Community

Sep 29, 2011 -- 3:40PM, Feetz wrote:

None of my players have cards so they draw from the GM deck.  I like the extra randomness drawing from a big deck.  I think it would get bland seeing the same cards being used every several sessions if the players had their own decks.

Anecdote: I had a player complain that he was having trouble taking the game seriously because his powers were so random. So (since he had his own starter set) I suggested creating his own deck of more predictable, appropriate cards. He then decided that he actually liked the randomness... but I left the option there for any player that desired.

If you don't have enough cards for everyone to make a deck, then I would just use a single Gm deck.  As a group we have over 300 cards, including 3 Gm decks.  So we play with 10 card decks, that is 10 alpha and 10 omega tech decks. 

Players draw from thier own alpha deck at the begining of the encounter.  They draw from the Gm deck any roll of a 1 on a d20. and flux out thier current alpha.  The Pcs are now level 5 and have two active alpha mutations at once.  So when a Pc fluxes, i.e. rolls a 1, they choose which mutation fluxes out and which mutation remains and draw a new alpha from the Gm's deck.  Also, at the end of an encounter one mutation fluxes out and one remains, The player decides which of his mutations fluxes out and which stays.  If a player is holding a card from the Gm deck, that card is returned and a player draws from his own deck.

I usually have my players draw from thier own Omega tech deck, at the end of an encounter as a reward.  Every third encounter or as I see fit I will have the players roll a d20, highest roll gets to draw from the Gms deck.  If there is tie, then those tied with the highest roll gets to draw from the Gm deck.

So a player deck can have only one uncommon card.  They can only have two duplicates cards, but as many pairs as they wish (max. 5 pairs in a 10 card deck).  They have access to two Gm decks, a large horde of common cards and number of uncommon cards, the 10 cards from the Legion of Gold set are also available to player decks, hehe, it rewards the curious. 

The Gm decks comprise of one complete Gm deck, all the rare cards and the remaining uncommon and  LoG cards.  That means the Gm deck has the best Omega tech (rares) and the best (rares) and most obnoxious (large feet) Alphas. The remaining cards we have usuallystay out of play.  I plan to make a custom Area 52 deck to draw from as a reward for the Pcs for helping some stranded aliens. 

As a group we really like the custom player decks.  It does allow players to really customize and give personality to the Pcs in battle as players repeat the same tricks over and over. It also makes drawing an alpha from the gm deck an exciting prospect with chance to either grow large feet or das gamma eye.  It also make drawing from the Gm's Omega deck a special reward with the chance to nab black ray gun, a pheonix jack or even a sky cycle.

All things said, for us, investment into the cards and player decks has been rewarding in our Gamma World game experience.  It's definitly a better investment than  crack and hookers.