Gamma World is the spiritual successor to James M. Ward’s previous game, Metamorphosis Alpha. Like its predecessor, it involves mutants and salvaged technology and the mixing of fantasy and science fiction, but instead of the societal breakdown happening on a massive colony ship in space, Gamma World is set on our own planet, hundreds of years after a nuclear incident. That makes it the first post-apocalyptic RPG. That move from ship to planet was at the behest of the players, who wrote many letters asking for a planet.

Much of Gamma World’s appeal is in the game’s mutations, adapted from the earlier Metamorphosis Alpha. There are human beings unaffected by the cascades of radiation in the environment, but also many new species of flora, fauna and intelligent humanoids. Basically, any regular animal of our world has a good chance of having mutated into a humanoid version with their own culture and a silly name. Like the Hoops, which are eight and a half foot tall technology-obsessed rabbit people who can, for reasons unclear, turn metal objects into rubber. Other animals remain beasts, just of a different sort, like Centisteeds, which are horses with elongated bodies supported by 16 legs (ew). Random mutation, both physical and mental (think Scanners), is also possible and rapidly leads to combinations that range from silly to terrifying to pitiful. The rulebook is full of lovingly rendered illustrations by Dave Trampier depicting mutants both hopeless and hilarious. Speaking of, how gorgeous is that cover?

The recovery of technology and other items from the old world justifies adventure and is also the method by which characters increase their prowess. Discovering old technology doesn’t mean a character will know how to use it, though, even if the player does, so the game uses elaborate flow charts to simulate the fiddling necessary to discern how a thing works. Players might spend weeks tinkering with an artifact and never figure it out. Or they might blow themselves up. Heh.