Required Reading: Post Apocalypse

[Comte]

I need a summer project.  I decided one of my favorite generas was the post apocalyptic genera and it is high time I leave my mark upon this sadly forgotten sub genera of gaming.  So it is game desighn time.  So I've done most of the required reading in the general list that was put up here a while back.  Now I think it is time to move onto something more genera specific.  Right now I have Asylum, and a copy of the CRPG Fallout and Fallout2.  So I was wondering if people could point me into other directions the genera has gone so that I can hopefully take it in a new direction.  Aparently Twilight 2000 has been re-released so I'm gonna get that, but what else should I consider?

[talysman]

that depends on what kind of post-apocalyptic stuff you are interested in...

the only post-apocalyptic game I am personally familiar with is the GURPS Y2K sourcebook, which actually covers several "collapse of civilization" scenarios. also, if you want to consider it post-apocalyptic, there's GURPS Autoduel, although that's more a "collapse of the U.S." than a "collapse of civilization" scenario. SJGames also did a couple other adaptations of SF post-apocalyptic material, like GURPS Horseclans.

there's also Gamma World. I don't remember much about that (why civilization collapsed, why there were mutations...) so I can't really say how post-apocalyptic it was. I seem to remember actually buying After the Bomb, a sourcebook for the TMNT game, but I think it was pretty vague about why earth was taken over by mutant animals.

depending on how you set it up, All Flesh Must Be Eaten can be post-apocalyptic, but mainly if you are trying to emulate Matheson's "I Am Legend" and its various children.

moving on to stuff I've only heard about, there's The End, which is literally post-apocalyptic (biblical apocalypse). I think a couple other games out there fall into that category as well.

[Comte]

thanks.  Right now I am mainly looking for game names and stuff like that.  I figgured I'd be getting some answers from the gurps end of things.  Thanks for the sepecific gurps books, I was really boggled as to where I should even begin my search for answers in that line.  There is just so much stuff for that game system.  

As for Gamma world I compleatly forgot about that, I've heard only vauge things but I'm sure it will assist me in wandering in the right direction.  As for After the Bomb, that game is kinda what started all of this as that book signifigantly failed to rock my world.  

I forgot about some of thouse All Flesh dead worlds, tis a good reminder.

Lastly I'm trying to stay away from supernatural stuff.  Anyway you've been a big help and this is basicly a big thankyou.

[Simon W]

There's the old FGU game Aftermath! - it's heavy going, full of detailand I'm not sure where you'd find it now. I think there are a few others on John Kims free rpg site that might be of interest - you can find them here

http://www.darkshire.org/~jhkim/rpg/freerpgs/bykeyword/postapocalyptic.html

Gideon
http://www.geocities.com/simonwashbourne/Beyond_Belief.html

[Clinton R. Nixon]

Two radically different novels that are great post-apocalyptic reading:

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

I prefer the latter, although most prefer the former.

[Kester Pelagius]

Greetings Comte,

Best thing for this is to see what's out there.  One good way to do that is to peruse some of the links below.

Post-Apocalyptic Media Just about the best site on the subject I've found to date.  If you're looking for information on movies, games, or fiction then this is the place!

Empty World  Good topical resource page, lots of information about fiction, some links, and other good stuff.

Post-Apocalyptic Movie Mania  Movie reviews.  Always a great source of ideas.

The link to John Kim's page of free RPGs has already been given but I thought I'd add that this is a very good site.  Take the time to look around and see what else is there.  Plenty of free system for you to look at to get ideas from.

Well, there's a couple of hours of time lost to clicking links for ya! ;)


Kind Regards,

Kester Pelagius

[Eric J-D]

I know this is an old thread, but I couldn't resist adding to the book list Suzy McKee Charnas' wonderful "Walk to the End of the World," an early second wave feminist post-apocalyptic novel that initially stood alone but has since been continued by "Motherlines," and two more novels whose names I can't recall at present.

"Walk to the End of the World" is a classic.  I used it for a class on apocalyptic literature and the students had a great time engaging many of Charnas' concerns.  Do yourself a favor and track it down.

zhlubb