Favorite Post Apocalyptic d20 game or setting

[scourger]

Omega World d20 from the Polyhedron side of Dungeon Magazine is my favorite post-apoc d20 game. It is one of my favorite games of all time. I really liked the way it succinctly presented the Gamma World game in the d20 rules. Brilliant.

 

[renau1g]

Apologies! I should have warned you that this game is definitely "Rated R". There is sex, drugs, violence, and cursing. Definitely cursing. This the RPG that'd be on HBO, not ABC. It is the apocalypse - life is all scarcity and brutality, it makes for some harsh characters.

I forgot to mention, Chatty DM has posted his thoughts on Apocalypse World recently if you're interested in taking a look from a d20 gamer's point of view.

I'd expect most post-apocalyptic games to be at least R rated, except maybe a game like Gamma World.

 

[P1NBACK]

I'd expect most post-apocalyptic games to be at least R rated, except maybe a game like Gamma World.

Agreed.

 

[Nadaka]

Mine would be home brew d20 modern campaign setting that I started in early 2005. It took place ~30 years in the future, in the nearly abandoned city of New Orleans, devastated by corrupt politicians, global sea level rise, a series of massively devastating hurricanes and man made disasters such as oil spills and chemical pollution...

Like that would ever happen

Above the old city is the new city. A massive platform atop massive pylons. Here the tourists and wealthy roam through green verdant parks, recreations of French Quarter and shiny glass and steel high-rises. They are safe from the weather and pollution of the surrounding swamps. The pylons support the upper city in more than one way. They are massive industrial and residential arcologies that house the working poor on whom the upper city rely.

In the shadow (quite literally) of this corrupt, but seemingly utopian society is the old city. The old city is decaying, flooded with toxic waters and filled with violent drug lords and mystic cults. In the flooded streets, gangs on air-boats, giant alligators and mutant cultists roam.

The play style here is very reminiscent of shadowrun, where on one hand you have a high tech area full of corporate intrigue as well as an area that is effectively post apocalyptic.

 

[yojimbouk]

Has anyone looked at Modern20 and it's associated PA book?

I have Modern20 and it wasn't really my cup of tea. It seemed to be heavily inspired by True20. So much so, that I'm not sure it really offered anything different from True20.

On the whole, I'm not sure that I would use Modern as the base for a Pathfinder update. I've come to feel that the attribute based Base Classes wouldn't work as well under the design choices used in Pathfinder (few prestige classes, capstone abilities).

I don't see why classes like the Fighter, Barbarian, Rogue can't be used with minimal changes for a PA game. The Alchemist can be reskinned as a lost tech tinkerer. The Monk can be reskinned as a Fist of the North Star style martial artist. You can use the non magical Skirmisher variant of the Ranger from the APG. Add in a Psionic class or two (see Dreamscarred Press's beta update of the Psionic SRD) and you've covered most PA archetypes.

Jim.

 

[Aus_Snow]

I have Modern20 and it wasn't really my cup of tea. It seemed to be heavily inspired by True20. So much so, that I'm not sure it really offered anything different from True20.

How so? Admittedly, it's been a while since I've had a look at either system, but I don't recall them being all that similar. If anything, Modern20 seemed (to me) like a "tweaked" / customised d20 Modern - with decidedly more flavour and flair, what's more - whereas True20 struck me as a generic "distilled" d20 game, intended to be equally usable for fantasy, modern, sci-fi, horror and so on. Upon reading, and in play, in both cases. Not that we got to play much Modern20, but that wasn't due to the system being (or seeming) terrible, at all.

I guess YMMV. . .


As for using D&D classes (and other stuff) for modern, or post-apoc? Blech. But hey, each to their own.


Re: post-apoc Modern20 - I didn't realise there even was a book for that. Huh.

 

[yojimbouk]

How so? Admittedly, it's been a while since I've had a look at either system, but I don't recall them being all that similar. If anything, Modern20 seemed (to me) like a "tweaked" / customised d20 Modern - with decidedly more flavour and flair, what's more - whereas True20 struck me as a generic "distilled" d20 game, intended to be equally usable for fantasy, modern, sci-fi, horror and so on. Upon reading, and in play, in both cases. Not that we got to play much Modern20, but that wasn't due to the system being (or seeming) terrible, at all.

Specifically, it was the design decision to replace class abilities/talents with feats. It seemed to me that at that point there was less to differentiate classes beyond initial ability, BAB and save bonuses. It seems to me that you might as well just abandon classes altogether like CoCd20.

As for using D&D classes (and other stuff) for modern, or post-apoc? Blech. But hey, each to their own.

Well, the suggestion was more for a quick 'n' dirty conversion. And I neglected to mention that you'd port in stuff from d20 Modern/Future such as feats, equipment.

However, if I were to produce a P20 Apocalypse game for distribution I would look at producing all new classes better focused for the PA genre.

Also, have you looked at Ruins & Wastelands? Very comprehensive conversion of PA games from previous editions. I personally think it could have done with sharing the abilities among more classes but still very interesting.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Specifically, it was the design decision to replace class abilities/talents with feats. It seemed to me that at that point there was less to differentiate classes beyond initial ability, BAB and save bonuses. It seems to me that you might as well just abandon classes altogether like CoCd20.

Ah. Well, that's fair enough. Not sure I agree, but still. I mean, it's more a matter of degrees, I think - after all, CoCd20 does have classes. . . albeit, um, *2*. IIRC.

Well, the suggestion was more for a quick 'n' dirty conversion. And I neglected to mention that you'd port in stuff from d20 Modern/Future such as feats, equipment.

However, if I were to produce a P20 Apocalypse game for distribution I would look at producing all new classes better focused for the PA genre.

Again with the "ah".

Also, have you looked at Ruins & Wastelands? Very comprehensive conversion of PA games from previous editions. I personally think it could have done with sharing the abilities among more classes but still very interesting.

Actually, no, I hadn't. Thanks for the link!