I would use Fudge.

If I wanted something more "crunchy", I'd use GURPS.

Quote from: BalbinusSo, how would you do it?

Gritty Post-Apocalypse, you say?

Uh, here is how I do that.

Quote from: C.W.RichesonFor gritty variety in a post-apoc world I'm all about GURPS.  

I've played in a GURPS postapocalyptic campaign, for which you can read the journal here.  It was a good example of how GURPS doesn't have to be all about the number-crunching - this was pretty intense in terms of character.

I also played in a one-off of a postapocalyptic game called Radio Freedom, we used FATE, the rules and background for that game are on the link.

In the past I've run games in that setting using d4-d4, which works well, too.

So really before we can advise Balbinus, we have to ask what he's going to try to emphasise in the game sessions, and what kind of people he has in his group.

Of the various systems, Fate works best at bringing forth more reactive players into active play, if you're focusing on character personality and relationships. GURPS works best with a more "tactical" sort of approach, as you look for a +1 here or there to give you a better chance of success. If the players and GM haven't fully read the rules, and/or don't have good memories, there can be some wasted time as they look them up for some obscure situation.

d4-d4 I found to be about the right balance - a decent "rules medium" system. It may be objected that of course I'd think it's good, since I wrote it; but I wrote it that way because I think that's a good approach for many styles of roleplaying, not the other way around. Fate may please some people, GURPS others, but d4-d4 is in the middle in terms of detail and crunch.  

As I said above, I think that we have to ask Balbinus what style of game he wants to run, and what sort of players he has in his group.


Games which are quite crunchy and detailed, it's easier to make them realistic than to make them cinematic; cinematic usually involves hand-waving, which is what you do all the time in rules light games anyway. Crunchy and detailed games also favour hack over thesp, since it's easy to concentrate on killing stuff and shallow one-dimensional characters if you're busy looking up Rule 2.20.3(a), while it can be hard to remember to depict a real person if you're doing that rules look-up. Schtick and drama I don't think are affected by the complexity of the rules...

Then there's what happens in a game session,


The crunch of the rules doesn't impact much on these things, except that action/fights usually call for detailed rules (players who enjoy lots of fights enjoy detailed rules for fights) but the kind of rules you have does. For example, if you're playing a game like classic Traveller, then naturally you won't be able to focus on character power much, the characters start off as good as they'll get.

So I think the style of game session you want to have, and the things happening in it that the group wants to have, are important for deciding the system. Perhaps Balbinus could pick a few things out of those...?

Well...I've played in several GURPS games that have been post apocalyptic. One being nuclear, the other zombie.

They seemed to go really well, except that we played ourselves in both occasions and well...I suck at surviving in that kind of environment.

Quote from: QuasarThey seemed to go really well, except that we played ourselves in both occasions and well...I suck at surviving in that kind of environment.

I do, too. That's why we had some cinematic rules - spend 1CP to turn critical failure into failure, failure into success, success into critical success; or to halve damage of any one wound after the combat's over. Combined with getting 2-5CP per session, this worked well. Let things be gritty, but also let us be sure of success at crucial, life-threatening points - or to make an impression when it mattered, stirring speech to a crowd or whatever.

My vote would be for GURPS.

Going cheap you could go with GURPS Lite and Characters... or maybe GURPS Lite and the PDF of GURPS Powers. GURPS Lite by itself lacks PSI.

Quote from: Balbinus...a fairly classic post-apocalypse setting with a wasteland (naturally), isolated communities seeking to rebuild, some low grade psi mutations and a generally gritty atmosphere.

What about our perennial favorite low grade psi RPG, The 23rd Letter?  Its mechanics may seem a little wonky at times, as you once pointed out, but I was always pleased by the fact that, while the game certainly showcases psychic abilities, non-psi characters can truly stand out next to their psychic cohorts.  Actually, the rules seem to support a non-psi campaign style pretty well.

!i!