This shit is free because it uses words

and concepts lifted directly from Fallout

games along with unlicensed art from sci-
ence fiction comics. I hope you didn’t
pay for it!

This work is based on Down We Go (down-

wego.games) and licensed foruse under CC
BY 4.0 International. This product is not
associated with Plus One Exp or Apes of
Wrath.
After the Bomb is a post-post-apocalyptic RPG using the
Together We Go system. It’s not a game about survival
(although that may play a part); it’s a game about making
choices in the emerging societies of a wasted land.

In After the Bomb, one person is the referee. They describe

the world and dictate the actions of the people of that
world. The other people are players, and they play single
characters over which they have complete control.

ROLLING
The referee never rolls during a session. The other players
will be rolling a d20 when attacking, resisting negative
effects, and encountering the remains of society buried in
the wasteland.

Players will roll a d20 and add their score in one of the
appropriate attributes: Scrape, Scurry, Scavenge, Speak, or
Science. They need to roll at or over a number based on the
difficulty and danger of an enemy or area.

• You might roll Scrape to attack.

• You might roll Scurry to dodge an attack or run through
a dangerous area.
• You might roll Scavenge to convert broken things into
usable junk.
• You might roll Speak to turn enemies neutral or recruit
an ally.
• You might roll Science to use drugs or computers or to
interface with robots.

Some rolls will be modified by player abilities called Ad-

vances. Advances stack freely with the following exception:
only one Equipment Advance can contribute to each roll.
 OTHER PLAY PROCESSES
The referee, with the help of the other players, will
populate a map with dangerous creatures, deadly land-
scapes, conflicted factions, and the occasional scrap of
hope. The tools to do so come later in this book.

This process should not be work for the referee. Other

players should offer useful, gameable suggestions for
factions and landscape based on their own knowledge of
the area they’ll be playing in. Suggestions should be:
• flexible
• dangerous
• interactive
Look at the factions and encounters detailed in this book
for ideas on where to start.

(Similarly, all players should feel free to share other

workloads, such as scheduling, looking up rules, and mak-
ing the game fun for everyone.)
 CHARACTER CREATION
Distribute two points among the following five five attri-
butes. (These will further increase as you play.)

Scrape: _______________ Speak: ________________

Scurry: _______________ Science: ______________
Scavenge: _____________

Health: o o o o o
Survival: o o o o o

Your Health and Survival start empty and fill as you are
hurt, irradiated, and worn down by the wasteland and its
inhabitants. Damage fills it left to right; radiation fills
it right to left. When your Health meter fills, you are
dead.

When your Survival meter fills, an Advance or Consumable

chosen by the referee breaks. When this happens, clear your
Survival meter. More information is provided on the next
page under Breakage.

When you rest in a settlement, erase all non-radiation dam-

age to your Health and erase all damage to your Survival.

Junk is currency and goods. It’s an ab-

stract way of tracking the stuff you
Junk: carry that might be useful for barter,
repair, and bribing.

A note on weapons: Everyone is assumed to have a pistol,

knife, or other small weapon that deals 1 damage and can’t
break. More powerful weapons are available as Advances.

Leveling Up
After each session, you level up. Alternate between raising
one of your five attributes by 1 and taking an advance-
ment.
Advances
Choose two Advances. Advances are equipment, perks, feats,
and other things that widen your character’s options. You’ll
get more as you play. Some have prerequisites.

record your
Advances here

Consumables
Consumables are small, single-use items that you might
find, craft, or buy. You can carry up to three. Track them
here.

