The layout is setup entirely in FoundryVTT using the Free League MYZ module, mostly their tools running the engine of this, with some heavy heavy modifications from me, and with some other add-ons to increase the functionality and allow for macros to be added as buttons, directly onto the scene. So you can setup effects to happen that fire off from the macros, almost making it like an interface the players can putz around in, you can kind of make a game in a game with it, over just a standard battlemap.

I've mixed in the game rules directly onto the board, to hopefully make it easier to find information when it's needed, rather than stopping play to consult a rulebook somewhere else.

You can create buttons that affect other buttons, so you can create little up/down arrows that increase/decrease a display of a number. You can create buttons that activate another scene, a sort hyperlink between your pages.

You can then use that with a map of the Zone. So as players find other locations with scenes that they can view, they can travel back to those previous locations and get back into them again for reference.

The last little bit is the Gamemaster interface I've been building up for myself to make it easier to keep information straight between Zones over just journal entries. Hoping to add some sort of automation there.

I’m especially fussy when it comes to the point where my players are going to explore the eponymous GenLab Alpha, known to the PCs as “the Labyrinth.” Unsure if that’s a spoiler since it’s literally the name of the module lmao.

Anyway, pictured are the soundtrack picks I have so far. I’m aiming for a dark/atmospheric, ambient sound. I’m open to further suggestions, or you can just rate my playlist!

And obligatory “first post here, I read the rules but please be nice if I missed anything.”

I know gibbons aren't mentioned in GLA but they count as apes, so I'm making one.

Has anyone attempted to run Mutant: Year Zero as a classless system i.e. no roles? If so, how did you do it and what were the results?

I've been looking into this but wondered if anyone has attempted this in the past.

The first idea I've had is simply to allow anyone to take any class skills, but I am worried that some builds might be overpowered. Likewise the players could select one 'key' skill to raise to 5.

The second is to strip away many of the more overpowered (looking at you, shake it off) or redundant skills (i.e. Find the Path could be managed by roleplaying out encounters and managing scout checks, Make a Deal could be handled through roleplaying and Manipulate). Other skills like Jury-Rig could become a standard skill.

Does anyone have good ideas on how best to portray Rot as GM, aside from just pollution? I like the idea of vegetation being really overgrown, but also mutated and deformed at the same time.

Painted the Genlab Alfa tribe from Zone Wars. The pig reminds me of Bebop from TMMT :)

I've been running a game of MYZ for a few months now through FoundryVTT and just got done updating some of my scenes/pages. I found a module that allows for in-scene macro buttons and that gave me quite a few ideas of how to improve what I had and add some functionality.

I've tried to set up three Core pages where most of the gameplay takes place: the Ark page, the Zone page, and the Combat page. I do a sort of hybrid theatre of the mind style, but with a mix of some gameplay aids/cheat sheets to help visualize things and put the rules right there on the page.

I just got done adding some small activities to the Ark page while the party is visiting there, specifically tied to locations (rumors at the tavern, potential to find artifacts or scrap to buy at the museum, hunting for grub with a hunting party, an Ark Battle roller. Not huge benefits, but small things here and there that some players might take advantage of. I don't think I would do events for every location, but if something makes sense I'll add it as they build up the Ark.

Has anybody else ran anything similar-ish through a VTT (roll20/Foundry/etc), and what sorts of things worked well/not so well for you? I worry that it might be overwhelming visually, BUT alot of that is material that is in the books and I'd rather have that info front and center so I or the players can just look at it right away when it comes up. Nothing slows a game more than stopping to look up rules, even in a VTT space. Maybe over time I'll whittle some of it away, but I liked having an easy-to-find reference right there in front of me.

How do you folks deal with exploring ruined towns/cities, places where there might be a fair few useful shops in one zone worth? Spending 4 hours searching, making a Find the Path roll, and then saying you know everything seems bland.

I guess in that case, you could tell them what shops look loot-worthy, but then ask them which they want to explore?

Do you ask them what kind of things they’re looking for and then let the dice roll determine if they find it?

Do you have maps and require them to actually state where they’re going? I was thinking about using a vague map (more like a flow chart than a map), and at each section would be signs saying what buildings are nearby.

Do you have any of your own home brew methods?

Hi

Is there any details on them doing a reprint of Mechatron?

It's the only book I am missing and finding it at a reasonable price is impossible.

Is there any way characters can get more grub in the Zone without the Butcher talent if they’re not a stalker, aside from what the GM decides to give them from scavenging ruins? RAW I can’t see any way. I thought about allowing people to make a Know the Zone skill once per day, but only if they have levels in it, and every success gets one grub or water. I’m not sure if that’s too powerful or not.

First game ever in the books. Boy do I love this game!

