''After the Bomb'' is a
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
originally published by
Palladium Books
Palladium Books is a publisher of role-playing games (RPGs) perhaps best known for its popular, expansive '' Rifts'' series (1990–present). Palladium was founded April 1981 in Detroit, Michigan by current president and lead game designer Kevin ...
in January 1986. It uses Palladium's
Megaversal system
The Megaversal system, sometimes known as the Palladium system, is a role-playing game system used in most of the role-playing games published by Palladium Books. It uses dice for roll-under percentile skill checks, roll-high combat checks and sav ...
and features
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
animals – anthropomorphic and otherwise – in a
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astro ...
setting.
Setting
The storyline of ''After the Bomb'' introduces a post-apocalyptic setting centered on the
Eastern United States
The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...
, where most of the area is populated by the mutated animals that form the majority of society.
The apocalypse
Advancements in
genetics
Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...
brought the cost of genetic manipulation down to the point where it became consumer technology. Extensive, widespread experimentation in the creation of transgenic species resulted in the creation of mutated animals, possessing traits from other animals. Although the creation of transgenic humans was technically illegal, everybody possessed a complete human genome; thus, the law was largely unenforceable, and a small population of humanoid mutant animals slowly accumulated.
The same technology led to both the elimination of
viral disease
A viral disease (or viral infection) occurs when an organism's body is invaded by pathogenic viruses, and infectious virus particles (virions) attach to and enter susceptible cells.
Structural Characteristics
Basic structural characteristics, s ...
as a major problem, and the introduction of diseases as pranks. Kids would come to school with a vial of "homebrew" and infect the class as a joke. Because such diseases were easily cured, these pranks were regarded as "harmless".
Eventually, someone came up with a way to concoct an incurable disease. A virus was created which possessed an entire copy of a
human genome
The human genome is a complete set of nucleic acid sequences for humans, encoded as DNA within the 23 chromosome pairs in cell nuclei and in a small DNA molecule found within individual mitochondria. These are usually treated separately as the n ...
; any cure that targeted the disease would also target the host.
This disease wiped out seventy-five percent of the world's human population. It infected most animals as well, and the animals that survived had human genes spliced in by the virus. These semi-human offspring displayed human characteristics in varying degrees. This would have merely resulted in a population mostly dominated by mutants if the leaders of the world's governments had not made the assumption that the disease was a bio-weapon sent by their enemies. The response from all sides was all-out
nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear ...
that devastated the entire planet.
The game can be assumed to take place a generation or two after this apocalyptic event, which is referred to as "The Crash" or "The Death".
Supplements
Though the second edition of ''After the Bomb'' is a standalone with many updated rules and an entirely updated back-story, it remains compatible with the following previously released expansions:
*''
Road Hogs
''Road Hogs'' is the second supplement to the '' After the Bomb'' setting of the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness'' role-playing game. It was published by Palladium Books in October 1986 and uses the Palladium Megaversal system ...
'' (October 1986) – Expands the setting to cover the west coast of the United States.
*''
Mutants Down Under'' (June 1988) – Expands the setting to cover Australia.
*''
Mutants of the Yucatan
''Mutants of the Yucatan'' is the fourth supplement for the '' After the Bomb'' role-playing game, originally based on and compatible with ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness''. It was published by Palladium Books in July 1990 an ...
'' (July 1990) – Expands the setting to cover Mexico's
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...
.
*''
Mutants in Avalon
''Mutants in Avalon'' is the fifth supplement for the '' After the Bomb'' role-playing game, originally based on and compatible with ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness''. It was published by Palladium Books in January 1991 and us ...
'' (January 1991) – Expands the setting to cover Great Britain.
*''
Mutants in Orbit
''Mutants in Orbit'' is an adventure and sourcebook for the '' After the Bomb'' and '' Rifts'' role-playing games, authored by James Wallis and Kevin Siembieda. It was released by Palladium Books in March 1992. The book deals with life of space ...
'' (March 1992) – A dual ''
Rifts''/''After the Bomb'' title, it covers colonies in orbiting space stations, the
moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
and
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
.
Changes since the first edition
The original edition of ''After the Bomb'' was a supplement to ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness'' is a role-playing game based on the comic book created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The core rulebook was first published by Palladium Books in September 1985 – a couple years before the ...
'', a game released in September 1985. The changes between the two editions reflect two principles. First, by the year 2000, Palladium Books no longer held the rights to publish games based on the ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...
'' series, so an edition that included a completely new rule set had to be published. Second, the original back-story was updated to reflect over fifteen years of advances in genetics.
Included are expanded rules for the creation of mutants, including the ability to take animal disadvantages (
vestigial traits) that enable one to purchase additional powers and/or human features. In addition, a new kind of mutant, the "purebred", has been introduced. Purebreds include creatures from well-established, stable bloodlines (as opposed to the essentially random mutations of most characters) and "
chimeras", which are generally based upon
transgenic
A transgene is a gene that has been transferred naturally, or by any of a number of genetic engineering techniques, from one organism to another. The introduction of a transgene, in a process known as transgenesis, has the potential to change the ...
creatures in existence today, such as
spider goats.
Reception
Marcus L. Rowland reviewed ''After the Bomb'' for ''
White Dwarf
A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes fro ...
'' #79, and stated that "It's all good fun, if you can accept the basic premises involved, but seems a little limited; I find the present-day setting of the original game more satisfactory, since it offers more opportunities for plot development and diversity."
References
External links
*Official ''After the Bomb'' discussion board a
Palladium Books ''Forums of the Megaverse''*''After the Bomb'' a
RPG Geek Database*''After the Bomb'' a
RPGnet Game Index
{{Palladium Books
1986 books
2001 books
After the Bomb (game)
Furry role-playing games
Megaverse (Palladium Books)
Post-apocalyptic role-playing games
Role-playing games introduced in 1986
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness