Thursday, March 20, 2014

Slicing Deeper Into The Deviant Database By Tim Snider For Mutant Future or Your Old School Apocalyptic Giant Monster Campaign

Because of this trailer I've been over the last couple of days on a sort of  writing and design thing.
I've been on a Kaiju Post Apocalyptic rampage of lately looking into possibly doing whole campaign soon. I've been looking into using Mutant Future for this style of campaign. Mostly because its one of the more popular retroclones of Gamma World.
I've been looking into some of the creations of Tim Snider to populate this world.  What might exist in the wake of Giant Monsters plunging the world into a new third dark age. For some possible ground monsters who might harry and harass my PC's I turned to the Deviant Database. A collection of the various creatures of madness from the twisted imagination of Tim Snider. 
The following is taken from The Savage Afterworld blog available right over HERE


What is it?
According to Tim's Savage Afterworld  blog: 
APOCALYGEDDON ABBERATIONS!

From the harmless to the harmful, from the weak to the wicked, theDeviant Database collects over 90 monstrous mutants that have inhabited The Savage AfterWorld!
  • Challenge your players with flying fiends like the flaming Dragonfire or the rampaging Flynocerous!
  • Oceanic adventures await with aquatic adversaries such as the Flamewhale, Oceanbrood, and Crabhemoth!
  • Mutant menaces like the Pumpking and Brain Lord lurk in the hidden shadows and manipulate their eager minions!
    Totaling 80 pages, the Deviant Database is fully compatible with Goblinoid Games' Mutant Future and Labyrinth Lord RPGs as well as other Original Edition Fantasy RPGs.

    The Deviant Database is available as a downloadable PDF for $5.95 atDrive Through RPG and in perfect-bound hardcopy book for $11.95 at Lulu.


Part of the lessons that I learned from comments from friends watching Pacific Rim, is that they felt that while the giant monsters were wonderful and dangerous there really wasn't anything that was really harrying the characters on the ground or in the urban areas. 
Right one of the things that I really love to throw into games are weird cults and it just so happens that the Brain Lords are a great credible threat to throw at a party. Nasty, dangerous and perfect for both the rural areas and for gathering a cult of psycho fighters in the urban slums. 
Chatterers are another horror that could be falling off of those giant monsters! Mutant beatles just waiting under some pile of garbage for a PC or two.
The cortella might be in charge of an alien research facility or worse a giant minor monster. Crabhemonths can be a problem on the mutant shorelines and cause problems for PC's looking to break into the local submarine bases. Eater bunnies can cause all kinds or issues in the rural countryside. Especially in the wake of passing monsters whose strange energies mutate the local life.


Could extra planar monsters take full advantage of the climate of fear and hatred especially in this world. Fear Feeders and the like can cause marry havoc with all kinds of areas. Add in cults worshiping them and you've got the makings of a very bad dream indeed for PC's.
Many of the monsters and mutants in the Deviant Database could be used with Realms of Crawling Chaos. They definitely have the potential to be the basis for an effective science fantasy or horror filled post apocalyptic campaign. There is some seriously #$%#$ upped stuff in this book if used carefully.
Then there are the incidental monsters that are created such as ice wolves, wolf apes, and much more. The Deviant Datebase walks the line between the gonzo and grimly dangerous in a post apocalyptic world. The minor mutant monsters are not minor. Another issue that I've found with any of these monsters in this style of game after talking with my players is a question of fire power. They're going to need big guns, relics, weapons and magic to deal with this serious of a mutated world.
Other concerns are era, future needs, and how far the weirdness meter should go.
Balance is a far gone conclusion and in Mutant Future this word shouldn't even come up.
 


 

6 comments:

  1. Yeah, I have some of my art in the Deviant Database.

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  2. I love to dive into that book and pick out threads of monsters. The art really does set up the post apocalyptic tone for the book. Nice stuff Malcadon.

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  3. You are very welcome Malcadon. Thanks for the artwork. Keep up the fantastic work.

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  4. Just came across this post! Thanks for the kudos! (And DD2 could be coming out this summer/fall!)

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  5. That's great news Tim!
    Send on when you want a review/overview of it and I can't wait Tim! I've been pretty much cranking out the post apocalyptic love over here.

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