Using MF rules for other game's setting?

[shart2069]

One thing I was wondering, has anybody ever tried to use MF rules for some other game's setting?

For instance, one old game I have is "Cyborg Commando" from Gygax's New Infinities company from the 1980's.

The rules are well ... odd. Too much calculation for my taste. Weird die mechanics.

I do like the idea of the setting though... alien "monsters" invade and conquer the Earth in 2035 or about then. (Just another form of apocalypse.)

So I was wondering if it might work to just use MF for the rules and use the CC setting.

There is already the "Cyborg, Commando" on p. 68 of MF that kinda looks like what the PC's would be like... go out on missions from their secret base and blast giant alien critters.

(I have NEVER in 25+ years got anybody to let me run GW or any other PA type game, and maybe this might be a better sell to get somebody to try the MF rules?)

[Blood axe]

I only know about that game from an ad in an old dragon magazine. But MF rules could work.

[shart2069]

Just take a gander at the cover image!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyborg_Commando

Basically, an alien civilization engineers a massive army of HUMONGOUS critters based on the lowly dust mite... (they live all around us eating our shed skin flakes)... the big alien ones don't care if the skin is shed yet or not

After the massive orbital bombardments take out all military bases on the planet, the last hope against the giant bugs is the experimental Cyborg Commandos!

There were 3 novels written by Kim Mohan and Pamela O'Neill, that read a lot better than the game.

It all seemed a lot cooler when I was 17 years old somehow.

[Malcadon]

I have been wanting to play in worlds akin to Thundarr the Barbarian, Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, Mighty Sampson, but perhaps more so, a generic version of the old Masters of the Universe mini-comics (that came with the He-Man action figures).

The MotU mini-comics predated the cheesy cartoon, and was more of a post-apocalyptic sword & sorcery/science-fantasy space opera! He-Man was not a foppish, soft-spoken prince, but he was just another generic Conan-clone from the frozen north. After saving the Snake Goddess from a large dragon, she rewarded him with power magical and technological artifacts (personally, I would have it so that he had to find the artifacts with her help, but you can only put so much in those booklets). The battle gear he was given provides him with immanence strength, and a strong force-field (which is good for a setting with lots of blasters), which made the fights less one-sided, when he was robed of his gear. Skeletor is a ruthless trans-dimensional warlord, who is a powerful sorcerer and swordsman. His goals are the same as his cartoon counterpart, but he also lusts after the Warrior Goddess (basically Teela but blond). Beastman and Merman are not bubbling fools, but are crafty warlords of their respective people. He-man and Skeletor both have one-half of a powerful magic sword (this was dropped in the cartoon, as it would have looked like that they are just ripping-off Blackstar). There were many differences between the obscure mini-comics, and the well-established cartoon, but the mini-comics has more room for adventuring, as it was a less defined setting, where the heroes are less bound by destiny or heavy-handed morality (that is, anyone can be the big-damn-hero), and there are lots of powerful magical/high-tech artifacts to be found. Basically, I would play it more like Conan-meets-Gamma World.

Here is a link to the mini-comics, and this guy made some great fan-comics from them!

[Wizardawn]

One thing I was wondering, has anybody ever tried to use MF rules for some other game's setting?

No...unless you count a Thundarr-type world a setting.

For instance, one old game I have is "Cyborg Commando" from Gygax's New Infinities company from the 1980's. The rules are well ... odd. Too much calculation for my taste. Weird die mechanics. I do like the idea of the setting though... alien "monsters" invade and conquer the Earth in 2035 or about then. (Just another form of apocalypse.) So I was wondering if it might work to just use MF for the rules and use the CC setting.

I never heard of the game but I can already say "yes".

(I have NEVER in 25+ years got anybody to let me run GW or any other PA type game, and maybe this might be a better sell to get somebody to try the MF rules?)

Back in the 80's, everyone wanted to play AD&D and that was it. We played 1 game of Star Frontiers...and 1 game of Marvel Super Heroes. I guess the fantasy genre was king. There wasn't many things that captures the imaginations of post-apocalyptic except for Thundarr the Barbarian. Movies like Plant of the Apes was just apes ruling a future Earth and did not have the spark of fun with mutant creatures and mutated humanoids with their own looks and abilities. Everyone could relate to elves, dwarves, or gnomes though.

On page 7 of the rules, it has a single sentence that plants the idea to maybe use something other than a decimated Earth...but an alien planet. The rules in MF can be used (in my opinion) for any type of sci-fi game. The only thing lacking in MF is some type of spaceship combat rules...well...vehicle combat in general. If you want an extra rule book...getting Starships & Spacemen could help you flesh out some vehicle combat rules. You don't have to worry about any type of player character aliens to make...as just picking the mutations could basically make you an alien instead of a mutant.

With a little creativity and organization, one can take the LL, MF, and SS books and really shake things up. You could have a Thundarr like game with super science and sorcery. You could make a Star Wars based game. You could do things like Spelljammer or Shadowrun just by having these books and taking the pieces you want.

The rules are well ... odd. Too much calculation for my taste. Weird die mechanics.

I like my games to be similar in design with each other. Having 6 abilities, TO HIT tables, armor class, hit points, and xp is just something I am used to using. If I want to play another genre of game...I don't want to use "different" rules. Sticking with this style also helps other quickly get into the game because it works just like AD&D but with these little differences...instead of a whole different game mechanic. I understand why game developers do these things. They either think they can do something better or they just want to simply be different than the rest. Although this style wouldn't work for a super hero game...it works fine for me for just about anything else.

[sniderman]

Did someone mention Thundarr for Mutant Future?