Gamma World Evolution (online 2008)
Participants: Any of the original crew from southern NH who would like to join.
Random people probably wouldn’t understand or enjoy this (and they didn’t, even when the game was live). All we need is a “+1RF!” to evoke smiles or groans.
Jeff Aitken Phallon the adventurer, jack of trade
Steve Aitken Arvak the bipedal horse thor-like champion
Todd Prevett Dr. Zeebo the apothecary, for whom everyone feels disgust and contempt
Greg Stout Ragnor the shape-shifting moody adventurer
Nate Wehrli Game Master
System: The game will be run on this WordPress blog site, password protected so
we gamers can enter, but the random yahoos will be kept away. Campaign source material (maps, etc) will be posted. A text-like blog would be present for participants to communicate back and forth, and also to preserve the ongoing adventure and information.
The game will use the familiar “gamma world: evolution” rules. Several of us have these rule-books modified from TSR’s 3rd edition rules and printed for our own use. Anyone who doesn’t have the paper copies can get the computer files sent to them via e-mail.
Online Game Method:
The Game Master will set up the game (conveying relevant background
information, recent events, etc), then ask the player characters (PC’s) what they do next.
The PC’s each have 5 days to respond. They can converse among each other and form a consensus, but ultimately each player needs to send their own “official action”. If everyone responds sooner, the GM can go to the next round sooner, but otherwise the turn ends in 5 days. At turn 24 of adventure 1, the GM has assessed the following: if the players have not declared an action by the third day, they will not declare one for that turn. Accordingly, the GM has decided that once a turn is posted, the PC’s have the remainder of that day, plus 3 more (ending at midnight EST) to repond as above.
If a player doesn’t respond at all, they will do nothing (which could result in a benign being left behind, or in a worse situation if they are standing around during a combat). If the player notifies the GM that they will be unavailable during a given period of time, they may be able to arrange certain actions or have their character leave the group for awhile (we certainly had PC’s disappear all the time during the live games!). In practise, the GM has extended the time limit of specific turns when players have been traveling or declared themselves unavailable for a certain period of time.
PC’s can ask the GM questions before declaring their actions. This won’t count as their action, unless it requires the character to stop in combat or real time to assess or check something out. The GM should notify the PC if this would result, and the PC can choose to or not (oh fuck it, I shoot him!).
Action Resolution:
The GM will make all die rolls (using real plastic dice), and record which column is being used (with modifiers, etc), the number result, the color result, and the effect.
To help make this feel a little more “real”, the GM will assign the players different colored dice. The rolls will be printed in the same colors as the dice. Players can request switching the dice to different colors, or using different ones for the 10’s and the 1’s positions, etc.
Available Dice:
the blue d4 = 4 the red d6 = 6 the blue d8 = 8
the blue d12 = 12
black d10 = 0 black w/ red d10 = 0 white d10 = 0
dark blue d10 = 0 blue d10 = 0 light blue d10 = 0 red d10 = 0 orange d10 = 0 purple “tens” d10 = 00
yellow d10 = 0 yellow w/ red d10 = 0 green d10=0 yellow “tens” d10 = 00 green “tens” d10 = 00
red d20 = 20 green d20 = 20 blue d20 = 20
white w/ red d20 = 20 gray d20 = 20 orange d20 = 20
Results of all actions taken in the turn (by PC’s and NPC’s) will be posted at once, then the next turn can begin at the GM’s prompting. Exceptions will be if PC’s are conversing together, or talking to NPC’s without other actions being taken. Then messages can be sent back and forth as long as the flow works. If this is awkward, or if it takes too much time, PC’s can declare their intentions of the conversation towards NPC’s (information gathering, persuasion, etc) and resolve it by a charisma roll or such.
Game Time: The GM will record the campaign world’s date, time, and possibly
location or weather with each turn. Quick actions like combat and conversation may have this info recorded on the first turn, then simply referred to as “combat turn 2, 3, etc”.
March Turns are for long distance outdoor travel, which will occur when PC’s agree to move in a certain direction or towards a destination. Each march turn lasts 4 hours, and has a chance of random encounters. PC’s can elect to move FAST to cover more distance (but with reduced awareness, higher chance of surprise, and risk of fatigue), or SLOW for detailed mapping, increased awareness and reduced chance of surprise. March turns may stop with an encounter or interesting location and become a search or action turn.
Search Turns can be used if the PC’s are exploring or moving through junkyards, ruins, etc, but without specific maps or individual actions declared. These will last for 10 minutes each. Again, PC’s can choose to move FAST to get through areas quickly, SLOW to search thoroughly, or normal for a balance of the two. Encounters or interesting locations may stop the search turns and start action turns.
Action Turns are when PC’s are declaring very specific short term actions. Each turn is about 10 seconds of game time. This includes combat, searching individual rooms or buildings where combat or harm could occur any moment, and conversations or other interactions with NPC’s.
Combat: Once a combat begins, the GM rolls initiative for all involved. Similar NPCs, or those with the same initiative modifiers will be grouped together when possible for simplicity. As usual the GM will describe the beginning of the turn, and then post everyone’s initiative, including NPC’s.
Players then declare their actions for the round. Each should also record if they want to dodge or defend if attacked first (or reserve a weapon or shield to defend a blow –see game rules). These can also be situational (ex: I will dodge if the komodo attacks me, but otherwise I do this…). Players may want to declare a second action if their first one is not feasible by the time of their initiative. Ex: I run through the door after the badder, but if the door is closed, I will run up to it and attack the guard on the right. If the action is not feasible at all, the PC will have wasted their turn. The players’ advantage is that they know the posted initiatives before they declare.
After all actions are in, the GM will post the results of the entire turn at once. The die rolls and such will be detailed for each PC and allied NPC’s. The GM will post the next initiatives if the combat needs to continue.