The Savage AfterWorld -- From Gaming Blog To Publishing House

Although The Savage AfterWorld (TSAW, for short) has fallen silent for a while, it's never gone away. Folks still stop by to read old reviews of different RPGS/board games or to pick through the years of free gaming content I've posted. But even if you don't see new material here on this blog, TSAW lives on as my personal publishing house imprint!

OK, so "publishing house" might be overembellishing it a bit...

My first RPG product, Deviant Database, was a compliation of new creatures originally posted here on this blog, so it seemed only fitting that I used the name of this blog as the "publisher". The next few products that followed -- Deviant Database 2.0 and One Year In The Savage AfterWorld -- were also assembled blog posts, so they also carried the TSAW moniker. 

However, time passed and, although my blog posts were becoming less frequent, my game creation and writing was still going strong. My name has been seen on products by several prominent companies, but anything I produce on my own continues to be a product of The Savage AfterWorld. In fact, the following  23 (!!!) products all carry The Savage AfterWorld imprint:

For Mutant Future:

• Deviant Database
• Deviant Database 2.0
• One Year In The Savage AfterWorld
  
  

For Cryptworld:

• Creepy Comic Conversion Issues 1 through 7

For Mutant Crawl Classics:

• Dead In The Water
• The Desk In Room 8-10
• Phage From Below

For Quill:

• Quill Quest: The Warlord's Downfall
• Quill Noir
• Quill Noir: Forgotten Cae Files

For Dungeon Crawl Classics:

• Country Meat-Grinder Classics: The Hellson Horror
• Country Meat-Grinder Classics: Wasted
• Country Meat-Grinder Classics: Harvest of the Wytch

For Weird Heroes of Public Access:

• 13 This Week

For Fiasco

• Wonderland Park

And my own RPG:

• FIE, I SAY! The D6 Comedy-Fantasy-Parody RPG
• The Smell of Menace for FIE, I SAY!

So fret not, mes amis! The Savage AfterWorld lives on!

Solo Crawl Classics Part 0: "Prelude to the Great Disaster..."

Full disclosure: I love gaming by myself. Sure, I enjoy running RPGs for others and playing board games with my friends, but I don't need a group to play. I have a wide variety of solo board games, and I'm no stranger to countless solo RPG-ish games like Ironsworn, Four Against Darkness, and various solo oracles like The Gamemaster's Apprentice cards and Mythic GM Emulator. Now, I'm obviously a fan of Mutant Crawl Classics, but I'm typically too busy running or writing adventures to find time to actually experience the game as "just another hapless 0-level Seeker". So this new series will chronicle my attempt to run myself through a solo MCC adventure -- beginning with a small quartet of 0-level hunter/gatherers -- and see what grows from there. And you'll be tagging along for the adventure, both to watch how this works (if it does) and to see how it unfolds along with me...

For this game, I'm going to be using the following rules and tools:

• MCC rulebook (of course)
• Mythic One-Page GM Emulator (the classic Mythic GME solo oracle, boiled down to a single page)
• Gamemaster's Apprentice Deck: Base Deck (a fantastic resource for randomizing items, objects, locations, NPCs, and everything else)
• Purple Sorcerer's MCC 0-level Party Generator (for my initial group of unskilled 0-level hunter/gatherers)
• a set of weird dice, paper, pens, etc.

And before I begin, here are the ground rules I set for myself:

• My randomly generated 0-level foursome will consist of a pure strain human, a mutant, a manimal, and a plantient, just so I have a good mix of genotypes and abilities to work with. 
• To keep things from becoming too random in this first outing (while I work out the process and gameplay), I shall be running the team through "Rivers of Iron", the 0-level funnel found in the newest core MCC rulebook. Yeah, I wrote it, so I'm familiar with the locations and scenes, which may appear like it gives me a woefully unfair advantage. But I plan to introduce randomly generated hazards, challenges, and foes throughout, replacing the preprogrammed elements with new ones. I may be aware of the map's layout and the Big Scenes, but Fate Itself will determine what lurks within the ruins of the ironworks!
• In the posts that follow, the game play, dialogue, and color description will be in italics like this.
• Conversely, the mechanics and behind-the-scenes decision-making will be in normal text like this.
  
