Post-Apocalyptic Games

[TwoSix]

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).

Yea, Ashes without Number is a broadening of the concepts within Other Dust for other flavors of “post-apocalypse”, and tweaked to be more compatible with the systems used in the “Without Number” line.

 

[Micah Sweet]

"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?

Well, I'm a traditionalist, so something along the lines of  Fallout, The Stand, or The Postman would work. Scattered bands of survivors in various stages of re-building civilization is what I had in mind. My wife and I discussed the idea of setting up a base of operations near a trading post, for example. Gonzo Gamma World-esque stuff like mutants and psychic powers are not off the table, but not necessary for what I have in mind. I'm not particularly looking for a "bold new take" here.

 

[Reynard]

Well, I'm a traditionalist, so something along the lines of  Fallout, The Stand, or The Postman would work. Scattered bands of survivors in various stages of re-building civilization is what I had in mind. My wife and I discussed the idea of setting up a base of operations near a trading post, for example. Gonzo Gamma World-esque stuff like mutants and psychic powers are not off the table, but not necessary for what I have in mind. I'm not particularly looking for a "bold new take" here.

d20 Apocalypse is a surprisingly good little supplement for the d20 Modern/Future line, and has the benefit of being compatible with one of the biggest libraries of material ever made for RPGs (even if much of it is obscure now).

Mutant year Zero is a little bit story-gamey (not a ton, though) and really nails to building a community theme.

 

[Argyle King]

I like GURPS: After the End.

However, if your group is mostly familiar with D&D, that might be a drastic change in mechanics and gameplay style to overcome.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I like GURPS: After the End.

However, if your group is mostly familiar with D&D, that might be a drastic change in mechanics and gameplay style to overcome.

Does it have a decent setting, with actual details?

 

[Argyle King]

Does it have a decent setting, with actual details?

Sorta

In terms of a GURPS product, it has a lot more things pre-built for you than normal GURPS.
Though, most of that work is in the form of creatures, character templates, and etc.

It does not provide a default setting, but reading the creature templates and such tend to imply one that is a mix of Mad Max and Fallout.

It isn't as complete as Dungeon Fantasy; After the End still requires a basic understanding of the GURPS Basic Set. However, I think After the End's lower point-total start and mentality behind why/how things are built in the pre-worked example make for a better teaching tool for learning the system.

I wish there were a boxed set for it (like there is for Dungeon Fantasy).

 

[MatthewJHanson]

If I can pitch my own own book, I've written a setting called Broken Earth, which is available for either Savage Worlds or Pathfinder 1e.

 

[MGibster]

Well, I'm a traditionalist, so something along the lines of  Fallout, The Stand, or The Postman would work.

There's Fallout by Modiphius which is based on the video games. Mostly the Bethesda versions of the game. I ran a campaign last year and we had a pretty good time. But it was kind of tongue-in-cheek and I treated it almost like they were playing the video game.

Deadlands: Hell on Earth is another favorite of mine. The original Deadlands was set in the American west during the 1870s and this is set in a post apocalyptic American waste after the bombs fall in 2070 or so. You've got mutants, cyborgs, phychics, road warriors, and all sorts of stuff. There's even a group inspired by Patrick Swayze's character in the masterpiece Steel Dawn.

Twilight 2000 has been mentioned. It's an alternative future where WWIII breaks out between Russia and NATO. I was planning on running it a while back but when Urkaine was invaded I decided it was a little too close to home. But maybe it's something you and your group would like? The basic premise is that you're a NATO soldier or civilian in Poland when the last offensive of the war breaks down and your forces scatter. You're stuck in Poland with a certain period of time to get to a port to get home otherwise you're just stuck there.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

This is probably much too light for the OP, but there's also Gallant Games' Tiny Wastelands. Can't vouch for it personally, but there are supposed to be "over a dozen lightly detailed settings" in the book, and it's possible that some of the rules - particularly the settlement system - might be excised and used with another system. Whether that's worth $18 as a pdf is debatable, but maybe something to keep an eye on in case of a deeper sale.

Going by Tiny Supers Gallant's pretty decent at coming up with setting fluff even if their rules are strictly bantamweight. This system is pretty much the diametric opposite of my earlier suggestions, particularly the rather clunky Aftermath.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Twilight 2000 has been mentioned. It's an alternative future where WWIII breaks out between Russia and NATO. I was planning on running it a while back but when Urkaine was invaded I decided it was a little too close to home. But maybe it's something you and your group would like? The basic premise is that you're a NATO soldier or civilian in Poland when the last offensive of the war breaks down and your forces scatter. You're stuck in Poland with a certain period of time to get to a port to get home otherwise you're just stuck there.

The setting is great and well-supported, but the system has terrible presentation, and is rather clumsy. I recently ran a 4e campaign, and the system needed a lot of tweaking.