Mutant Crawl Classics Q&A with Creator Jim Wampler

Mutant Crawl Classics is the warped, mutant sci-fi twin to DCC. All Plantients, Manimals, Mutants and PSH are welcome here...

Moderators: DJ LaBoss, finarvyn, michaelcurtis, Harley Stroh

Post Reply
User avatar
TGMoore
Far-Sighted Wanderer
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:07 am
Location: Central Kentucky

Mutant Crawl Classics Q&A with Creator Jim Wampler

Post by TGMoore »

Source: https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/2016/07/05 ... -classics/

While this is nearly a year old (July 2016 during the Kickstarter Campaign) I found a ton of important information here I'd never seen before. I've edited it for content, clarity and easy reading.

Q: Setting question: I’ve played in your version of “Dying Aerth”, which seems like a very (thousands of years?) far future setting. How adaptable will MCC be for maybe nearer future campaigns? I’m referring specifically to tech.

Jim Wampler: Well being old school flavored, there’s no issue with modifying the setting DIY style. With MCC I did exactly what Joe Goodman did with DCC – provide a generic enough central setting that you could move it in any number of directions, but specific enough to come with its own style and flavor.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about that setting?

Jim Wampler: The setting is solidly grounded (as is DCC) in Appendix N literature. Bits and pieces of Jack Vance’s The Dying Earth, Brian Aldiss and Non-Stop, Sterling Lanier’s Heiro’s Journey, and Andre Norton’s Daybreak – 2050 (aka Star Man's Son). So it takes place ion an ambiguous far future. There’s a red bloated sun, glow deserts, hot house jungles with mile-high trees, and wounded lands I call crater countries.
User avatar
TGMoore
Far-Sighted Wanderer
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:07 am
Location: Central Kentucky

Re: Mutant Crawl Classics Q&A with Creator Jim Wampler

Post by TGMoore »

Q: What kind of cross compatibility with DCC can we expect? ie are there custom tables to roll random DCC races/classes along side MCC races/classes?

Jim Wampler: Compatibility with DCC is 100%. You can literally drop monsters and characters back and forth. We did this in playtesting. I have a 5th level wizard still running around in my home campaign. Some DCC modules like Against the Atomic Oberlord could be run in MCC as is, others with the lightest of reskinnings.

Q: So does the game do anything new or different from DCC?

Jim Wampler: There are some differences with DCC proper. The power curve for PCs starts out a little more jacked up. Mutations function mechanically exactly like spell checks in DCC. So in effect, every mutated PC is a mini-spell caster. Whereas magic items are a relatively rare thing in DCC, MCC is crawling with artifacts – in fact searching for those is a main through line of the game.

Q: Can you explain how glowburn works?

Jim Wampler: Mechanically glowburn functions exactly like spellburn, ie.e you would use it to increase mutation checks. In-game, it represents the mutant character having gathered a small supply of mildly radioactive detrius, and he/she ingests them when it’s time to shine.

Q: I take it that DCC and MCC don’t use the Vancian approach (to spell casting)?

Jim Wampler: In a sense they do. For example, when rolling a spellcheck in DCC, the spell results run from 0-32+. usually anything below a 12 means that you forgot the spell for the day or blew out your mutational power, as the case may be. But yeah, keep rolling high on a D20 and your wizard can keep popping magic missiles all night long.

Q: Are there no “passive” mutant powers, like, say, armor?

Jim Wampler: An excellent question! In MCC, mutations are divided into two types – passive and active. Passive mutations are permanent effects like armor, enhanced strength, extra arms/heads/legs, and so on. You only roll the mutation check for passive mutations once per level, and that roll is optional level 2 and up. Active mutations are all the at-will powers, and you roll those mutation checks every time you use them.

Q: So to borrow from X-Men, for example: if Storm is calling down lightning, that would be an active power, while Wolverine’s healing ability would be a passive power?

Jim Wampler: In the X-Men question, per MCC mutations those would both be active powers. Angel’s wings would be a passive power.

Q: Can you tell us what the classes are?

Jim Wampler: Sooo, the classes. There are four for Pure Strain Humans: Sentinel, Shaman, Healer, and Rover. The other three are race-as-class: Mutant, Manimal, and Plantient. Chances are you can guess which class functions as what.
Last edited by TGMoore on Thu Jun 01, 2017 6:23 pm, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar
TGMoore
Far-Sighted Wanderer
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:07 am
Location: Central Kentucky

Re: Mutant Crawl Classics Q&A with Creator Jim Wampler

Post by TGMoore »

Q: I know this is a labor of love. Is there anything you’ve learned tackling this project?

Jim Wampler: Yes! I learned to be careful what you wish for. All my 18-year-old self’s dreams are coming true, and it’s exhausting.
Also, playtest everything to hell and back. With judges and players you don’t know too.

Q: Is there anything different about the spell system in MCC Vs DCC?

Jim Wampler: Another excellent question! MCC takes the Jack Vance / Arthur C. Clarke stance that any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic. In MCC, the shamans receive “wetware programs” (spells) from a Patron AI (god or demon) that operate essentially the same as DCC spells.

Q: To follow up on that, do shamans know what they’re doing, or do they think they’re doing actual magic?

Jim Wampler: They’re different spells, naturally… and no patron in DCC is going to use transmat beams to give you a temporary suit of power armor taken from its hidden undergraound vaults… but you get the idea. I think my point is that they are doing “magic.” It may be memorizing unified field equations and a set of vocal and motion components to change a particular set of the laws of physics, but it’s all the same thing. From the shaman’s point of view, he has cut a pact with a higher power in exchange for terrible powers. It’s great, but the bill always comes due. From an MCC PC’s point of view, we’re all gods right here.

Q: Is there any difference s between glow burn and spell burn? Is there corruption?

Jim Wampler: Mechanically, no difference. Only the mutant classes and shamans can glowburn, though.The DCC/MCC system may sound insane, or at least wildly swingy at first blush. But when you play it, you see how the mechanics are self-balancing. Sure you can spellburn your wizard into getting off one really great adventure-breaking spell, but after that he’s in bed and useless for a month.

Q: Are there psionics, or do those fall under mutations?

Jim Wampler: There are many psionic mutations, very much in step with classic Gamma World, though I did get inventive with the varying mutation check results. Did you mind control just that guy or everyone within 100′? Depends on how high you rolled.

Q: What happens if you fail your PASSIVE mutation check? I mean do you lose the use of an extra limb?

Jim Wampler: strange things like that do happen in-game. At level-1, it is highly recommended that you glowburn or burn luck to ensure that your passive mutation is not merely cosmetic (say, a stunted useless pair of wings). The tricky bit comes at later levels when your sentient ape with a 20 str decides that maybe he’d like to reroll that and increase it. Also, in the course of play, if you tank a radiation save with a 1, you may gain a defect OR LOOSE A RANDOM MUTATION. Mutants can become Pure Strain Humans (PSH) with enough of that, and animals and plants become INT 3 PCs with no hands or ability to handle tools. A nat 20 on a radiation save will get you a new random mutation, I should menti

Q: Do plants and animals have a different set of mutations than human mutants do?

Jim Wampler: A smattering few, but with 100% compatibility with DCC being the goal, not many. I think in DCC if your level-0 starts with a negative stamina modifier he still gets 1 hp regardless. In MCC that little mutant was still-born. That’s my tribute to old school Traveller.

Q: Are there any mechanics, besides mutations, unique to MCC?

Jim Wampler: Well holy crap, I forgot about artifacts. That’s a stand-out difference. Here’s the way I balanced out all the crazy technological artifacts for MCC: a.) Most things run on power cells, and have only so many charges. b.) There’s an option and rules for giving every artifact its own mini AI and personality and quirks. So while you flaming tongue sword never runs out of charges or argues with you about how its bing used, your dazer pistol might.

Q: What is the baseline technology level like?