• I'm sure there might be some other nuances and details that will surface during play, but we'll talk those out as they occur.

So join me in the days to come as I venture into Terra A.D. during this series that I've titled "Solo Crawl Classics!"

Monthly Mutant Mayhem Online: "Weed World" 2nd lvl; Oct. 30, 11a-3p EST

It's time again for Judge Sniderman's Monthly Mutant Mayhem! Each month I'll be running an online MCC game on Zoom for the first five sign-ups through the Goodman Games Road Crew Events scheduler! This month is "Weed World", a 2nd-level MCC adventure! (I originally wrote this for Mutant Future.) This game will be run October 30 from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST.

Within the last month, the growth of vegetation has accelerated, threatening to overrun your post-apocalyptic village — and Terra A.D. itself! Does the legend of ‘The Devil’s Greenhouse’ hold the key to humanity and mutant-kind’s survival?

Wicked Weaponry: Chain Whip

Weapon: Chain Whip

Damage: 1d6 (melee)

Range: up to 20'

Cost: 10 gp

Description: The chain whip is a long length of metal chain attached to a handle used as a weapon. Often used in martial arts, a chain whip can also be used as a standard melee weapon. It comes in many configurations; sometimes ending in a pointed dagger for additional slashing damage, or perhaps covered in blades, razors, and barbs.

Regardless of these adornments, the chain whip is treated as a hand-to-hand melee weapon, but it has a range of up to 20 feet, allowing a user to make a melee attack versus a ranged opponent. A chain whip does 1d6 damage to a target, which may be adjusted by the judge depending on any additional adornments added by the PC. However, due to the unwieldy nature of the chain whip, if a user misses their target, they must make a DC 7 Ref save or they will injure themselves instead. 

A chain whip can also be used to entangle a target instead of damaging them. The user must declare they are attempting to entangle their opponent prior to rolling. (Treat as an opposed grapple check using Agility modifiers.) If successful, the target is entangled (grappled) and cannot take any significant action until freed. 

Road Crew Game Day Sept. 24 - Final Playtest Of Mayhem On The Magtrain

This Saturday, Goodman Games is rewarding their hard-rolling judges by hosting the first-ever Road Crew Game Day! This free event is open for members of the Road Crew - those judges who have run a game (or games) for public consumption. So if you've run a game at a game store, convention, or other public venue and you're a member of the Road Crew, this day is for you!

Been too busy running games to play? Well then, several Goodman luminaries and writers will be hosting games just for you to play! I personally am looking forward to finally sitting at Brendan LaSalle's table and seeing what insanity he unleashes upon his players! (And if you have time to sit at my table, I'll be hosting one more MCC playtest session of Mayhem on the Magtrain before it's sent off to the printers.) See you this Saturday!

[Samson Sunday] Savage Menagerie: Mole Monster

Mole Monster: Init +3; Atk bite +4 melee (5d6); AC 14; HD 4d10; MV 40' burrowing; Act 1d20; SP searchlight eyes; SV Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +4; Crit M/d10.

Searchlight eyes: The mole monster's eyes emit a nigh-intensity beam of light that blinds its victims for 1d6 rounds unless they make a DC 12 Ref save to cover their eyes in time.  

Mole monsters are giant (20' long) subterranean burrowers descended from ancient digging mammals. The mole monster is a social beast, rarely found alone. If a seeker encounters one mole monster, it's safe to assume there is a nest of 2d6 within the area. Due to its size, a mole monster is a destructive creature as its tunneling will cause large sections aboveground to sink into the earth. Entire villages have been swallowed up as they vanished into the depths below the earth.

