Post-apocalyptic PNP fun

Kreegle · Post by **Kreegle** » Thu Nov 21, 2002 6:11 am

[ -> N/A]

Looky at what we have here... post-apocalyptic pen-and-paper goodness! Sounds so much like Fallout it's not funny - check this out:<blockquote>ATLANTA, GA, Nov 13, 2002 ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Sword & Sorcery Studios is pleased to announce that it has acquired the rights from Wizards of the Coast, Inc. to publish a new edition of the famous Gamma World sci-fi campaign setting.

Gamma World was one of the very first roleplaying games with a science-fiction setting. It remains popular even today, years after the last edition came out. This fresh new launch, beginning with the Gamma World PlayerÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s Handbook, will keep the high-adventure style while updating the setting concept. The game will be designed for complete compatibility with the popular d20 rules system created and published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Gamma World takes place centuries after the Final Wars destroyed civilization as we know it. The world is overrun by mutants, monsters, still-functioning super-weapons with minds of their own and many other threats. The player-characters must apply their wits, courage and whatever powers and tools they can muster to survive, protect their tribe and begin the long climb back toward civilization.</blockquote>Sounds so familiar... oooh.

If you're intrigued, you can read more of the press release <a href="http://www.swordsorcery.com/swordsorcer ... World.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Cheers <a href="http://fallout.scifi.pl/index_eng.php" target="_blank">Ausir!</a>

Spazmo · Post by **Spazmo** » Thu Nov 21, 2002 7:41 am

Cool beans. Of course, if I really wanted a PnP Fallout experience, I would just go to the totally free one that's actually Fallout.

Ausir · Post by **Ausir** » Thu Nov 21, 2002 8:12 am

There's also another post-nuclear PnP game - Neuroshima (http://neuroshima.valkiria.net), which, according to its makers is very much inspired by Fallout, and is scheduled to be released next month. Unfortunately it's only in Polish, but here's a quote from it:

"Mexico didn't change much after the war. Nobody bothered to target it. It's still inhabited by big bad paprica-eating motherfuckers. "

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Nov 21, 2002 11:03 am

Kreegle wrote:Looky at what we have here... post-apocalyptic pen-and-paper goodness! Sounds so much like Fallout it's not funny - check this out:

I thought it was the other way around? Wasteland (and later Fallout) was a blatant ripoff of Gamma World.

Spazmo wrote:Of course, if I really wanted a PnP Fallout experience, I would just go to the totally free one that's actually Fallout.

I would like to see a balanced, consistent, professionally made, *properly licensed* Fallout game in hardback... no offense meant by this to the creators of the Kinkos-ware game of course.

OnTheBounce · Post by **OnTheBounce** » Thu Nov 21, 2002 11:09 am

Anonymous wrote:I thought it was the other way around? Wasteland (and later Fallout) was a blatant ripoff of Gamma World.

Have you ever played Gamma World? It looks as though you haven't since GW's only real similarity to FO is the fact that both take place after a devastating nuclear war and both feature retro-tech. (Now if we can just get the designers to include a Bubblecar in FO3...) GW's system of magic-like mutations puts it closer to the Swords and Sorcery genre than SF.

OTB

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Nov 22, 2002 3:09 am

Turn your statement around and ask it about Kreegle's comments on the press release. Has he ever played Fallout? It looks as though he hasn't since Fallout's only real similarity to GW is the fact that both take place after a devastating nuclear war and both feature retro-tech. Fallout's magic healing powders, weapon power-ups, and mutated cows & bugs put it closer to sci-fi than sci-fantasy. :roll:

I've played Fallout. I have also played Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World in various incarnations for 20+ years. Giant mutated bugs, raider gangs, secret societies of technology/mutant/radiation worshippers, talking animals*, scarce supplies of ammo, unreliable artifacts, insane robots cut off from their original orders... these are all just window dressing, of course.

Yeah, it actually is pretty hard to imagine Dragonplay (Black Isle) would be influenced by Jim Ward (creator of GW, and worked with Dragonplay on the goldbox games). You're probably right - the creators of Wasteland never played a single game of GW. The people at Black Isle, being big PnP gamers, never once set eyes on the most popular post-apoc RPG.

Oh wait, the very premise from FO1 is straight out of Metamorphosis Alpha - a group of survivors, cut of from the world (ship), must send out adventurers into the wilderness. There they must deal with icky mutants, tribals and radiation to find technology necessary to survive.

If you take offense to the term ripoff, I'm sorry. Perhaps homage would be a better word. Either way, talking about all this has made me want to play both again...

* oops, the talking raccoons were cut from FO1, must've been too obvious

Saint_Proverbius · Post by **Saint_Proverbius** » Fri Nov 22, 2002 6:16 am

Guest wrote:Turn your statement around and ask it about Kreegle's comments on the press release. Has he ever played Fallout? It looks as though he hasn't since Fallout's only real similarity to GW is the fact that both take place after a devastating nuclear war and both feature retro-tech.

Rats.. I was hoping to be the first one to rip on Kreegle for not knowing what Gamma World is.

Gamma World also has a hell of a lot more technology than Fallout did, and it's not exactly retro-tech either - not in the sense of Fallout's retro-tech, at least. It does feature mental like magic as well, which OtB pointed out.

I've played Fallout. I have also played Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World in various incarnations for 20+ years. Giant mutated bugs,

Which is a common theme in nuclear based sci-fi. If it didn't have those giant bugs, then they're probably shooting for more realism than anything else.

raider gangs,

Common theme in post apocalyptic settings. I don't think you can have a Post Apoc setting without raiders.

secret societies of technology/mutant/radiation worshippers,

Cults are common themes in just about everything. That's the nice thing about them, you can use them anywhere!

talking animals*,

Bad idea in general.

scarce supplies of ammo,

Which Fallout definitely didn't do, and I think it was good that Fallout didn't do it.

