EarthAD: Enhancement Pack

The EarthAD RPG is a rules-lite micro game cum generic GM resource for creating quick and easy, on the fly, one-shot post-holocaust slash post-apocalyptic science fantasy scenarios. EarthAD is published by Politically Incorrect Games and written by the trenchant trio of Mark Bruno, Bret Bernstein, and Matt Drake. The Enhancement Pack is a 22-page supplement for use with EarthAD written by Jake Parker that expands upon, or presents, Mutation rules, ROM Cybernetics, provides a few random charts, an extended weapons table, three interesting catastrophe scenarios, in addition to providing several new archetypes and a central new core Character Stock.

If you do not have EarthAD, or have not heard of it, know then that it is a fabu beer and pretzels type role-playing game providing the essentials for creating scenarios set in the post-apocalypse genre. This includes rules for creating mutants with gonzo kitsch mutations, assorted stock end of the world scenarios, essential information on character building and establishing genre tropes, and, best of all, it uses the standardized genreDiversions rule set that allows EarthAD to be used interchangeably with other games in the GenreDiversions product line.

What I like about this supplement is it provides a wide range of useful rules additions, including introducing the aforementioned character stock of "Evolved Animal". Those familiar with Gamma World will immediately recognize the potential here. Mutations have been broken down into three categories: Remnant Traits, Beneficial Mutations, and Detrimental Mutations. The list of Detrimental Mutations is short (13 in all) but include character seasoning personality traits like Paranoia, Light Sensitivity, and Periodic Amnesia. Nor have the kewl powers been ignored, witness such Beneficial Mutations as Weather Manipulation, Molecular Disruption, and, my favorite, Napalm Breath. The latter being the sort of mutation no power gamer can pass up and every GM will instantly see the potential for using to creating post nuke dragons.

As if that sort of attention to genre detail wasn't enough one of the catastrophes, and I'm loving this, is "Rise of the Dead". That's right it's Zombies run amuck time! Granted it's only a brief page of intro story and detail for "Bacterium Ghouls", but how can you not love a supplement that incorporates themes from the Zombie horror sub-genre?

Should Zombies not tickle your fancy then there's two other fabulous scenarios: Evolution's Children, which outlines a game starter centering on Evolved Animals; and No More Light, which outlines a end of the world scenario wherein Sol, our sun, has burned out! The only fault I can find here is that there's not more. I know it's just a supplement for a beer and pretzels game but this material is golden.

Take the section on "ROM Cybernetics" for instance. It's brief, yet contains a gold mine of cybernetic appendages and useful character augmentations such as Enhanced Lungs, Jet Pack, Vocal Modulator, and half a dozen other enhancements. The section also contains option character creation rules that are designed to allow players the flexibility to generate more fully fleshed out characters on the fly.

This supplment contains some very nice ideas for kicking off unique end of the world games. Game Masters may be required to do a bit of work here or there but the scenarios otherwise are such that they should lend themselves well to impromptu freeform play. Of course how a GM chooses to approaches the material is up to them. But there are ideas aplenty here that can be used with any post-apocalypse role-playing game. So even if you don't have EarthAD this supplement could be a source of inspiration for your next post-apocalypse game as it shouldn't be all that difficult to adapt the material for use with most extant role-playing systems.

Overall a very good supplement that can be purchased for $2.00 From RPGnow or directly from Politically Incorrect Games.