Strontium Dog: Before I re-invent the wheel...

[BigJackBrass]

Strontium Dog, the long-running strip from Starlord and 2000AD about mutant bounty hunters in the future, has been mentioned a time or two on these boards, mostly in passing as far as I can tell from my searches. As it happens I've been considering running a game or two using this setting, largely thanks to the excellent audio plays published by Big Finish and starring Simon Pegg (of Spaced and Sean of the Dead fame) as Johnny Alpha, which I've been listening to at work. Well worth getting if you have any interest in the genre.

 

Specific items such as SD Agent body armour, guns, Smokers and things like the Time Grenades aren't really a problem, since I can work them up or use something close from published Hero books, but I'm wondering how best to tackle the issue of mutations.

 

Essentially, mutations in this setting are caused mainly by radiation and the like and - unlike your average Marvel mutation - they are not always useful. They're rarely pretty, either. I'm considering how best to give the players a degree of control over what they get without having them entirely design the mutation; after all, it's appropriate to the setting to be stuck with something you would rather not have and certainly would never choose for yourself. So far I've thought about letting the players design any power aspects of the mutation, then making them roll on a simple chart to indicate what sort of other manifestation the mutation might have. For example, Johnny Alpha can see through walls and has glowing eyes; Middenface McNulty, on the other hand, has a lumpy head. A player might choose to design a character with telekinetic powers, then make a couple of rolls resulting in something like "Minor physical deformity," "Powerful body odour" or whatever. Workable, but it seems clunky. Any suggestions for a better way of approaching this?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Strontium Dog: Before I re-invent the wheel...

 

Have the characters come up with, or create, some power sets for mutations they would like to play out.

 

Then come up with a list of adverse mutations that might go along with the "useful" ones the players came up with, mix and match a bit.

 

Make it clear that the wish list the players provide (either generally or as builds) may not come out exactly as written, but the spirit will be kept, and they will be getting some adverse aspects to go with it that you hope will make the roleplaying more interesting.

 

If a player shows just absolute revulsion to an idea, scrap it. Don't make 'em play something they'd hate playing. But most good RPers will pick up on the idea.

 

And really, Role Players have a strange habit of finding uses for the most useless things around. . .

[BigJackBrass]

Re: Strontium Dog: Before I re-invent the wheel...

 

Interesting approach, thanks. Luckily most of my group are good - and friendly - roleplayers who are more into enjoying the game than trying to 'win' at every turn, but that said I want to avoid inflicting the disadvantages and unhelpful mutations on them in what might seem an arbitrary manner, just in case someone feels that I have given them a bum deal. Your cut-up approach might well get round that particular hurdle without the inevitable problems of matching random results to player choices.