Pyramid #3/88: The End Is Nigh

[PK]

The world will not end
If even one soul remains
To start a new one

— A dead philosopher

There's an undeniable appeal to post-apocalyptic settings. They walk the line between familiarity and the unknown -- between civilization and wilderness. Wiping away the old world leaves a blank slate, where a ragtag group of heroes can write their own destiny and maybe even become legends . . . if nothing kills and eats them first.

Yes, post-apocalyptic stories are hotter than ever, as shown by a wealth of recent films, books, and video games. And yet we haven't dipped back into that well since Pyramid #3/3: Venturing into the Badlands. Call us mad (to the max) if you will, but the fallout from avoiding this topic might leave us crawling (or at best walking), dead. Sorry about that. So let's remedy this with Pyramid #3/88: The End Is Nigh. (There may be another reason for this month's theme, but I'll wait for you to crack open the issue to learn about that.)

• Gangs are a key element of almost every post-apocalyptic world. But when they're so common, it can be hard to make them feel scary, unique, and real. PK Levine fixes this with The Redeemers, a group of religious fanatics who can fill any role from "dangerous but useful trading partners" to "implacable foes." With details on their religion, full GURPS stats for the members, multiple maps of their headquarters "The Promised Land," and a handful of adventure seeds, these holy rollers are 100% ready to drop directly into your wasteland.
  
  
• When society collapses, you need to be able to defend yourself, which means scrounging up some Post-Apocalyptic Guns. Firearms experts S.A. Fisher and Hans-Christian Vortisch look at weapon preservation, ammo reloading, gunsmithing, black powder, and more to paint a picture of how a shootist should be equipped and how he can keep his guns working in tip-top shape. This is all backed with plenty of rules (including a new malfunction table and two improvised guns) so you have no reason not to arm your wastelander today!
  
  
• Of course, if you get enough armed folks together, you eventually get an army -- and that's something the Warlords of the Apocalypse are counting on. In this month's Eidetic Memory, David Pulver explains how GURPS Mass Combat changes in the wasteland, including which units change or become nonviable. The sample forces, DDT (Dan Darwin's Troopers) vs. Owl Girl and the Mutants, are ready to use either on the battlefield or as color for your post-apoc game.
  
  
• In the real world, any random object is going to be far less effective than a balanced, well-crafted weapon. But in some fiction the heroes eschew melee weapons, instead grabbing whatever item is at hand when the fight begins. Peter V. Dell'Orto's Better Improvised Weapons encourages this, with rules to help a pool cue outclass a staff and a chainsaw beat a sword. Your post-apocalyptic heroes will love this, but these rules can be used in any campaign where variety outweighs realism!
  
  
• Since the mid-20th century, the threat of an apocalypse has been indelibly tied to our Nuclear Legacy. Roger Burton West explains how nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons work, and how that can all go wrong. Learn about the different types of meltdowns and similar events that can contaminate the countryside for centuries -- along with why a future scavenger might want to risk the rads for the bounty of goodies within.
  
  
• And as the end of the issue grows nigh, you'll spot our usual features, including a Random Thought Table that keeps the campaign in the dark, a Short Bursts putting you inside the world of competitive racing, and an Odds and Ends with nifty things for your scavengers to uncover. In addition, this month's issue includes an poster-sized map of the Redeemers' bunker suitable for oversized printing, with 1" hexes for tactical combat!

— PK

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Store Link: http://www.warehouse23.com/products/SJG37-2688

[Christopher R. Rice]

Very nice. Very, very freaking nice. :-D

[GM Joe]

I always knew this day would come.

It was good while it lasted.

[Dammann]

See this is why I have a bunker stocked with PayPal and iPads, against the day when the series got released.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by GM Joe

I always knew this day would come.

I did, too, but only because I unexpectedly ran into PK at the grocery store last weekend and discussed it.

[PK]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

I did, too, but only because I unexpectedly ran into PK at the grocery store last weekend and discussed it.

Ayup. It's a small world over here. Between staff and freelancers, I swear Southeast Tennessee is basically "SJ Games East."

Hrm, should probably get back on topic -- so, what did y'all think of this month's issue and/or the big announcement?

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by PK

Hrm, should probably get back on topic -- so, what did y'all think of this month's issue and/or the big announcement?

This issue is one of those surprises where it's a genre I rarely play but the articles are nevertheless very interesting. For example, my eyes usually glaze over at gun-centric material, but I thought Post-Apocalyptic Guns was particularly nifty.

And I'm looking forward to the new series.

[Tinman]

I was more into the Redeemers & the description of the DDT's & what happened to Dara. Also, I liked the Odds & Ends idea seeds. Of course I would have liked both to have been a little more fleshed out.

I too, am very much looking forward to the "new" series.
Is there any time line info you can share?

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

... I thought Post-Apocalyptic Guns was particularly nifty.

It is rather good. Roger's article is also fine.

The only post-apocalypse game I've played used a premise that I didn't see in this issue. The apocalypse was three generations ago. Pretty well all the tech has ben used up. The characters are from an isolated community, which is successful enough that it's pretty well filled up its valley, and are sending people out into the world to find trading partners, living space, and so on.

In this case, the players were British. Nobody expected cars to still be working or have fuel 90 years afterwards, or for there to be any significant number of working guns. We were TL3 to 6, mostly at the low end, because we hadn't had a library at the apocalypse. Our main means of travel was a wood-burning steamboat. The GM didn't tell us where we were, either: it eventually turned out to be central France. But we made it all the way to the sea, which had been retreating into legend, and got back home.

Not very Mad Max, but it worked well.

[Jerander]

Originally Posted by Tinman

I was more into the Redeemers & the description of the DDT's & what happened to Dara. Also, I liked the Odds & Ends idea seeds. Of course I would have liked both to have been a little more fleshed out.

I too, am very much looking forward to the "new" series.
Is there any time line info you can share?

I suspect it'll be After the End, PK's long on-hold gonzo post-apocalypse series (think Gamma World). And if so, I will be *very* excited. But I've been excited for years (since the first time they announced it...), so I'm holding back right now...