Post-Apocalyptic Games

[Micah Sweet]

Good morning folks. My wife and I were watching the 2006 show  Jericho last night and both of us thought it would be great to start a post-apocalyptic campaign, as it's a genre we're both very interested in. As a fan of traditional gaming and a believer in the idea that someone somewhere has done a lot of my work so I'll have a good base from which to build my campaign, I am asking: does anyone have suggestions on post-apocalyptic games and/or settings? I am specifically not looking for games with a narrativist style or a strong lean on narrative or "storygame" mechanics (and please understand this is not a request to debate what those terms technically mean; at this point I think most folks around here know what I mean by them even if you don't agree), so something like Apocalypse World would not be appropriate. I would also like to avoid anything that requires a lot of re-flavoring to look right, although I could potentially be talked into some. A setting using or convertible to 5e would be easiest on my players, but I'm willing to go outside that for what would otherwise be a better option.

Thanks in advance.

 

[grimmgoose]

It's not 5E, and it's not out yet, but Kevin Crawford just announced a "[Post-Apocalypse] Without Number" book. It's an OSR (Nu-SR?) style game. I can't vouch for anything about it other than the system-generic stuff (like the world-building tools) are top-notch.

I'm toying around with a post-apocalyptic Fallout campaign using Savage Worlds, but that's pretty far away from the d20 experience.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It's not 5E, and it's not out yet, but Kevin Crawford just announced a "[Post-Apocalypse] Without Number" book. It's an OSR (Nu-SR?) style game. I can't vouch for anything about it other than the system-generic stuff (like the world-building tools) are top-notch.

I'm toying around with a post-apocalyptic Fallout campaign using Savage Worlds, but that's pretty far away from the d20 experience.

I do love Crawford's work. Any idea when that'll be out?

 

[Willie the Duck]

1. To start with the obvious, OSR Gamma World and it's related retroclones and direct homages (Mutant Future, Mutant Epoch) are there for the using, and each closest to various forms of D&D. GW 1&2 are similar-but-different from the A/D&Ds of the time, Mutant Future solidly ties the same thing back down to the B/X frame. Barbarians of the Aftermath is a Gamma World treatment for the OSR rpg Barbarians of Lemuria. Darwin's World is a 2001 D20 OGL game that is similar to D&D 3.0 as it initially existed. All of them are solid options if 'like D&D' is a priority.

2. If that's only a priority because it is simple, and other simple options are also good. I'm a fan of Atomic Highway. It is a free-as-pdf ($10+s&h for paperback) post-apoc game system.

Overall resolution mechanics are super-light -- attributes are 1-5 and skills 0-4; roll attribute# six-siders and add skill# as pips to try to reach a 6. Example: a car chase check if you have nimbleness 3 and drive 2 would be rolling 3D6 (getting 1, 3, 4) and adding your 2 from skill to the 4 result to get a 6=success. Like most X x Y systems, you can combine different attributes with different skills to emulate different actions (ex: Instead of Understanding + Lore to actually know something, roll Appeal + Lore to make it look like you do).

Setting is pretty much what you'd expect. Not realistic, but perhaps less gonzo than some similar games. There are optional mutant rules (Looking like an homage to Gamma World), as well as optional psychic powers. However, there aren't a bunch of zombies, robots, mech suits, lost ancient technology indistinguishable from magic, or whatnot.

 

[TwoSix]

I do love Crawford's work. Any idea when that'll be out?

It's called "Ashes without Number", and looks set to Kickstart sometime this summer. Based on what I remember of his earlier Kickstarters, I think that would put delivery in maybe the spring '25 timeframe?

 

[Micah Sweet]

1. To start with the obvious, OSR Gamma World and it's related retroclones and direct homages (Mutant Future, Mutant Epoch) are there for the using, and each closest to various forms of D&D. GW 1&2 are similar-but-different from the A/D&Ds of the time, Mutant Future solidly ties the same thing back down to the B/X frame. Barbarians of the Aftermath is a Gamma World treatment for the OSR rpg Barbarians of Lemuria. Darwin's World is a 2001 D20 OGL game that is similar to D&D 3.0 as it initially existed. All of them are solid options if 'like D&D' is a priority.

2. If that's only a priority because it is simple, and other simple options are also good. I'm a fan of Atomic Highway. It is a free-as-pdf ($10+s&h for paperback) post-apoc game system.

Overall resolution mechanics are super-light -- attributes are 1-5 and skills 0-4; roll attribute# six-siders and add skill# as pips to try to reach a 6. Example: a car chase check if you have nimbleness 3 and drive 2 would be rolling 3D6 (getting 1, 3, 4) and adding your 2 from skill to the 4 result to get a 6=success. Like most X x Y systems, you can combine different attributes with different skills to emulate different actions (ex: Instead of Understanding + Lore to actually know something, roll Appeal + Lore to make it look like you do).

Setting is pretty much what you'd expect. Not realistic, but perhaps less gonzo than some similar games. There are optional mutant rules (Looking like an homage to Gamma World), as well as optional psychic powers. However, there aren't a bunch of zombies, robots, mech suits, lost ancient technology indistinguishable from magic, or whatnot.

Atomic Highway looks interesting, but I would be interested in the setting more than the mechanics you describe, which seem to lack of the level of detail I prefer. Fairly realistic with options for gonzo sounds great though. I will look into it.

 

[Umbran]

You might want to take a look at Twilight 2000. I don't know the current ruleset to recommend it, but the setting and sensibilities of the original, at least, probably is a good fit.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

Depending on when you want the world to end and how long ago from campaign time it happened, there might be useful setting material in Aftermath or the Morrow Project. The former is still available from FGU (and now has a civilization-killing asteroid impact setting to go with the original nukes), while the latter appears to be OOP again after a 2020 4th edition. Which is largely irrelevant, since Morrow Project's main innovation is having PCs be part of a disaster recovery team that wakes up from suspended animation about a century and a half late and have to scout around to find out what happened to the other teams while helping rebuild civilization. It's a nice change from ragged survivors and gonzo mutants and could be plugged in to almost any PA setting. You don't really need the game to steal the concept and run with it.

 

[Reynard]

I do love Crawford's work. Any idea when that'll be out?

It's called "Ashes without Number", and looks set to Kickstart sometime this summer. Based on what I remember of his earlier Kickstarters, I think that would put delivery in maybe the spring '25 timeframe?

Crawford has a post apocalyptic game already called Other Dust. It is very cool, but does have its own flavor (it is set in the some universe as Stars Without Number).

 

[Reynard]

"Post Apocalypse" is almost as broad of a genre as "fantasy" is. Can you speak to the sort of PA styles and tropes you are interested in?