GREATGM: The Post Apocalyptic setting in Roleplaying

How to use the post apocalyptic setting in role playing games. Will your players survive their journey into your world of waste and harsh realities? Will the strength of human emotion and overcoming against all odds, revive your PC's long enough to reach their goal?
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[@xychoticbreak5198]

"The women are fierce and mostly Australian." I love it!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

To be fair - I have a huge crush on the Australian accent and people. So I usually poke fun at them.

[@yogsothoth7594]

Interestingly woman actually are more vulnerable to radiation than men.

[@aschaff3995]

That's because they are already half crazy to begin with... lol hope my missus doesn't see this

[@blacknwhitegaming]

@@HowtobeaGreatGM I can confirm this

[@blacknwhitegaming]

@@HowtobeaGreatGM Australian women are defiantly like this and it scares me very much

[@Christopher-vv8kn]

Um.. water World is one of my childhood favorites! You take it back!!..

[@Joemantler]

Thumbs up for Soylent Green. More Dystopian, but sliding slowly into Apocalyptic.

[@dystopia-incognito]

This is so lovely, I'm obsessed with dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories, and you really know your stuff so I hope I'm able to find your games on here where you're a GM.

[@xantho368]

"Google Shutting down" mother of god, that truly is the end.

[@robertlombardo8437]

Pfff! That's the start of a golden age. Use DuckDuckGo!

[@TheCreeperCyborg]

oh you know a video only appeals to a very appreciative, niche group of people when it has almost 7,000 views and still no dislikes

[@Mr.Monster1984]

Now it has 6. What didnt they like though? Dumbasses

[@fredricknoe3114]

7

[@user-od1qw8qp1u]

Oh well, now we'll never know how much there actually is, lol

[@isoid]

31 dislikes now

[@jerelfontenot1]

I love this series. This episode makes me want to play Darksun.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Ooo a lovely setting!

[@mikegould6590]

Hoping for a 5E ruleset for that campaign setting

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

I wrote my own set of rules which seemed to help. But the d20 modern and it's future setting were amazing. So if they translate 5th ed what a joy!

[@shaun30club]

love that game

[@zioqqr4262]

i came here because i was looking for whether someone had already made post apocalyptic high/low magic settings, stories or discussions, and while this isnt it, the advice is still helpful

[@jordanm6682]

In my world, I take all the optimism and hope you've described and slowly demolish it as time goes on. I don't know what is is about it, but I enjoy the thought of a post apocalyptic world that has the hope of humanity but doesn't have long lasting optimism. Such as "We've gotten out of town and away from the zombies! Yay! ... But where are we going to go now."

[@lycanthrose]

I remember a video where you tell new DMs to give their players a stronghold and don't take it away. Here you say, yes, take it away. I like that actually.

[@LunaProtege]

A sort of idea I'm thinking up, what about a post-apocalypse where the "apocalypse" is merely that humans have left? Imagine some undeveloped form of intelligence being seeded on our planet after we've left because we've decided earth should be a nature preserve, and the intelligent creatures that come about from this wake up in the ruins of our society and wonder "what the hell happened?" Basically that, but with science fantasy elements.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

That is a great idea - although I'm afraid a lot of conspiracy theorists already claim that humans are the second seed and that ancient cultures left Earth for similar reasons. It's a great setting though and your players will love it if you describe the 'intelligent' species a human like. and of course there must be a rogue faction of the 'departed humans' who don't believe earth should be a reserve but instead be mined, or enslaved etc. Love it.

[@wchart]

Honestly, the original Thundercats was basically that story.

[@mikestanmore2614]

This was fun. I think you're probably too young to remember Aftermath, but I recommend it for a detailed post apocalyptic setting. Mind you, it was printed in 1981 and FGU are now defunct. But if you can find it...

[@KimKhan]

Post-Apocalyptic games are real grand, but one subgenre that gets little to almost no love is the post post-apocalyptic genre. The immediate and almost frantic survival focus is dispensed with, and societies have emerged. The old world is truly a world of myth and legend, and the people alive are more or less alive and well, not caring that much of what The Catastrophe was. The older incarnations of Mutant had this, but the current Mutant: Year Zero has "gone back to basics". Could be worth checking it out, and I am not just saying that because I am currently GM'ing a game of the older version.

