tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post966536210210239163..comments2024-03-18T20:22:06.331-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Open Friday: Unfairly MalignedJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-58197841700395120502010-11-16T19:15:18.619-05:002010-11-16T19:15:18.619-05:00In my opinion, Legion of Gold is a forgotten maste...<i>In my opinion, Legion of Gold is a forgotten masterpiece.</i><br /><br>Perhaps unsurprisingly, <a href="http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2009/09/retrospective-legion-of-gold.html" rel="nofollow">I feel the same way</a>.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-49377167264580414862010-11-16T19:13:18.108-05:002010-11-16T19:13:18.108-05:00Would you say the same about Metamorphosis: Alpha?...<i>Would you say the same about Metamorphosis: Alpha?</i><br /><br>I'd say that MA isn't well known enough to be maligned, unfairly or otherwise. :)James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-14604621081548899922010-11-15T10:30:58.283-05:002010-11-15T10:30:58.283-05:00Spawn of Fashan. Say no more.
Wait, that WAS sup...Spawn of Fashan. Say no more.<br /><br />Wait, that WAS supposed to be a parody game.Red Siegfriedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07396119718334733333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-58227018749496008242010-11-13T21:59:31.946-05:002010-11-13T21:59:31.946-05:00I am another that viewed GW through the lens of No...I am another that viewed GW through the lens of Norton and Lanier. <br />A later book by A.A. Attanasio, <i>Radix</i> was also a huge influence. I highly recommend it.Aoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00145284080419502886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-80692889037211871002010-11-13T19:19:19.451-05:002010-11-13T19:19:19.451-05:00@Duglas: I have been running a 1E campaign through...@Duglas: I have been running a 1E campaign through Legion of Gold now for about a year and a half and it's a pretty grim and strange landscape. <br /><br />In my opinion, Legion of Gold is a forgotten masterpiece. If it was a D&D module rather than a Gamma World one, people would speak of it in the same breath as Keep on the Borderlands and Village of Hommlet. It still stands up well as a model of a sandbox campaign setting. Interestingly, it contains numerous small adventure sites developed in detail rather than a single mega-dungeon around which the action revolves. I've always had a fondness for that approach.Ian Mageehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06156995293439922576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-70239805497443089852010-11-13T17:18:57.042-05:002010-11-13T17:18:57.042-05:00I never thought of GW as a "wacky" setti...I never thought of GW as a "wacky" setting until TSR started doing treating it like a joke with products like GammaRauders.<br /><br />And I'll chime in on Tunnels & Trolls. It's rules system is actual a a step forward from OD&D and aside from it's spell names it takes its self just as seriously as OD&D.<br /><br />Bunnies & Burrows. Not actually a "joke" game at all. Is Watership Down a "joke" novel? The original rules had some interesting points (like the circle of professions) and, for an FGU game, were quite straight forward and playable.Captain Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10682678777940123469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-80198490712724455102010-11-13T13:32:19.681-05:002010-11-13T13:32:19.681-05:00@Ian: Yup, the believe Heiro's Journey and The...@Ian: Yup, the believe <i>Heiro's Journey</i> and <i>The Unforsaken Hiero</i> are big influences on Gamma World in general.<br /><br />I have been running a 1E campaign through <i>Legion of Gold</i> now for about a year and a half and it's a pretty grim and strange landscape. Naturally, as the GM I set the tone, but I find the basic rule system is pretty ruthless and the PC's are constantly struggling just to survive the wildlands. There is a steady supply of black humor that runs around the table as another PC succumbs to an awful death, but I would say that is more of a natural outgrowth of friends hanging out playing a RPG than something designed into the rules of Gamma World.<br /><br />By the way, anyone interested in a fine novel for mining a cool Gamma World atmosphere should check out <i>Roadside Picnic</i> by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky. (I have actually only just started, but so far it is diamonds!)Duglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04952607750940479779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-89866717041047490152010-11-13T10:42:55.290-05:002010-11-13T10:42:55.290-05:00"I never bought into the idea that Gamma Worl..."I never bought into the idea that Gamma World was inherently wacky either. I was a big fan of Sterling Lanier's Heiro's Journey and tended to see it through the lens of that novel. I'd be interested to know if anybody else's approach to the game was strongly influenced by that novel."<br /><br />This is also where I am in terms of Gamma World. I'll also add Andre Norton's Daybreak: 2250 AD! as a major influence in my own perception of GW. I've never seen it as 'wacky' til Omega World was written in Dragon a few years ago.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589694058092631937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-14802560676651060332010-11-13T07:16:03.205-05:002010-11-13T07:16:03.205-05:00I think the humorous tone of Gamma World is much l...I think the humorous tone of <i>Gamma World</i> is much like "whistling past the graveyard". With the fear of nuclear war still palpable in the 80's, the giant mutant chickens were a much-needed tonic to relieve the grim implications of the post-nuke setting.<br /><br />Of course, the Trampier drawings in the original edition rulebook went a long way towards setting this tone. He channeled Albrecht Dürer for his AD&D work, and R. Crumb for his <i>Gamma World</i> illustrations.Scallop Skulled Skaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09614954870582728737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-74092603574266555202010-11-13T01:47:14.255-05:002010-11-13T01:47:14.255-05:00I have to agree with previous posters, Rolemaster ...I have to agree with previous posters, Rolemaster and Hero are not nearly as complicated as people make them out to be.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05594635292910791200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-39541147019072021712010-11-13T00:24:28.244-05:002010-11-13T00:24:28.244-05:00I never bought into the idea that Gamma World was ...I never bought into the idea that Gamma World was inherently wacky either. I was a big fan of Sterling Lanier's Heiro's Journey and tended to see it through the lens of that novel. I'd be interested to know if anybody else's approach to the game was strongly influenced by that novel. Of course, my approach to post-apocalyptic roleplaying was also informed by more serious works like Walter M. Miller's "A Canticle for Leibowitz", George R. Stewart's "Earth Abides", and John Wyndam's "The Crysalids". Heck...movies such as 'Logan's Run' and 'The Planet of the Apes' also influenced my own take on Gamma World back in the day.Ian Mageehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06156995293439922576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-38088038285107537642010-11-12T19:47:37.070-05:002010-11-12T19:47:37.070-05:00How can goofy be a bad thing? I'm a big fan o...How can goofy be a bad thing? I'm a big fan of Tunnels & Trolls, and I think that it's maligned because of it's humor. But that's what I like most about T&T!<br /><br />Who criticizes Terry Pratchet for not being serious?Chad Thorsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15084711824869449643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-62327759895640212342010-11-12T19:08:00.916-05:002010-11-12T19:08:00.916-05:00@roger the GS:
Actually, that sounds like an inte...@roger the GS:<br /><br />Actually, that sounds like an interesting project...hmmm, I think my Saturday just got a bit fuller.Taketoshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17876641059472816784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-21280549775862483912010-11-12T19:03:47.809-05:002010-11-12T19:03:47.809-05:00Yes, Rolemaster is "simple basic system, comp...Yes, Rolemaster is "simple basic system, complicated as hell add-ons." But so is 3e D&D.<br /><br />3e back-engineered to the simplicity of a retro-clone would really appeal to me.Roger G-Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08594440701279968693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-21490784373301055652010-11-12T17:40:59.777-05:002010-11-12T17:40:59.777-05:00Gamma World was never considered wacky in my neck ...Gamma World was never considered wacky in my neck of the woods. Paranoia is funny, but only in the way that laughs at how continually messed up the world is, and how doomed you are.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-32179657290952849052010-11-12T15:50:31.503-05:002010-11-12T15:50:31.503-05:00GURPS has a really bad reputation around here. Mos...GURPS has a really bad reputation around here. Most gamers I know seem to think that Trigonometry and Calculus are intregal parts of GURPS, no matter what I do to try to get them to give GURPS a shot. Honestly I do not know where GURPS gets this reputation. It might be more complex then say BX, but when compared to most RPGs I'd say GURPS is down right simplistic.BlUsKrEEmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05050270487818381832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-61943508981047670092010-11-12T15:10:49.211-05:002010-11-12T15:10:49.211-05:00Paranoia. At least, Paranoia as intended by the o...Paranoia. At least, Paranoia as intended by the original designers, if not Paranoia as written. Unlike Jim Ward, in the later editions they got the chance to explicitly identify different styles of play to show that playing with Warner Brother's style wackiness was only <a href="http://forum.rpg.net/showpost.php?p=10620759&postcount=23" rel="nofollow">one choice among many</a>. And not necessarily the one <a href="http://forum.rpg.net/showpost.php?p=3627058&postcount=4" rel="nofollow">the designers intended</a>.PCBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03645647030605683608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-52111985504283628452010-11-12T14:58:43.726-05:002010-11-12T14:58:43.726-05:00Would you say the same about Metamorphosis: Alpha?...Would you say the same about Metamorphosis: Alpha?Greyhawk Grognardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13929743865700766901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-54019685497869236232010-11-12T14:55:29.795-05:002010-11-12T14:55:29.795-05:00We always played our Gamma World seriously, so nev...We always played our <i>Gamma World</i> seriously, so never ever thought of it as wacky or gonzo. Even with the mutant powers.<br /><br />Almost any FGU game (except <i>Villians & Vigilantes</i>) for being overly complex (although Lee Gold's <i>Lands of Adventure</i> probably wins the acronym soup and equation excellence awards). However this is mostly because of the wargaming heritage these early games shared. It was just more familiar to write rules in that manner. And it definitely made it easier to locate specific rules.