Gamma World - Eight Editions and Thirty-Seven Years later

Gamma World has been a quintessential part of Science-Fantasy in roleplaying for the last thirty-seven years. Each edition takes place in the future where advanced technology once existed before the Earth was devastated by war. Generations later, the survivors are eking out a life out of the ruins surrounded by insane machines, altered animals and humans and far stranger things.

The players themselves can be human, mutant, plant, animal and in later editions a robot. Most editions are slightly humorous in nature with a tongue-in-cheek look at a global apocalypse.

The first edition came out in a boxed set in 1978. It had two adventures, Legion of Gold and Famine in Far-Go. I don't own the boxed set but do own the adventures.

The second edition was also a boxed set and came out in 1983. This was the set I was first exposed to and holds a warm place in my heart. Growing up as a teenager in the 80's, the threat of a nuclear war was present and was infused in the decade's music, film, books and television; at least the stuff I consumed. The fold out map of a ruined North America in the box was a great bonus. Two adventures were made for this edition, Cleansing Wars of Garak Blackhand and the Mind Masters. Although this edition was compatible with the previous two adventures, I didn't like these as much as the first edition ones.

The third edition was published in 1985 and used a different conflict resolution chart: TSR's Marvel Super Heroes RPG one. Besides the solo adventure in the box and the ideas in the five adventures, this was a weak edition of the rules. The adventure series, Alpha to Epsilon took the players searching for parts to a spaceship to go to the moon to save the Earth. The adventure line was discontinued before the last concluding adventure was published.

The fourth edition was published in 1992 and used many of the features in the second edition of Dungeons and Dragons. It was made in a softcover book form and five adventures were made: Treasures of the Ancients, Overlords of Bonparr, Mutant Master, All Animals are Equal, and Home Before the Sky Falls. This edition was very solidly made for both the rules and adventures.

The fifth edition was made using the Alternity rules in 2000, a predecessor of the d20 Modern system. Shortly after it came out, TSR abandoned the Alternity line. I don't have this edition of the rules.

The sixth edition was a Dungeon magazine bonus RPG using the d20 system. It was made by Johnathan Tweet and acclaimed for its solid rules.

The seventh edition made by Sword and Sorcery Studios in 2003. It was the most somber of the editions and has great materiel for anyone running a d20 system game, as it used that system. The three main books (Player's, Gamemaster's, and Mutants and Machines Manual) and three supplement books (Beyond the Horizons, Cryptic Alliances and Unknown Enemies, and Out of the Vaults) were excellent books. Mutants and Machines and Out of the Vaults were my favourites of the entire Gamma World line for creatures that can be used in any d20 game.

The eighth edition was produced in 2010 and heavily influenced by the fourth edition of Dungeons of Dragons and was a boxed set. This is the weakest edition of them all. The packs of extra Alpha and Omega mutations, sold separately, made me retch in my mouth at the unabashed marketing of it. Two adventures, Famine in Far-Go and Legion of Gold, were made for this edition. Although they have the same name as the original two adventures, they differ from them.

Will WOTC make a ninth edition of Gamma World with the new fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons ruleset? I hope so. I really like the new edition of rules for Dungeons and Dragons and can see it being easily adapted, in fact using the Sword and Sorcery seventh edition books would the be easiest way to port it over until that occurs.