[@josephedmond3723]

Adventure Time

[@alnu8355]

What I like about the genre (and why it's my favorite) is you can do ANYTHING with it.

[@Amendude25]

I've done an rpg based in the Fallout universe. I really didn't press the players to focus on survival as far as food and water so much as by their interactions with the factions of the world. Ie. Brotherhood of Steel or NCR. I also put a lot of heavy emphasis on the 1950's retro sci-fi feel from the video games. One of the things my players thought was most fun were the random radio breaks I added in the game where I had a comedic radio duo argue over the air. Was tons of fun.

[@justbeyondthecornerproduct3540]

Hey, I'm planning on DMing in the FO Universe, what RPG system did you use?

[@theultimatehangover7576]

I'm starting up a campaign I've based heavily on fallout, The Road, A boy and his dog, Mad Max, and some real life locations. I've removed the concept of class systems, I've minimized health gained by level, and I've introduced the concept of wounding. Wanted to drive-home how brutal survival in this setting could be and how the players would have to play as dirty as possible to survive even the smallest fights. I wanted a campaign where the players would cringe at the kindof things they would have to commit to in order to survive, as well as making most of the settlements [or excuses for settlements] the most horrifically degenerate cesspools of the world. City blocks which are lined with fallen rope bridges, where bodies hang in the air from fallen and entangled ropes giving way at the worst of times, trading hubs where large families come from far to sell their children to any who are willing to take them for any reason, Ruined towns wherein every block is the red light district and everyone with a gun owns their own brothel, and finally, fortified ruins that run amok with mutants, cultists, or inbreds deformed beyond human. This party has quite alot ahead of them, and they're gonna have to be determined to kill or die, if not for the sake of themselves, then for the sake of the entire world. It's gonna be gucci.

[@liamb7677]

Why do I feel 60 at 19? you need some design and lore help I love your setting and would really like to work on it!

[@jasonfenton8250]

"Decimated 90%" "Decimated 90%" "Decimated 90%" Help.

[@aschaff3995]

Deca is 100... wouldn't decimate mean to crush them by almost 100%?

[@solariusspinister1020]

@@aschaff3995 Deca- is 10 dude (like a decade is 10 years) Decimating technically means to take out 10%

[@alnu8355]

Litterally? It means 1 out of 10 are killed off, still enough to be considered a cataclysmic tragedy, but not one that plunge the world in to a dark age for a couple of centuries (though may cause a gritty dystopia). Colloquely it means it's fucked up beyond recognition at least for a while. If you wanna big ol' ugly apocolyspe to set your Earth back into the Stone age? Kill off anywhere from 50-75% of your global population. The type of apocolyspe will determine what's left over. Nuclear? A whole bunch of crap forcing the survivors to innovate and reverse engineer. Plague? A shit load of scavangeable materials and products. Supernatural apocolyspe? Well that one really does not play by the rules anyway so that's whatever you want it to be. Alien invasion? Possibly like the nuclear, but that would also open the door for advanced alien tech, reverse engineered tech, possibly mutation from alien microbes (activation of latent psionic powers) etc. All of these are friggin cool ideas, I like the alien one though because that one gives the GM and Players the most options. Honestly the post apocolyptic genre is my favorite because characters can pretty much be inspired by any genre or archytype. Wizzard like character? In the post apocolyptic lense he or she is a Psionic (assuming you don't already have the super natural apocolyspe). Gunslinger? That one's pretty easy. Monk? A descendant from a tribe of warriors who ran out the means to produce modern firearms, their solution? Rely only on one's body instead, therefore they train themselves to be living weapons. Knight or Samurai? A character's ancestor may be a Dellusional Millitary Comander, so he rebuilds socieaty in an image that gives political power to a trained warriors caste. The list goes on, but I think you get the point. You can pretty much do anything you want with the Genre. I once ran a Mutants and Masterminds game were the players essentially failed to save the world as superheros and had to make tough decisions going forward.

