War. War Never Changes.

Just as Wizards put an end to one RPG line with last week’s announcement that they wouldn’t renew their Star Wars license, they have announced that they will be reviving Gamma World. Gamma World, if you need a brief introduction, is an old TSR property from before my time that is set in a nuclear war ravaged Earth. It shared some similar rules to D&D, and it will follow that tradition by basing its new rules on 4E.

In my well-read research of Gamma World (thanks Wikipedia!), I’ve learned that referring to it as Gamma World 4E is a misnomer, since this will be its seventh reprinting. Seven is a lucky number, so I’m excited to check it out. More accurately, I’m excited because I’ve been in the mood for some post-apocalyptic adventuring after seeing Denzel kick ass in “Book of Eli.”

Wizards is releasing the game in a box containing: the rulebook, an adventure, two sheets of character and monster tokens, maps, cardstock character sheets, power cards, and a couple decks of mutation cards. That’s a lot of game for forty dollars, and I’m a huge proponent of tokens vs minis. They might not be as fancy, but they are more affordable and get the job done. I personally feel that any RPG requiring minis is required to provide tokens for the casual players. What seems to be causing much murmuring about the internet is how Wizards plans on distributing those aforementioned mutation cards. The rumor is that these will be provided in randomized CCG style booster packs, which would make it very difficult to get exactly the mutation you want. That would be terrible in most RPGs, but it makes sense in what I’ve read about Gamma World. One of the key features of the old game was a random mutation table with “non-negotiable” results, so it fits within the setting. I imagine the base game will have enough packed in that the booster packs would be discretionary for the GM. It may seem like a cheap money grab, but I don’t think their existence hurts the game.

Filling a box with a full RPG experience is the big trend in RPGs lately, and I’m all for it. Games like Dr. Who: Adventures in Time and Space and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay look much friendlier on a shelf than rows of D&D books. With the miniatures focused gameplay that 4E has propagated, roleplaying is more expensive than it’s ever been. Having a full game in a $40 to $100 dollar package is much more approachable for a variety of gamers. With Dr. Who and Warhammer looking like the antidote to a stack of Player’s Handbooks, I’m surprised to see Wizards following the model.

That isn’t saying that Wizards is going to publish one box and be done with it. They already have two “expansion kits” planned. Legion of Gold and Famine in Far-Go will be sold in their own boxes as 160 page adventure books with maps and monster counters for $30. They are heavily marketing Gamma World under the Dungeons and Dragons banner, and to fall in line with that, all of the monsters will be compatible with fourth edition D&D.

The nuclear apocalypse looks like the new zombie apocalypse with the recent releases of “The Road” and “Book of Eli.” Fallout 3 is still being played and mentioned frequently, and a new Mad Max film is in the works. Wizards is primed to have a big hit on their hands this October, and they might even cement the model introduced by Warhammer as the new standard in roleplaying games. If they’re wrong, then you should clear a row on your bookshelf for Gamma World Eighth Edition.

NOOOOO!

I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened. – Obi-Wan Kenobi

Something terrible has happened, Obi-Wan. Those cries are all the fanboys Wizards of the Coast disheartened when they announced they are not renewing their license for Star Wars. Once they release the next few books and miniature sets , there will be nothing new after the spring. This is the end of a deal that has been in place since the early 2000’s.

Game Night – Take 2!

Game Night is an ongoing series of articles about getting together a group of people to play games on a predesignated night. Yeah, I know the title isn’t original… but it gets the point across. Okay, yeah, ‘Dangerous John’s Threateningly Long Title for a Game Night Article’ may have been a good title too. Mmhmm… yeah… listen, if you have that much input, maybe you should write the article yourself? No? Alright then.

Anyhow, in the previous article I explained that in order to have a game night, you would first need games (duh!), then a place to play those games (double duh!). Within this segment of ‘Game Night’ I’m going to reveal another shocker: In order to play most table top games, you will need friends. In the previous article, I pontificated that there were 5 steps involved. In no particular order, I shall continue the article with step 3.

Roll to Escape Your Cell. DC is 25.

Last week, AP reported a wacky story centering around a controversial decision to not allow an inmate convicted of murder to play Dungeons and Dragons. After his books and a 96-page adventure he wrote were confiscated, he sued the prison officials. He claimed that the ban violated his rights to free speech and due process. The courts upheld the decision since it is perfectly reasonable to punish the inmates, especially when they are in prison for killing someone with a sledgehammer.

Second Edition of Betrayal Announced!

Back in November, we ran a piece on Betrayal at the House on the Hill, and how it was so awesome that Wizards of the Coast should reprint it. I guess they heard my plea because shortly after I posted that article, designer Bruce Glassco announced on Board Game Geek that they were reprinting their haunted house game in the fall of 2010. A quick Google search hasn’t found official word on it, but I’ve heard this news from retailers as well.

Glassco says that along with revisions to the earlier rules, we can expect new haunts, items, and art. He said the counters will be new with more graphics, but I am still holding out for Descent style miniatures. An interesting note found later in the thread is that the cards will have the same backing, so you can still use your old cards if your favorite item or event is cut from the new release.

The original production was high quality, but with all the big box games that have come out in the past few years Wizards might need to step up their game. If this reprint is successful, maybe we will see a resurgence for their board game division. If anyone can give FFG healthy competition it will be Wizards. It’s nice to know that they are taking revisions seriously, since the largest fault of the original edition are errors that greatly affect the gameplay. We’ll be sure to keep you updated with all the news and previews we come across (even if it isn’t timely!) because I cannot wait for this game.