Radioactive Review — 'Wisdom From The Wastelands' #8: Diseases & Medical Options'

Like finding a sealed and intact pharmacy in a ruined post-apocalyptic hospital, Wisdom From The Wastelands #8:  Diseases & Medical Options provides a grand sampling of odds and ends regarding all things biological, both ill and benign.  I'll break it into chunks, because there's a ton of material and rules tweaks to cover.

) First comes the Modified Constitution Table,  which expands the core rules stat block to ranges from 3-30, with corresponding Saving Throw bonuses.  The table also adds daily bonuses to healing--the higher your CON, the more extra HP you heal per day.

As a GM, I'm not that fond of the increased stat ranges—I mean, really, a 30 CON?—but the bonus healing sure is useful from the players' side of the screen.  I'd allow it.

) Next comes Rules Option:  Negative Hit Points.  This is your typical section on not dying when your PC reaches 0 HP; instead, you die when you reach a score equal to your negative CON.  Nothing fancy here, but again, useful for players who don't keep enough character sheets on hand.

) Rules Option:  Bonus To Daily Healing.  Oh, I already mentioned that above.  Move along.

) This next section is where things get a bit crunchy.  Rules Option:  Medical Compatibility introduces the Genotype Medical Compatibility Table and the Medical Incompatibility Table.  These two tables determine IF Ancient medical devices / treatments / substances work with particular PC Races (including the new races found in WFTW #4) in the first place, and how badly they damage the recipient in the process.

Here's how it works.  Roll 2d6.  If you're, say, a Mutant Animal, any given device works on a roll of 2-6, with a -1 modifier per mutation.  Then, if it fails, roll d100 to find out if you suffer half-effect, no effect, poisoning, stat reductions, genetic damage, lost mutations...or outright death.

Every Race has their own baseline, with Pure Humans ALWAYS benefitting, and Mutant Plants NEVER being impacted.

As I said, CRUNCHY.  And I honestly have no idea how I feel about it (but the sadistic GM in me thinks it might be fun).

) Next comes about a full page and a half of Disease Symptoms and their in-game effects:  tinnitus, blurry vision, fatigue, headaches, lesions / pustules, nausea, and more.  These are fun.

And I have to give the Skirmisher Gang their due:  Man, those sunnsabitches are THOROUGH.

) New Diseases follow, and they are a hoot AND a holler:  Blood Melt (turns victim's blood to acid...GRODY!), Rhino's Curse (super-callousing), Ghost Flesh, Predator's Gift (induces rot-stank), Rage.

) Two small sections close the 5-page supplement, New Medicine (with 2 new options to trick out the standard Filter Dose artifact) and a new mutational drawback:  Transparent Skin.  Ugly + increased laser damage = misery!

—

There is something for every Mutant Future fan in this issue.  While I don't know if I'd use the more complicated options—because we've already established that I'm lazy—much mayhem can be dished out towards the players.

And that's always a good thing.

Buy it here.

"G" is for "Greatape"

Greatape

No. Enc.:  1d6 (1d10)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  90' (30')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  7
Attacks:  3 (2 fists, 1 bite)
Damage:  1d6 / 1d6 / 1d8
Save:  L4
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  800

Sightless, slimy, and sickening, the greatapes are primate-like, man-sized hermaphrodites that congregate in jungles, swamps, ruined sewers, and cesspits.  Their hooting vocalizations carry for miles. 

Greatapes attack with bludgeoning "fists" and slurping maws.  With a successful bite attack, a greatape latches onto its victim, doing an automatic 1d10 blood-draining damage per round; a feeding specimen can still lash out for melee attacks.  Bite victims must make a Saving Throw Versus Poison or risk being flooded with eggs.  Greatape infections cause 1d12 damage per week as the host is ravaged from within, and upon death, 1d4 3 HD "tapelings" burst from the corpse.  Filter-doses [see p. 125 of the Mutant Future Core Rules] and select tribal remedies clear an infestation.

Due to their rubbery bodies, greatapes take only half damage from blunt weapons, and their slick coatings make them completely immune to fire-based attacks.

Some suggest that greatapes are the next phase of evolution of the prowlasite....

Mutations: Echolocation, Reflective Epidermis (Heat), Sensory Deficiency (Blindness) [D]

Mutants In The News — "The Carp That Ate Detroit" Edition

First came the nuclear primates...and now their finny friends want in on the atomic action.