Breakage
When your Survival meter fills and the referee chooses what
it affects, there are three options.
• If it’s a consumable, it’s gone forever. Erase it from
your sheet.
• If it’s an Advance with the Equipment tag, you can’t use
it until you rest in a settlement or until you spend
Junk to repair it. When you spend Junk to repair an item,
roll +Junk spent against difficulty 11. You must spend
at least one Junk.
• If it’s any other Advance, it can’t be used until you
rest in a settlement.
 ADVANCES
RIFLE LASER GUN
Equipment Equipment
When your hit roll is a 19 or Prerequisite: Science 1
20, deal one extra damage. You can roll Science instead
of Scrape to attack. When you
SNIPER RIFLE hit, your target takes one
Equipment damage the following round
Prerequisite: Rifle, Scrape 2 unless they use their round
When your hit roll is an 18 to douse the laser-induced
or 19, deal one extra dam- fire.
age. If it’s a 20, deal two
extra damage. POWER FIST
Equipment
SHOTGUN Prerequisite: Scrape 1
Equipment When you hit an enemy, you
When your hit roll is 19 or can choose to knock them
20, deal one damage to a dif- back.
ferent enemy closest to your
target. SUPERSLEDGE
Equipment
Prerequisite: Scrape 3
COMBAT SHOTGUN When you hit an enemy, choose
Equipment
Prerequisite: Shotgun, Scrape 2 1 of the following. If you
When your hit roll is 19 or roll a 19 or 20, choose 2.
20, your target is knocked Knock them down.
down, and you deal one damage Knock them back.
to a different enemy closest Disarm them.
to your target.
PROSPECTOR ARMOR
Equipment
MISSILE LAUNCHER
Equipment You can roll Scavenge for
Prerequisite: Scrape 2 your defense rolls. You can
When you hit an enemy, deal have this item become bro-
one damage to the four near- ken (as though your Survival
est beings as well. (This meter filled) to reduce an
may mean dealing damage to attack’s damage by 2.
allies or yourself.)
COMBAT ARMOR PIP BOY
Equipment Equipment
Prerequisite: Scrape 2 You can’t get lost. You can
Reroll a defense roll; you hear radio broadcasts.
can use this a number of
times per session equal to RAD RESISTANCE
your Scrape score. Reduce radiation damage by
1.
POWER ARMOR
Equipment LIFE GIVER o o o
Prerequisite: Scrape 3, Science 2
Add a bubble to your Health
OR membership in a secret faction
of power armor users meter. If you have radiation,
You can mark Survival in- this new bubble is inserted
stead of Health. Whenever to the left of the irradiated
your Survival meter fills, bubbles. This Advance can be
this is the first Advance to taken up to three times.
break.
WASTELAND SURVIVAL o o o
BLACKSMITH o o o Add a bubble to your Survival
You can combine equipment meter. This Advance can be
Advances into one. When you taken up to three times.
have time, a workspace, and
safety from danger, you can TOUGHNESS
spend 2 Junk, and you or an Reduce the damage from a
ally can combine two equip- single source by 1. You can
ment Advances so that their do this a number of times per
effects stack. session equal to your Scrape
(minimum 1).
This Advance can be taken
multiple times. For each SNEAK ATTACK
additional level, you can When you hit an enemy that’s
combine an additional ad- unaware of you, add 1 to the
vancement, and it costs an attack roll and deal extra
additional Junk. damage equal to your Scurry
(minimum 1).
LOCKPICK ANIMAL FRIEND
You can open locked doors Animals and mutated animals
and containers; you can do won’t attack you or your al-
this a number of times per lies unless attacked first.
session equal to your Scurry
(minimum 1). ANIMAL ENEMY
Deal double damage to ani-
HACKING mals and mutated animals.
Prerequisite: Science 1
You can open computer-locked JURY RIGGING
doors, shut down robots, and Prerequisite: Scavenge 1
activate pre-war machines; You can roll Scavenge to re-
you can do this a number of pair instead of Junk spent.
timers per session equal to You still must spend 1 Junk
your Science. to repair.

GHOULIFICATION GRIM REAPER’S SPRINT

Prerequisite: have 5 radiation
When you kill an enemy, you
damage can immediately make another
Heal all radiation damage. attack; you can do this a
You are immune to radiation. number of times per session
You can’t die of old age. equal to your Scrape (mini-
Your Speech is considered -1 mum 1).
when interacting with non-
ghoul strangers. LUCK o o o
Once per session, you can
PERCEPTION add 1 to one of your rolls.
You always win initiative. You can take this Advance
up to three times; each one
FORTUNE FINDER lets you add an additional
When you find loot, you can 1. These can all be applied
roll an extra die and choose to the same roll or to dif-
which result you want. ferent rolls.

