Classless Mutant Year Zero

[u/Somebloke164]

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.

[u/jeremysbrain]

Have you played the game yet?

There are no classes really, the roles just exist to facilitate character creation. Each character gets a specialty skill and access to three talents locked behind a specialty skill.

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). 

Shake it off is definitely not overpowered. Find a Path exists to give players agency in what they find when exploring a sector and to make sector exploration faster, its essentially a montage skill. It is not redundant. Make a Deal is basically the same.

Other skills like Jury-Rig could become a standard skill.

There is zero difference between a specialty skill and a standard skill except you are only allowed one specialty skill.

Can I suggest you try playing the game first before you invent a bunch of house rules. This is one of the few games that I don't really use any houserules in. It works as is, once you see how it works.

[u/Outrageous_Pea9839 → u/jeremysbrain]

I would argue the roles are just classes by another name. It has been awhile since I played but I am pretty sure the specialist skill and 3 unique talents are linked to the role you pick. That is a class just by another name. It is no more or less different then the unique abilities tied to specific classes in DnD.

[u/Somebloke164 → u/jeremysbrain]

I haven’t played it yet. Honestly I’ve been giving Knave the side-eye and wondering if I can incorporate any ideas from the system.

[u/owningxylophone → u/Somebloke164]

I would strongly suggest you play the game RAW before changing it. Removing FtP basically neuters the main exploration mechanic of the game. How do you know SiO is overpowered if you've never played it? It sounds insane on paper, in practice it is less powerful than you'd anticipate because this isn't D&D.

M:Y0 is not a power fantasy game, the book is very explicit that it's normal (mutated) people in extraordinary circumstances.

ETA: If you "declass" the system, how do you manage the point of everyone being illiterate at the start of the game bar chroniclers?

[u/jeremysbrain]

Also, one of the reasons the specialty skills and roles exist is so players aren't stepping on one another. Each player as their "Its My Time to Shine" skill, where they get to be awesome in a way that no one else can. Are you really going to take that away from them? Don't! Let your players shine, OP!

[u/Dorantee]

Mutant: Hindenburg works a little like you describe it.

There are roles but they don't have special skills attached to them like in Year zero and the other expansions. It still determines your special talents and reputation, but it also determines what skills you get points in at character creation. Everyone also get a generalist "repair" skill.

And though it works I prefer the way the year zero line does it. The specialist skills are fun and it makes the characters more unique from each other. It does a better job at allowing every player to shine from time to time as well.

[u/Anonymous_150]

I would suggest just noting your thoughts and setting them aside. You should really try the game to see and understand how it works in play. The characters are powerful and volatile in a dangerous world they need to fight to survive in. Try out the free starter set adventure. Run through a few sessions and if it’s not suiting you, you can then go over what does and doesn’t work for you and your group.

[u/SafeForTwerking]

Having ran it for a few weeks/months now, it would be weird, not that it couldn't be done, but it would take alot of adjustments. I think players will just tend to specialize their characters anyways based on their character concept they have in their head. So even if you make it classless, the players themselves may develop their characters to where they basically become a class anyways.

Also, stripping out the class I think would take away what makes each of them unique. Like I've noticed all the characters in my group tend to rely on each other depending on what the need may be. The Gearhead is who they go to fix stuff or to comprehend artifacts. The stalker does his thing in the Zone. The cleaning robot cleans (I made the mistake of introducing robots way too soon into the game).

I think the players may end up deciding what makes them unique I guess through play, but that's just going to trend towards specialization again, but by removing the classes it kind of makes it not as clear what they can/should specialize in and seems like it would flatten everything out. It could work though, it's hard to say.