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The newest book for d20 Modern, entitled d20 Apocalypse, attempts to provide enough material to satisfy fans of nearly any sub-genre of apocalyptic gaming, whether the world is destroyed by famine and warfare or plague and disease. The real question is whether a 96-page softcover can provide enough material to cover the wide variety of apocalyptic scenarios.
Chapter One: Postapocalypse Campaigns
Since d20 Apocalypse intends to be a one-stop guide for d20 games after the end of civilization, it makes sense that the first chapter would include a discussion on the different ways to end the world. Alien invasion, biological disaster, judgement day, and nuclear disaster are just a few of the options provided. You can even mix and match - aliens might have invaded and used biological weapons, or machines rose up and fired nukes to wipe out mankind.
The type of society created after the end of the world is also important for a post-apocalypse RPG. Whether the society is depraved or devout, militant or law-abiding, the characters will have to learn to react within the framework of the new society. Another consideration is the state of the world, whether it has fallen into a new dark age or has recovered to a brave new world.
The source of the devastation has considerable bearing on the type of game being played. Rules are provided for massive destruction, such as that caused by the explosion of a nuclear warhead, and radiation. Fallout residue, collapsing buildings and other hazards are explored, but not in great depth.
Chapter Two: Rules Modules
The beauty of this chapter is that the entire thing is completely optional. You can cherry-pick through the rules here, adding them in pieces until your campaign is just what you want. The options provided here allow GMs to make just the world they want.
The various options include dealing with the ruins of society and what they contain, exploring unsafe structures, and scavenging. There are two full pages of tables for equipment values, essentially comparing trade values for things like guns, medicine and vehicles. Interesting rules are provided for bartering, as most post-apocalyptic campaigns will not include a standard currency.
A section on new equipment provides a few additional items that could spice up a post-cataclysm game, such as candy bars, guns that shoot radioactive garbage, and football pad armor. A few vehicles are included for those looking for some road warrior action. Rules are also provided for fixing vehicles and fighting in them. Long distance travel is different in a world where nobody is around to maintain the roads, and this section includes rules for dealing with back roads and potholes.
The darker side of post-apocalyptic games is the considerable environmental hazards. Games in this genre almost always have to include rules for radiation poisoning, but this chapter also includes information on acid rain and fallout clouds, among other things. Mutations are a staple of this kind of game, and a considerable amount of information is provided on the topic.
Possibly the coolest thing about this chapter is the bestiary. There are apocalypse demons, man-killing robots, and giant bugs. Viral deathspawn (zombies to you and me) are my personal favorite way to end the world, and the huge amount of monsters that can be lifted from D&D books is impressive.
Chapter Three: Character Options
After an apocalyptic event, players might not need to determine an occupation - they're all probably survivors. But more advanced societies may need academics, doctors, and religious leaders, and they are presented here with some context. Useful skills and a few new feats round out the basic of post-apocalyptic character creation. There are also two advanced classes in this chapter, the road warrior and the scavenger. They are pretty much exactly how they sound.
Chapter Four: Earth Inherited
Finally, with two-thirds of the book gone past, readers are presented with three different apocalyptic scenarios. The first raises interesting theological questions and takes a rather dim view of Heaven's forces, in a setting where the war between Heaven and Hell flows over onto Earth and destroys civilization as we know it.
Department-7 still exists in Earth Inherited, though it is severely weakened. It serves to help humanity survive on the battleground between demons and angels. Several other power groups vie for supremacy, from the Avengers of Humanity who attempt to destroy all angels and fiends, to the Heavenfire Coalition attempting to create a truce between the two sides and preserve the world for all.
Three species of angels and three fiends are listed to give the PCs headaches, and a short (one-page) description of a barge fortress rounds out the chapter.
Chapter Five: Atomic Sunrise
This is the default apocalyptic scenario, the one that has frightened many of us since we had bombing drills in grade school. Nuclear devastation has laid low most of humanity, and the survivors fight to piece together a future. Various power groups, from vault-dwelling FEMA to the oppressive Enforcers dominating Texas, vie for control of the ruins of society. Radiation-induced mutations have spawned variant races and creatures, and these mutants often band together. One such mutant band, the Mutant Arm of Radillos, is detailed along with the group's headquarters.
This chapter includes a new advanced class, the lawbringer. Lawbringers are under-paid, poorly-rewarded champions of justice, roving the wastes and attempting to tame the wild lands. They have some very interesting abilities that make them seem even more impressive than The Man With No Name.
Chapter Six: Plague World
The final setting for d20 Apocalypse is a planet invaded by bug-like aliens called spanthi. The spanthi attempted to exterminate the human race through the use of biological warfare. Unfortunately, the diseases backfired, doing massive harm to the spanthi and disabling their ships. The invading aliens now roam the planet, fighting with humanity to survive.
The most interesting thing about the Plague World setting is that the default PCs are not standard survivors. Instead they are recently thawed warriors who were cryogenically frozen hundreds of years earlier, and awakened when their bunkers are breached so that they can help to reestablish civilization. These preservers of humanity are called Rip Vans.
The advanced class in this chapter, the evolutionary, is a mutated human reminiscent of the X-Men. It is a great character class for those who want something a little different, and has a lot of potential.
Observations
The art in d20 Apocalypse is great, as one would expect from Wizards of the Coast. The cartoony style fits perfectly with the source material and really adds a lot to the book. The layout is also great, with a cool distressed-metal theme and easy-to-read headers and tables.
While I often find issue with the writing in WotC products, I found d20 Apocalypse to be a very fun book to read, with a writing style that draws the reader onward through its pages. That cannot be said of very many RPG books.
My biggest complaint about this book is its lack of depth. Granted, a huge amount of material has been crammed into the book, and at $20, it is a relatively good buy. However, 96 pages is not enough. Any of the three settings could be expanded to its own sourcebook, and while the rules modules are a good idea, they did not include enough information. I wanted more of everything. d20 Apocalypse was like an appetizer without a meal, whetting my appetite and not putting it back to bed.
I have to give considerable recognition to d20 Apocalypse. It made me want to play a post-apocalyptic game, which does not happen often. It is a very attractive book, with great art and design, and is so good that I wish it had been twice as much book for twice as much money.
Style: 5 - Great writing, design and art support some really cool concepts.
Substance: 4 - What's here is awesome, but I wanted lots more.