CHEMIST
Stimpacks and Radaway you
administer heal 1 extra.
MAD BOMBER EXPLORER
Spend 1 Junk to add a grenade Add 1 to your travel rolls.
to one of your empty Consum- Once per session, you and
able slots. your allies can bypass an
environmental danger; tell
PACK RAT the referee how you do it.
You can carry up to 6 consum-
ables instead of up to 3.
CONSUMABLES
1. Stimpack: heal 1 Health (not radiation); cost 2 Junk
2. Radaway: heal 1 radiation; cost 3 Junk
3. Purified Water: heal 1 Survival; cost 2 Junk
4. Grenade: deal 1 damage without rolling; cost 3 Junk
5. Stealth Boy: become invisible until you attack, open
or close a door, do something loud, or do overland
travel; cost 5 Junk
6. Drug (roll on drug sub-table)

DRUGS
1. Med-X: mark 1 Survival and ignore the next source of
non-radiation damage
2. Jet: mark 1 Survival and make an extra attack the next
time you attack
3. Mentats: mark 1 Survival, and the next roll you make
can be with whatever stat you want
4. Psycho: mark 1 Survival, and the next time you deal
damage, deal 1 extra damage
5. Buffout: mark 1 Survival, and the next time you attack
is an automatic success
6. Booze: Your next roll is made at an additional +1, but
the one that follows is made at an additional -1.

LOOT
When you discover a pristine building, find a hidden
cache, or defeat a group of enemies, roll 1d6
1. 1 Junk, map knowledge
2. 1d6 Junk
3. roll once for a Consumable, rumor
4. roll twice for a Consumable
5. 1 Junk, and roll once for a Consumable
6. an important object (tell the referee what it is, and
they’ll tell you one or two people who need it), rumor
and map knowledge
 WORLDBUILDING
Players should work together to choose a city they want to
play in. This might be one they all currently live in or one
with a wide cultural impact. Nuclear destruction will have
ravaged the city enough that even players familiar with the
city in real life won’t quite know what to expect.

There are numerous ways to create and populate maps, and

referees should feel free to bring familiar tools to the
process. For those just starting out in the process, here
are some suggestions.
• Lay a hex grid (like the one included here) over a con-
temporary map of the city. This can be done using digi-
tal tools or by printing a hex grid and laying it over
a screen or paper map.
• Choose major landmarks that interest you. This can in-
clude rivers, highways, cultural sites (museums, parks),
notable skyline buildings, your own home, etc.
• Note places where information is stored: banks, librar-
ies, government offices.
• Note places where food, weapons, and other resources
might be left: grocery stores, armories, canning facto-
ries, police stations.

Once you’ve drawn a map, create a key for yourself. Then

consider ways that players might be alerted to the cool
stuff you’ve noted down. Does a river or road lead natu-
rally to a place? Does a notable building tower alone over
an otherwise blasted landscape? Since you’re interested in
these places, you should encourage the other players to
interact with them.

If this sounds overwhelming, feel free to use the map at the

end of this book. And feel free to alter it!
FACTIONS
The players aren’t the only movers and shakers in the world.
Powerful forces are acting on their own interests, and they
might serve as allies, enemies, or wild cards.

It’s recommended that you generate at least two of these

factions using the following process. Choose or roll for
one or two of the following bullet points. Roll on the ap-
propriate tables to fill in the blanks or fill them in as
you please.