Scientists have determined that "mighty bluefin tuna carried radioactive contamination...to the shores of the United States 6,000 miles away — the first time a huge migrating fish has been shown to carry radioactivity such a distance."

"We were frankly kind of startled," said same scientists.

You and me both, brothers.

—

And now a germane musical interlude from The Glob.  Play us out, Globby....

Mutants In The News — "Rave Of The Apes" Edition

Humanity better hope The Animals never unlock the mysteries behind glowstick-and-pacifier technology....

Thanks for your patience.  Regular updates will commence this week.

Let's Go To Gamma World. Meet... The Hoop.

Hoop  ("Floppsy")

No. Enc.:  1d20 (1d20)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  12
Attacks:  1 (weapon)
Damage:  by weapon
Save:  L12
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  VII, VIII
XP:  3,600

The militant, iron-willed hoops are 8'-9' tall leporoids with seemingly conflicting aesthetic sensibilities, as they favor Archaic gear and garb but covet Ancient artifacts and gizmos.

With but a touch, a hoop can transmute a metal item (and all its connected metallic parts, in up to a 3' "radius" of initial contact) into rubber.  [The Mutant Lord must determine on a case by case basis how this impacts armor, weaponry, robots, and the like.]

Hoops can make 40' standing leaps, and 20' vertical jumps, with ease.

Mutations:  Metaconcert, Neural Telepathy, Unique Mutation ("Rubber-Touch")

—

Not-The-Designer's Notes:  The Hoop first appeared in 1978 in the 1st edition of Gamma World, by James M. Ward and Gary Jaquet, and again in the 2nd edition of Gamma World from 1983, by Ward, Jaquet, and David James Ritchie.  The solo illustration is by Larry Elmore from 2e, and the group shot  is by Dave Trampier from 1e.

Not-The-Designer's Notes Addendum:  There is no mention at all of Hoops being particularly "Chaotic" in alignment, but the classic depictions of them give this reader the jibblies.  So my versions are more ominous than perhaps originally intended.

Mutants In The News — A '...Versus Sharktopus' Sequel Is Inevitable Edition

Roger Corman continues doing The Lord's work.

And speaking of both Messrs. Corman and Sharktopus, I finally have an excuse to post these.

Because they're pretty much My.  Favorite.  Pictures.  Ever.

The Woman,  The Monster, The Mogul, and Me  (2011)

Sharktopus vs The Woman  (2011)

Mutants In The News — "It Looked Like Kermit The Frog, With Teeth." Edition

So said my childhood chum Scott's mom with mirthful incredulity in 1981, describing the featured creature after an honest-to-Gods drive-in viewing of The Boogens. 

Which, according DVD Drive-In (one of my absolutely favorite websites for cult movie news and reviews), is arriving on DVD and Blu-Ray this August 8th.

I'm stoked for the opportunity to update my previous write-up of the turtacular tentacled toothy terrors with better screen-caps, instead of using those from an old pan-n-scan VHS tape.

Boogity!!!

Let's Go To Gamma World. Meet... The Blight.

Blight  ("Cloud Worm")

No. Enc.:  1d4
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  30' (10')
        —Fly:  180' (60')
Armor Class:  9
Hit Dice:  12
Attacks:  1 or 2 (bite, or 1 squeeze, 1 bite)
Damage:  3d6, or 5d6 / 3d6
Save:  L6
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  5,200

Dreaded predators, blights are 10' long worms with expansive 30' wingspans.  The always launch their initial attacks while invisible (gaining automatic Surprise), and can generate strobes of light that blind everyone in a 25' radius for 1d4 rounds on a failed Saving Throw Versus Stun.

Blights prefer to coil around their prey, constricting and biting with abandon.

Mutations:  Control Light Waves, Reflective Epidermis (Heat, Radiation, Sonics)

—

Not-The-Designer's Notes:  The Blight first appeared in 1978 in the 1st edition of Gamma World, by James M. Ward and Gary Jaquet, and again in the 2nd edition of Gamma World from 1983, by Ward, Jaquet, and David James Ritchie.  Illustration by Jeff Easley or Keith Parkinson (specific credit unknown) from the 2e set.