[@Kaiserland111]

Great video! I just found your channel and just in time, because I want to start a mixed sci-fi/post-apocalyptic campaign and was looking for ideas beyond my own. Keep up the great content!

[@michaellittle226]

Thanks for sharing. I have to say i loved Water World . One of my favorite movies . 😃

[@leonielson7138]

I think a good example of Post Apocalyptic setting is 'Rifts' and the prequel 'Chaos Earth'. I've been wanting to do a Chaos Earth campaign that starts out survival horror (they are well trained, but the have few resources at the start).

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Well I know of a channel that covers horror and post Apoc ideas :) Let us know how that turns out, it's always good to see if these ideas here have a use!

[@kimburdangerdeese7921]

I love his intro he's so adorable

[@goblins_workshop]

Love this series! I dont have recommandations yet since i'm a new GM but just know I watch all your videos to improve my game ;)

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Welcome to the table! Glad you enjoying the video!

[@nerdyogre6683]

That's why I love Rifts, it was magic that triggered the apocalypse.

[@KPDigitalTravel]

I just started reading through the Tribe 8 rulebook and have already gone on eBay to buy the first three supplements. I know it is old and no longer supported but I am finding it fascinating. I am glad you helped inspire me to try to start running this game.

[@justinjakob3954]

Love the series. I find even if I'm running a such and such game, I can always use the ideas you present for a particular session/episode. Thanks. Also, my group is considering venturing into a high magic/contemporary setting. I'd love to see you explore it in more detail.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Great feedback and consider it added to the list! Thank you

[@chdmann]

+How to be a Great Game Master I've been running a Post-Apocalypse Fantasy setting where Epic-Level spells have obliterated a Magic-Tech society. (Arthur C. Clarke said that "Sufficiently advanced Technology is indistinguishable from Magic", so I took that, made technology that worked based on magic.) Elves vs Dwarves vs Humans vs Halflings vs Dracon (dragon-born) vs Orc vs what other species. The 'Reconstruction' and magic-industrial Revolution is happening, trader caravans are selling newly made magic-tech... if the bands of survivors can afford them. What type of stories could you see happening in such a story world?

[@matttale7918]

1. Raiders stealing from arms dealers 2. One society wants to build a magic super weapon to destroy everybody else. 3. Civil War 4. Pacifists start spreading anti war propaganda and are unintentionally helping the bbeg 5. Magic + technology? Mutated Monsters attack nearby settlement.

[@davidtorazzi7650]

My idea for apocalypse is actually quite unique from what I saw in the video :D

[@Dynamous1]

Bodies in the water tanker, smooth.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Always :)

[@derrickgrey]

I think if you had a book on all of this, It would definitely be on my buy list. Really great stuff!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Awe thanks man! Maybe I should? One day?

[@trex2251]

How about a sci-fi, civil war, dinosaur, Cowboys setting?

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Well Sci-fi has been handled, but perhaps War and Dinosaurs and Cowboys not to much. I'll add it to the list.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Dinoriders - a 1980's comic was exactly that.

[@alnu8355]

Why not? That sounds AWESOME!

[@maynardz03]

this sound like ark survival with less grinding and more holy fuck I cant stop playing

[@Gamer_Ayame]

These are fantastic ty 🎉

[@jonathanmcdermott25]

I just found your channel and started with the Horror video which was quite helpful. (Hoping to run a D&D/1979 Alien style isolated horror campaign with a scary big bad soon.) I am so curious about the gas from your apocalypse campaign now! Good story hook! It would have kept me very engaged.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

That's super cool man. Alien is amazing for a basis of a campaign. Just remember the four films have very tones - Horror, Action, Redemption, and Revenge.