Jim Wampler: Far future, but with all of the expected tropes – power armor, particle beam weapons, etc. The tech is kinda a cross between Jetsons level and pulpy retro-future stuff. FUN stuff. Not boring old half tracks and shotguns.Well, I mean from a PC perspective. In the spirit of many a Brian Aldiss book, the local average is neolithic, without even agriculture or metallurgy. Except they have bits and bobs of technology. 1st edition Gamma World and certainly Metamorphosis Alpha both started out close to that. With GW, the baseline tech got progressively further along until it was practically medieval. May as well play genre-mashed D&D if that’s what you prefer. The beauty of the DCC fan community, which is second to none, is that every possible permutation you might want to try or to play is being published right now in a licensed fanzine. Want gunpowder weapons and rules for DCC/MCC? They already exist. Want naval wafare rules, already there for you. There’s currently an unconnected to MCC post-apoc fanzine called Crawling Under a Broken Moon that all ready has tons of options and stuff in it’s issues.

Q: Did you create any monsters that you are particularly proud of?

Jim Wampler: Data Ghosts: Simulations of dead Ancient Ones that were in the process of having their personalities uploaded into hologramtic bodies when the Great Disaster struck. They wander the desert, wraithlike. Legend says if you talk to one, it will tell you terrible secrets about the nature of the Universe.

Screamers (taken from Harlan Ellison): Basically radioactive zombies that howl continually.

Silane Serpent: A giant crystaline tube with no face but a huge mouth. It will swallow you whole and chomp you with its glass teeth. Un-defeatable unless you know that silicone life forms dissolve in water. TRUE SCIENCE.That’s all Kirk and Spock had to do – dump a bucket of water on the Horta.

Q: How big is the bestiary?

Jim Wampler: Not as big as I’d like it to be, but comparable to the DCC rulebook. The game really has three sets of monsters. Monsters proper, all the robots, androids, and holograms… and of course the not yet understood artifact is its own kind of PC killer.The kickstarter stretch goals are adding more as we speak, but Joe Goodman has his own strategy he’s used in deploying DCC, and I’m following (understandably) suit. So the core book has everything you need, but there will never be splatbooks. New monsters, items, and cool stuff come out instead via a series of adventure modules. Make sense?
Last edited by TGMoore on Thu Jun 01, 2017 4:40 pm, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar
TGMoore
Far-Sighted Wanderer
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:07 am
Location: Central Kentucky

Re: Mutant Crawl Classics Q&A with Creator Jim Wampler

Post by TGMoore »

Q: For those unfamiliar with DCC/MCC, can you describe the “character funnel” concept?

Jim Wampler: For those unfamiliar, in DCC/MCC, a campaign typically begins with a level-0 funnel adventure. Each player gets around 4 level-0 PCs who are basically peasants (DCC) or adolescent tribesmen (MCC). The group takes up to 24 of these level-0 cats into a dungeon or on and adventure and many if not most die horrible deaths, as they would. But if you can squeak one guy through, he automatically levels up to 1st level and gets all his class abilities, powers. In effect, you create your own backstory for the guy, as opposed to staying up all night writing it up or rolling it.It sounds crazy, but you would not believe how attached you suddenly become to that little candle maker who has aspirations of someday becoming a wizard and does.

Q: How do mutations suddenly appear?

Jim Wampler: In MCC terms, all of that is The Rite of Passage by which younglings become adult members of the tribe. It’s hoped that the stresses of going out and surviving for a week on your own and bringing back an intact artifact triggers the “metagenisis” or full flowering of your latent mutant abilities.So, yes they do. At level-0 mutated characters start out with a notable cosmetic mutation, but nothing like the real deals at level-1. Think of the MCC funnel adventure as your mutant character's trip through the Terrigen Mist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrigen_Mist.

Manimals and plantients will have a level-0 attack equivalent to a level-0 DCC PC’s beginning weapon, which may only be a 1d4 pitchfork. Thorns or a bite. Mutants start out with all kinds of crazy things that don’t affect game play but are cool as hell. Purple skin, a smaller twin in the abdomen, metallic hair… like that.

Q: How do Pure Strain Humans, Manimals and Plantients get along?