• They pretend to be [table A] to confuse or intimidate

others. They live in a [table B].
• They worship a [table C] and feel driven to [table D]
by it. Their church is a [table B].
• They train with the [table E] from youth and use it to
protect their stores of [table F].
• They stumbled into an immaculate cache of [table F] in
an untouched [table B], where they set up a permanent
post.
• They’re descended from a group of [table G] who seek
to restore themselves to their ancestors’ position via
[table D].
TABLE A: Community Pretends TABLE D: Drives
to Be… 1. conversion to their cause
1. vampires 2. capture others
2. aliens 3. kill others
3. ghosts 4. bring peace to the land
4. from the future 5. stay high
5. scientists 6. provide for others
6. government remnants 7. turtle up
8. amass wealth
TABLE B: Buildings
1. church TABLE E: Weapons
2. gas station 1. club
3. apartment complex 2. sword
4. army supply depot 3. knife
5. department store 4. rifle
6. cabin complex 5. pistol
7. large ship 6. bomb
8. crashed plane 7. laser gun
9. train 8. whip
10. casino 9. staff
11. theme park 10. machine gun
12. museum
TABLE F: Caches
TABLE C: Objects of Worship 1. water
1. statue 2. food
2. bomb 3. ammunition
3. tank 4. historical data
4. text 5. scientific knowledge
5. painting 6. herd animals
6. plane 7. crops
7. corpse 8. electricity
8. computer
TABLE G: Ancient Descendants
1. army
2. scientists
3. politicians
4. aristocrats
5. couriers
6. salesmen
7. car lovers
8. sign builders
9. company owners
10. pulp readers

Once your factions are created, decide one thing each

faction NEEDS. Here are some possibilities.
1. water and/or food
2. power/energy
3. weapons
4. workers
5. believers/followers
6. something far out (lots of drugs, holy visitation, an
omen)

Then tie the factions together by answering the following

questions.
• How does the faction feel about another faction?
• What truths do they know about each other?
• What rumors do they believe about the other?
• How are the economically entangled?
• What secrets does each have from the other?

Lastly, give each faction a base (either of your own de-

vising or by rolling on the tables later in this book)
and, if they’re large, 1-6 satellite bases, areas of
influence, etc. Many factions will likely be drawn to the
places you noted in the previous step!
Not all factions need be created equally! While one or
two might loom large over a campaign, others might be
small, strange, weak, highly specialized, or otherwise
created to only have a little time in the spotlight be-
fore other concerns take over.

POPULATING THE MAP

With the map drawn and factions created, it’s time to
populate the map. Place groups of people (raiders, settle-
ments, etc) in defensible buildings and near resources.
Put animals and mutants in the wilderness and in caves.
Sometimes, give the mutants a building and put people in
a cave. There’s no perfect approach, and your decisions
will depend on whether you’re trying to build a dangerous
game relying on fighting and survival or a social game of
negotiation learning.

The tables that follow are meant to provide help. Some-

times they help by giving you a rolled result; other
times, they might spark an idea. If you roll on a table
and realize you were hoping for a result other than the
one you got, pick that result! The table still helped by
showing you what you really wanted.
Some hexes should be clear of danger. Instead, you can
use them as mental notes to give players details on the
environment. A clear road might provide knowledge of the
rocky badlands ahead. Hexes adjacent to a large settle-
ment will likely be safe, giving players a chance to
survey the settlement before entering it. Use this quiet
time to describe the landscape, the weather, the sounds,
and the colors of the place. Consider asking the players
questions, such as:
• The town ahead is built in a football stadium; how can
you tell they’re reusing materials and symbols of the
old game?
• The encroaching desert is unfit for human population;
what are some signs of failed attempts at habitation?
• The young forest is growing from what used to be a
park; how have the trees altered old park infrastruc-
ture, and how can you tell what animals are moving in?
 TABLES & STATISTICS
ENVIRONMENT
When populating your map or when players go off the map and
you need to generate something on the fly, you can roll 2d6
here. The listed difficulty is what a player needs to meet
or beat to bypass the place without danger. Add a relevant
stat to the roll depending on the player’s approach, the
environment in question, and established fiction.

If the roll is successful, the player gains some knowledge

of what’s there: dangers, inhabitants, and potential loot.
The group can then decide to engage with what’s there or
move on without harassment or danger.

If the roll fails, all player characters either take the

listed Damage and the referee describes how, OR they become
embroiled in an encounter or danger noted in the Special
column. This choice is usually left to the referee, and it
can be an important tool in creating a session’s pacing.

