Jeff Mindlin
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Joined: Thu 29 Dec 2016, 13:52

Help! Please. Potential new player...

Sat 15 Jul 2017, 10:53

Hi,
I kickstarted Tales from the loop and have just run my first four week block at my local club. This was a huge success and I'm so impressed with the game quality, production, playtesting etc that I'm considering a 'blind buy' of another Fria Ligan game. This Mutant thing looks good but my question is - are there published adventues/campaign for it? I don't have a lot of prep time for games so need them to come with adventures.
Thanks for any help...
 
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Fenhorn
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Re: Help! Please. Potential new player...

Sat 15 Jul 2017, 14:42

The basic game (Mutant: Year Zero) contains a loose campaign called "The Path To Eden". The setting is written in a very generic way and contains a lot of tables used to randomize the Zone. This way you can play MYZ without any preparation. Sure, some imagination will help you to describe the world (and as in all the other games from FL, even the players are part of this story-telling). You can of cause do it the classic way, prepare some sectors in advance, or do both (prepare some and use the randomize tables for the rest). The campaign is loose because it contains a big finish but other than that it contains some backstory and clues how to get there. How these clues are presented in you game is up to you. You can place them in specific sectors, or let them be part of the randomize system.The book also contains five so called special sectors ("adventures" in other games) that you can place in your world wherever you like.

The expansion Mutant: Genlab Alpha is also a stand alone game (it contains all the rules how to play). Here the campaign that is included is more straight forward. The campaign is 10-15 session long (or at least the Swedish version of it was) but can easily take longer than this if the players is in to it. Our play-through of this campaign took 15 session (and we have longer session than the standard 3-4 hours). You play Mutated Animals in this version.

There are also Zone Compendiums that each contains special sectors (like adventure modules).

In Autumn/Winter (I don't know) the second expansion/stand alone book will be released (Mutant: Mechatron) where you will be playing robots in a campaign (10-15 session long or so).

After that the third expansion/stand alone book will be (I guess) kickstarted (Mutant: Elysium).

Besides that the expansions contains enough rules to play its special campaign they can of course also be used to expand the basic game (they are expansions after all).

There is also a (free) starter book pdf that contains a mini campaign, involving three special sectors (perhaps three sessions of play). This starter book doesn't contain any campaign material (other than what is needed to play the three special sectors) and you still need the basic book if you want to play a longer campaign.
“Thanks for noticin' me.” - Eeyore
 
Jeff Mindlin
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Posts: 41
Joined: Thu 29 Dec 2016, 13:52

Re: Help! Please. Potential new player...

Sat 15 Jul 2017, 16:12

Fenhorn,
Thanks so much for the very comprehensive answer. Are the settings actually adventures (i.e. Have plot) or more like settings? Or setting with adventure seeds?
I'm really short of prep time....
The basic game (Mutant: Year Zero) contains a loose campaign called "The Path To Eden". The setting is written in a very generic way and contains a lot of tables used to randomize the Zone. This way you can play MYZ without any preparation. Sure, some imagination will help you to describe the world (and as in all the other games from FL, even the players are part of this story-telling). You can of cause do it the classic way, prepare some sectors in advance, or do both (prepare some and use the randomize tables for the rest). The campaign is loose because it contains a big finish but other than that it contains some backstory and clues how to get there. How these clues are presented in you game is up to you. You can place them in specific sectors, or let them be part of the randomize system.The book also contains five so called special sectors ("adventures" in other games) that you can place in your world wherever you like.

The expansion Mutant: Genlab Alpha is also a stand alone game (it contains all the rules how to play). Here the campaign that is included is more straight forward. The campaign is 10-15 session long (or at least the Swedish version of it was) but can easily take longer than this if the players is in to it. Our play-through of this campaign took 15 session (and we have longer session than the standard 3-4 hours). You play Mutated Animals in this version.

There are also Zone Compendiums that each contains special sectors (like adventure modules).

In Autumn/Winter (I don't know) the second expansion/stand alone book will be released (Mutant: Mechatron) where you will be playing robots in a campaign (10-15 session long or so).

After that the third expansion/stand alone book will be (I guess) kickstarted (Mutant: Elysium).

Besides that the expansions contains enough rules to play its special campaign they can of course also be used to expand the basic game (they are expansions after all).

There is also a (free) starter book pdf that contains a mini campaign, involving three special sectors (perhaps three sessions of play). This starter book doesn't contain any campaign material (other than what is needed to play the three special sectors) and you still need the basic book if you want to play a longer campaign.
 
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Fenhorn
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Re: Help! Please. Potential new player...

Sat 15 Jul 2017, 17:58

If we skip MGA here (it has a special map and setting for its entire campaign) and go for MYZ.

You pick the map to play. Either by choosing one of the map that comes with the book, one homemade (there are some good maps done by players, especially in the g+ group for MYZ). The map is divided into sectors, all unexplored, except for one, your home (the Ark). The goal of the campaign is to explore the map (and, yeah, to find clues for Eden). There is a system in the book that you use to randomize what a sector contains. What kind of terrain, significant ruins, threats and useful (more or less) items. This randomly generated sectors doesn't have any deep background or so. it is meant to be a system to fill out the map. Although the threats (i.e. humanoids, monsters and phenomenons) usually give some suggestion how to play them.
Every now and then you as a GM can place a so called special sector on the map. There are five of those in the rulebook and more in the Zone Compendiums. Technically the rulebook has a sixth special sector, Eden. These special sectors have a backstory, a plot, npcs, items, etc. Like adventure modules for other games. Some of these special sectors have a plot that can be a mini-campaign. They can be used as is (there is a list of suggested events for the special sector) or be tweaked by the GM if needed.

What I do is that I prepare a couple of sectors before the session (takes half an hour to an hour or so). Homemade special sectors if you will. Often not that advanced. Usually a map of a ruined house (found on internet) and a threat and "treasure". After a while I have a lot of home made special sectors to throw in or place whenever I like it (since quite often I make more special sectors than the players explore.

Or to be short. The game is designed to be a no-prep game, but for those of us who likes to prep, can do so. One of the few RPG that you actually can play on the fly.
“Thanks for noticin' me.” - Eeyore
 
Jeff Mindlin
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Posts: 41
Joined: Thu 29 Dec 2016, 13:52

Re: Help! Please. Potential new player...

Sun 16 Jul 2017, 02:01

Ok thanks. I think I get it now. Very helpful.
 
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Tomas
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Re: Help! Please. Potential new player...

Tue 25 Jul 2017, 21:28

Thanks Fenhorn!

Good answers, as always!
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