Jim Wampler: That question leads to an answer I should have given earlier on differences with DCC. In the post apocalypse, the world is so brutal that the concepts of law, chaos, and neutrality have lost their meaning. So in MCC, we have Archaic Alignments, which are basically social constructs based on ancient societal values. The PCs might start out in the Arciac Alignment The Clan of Cog (known as The Clan of Cognition by the elders). They’ve been taught to respect all sentient life, so in that case the genotypes actively cooperate. There are other, less savory Archaic Alignments that the PCs may face and wish to fight and genotype-specific Archaic Alignments that PCs may wish to join later, for that matter.

Q: So are there mixed communities of pure strains and mutants?

Jim Wampler: In theory yes. But you know nothing stops a group who’s determined to do anything, even get themselves all killed. In The Museum at the End of Time, that’s the set-up. But you could do whatever you wanted and I’m sure other writers will have other ideas too. I can’t write all those stretch goals myself. In my home campaign, an evil Archaic Alignment infiltrated the PCs home collection of villages… slowly, starting with one guy they took prisoner and then set free. Later they had to beat those guys out of there in a conflagration that burnt down half the village. But hey, they “won.”

Q: Is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?

Jim Wampler: 90% of what people have been asking for in the comments (of the Kickstarter camapign) was already in the works beforehand, it just takes time to find the one company in North America who can make a glow-in-the-dark set of polyhedrals. For Gary Con, I had some MCC d6s made and put them all in a wooden cigar box with a chunk of uranium ore I bought on amazon.com. Then I tested them with a Geiger counter I got for my iPhone, and they were mildly radioactive about like the potassium content of a banana, but still.
User avatar
Blood Axe
Cold-Blooded Diabolist
Posts: 530
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:58 am
FLGS: The Portal
Location: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Re: Mutant Crawl Classics Q&A with Creator Jim Wampler

Post by Blood Axe »

Thanks for posting this. Im wondering how Pure Humans will be. They were usually seen as the weakest class since they didnt have mutations. Im curious how they will work. Mutant Future RPG had Pure Humans get better stats(Cha, Int, Con) and HP, along with greater skill with tech, and better chance of being recognized by robots/computers.
To defend: This is the Pact.
But when life loses its value,
and is taken for naught -
then the Pact is to Avenge.
User avatar
TGMoore
Far-Sighted Wanderer
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:07 am
Location: Central Kentucky

Re: Mutant Crawl Classics Q&A with Creator Jim Wampler

Post by TGMoore »

Blood Axe wrote:Thanks for posting this. Im wondering how Pure Humans will be. They were usually seen as the weakest class since they didnt have mutations. Im curious how they will work. Mutant Future RPG had Pure Humans get better stats(Cha, Int, Con) and HP, along with greater skill with tech, and better chance of being recognized by robots/computers.
Oh you're welcome. I was listening to the Glowburn podcast episode 6. One of the guests was Brendan LaSalle (Creator of X-Crawl and a DCC/MCC adventure designer) he said that for a one off or Convention game he would play a Mutant, plantient or manimal. But he'd rather play a PSH for a long term campaign. This suggests to me PSH recieve skills and powers as they progress up in level where as the others races are front loaded with abilities but gain less as they level up.
User avatar
Blood Axe
Cold-Blooded Diabolist
Posts: 530
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:58 am
FLGS: The Portal
Location: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Re: Mutant Crawl Classics Q&A with Creator Jim Wampler

Post by Blood Axe »

I'm definitely looking forward to more information on the game. I'm a backer of course. I want Pure Humans to be an attractive option in the game. I can't wait.
To defend: This is the Pact.
But when life loses its value,
and is taken for naught -
then the Pact is to Avenge.
User avatar
Clangador
Wild-Eyed Zealot
Posts: 105
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:22 am
Location: Tacoma, WA

Re: Mutant Crawl Classics Q&A with Creator Jim Wampler

Post by Clangador »

Great interview.
~Clangador

I'm not a wizard but I play one in DCC...

Join the DCC RPG Rocks Facebook group.
Post Reply

Return to “Mutant Crawl Classics RPG”