A mole monster's muzzle has several claw-like fangs that it uses for digging. However, tese dagger-like teeth can also be used to bite and rend a victim for 5d6 hp of damage. The mole monster has also developed a pair of eyes that illuminate the darkness, enabling it to see. However, this emitted light is so bright, it can overwhelm the eyesight of those who see it. Unless the target covers their eyes in time (DC 12 Ref save), they will be blinded for 1d6 rounds as their eyes readjust to the darkness.

NOTE: This creature was inspired by the tale from Issue 7 of "Mighty Samson." Stay tuned each week for Samson Sunday!

[Review] Twisted Genomes: Wasteland Mutations - 400+ New Mutations!

Many of the post-apocalyptic RPGs we love have it right there in the title: Mutant Crawl Classics, Mutant Future, Mutant: Year Zero, Mutant Chronicles, etc. We love our mutants and their mutations, but the scant tables and listings in these RPGs often don't allow for much variety (MCC has a little over 100 mutations in the core book - and a quarter of them are defects!) If you want to truly warp, twist, and mutate your games with a wide variety of new mutations, I suggest you check out Twisted Genomes: Wasteland Mutations by Dungeon Remixer.

Written by Derek Holland, who has produced a ton of content for post-apocalyptic games over the years, Twisted Genomes offers more than 400 new radioactivity-triggered, genome-twisting powers to bless (or curse) your Blasted Earth denizens with. The front of the book initially covers three different categories: physical, mental, and plant-based mutations. At the start of each chapter is a table that lists the mutations within and to allow the judge/player to randomly roll their mutations. And these are not your standard Mind Blast or Telekinesis abilities. For example, Fleshreader lets you read the thoughts of a being just by coming into contact with a piece of that being. Spider Palm lets you detach your hand and control it like a familiar. Body-warping abilities like Facial Shift and Flexible Skeleton are here, as well as truly bizarre powers like Barf Guts and Bubble Blower. Several of the mutations also have their own sub-tables allowing for even more variation.

Each mutation throughout the hefty tome (150+ pages) is nicely described with at least a full paragraph explaining how it is triggered and what its effect would be. A good amount of spot art throughout helps to illustrate several of the abilities. Rounding out the book are two appendixes. The first appendix contains alternate and expanded rules for several of the mutations, as well as advice on creating your own. And although Twisted Genomes was written for Gobinoid Games' Mutant Future, the second appendix contains conversion guidelines and notes on how to implement these new mutations in other RPGs, including -- yes -- Mutant Crawl Classics. 

I will likely get a lot of use out of Twisted Genomes, both as a resource for new PC/NPC mutations as well as for inspiration for some truly horrific mutant beasties in the future. ("The creature's spilled blood coagulates into small biting flies which begin to attack as well. Roll for new initiative.") This mutation resource book now has a place of honor next to my well-worn copy of The Metamorphica. Judge Sniderman says, "Check it out."

Country Meat-Grinder Classics 1 & 2 At DTRPG In Both PDF And Print

The newest offering for my "Country Meat-Grinder Classics" series is now available at Drive Through RPG in both PDF and print!

Country Meat-Grinder Classics is inspired by the grindhouse horror “hicksploitation” films of the 1970s and 1980s! With a few tweaks to genre details, these horrific backwoods adventures can be used in any number of ways in your own DCC RPG games: these townsfolk could easily be found nestled in DCC’s Shudder Mountains or possibly along one of the trails of Weird Frontiers. The denizens within wouldn’t even be out of place in the post-apocalyptic future of MCC’s Terra AD!

CMGC: The Hellson Horror

“In the past, the Hellsons were good charitable folk, feedin' the hungry and shelterin' the poor at their homestead. They say a witch done hexed 'em for it, and now nobody goes there anymores. They even say weird critters done been seen lurkin' in the woods near their farm. And now, folks're startin' to turn up missin'. It jest may be time to pay the Hellsons a visit..."

This is a 2nd-level adventure for 4-6 players and is $1.99 for PDF, $5.00 for print.