Note: The exception to everyone taking damage is Junk. Only

a single Junk must be paid if that result comes up. It’s up
to the players to decide who pays.
Environment Diff. Damage Encounter
2. crater 15 2 Radiationmutant
1 Radiation,50/50 dangerous
3. river 14
1 Survivalanimal or mutant
consider combin-
4. radiation
13 1 Radiation ing with another
spill
environment
5. cliffs/crags 11 1 Health dangerous animal
6. light less dangerous
11 1 Survival
wilderness animal
50/50 people or
7. road 10 1 Survival less dangerous
animal
animal (50/50
8. flat ground 11 1 Survival dangerous or
less)
9. roadside pickpocket or
10 1 Junk
market false accusation
10. collapsed 50/50 people or
13 1 Health
bridge dangerous animal
environmental
11. infrastruc-
danger (electric-
ture (substation, 1 Health, 1
13 ity, irradiated
water processing, Radiation
water), 50/50
etc)
people or mutant
12. lone 1 Survival, 50/50 people or
13
building 1 Junk robot
DANGEROUS ANIMALS
When players encounter a mutated animal, roll 2d6. If you
need to, replace the animals below with those native to the
region the players are in. They come in groups of 1d6.

Animal Diff. Damage Health Special

2. mutant bear 15 3 4 bear hug
3. giant wasp 13 2 3 flight, poison
4. giant
12 1 2 squirt blood
mosquito
5. jackalope 11 1 1 lure other animal
6. mole rat 11 1 1 burrow
7. wolf 12 1 1 alert with bark
8. mutant gecko 13 1 2 poison
9. giant
14 2 4 poison
scorpion
10. mutant hawk 13 1 2 flight
11. mutant
14 2 2 never surprised
cougar
12. giant
16 3 5 grab, drown
alligator

LESS DANGEROUS ANIMALS

Assume all of these animals have a Difficulty of 10, a
Damage of 1, and a Health of 1. They come in groups of
1d6+1.
1. brahmin
2. dog
3. deer
4. rat
5. giant roach
6. bighorner
MUTANTS
Mutants show up in groups of 1d3.

Mutant Diff. Damage Health Special

variable (see
2. cryptid 15 2 5
below)
3. deathclaw 15 3 4 knockdown
sonic blast,
4. lakelurk 12 1 3
aquatic
5. mirelurk 12 2 2 aquatic
6. feral ghoul 10 1 1
7. glowing ghoul 12 2 2 radiation
levitation,
8. floater 12 2 3
explosion
9. centaur 13 2 4 spit acid
10. super mutant 14 2 4 knockdown
7. mutant throw (rocks,
15 3 5
behemoth junk, characters)
12. glob colony 14 3 4 mental blast

CRYPTIDS
Mighty strange how these mutations keep echoing old tales
of monsters. Is it chance? Science? The power of stories?
If the place your game is set has cryptids, you should
probably put them in the game. Where do they hide? What
signs do they leave? What stories do people tell about
them?
Possible traits:
1. camouflage
2. flight
3. aquatic
4. grab
5. leap
6. guy in a suit
ROBOTS
Robot Diff. Damage Health Special
2. assaultron 15 4 2 stealth field
3. sentry bot 15 3 4 explosive rounds
4. Mr. Gutsy 14 2 3 variable arsenal
5. securitron 13 2 2 fast
6. protectron 12 1 2
7. eyebot 11 1 1 flight
8. turret 11 2 1 hackable
9. junkbot 12 2 2 explodes on death
10. Mr. Handy 13 2 2 collateral damage
7. robodog 14 3 2 knockdown
human brain
12. robobrain 14 2 4
begging for peace

PEOPLE
People can be encountered alone, in groups, or in whole
settlements. The numbers given below are for random encoun-
ters, but the referee should feel free to change them based
on access to weapons, armor, training, and so on.

