistance.

Worked in a bit of Espers and Nano attuned folks as if they were magic users due to how they manifest and control nanotech on a almost subconsious level.

Players did NOT dig the "junk is loot" aspect and it fell apart sadly enough

[seneschal]

"Players did NOT dig the "junk is loot" aspect and it fell apart sadly enough."

The scavenging to survive aspect, more than goofy mutations, really is the role-playing challenge. Especially in the West, surrounded by cheap high-tech consumer goods, it can be hard for players to imagine a rusted toaster or ancient microwave oven as a valuable archeological and scientific find. I guess it would help if they had a patron who was able to repair such things and demonstrate their usefulness (and compensate the adventurers accordingly).

[Draconis13]

Yeah they were operating out of a old highway truck stop on the way to Bonparr and there was a mutant human who was repairing or modifying gear for them or taking in junk for bullets and other stuff. He had a number of cobbled together firearms, like a industrial stapler retrofitted into a crude double action pistol and other bits around his store. Doing a lot of probono work as they were helping take back some ruins to the west where he and some of the others had used to live but had been run off by a large band of raiders a few years back. I kind of felt at a loss that they had mechanical & crafting skills and did not try to make any use of them as well given that the guys workshop was available. I think the biggest problem I was having is people asked me to run a game then wanted pregen characters for a campaign setting.

[skull]

I Converted most of the 2nd edition Gamma World monsters to brp. have not done the weapons or mutations yet though. i wil try to upload them . Did not to death machines or the warbots.

[skull]

*Did not do death machines or warbots yet! i apologize i don't get much sleep so hard to think or get words correct.

[skull]

I think 2nd edition is best for converting monster as 2nd edition has actual stats where later edition have cookie cutter clone with little stats listed. as far as a mutation list. I believe the2nd edition adventure boklet has the mutation list page 26. i plant on converting the mutations eventually. later editions of the game have certain creatures omitted as well. i have gamma world 2e,3e, 4e when i say 4e i mean the booklet with flying obbs about to be shot by a purestrain human. some peple are calling the newest edition boxed set 4e but that is not correct.

[skull]

Sorry about they typos i am really having troubble thinking i wanted to upload the stuff but its all in .ODS format, not sure if i can upload it all as one file. can i combine .ODS files into one file? Does anyone know? individually it is 30 .ODS files maybe can convert it to pdf format not sure though. I think i better go to tirrred to thinnkk well.

[pansophy]

you could .zip them, I guess ...

[nclarke]

If they are .ODS files produced by one of the Open office/LibreOffice software packages they can be exported as PDFs.

[Baron]

Eagerly awaiting the aforementioned files...

[Draconis13]

I too am interesting in seeing what you came up with. I would love to run Gamma World again with BRP but the biggest thing I need to work out is a better way of handling mutations. The gonzo aspect needs to be in there but with some sort of balance. the AD&D versions had tons of good mutations but had to balance them with a mutation factor so they could scale as levels increased. Not as much of a problem in BRP where you do not need to up damage to match a leveling scheme. However fleshing out a good mutations table to have the gonzo factor. while being relevant to the mechanics can be tough.

Been looking at the books and thinking of running with a minor major split of each mutation from the old book with some obvious tweaks. Some of the positive mutations have crippling drawbacks like energy absorption converts damage to HP but if you are at full HP then it backfires and you take even more damage. Fixing, omitting and adding to these takes a fair bit of time. Especially when you consider balancing them against each other as well as gear. Also I am still trying to implement a fair system generating mutations. Possibly a choice at chargen of say pick two good and one bad. With some options to be either more mutated and get more good and bad. Considering random mutations as they can be interesting and part of the gonzo factor, but can kill you in chargen. Maybe a hybrid system of being able to pick one and your other good and bad mutations are randomized? Also since mutant animal players are point buy gotta look at how the natural abilities and mutations overlap.

Away from chargen I am interested in seeing some different ideas regarding converting over Gamma World equipment to BRP. Most of the basic stuff like laser pistols and stuff is already easily done up. However some of the odder items especially the common ones like universal power cells take a bit of work. Especially as I borrowed heavily from the D20 Modern version and its heavy use of nanotech. Making for quite a field day statting up stuff like cans of Repair Goo or having livetech symbiotes.