[@jonathanmcdermott25]

How to be a Great Game Master Update: In the end I made it a gritty futuristic setting. Taking Magic off of the table made it feel more real. I ended up doing this first run as a solo game. (Hope to run it again for a small group of 3) My one player enjoyed it so much that we found time to play every day for several hours after work as we pushed through the story. For the first time as a DM, I felt that I was able to do a successful horror by focusing not on how "scary" a situation is, but those sensory details, immersive-ness and good music (thanks to a few of your other videos.) I also shared the Great Player video on creating a backstory with my regular D&D group as we just finished our big campaign and are starting a new one in the same setting. Much to my surprise, over the next few days I had several message me to tell me they were dicks at the table and that they were sorry. Turns out, they greatly enjoyed the other channel and are using it as a tool to be better players, starting with being less dick-ish. So from a DM and all his players, thank you so very much for these wonderful channels that you have and the videos you make. They are inspiring. TL;DR - these videos helped me be a much better GM and my players have gotten good use from the other channel. Thank you!

[@TourqStevens]

Perfect! I'm working on a Savage Worlds post-apocalyptic RPG right now, and your video gave me a couple of things to think about. Thanks!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Glad to hear that! Let us know how it goes man. I need to learn Savage Worlds. It sounds like a good system!

[@zwibak]

Thanks. That gave me quite some inspiration particles.

[@crimsonElixirxoxo]

I heard breeding and I immediately thought: welp, that would be weird to add.. big oof

[@hbrhodes1s]

love your episodes man! Great stuff!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Many thanks :) Anything you want me to cover in future episodes?

[@hbrhodes1s]

Can't think of anything. Just love the content and how you cover them. You're alive and raw. Someone complained they wished you would edit your episodes more. I love them the way they are. It shows you're human and not some damn machine

[@hbrhodes1s]

Keep in mind I'm an American. I do not mean anything offensive by what I say. I love your shows on all your channels

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

:)

[@TheDecatonkeil]

I'm taking my first steps as a GM with Mutant Year Zero. Have you tried it and what do you think of it?

[@17joren]

Wow you got really into the roleplaying mode with this video. Goggles, outfit, lighting audio, and recording audio with a scrounged potato.

[@Multiklaaas]

Thumbs up, good sir! Great info as usual, lots of useful stuff for a "Dark Sun" (AD&D boxed set) campaign I'm considering. In this series, do you think you could cover Cyberpunk as a setting? Our group sometimes struggles with the odd mix of futuristic and outdated tech and ideas. Cheers!

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Consider it added to the list!

[@NathanielNow]

Question: Could we get a small continuation on your map making series? I'm really interested in creating a star map

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Yes! Yes thank you for reminding me... I'm going to be honest and say: Expect it in July. I've got our annual major convention coming up where I think I'm on a panel or two so I've got prep for that. But July!

[@NathanielNow]

July will be perfectly fine. Thank you!

[@dutchlinde56]

I really want to see a post apocalyptic world that, instead of the normal grim dark end-of-the-world rubbish, but rather a noble bright setting where society has begun to slowly rebuild, such as in the gibli movies.

[@codasinger5298]

What a weird way to from the video. I don't know why, I just feel like the camera had been zoomed in and Guy didn't realize

[@JoanieDoeShadow]

Water World was a good film.

[@korth9107]

great info. this gave me some useful information for my game. thank you. for another setting to cover ... how about setting mashups, fantasy/modern or post apocalyptic/sci-fi.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Mash-ups! Now that's an idea. Cool Consider it done when I return to Settings. Got some cool stuff coming up in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@hatac]

I have one where the aliens destroyed the earthlings and colonized the seas but with a catch. The aliens are big, 10 meter long amphibians, and it was inconceivable that the tiny bipeds running around could be sentient. What the wiped out was cars, aircraft and navy and a few cities but the bipeds remain. The bipeds are surviving and are gearing up to fight back.

[@RobotsPajamas]

This is great! I'm thinking about at some point getting my players (G.I. Joe) into a post apocalyptic setting via some sort of super science (like a teleportation/stargate type thing). Great tips that I'll use if we end up doing that. Rape: That's a really iffy subject to put in a game, particularly since I have about 50% women players. I've had implications that it happened in the past with that NPC getting her revenge through hiring the PCs to kill the bad guys and I have had the players interrupt men attacking a woman, but I'd be pretty careful about having one happen in the game without the players able to do anything to stop it. I'm glad Fury Road didn't include any on screen acts of sexual violence. You obviously knew that Joe's women weren't willing, but you didn't need to see it. FYI My idea: The bad guys figured out how to get to this world and are using their access to water and fuel as a recruiting tool to bring soldiers from that side to our side. If the players shut down the portal for good they're dooming everyone on the other side to a life without the good stuff the bad guys have been bringing them.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Oooo that's a nice little bit of a moral dilemma! I like it. Look Rape is absolutely inexcusable. Having been there and had that done to me, I can attest to how it makes one feel as a human. On the other hand, if your players are wanting something a little more gritty, or you want to make them feel for your NPC, the potential of it happening to a PC is very powerful as a narrative tool.

[@RobotsPajamas]

Sorry to hear that has happened to you. I think the subject can be extremely touchy so it shouldn't be used as a prop or to "make the heroes extra mad", but instead should be an important part of a story if it is introduced (including any fallout from it). But it's also interesting to note that my players can get a little cagey about those kinds of subjects, but don't have a problem murdering a lot of people.

[@Frederic_S]

Still a very good one … but the apocalypse is to dark for me though 😅

[@shaun30club]

have you had any experience with Exodus post apocalyptic rpg by glutton creeper games, I purchased it recently, but the D20 I'm not crazy about the system, it could be because it been a very very long time playing a D20 system. I started out on TSR D&D back in the 80"s as a teen. do you have any video dealing with post apocalyptic worlds. thank for your time

[@eagleowl833]

Something I've never understood about mad max was that the decline of society was caused by a war between Iran and Saudi Arabia which caused a massive oil shortage but they continue to have more than enough oil for well over 30 years!

[@eWarriorDLC]

I would like to see high seas or perhaps pirates as a longer term setting.

[@alnu8355]

I'm actually creating a Superhero campaign using Mutants and Masterminds were players can play villains or heroes (aside from flavor, it will not matter). All of my players are psyched, they developed their character concepts pretty well. Set in a typical super hero setting (not Marvel or DC) with a few world details and tweaks (the non super powered sports industry dyeing out in the 80's to be replaced by the super powered sports industry). What they don't know is that I'm going to end the world no matter what. I even set up a settlement and mass army system. I found inspiration for this after reading the Book Series "Ex-Heroes", Wildstorm: World's End, and Justice League: The New Frontier. I decided the main villain and reason why the world ends should be a deconstruction of the whole "Noble Gaia/Mother Earth" (from Captain Planet) meets "The Center" (See Justice League: the New Frontier). I mean when you think about it, "Mother Nature" has been trying to kill off all forms of biological life since their inception. Either way, I am stoked for to run this game and cannot wait. I think this game allows for strong character play. Going from villain to hero and vice versa in face of a cataclysm is hardly new as far as story archs go, but it's good one none the less. Also the Colony system I have figured out let's my players delegate NPC's and other super humans they recruit as well as resolve mass conflicts quickly. While the players (being super heroes/villains) will probably find ways to survive with out TOO much difficulty, keeping their settlements alive and thriving (or possibly forging an empire/kingdom) will be trickey with the random weekly event table I set up. The fun part about this being a super hero and post apocalyptic campaign is that by being of both those genres, I can be pretty ridiculous and imaginative.

[@GeekOutStudio]

Started watching your videos as I'm getting more into tabletop RPG. I love the setting series and wonder if I could make a request for a pirate setting. Just a thought. Another pointer I thought was to maybe list a couple of rule sets that handle these settings. You've piqued my interest with Post Apocalyptic but what rule set would I use?

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

There are so many different rule sets I've purposefully avoided declaring any. Also I have a fixed few and I'd hate to sound like a stuck record ;) But for me I look for a system that is easy to use, simple to pick-up and run with, and that allows me to get on with the job of storytelling. Do for my Post-Apoc game I used D20 Modern system with the Post-Apoc expansion. But Savage Worlds is apparently awesome too? And Post Apoc could be the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire so then a magic light fantasy system would work too ;) But Pirate... arrrr me' matey consider it added!