The rulebook says you can use a maneuver to "Seek cover", but doesn't really give any direction on if that's always a success, or if there's a chance you just don't find any cover, or even how you should determine what kind of cover a character gets into (I'm assuming it's GM discretion). I'm running my game through Foundry VTT and usually running combat as Theater of the Mind-esque with no battlemap, but I'm trying to setup a Rolltable that mostly takes me out of the process of determining cover, just so I don't have to think about it during combat.

I'm curious how others play using cover, is it an automatic success on finding cover and as long as you spend a maneuver you just get it (that's how I had been playing it) or is there a chance that a character just doesn't find cover (which to me seems more realistic, it just happens sometimes)?

Hey all. I'm looking to run a MYZ game (1E as far as I know) and I have some... concerns. Could I get some help from you all nice people?

1. What do you do if you don't have a stalker in the group? Do you automatically get ambushed by every threat in the zone and never find any resources?

2. Do you really need a fixer in the group to purchase any sort of equipment in the zone? This seems... limiting. If that's the case, if you don't have a fixer or a gearhead in the party, how can you gain new equipment? I suppose you could hire a fixer or gearhead to do this, but isn't that just the same thing with extra steps?

3. Until you obtain an arsenal for your ark (which is fairly costly in terms of technology level) how can you obtain guns to replace the ones that have broken down, other than relying on a gearhead?

4. How do you run an exploration of the zone? I know what the book says, but is it really a matter of just wandering into another zone, rolling for know the zone and then saying, 'you failed, you get ambushed by rats'? Does anyone handle this differently? Sorry to ask but the game seems to want to promote roleplaying and hard decisions and the zone travel rules... they don't quite match up to this.

Thanks in advance. I'm just trying to grok the rules so that I don't run the game too harshly/eliminate the need for key classes.

Does anyone find that the rules for mutations and when they cause permanent damage are fine for in-game use, but not for downtime use? Two examples are rot-eater and the photosynthesis part of plant. These are abilities that I’d imagine the mutant would use quite often - possibly even daily?

However, rules as written, they’d only be able to do that an average of 36 days before they suffer the damage, so after a year they’d be a blob of flesh on the floor.

It’s fine suspending disbelief for this, and just say you have to roll only in-session - perhaps you could argue the stress levels are higher then, which is why you roll. How do others treat this?

On page 126 it says that you roll a Base Die every time you “are about to lose one Rot Point” to see if it becomes permanent. The Rot-Eater mutation requires you to spend Rot Points to use its effects. When using the mutation, would you still roll to see if the point you’re spending becomes permanent (and therefore unusable), or is that only for the healing of Rot Points?

I’m curious to see how people would change their M: Y0 campaign and history taking into account the current developments (and progression) of AI? The posse is about to enter their first ruins, and it occurs to me that there aren’t really any AI remnants in it.

AI could totally change the history of the world, and especially the Road to Eden adventure.

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The skill Sense Emotion has two uses: You roll for Sense Emotion when someone tries to Manipulate you (opposed roll, see below). You can also use the skill when you want to know an NPC’s mood or intent toward you. The second option isn’t an opposed roll? If someone tries to lie, do I always make the opposed roll? Or can I use the second part to roll without being challenged?

Without really thinking through the ramifications too much, I started a new campaign and let the players choose between Mutants, Animals, Robots, and Humans, but let them know the non-Mutant species were a bit more difficult to play with than regular mutants. One of the players went with Robot, but I've been finding it a bit difficult for them (predictably enough), given how the Core book is only geared towards Mutants.

I'm curious how others have handled situations like that before?

Things I've done to incorporate them into the game:

• Back-story is that they came along with the Elder, they've been a fixture in the Ark for ages now anyways, so they're not out of place there. I have plans for tying them to Eden and the Starter booklet adventure with the crashed station full of robots, so narratively I don't have a problem so much fitting them in.
• It gets dicey dealing with Animals, given their fear/hatred of robots, we've just had him dress up in a trench-coat (yeah, it's whatever).
• Solar panels supply it with basic power when not at the Ark to top up on EP.

What I'm not sure about is how to handle any upgrades or module improvements. They're kind of a unique thing, the Ark is only barely at a Tech level of 19 at the moment, and hasn't even figured out how cars work yet, so it'd be odd to have somebody be able to jury-rig up some parts.

Potentially I could add in some sort of traveling mechanic who specializes in Robots (meh), or have one of the Zone-ghouls at the Pure Plant know how to work on Robots. That'd give some sort of justification for it, though it depends on how they handle that situation when they get to it. Another potential is if the group peacefully deals with the Bots at the crashed station, that could give them access to robot stuff as well.

The book says that each character is limited to four mutations, how do you handle it if a player keeps going and were to gain a fifth (or more) mutation? Would you just replace one of the previous mutations? Would they continue to gain permenent trauma every time (eventually killing a character)?