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Metamorphosis Alpha
In METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA, you are aboard the stricken starship and struggling to survive, trying to gain knowledge of the strange devices and mechanical apparatus of the vessel, attempting to learn the secrets of the strange world you inhabit. As a player, you may be a human or mutant - human or otherwise. Your course is up to your skill and imagination.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
James M. Ward
116 books53 followersJames M. Ward (b. 1951) is an American game designer and fantasy author.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 17, 2014
This was my first Role Playing Game and I enjoyed it a lot.
August 13, 2015
Metamorphosis Alpha is a new dice-pool version of the classic game of science-fiction role-playing. Originally self-published, it became one of the earliest games published by TSR (Tactical Studies Rules) after the success of Dungeons & Dragons, Metamorphosis Alpha was a short (32-page rulebook) guide to a chaotic, sometimes hilarious, and mutation-rich science-fiction adventure. The game later inspired the even more deadly (for player characters, that is) Gamma World and a d20 homage to the work, Omega World, published in the Polyhedron version of the Dungeon/Polyhedron double-sided magazine. Later, a d20 Gamma World was published and a fourth edition of Metamorphosis: Alpha was developed by original creator James Ward. The new dice pool version of the game was developed by Jamie Chambers in association with the original creator.
I read a lot of game rules (considering I teach design courses in games, ethics in games, and history of games) and don’t always review them. Even if this volume were not provided by the publisher, I think it would stand out because of both its historical significance and the worthiness of the new interactive system. I plan to run at least one night of this system and use some of the mutations described to supplement a certain planet in my Traveller campaign. I even tried to play the sample scenario. The scenario was very cleverly written and had some marvelous humor (“Marshians?” as marsh dwellers instead of the expected “Martians” as Mars dwellers, as well as Schnauzeroids to indicate mutant canines), but its design underscored some of the organizational problems of the book.
The book, as with most role-playing games, desperately needs an index. I know that some people (and I used to believe this) think that a detailed Table of Contents will suffice, but it doesn’t work if one has a description of Wounds and Fatigue in one chapter and the mechanics of combat in another. Indeed, here is where I had a problem. In general, the system means that you get one die to roll in addition to your base 2d for every 1d you add to a skill or circumstance. Yet, the adventure mentions 1d worth of damage and 2d worth of damage, even though the description of damage only describes points of Fatigue Damage and points of Wound Damage. One would “assume” that one rolls 1d6 and takes the damage off the Wound statistic, but after looking through the book several times, I cannot find a specific statement that one ever rolls for damage. Rather, the chart only shows point values and says nothing about 1d or 2d worth of damage. I ran the adventure as though one rolled for damage, but it wasn’t clear.
I also wondered why the description of the Basic Roll on page 12 described the idea of Easy, Average or Hard difficulty, but didn’t simply explain that one attained successes on rolls of 3+, 4+, or 5+, respectively. One would, at least, have expected a cross-reference to the later explanation at this point in the book. And why did I have to search down the rules for Initiative in yet another chapter when it could easily have been covered when first mentioned?
Also, even though the system is designed to be open-ended for the sake of actual ROLE-playing and STORY-telling, I worry that the lack of crunchiness may encourage development of powerful characters which get out of control very quickly. To be sure, the rules do state that everything must be subject to the approval of the referee, but as an experienced referee in many systems, I can tell you that it isn’t always obvious where the system will get unbalanced. I fear the strength of being open-ended may end up as the system’s weakness in some cases.
But enough about weakness, let’s talk about strength. Metamorphosis Alpha has a marvelous procedure for random character generation. Based on a series of questions, one can either choose or roll for various traits or qualities (or mutations). I enjoyed playing a mutant with Telekinetic Claw and Electrical Generation. Another had Levitation and Mental Blast. One was a mutant human and the other was a mutant badger. Of course, the primary environment for the game is the starship Warden and the very nature of the adventure being set on a colony ship which has been through some kind of disaster means that the referee can keep things relatively contained and doesn’t have to develop a full universe immediately. That keeps preparation time to a minimum.
The new dice pool version of Metamorphosis Alpha is a streamlined approach to role-playing with some fresh ideas and a subject matter which is self-contained enough to let even the most inexperienced referee/game master get “sea legs” before getting too far in a campaign. Since I have run a Traveller campaign since the early ‘80s, I don’t usually seek out new science-fiction games, but Metamorphosis Alpha is a marvelous addition to my RPG library and it will be used—both as a stand-alone and as a supplement. It’s a good value.
