Whats a good Post Apocalypse RPG
I'm going to echo Umbran. Can you better define 'good'? I've played/run a fair number of such games and a system that is 'good' for one set of expectations is not good for another.
Apocalypse World, Morrow Project, Aftermath (though this one fails the easy to learn part), Post-Apocalyptic Hero, GURPS + source book,, or a FATE variant can be good at the right table with the right expectations and lousy with the wrong ones. If you want to tell a story and waive the details then FATE, and to a lesser extent Hero, or GURPS. If you want the PCs to be AWESOME then Apocalypse World, Hero or GURPS. If you want more scrabbling for survival then Morrow Project or Aftermath and to a lesser extent Hero or GURPS.
If you want a more fanciful world then Gamma World (one of the many very different editions: I'm fond of 1e and 2e), Darwin's World, maybe Desolation (I own it, but have never played it and can't comment too much on its quality), Hero or GURPS.
All Flesh Must be Eaten is good for during apocalypse.
Apocalypse World, Morrow Project, Aftermath (though this one fails the easy to learn part), Post-Apocalyptic Hero, GURPS + source book,, or a FATE variant can be good at the right table with the right expectations and lousy with the wrong ones. If you want to tell a story and waive the details then FATE, and to a lesser extent Hero, or GURPS. If you want the PCs to be AWESOME then Apocalypse World, Hero or GURPS. If you want more scrabbling for survival then Morrow Project or Aftermath and to a lesser extent Hero or GURPS.
If you want a more fanciful world then Gamma World (one of the many very different editions: I'm fond of 1e and 2e), Darwin's World, maybe Desolation (I own it, but have never played it and can't comment too much on its quality), Hero or GURPS.
All Flesh Must be Eaten is good for during apocalypse.
For me I think I'm looking for a "more scrabbling for survival" style game. I played Aftermath back in the 80's and liked it but like you said its not a "easy to learn" game. I like story but detail are important.
From your list looks like Apocalypse World, Morrow Project and possibly Hero and GURPS might be good. I'll look at those thanks.
Good for me I think means solid mechanics for combat and exploration.
From your list looks like Apocalypse World, Morrow Project and possibly Hero and GURPS might be good. I'll look at those thanks.
Good for me I think means solid mechanics for combat and exploration.
aramis erak
Legend
Depends upon style of play.
Storygamer, no difficulty levels: Apocalypse World (I found the rules impenetrable until I read a few other, more intelligible, versions of the engine. Not my cuppa, but many love it.)
Storygamer, with difficulties and tasks:
- End of the World (FFG) - pick which core based upon desired flavor. Warning: it's very open ended, and intended for playing oneself. Some tweaking may be needed if not playing that way.
- Mutant Year Zero - dice pool system, lots of good press, people whose tastes I trust love it. Assumes PC's are mutants.
Traditional Gamer, Serious mode, military:
- Twilight 2000. edition 2.0 or 2.2 (My preference is for the 1d10 v 2.0). Fairly easy to learn and play. Electronically available from Far Future Enterprises. Compatible with both Cadillacs & Dinosaurs and Dark Conspiracy 1e.
- Robotech RPG by Palladium. Simple mechanics, and the "reconstruction era" is well mechanically supported. Lots of writing if you don't have the preprinted Character Sheets. I'd avoid the Shadow Chronicles edition - skill bloat from hell. If in the Macross Reconstruction Era, PC's likely to be military. If in the Invid Invasion era, PC's are presumed to be freedom fighters and/or Mars or Jupiter Division RDF survivors. Limited character customization, though.
Traditional gamer, silly mode - PC's likely to be mutants:
- Gamma Troll World Tunnels and Trolls meets Gamma World. need piles of d6's
- Radz - 2d6 based system. simple rules, evocative setting. More serious than gamma world.
Traditional gamer, Zombie mode -All Flesh Must Be Eaten- Unisystem (Full) - 1d10+Stat+Skill for skill uses, mostly opposed rolls. Lots of supplements. Most rolls are opposed, rather than fixed difficulties. Fairly straightforward.
Hellmouth-style: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Ghosts of Albion, and Army of Darkness. All are PDF only these days. All are unisystem light - all rolls made by players (NPC rolls are essentially "Always a 6" - for resisting NPC's, the TN is the same as if the NPC rolled a 6), and damages are base plus success level, but otherwise compatible with AFMB.
Planet of the Apes: Terra Primate - Unisystem Full. Several flavors of "Apes have taken over" - from silly to deadly.
Alien Invasion
Note also: Any game with foraging rules can be made "post-holocaust" pretty easily - just don't have functional urban sub-settings, and food has to be found, not bought. Using D&D this way can be quite amusing... but also quite deadly.
practicalm
Explorer
Clearly the best post apocalypse RPG is Paranoia.
It is the future we are headed to.
It is the future we are headed to.
I wanted to make sure Mutant: Year Zero got a mention, but I see [MENTION=13962]Aramis[/MENTION]_erak got it into the list.
I just picked it up from Bundle of Holding the other week and have yet to play it, so I don't know how the rules play yet, but the campaign included in the game is one of the better post-apocalyptic campaign setups that I've seen. The base campaign assumes you are part of a settlement that is trying to rebuild after the apocalypse and besides just having the players go out on missions into the wastelands, it also has some rules in place for directing how the settlement will rebuild. Even if I never use the rules, I may well use the campaign setup the next time I run Gamma World. (The rules make use of specially marked six-sided dice, but there are instructions on how to use regular six-siders. It's a dice pool system and it looks fairly easy to use, but like I said I haven't had the chance to play it yet).
(It looks like the Bundle of Holding for it is going on for almost another week. $18 gets you two core games - the Mutant Year:Zero core and campaign and the Mutant: Genlab Alpha core and campaign that is about genetically modified animal mutants - and 4 supplements. Just for the ideas I personally think it was worth it.)
I just picked it up from Bundle of Holding the other week and have yet to play it, so I don't know how the rules play yet, but the campaign included in the game is one of the better post-apocalyptic campaign setups that I've seen. The base campaign assumes you are part of a settlement that is trying to rebuild after the apocalypse and besides just having the players go out on missions into the wastelands, it also has some rules in place for directing how the settlement will rebuild. Even if I never use the rules, I may well use the campaign setup the next time I run Gamma World. (The rules make use of specially marked six-sided dice, but there are instructions on how to use regular six-siders. It's a dice pool system and it looks fairly easy to use, but like I said I haven't had the chance to play it yet).
(It looks like the Bundle of Holding for it is going on for almost another week. $18 gets you two core games - the Mutant Year:Zero core and campaign and the Mutant: Genlab Alpha core and campaign that is about genetically modified animal mutants - and 4 supplements. Just for the ideas I personally think it was worth it.)
Similar Threads
- Poll
