Man... does anyone else here miss the 80's?
I mean for more than the over-the-top fashion and New Wave/Post-punk music. From a gamer's point of view, 80's media was chock full of inspiration. I was introduced to D&D in 1981, and I quickly discovered the other TSR boxed games shortly thereafter; most notably, Top Secret and Gamma World. These two games were perfect for the 80's: the Cold War saw to it that there was a plethora of media involving espionage and visions of post-apocalyptic futures. (Check out skankgame.com's "Cinema" section for a great run-down of some of the best - and worst - post-apocalyptic TV shows and movies.)
Sadly, although I indulged in a good number of Top Secret games, I never managed to pull off a Gamma World game back in the day. It wasn't until the mid-90's (early 2000's?) that I was able to get a Gamma World campaign off the ground. Whatever the reason, it didn't prevent me from spending a lot of quality time with the boxed set, or coming up with all kinds material for the game. (Or from wasting far too much time drooling over RAFM's Dragon magazine ad for their awesome post-apocalyptic miniatures. Anybody know how I can get my hands on "Pongo Gutbag on Litter of Doom"?? Or "Pinky the Eunuch"? I wish I'd picked them up when I had the chance. /sigh)
Anyway, in honor of one of my favorite games (reflecting one of my favorite movie/TV genres), here's a character sheet for first-edition Gamma World:
(If you'd like a version without the yellow background, you'll find one here.)
In the spirit of the genre, here are a few of my favorite lines from post-apocalyptic movies/TV shows:
"Daddy would have gotten us Uzis."
"Get a new president."
"That there is Cundalini... and Cundalini wants his hand back."
"Ariel! Ookla! Ride!"
"This was our first encounter with disco mutants. I was sure it wouldn't be our last."
I mean for more than the over-the-top fashion and New Wave/Post-punk music. From a gamer's point of view, 80's media was chock full of inspiration. I was introduced to D&D in 1981, and I quickly discovered the other TSR boxed games shortly thereafter; most notably, Top Secret and Gamma World. These two games were perfect for the 80's: the Cold War saw to it that there was a plethora of media involving espionage and visions of post-apocalyptic futures. (Check out skankgame.com's "Cinema" section for a great run-down of some of the best - and worst - post-apocalyptic TV shows and movies.)
Sadly, although I indulged in a good number of Top Secret games, I never managed to pull off a Gamma World game back in the day. It wasn't until the mid-90's (early 2000's?) that I was able to get a Gamma World campaign off the ground. Whatever the reason, it didn't prevent me from spending a lot of quality time with the boxed set, or coming up with all kinds material for the game. (Or from wasting far too much time drooling over RAFM's Dragon magazine ad for their awesome post-apocalyptic miniatures. Anybody know how I can get my hands on "Pongo Gutbag on Litter of Doom"?? Or "Pinky the Eunuch"? I wish I'd picked them up when I had the chance. /sigh)
Anyway, in honor of one of my favorite games (reflecting one of my favorite movie/TV genres), here's a character sheet for first-edition Gamma World:
(If you'd like a version without the yellow background, you'll find one here.)
In the spirit of the genre, here are a few of my favorite lines from post-apocalyptic movies/TV shows:
"Daddy would have gotten us Uzis."
"Get a new president."
"That there is Cundalini... and Cundalini wants his hand back."
"Ariel! Ookla! Ride!"
"This was our first encounter with disco mutants. I was sure it wouldn't be our last."
. . . . .
Nice job on the sheet! Gamma World remains one of my favourite games of all time. I even put it as number two on my list of games for RPG BLOG II's top 25 list.
ReplyDeleteGamma World is a favorite of mine too. I trust you've checked out Mutant Future?
ReplyDeleteOn the movie tip, have you seen 1990: Bronx Warriors? Escape from NY + Warriors - Kurt Russell + Fred Williamson! - Baseball Furies + a roller hockey gang + Vic Morrow + cops on horses vs. a girl with a bullwhip = well, less than the some of its parts but better than it has any right to be.
My childhood arc started with DnD, veered into some experimentation with "Top Secret" and "Gamma World", swerved into FGU's "Space Opera", and then into an insane blend of DnD, Arduin, and Gamma World played with heavily modified "Space Opera" rules.
ReplyDeleteGood times.
Yay! :D
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I've never played GW. Ever since it showed up in the conversion section of the 1e DMG I've wanted to but the opportunity never presented itself. I don't think I even knew of anyone in my area that played it, though there weren't a lot of gamers in Minnesota farm country.
ReplyDeleteI do plan to check out Mutant Future, though. I think my son will probably get a kick out of it. Probably go a bit gonzo with it.
It's good to see GW getting the love it deserves. :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't given Mutant Future more than a glance. Unlike D&D's retro-clones, which I'm interested in exploring, I have no interest in moving beyond GW for my mutant-infested post-apocalypse gaming. Not sure why that is...
@rpgcharacters: I'm avoiding that meme like the plague (as I tend to do with most internet memes), but I'd probably put it toward the low end of the top 10.
@Max: I don't know how I missed 1990: Bronx Warriors. I'll have to see if it's on NetFlix.
@Propnomicon: Sounds familiar: by the late 80's, I was playing a mish-mash of Top Secret, Chill, and Villains & Vigilantes. What a blast! :P
@Timeshadows: Yay! indeed. :)
@Lord Kilgore: I sympathize - my game group has been nearly stagnant for 20 years, give or take. There aren't many gamers in rural central NY either, it would appear. Good luck with your Mutant Future games though.
I love, love LOVE GW...right until someone pulls out the anthropoid rabbits and land sharks. I only wish it was a TAD more serious (not depressingly serious like Aftermath or the Morrow Project, just more than it is...).
ReplyDeleteThe last (and only) GW I ran was was 2E and was probably circa 1988. One mutant PC with a high Con found a double-barreled fusion rifle and started shooting himself with it to gain random mutations. The madness only stopped when he got “radiation immunity.”
*sigh*