CMGC: "Wasted"

"Well, I swan...this season’s been a rough ‘un, what with alluva crops gone sour with that corn blight what’s been runnin’ wild through the county. But enough of our miseries! I cain’t wait to git to the Addersbrook fair and relax fer a spell! Get me some good eatin’ and listen to a tune or two. And if’n we’re lucky, maybe Junebug’ll be there with some of his pa’s hootch!"

This is a 1st-level adventure for 4-6 players and is $1.99 for PDF, $5.00 for print.

[MCC RPG] Savage Menagerie: Cranium Crab (AKA Deathcrab)

Cranium crab: Init +0; Atk claws +2 melee (1d6); AC 14; HD 1d8; MV 30'; Act 1d20; SP mutation check +3 death field generation, disintegration; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0; AL N; Crit M/d4. 

Cranium crabs are large hermit crabs who, due to their size, use empty human skulls as their shells. A cranium crab is a dull, speckled grey and tan in color, although the bleached white skulls they carry with them stand out in stark contrast. Cranium crabs are found near large bodies of fresh water, though they can also be located near rivers, lakes, and even ponds. Cranium crabs are also found in regions where many deaths have occurred, such as battlegrounds, graveyards, ruins of large cities, etc. The creatures have determined that, at such places, there is an ample supply of skulls with which to make their homes. In combat, cranium crabs attack with their claws for 1d6 hit points of damage.

If a cranium crab is in need of a new skull yet cannot locate one laying about, it will make one. A cranium crab will lie in wait for a humanoid to pass by. If it sees a victim with an appropriately sized head, the cranium crab will trigger its death field generation mutation. If the target falls, the cranium crab will wander over to inspect its prey. If the target is still living, the crab will attempt to hurriedly finish off its victim while they lie unconscious. Once assured the victim is dead, the cranium crab will then activate its disintegration ability, causing the victim's flesh to flake away and turn to dust, leaving behind the victim's skeleton. (The effect is much like a fazer pistol attack, pg. 172, MCC RPG rules; however, the crab will NOT use its disintegration ability offensively!) The cranium crab will then shed its old skull and move into the new one immediately.

If a band of mutants come across several headless skeletons with empty skulls laying nearby, it's a safe bet they've entered an area craniumcrabs are frequenting. They'd better hope none of the cranium crabs are in need of a new home and lurking nearby...

(The Cranium Crab originally appeared on this blog as a Mutant Future creature!) 

MCC Playtest Online: "Mayhem On The Magtrain" 2-lvl funnel; Aug. 28, 11a-3p EST

It's time again for Judge Sniderman's Monthly Mutant Mayhem Online! This month, I'll be running a playtest of an upcoming MCC adventure "Mayhem on the Magtrain"! This is a 2nd-level adventure and will be run online via Zoom August 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST. (Click here for info on signing up.)

It’s thrills on wheels as the Seekers find themselves trapped aboard a runaway train! The robotic conductor has lost contact with its engineer subroutine, so it falls upon the “stowaways” to stop their out-of-control journey. All that’s standing between them and victory is a train filled with hungry mutant worms, a railcar threatening to jump the tracks, and a sentient AI who refuses to be deactivated! Stow your luggage overhead and buckle up for a wild journey across Terra A.D.!

[Samson Sunday] Ancient Armory: Terra's Electroprod

 (Seriously, there is a LOT of good MCC stuff in Issue #6!)

Weapon: Electroprod
Tech Level: 3
Complexity Modifier: 3

Range: Melee

Damage: 2d8 plus stun (DC 18 Fort save or stunned for 1d8 rounds)

Power: C-Cell (20), F-Cell (40), Q-Cell (U) 

The electroprod used by Terra of Jerz is a device of her own creation. As a master technician with an abundance of Ancient tech at her disposal, Terra created her electroprod as a way to keep her minions under control without doing any serious harm to them.

The electroprod has the same effect as a force baton, in that it has an end result of stunning the target. However, the electroprod does this by first delivering a wicked electrical shock that does 2d8 hit point of damage, which also overloads the target's neural system. The target must then make a DC 18 Fort save or they will be stunned for 1d8 rounds.