[@GeekOutStudio]

Awesome. I thought a pirate idea would be appropriate given you intro graphic. :)

[@mdintern]

War war never changes

[@erokvanrocksalot7545]

Watching this made me realize my post apocalyptic setting isn’t very post apocalyptic... My Extinction Level Event was a thing that crashed into a super advanced futuristic Earth a few thousand years before the PC’s time.. everyone calls it a Godbomb but there’s a rebuilt society’s and a centralized Kingdom, utilization of far more advanced relics both small and grand, primarily being utilized to provide safety for the planet against more Godbombs (or so that’s what the kingdom tells everyone)... but in this society (and yes there’s 1 centralized society) there’s debate about what the Godbomb actually was.. those religious NPCs and PCs argue it was sent by the gods and debate amongst themselves as to why.. Others argue it was just a rock that fell outta the sky and the kingdom could never prevent it just like the ancients couldn’t prevent it. The Godbomb actually is shrunken earth inside a repurposed dysonsphere from an even more advanced earth that accidentally created a deadly (Borg meets John Smith from matrix) AI (yes the nemesis- thank you Guy for that video- vaguely/nondescriptly introduced in Prologue and frighted the hell outta players) from which the remaining humans fled by shrinking their planet, and sent it back in time to prevent the creation of the deadly AI, but they crashed into planet instead. Causing the apocalyptic event from which the PC’s society has adapted and recovered but still fantasy/horse and cart style with some incorporating of cars and toppled sky scrapers as homes or businesses. Simple right.

[@ravenwitch5569]

I kinda want to make a fantasy setting but then have one race messed with something they shouldn’t have and I caused new dangerous wild life and mutations in more familiar wildlife. I imagine the surface is so dangerous only the most hardy people stay there causing them to maybe evolve into a different race and some humans went underground causing them to evolve differently as well. The surface perhaps being very lush and beautiful and it’s easy to get water but the wildlife is just so dangerous it’s hard to live there but that doesn’t mean the caves are any safer. Just a general idea

[@monkeybuizznes1]

I’m running a campaign set on another world that’s been colonized to be a money maker, but was bombed to oblivion by a rival company. Now on this Aliens level tech world the players rule over some settlements and duke it out with wasteland mutants and undead. And other rulers. I’ve modified it with some gameplay aspects from total war, age of empires and others. It’s pretty lit

[@Mr.Monster1984]

Cool Idea. Did they start as rulers or got there through playing?

[@monkeybuizznes1]

Gabriel Garcez they all rolled percents and if they scored high enough they ruled, or where nobles or peasants

[@SSNewberry]

Modern tech in small protective areas.

[@TheYetixOUTx]

I liked waterworld

[@benconnolly6762]

Thank you for the amazing video! This has helped me so much with developing my campaign. I want to include guns, a lot of them, but I haven't found any good rules for them. Would you know any ? I want to show how powerful they are, making them extremely scary in my game. But I don't think many systems show this. I'm not worrying about making them balanced like 5e, because they are scary death machines, they have to be overpowered.

[@FarothFuin]

There is a section for them in the dungeon master guide and they deal a lot of damage, you make can improved versions, or bigger ones based on those

[@benconnolly6762]

@@FarothFuin I've seen them, but they are pretty much powerful bows. I would like to make it a bit more realistic. I'll probably add some sort of damage chart for the range and fatality rate of shooting different limbs. Thank you!

[@robertlombardo8437]

Mad Max and Waterworld apparently take place in the same world. Also, how dare you talk about Waterworld like that! Lol.

