   Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 19:00:19 -0400
   From: Reginald Blue <rvb@trsvr.tr.unisys.com>
Subject: RE: [gworld] New GW site: Impressions of GW over time...

Only some minor additions to Craig's good article, from GW's predecessor
and its descendant.

----------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

   From: 	Craig Huber[SMTP:cshuber@primenet.com]
   Sent: 	Thursday, May 29, 1997 9:04 AM
Subject: 	Re: [gworld] New GW site: Impressions of GW over time...

<pift>

(My comments, for what they are worth)

To tell the truth, I liked each incarnation for a different reason:

-- Metamorphosis Alpha had a gritty feel (as well) that definitely
reflected the dog-eat-dog world.  Also, the main premise was different in
that it occurred not on Earth but on a space ship called the Warden (now
there's a trivia question for you...)  The Warden was a colony ship (it is
BIG...as in 30 Miles long, multiple levels, etc.) that was affected by a
radiation storm.  You can guess the rest.  (This borders on mechanics
but...)  Some other interesting changes were that the weapons were ALOT
less that GW, the Androids were completely servile, only Pure Strains could
lead parties, Pure Strains COULD gain mutations (thus becoming Altered
Humans), only Pure Strains could converse with the Ship's computer.  There
was definitely a feel of "it doesn't matter what the PC's do in the long
run" by one comment of "The vessel traveled on past its assigned planet
with its safety systems preventing the ship's destruction by crashing into
a planet or burning up in the sun.  It is only a matter of time until even
those almost perfect systems fail and the starship dies."  Also, and this I
found the most interesting, was the sample role playing session in the
book.  (Many of the first games from TSR had a sample like this.)  The
sample shows the GM killing a PC pretty much with no way the PC could have
avoided it.  Very disturbing in my mind.

+ First Edition had a gritty feel that I liked, the black and white look
with the hex grid for a back cover, basic typewritten layout: that's the
feel I've always tried to bring to the campaign.

+ Second Edition went a long ways towards making the game actually
_playable_.  The mechanics were better defined and presented, and the
game had a gleaming sci-fi feel: which has since been done to death in
cyber-punk.  A glaring omission in my opinion, given the "cyber-chrome"
tactic, were the lack of rules for cybernetic enhancements.  If GW had
went that direction in 1983, where would TSR be today?

+ Third Edition was the most frustrating for me.  More rules for mutated
animal genotypes, ratings for mutation potency: _by mutation_ , effects
of various types of damage, optional skills and talents, even some
rudimentary cybernetics guidelines in GW10-Epsilon Cyborgs... and the
color bar system from Marvel Superheroes. Ouch.  The game had the
superheroic feel, too: great art, glitzy layout, less concern for
scientific validity.  Much of what I had always wanted to see: all mixed
up, nearly inextricably, with the color bars.  Oh well.

+ Fourth Edition made the transition from super-science back to
weird-science: of all the logos, I liked this one best (with the
entwined eyeball plant: they should have kept the metallic letters,
though.)  Somewhat grittier feel to the art and layout, which I also
liked.  Great detail for mutated animal and plant genotypes, and the
return to more traditional task resolution mechanics was nice.  However,
a change I personally liked less was the introduction of D&D's
class/level system, and profession-based skills (or
profession-restricted, depending upon your viewpoint).

-- Metamorphosis Alpha to Omega:  (my recollection on this isn't as
good...so...)  The rules aside, the flavor of this game is almost identical
to 4th edition GW, EXCEPT that the premise is different.  MAtoO has the
same premise that Metamorphosis Alpha had, in that the players are on a
ship.  About the only interesting thing that was different from either GW
or MA was the fact that they suggested letting the PC's DISCOVER they are
on a ship instead of knowing it from the start.  Very intriguing...I almost
wish I could have played a game without that knowledge...I'd love my own
reaction of "I look out the window and I see WHAT?!?!"  :-)  Otherwise,
however, the tone and Genre pretty much mimic GW 4th edition.  This is due
mainly (by the way) to the fact that it was originally intended as a module
(probably actually a supplement would be a better term) for GW 4th edition.

<pift>

Reggie

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   Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 23:49:32 +0100
   From: James <James@jpb-s.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: [gworld] New GW site: Impressions of GW over time...

Hello Craig,

Thanks for your comments, its just the kind of thing
I was looking for. They'll find their way up to my web pages
when I next update it.

However I do have a couple of further queries you might
be able to help with.

Was GW always a mutated animal/plant setting?
Were there always the Cryptic Alliances?

Where does the Starship Warden/Metamorphosis Alpha
 fit in? I know it eventually turned up as an Amazing Engine
supplement, but was it not also a game that preceded GW?

BTW, if you feel the let down by the 4th ed skill system
(who doesn't?), I really to encourage you to try Kerry's
AD&D ported skill system. It is really easy to incorporate
and it makes a big difference.

Regards,

--- James ---

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   Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 18:15:53 -0400
   From: Reginald Blue <rvb@trsvr.tr.unisys.com>
Subject: [gworld] Espers, a new concept...

Gang,

	I've been struggling with Espers now since the introduction of 4th ed.
 Basically, when you really look at them, no one should want to play them.
 They have the lowest (IMHO) survivability ratio of any of the character
classes.

	I think, however, I have an idea.  Someone said something to me (on the
list?) and it got me thinking:  Espers are like wizards...except the 
progression is wrong.  In other words, they behave at 1st level like 1st 
level wizards.  They have (usually) lousy hit points, a modicum of minorly 
useful skills, can't hit the broad side of a barn, AND they have a few 
(theoretically) cool tricks up their sleeves in terms of some base mental 
mutations.

	The problem is they never really advance beyond this.  (By the way, my 
view on this requires levels for the characters.  Several of you don't use
them, so this isn't for you, I'm sure.)  At 20th level (and I've done this) 
an Esper is just about as useless as he is at 1st level, UNLESS he has some 
very nice mutations (and even then, it's not as dramatic as an Examiner or 
an Enforcer).  Which means most of the PC Espers are a waste of paper.

	It all came together, however, when I was reading the first Heiro book 
(Heiro's Journey?).  It had a comment in their about "Psionics"  (they 
called it something else) and it said (paraphrased) "Psionics advances not 
linearly but exponentially".  My idea isn't QUITE that powerful, but it 
DOES raise the stakes a bit.

	In short, I'm trying to add powers that are somewhere between spells and 
psionics to the character class (Note:  I just read Craig Huber's article, 
and HONEST, I was thinking of this before you posted!  :-).  Therefore, I'm 
thinking of a progression like:

Char				Mental Power Circle
Level	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1
2	1
3	2
4	2	1
5	2	2
6	2	2	1
7	2	2	2
8	2	2	2	1
9	3	2	2	2
10	3	2	2	2	1
11	3	3	2	2	2
12	3	3	2	2	2	1
13	4	3	3	2	2	2
14	4	3	3	2	2	2	1
15	4	4	3	3	2	2	2
16	4	4	3	3	2	2	2	1
17	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	2
18	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	2	1
19	5	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	2
20	5	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	2

And I'm thinking that the powers are on an activation system (they don't 
always work), and that it look like the attack system.  I'm thinking that 
the character has a score for each circle (not each power...that would be 
tedious), and that the score would be added to a d20 roll vs. something. 
 Perhaps base 10, with possible modifiers, or perhaps versus mental defense 
of his opponent.  The character's base score (at 2nd level for 1st circle)
would be his Mental Strength modifier plus 2.  He would then go up a point
every level.  But each circle is -2 from this score (i.e. at 20th, the
average character (no MS mod) would be +20 for first circle +2 for 9th
circle).

Now this is all well and good, but my big problem is: What should these
powers be?  I know for certain that I want them to be about the power level
of D&D wizard spells of appropriate level, BUT I don't want them to be
wizard spells per se.  I want them to have a more Psionic flavor (some
wizard spells do have this, some don't).  I'm working with one of my
Players to define his first power (he just made 2nd), and he was thinking
something like the Sleep spell.  I pointed out that it wouldn't be very
useful, as most things have WAY more than 4 Hit Dice in GW, and then we
couldn't come to an agreement, but we were in the middle of the game at the
time and I didn't want to waste the other players time...

So...comments?  Suggestions?  Criticisms?  Greatest idea ever?  Stupidest
idea ever?  I want to hear it all!  And any ideas for "powers" I'd like to
hear too!  I'll likely be writing this up (starting with this mail message
as the base...) so I can send it to people if they want as well (as draft
version's I suppose).

Reggie