Not-The-Designer's Notes Addendum:  I assume that the AC 9 (second worst in the original bestiary, after the obb!) was to offset the deadliness of the blight's powers and raw damage output.

Radioactive Review — 'Wisdom From The Wastelands' #7: Planar Creatures & Concepts'

You ever have One Of Those Days?  And then it turns into One Of Those Weeks, and maybe blurs into One Of Those Months?  Ugh.  Annoying.  Even my weekend getaway was, at times, more stressful than any vacation should be.

I planned for this review to be up last Tuesday, making it waaaaayyyy late.  (And I'm running behind on the rest of the WftWs, too, because they're up to #12 as of now).

My apologies, Skirmisher Gang.  I'll be getting caught up wit' a quickness.

—

As a young GM, I really didn't appreciate—as in "grasp the awesomeness thereof"—the open-endedness of certain aspects of my favorite games.  Take Gamma World 2e, and the mutation Planar Travel.  Usable once per week, it read:

Character can make a 3-meter square door into alternate plane of existence anywhere within range. Opening lasts for 30 seconds.  Plane into which opening faces is randomly determined and there are billions of such planes.  Anyone moving through this opening will never find his way back to his own plane.

That description just freaked me out.  The players could run amok!  They could leave the entire Gamma World setting behind!  They could ruin my campaign!  What was I supposed to do if someone actually rolled that mutation...and, even worse, used it?!!!!

I'm feeling much better now.  I get it.  And Wisdom From The Wastelands #7: Planar Creatures & Concepts goes above and beyond to mollify my panicked inner 10-year old (who annoyingly rears his li'l ol' head from time to time) because it's just chock full o' inspiring bits.

—

In a delightful bit of understatement, author Derek Holland opens with the line, "One mutation that could greatly influence a campaign setting and its population is 'plane shift'."  And in the most ambitious issue of the weekly series so far, WftW #7: Planar Creatures & Concepts presents a myriad of ways to "greatly influence" your campaign world.

5 new beasts.

19 new mutations.

10 new "energies" that alter the physical laws of the Mutant Future-verse.

All in 5 pages.

The word "impressive" doesn't do it justice.

—

The bestiary offers the following:

) Broken Seals:  ornery, acid-dripping pinnipeds that 'port over, and then just flop around in agony as they dehydrate to death, dissolving everything around them...and making 300' deep pits in the process.  Horrifying, tragic, and gross.  (And I've already established that I'm a sucker for flippered mutants.)

) Brooms Of Doom:  freaky, gigantic, The Mist-ian predators that float about like sky-jellyfish and gobble you up with their sting-tendrils.

) Hairy Stars:  vibrantly colored, 30' diameter, super-fast, poisonous starfish that are more arachnid than echinoderm.  Awesome, and I would use these in a heartbeat (but probably rechristen them "Spiderstars" or something similar, just to fit in with my own naming whims).

) Kettles:  Two words:  "steampunk nanites".

) Zanders:  Like D&D's own piercers, but arboreal, and pheromone-based.  Much cooler than their progenitors.

—

Of the 19 new mutations, some standouts include:

) Chemical Gland:  Lets your mutant secrete a useful (note that operative word) chemical.  Takes the standard Toxic Weapon mutation and cranks it to 11.

) Filter Food:  You like baleen?   We've got baleen!

) Imprint Data:  Reverse-psychometry.

) Restore Life:  Resurrects a subject (whether they want it or not) for 36 hours.

) Summon Ghost:  "The mutant can bring forth a dead creature's memories as a phantom."  Fun.

) Webbing:  "I make my own 25' rope.  Extra wineskins are on me!"

) Wormhole:  Super-teleport that can crush your foes within, if you're feeling just plain mean.

—

Post-apocalyptic wastelands are built on "strange radiations", and here's 10 to give your own Mutant Future a fancy new flavor.  Just think of all the mayhem your PCs can unleash with these!

) Animator:  "Maximum Overdrive...in a can!"  (I'm particularly fond of this one.)

) Biocide:  Save Versus Death, indeed.

) Brain Twister:  Alignments-A-Go-Go!

) Gravity Ripples:  Crushing waves and levitating beams.  Fun!

) Magic:  Ok, this one is kinda lazy.  But it's a genre staple, particularly in our hobby.

) Mental Parasites:  All-encompassing "invaders from beyond" that get all up in yo' stuff.