Terra was unable to miniaturize the power source enough to fit into the electroprod itself, so she wears a power pack on her belt with wires leading to the electroprod. If these wires are ever broken or severed, the electroprod will be powerless until she has time to repair the device.

NOTE: This weapon was inspired by the tale from Issue 6 of "Mighty Samson." Stay tuned each week for Samson Sunday!

Wicked Weaponry: Mambele

Weapon: Mambele

Damage: 1d6 (melee) or 1d4 (ranged)

Range: 20'/40'/80' (Strength modifier applies to damage at close range only) 

Cost: 10 gp

Description: The mambele is a combination handaxe/thrown weapon that consists of a handle attached to a curved blade about 18' to 22' in length. The blade, however, typically has four separate cutting points - three on the leading edge, and one on the backside - so that the weapon makes contact with a pointed blade regardless of how it strikes. The first blade (toward the top) is usually curved or "hooked", allowing the user to pull a target closer during melee. And, due to the multiple edges, it will likely successfully injure a target if thrown. The mambele is known by several different names (kpinga, hunga munga, goleyo) and varies in design and blade number, size, and length.

[Samson Sunday] Savage Menagerie: Vacuum Leviathan

(I'm playing a bit of catch-up with Samson Sunday entries! Fortunately, Issue 6 has a bunch of bizarre creatures for MCC RPG.)

Vacuum Leviathan: Init +5/+7/+9; Atk suction maw +5/+7/+9 melee (swallow whole); AC 15/17/20; HD 8d20/13d20/18d20; MV 80'/90'/100'; Act 1d20; SP swallow whole, bigger and bigger; SV Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +10; Crit M/d20.

Swallow whole: The Vacuum Leviathan doesn't chew or bite a victim; rather a target who is successfully hit is "swallow whole" as they are caught in the powerful suction of its gaping maw. Once swallowed, the victim is lost forever. The judge should allow a player to perform one last-minute action to save themselves on a DC 20 (a Strength check to hang onto something; a Reflex save to leap to safety before being pulled in, etc.)

Bigger and bigger: Any material the Vacuum Leviathan takes in is absorbed and added to its bulk. For every 24 hours it lives, it increases in size, moving up one step in initiative, melee bonus, AC, HD, and movement rate. (Refer to the creature's stat box above.) Once it reaches its maximum size, it will remain there until defeated.

The Vacuum Leviathan is a creature from space that crashed to Earth on a fallen satellite as a collection of microscopic molecules. Once it reassembled, it began its destructive cycle by "vacuuming" and consuming everything in its path. (Just read the comic and it'll make a bit more sense.) A Vacuum Leviathan looks like a bizarre combination of snail and centipede with a monstrous "bag" making up the bulk of its body. It has a pair of antenna that it uses as sensory organs, and a wide gaping mouth that it uses to take in sustenance. It does this through a powerful vacuum effect that draws anything and everything into its mouth where it is instantly consumed. It is thought that perhaps a microscopic black hole is within the Vacuum Leviathan's "body", which would explain the monstrous forces of pull the creature is capable of.

The Vacuum Leviathan starts off life about the size of a large house, approximately 30' high and 200' long. As it takes in raw materials, this mysterious space creature breaks down the molecules and adds it to its own bulk, exponentially increasing in size during the process. After 24 hours, the Vacuum Leviathan will have more than doubled in size, and 24 hours after that, the creature will have grown to the size of the tallest Ancient skyscrapers. (The judge should use the first figures in the stat box above, then move up another level as the Vacuum Leviathan grows, and ending with the highest-most stats once it reaches its maximum size.)

The Vacuum Leviathan should not be tossed into an MCC campaign as a random wandering monster. Instead this titanic beast should be a campaign all its own. The players may be able to defeat the creature at its smallest stage through sheer brute force, but once its reaches its biggest size, mere melee and missile fire combat will do little to stop it. The judge should reward clever players who come up with a plan to defeat this giant monster with a reasonable chance of success. In the comic issue, Samson attempted to drop a bomb within the Vacuum Leviathan's mouth, only to have it go off without effect. Only by clogging the Vacuum Leviathan's mouth with a giant Colloso-whale, causing it to suffocate, was Samson able to stop this beast. Once defeated, the Vacuum Leviathan will disintegrate back into its dusty molecular structure where it will float back into space from whence it came...