Map knowledge is a special trait that NPCs can grant play-

ers. When the players travel through a hex they have map
knowledge of, they automatically succeed on their roll to
pass through. Knowledge can be given freely if the referee
so desires, but it often requires a roll against the per-
son’s difficulty to persuade them or a bribe of Junk equal
to their difficulty minus 10. Alternately, defeating the
person in combat might mean a map or note is found on their
body granting that map knowledge.
Person Diff. Damage Health Special
2. super map knowledge (FEV
14 2 4
mutant site)
map knowledge
3. ghoul 13 2 2
(pre-war site)
fanaticism, map
4. cultist 13 1 1 knowledge (holy
site)
pickpocket, raider
5. con artist 13 1 1
tricks (see below)
6. helpless 10 1 1 please help
7. raider 13 2 2
map knowledge (far
8. traveler 11 1 1
away)
9. trader 12 2 1 barter
10. faction
14 2 2 contact base
member
map knowledge
11. prospector 12 1 1
(nearby stash)
possible idiot,
12. vault
13 2 1 map knowledge
dweller
(vault location
RAIDER TRICKS
Some tricks might be activated when the raiders learn of
the players’ presence. Others might activate when they’re
losing a fight. Some might require a defense roll from play-
ers, while others might activate on a failed player roll.
1. release an element the raiders prepared for (gas,
fire, water, monster)
2. robot tamers (access to turrets and other robots)
3. traps (they fit the site, such as pitching machines
in a department store; each turn, a player chosen by
the referee must dodge an attack based on the environ-
ment’s difficulty)
4. represent as something else (helpless, cultist, vault
dweller; lead into trap)
5. gauntlet (not exposed to typical attacks at first; en-
vironment must be defeated)
6. invite to join (must go defeat rival gang first)
 SETTLEMENTS
The wasteland isn’t just a place of danger and death.
Groups of people carve out ways of life that are at least
semi-sustainable. These settlements can provide players a
place to rest and provide referees a source for rumors and
exposition.

Place settlements in the secure or interesting locations

you added to your map. Four is a good starting number, with
one in each habitable quadrant of the map. Traders, messen-
gers, and wanderers travel between them, which might inform
the encounters your players have.

If players are out in the wastes and seem indecisive, it’s

a good time to give them a signal toward a nearby settle-
ment. Smoke from cooking fires, circling birds keeping an
eye out for food, or echoing sounds of building or singing
can all lure players toward a settlement.

Some traits to consider for a settlement include how it’s

governed, what it produces, what it lacks, and its current
status quo. Create them on your own or use the tables be-
low.

GOVERNMENT
1. anarchy: the settlement governs itself without elected
officials, using consensus-driven meetings to make hard
decisions
2. elected officials: the settlement chooses a person or
people (sheriff, council, mayor) to make decisions when
immediate decisions are required
3. oligarchy: a small group of people has complete control
over the settlement, perhaps because they control access
to a resource
4. theocracy: a religious or cultish group controls the
settlement, perhaps organizing them toward an predicted
event
5. militia: the settlement organizes itself around its
ability to fight, either to protect itself or to take
more resources
6. remnant: based on a pre-war organization, such as a cor-
poration, civic committee, arts organization, etc

RESOURCES & LACKS

1. water
2. food
3. defense
4. historical data
5. scientific knowledge
6. power

Current Status Quo

1. under attack: perhaps literally at the moment the play-
ers arrive or generally by an enemy
2. hiding a secret: they sacrifice people, there’s a dif-
ferent resource or government they pretend to be, they
know the location of something they’ve sworn not to
tell
3. at peace: no lacks, only resources
4. struggling: no resources, only lacks

Services
Most settlements will have at least one of these.
1. doctor: can pay 2 Junk to heal 1 Health or Radiation
2. trader: can pay 2 Junk to roll on the Consumables ta-
ble
3. beds: can pay 2 Junk to stay the night
4. bar: can pay 1 Junk for map knowledge or other rumors;
can pay 1 Junk to heal 1 Survival
Settlement Building
Some campaign structures and some players will focus on
staying in, protecting, and building up a single settle-
ment. To increase focus on this settlement, players can pay
Junk for special Settlement Advances, and the referee can
create events and troubles centering around that settle-
ment.

