Shadow of the Apocalypse

Nobody knows what brought about the Time Before The Shit Hit. Or they do, then they are not going to tell you or they do not give a fuck. What does it matter? The world is a Wasteland in between the zones poisoned by biological and chemical contamination, let alone radiation, and that is before even thinking about the dangerously deteriorated buildings, roving gangs, mutant abominations, murderous cannibals, and fanatic disciples with insane beliefs. There are small settlements, invariably fortified against the pricks that would gut them and their occupants, stealing their food, their water, and their wives plus whatever good gear and bullets they might have. Some are true havens with clean water and greenhouses growing fresh food, others are trade hubs ready to drive a hard bargain for goods you got to sell and the bullets you need to buy, and some are simply gang bases which gives the gang a base from which to prove that might is right and murder is righter. In between, Mercs take jobs that the inhabitants of the settlements need done, but are not brave or skilled enough to undertake. Out in the Wasteland they face the dangers of strange beasts the likes of which were never seen the Time Before The Shit Hit, gangers and cannibals, and the very environment which could mutate them.

What happened the Time Before The Shit Hit? The Rich fucked the bourgeois and the poor over—and then over again. In the wake of impending collapse, the ill-educated electorate voted for populism and strong national leaders. Riots broke out and ghastly acts of ethnic cleansing took place as the poor got poorer, the rich got richer, and the middle classes looked for a desperate way to maintain their comfortable lives, and when their lives did not get better, they revolted. In response, governments offered places in the Megalopoli that they planned to build as safe sanctuaries against the increasing environmental damage around the world. Except the places were not offered to everyone and those deemed unworthy or no longer useful were driven out or killed, and then… And then, the Megalopoli seals their doors and the bosses inside solved the problem of having a population outside desperate to get in with the application of nuclear bombs and biological agents. Some Megalopoli blew themselves up as old rivalries from the Time Before The Shit Hit actually hit the fan again, like Jerusalem being bombed by Luxor and Indian Megalopolis Na’i Kalakattä getting destroyed in a sneak attack from the Pakistani Poltohar Abad, which was in turned destroyed by the remnants of the nuclear arsenal in Na’i Kalakattä. Elsewhere United England is an island Megalopolis which uses the remains of Ireland as a dumping ground; New Alamo is split between the New Alamo of the oil barons and the Nuevo

Alamo of the narco-cartel families, with not-rich caught between; Liberty City, built on New York and ruled by drooling, drug-addled paranoids, turned on Maple Leaf City because the Canadians were too nice!; Roma Vaticana exists beneath the smouldering, irradiated ruins of the city above; and Neo-Ronin emerge from among the bored and jaded of Tökyö No Shita go in search of mutants and kaiju to kill in the name of the Empress. Now you have to survive in this Shithole of a future.

This is the set-up for PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game. It is published following a successful Kickstarter campaign by Schwalb Entertainment, best known for Shadow of the Demon Lord, the roleplaying game of dark fantasy and horror set in the last days of a dying world. It is a post-apocalyptic setting based upon the 30 mm miniature game published by Bad Roll Games. It uses the same structure and mechanics as Shadow of the Demon Lord, so has a number of notable features. First, character generation is fast, taking no more than five minutes. Second, a character starts out simple, but as he progresses, a player has plenty of choices in what he becomes. Third, a campaign starts with characters at Zero Level and ends with characters at Tenth Level, a group of characters going up in Level at the end of each mission so that a campaign can be played in just eleven sessions or scenarios. Fourth, the language in PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game is strong and of an adult nature. Indeed, the writing makes clear that this is a roleplaying game designed for mature and experienced roleplayers rather than those new to it.

A Merc in is defined by his Attributes, a Background, a Defence value, Grit to heal damage with, an Education (possibly), and a Mutagen score, which represents exposure to the messed-up environment of the world around them. The eight Attributes are Muscles, Meat, Hands, Feet, Brains, Eyes, Mouth, and Guts, and they range in value from one to twenty. Muscles is physical strength and athleticism, Meat is health and durability, Hands is manual dexterity, Feet is speed and agility, Eyes is perception, Mouth is personality and charisma, and Gut is determination and willpower. The Background, which can be Brute, Drifter, Face, Fanatic, Ganger, Genius, Scavenger, or Survivor, provides a bonus to an Attribute, the number of languages a Merc can speak, a Talent, some starting gear and a randomly determined piece of junk—which can be anything from a plastic ashtray from The Dewdrop Inn, a very small spring, and a doctor’s note to a commemorative plate from the Franklin Mint, a moustache brush and stick of moustache wax, and a bag of dildos—and a Mission 4 Benefit. The latter is the benefit gained upon completion of the Merc’s fourth mission. A Merc also has character details, from age, looks, height and weight to motivation, obligation, morality, and name. These can be selected or rolled for on the provided tables.

