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Message: <blockquote data-quote="leaghe" data-source="post: 2008494" data-attributes="member: 640">What do I expect from a post-apocalyptic RPG? I expect the setting to be serious... perhaps even morbid. I expect that the game will be based at least loosely on science, with no magic, elves, or fantasy elements. Oh yeah... I also expect mutations. That's probably why I like Darwin's World so much, and why I expect almost anyone who enjoys the Post-Apocalypse genre to like it as well. Darwin's World is a 54 page electronic download in .pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader) format. It is comparable to the Player's Handbook; it provides everything needed to create and play a character, but does not provide Game Master material or information on Artifacts (these are slated for future supplements). I believe it is the first post-apocalyptic game to be released for the D20 system. The game's setting is placed in an alternate history where the United States retreated behind isolationist policies after defeating the Axis Powers in World War II. The United States enters a Golden Age, oblivious to external threats which culminate in war... nuclear, biological, and conventional. Though brief, the setting is nicely defined... I think everyone knows what a PA setting is anyway. Impressive for its simplicity is the section on rules alterations from the d20 system. In a few paragraphs, the game explains how to include modern firearms and energy weapons into the existing weapon proficiency system, as well as explaining how to include automatic weapons.  The section on races presents 4 genotypes for Darwin's World: Normal Humans, and Mutants (broken down into first, second, and third generation). Unlike 3E D&D, races in Darwin's World primarily serve to determine the extent of a character's mutations. In reviewing this section, it seemed to me that 3rd generation mutants seemed a bit too powerful to be fairly included as player characters, though I think they would make dandy NPCs (especially enemies). One of the finest sections in the game is the Character Background section. Early editions of the Gamma World game (the two games beg to be compared) placed a lot of emphasis on the importance of belonging to a community. This is a strong theme in Darwin's World, where I would argue that your character background, or the community type that your character was raised in has more of an influence on developing the character than race does. There are 11 different backgrounds presented, covering an astonishing range of community types. Among my favorites are the Visionary Reinventors (a community dedicated to 'inventing', or re-discovering, technology instead of trying to resurrect the old tech), and the Resentfuls (who have reverted to a nature-loving, druidic type lifestyle that completely eschews technology). Of course, it should be noted that not all races can belong to all community types. Nor are the different backgrounds balanced... some are decidedly better than others. Still, I thought this added a nice element of realism... some cultures do have better opportunities than others. I did not see enough of a difference in game balance to warrant concern. Five character classes are introduced for the setting: Guardian (a basic fighter type), Raider (a sort of evil biker or renegade), Scav (a survivalist), Thinker (scientists, engineers, or sages), and Trader (part diplomat and part businessman). I might have hoped for more classes, but the ones presented are sufficient for the setting. The section on skills and feats add a few gems to make the game workable in a post-apocalyptic setting... many having to do with technology. Seven new Craft skills are introduced to deal with technology, nine new Knowledge skills (dealing with tech, medicine, and mutation), and 5 new languages (ditch the old language list... draconic won't help you here). There are 15 new feats, and 4 redefined feats. Most of the feats are nicely tailored to the campaign setting, dealing with factors like guns, sterility, and survival. One of the Key elements of any PA game is the mutations. If you are a mutant in Darwin's World, you will have defects. Oddly enough, I found the defect section to be the most compelling. Many of the defects listed souned as if they had been lifted directly from medical textbooks, which gave me a creepy feeling. That's a good thing, by the way. Mutations (good and bad) are divided into minor, major, and moderate mutations. A good selection is provided, though I suspect the first thing many Game Masters will do is begin writing new mutations to include. Players are permitted to select their own mutations and defects. The final section in Darwin's World was equipment. Of course, a selection of firearms were included (crucial to any PA game). The guns listed are deliberately generic. I thought it might have been nice to list a representative sampling of real firearms instead of generics (like the Colt .45 or the AK47). Of course, this is supposed to be an alternate history.Oh well... The equipment section also includes a sampling of post-apocalyptic melee weapons and armor, rounding out everything you need to get your character started into the radioactive wastelands. While I was overjoyed with the game in most respects, I do wish there had been more information for Game Masters. Where were the radiation rules? Where were the drugs and energy weapons? Or the horribly mutated creatures? I understand that much of this will be released in later supplements, but I wish they could have been included in this release. Still, I feel confident that anyone who enjoyed the Gamma World game, or the post-apocalyptic genre in general, will be happy with Darwin's World.</blockquote>

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