Why Metamorphosis Alpha?

[Finarvyn]

Why Metamorphosis Alpha?

As mentioned before, the focus of this board is OD&D, so do we need another section for another somewhat obscure game? Since MA has many elements in common with OD&D, I thought a trial forum for it might be worth a shot.

Also, I'm hoping that more people have copies of Metamorphosis Alpha then own Warriors of Mars, so this place may get more traffic than the other one.

I’ve owned a copy of MA since the beginning. My friends and I didn’t have much money while in middle school, so when my friend got D&D for Christmas I didn’t want to go out and immediately buy the same thing because I could always read his copy. I was a huge Star Trek fan and really liked science fiction, so I bought Metamorphosis Alpha instead.

There is some debate on the issue, but a case can be made that MA is the first ever science fiction RPG, which makes it pretty old school. (EPT is more fantasy based with occasional bits of high-tech and I think that MA beat Traveller to press by a few months.)

MA is a game of its own, but it has some close ties to OD&D in terms of overall style and mechanic. I think that there may be some crossover possibilities whereby rules from one game can be adapted to the other.

Hope that this proves to be an interesting place for discussion!

[murquhart72]

MA is the best adaption of D&D, EVA! I have every incarnation (except Amazing Engine, which I'm working on). I love how free-wheeling and imaginative everything is

[Finarvyn]

Well, I am trying to be selective in my choice of "old school" games so I hope that others share your sentiment themattjon. It's my feel that MA is sort of like "OD&D with mutants" as much as it is a game system of its own.

And actually, the AE edition of MA is my least favorite of all. It does have a lot of campaign material inside, but I just can't get all pumped up about the rules themselves.

[Rhuvein]

I've been interested in this game on and off and have looked at the original rules. I have noticed how much Gary Gygax likes this game and is always talking about it, and Jim Ward.

Anyway, not sure how much I can contribute, but I will be lurking!

[Rhuvein]

themattjon said:

MA is the best adaption of D&D, EVA! I have every incarnation (except Amazing Engine, which I'm working on). I love how free-wheeling and imaginative everything is

So why all the editions of MA? Has the game developed like D&D or has Jim Ward fine tuned it to be the version that he likes the best. Maybe it's a monetary/marketing/competition thing as there are several/many other sci-fi games out there.

I recall reading recently that he doesn't really like to talk about original MA, but would prefer talking about 4th edition.

Heh, sounds like Gary (preferring to chat about LA, rather than D&D0! ;D

[Finarvyn]

I suspect it has to do with the fact that TSR had a different author create 2E. Jim Ward managed to retain rights to the game, which is why he was able to create 3E and 4E on his own.

If you want frustration, try to talk to him about Gamma World. He doesn't have the rights to his own game anymore and really wants to avoid talking about it altogether. I think there's some really bad blood there, but dunno the details.

[harami2000]

Nice board, thanks.
I'll just jump in at the deep-end in passing, if that's OK.

admin said:

There is some debate on the issue, but a case can be made that MA is the first ever science fiction RPG, which makes it pretty old school. (EPT is more fantasy based with occasional bits of high-tech and I think that MA beat Traveller to press by a few months.)

(Science fantasy for EPT, at a push; ditto for WoM. *nods* MA was before Traveller, though).

Personally the debate might be more along the lines as to whether MA actually fulfils the list of requirements to qualify as a fully-fledged RPG in the first instance.

I'll be lazy and clip from www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13159.phtml , if y'all don't mind.

Some mechanics that we take for granted today either didn't exist at the time this game was made, or else weren't written into the game. Level advancement: doesn't exist. There's no such thing as a "level" or "experience points". *HOWEVER*, in at least two places within the rules it's mentioned that radiated berries could increase a character's stats. Also, the stat "Mental Resistance" increases over time with use. Finally, the character can learn new technologies. So a character *can* become stronger and better over time, just not in a fashion we're used to.

(1-0 to WoM, even...). And carrying on from there in text...

Anyhows; as to "first SF RPG", not really.

Briefly skipping over Starfaring (MA's release date was not 15th July 1976), SF RPGs were alive and kicking over in Blackmoor-land (literally, since the campaign cross-overs included use of the land in "pre-history") before D&D was published. You'd have to enquire though as to why the rules for Star Probe were sat on for a year, even more so for Star Empires ("and years in the preparation"? hrmm... TD#9 vs. SR#3) and the final (RPG) volume was never published at all, despite being outlined no later than April 1974.

That RPGing en-masse started out with fantasy is almost a freak occurrence, since SF was very much more in vogue at the time (per various surveys in gaming 'zines).

Cheers,
David.

[Finarvyn]

Nice post, and well thought-out. A couple thoughts come to mind:

1. I thought about Warriors of Mars and eliminated it for a different reason -- it's mostly fantasy with some SciFi elements, but it's also a miniatures rules set and not a true RPG.

2. Starfaring is very SciFi, but a player is in charge of an entire starship and not individual characters. I discount it from the list because it's not a traditional RPG either.

3. I know that Blackmoor had a high SciFi element contained within the campaign, but it was still a Fantasy game at heart and I'm not sure I would classify it as SciFi for that reason. In the same vein, OD&D has mention of androids, etc, but I don't think of it as a SciFi game either.

Anyway, it's one of those arguments that no one will ever "win" and who was first probably doesn't matter in the long run. Traveller is certainly "more SciFi" than MA and MA came out first. Both are fine games.
As far as Star Probe and Star Empire goes, I have both games and used to wonder why the promised third game of the series never came out. You seem to be first person I've talked with who has ever even heard of the third game.