Thursday, September 20, 2012

Two New Toys From the (Post Apocalyptic) Sandbox

OK, you've created a new world, blew it up, and now you want to run a post-apocalyptic game. So now what? Well Occult Moon are here to help you out with two new titles in their Toys for the Sandbox line of system-agnostic supplements: 'The Last Refuge' and 'The Slave Wagon'.


EDIT: When I originally posted this review, the front cover art and the included map in 'The Last Refuge' were very blurry and pixelated. Occult Moon have since updated the PDF and fixed the issues. 

Briefly, the Toys for the Sandbox series are short supplements detailing a location or organization that a busy GM can drop into their game with just a little bit of prep. Each one includes a location or organization, plot hooks, NPC descriptions, and usually some encounter and rumor tables. These short subjects are not designed to be whole campaigns or even adventures but they more often than not contain enough material and inspiration to spark several sessions' worth of adventure. On top of that, they are very inexpensive, anywhere from 99¢ to $1.99. Occult Moon have a large number of supplements aimed at fantasy games (38 at last count) plus a few sci-fi subjects. Now they have released two titles for the post apocalyptic genre: 'The Last Refuge' and 'The Slave Wagon'.

'The Last Refuge' details a small survivor community and safe harbor in the wilderness. The refuge is run by "Gramps" Fellows and is styled as a neutral center for trade, shelter and rumor swapping. The book starts with a description of the place followed by a map. Next we have six adventure hooks, each with three twists or variations on the theme. Next up there are six NPCs with descriptions, back stories, and motivations. A table of encounters that can occur in the compound and a table of rumors that can be heard round out the package.
There is no specific setting suggested here so it would work equally well regardless of your flavor of ruination. Be it zombie apocalypse, nuclear war, economic collapse or the mysterious failure of the world's power grid, 'The Last Refuge' will work. The supplement does suggest that the setting takes place only a few years after the fall as the NPC descriptions all include mention of what the character did before the lights went out. Also, the location is not specific in any way and would work equally well whether your setting is in a nice temperate zone, the desert or the swamps of the bayou.
The only disappointment here is the map. While you can use it, in my copy of the PDF, the map is very blurry and pixelated, suggesting it was sized up from a much smaller image. The cover image is blurry as well, which is unfortunate as it could otherwise easily work as a player handout when describing the place. While not the end of the world (so to speak), the map is readable, but it is rather jarring and frankly not something I would print out and give to my players. This is too bad as maps alone are often a great source of inspiration and to me inspiration is what these products are all about. Overall, the product is quite usable and the art errors could likely be corrected in a future update.

Next we have 'The Slave Wagon', a nasty little group of slavers run by the even nastier Abigail Wilson. Like 'The Last Refuge', the book opens with an introductory description followed by six plot hooks, again each with three variations. Following that are four detailed NPCs including the aforementioned Abigail. Lastly, we have Encounter and Rumor tables as well as a fun Salvage table suggesting nine items you might find out in the wastes.
One of the things that struck me about this particular title is how complex the NPCs are. They are almost all nasty individuals but they all have interesting back stories. One of the things any RPG needs is a good villain and a complex villain is a much more interesting character than a cookie cutter bad guy. Also, the NPCs presented here are all related in some way to a central plot line. That plot is merely hinted at in the text but the GM has a lot of good stuff to riff on. I could easily base a short campaign on the material presented here.
The world suggested by 'The Slave Wagon' is far bleaker and far more "Mad Max" than the previous supplement. Various locations, organizations, and peoples are mentioned which, while not detailed, add yet more grist for the imagination mill and gives this supplement much more of a sense of place. The action also seems to take place long after the apocalypse as the adult participants were clearly born into this world.
Art-wise, this title does not suffer from the problems of its predecessor. The pictures are crystal clear and there is no pixelation. Overall, the quality of the writing and editing appears to be better as well. I was unable to find any typos and the author has an easy style that meshes well with the subject matter.

Overall, these are two worthy additions to the Toys for the Sandbox range. Like previous titles in the series both these books offer lots of inspiration for the GM to riff and expand on. As they are system-agnostic, you will have to come up with your own stats for the NPCs. For myself though, I don't consider this much of a stumbling block and only helps broaden the appeal of these titles. In any case, if you're just starting out to build a post apocalyptic campaign and are looking for some ideas to help flesh things out, both of these titles will spark your imagination and help speed you on your way. If you're running an existing campaign, there are still lots of ideas here to branch off in new directions.

Highly recommended!

Get them at OneBookshelf:
The Last Refuge
The Slave Wagon
Occult Moon

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