Worlds of Design: After the Apocalypse

Picture courtesy of Pixabay.
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“I know not what World War III will be fought with but I know World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” - Albert Einstein​

The apocalypse, as used in fiction, generally means the destruction of civilization, leading to a drastic reduction of knowledge and physical capabilities. This is reflected historically, such as when Mycenaean (early Greek) civilization fell and the region lost literacy itself for centuries. The setting itself, which is often the primary antagonist, is defined by scarcity and extreme challenges, where life is scrappy and hard.

Common Causes of Civilizational Collapse​

For designers, choosing the cause of the apocalypse defines the entire tone and available resources of the campaign. Causes can range from Natural Disasters like famine, extended drought (which ended empires like Akkad and Harappa), meteor strikes, or massive volcanic eruptions causing worldwide climate change. The destruction can also be biological, caused by a Plague/Disease far worse than the Black Death; a disease that killed most food plants, for instance, would certainly destroy modern civilization's food base.

More fantastical causes include massive numbers of Zombies or a Magical Breakdown. However, a magical apocalypse might have less far-reaching effects—unless magic itself was limited or eliminated. Conversely, a Nuclear War or atmospheric ruination is likely to leave a setting best played with "sticks and stones," as Albert Einstein implied.

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The Harsh Realities of Survival​

The focus of a post-apocalyptic setting must be on scarcity and survival. Life is violent and unpleasant, placing massive strain on survivors, as seen in Mad Max and various zombie settings. The difficult realities to remember when designing these worlds include:

1. Transport is Primitive: Horses are often quickly eaten, leaving only bicycles, donkeys, or mules for transport. Long-distance travel is rare and extremely dangerous.
2. Health is Fragile: Even a minor injury or bruise might cause death due to the complete lack of modern medical care.
3. Basic Necessities are Luxuries: Hygiene, beauty products, and many complex modern medicines are entirely unavailable.
4. Violence is the Norm: Armed and lethal raids are common, and life is violent and unpleasant.
5. Social Stress is Extreme: Survivors are often forced to interact with people they fundamentally disagree with to survive, and the individualist usually fails the fastest—everyone needs help to survive.

The drawback of using the apocalypse is that its scale is likely to dominate almost everything in your setting and gameplay, which might stifle variety over a long campaign. For this reason, many DMs prefer to run an apocalypse "before" the campaign starts, making the devastation a fixed backdrop rather than an ongoing plot engine. (See Campaign, Sequence, or One-shot and How Long is Your Game Meant to Be?)

The Fundamental Question​

The ultimate power of the post-apocalypse setting is not the destruction itself, but the way it forces players to confront the most fundamental questions of human nature. As designers, we must recognize that a long campaign cannot sustain a constant, desperate Sequence of survival. Instead, the apocalypse serves gives the DM the freedom to:

• Define the Scarcity: Decide which resources are truly gone (e.g., fuel, knowledge, magic), and which remain (e.g., pre-apocalypse artifacts, unique skills).
• Control the Focus: Use the massive devastation as a fixed backdrop to elevate the importance of human stories—the rise of new communities, the restoration of lost knowledge, or the search for a new 'safe haven.'
• Choose the Scale: Determine whether the goal is grim, desperate survival (suited for a Sequence of play) or a decades-long narrative of rebuilding (suited for a Campaign).

The Apocalypse is a canvas of consequences; the DM's job is to paint the story of hope, or the lack thereof, upon it.

Your Turn: How have you incorporated an apocalypse into your setting?

 

[Micah Sweet]

The post-apocalypse is my favorite genre in which to game, whether it just occurred or is still occurring, or as a backdrop to a present setting now quite different than generations past. My current game involves a civilization-ending event that occurred in session zero, with the PCs now scrambling to save civilians and get to the bottom of the cause.

I'm using variations on the Level Up rules for this, though had it been available when I started I would have used Kevin Crawford's recently released Ashes Without Number game. A beautiful worldbuilding tool among other things, and I agree that constructing the state if the setting is very important in this genre, possibly the most important thing.

 

[Aldarc]

This is certainly one vision for what post-apocalyptic worlds should be but I hardly think it's the only one.