Players and referee work together to create the characters

who live and work in the settlement. They might be people
the players have met in the wastes already, or they might
be hired or coerced to settle there to provide a specific
purpose.

While settlements can provide a safe place for players to

rest and plan, they will also be targeted by others in the
wasteland. The referee should keep in mind, though, that
having to constantly defend a settlement probably isn’t
that fun. Let players occasionally have some peace of mind
so that they can enjoy the fruits of their settlement
building and explore the wider wastes.
Settlement Advances
Each advance costs 20 Junk.

Bunker
Provides protection for settlers from radstorms.

Scavenger
When the players start a session in the settlement or re-
turn after a long and dangerous trip away, one of them can
roll on the Loot table.

Builder
When the players start a session in the settlement or re-
turn after a long and dangerous trip away, one of them can
roll on the Consumables table.

Doctor
Players can pay 2 Junk to heal 1 Health or Radiation.

Trader
Players can pay 2 Junk to roll on the Consumables table.

Shelter
Players heal 1 Health every 24 hours spent in the settle-
ment.

Bar
Players can pay 1 Junk for a rumor or can pay 1 Junk to heal
1 Survival.

Gun Placements
Assist in repelling attacks. If the referee rolls “raid” or
“kidnapping” on the Settlement Events table, the players
can use the Gun Placements to nullify the attack. However,
the guns require 1d6 Junk to repair afterward.
Settlement Events
Radstorm
Clouds and fog full of irradiated particles blow through.
Everyone in the settlement takes 1 Radiation, and a random
Settlement Advancement suffers damage that costs 1 Junk to
repair before it can be used again.

Raid
Mutants, raiders, or a rival settlement attack. If the
players are there, they can fight the raiders. If not, ev-
eryone in the Settlement takes 1 Health of damage, and all
Settlement Advancements suffer damage that costs 1 Junk
each to repair before it can be used again.

Kidnapping
A random settler is taken. The players and settlers know
where. The players can pay a ransom of 5 Junk or try to
rescue the NPC.

Refugee Arrival
Someone new comes to the settlement, perhaps to stay. Play-
ers and referee work together to describe the refugee. If
the settlement shelters the refugee, players can choose
what the refugee gives them:
• map knowledge (the refugee might stay or leave)
• their next Settlement Advancement only costs 10 Junk
(the refugee stays)
• a Consumable (the refugee might stay or leave)

Lack
Something breaks down or runs out, putting the settlement
in need of food, water, or power. A random Settlement Ad-
vancement can’t be used and Survival can’t be healed here
until this lack is addressed.
Discovery
Someone in the settlement discovers something new. Play-
ers and referee work together to describe what. It might
be map knowledge, a rumor, a Consumable, or an Equipment
Advance.
 RUNNING THE GAME
ARBITRATING ROLLS
When your NPCs act in combat and the players fail their de-
fense rolls, the consequences are often clear: deal damage.
However, trading numbers back and forth can be difficult to
describe in an engaging way. If a battle feels like it’s
slogging, consider doing the following on a failed defense
roll instead of damage:

• Use a special: Most NPCs have special traits listed.

These aren’t mechanically defined because they’re meant
to give the referee flexibility in their use. Someone
who is knocked down might have a penalty to their next
roll, or it might just hinder an escape attempt. Be flex-
ible but fair.

• Use a Consumable: Players aren’t the only ones that can

use stimpaks, grenades, and drugs.

• Escape: Sometimes it just makes sense for the NPCs to

run off. This is still a “win” for the players; make it
clear that the NPCs have left their loot, information,
and territory behind. This can be a great way to end a
combat without stakes.

• Raise the stakes: Maybe a raider recognizes a PC’s gear

or reputation enough to threaten their home. Maybe a car
starts on fire and will soon explode. Maybe it’s time to
use a raider trick.

