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Feb 22, 2011 -- 9:45AM, Cazra wrote:

I just rolled up a lvl 1 rude/IT guy and a bored/accountant... and then I drew a wireless keyboard and a cup of coffee... when are we starting?

You are late for a meeting. As you walk into the conference room, a group of corporate monkeys glares in your general direction. They are wielding pens, PDA's, and data charts that are being passed around. The balding overweight one in front of the projector screen points angrilly and begins chanting a stream of reprimandings. What do you do?

Attack
Item
Run

The rude/IT guy tells them he'll transfer them to someone who can better help them... and uses his +4 wireless headset, and puts them on hold indefinately...

The bored/accountant drinks his cup of coffee for a +1 reaction bonus, and sits down...

The current version of the game is designed to be silly.  Look at the powers on the origins, alpha mutations and omega tech.  They're intended to be funny.

However, not everything intended to be funny IS funny, and not everything that is funny fits together.

Gamma World - in its newest incarnation - is in its infancy.  If WotC doesn't support it any further, it won't get a chnce to grow.  If it does get a chance to grow, they'll figure out what humorous bits do and don't fit in the core tapestry of the game. 

For the time being, I suggest you take a few steps to bring things in line with your expectations.  If the ficus mayor doesn't work for you - change it.  Read ahead and plan.  Make sure it all fits your expectations. 

The Gamma World game I am going to run flips a few things around.  In my version of Gamma World, the big boo-boo resulted in many worlds crashing together.  Immediately after those worlds crashed together, a war broke out between the machines (the Xii), the Ishtarans (the people of advanced tech) and an empire of Psi beings.  The war spanned the planet and resulted in a series of nuclear, biological and chemical wars that left the entire planet worthless in the eyes of the Ishtarans, Xii and the Psi empire.  All three empires abandoned this world in favor of other realities that were worth fighting over, but the Ishtarans left behind tech that is slowly helping Gamma World recover to be something worth fighting over again...  

That story includes the room for silliness without eliminating real peril.  I have adventures crafted that might fit in Terminator Salvation, Total Recall, X-Men, or an old school Paranoia game.  The key is that they're all tied together into the world I've created.  They should feel cohesive.

Feb 22, 2011 -- 12:59PM, mvincent wrote:

Feb 22, 2011 -- 9:45AM, Cazra wrote:

As you walk into the conference room, a group of corporate monkeys glares in your general direction. They are wielding pens, PDA's, and data charts that are being passed around.

"Where're the Cheetos?!"
"if there are any girls there, I wanna DO them!"

Dude! How many boosters you have to buy to get the Cheetos card?

I would disagree that Gamma World is like Futurama.  A game like Teenagers From Outer Space would be more like that.  

I personally think Gamma World is pretty gritty with some funny elements. I guess it's all based on the tone the DM sets for the game.  Fallout (the computer RPG) had a lot of funny moments but still managed to stay grounded and gritty. 

Maybe create a few side quests (steal some from the Fallout games or some movie) that has a more serious tone to balance things out.  Some of it doesn't even have to involve combat but some role playing and some skill rolls.