NOTE: This creature was inspired by the tale from Issue 6 of "Mighty Samson." Stay tuned each week for Samson Sunday!

[Samson Sunday] Savage Menagerie: Jet-bird

(I'm playing a bit of catch-up with Samson Sunday entries! Fortunately, Issue 6 has a bunch of bizarre creatures for MCC RPG.)

Jet-bird: Init +9; Atk bite +7 melee (2d12); AC 16; HD 5d12; MV 30', fly 200'; Act 1d20; SP hasty retreat; SV Fort +5, Ref +10, Will +4; Crit M/d10.

Hasty retreat: Opponents engaged with the jet-bird in melee combat do not gain a free attack when it retreats by flying out of the enemy’s reach.  

The Jet-bird is one of the fastest predators found in the world of Mighty Samson. This large pterodactyl-like bird is built for speed, having a long, slender, featherless body. Its wings and fins are shaped much like the jet aircraft of the Ancient days, although no one knows if it evolved these features or if the bird is some type of lab-bred mutant. Rather than flapping its wings for flight, the Jet-bird generates and releases powerful twin streams of  flaming gas that propels it through the air. A Jet-bird can fly for up to 1 hour in this manner before it must land to regenerate this gas, a process that can take several hours. The Jet-bird's top speed can reach upwards of 300 MPH and it can climb to a height of 10 miles up.

The Jet-bird bites for its primary attack for 2d12 hp of damage. (Its claws are vestigial at best and are useless for melee combat.) A Jet-bird makes its home in the highest of ruined Ancient skyscrapers, where a nest can be found with 1d3 eggs and/or Jet-bird chicks within. If a Jet-bird is found and domesticated by a clever seeker, they may find themselves with a jet-fast mount as the Jet-bird ages.

NOTE: This creature was inspired by the tale from Issue 6 of "Mighty Samson." Stay tuned each week for Samson Sunday!

DCC Day 2022 Self-Indulgent Photo Montage

Well, DCC Day 2022 has come and gone. Hope everyone had a chance to toss some dice and/or TPK some 0-levels. I had a bunch of personal stuff that occupied most of my day, so my in-person, at-store event ended up being a quick visit to The Soldiery to pick up the goods and say "hey" to a table of DCC players who were about to have an "An Incident at Toad Fork."

But my day wasn't totally non-DCC-related, as I found time throughout the day to work on other DCC- and RPG-related projects. I'll thought I'd drop this photo montage of hints and teases...

Wore my DCC Day t-shirt, which (I think) was only available during the first event. And I only wear it on DCC Days. So after washing, back into the closet it goes for 365 days.

Grabbed this year's offerings (but missed out on the dice).

Check out the editor's credits for the Adventure Pack! You may be seeing my name a lot in the coming months...

It's not DCC-related, but I'm a sucker for the Tiny Epic games. Picked up TE Dungeons and Stories while I was out.

I really wanted the free DCC Day sticker Goodman Games was giving away with any order, so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the MCC RPG nightlight they had in stock.

Spent a bit of time writing up some notes for a future MCC project of mine. It's been jokingly referred to it as "MCC: 1889", but the concept is "What if the Martian invasion of 1890 as documented in War of the Worlds was the Great Disaster of Terra A.D.?" Still a ways off though...

Now that in-person gaming and conventions are returning, I spent a few minutes sewing a new OSR patch onto my Bag of Holding. 

Like I said, you'll be seeing my name a lot in the coming months. This was just put to bed, in fact.

And for those of you who indulged me and read this to the end, here's a teaser cover for next month's CMGC release, "Wasted". Meet The Doombrewer and "Junebug".