Doomlands And Wasteland:1989 -- Gonzo Post-apoc Inspiration

Not only do I enjoy gaming in the post-apocalyptic vein, I enjoy similar entertainment. However, many post-apocalyptic movies and books are very, very dark and depressing. Give me a fun apocalypse! One that's unabashedly gonzo with mutants and fast cars and radioactive fallout and random mayhem and just a soupcon of humor! Presented here are two recent offerings of the gonzo post-apocalyptic genre I think may inspire you at the gaming table:

The Roku streaming device has their own channel, and they've recently been offering original programming. One of their new shows is "Doomlands", an animated show that can be best described as "Cheers in the Wastelands." Danny Doom and his crew drive their mobile bar "The Oasis" across a post-apocalyptic landscape trying to make a living while fighting off raiders, marauders, and mutants. You can watch it either on The Roku Channel on your streaming device or free in your web browser.

As we move from cartoons to comic books, I present to you "Wasteland:1989", one of my new favorites from the folks at Eibon Press. Eibon's usual offerings are gore-splattered comics based on cult horror and sci-fi films. One of their original titles from their "VHS Comics" line is Wasteland:1989", a tribute to the post-nuke wasteland movies of the 1980s. In the nightmare ruins of a future America, Janet of the Apocalypse is out there fighting for survival against the worst the radioactive world has to offer. But is it a dream...or is it real? There have been three nitro-fueled, blood-drenched issues thus far, and I HIGHLY recommend each one of them!

Want To Read Some Unproduced "Night Stalker" Scripts?

As I mentioned in foreword to Cryptworld, Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak was a huge inspiration for me growing up. I loved “The Night Stalker” and “The Night Strangler” movies and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” regular TV series, and I still bring out the DVDs and watch them on occasion. While doing some research this morning, I was amazed to find out there was a THIRD Carl Kolchak TV movie scripted out that was titled “The Night Killers”! Here is what Wiki says about this movie:

Entitled "The Night Killers" and set in Hawaii, the script had Tony Vincenzo hiring Kolchak to work for him. Once again Kolchak discovers a cover up—this time involving a mysterious UFO, a nuclear power plant and important people being murdered and replaced by androids. Kolchak ties all of this together believing that the aliens on the UFO landed on Earth intending to set up a colony and replacing key government figures with these androids to assist them in their secret colony.

Excited by the discovery, I went online and found the script for this unproduced movie at www.darrenmcgavin.net! So I wanted to share this with other Kolchak fans out there. Click on Carl below to be taken to the Unproduced Night Stalker Scripts page:

On this same page are the plot synopsis and rough scripts for the three unproduced episodes for Kolchak: The Night Stalker TV series too! Read further down the page for the manuscripts for the lost episodes “Eve of Terror”, “The Get of Belial”, and “The Executioners”!

D&D Meets Reality TV: "The Quest" Premieres July 31

I'll admit, I'm a sucker for themed reality game shows. I loved The Mole (conspiracy/espionage), Murder in Small Town X (police procedural), and Pirate Master (errr...pirates). (And, although not a "game show," The Colony's post-apocalyptic angle fascinated me.) With the proliferation of reality shows nowadays, I had wondered why no one had yet tapped into the "fantasy world" genre. Well, looks like that's exactly what's coming to U.S. television in a few short weeks. The Quest will premiere July 31 on ABC. Here's the description of the show:

Announcing "The Quest," a reality show that literally takes contestants and audiences to an amazing, imaginative realm, where the ogres are advancing in the woods, the dragons are stirring, agents of a dark lord are infiltrating the keep, and the only thing that stands between peace and chaos are 12 very unlikely heroes. From the producers of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, paired with the producers of "The Amazing Race," "The Quest" is a fully immersive experience. In and around this castle, our fantasy realm comes to life with state-of-the art projections, animatronics, prosthetics, real-time motion capture and art direction. The narrative and mythology of "The Quest" is deep and fully imagined, and it was designed to incorporate seamlessly with the unexpected actions and decisions of our contestants – fantasy comes alive as it never has before in this genre-bending series. 