[@kelsouthdeaton5093]

Any advice on a world that players think at first is a fantasy world but find out through gameplay that it is post apocalyptic Earth(many generations have passed since the collapse)

[@odinzan]

Like the show Adventure Time

[@Natgeo-xf8xb]

15:06 *X-files theme plays*

[@dm4life579]

I'd like to request an urban renaissance setting but with magic instead of science so gunpowder wasn't discovered or had very limited use. I was thinking something like this : PCs can be : Bounty hunters, criminals, city officials/police or vigilantes. Enemy factions : Underground cults, Criminal Organizations, Corrupt Officials, Pirates, Vampires and so on and so forth. Major Locations : Abandoned Mansions/Houses, Sewers, Underground crypts, Haunted Abbeys, Pirate Ships, Slums, Criminal Hideouts. Do you see this setting working out? My only fear is that PCs might not feel the importance of their jobs because the scale is small considering other RPG settings where you fight demi-gods and dragons and such things. I'd like to mention that there is heavy consequences to any action since obviously they will be operating within the boundaries of the law.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Added to the list! I even have the perfect system for you!

[@dm4life579]

+How to be a Great Game Master Thank you, I really appreciate what you do in this channel and I am looking forward to that video.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

We really love that you like our channel!

[@alnu8355]

DM4Life If you're not going to add gun powder or other modern utilities you might as well run a vanilla D&D campaign. Not having modern technology we've come to take for granted pretty much makes the whole "post Apocolyptic aspect" just a foot note in the folklore of your game. A PC or NPC mentioning some previous apocolyspe is no different than someone in the dark ages mentioning the global flood in Noah's ark. If you want that as a folk lore thing, don't let anyone stop you. A dungeon punk setting is classic and still pretty cool.

[@applejackhonesty1960]

What if our rp is in there early 2000's and it's been maybe a year since it happened

[@zlobert9877]

What are the best rpg systems to run this setting on?

[@johnsavage7507]

I know this comment is old but... I just downloaded D&Z and it looks pretty sick.

[@nomdeplume9590]

What about a post apocalyptic in a medieval fantasy setting?

[@warrendavis9262]

Waterworld...sank...😂😂😂😂😂

[@fry339]

3:54 Dude you almost spell out a Darkest Dungeon speech.

[@lindsaydessent329]

I like how you said with water world it was finding land and mad max it was water but you got the water part wrong just pointing it out if it hasn't been pointed out already and yes common mistake as well but mad max was funding oil in the second film which oil then was refined into fuel or petroleum or petrol or what ever and the third film was different again but I will say it was interesting and I'll point out I've watched it more than once (5 times) and last time was the sixth time and I saw it in the beginning where they are walking to the town and theirs a slave train going on with a lone female at the back collared and in brownish rags. Overall I could imagine a cool small campaign based around you or your group being free then slaves then free again just an idea.

[@curlyfordoge4366]

I'm trying to make an Alien Invasion adventure, have any tips on how to approach this?

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

Yes. Your aliens should not be anything like we have ever seen before! And you should have a few species of alien. It's a great question so I'll address it as such: How to make cool aliens.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

But also not to leave you hanging cause that might be a while - your first alien contact with the players should be something totally weird and not - oh that's the alien from Star Trek, or the alien from Godzilla. It should be something strange making use of strange things. Maybe they float, or slither? Perhaps they have 8 legs and scream like cats? Is it ray-guns or organic weapons? But then you introduce a higher alien - someone in change who can speak and being captures and questioned. Players need someone to hate, and to have an NPC that is able to be interrogated. Just a thought.

[@doctordino9150]

I want to create a post apocalyptic universe we're it's been thousands years since the event and nearly everything has turned normal but the geography and architecture looks different (The antagonist is the problem) i need help with the antagonist

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

What does the antagonist want? And why? And how is he/she going to get it and why can't they get it?

[@yogsothoth7594]

Kind of what I would refer to as post, post apocalyptic? Where the old world is little more than a distant memory, the nuclear winter (or what ever device you used) has cleared and civilisation are starting to put themselves back together.

[@codyms5052]

Maybe someone who found a relic of the ancient world and learns of war and technology of the past. Wishes to use this on those who don't know it exist to control the world or a large group of people. Due to their lack of self worth because of something that happened that they couldnt prevent such as the death of a loved one. And they become hateful and power hungry.