Name: Grannie
Background: Genius
Genius Background: “You want to build a doomsday weapon and use it against one of the Megalopoli. You’ve been drawing up plans in the hopes of one day getting the revenge you so desperately crave.”
Languages: Spanish, Japanese, Russian
Missions: 0

CHARACTER DETAILS
Age: …an adult. You’re old enough to know better, but young enough to avoid the aches and pains and horror that comes from growing old.
Looks: …not much to look at. Something’s off with you that makes you unappealing.
Height: …of average height.
Weight: …slender

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
Appearance: Unusual …mismatched eyes

TIME FOR THERAPY
Interactions: You get along with other people about as well as anyone else does. You’re not particularly outgoing, but you’re not all quiet and reserved either.
Connections: You know people, have several friends, including a few close relationships.
Sanity: You’re so fucking stable, you’re probably insane. Nothing gets to you. Nothing affects you.
Goal: You want to be safe.

Motivation: You don’t want the world to burn.
Obligations: Question authority! You’re free and do what you want. Fuck the rules and anyone who thinks they can boss you around.
Morality: You do what you feel you must. A pragmatist, the end always justifies the means.

Muscles 10 Meat 9 (-1) Hands 9 (-1) Feet 10
Brains 14 (+4) Eyes 9 (-1) Mouth 11 (+1) Guts 11 (+1)
Defence: 9
Health: 9
Grit: 4
Speed: 5
Size: 1 Reach: 1
Mutagen: 1
Education: Architecture and Engineering, Mathematics/Mathemagics, Chemistry, Physics

Gear: nice set of clothes, a duffel bag, 1 food, 1 water, a slingshot with 10 stones, and a random piece of junk, a little packet of silica

This though is a character at Level Zero who is no more than a prior Background and some potential experience with Mission 4 Benefits. After completing a first Mission, a Merc enters a Novice Path and gains its benefits as well as extra benefits at Level Two, Level Five, and Level Eight. After completing his third Mission, a Merc an Expert Path and gains its benefits as well as extra benefits at Level Six and Level Nine. Lastly, upon completing the seventh Mission, a Merc enters a Master Path and gains its benefits as well as extra benefits at Level Ten. The choice of Paths available widens from Novice to Expert to Master, giving a player more and more options. The Novice Paths are Builder, which creates and develops technological items; the Freak embraces the transformative effects of the mutagens found almost everywhere; the Killer is the ultimate combatant; and the Scum who will do anything to survive. The Expert Paths include the Abomination, the Asskicker, the Boss, the Doctor, the Firebug, Grease Monkey, the Gunslinger, the Murderer, the Parasite, the Psychic, the Psycho, and the Wastelander. The Master Paths are Beast Whisperer, Bleeder, Bullshitter, Daredevil, Explorer, Fighter, Hedonist, Hulk, Jack-of-all-Trades, Martial Artist, Messiah, Mindbender, Monster, Ninja, Preacher, Road Hog, Road Warrior, Saboteur, Shyster, and Survivor. In this way, PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game offers a wealth of options in terms of Player Characters.

The basic mechanic in PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game is simple and straightforward, whether you are making the equivalent of a saving throw, a skill check, or an attack roll. Roll a twenty-sided die and add any Attribute bonuses or penalties, and if the result is ten or more, then you succeed. The target may not always be ten—it can go up or down, a target’s Defence typically being higher than ten. In addition, a Merc can also have Assets or Complications—each a six-sided die—that can be added to, or subtracted from, the roll. These may come from a Background, for example, the Brute grants two Assets when rolling a Muscles check; a Path such as the Doctor’s Triage benefit enabling him to perform first aid on someone who has been dead for six rounds with a Brains check with two Complications; and from gear, such as any improvised weapon which has the ‘Shitty’ Property, meaning that it is not designed to be used as a weapon and attacks made with it are with a Complication. Assets and Complications cancel each other out.

Combat in PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game uses the same rules, but with the addition of Fast Turns and Slow Turns. When a character uses a Fast Action, he can only choose to attack, take an action, or move. When he uses a Slow Action, he can move and attack or move and take an action. Of course, Fast Actions take place before Slow Actions and unless they have been surprised, player characters act before any NPCs. So, player characters take their Fast Actions, then the NPCs do, after which any other player characters take their Slow Actions followed by the NPCs. This is a surprisingly simple and unfussy way of handling both initiative, turn order, and actions in combat. The rules also cover using vehicles, including in combat. PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game includes rules for travel, chases, and more, which covers the screwed-up terrain of the future world.

Collectively, the Mercs also have access to a pool of Fortune tokens. A token can be used to grant an action two Assets, heal damage, or to maximise damage. However, the players do not know how many tokens they have in the pool. If it runs out, they will be literally out of luck!