Gotta admit I'm intrigued enough to tune in for the first episode. Here's the trailer for the show:

Compete To Be "Last Family On Earth"

Just got a press release about a new reality competition show where families compete to be the last ones in an end-of-the-world-proof bunker on December 21, 2012 (if you subscribe to the whole Mayan calendar thing). From the release:

Viewers will help decide which families will die — and which one lucky family will survive the end of the world — in a new Spike TV reality competition series called “Last Family on Earth.”

Over six episodes, families subscribing to the notion that the end of civilization is set for Dec. 21 (as perhaps dictated by the Mayan calendar) will compete for a spot in an underground bunker that the network says has been built to withstand nearly any end-of-days disaster. A panel of three survivalist-expert judges will help determine which family is given the bad news that it’s going to be left out to “die” each week by being left outside the bunker.

The competition will showcase survival techniques and provide key information that like-minded viewers may also use in preparation for doomsday. In addition to endurance and physical skills, challenges will test the contestants’ leadership abilities, integrity and character, the network added.

“Last Family on Earth” not only will focus on a Mayan interpretation of the apocalypse, but the show also promises to help prime contestants for a variety of annihilation scenarios, including a pandemic, global government or economic collapse, nuclear war, reactor meltdown, solar flares, massive asteroids, lethal climate change, a pole shift, calamitous earthquakes — even widespread anarchy.

Oh, and if you'd like to compete on the show, visit www.pilgrimstudios.com/casting/LastFamilyOnEarth for more information. Deadline for entry is June 20, 2012.

Thundarr... Korgoth... Now, GUNDARR!

In the beginning, there was Thundarr the Barbarian...

Then we met Korgoth of Barbaria...

Now, from the folks who brought us Happy Tree Friends:

Stupid, violent, gun-toting, testosterone-fueled barbarian versus "Todd The Evil Wizard" in a fantasy setting gone horribly wrong. I admit, I laughed out loud several times.. Had to share...

(And the Christmas episode is pretty funny too.)

Doomsday Preppers Premieres February 7

The newest in a recent line of apocalyptic reality shows (Apocalypse Man and The Colony), National Geographic channel brings us Doomsday Preppers, premiering February 7.

From the website:

Doomsday Preppers explores the lives of otherwise ordinary Americans who are preparing for the end of the world as we know it. Unique in their beliefs, motivations, and strategies, preppers will go to whatever lengths they can to make sure they are prepared for any of life’s uncertainties. And with our expert’s assessment, they will find out their chances of survival if their worst fears become a reality.

I'll be tuning in, hoping for inspiration for future Mutant Future games...

Soundtrack For "The Colony" Available At Amazon

I always like to have some kind of ambient music playing in the background when I'm running a game. I feel it helps put the players into the right state of mind as well as giving the game a more cinematic feel. And if I can match up the music with what's happening on the table, more's the better.

One problem I've always run into though: the post-apocalyptic genre is the hardest to musically set up. There are a buhmillion, kajillion "high fantasy" soundtracks out there. Sci-fi and space opera games have a ton of musical resources. Even the superhero milieu is fairly simple to score. But try to find any "post-apocalyptic" music, and you're limited to either thrash metal groups, 1950s jazz pieces, or odd discordant electronica.

It's no secret I'm a fan of "The Colony" - Discovery Channel's post-apocalyptic reality "experiment" now in its second season. What I didn't know was that the original score music to Season One was released as a set of MP3s, downloadable at Amazon. There are 30 pieces of set music, each running about 2 minutes, giving you about a hour's worth of music.