) Time Slip:  Welcome to the Mutant Future, Enik!

) Transformation:  The mush-pot.  Anything goes!

) Translocation:  Teleporters.  Man, these are really running out of steam.

) Transmutation Field:  Philosopher's-Stones-A-Go-Go!  (Ok, I'm repeating gags.  Let's wrap this up.)

—

In past reviews of Skirmisher's Wisdom... materials, I've griped that they sometimes just do "too much".  That they fill in "too many blanks" that may be better left unfilled.  That they go overboard with a concept and don't let it breathe.

And reading over this particular issue, it finally clicked what was needling at me:  I sometimes have the same feelings as when I'm reading a modern era HERO System product.

I have a 3-decade history with HERO, and in recent years, the game has both bloated AND had all its lifeblood drained out.  (Lucha Libre HERO is the only thing with any magic written in the last half-decade.)  The modern Hero is dry and dusty and dull, but also completely, utterly thorough in its dry, dusty, dullness.

So, when I'm reading through, say, 19 new mutations from the most recent WftW, my gut reaction is frequently, "Do we really NEED that?"  And I have HERO System flashbacks, and I chafe.

But that's not entirely fair to the Skirmisher Gang, and just because I've gotten more minimalistic in my approach doesn't mean others won't find all the "extra toppings" useful and welcome.

—

In conclusion:  WftW #7: Planar Creatures & Concepts is ambitious, creative, and delivers more bang for your gaming 99¢ than almost anything else out there.

Buy it here.

"S" is for "Shunk"

Shunk

No. Enc.:  1 (See Below)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  75' (25') (See Below)
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  2
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  1d10
Save:  L2
Morale:  6 (See Below)
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  38

Shunks are 2'-3' long, low-slung creatures with sleek builds, shiny blue fur, and prominent dorsal "fins" made of bone.  Their jaws are filled with rows of serrated teeth.

Upon encountering prey or predators too large to handle itself, a shunk lifts its tail and discharges a cone of bloody mist 15' long and 5' wide at the end (which requires an Ability Check Versus DEX to avoid).  It then trundles off into the brush...

...but in 1d4 turns, every shunk in a 1 mile radius descends en masse in a ravenous frenzy on those coated with the spray.  Such slunk "schools" move at 135' (45'), contain 4d12 members, and have a Morale of 12.

Even if a sprayed victim immediately bathes and washes their gear, 2d12 shunks will still arrive, thanks to their hypersensitive olfactory senses.  Only extracts from select citrus-based Mutant Plants neutralize the scent completely.

The musk's effects last 4d6 hours, meaning further travel beyond the initial radius is a risky proposition....

Mutations:  Increased Sense (Smell), Toxic Weapon ("Blood-Musk")

Rust Rhino Redux

I'm really digging my last entry.

So here's some more rust rhinos, in various stages of decomposition.

Welcome To The Jungle. Meet... The Rust Rhino

Fire In The Jungle, that is!

—

Rust Rhino

No. Enc.:  0 (1d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  3
Hit Dice:  8
Attacks:  1 (head-butt, or trample)
Damage:  2d6 or 2d10
Save:  L5
Morale:  8
Hoard Class:  See Below
XP:  1,820

The metallic rust rhinos roam the blasted plains of the Mutant Future, resembling nothing less than living incarnations of the corroded vehicular hulks that dot the landscape.  They forage for scrub grasses and toxic plants considered inedible by most herbivores.

Tormented by the agonies of oxidation, rust rhinos Charge and Trample with frenzied aggression.  They consequently gain +3 To Hit with all attacks [bringing their Trample bonus to +7!], and a +3 bonus to Morale checks.  They suffer double damage from liquid-based attacks, and flee immediately when assaulted in such a manner.

A rust rhino's pocked and pitted hide can be fashioned into makeshift armor of AC 3, but it deteriorates quickly, lasting only 1d8+2 combat encounters.

Mutations:  Aberrant Form ("Iron Hide"), Frailty ("Oxidation Sickness") [D]

—

Not-The-Designer's Notes:  Name and base stats by Dustin Brandt, as seen in his Fire In The Jungle supplement.  Download it today...or, even better, buy a print copy!

