Aw. Gamma World’s Artifact Use Chart Makes Me Sad

If you’re thinking that TSR’s Gamma World roleplaying game (Amazon.com search*) was always about wacky mutatations, unplayable characters, and gonzo strangeness then I’m here today to make you sad. Dragon magazine #25, published in 1979, starts things out well enough with a hell of a silly cover that makes me think of Wizards. Seriously, how can we not grin like idiots when confronted with that cover art?

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Unfortunately, one of the Gamma World articles in the magazine seems to have been created just to suck all of the fun out of the cover art. The article starts off well enough, with the title of “Gamma World Artifact Use Chart” which, while kinda dull, promises to make things fun for us all. But then you see it. Right there. On the next page. Staring you in the face. A flowchart. Damn. That complicated mass of lines, boxes, diamonds, circles, and arrows has me still screaming in terror. Make it stop. Please.

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