Looking for a Fallout-like setting, using a Powered by The Apocalypse like system

[Kol Korran]

Hey folks.
I've recently became aware & explored Dungeon World a bit, and became quite fascinated by the game design, and core concepts. I read a bit about the Powered by The Apocalypse engine, and the games created using it.

Some friends of mine and me are discussing possibly running a post apocalytic game, similar to Fallout. (Which means no magic, more focus on survival, gear, and the other associated tropes).

I'm wondering if any of you know of a system that combines the two? Built with the PoTA enginex for this kind of a setting?

Thanks in advance,
Kol.

[Pelle]

Maybe Apocalypse World?

[RedWarlock]

Umm, yeah. Apocalypse World was literally the first PBTA system, thus the name.

Honestly, I've never played it, but it's more about opportunity than a judgement on the system.

[Jorren]

There is this one: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hso...nRZUR0Skj/view

[Yora]

Apocalypse World is very much a supernatural game. Turning it into something nonmagical would require a considerable overhaul of the rules and classes.

[DrMartin]

Apocalypse World is very much a supernatural game. Turning it into something nonmagical would require a considerable overhaul of the rules and classes.

I agree, game and setting were created hand-in-hand and Weird is one rather fundamental part of it. I mean it's one of the main stats.

I can imagine swapping Weird for Brainy and removing Open your Brain for a custom Do Weird Science move, removing the "weird"-est playbooks like the brainer and the hocus, adjusting the various abilities that use Weird (like the battlebabe's vision of death)...it's a lot of work. With players and GM that know the system and its balance quite well it would be doable of course, but it's a lot of work.

You'd also need rules for Radioactivity and more concrete rules for currency, since those are important elements of the Fallout setting.

If you google fallout pbta you'll find a hack with some interesting ideas: rewrite the stats to use the SPECIAL array, custom moves for different kind of weapons, radioactivity rules, custom playbooks, etc...I just skimmed it but it looks like someone poured quite a bit of work into it, maybe it's a start for your game.

btw Kol I am in the middle of a binge-reading of your campaign journals and it's really good stuff. Looking forward to read what comes out of this, in case you'll record it in journal form for the playground :)

[Kol Korran]

There is this one: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hso...nRZUR0Skj/view

Thanks! I read the file, but it seems to be part of something bigger? It keep referring to some basic moves & other game concepts, that are not detailed in the file itself. Do you happen to know where the file is from? Perhaps I can find the missing rules?

Apocalypse World is very much a supernatural game. Turning it into something nonmagical would require a considerable overhaul of the rules and classes.

That is the exact reason I'm trying to find some hack or such... I have 0 actual experience with the PbtA systems, and I'm not sure how to do so myself.

I agree, game and setting were created hand-in-hand and Weird is one rather fundamental part of it. I mean it's one of the main stats.

I can imagine swapping Weird for Brainy and removing Open your Brain for a custom Do Weird Science move, removing the "weird"-est playbooks like the brainer and the hocus, adjusting the various abilities that use Weird (like the battlebabe's vision of death)...it's a lot of work. With players and GM that know the system and its balance quite well it would be doable of course, but it's a lot of work.

You'd also need rules for Radioactivity and more concrete rules for currency, since those are important elements of the Fallout setting.

If you google fallout pbta you'll find a hack with some interesting ideas: rewrite the stats to use the SPECIAL array, custom moves for different kind of weapons, radioactivity rules, custom playbooks, etc...I just skimmed it but it looks like someone poured quite a bit of work into it, maybe it's a start for your game.

btw Kol I am in the middle of a binge-reading of your campaign journals and it's really good stuff. Looking forward to read what comes out of this, in case you'll record it in journal form for the playground :)

I think the link above is for that particular hack.
And thanks for the comliment! Been a loooong time since I wrote a log. Real Life came, the group broke up, I've been a player for some time (mostly Shadowrun) and then even not that... Just can't find the time...

I'm just starting to get to the point where we might be able to play, and two of my former players (the more proactive and roleplay oriented ones) suggested we do a more focused game, with just them 2 as players. I'm looking for less cumbersome systems (planning wise), easier to improvise in, and with a focus on interesting choices. So were checking a few venues.

[DrMartin]

Thanks! I read the file, but it seems to be part of something bigger? It keep referring to some basic moves & other game concepts, that are not detailed in the file itself. Do you happen to know where the file is from? Perhaps I can find the missing rules?

The base game is Apocalypse World, which incidentally is where the "Apocalypse" in pbta comes from :)

That Hack requires some more work to be brought to a table than what is shown on its pages though, since, for instance, Apocalypse World has 5 stats (to which the base moves are tied to) and Fallout has 7, and they don't map that well to each other (cool and weird don't really have a corresponding stat in the SPECIAL system) - but I can imagine the Hack working with AW's normal stats, swapping weird for some more traditional intelligences / book smarts / tinkering stat.

In case it doesn't have to be Pbta at all costs, did you check out mutant:year zero? it does fallout quite well, and the system is quite lightweight, albeit of the traditional "GM calls for tests and adjudicates results" kind

[Kol Korran]

btw Kol I am in the middle of a binge-reading of your campaign journals and it's really good stuff. Looking forward to read what comes out of this, in case you'll record it in journal form for the playground :)

In the end, we'll do a mishmashed game using mostly FateCore, with some ideas and extras taken from Dungeonworld.

We'll meet about every 2-3 weeks for about 3 hours or so, but there will only be 2 players, so I think the game will run smoothly enough and with sufficient game content, even in that time frame.

We've currently only done the game planning session (some good stuff), and next one will focus on character building.

I hope to be able to write a log, but writing one is very time consuming (at least the way I wrote before). I'm keeping notes, hoping tonalso write a log, perhaps a different log style for a different kind of game? I'll see if I have the time.

Thanks again for the encouragment!

[Chauncymancer]

Apocalypse World is very much a supernatural game. Turning it into something nonmagical would require a considerable overhaul of the rules and classes.

Something I feel like I've got to point out is that about a dozen Fallout characters have magic powers. They can read minds, see the future, kill you with their brain. There is a psychic maelstrom of sorts in Fallout: the player character is just never allowed to *do anything with it*.