"S" is for "Slander"

Slander

No. Enc.:  1d4 (1d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  135' (45')
  —Swim:  75' (25')
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  4+1
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  1d8
Save:  L3
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  440

Slanders are 15'-18' long, speckled amphibians that dwell in the steamiest, swampiest environs.  They can cling to any surface, and travel at full speeds even when moving vertically or upside-down.

Slanders' sticky secretions allow them to serve as mounts without the need for saddles or harnesses; however, extended contact with a slander all but assures the rider will fall under its mental sway.

Xottles are immune to slanders' parasitic and illusory Mutations, and the little terrors pile on the beasts in groups of 10-20—protected by the Force Screens, natch—to raid rival villages and outlying humanoid communities.

Mutations:  Force Screen (Greater), Mental Phantasm, Parasitic Control

Welcome To The Jungle. Meet... The Green Tiger

Fire In The Jungle, that is!

—

Green Tiger

No. Enc.:  1d3 (1d3)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  150' (50')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  5
Attacks:  3 (2 claws, 1 bite)
Damage:  1d3 / 1d3 / 1d6
Save:  L3
Morale:  8
Hoard Class:  VI
XP:  650

The elusive green tigers spend most of their lives sunning themselves in lush treetops, and only come down to hunt...but being photosynthetic, they do so purely for sport.  Their coloration and markings make them nigh-invisible in the overgrowth, and they Surprise on a 1-5 on 1d6.

Green tigers emit a pheromone that makes mutant plants—including Mutant Plant PCs—ignore them completely.  Any plant-based PC encountering a green tiger must make a successful Saving Throw Versus Stun to even perceive the beast, much less engage it in combat.  This roll can be made once per round.  

Green tiger pelts retain the above ability for 1d4 months after procurement, making them extremely valuable on the open market.

Mutations:  Aberrant Form ("Plant Passivity"), Epidermal Photosynthesis

—

Not-The-Designer's Notes:  Name and base stats by Dustin Brandt, as seen in his Fire In The Jungle supplement.  Download it today...or, even better, buy a print copy!

Mutants In The News — "Call Me Ishmael" Edition

Various news outlets have covered Erich Hoyt's discovery of an alabaster bull orca off the Russian coast.  The big guy is estimated to be 16 years of age.

Embedded BBC video here!

—

I guess I better get crackin' on an albino whalewolf variant...!

(And as every REAL Gamma World fan knows, all albinos are immune to the Life Leech mutation.)

Welcome To The Jungle. Meet... The Tuskhog

Fire In The Jungle, that is!

—

Tuskhog

No. Enc.:  0 (1d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  3
Attacks:  1 (bite, or head-butt)
Damage:  1d8, or 1d12
Save:  L2
Morale:  8
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  80

Blending into the dense underbrush (and thereby Surprising on a roll of 1-3 on 1d6), the territorial tuskhogs dwell in isolated forests and dense jungles.  They feed primarily on tubers and fruits, but will consume small animals and carrion.

Tuskhog bites are so severe that they inflict a continuous 1d4 damage per round for 1d6 rounds.

Every group of 4 or more tuskhogs will include an additional 1d3 1 HD "tusklets".

Mutations:  None

—

Not-The-Designer's Notes:  Name and base stats by Dustin Brandt, as seen in his Fire In The Jungle supplement.  Download it today...or, even better, buy a print copy!

Fun With Feedback — Battlin', Beastial Nostalgia

This is for Mr. Alexander Osias.

Bring back any memories, or still a blank?

Let's Go To Gamma World. Meet... The Obb.

Obb

No. Enc.:  1d4
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  9' (3')
        —Fly:  180' (60')
Armor Class:  9 or 3
Hit Dice:  6
Attacks:  1d4 (claws)
Damage:  2d6 per claw
Save:  L3
Morale:  8
Hoard Class:  VII
XP:  1,570

The cunning obbs are 3' long fungal clusters with spongy bodies and leathery wings.  Each possesses a soulless cyclopean eye and 1d4 scythe-like claws.  Nearly immobile on the ground (AC 9), they are agile and swift when airborne (attaining an AC of 3 in flight).

Obbs are carnivorous, but only devour half of any given kill.  They deposit spores in the uneaten portions, from which sprout 1d6 3 HD "obblings" after a period of 4d6 hours.

Possessed of alien intelligence and logic, obbs have been known to work with other sentient beings for reasons all their own.  And they can be recruited, assuming the PCs can both communicate with them and decipher their inscrutable motivations....