<br /><br />To which can be added <i>Rolemaster</i>, at least in it's first edition, due to the profusion of expansions. Mostly because it was easy to call it "rollmaster" methinks. [Later editions started to integrate everything, but the early stuff was <i>Arms Law</i> looking for a game system of its own.]<br /><br />The various <i>Phoenix Command</i> games (including <i>Dracula</i>) also fit the mould for excessive detail, but were playable if you "ignored" the combat system.<br /><br /><i>Tunnels & Trolls</i> was unjustly considered unworthy of serious play. Probably because of the silly spell names like "Take That You Fiend."<br /><br />For some reason most "furry" RPGs are initially met with great disdain by the regular gaming community. Personally, <i>Furry Pirates</i>, <i>Ironclaw</i>,* <i>Lace & Steel</i>, and <i>Albedo</i> are all excellent game systems (whether or not you use them for anthropomorphic games). <br /><br />In reverse, <i>Once Upon A Time In The West</i> must be mentioned. It's my favourite Western RPG. Pity it was actually written as a set of tabletop wargaming rules. The conversion was trivial, and the later supplement codified it, with the author commenting that he never meant for that to happen, nut if it made people swap their +1 swords for a Colt Peacemaker...<br /><br />[* The original. The second edition did for the game what 4th Ed did to D&D. Which speaking of unfairly maligned... (at least if you consider it on its own merits rather than the inheritor of a previous legacy).]Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-7623199864131270712010-11-12T14:32:13.154-05:002010-11-12T14:32:13.154-05:00Unfortunately I can identify with the idea that Ga...Unfortunately I can identify with the idea that Gamma World is a humorous RPG - one of my favorite characters was a two-headed mutant chicken names Cluck - and that was about as serious as it got. I think part of the problem we had with the setting is that the post-apocalyptic future was set wayyyy to far into the future. It was hard to imagine the Gamma World setting as a gritty, Mad Max or 80s nuclear war Day After Tomorrow scenario. When our group wanted some serious, gritty 20-minutes into the future post-apocalyptic role-playing we'd turn to TW:2000 or Car Wars (not much of an RPG despite attempts to make it so, but the setting is appropriate).HgManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02841404043556836460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-68906668248833994702010-11-12T13:32:47.766-05:002010-11-12T13:32:47.766-05:001st Ed Gamma World is the best. But truthfully, I...1st Ed Gamma World is the best. But truthfully, I always thought they should of emphasize more the dangers of mutations then making them a "must have" ability for every PC, so I reworked the tables where if you survived any exposure to radiation you would probably end up horribly mutated or turned into some creature( just like in a 50's sci-fi/horror films).crowkinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03066821931343968827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-66183618791176930532010-11-12T12:05:59.997-05:002010-11-12T12:05:59.997-05:00Call of Cthulhu doesn't always end in the grue...<i>Call of Cthulhu</i> doesn't always end in the gruesome demise of your character. Nor is it a game where failing an investigation roll breaks the adventure.<br /><br />In direct opposition to <i>Gamma World</i>, <i>WFRP</i> is, in fact, supposed to be funny.thekelvingreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01928260185408072124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-89554294982567950432010-11-12T11:39:31.036-05:002010-11-12T11:39:31.036-05:00I'd say Tunnels and Trolls, Warhammer Fantasy ...I'd say Tunnels and Trolls, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and Call of Cthulhu. T&T isn't nearly the joke game it's made out to be (or, at least, it doesn't have to be played that way). While WFRP is set in a "grim and gritty world" (at least in 1E and 2E), it's not a setting in which one's character is likely to get raped. (Yes, I met someone who actually believed that.) And CoC, because the "go insane and die" bit is overdone by its detractors.<br /><br />Oh, one other. Hero System, which does have a steep learning curve, but isn't nearly as complicated as it's reputed to be.Anthonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01254215329246851683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-60388257286792639082010-11-12T11:29:41.465-05:002010-11-12T11:29:41.465-05:00Another vote for Tunnels & Trolls.
As for Gam...Another vote for Tunnels & Trolls.<br /><br />As for Gamma World, I think the 1st Edition was more gritty then the later ones. At least,that's my perception.Tenkarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05159289652051155824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-49990489215142389812010-11-12T11:16:28.508-05:002010-11-12T11:16:28.508-05:00Ingmar said...
Call of Cthulhu sessions don't...<i>Ingmar said... <br />Call of Cthulhu sessions don't HAVE to end in insanity and death.</i><br />But half the fun and giggles is getting there! ;)<br /><br />I GM'd my Gamma World campaign in a serious light. It actually made a cool alternate future to my Marvel Super Heroes games. <br /><br />I've been tempted to try out the new one, but I'm afraid it would disappoint me. <br /><br />Ciao!<br />GWAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com