Gamma World 5th Edition 2000

Alternity Rules (pre-D20)

The Shadow Age

The 21st century began with a sense of hope. Humanity had survived the millennium. East and West had a tentative peace. While the horrors of war still flared up, the superpowers themselves fought only in boardrooms and trade negotiations The threat of nuclear devastation that had loomed so menacingly over the second half of the previous century now seemed dated and foolish. The world economy was flourishing as the concept of a 'global marketplace' took hold among the governments and megacorporations. Prosperous nations turned form building war machines to rebuilding infrastructures. We ruled the Earth, and no problem seemed too great to solve.

No one knows exactly when the Invaders arrived, or from where - or when - they came. They said that they had been watching us, and that we were now 'ready' for their gifts. Many among us believed them - as I said, it was an optimistic world - but there were those who didn't trust these friendly newcomers. Political persuasion didn't seem to matter - dissenting voices were heard from both ends of the political spectrum.

I admit to being woefully naive. I saw the arrests, but thought little of them. After all, these were dissidents, malcontents, and potential terrorists who didn't seem to value the great advances in medicine, computer technology, and ecological reform that the newcomers promised us. Most of us believed that small sacrifices in personal liberty were worth the trade. Naturally, there were some who felt strongly otherwise.

Just as none among us knew the Invader's origin, it remains unknown who was responsible for what happened next. It could have been just about anyone; after all, there were still plenty of unaccounted-for nukes smuggled out of the former Soviet Union. Still, the sight of the Invader's mothership crashing into Central Park in a firestorm of mythic proportions won't soon be forgotten. At least, not by anyone who survived the cataclysm that followed.

But just because we didn't know who was responsible didn't mean there wasn't plenty of blaming going on. American's blamed the Chinese, calling it the 'first step' toward the next world war. The Chinese blamed the Japanese. The Japanese blamed Russian anticapitalist dissidents. The Democrats blamed the fundamentalists. The Republicans blamed the leftist ecofreaks. The CIA blamed the Iraqis. The rich blamed the poor.

Ultimately, it didn't matter. The remaining Invader ships disgorged thousands of armored troops with hightech weaponry. It was as if we had just poked an anthill, and the soldiers poured out to defend their masters.

Thanks to the growing tide of disarmament, we were woefully unprepared for an incursion of this magnitude. They took over and declared martial law in more than a dozen cities - including London, Paris, Singapore, New Delhi, Sydney, Houston, Seattle, Atlanta, and more - before someone panicked and pushed the button. The rockets flew, the bombs fell, and in a matter of hours we had struck a decisive blow toward regaining our freedom.

But that wasn't the end of it. Apparently, the Invaders had brought some weapons of their own: gravitic weapons that triggered fault lines, chemical weapons that poisoned the air and water, and biological weapons that played havoc with the genetic structures of all life on Earth. Most humans simply died. They were the lucky ones: They didn't have to watch civilization crumble as neither Earth's natives nor its new conquerors were strong enough to restore order from the chaos. Instead, in the years to come more armies would march, more bombs would fall, more cities would collapse, and more people would die.

But a few of us survived. As I pen these words, ten years after the Cataclysm, I hope that we, as a people can remember who we once were, and who we can be again. I hope that hope itself is not gone from the world in this age of shadows, and that in the years to come, humanity will rise again.

- The Shadow Age, Author Unknown

Welcome To Gamma Terra

The Gamma World game is based in a dark future where humanity - and indeed, the Earth itself - struggles to survive. But thanks to the devastation unleashed by the Cataclysm and the many changes wrought during the Shadow Age, neither humanity nor Earth are quite the same. Strange mutations are common, and many animal species have evolved to gain sentience and now walk alongside humans.

Many years have passed since the Cataclysm, and the cities of the Ancients lie in grass-choked ruins. But treasures and opportunities to pull themselves up from their primitive surroundings, or perhaps even regain the Ancients' lofty position of world domination.

It is a time for heroes, for those who are strong of arm and heart and mind to tame the wild frontiers and bring order to the chaos. Will you be one of those heroes?

By

Andy Collins

&

Jeff Grubb

© copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

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Fan Files
The PAForge is always pleased to host PA related material from our visitors. You to can SUBMIT your material for publishing here.

Go To the Generic Gamma World page for more downloads. This page features Scot Hoover's Mutant Manual II and the Survivors Field Guide, both compilations of tremendous scale and a MUST download.

House Rules for GW5th : By Russ Westbrook - A set of house rules detailing how to handle the alien invasion plot theme or the genetic locking of weapons in Gamma World 5th Ed.

The Haunted Orchard : By Russ Westbrook - A scenario for Gamma World 5th Ed. THANKS Russ!!!!

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