Mutations:  Optic Emissions (Gamma Eyes), Reflective Epidermis (Heat, Lasers/Light, Radiation)

—

Not-The-Designer's Notes:  The Obb first appeared in 1978 in the 1st edition of Gamma World, by James M. Ward and Gary Jaquet, and again in the 2nd edition of Gamma World from 1983, by Ward, Jaquet, and David James Ritchie.  Illustrations by Larry Elmore from the 2e set, and the cover of 1992's 4th edition by Eric Olsen .  This adaptation combines both the 1e and 2e versions.


Not-The-Designer's Notes Addendum:  Both versions of the obb had the worst Armor Classes (AC 10!) in the entire Gamma World bestiary, yet were compared to hawks for being "deadly-swift in the air".  I tried to reconcile this contradiction.

Let's Go To Gamma World. Meet... The Bulo

Bulo

No. Enc.:  0 (2d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  150' (50')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  14
Attacks:  1 (1 bite, or 1 butt + trample)
Damage:  1d8, or 1d10 + 5d6
Save:  L7
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  7,800

Except for the matted violet fur, the massive bulos look amazingly like their Ancient bison ancestors.  They are foul-tempered, territorial, 7-foot-at-the-shoulder beasts that roam the plains of the Mutant Future, and fear little from predators.

Bulos favor Charging when head-butting, which leads to a cascade of misfortune for the target.  A successful Charge does double the normal damage, and knocks the victim prone (causing them to suffer a -2 To Hit during their next attack round)...which then grants the bulo a follow-up Trample at +4 To Hit for 5d6 damage.  And, perhaps most devastating effect of all, the victim's possessions risk being damaged or destroyed:  75% for fragile items, 50% for Ancient artifacts (including weapons and armor), and 30% for "standard" weapons and armor.  [The Mutant Lord should modify the item specifics, and overall chances, as they see fit.]

In addition to their thick skulls and muscular frames, bulos are able to absorb damage from physical blows or injuries (their Accumulated Resistance).  And they possess the freakish ability to transform into one of 3 flying insect-like creatures:  a blaash (a radioactive moth), a blight (a light-manipulating, bat-winged worm), or a cal-then (a metal-rending beetle).

Mutations:  Accumulated Resistance (Kinetics), Metamorph (x3)

—

Not-The-Designer's Notes:  The Bulo appeared in 1982's Famine In Far-Go, which was designed by Michael Price, and developed by Price and Michael J. Richie.  Illustration provided by the enigmatic Darlene.

Not-The-Designer's Notes Addendum:  Rest assured, I'll get around to statting-out the blaash, blight, and cal-then.

So, Just How Many XPs Is A Gygax Worth, Anyway...?

With today's prior entry, I reached 259 unique monster-mutants.  And that total doesn't include subtype variants, or write-ups of ridiculous creature features or chintzy toys.

259!

The original Monster Manual?  It had 258.  (I'm being generous there, too, because I'm including each subtype of demon and dragon in that tally...if I ignored them, I'd have won weeks ago!)

In your face, E.G.G.!!!

—

So what does this mean for the future of A Field Guide To Doomsday...?

Absolutely nothing, really.

I have dozens more of my own critters waiting in the wings, and I'll still be posting goofy news and  reviews...but I'll expand to critique some post-apocalyptic movies, and even music, too!  And Halloween is just six months away....

But statting out the official Gallus-Gallus 5/13s in Mutant Future terms was a helluva lot of fun, so I plan on adapting other Gamma World beasties that tickle my fancy.  And I've been confabbing with the dandy Dustin Brandt of the awesome Fire In The Jungle blog (and print supplement of the same name), so expect to see some his creatures ported over, too.

I know I promised this before, but sooner than later, I'm going to put all my mutants into a single document for free download.  I swear I started this process few months back, but enough invisible formatting glitches popped up (from doing straight copy-n-pastes from Blogger to Word) that I need to start from scratch.

—

Let me extend a hearty THANK YOU to all my readers, and particularly my gaggle of regular commenters.  Your feedback truly keeps me going, as I feel like I'm actually doing something worthwhile, instead of just wasting my time doodling monsters on the cyber-equivalent of a Trapper Keeper.

Here's to another 259!