However, I really wouldn't claim that Gamma World was low on ammo either or technology, judging by the source books I read in the 1980s.

unreliable artifacts,

This is a cool idea that Fallout could have used more.

insane robots cut off from their original orders... these are all just window dressing, of course.

Insane robots wouldn't have fit well in Fallout, I don't think. Robots were fairly basic. Then again, Gamma World was much more advanced than Fallout's universe was prior to the BOOM.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Nov 22, 2002 8:20 am

Robots didnt work in the fallout universe period. It was a stupid additon.

Red · Post by **Red** » Fri Nov 22, 2002 8:36 am

The brainbot fit quite well, as well as Mr Handy.

The mech-like thing though is another story. Of course I won't even touch FO:T's robotic additions.

Barfly · Post by **Barfly** » Fri Nov 22, 2002 8:53 am

did the bots' in fo:t realy fit the Fallout universe?

Kreegle · Post by **Kreegle** » Fri Nov 22, 2002 1:33 pm

Anonymous wrote:Turn your statement around and ask it about Kreegle's comments on the press release. Has he ever played Fallout? It looks as though he hasn't since Fallout's only real similarity to GW is the fact that both take place after a devastating nuclear war and both feature retro-tech.

Oh, is that so?

Gamma World takes place centuries after the Final Wars destroyed civilization as we know it. The world is overrun by mutants, monsters, still-functioning super-weapons with minds of their own and many other threats. The player-characters must apply their wits, courage and whatever powers and tools they can muster to survive, protect their tribe and begin the long climb back toward civilization.

Well, well.. fuck me if that doesn't sound similar to Fallout! Post-apocalyptic world, mutants, primitive tribes... golly.

Saint_Proverbius wrote:Rats.. I was hoping to be the first one to rip on Kreegle for not knowing what Gamma World is.

No, I've never played any pen and paper games, nor do I know anything about them. Excuse ME if the press release - directed at pnp newbies like me - doesn't give the impression that the game sounds similar to Fallout.

Ausir · Post by **Ausir** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 6:17 am

Don't forget that robots were also the main enemy in Fallout predecessor - Wasteland.

Barfly · Post by **Barfly** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 7:36 am

no way..thought the Guardians...sum sort of holy group was yor main enemy

Ausir · Post by **Ausir** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 8:44 am

No, they're just a minor one.

Shadow · Post by **Shadow** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 10:00 am

I was introduced to the actual game Fallout while going to a search engine. I looked up "Wasteland Game" and while I did indeed find Wasteland, I also saw something about a game called "Fallout". I looked at the link(it was a preview from some on-line gaming magazine), read about the game and immediately took great interest in it. Wasteland seems to have influenced many games.

Saint_Proverbius · Post by **Saint_Proverbius** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 1:37 pm

Kreegle wrote:No, I've never played any pen and paper games, nor do I know anything about them. Excuse ME if the press release - directed at pnp newbies like me - doesn't give the impression that the game sounds similar to Fallout.

n00b!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 4:14 pm

I'm a dipshit. I got SSI's goldbox group and Dragonplay/Black Isle mixed up (hey, there's a novelty - someone having identity problems with BI). I guess there is no Jim Ward - Interplay connection. Ah well, it sounded good, so what do the facts matter?

Mr. Anonymous · Post by **Mr. Anonymous** » Mon Nov 25, 2002 11:59 pm

Just for Kreegle and any other noobs.

Back in the good old days their basically only two PnP franchises, AD+D and Traveller. Now AD+D of course came from a set of miniture rules called Chainmail, in case any of you ever wondered why D+D was so hack-n-slash centric.

Now sometime in the late 70's the mostly unknown game "Metamorphis Alpha" was made. The premise was a massive colony ship that has had an accident killing the crew, going off course and being exposed to radiation. Generations have now passed and the colonists descendants no longer realise their on a spaceship and each "pod" has developed its own tribal culture. Of course the whole thing is complete with mutants, robots and figuring out high-tech gadgets.

Now in the early-mid 80's TSR hit its "Golden Age" so to speak. And started pumping a bunch of non-D+D rpgs like Top Secret, Gangbusters, Boot Hill, Dawn of Aces, Star Frontiers and of course Gamma World.

Gamma World was basically Metamorphis Alpha reworked and set on Earth after a nuclear apoclypse. Still the basically the same premise, you start out as an ignorant tribal possibly with mutant powers. You go out and explore the world discovering all those nice little gadgets that helped destroy it in the first place. Anyone remember the flowchart of death? I think it ran for 3 editions before TSR killed themselves with the "Complete Book of Over-Merchandising" series.

Seems it even had a few competitors like Fantasy Games Unlimited's Aftermath and other games that escape my memory.

So in closing considering the similiarity of Fallout to MA/GW I'd say its pretty obvious the BI guys must have played them at some point.

Kreegle · Post by **Kreegle** » Wed Nov 27, 2002 10:27 pm

Cheers Mr. Anonymous, that was actually pretty interesting. If I had the time, or knew anyone who gave a shit (my mates aren't really interested in anything like that at all), I'd be keen to learn how to play something like that

Saint_Proverbius · Post by **Saint_Proverbius** » Thu Nov 28, 2002 2:33 am

Mr. Anonymous wrote:So in closing considering the similiarity of Fallout to MA/GW I'd say its pretty obvious the BI guys must have played them at some point.

Except that Black Isle didn't exist until 1998, a year after Fallout shipped and most of the Fallout developers left Interplay.

Fallout != Black Isle Game

Fallout 2 was their first title.

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