The music is nicely evocative of the show and its environment. And because the music was scored to accompany certain scenes and events, there are a host of different "stings" you can use depending on situations such as combat, exploration, construction, etc. The song titles give you an indication of the scenarios they represent: Market Raid, Marauders, Junk and Scraps, Someone is Watching, Unwelcome. At only $8.99 for all 30, it's a good deal for the perfect soundtrack for your Mutant Future campaigns. Listen to the samples at Amazon and let me know what you think.

The Colony Season 2 Premieres July 27

"If society fell apart, would you?"

Looks like this season of The Colony will focus more on the "how" of society's collapse, which is "biological outbreak." Not only will the "survivors" need to survive and rebuild a community without electricity, running water, government or outside communication, they will also need to keep themselves safe from the ravages of the viral contaminant that devastated humanity as roving bands of human carriers pose a constant threat. Looking forward to any post-apocalyptic "social experiment" that has the following as one of their press photos for the new season:

Simulated decomposing pandemic victims

The Colony Season 2 premieres July 27 at 10 p.m. on Discovery Channel.

Return To The Colony August 2010

Discovery Channel's groundbreaking post-apocalyptic reality show The Colony returns for Season 2 in August 2010. Ten new episodes of the show have been ordered.

For those who missed Season 1 last year, The Colony is a controlled experiment to see if 10 volunteers can survive inside a simulated post-apocalyptic environment for two months. A gritty, urban warehouse in downtown Los Angeles served as the setting for Season 1. In Season 2, we've been told that the series goes to the next level of disaster reality, on location in the South. (Rumor has it that Season 2 is being filmed in a devastated post-Katrina area of Louisiana.)

Here's a link to The Colony's Discovery Channel page. No info on Season 2 has been posted yet, but here's a link to the press release closing out the casting call for Season 2 as well as some basic info on the new season.

"Apocalypse Man" Airs This Week On The History Channel

This week is Armageddon Week on The History Channel, so there will be lots of Mutant Future food-for thought for viewers. Other than the Nostradamus and Year 2012 "the-end-of-the-world-is-nigh" specials, there will be some interesting post-apocalyptic shows as well, such as the always-interesting Life After People. (The scenes of the crumbling cities and infrastructures always give me ideas for settings.)

The one show that has my interest peaked, however, is Apocalypse Man. The show's host, Rudy Reyes, journeys through a post-apocalyptic world and shows the audience survival techniques in an urban environment. Could be interesting fodder for future games. Airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. with repeats throughout the week.

Enter The Colony on July 21

This post is less about RPGing and more about inspiration for your post-apocalyptic game. Just saw an interesting promo for a show about to air on The Discovery Channel. Take the reality TV show "Survivor," but have it take place in the ruins of a destroyed earth. You'd have The Colony.
Here's the show's description from the website:

What would you do in the wake of a global catastrophe? How would you find food? Water? Shelter? The Colony is a controlled experiment to see exactly what it would take to survive and rebuild under these circumstances.

For 10 weeks, a group of 10 volunteers, whose backgrounds and expertise represent a cross-section of modern society, are isolated in an urban environment outside Los Angeles and tasked with creating a livable society. With no electricity from the grid, no running water, and no communication with the outside world, all the volunteers have to work with are their skills and whatever tools and supplies they can scavenge from their surroundings.

Experts from the fields of homeland security, engineering and psychology have helped design the world of The Colony to reflect elements from both real-life disasters and models of what the future could look like after a global viral outbreak. Over the course of the 10-week experiment, the Colonists must work together to build the necessities of survival, such as a water-filtration system, a battery bank that powered their electricity, a solar cooker, a shower system and a greenhouse – and even some niceties.

I read a bit about upcoming episodes and some of the challenges include defending The Colony from attacks by marauders; leaving the safety of The Colony to explore the ruins outside; making contact with other Colonies; and finding which of them is a spy for another group of Colonists. Very interesting premise. Throw in some spidergoats and you have Mutant Future: The Reality Show. The Colony premieres July 21 on Discovery Channel.