“This is the way the world ends,
This is the way the world ends,
This is the way the world ends,
Not with a bang but a whimper”
- T.S. Eliot, The Hollow Men
“Everyone, deep in their hearts, is waiting for the world to end.”
- Haruki Murakami, IQ84
“Hokay so here is the earth, just chilling.”
- Jason Windsor (AKA Fluid)
There is something about post-apocalyptic and apocalyptic stories that has fascinated us forever. Just about every culture and every religion in human history has a story about how all of this is going to end. It is a story we will seemingly never get tired of telling. Well… I guess when the world ends we’ll get tired of telling it. But for now, let’s talk about some games that let us tell that story.
Mӧrk Bork & Cy_Borg
Up first is Mӧrk Borg and Cy_Borg. Built off of the same core system, and heavily inspired by old school D&D, these games from Stockholm Kartell and Free League Publishing are dark, violent, and unbelievably funny. Whether or not the humor is intentional, it’s always a bloody good time. Mechanically similar to one another, these doom metal games tell two very different stories. In Mӧrk Borg, you play as an adventurer/scum who is trying to survive in world that WILL end. Every time you take a rest, you roll a pre-selected die and on a 1, you roll a die and a Misery changes the world. On the 7th Misery, the world ends and you burn the book.
In Cy_Borg, the world is revealed to be a simulation and resets in 12 hours. The unbelievably dark tone in these games often leads to repulsive and genuinely funny moments. Mӧrk Borg also has one of the most prolific fan bases, many of whom are professional designers that produce a massive amount of third party content that expands the game as a part of the Mӧrk Borg Kult. If Ravenloft isn’t dark or bloody enough for you, turn up your favorite doom metal album, grab your battle axe and strap in for an incredible time. Don’t get too attached to your character though, they aren’t long for this world. Technically though, I guess the world isn’t long for this world in these games.
The End Of The World
A game with characters you can’t really connect to not your vibe? In the End of the World games by Edge Studio you play as yourself, where you are, with whatever you brought with you to game night. Talk about a game where you really understand your character. The game uses an incredibly simple dice pool system where you roll a number of positive dice depending on equipment, skills, etc against a number of negative dice depending on various factors. Negative and positive dice cancel each other out, with any remaining positive dice beneath your stat being successes, and any remaining negative dice becoming stress. The system is cinematic, and is so easy to grasp that it really allows you to really dig into the horror around you.
Each game presents you with a series of scenarios that enable you to build the apocalypse you want to live in, or at least want to survive. For example: Wrath of the Gods gives suggestions for Gaea’s Revenge where animals and plants fight back against society. The Return of Quetzalcoatl takes inspiration from the Mayan mythology, Ragnarok is based on Norse mythology, Revelation based on the Christian end times, and That is Not Dead based on the Cthulhlu mythos, but your imagination can take you into whatever apocalypse you want.
The Walking Dead Universe
Interested in zombies, but you don’t want to play asyourself? The upcoming game from Free League Publishing, The Walking Dead Universe Roleplaying Game might be for you. The Walking Dead Universe Roleplaying Game, based on the AMC TV shows, uses the now famous Year Zero Engine used in Mutant Year Zero, Tales from the Loop, Alien RPG, and many others. The game features two modes of play, a campaign mode that will feel more like a regular tabletop role playing campaign where you make the story as you play, and a survival mode with predetermined scenarios based on locations and characters from the TV series.
The Walking Dead Universe Roleplaying Game finished it’s funding on Kickstarter in April 2023 and has an estimated delivery date of November 2023. I’m personally very excited for this one, as the Year Zero Engine games are some of my all time favorite games, and Free League has some of the best productions out right now.
The Happiest Apocalypse On Earth
All of this sound too grim, and you want a little more comedy in your games? Check out The Happiest Apocalypse on Earth. The Happiest Apocalypse on Earth is more of a pre-apocalypse game than a post-apocalypse game, and takes place in the very fictional theme park Mouse Park. There is an ancient horror that lives beneath the again, very fictional Mouse Park, the Great Mouse Who Lies Beneath, and the players take on the role of guests or staff of the park. Very fictional.
Players choose to protect the world from the evil of Mouse Park, or may even choose to help the Mouse rise, bringing up the monsters that live beneath and ending the world. This satirical horror game by Christopher Grey is Powered by the Apocalypse, so the rules are incredibly light and emphasize narrative storytelling. If you are looking for some humor in your apocalypse stories or if you’re a Disney adult, this might just be the perfect game for you.
Apocalypse World
Would any list about post-apocalyptic games be complete without Apocalypse World? If you have been around the tabletop roleplaying game scene for a while, you may have heard of games that are Powered by the Apocalypse. Well, Apocalypse World IS the apocalypse that powers all of those games. Designed by Vincent and Miguey Baker, Apocalypse World is a legendary game that has inspired nearly countless othergames. It’s almost impossible to describe all of the innovations from this game that you see in Powered by the Apocalypse games today, from the simple dice system of 2d6 with mixed success, the inclusion of playbooks instead of character classes, playing to find out, and the idea of moves as a way for the players to directly interact with the narrative.
Apocalypse World lets you make the apocalypse you want, whether you want to be inspired by Mad Max, Children of Men, Snowpiercer, or anything else you can think of. If I could recommend any game on this list for every single person interested in tabletop role playing games, it would be Apocalypse World. It is not only a game that I consider one of the best games ever made, it’s also my personal favorite game ever made.
Icarus
Lastly, I have to recommend Spenser Starke’s brilliant game Icarus. Icarus is a storytelling game about how great civilizations fall. Icarus is a collaborative storytelling game, where over the course of a couple of hours, you will build a civilization with your friends, and watch it fall. The most brilliant part of Icarus is during the game, you stack dice that represents the failures of your civilization and the ill-deserved pride and vanity of your civilization. It is a fantastic single session game, but also makes a great way to start any of these games to collectively build your world together as your session zero.
Post-apocalyptic stories have always fascinated us for one reason or another, maybe it’s because our history of the ends of civilizations and the terror of when ours will end, or maybe it’s just something in our collective DNA. Regardless, we are fascinated by post-apocalyptic stories. If you’re fascinated by these stories and want to tell your own with your friends, tabletop role playing games can be a great place to do so.