• GAIN battlefield advantage: Maybe the NPCs lock them-

selves behind a door that they can still fire from, or
they push boulders down from a cliff, or they light the
ground on fire.
GETTING STARTED
Some referees have trouble kicking a game off—it can be
awkward to get people into character and to buy into the
game world. Here are a few starting options to consider.

• Vault Dwellers: The PCs emerge from a vault meant to

keep people safe from the apocalypse. They know nothing
about the wasteland, so the players and the characters
are in the same mindset. If you start this way, ask the
players what it was like growing up in a locked vault,
why it opened, and if they have any friends, acquain-
tances, or enemies left behind them.

• New to the Area: The PCs live in the wasteland, but

they’re not from around here. This means they’re gener-
ally aware of how to survive in the wastes and what the
state of the world is, but they don’t know anything about
this specific area. This can be useful if the players
are familiar with genre conventions but aren’t familiar
with the city you’re playing in. Ask the players where
their characters are from and why they left.

• Locals: The PCs live in the city you’ll be playing in.

This can be useful if the players are familiar with the
area in real life. Give each player the location of a
settlement or landmark along with some knowledge of
what’s there. Alternately, let them build a settlement
together and place it on the map.
When planning early sessions, don’t be afraid to start
with a simple fetch or travel quest: go to a place to find
a thing or talk to someone. The stakes can start low if
you need to teach rules and explain the world as the PCs
travel.

Use these travels and this first quest to slowly introduce

the factions. If the PCs make waves, a faction representa-
tive can approach them with a request or a way to prove
themselves. Use this as an excuse to have the PCs travel
more.

Introduce NPCs with problems caused (directly or indirect-

ly) by the factions. Make sure they have opinions on the
state of the world and the factions’ recent actions.

Most factions will not be singularly good or evil. They’ll

have reasons for what they do, and if those reasons hurt
others, the faction either believes the ends justify the
means or that those people do not matter in the long run.
How do they argue these points to the players?

Give players ways to side with opposing factions or, if

they dislike all the factions, ways to topple or suppress
them and pursue their own goals.

After the Bomb is best for shorter campaigns around 5-10

sessions. Give the players an ending! If you all want to
continue playing after that, introduce “DLC” campaigns,
where a new faction gets introduced to the new status quo,
or where the PCs get called or taken to a new, nearby area.
Or let them make new characters and start a new campaign
75 years in the future. What factions were inspired by the
players’ previous characters?
 MODES
Normal Mode
This is what it’s called when you’re playing by the rules
given.

Hardcore Mode
A mode meant to reflect more immediately apocalyptic set-
tings. Make the following changes:
• The Blacksmith Advance is not available, and equipment
can’t be combined.
• All difficulties are increased by 2.
• Non-grenade consumables take effect on the start of your
turn after you use them.
• Before you roll on a loot table, someone in the party
must succeed on a Scavenge roll; the difficulty is equal
to the enemy defeated or the area explored. If the roll
fails, there is no loot.

Gonzo Mode
A more lighthearted setting meant to reflect a “wacky waste-
land.” Make the following changes:
• The Blacksmith Advance is not available because equip-
ment can be freely combined.
• Every time you level up, you both increase an attribute
by 1 and choose an Advance.
• Any NPC can show up in any area. The referee can either
choose or roll randomly.
Post-Campaign Modes
After you finish a campaign, you can play through the same
map in one of the following modes. Items and people are in
the same place; hexes are the same landscape; people react
the same way. Random encounters (such as from failing a
roll when passing through a hex) can be different.

• Kill Nothing: If you ever attack anything, you lose the

game.

• Kill Everything: Just go full sicko mode.

• YOLO: You can’t heal Health or Radiation.

• Speedrun: Go fast! Beat your best time.

INSPIRATION
• Fallout 1-4 and especially New Vegas
• Mad Max, especially Thunderdome and Fury Road
• A Boy and His Dog (film version)
• ManyATrueNerd Fallout runs
• Noah Caldwell-Gervais Fallout videos
• Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
• Gamma World by James M. Ward & Gary Jaquet
• Apocalypse World by D. Vincent Baker & Meguey Baker
• TORQ by will jobst