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Mutant Year Zero

Mutant Year Zero

Mutant: Year Zero takes you to the world after the great Apocalypse. Humanity’s proud civilization has fallen. The cities are dead wastelands, winds sweeping along empty streets turned into graveyards. But life ­remains. Among the ruins, the People live. You are the heirs of humanity – but not quite human anymore. Your bodies and minds are capable of superhuman feats. You are mutants.

Originally created by Tomas Härenstam

Details

2-6 Players
Year Zero Engine
D6 System

Themes

Post-Apocalyptic
Survival
Scifi

Release Date

December 2014

Mutant: Year Zero Reviews (3)

See what other Game Masters and players are saying about Mutant: Year Zero

DuChampion (JJ) avatar

DuChampion (JJ)

New review

Ran 31 sessions

Mutant: Year Zero thrusts players into a post-apocalyptic world where humanity's remnants—mutated humans, animals, and robots—struggle for survival amidst the ruins of civilization. Developed by Free League Publishing, this tabletop role-playing game emphasizes exploration, resource management, and community building in a setting where every decision can mean life or death.​ Pros: ✔ Engaging Survival Mechanics: The game masterfully integrates survival elements, requiring players to scavenge for resources, manage supplies, and contend with environmental hazards, thereby enhancing immersion.​ ✔ Community Building: Beyond individual survival, players invest in the development of their home base, known as the Ark, fostering a sense of collective responsibility and long-term strategy.​ ✔ Expansive Lore Through Expansions: The game's universe is enriched by several expansions:​ Mutant: Genlab Alpha: Introduces intelligent, mutated animals as playable characters, each with unique abilities and narratives.​ Mutant: Mechatron: Focuses on robots gaining consciousness, exploring themes of identity and free will.​ Mutant: Elysium: Centers on non-mutated humans residing in an underground enclave, delving into societal structures and moral dilemmas.​ Mutant: Ad Astra: Takes the adventure into space, offering new frontiers and challenges beyond Earth.​ Cons: ✘ Steep Learning Curve: The game's intricate mechanics and survival aspects may overwhelm newcomers or those preferring more straightforward gameplay.​ ✘ Resource Management Emphasis: Players seeking constant action might find the focus on scavenging and resource allocation less appealing.​ ✘ Potential for Group Tension: The survival setting can lead to in-game conflicts among players, which, if not managed well, could affect group dynamics.​ Final Verdict: Mutant: Year Zero offers a rich, immersive experience for players who appreciate depth, strategy, and a touch of existential challenge in their role-playing games. The expansions further enhance the universe, providing diverse perspectives and narratives that keep the gameplay fresh and engaging. However, its complexity and focus on survival may not suit everyone's taste.​ Rating: 8.5/10 – Surviving the Apocalypse, One Mutation at a Time.

Ben avatar

Ben

New review

Ran 13 sessions

Free League don't miss, and Mutant Year Zero is a beautifully put together piece of work that really starts to come into its own when you can engage in a campaign view and integrate the follow-on content from Genlab Alpha, Elysium and Mechatron. It integrates some old school ideas with map exploration and random event tables, but can also be customised to create a more targetted narrative at the GMs discretion. I'm being super strict with a 4* review - it should really be 5, but Mutant Year Zero has a few 'teething problems' as the birthplace of the Year Zero Engine (most of which are resolved in more recent releases and updates!)

Eryn avatar

Eryn

I really wanted to like this system more than I did. I most enjoyed how unique character creation was and how all our strange mutant powers would materialize as part of the narrative. I found that the risk for pushing rolls never really seemed worth it? As well, it seemed like there could have been more advice for game masters.

How to play Mutant: Year Zero

Mutant: Year Zero utilizes a fast and effective character generation system, using archetypal roles such as the Crusher, the Gearhead, the Fixer, the Dog Handler, and the Chronicler. The main mechanic within the game is a skill and conflict system that makes you push yourself to the limit, and beyond. The rules system highlights two main themes: mutation and resource management. Every bullet counts!

Mutant: Year Zero Dungeon Masters

Game Designer

4 years on StartPlaying

1082 games hosted

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

DMs Guild Writer
Streamer
LGBTQ+
Queer
Disabled
Neurodivergent
Published Writer
Teacher/Educator
Voice Actor
Game Designer

2 years on StartPlaying

993 games hosted

Average response time: 8 hours

Response rate: 100%

Artist

3 years on StartPlaying

1213 games hosted

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

DMs Guild Writer
Veteran
Disabled
Published Writer
Cosplayer
Teacher/Educator
Game Designer

4 years on StartPlaying

1149 games hosted

3 years on StartPlaying

658 games hosted

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Veteran
Disabled
Teacher/Educator

3 years on StartPlaying

955 games hosted

Average response time: 2 hours

Response rate: 100%

3 years on StartPlaying

230 games hosted

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

2 years on StartPlaying

485 games hosted

Average response time: 2 hours

Response rate: 50%

Frequently asked questions about Mutant: Year Zero

Explore Mutant: Year Zero Roles

Enforcer image

Enforcer

As long as you can remember, you have been fighting. You have learned the fighter’s secret: It’s not about who is the strongest. It’s about who will never quit.

Gearhead image

Gearhead

For other people, the Zone is an empty wasteland, littered with useless scrap and garbage. For you, it’s a gold mine that is never depleted. There are remains from the Old Age everywhere, broken technical wonders.

Stalker image

Stalker

Only you know the way through the Zone, the safe paths crossing the gravelands of the Old Age. You know where the artifacts are hidden, you know where the monsters roam. You are a Stalker.

Fixer image

Fixer

Bullets? Grub? Water? Artifacts? Whatever people want, you can get it. Somehow. Seeing the needs of others and fulfilling them, that has been your strategy for survival as long as you can remember.

Dog Handler image

Dog Handler

You can’t even remember how your sorry excuse for a dog became yours, but now it’s worth more to you than any mutant. You live in a symbiotic mutual dependency.

Chronicler image

Chronicler

Everything must be recorded. All the People do must be taken note of, nothing forgotten. The most gifted among you are made Chroniclers.

Boss image

Boss

Human civilization may have collapsed, but the world hasn’t ended equally for all. Some lead and others follow - now as in the Old Age. You lead.

Grunt image

Grunt

It feels good to work hard. To toil with your bare hands, to have a purpose. To build something new among the ruins, among your fellow mutants.

Virtual table tops for Mutant: Year Zero (VTTs)

Free League

Free League

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