[@oliviabean8264]

Traditionally in Inuit culture you would actually offer yourself up when you where close to death, no sense in everyone dying. Also the closest word they have for I agree to that basically translates to "I'm not neccesarily pleased but it's gotta be done" ... the things you learn when a third of your first cousins have spent the much of their life living in a small town in Nunavut. By the way to anyone who's still in denial of climate change I suggest you try moving up there right now, the way my cousins are describing it sounds like the beginning of a fricken apocalypse... wow, I actually ended up back on subject by accident.

[@cwdiode4521]

Someone should try to make a day of mourning (in Eberron when an entire country got killed)

[@justbeyondthecornerproduct3540]

So, how many people have compared you to Shadiversity?

[@jerrytuerke6950]

Read swan song.

[@vegivampire4616]

glassesception

[@jerrmhs]

Any other dust players out there?

[@whyldfigher3733]

Rifts

[@kharnthebetrayer8251]

Wow, 2,500 views, 0 dislikes.

[@DummyUrD]

Finally came around to watch Stardust, pretty generic plott. Is it just me or should have Capt. Shakespear played by Jeremy Irons?

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

That would have been amazing!

[@lightblckknight]

would be an interesting twist, like the netflix show, the party comes across a village of nothing but women. SOILENT GREEN! XD There is an anime on Netflix called KNights od Sidonia, people have been genetically modified with plants so that they don't need to eat as much. Soilent green was my first thought there as well. XD

[@jesternario]

Here's a fun one. A game based off of the movie Stacey; a horror movie where young women 14-16 were all suddenly turning into zombies. Not all of them, but enough to basically cause an extinction level event.

[@scottanderson8167]

D&D is already post-apocalyptic. Who build those ruins and dungeons? Who left the gold down there? Why are there so many undead? D&D happens after the end of the world, not before the end.

[@stevenh8174]

Post trumpocolypse

[@kaedenwelander8096]

I just made the likes to 555 so now pepole now know the consent history.

[@sophblueberry]

Was shocked to hear that “breeding” and rape should be a given. Really upsetting.

[@kacperjastrzebski1880]

But this is true rape and breeding would happen after an apocalypse

[@jerrytuerke6950]

T the writer goes into this mote

[@cifer1607]

True, hearing this as a grocery shopping list of "no water, few ressources, technological breakdown, plenty of rape" was a little jarring, especially without a huge "MAKE SURE YOUR PLAYERS ARE OKAY WITH THIS IF YOU DECIDE TO INCLUDE IT!!!" to go along with it.

[@codasinger5298]

He was being as polite as he could, so he didn't actually SAY rape, he just directly implied it. This doesn't change anything really, I just wanted to point out he wasn't like: "Also people are going to want to repopulate whether by more traditional consensual means or by RAPE is up to them." And in a world with cannibal mutants and raiders driven mad by radiation, rape isn't that much of a stretch. People in far better circumstances have done it anyway for far less reason than insanity or mutation. But it is a little strange that he didn't include something about players being comfortable or uncomfortable with that in a game. I know if I brought it up in my game my players would go silent and would NOT be okay with it.

[@YoshiBlad3]

The utter barbarity of human kind at its worst and you don't expect shit like rape, slavery, murder, drugs, robbery, theft, and torture to be occurring during after the fall of human civilization? Sorry, but the apocalypse isn't a 'safe space'. In fact, you could say that about the world right now. If you don't want to write/run your own scenario like that, feel free, but honestly that dark side of humanity will always be present; it's kind of a part of what we are. The choice between good and evil is always there, lingering. We are capable of the utmost purity and goodness, and that slavering cruel blackness that is just begging to crawl out of our souls.

[@ziggy78eog]

I find, "Post Apocalyptic" to be just plain drab and boring; the tropes are the most shallowest I can think of. Too drab, too bleak, too dreary.

[@polychromaticrevolution]

The way you joked about women working over a stove then talk about how they will get raped. It’s a trope to you… it’s not something to be taken lightly

[@MaguMagus]

This guy is pretty damn toxic. Seems to have a 1950's style view on women.