At the start of play, there is the possibility that a Merc can start play with a Mutation, though only a minor one. Given the prevalence of mutagens in the PunkApocalyptic, there is a strong chance of a Merc gaining one or more. Every Merc has a Mutagen score, which starts at zero and can go up to six. When it increases, the player rolls a six-sided die and if the result is equal to, or under, a Merc’s Mutagen score, he gains a mutation which is rolled for from several types—Harmful, Minor, Physical, Mental, and more. Alternatively, the type of the Mutagen can indicate the type in a particular mission. So, a merc’s eyes might fall out of his head when he sneezes or have small faces on his knees; his body turns itself inside out, causing him to take double damage from all sources in addition to being a hot mess of nasty or his mouth seals shut, so he cannot talk and has to eat by snorting food up his and choking it down (unless he cuts a hole in his face); he gains frog’s legs or becomes phosphorescent; or can eject Ectoplasm like a money shot or in strands or create Hallucinations. Mental Mutations require the expenditure of Mojo, which everyone with Mental Mutations has, and in addition, Grit can be spent to regain spent Mojo. Whatever the type of Mutation, there are multiple tables to roll on and numerous results, so no Mutant is going to be the same. Similarly, PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game includes tables of junk and lots of items—armour, weapons, gear, drugs, and vehicle accessories and upgrades—the latter enabling a Merc to build a vehicle the way that he wants.

In terms of setting background, PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game draws it in broad detail, giving numerous types of landscapes and settlements, before describing Scrapbridge, a large example Wasteland community and its surrounding locations and points of interest. The walled setting is built under the rusting span of a suspension bridge—the remains of I-70—which can be seen from miles away. It can easily be used as the starting location for a campaign, whilst there are numerous locations, such as Samanthia, an ancient industrial park transformed into a maze of steam-powered machinery and bizarre kit-bashed contraptions that attracts nomads; the fighting pits of the dry lakebed of Nowater, where fights take place all day and night; the stinking city of ruins of Pigsty, which keeps many scavengers out, so the junk might be fresh; and Festung Germania, a clean, well-organised, and heavily regimented fortress whose leaders regard themselves to be the heirs of Nazi Germany! The Game Master will need to provide numbers and further detail, but this is a solid start.

PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game includes advice for both the player and the Game Master. For the player, this is learning the rules, making decisions, noting the outcomes, co-operating, staying alive, finding shit, and completing the mission. For the Game Master, once it settles down to give the reader some actual advice, the basic advice is not so much ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’ or ‘KISS’, so much as ‘Keep It Simple Shithead’. This is more tone than avoiding the subject, and the advice given is very good. It covers pacing, handling the rules and outcomes more than a simple binary result, designing missions and campaigns, how to create and roleplay interesting NPCs, and a whole lot more. Notably, there are tables for activities between missions. These mostly consist of setbacks and windfalls, but if a player rolls very, very badly, his Merc can be killed—and killed without the player having much say in the matter. Equally, the player could also roll very, very well for a strange event. The latter is obviously better than the former, even whilst both are in keeping with the tone of the roleplaying game. This may well be one aspect of PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game that the Game Master should check with her players that they are okay with before beginning play.

Also for the Game Master is ‘Assholes, Shitheads, And Other Fuckers Generally In Need Of Some Killing’, a good bestiary of NPCs, mutants, creatures, and other adversaries. It is a good selection and more than enough to keep a campaign going, and to get that campaign going, PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game includes ‘Two Dead In Shit Town’, a beginning scenario. This is a beginning Mission in which the Mercs come across the four intact ranch houses that make up Shit Town where a band of ten wretches has made their home. Recently, Pinkus Dinkus moved in and everyone thought he was a nice fellow, until yesterday when he killed Crawfish and Benny, the two wretches who led the community, after which ran off with several cans of baked beans. The surviving wretches want him found and served a dose of Wasteland justice, and hire the Mercs to do it. It is a solidly, scummy little affair, which gets across the squalid, fucked up nature of the Wasteland in a session or so.

Physically, PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game is a solid looking game. It is well written and easy to read, and the artwork is good too. That said, the language and tone is strong throughout and this is definitely a roleplaying more for the mature than the immature player. The only thing that it lacks is a bibliography. It would have been interesting to see the author’s inspirations. That said, the only thing it says on inspirations is ‘CASE, or Copy and Steal Everything’, that is, “Except for Zardoz. Don’t use anything from that fucking movie. It made no goddamn sense whatsoever, had Sean Connery dressed up in some kind of weird-ass red twisted up diaper-looking jumpsuit, and had way too much dialogue overly obsessed with penises. Now, I like penises as much as the next guy, but… ummm, wait… I mean… oh, never mind.”

PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game provides the Game Master, her players, and their Mercs with everything needed to play, not just rules, but paths of progression, gear, mutations, and a setting, all with a fuck you attitude that matches the fucked-up nature of the Wasteland. PunkApocalyptic: the Roleplaying Game feels like Mad Max, but even grimier and grimmer, screwed over by the Time Before The Shit Hit—and very much after. The result is an unhinged, rather than gonzo, but still over the top setting, ready for great game play if the players are ready for its ‘Screw you, you primitive shithead’ attitude.