Gamma World: Rolling Up A Radioactive Android

Characters in the new Gamma World RPG can perish in any number of ways, so I decided to prep a back-up character for my Mind-Coercer/Telekinetic in the event of his untimely demise.

I thought it might be fun to "live-blog" part of chargen session right here. So far, I rolled 2 D20's on the Character Origin Table on pg. 34 of the GW rulebook and got:

1 = Android

Ok, so the character will be some kind of robot/android type; I can work with that.

On the second D20 I got:

15 = Radioactive

Cool! I can totally live with this, and I had a great model in mind from my reserve of pre-painted Mage Knight and Heroclix stuff. Once I determined these two key aspects, I busted out the model and did a quick re-paint. The base was a Heroclix Tharok, one of the coolest super-villains from one of most kickass villain teams in all of comics, the Fatal Five.

Here's how the figure turned out:









After re-basing him I just did some basic touch-ups and hit him with a mix of Badab Black and Devlan Mud inks, mixed with a bit of white glue. He really is a great figure. Do not overlook 'Clix when seeking minis for gaming.

So, according to the rules, an Android's primary Ability score in Intelligence, so I get to assign an "18" to that. So he's got a computer-like brain that should serve him well in the game. Next, being Radioactive means he's tough, so he gets to put a "16" in Constitution. Now I have to roll 3D6 for the other 4 Ability scores, and I will do that right now.

Dexterity = 6 + 6+ 5 = 17

Holy crap! This guy is on his way to being a super-man!

Strength = 5 + 5+ 1 = 11

Ok, so he is obviously not a model designed for physical combat--at least he is not totally feeble!

Wisdom = 2 + 2 + 2 = 6

Ugggh! His circuits must all be geared toward pure logic, or perhaps the lack of maintenance since the apocalypse has left some internal damage and caused him to miss obvious external stimuli--"A large carnivorous ape? Where? Oh, that large carnivorous ape!"

Charisma = 4 + 4 + 3 = 11

Well, at least he is fairly likable, or at least, unremarkable. So here's the final "score" on the Ability scores:

Strength 11
Dexterity 17
Constitution 16
Intelligence 18
Wisdom 6
Charisma 11

That's a nice, interesting spread of ability scores that I can more than live with.

I'll roll up his random gear and other stuff at the session tomorrow morning. He'll be a nice backup should my current PC bite the big one!

--Scott

Gamma World Again!

Well, having played Gamma World, we've found out we really like Gamma World! It possesses a beer and pretzels quality that really lends itself to easy, fun, and gonzo role-play. After playing one session, my buddy Rico decided to run a game of his own on Sunday mornings at Phantom.

Sunday morning? Well, the easy leveling and quick play lends itself to short, 1 - 3 encounter "episodes". This will hopefully work well in a Sunday morning, 90 minute time slot prior to the shop opening. Of course, I had to make another character for this new game, and making GW characters is almost as fun as making Traveller characters (for totally different reasons).

This time I rolled a Mind-Breaking Gravity Controller.

For the model, I used one of Blue Moon's Alien Supreme Commanders which I think would make an ideal set for any Gamma World GM.








Above is a comp shot of him with my first GW character--both sculpted by the incomparable Bob Naismith.

--Scott

Dark Sun Update: TPK!!!

In finishing up Marauders of the Dune Sea, a published adventure from Wizards, I oversaw the first TPK (total party kill) of my GM/DM career. I certainly did not set out to gakk the party, but a convergence of circumstances led to their ultimate doom:

• They were a 4-man party instead of the standard 5-man group.
• They had 2 strikers instead of a striker and a defender.
• They were unlucky.
• I mis-interpreted a monster power and made a creature too potent for 1 or 2 turns until I caught it.
• We're all still learning the rules.

I think everyone still had fun, and we will likely take a break from DS and make new characters when we decide to pick it up again.

In the meantime, my buddy Rico is setting up to run D&D Essentials, and we also rolled up characters for Lou's Gamma World game (that was a blast--I highly recommend getting that boxed set ).

I rolled up a Telekinetic Empath with the ability to briefly shift into a pure light form. I'll be using this model from vast repository of painted minis. He'll be ideal for post-apoc action.

That's all for now. Later this week, more painted Dark Eldar!

--Scott