I read a lot of game rules (considering I teach design courses in games, ethics in games, and history of games) and don’t always review them. Even if this volume were not provided by the publisher, I think it would stand out because of both its historical significance and the worthiness of the new interactive system. I plan to run at least one night of this system and use some of the mutations described to supplement a certain planet in my Traveller campaign. I even tried to play the sample scenario. The scenario was very cleverly written and had some marvelous humor (“Marshians?” as marsh dwellers instead of the expected “Martians” as Mars dwellers, as well as Schnauzeroids to indicate mutant canines), but its design underscored some of the organizational problems of the book.
The book, as with most role-playing games, desperately needs an index. I know that some people (and I used to believe this) think that a detailed Table of Contents will suffice, but it doesn’t work if one has a description of Wounds and Fatigue in one chapter and the mechanics of combat in another. Indeed, here is where I had a problem. In general, the system means that you get one die to roll in addition to your base 2d for every 1d you add to a skill or circumstance. Yet, the adventure mentions 1d worth of damage and 2d worth of damage, even though the description of damage only describes points of Fatigue Damage and points of Wound Damage. One would “assume” that one rolls 1d6 and takes the damage off the Wound statistic, but after looking through the book several times, I cannot find a specific statement that one ever rolls for damage. Rather, the chart only shows point values and says nothing about 1d or 2d worth of damage. I ran the adventure as though one rolled for damage, but it wasn’t clear.
I also wondered why the description of the Basic Roll on page 12 described the idea of Easy, Average or Hard difficulty, but didn’t simply explain that one attained successes on rolls of 3+, 4+, or 5+, respectively. One would, at least, have expected a cross-reference to the later explanation at this point in the book. And why did I have to search down the rules for Initiative in yet another chapter when it could easily have been covered when first mentioned?
Also, even though the system is designed to be open-ended for the sake of actual ROLE-playing and STORY-telling, I worry that the lack of crunchiness may encourage development of powerful characters which get out of control very quickly. To be sure, the rules do state that everything must be subject to the approval of the referee, but as an experienced referee in many systems, I can tell you that it isn’t always obvious where the system will get unbalanced. I fear the strength of being open-ended may end up as the system’s weakness in some cases.
But enough about weakness, let’s talk about strength. Metamorphosis Alpha has a marvelous procedure for random character generation. Based on a series of questions, one can either choose or roll for various traits or qualities (or mutations). I enjoyed playing a mutant with Telekinetic Claw and Electrical Generation. Another had Levitation and Mental Blast. One was a mutant human and the other was a mutant badger. Of course, the primary environment for the game is the starship Warden and the very nature of the adventure being set on a colony ship which has been through some kind of disaster means that the referee can keep things relatively contained and doesn’t have to develop a full universe immediately. That keeps preparation time to a minimum.
The new dice pool version of Metamorphosis Alpha is a streamlined approach to role-playing with some fresh ideas and a subject matter which is self-contained enough to let even the most inexperienced referee/game master get “sea legs” before getting too far in a campaign. Since I have run a Traveller campaign since the early ‘80s, I don’t usually seek out new science-fiction games, but Metamorphosis Alpha is a marvelous addition to my RPG library and it will be used—both as a stand-alone and as a supplement. It’s a good value.
January 10, 2014
A truly unique science-fiction role-playing game with simple mechanics and a campaign setting built right into the core.
February 20, 2017
A neat re-working of the original, first ever sci-fi RPG, Metamorphosis Alpha delivers deadly gonzo sci-fi action, filled with improbable mutants and malfunctioning computer systems. It reminds me a lot of Paranoia, and I would not be surprised if the latter had gleaned some inspiration from earlier editions of Metamorphosis Alpha.
The system is quite simple and character creation is straightforward while affording many options. However, the hard-to-find opposed roll rules and the lack of character advancement spoiled the game a bit for me. I'd still like to inflict it on some friends, however.
The system is quite simple and character creation is straightforward while affording many options. However, the hard-to-find opposed roll rules and the lack of character advancement spoiled the game a bit for me. I'd still like to inflict it on some friends, however.
December 16, 2017
A fun tome filled with pleasant nostalgia. The setting is vague enough so that anything goes, from the ambiguous Warden spaceship to worlds.
Not sure I like the SYSTEM 26 rules all that much, but they seem like they would work quite adequately.
All in all I really like it.
Not sure I like the SYSTEM 26 rules all that much, but they seem like they would work quite adequately.
All in all I really like it.
December 24, 2022
Solid rerelease of the classic SF RPG, with additional support material from contemporary magazines. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...
March 21, 2024
Excellent.
3/21/24 update. James M Ward is dead. I had really thought about contacting him. Another dream lost in the void. RIP
3/21/24 update. James M Ward is dead. I had really thought about contacting him. Another dream lost in the void. RIP
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews