A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #26: Energy Weapons

Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #26: Energy Weapons is a role playing game supplement published by Skirmisher Publishing for use with the Mutant Future game system. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result. The Wisdom from the Wastelands series introduces new options for the Mutant Future game; this issue has new types of energy weapon.

The PDF is available from RPGNow for $0.99 and it is also included in the High-Tech Weapons Bundle for $2.99 and the Wisdom from the Wastelands Issues 1-52 Bundle for $27.74, but it was actually purchased for only $0.01 as part of a special bundle. This is a seven page bookmarked PDF with one page being the Open Game License and front matter and one page ads for other supplements.

The supplement starts with a brief warning to the Mutant Lord about using the new weapons covered, as they are extremely powerful, even those weapons that only damage specific types of target.

First up are disintegrators. These do exactly what they say on the tin – disintegrate the target instantly. Living targets are instantly reduced to a pile of ash if the saving throw is failed (the weapons were stated in the warning to be extremely powerful) with everything carried by the target also having to save. Disintegrators are easily nullified by force shields (personal force fields are covered in Issue #22: Personal Shields) but are extremely dangerous to targets that lack them, which includes buildings.

Disruptors disrupt targets, not disintegrate them like disintegrators. As well as horrific wounds, living targets can take Strength and Dexterity damage.

Ion blasters damage living targets, and can eventually paralyze them (paralysis is a new condition introduced later), but their true power is against robots and androids, as well as against electrical equipment, against which they do increased damage. As well as blasters, ion weapons come in grenade and micro missile form too (the micro-missile gun was introduced in Issue #3: High-Tech Weapons).

Microwave emitters inflict painful heat thermal damage and can also caused any metal held by the target to spark, inflicting damage to the carrier.

Sonic disruptors disrupt functions in organic targets and against AI as well. These are largely various types of explosive device, from grenades to mortars, which can cause a whole range of different conditions on the target (some of which are also referenced in other weapons in this supplement).

Finally, there are two new tables, fatigue effects and injury effects, which are referenced earlier.

Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #26: Energy Weapons in Review

The PDF is well bookmarked given its length and there is a hyperlinked table of contents as well, making navigation good for a short supplement.

The text maintains a two column format, excluding the tables, and no errors were noted. The illustrations are typical for the series and publisher; stock images and photos that have been tweaked to make them appear more like illustrations.

The supplement does reference others in the series, primarily Issue #1: Artifacts, Manuals, and Toolkits, but there are also the grenade scatter rules from Issue #11: Optional Combat Rules – fortunately these are actually reproduced in the supplement.

The warning at the beginning of the supplement is very appropriate – some of these are extremely dangerous and the ML should be very cautious about allowing access to them. This is similar to the disintegrate spell from D&D-based systems , which is typically gained at around 11th level. So this weapon shouldn’t be handed out to low level characters unless personal force shields are also common, otherwise the players will have an enormous advantage. Other weapons are dangerous in different ways; ion blasters are very useful against robotic and android foes.

The supplement does have some interesting new weapons, but their usability is suspect, given their power. Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #26: Energy Weapons can be found by clicking here.