GURPS After The End #8: “Access”

With parts made in Japan

I am the modern man

– Styx, “Mr Roboto”

The battle for the van. Hostile rocks and hoop snakes. A welfare check and a dinner invitation, a rare hot bath and an unscheduled checkup. Hackles raised. Conversations with a crazy Coot. The benign countenance of the colonel. The biggest map anyone has ever seen. Unidentified flying objects, both ancient and fresh. Online.

GURPS After The End #7: “Mercy Killing”

With a rope around his neck they left him hanging
High on that old hanging tree
On her knees his wife was screaming
Lord have mercy, lord have mercy

– Thin Lizzy, “Freedom Song”

In which our protagonists join the resistance and learn more than they wanted to about the invaders. Traveling in disguise. A side trip in the name of mercy. The roads of the Ancients, above and below the earth. A botany lesson from a fan. Gathering herbs. Dinner with a friendly hermit, vibrating cactus, and helpful visions. Conversations with living metal. A pearl beyond price.

Wastelanders Reckon Time By The Loglow

We skipped the regularly scheduled game this month, due to a random smattering of real-world demands and responsibilities. Rather than the usual synopsis, I thought I would share some thoughts about timekeeping in my world, After The End.

GURPS After The End #6: “The Top of the Tower”

Invisible airwaves crackle with life

Bright antenna bristle with the energy

– Rush, “The Spirit of Radio”

An example of why the post-apocalyptic exterminator is to be pitied. Red Sticks Of Fun. The battle of the garden shed. With the shortage of chew toys, sometimes a dog just must make do. Horrible burns. A new pet. Vine does what they say can’t be done… twice. Conversations with Ray-Joe. “Watch out for that last rung.” A return to the valley and a parting of the ways.

GURPS After The End #5: “Independence Day”

So when you’re waiting for the next attack
You’d better stand, there’s no turning back

– Iron Maiden, “The Trooper”

Stragglers’ return. Even in the wasteland, taxes. Getting to know Deep Water. Ships and boats and tall metal trees. A demonstration of different approaches to diplomacy, some more effective than others. The perils of traveling cross-country. The foot of the tower.

Thrown Debris and the Wastelander Vine

One of the protagonists in our ongoing After The End game is Vine, a sentient plant scavenger who carries no weapons, preferring to live off the land. When combat occurs, they cast around for random debris to throw. So far, I’ve been more-or-less faking it, calling for a Scrounging roll and going with my gut. It’s time to put down some official numbers.

After The End #4: “Candygram”

“He’s a killer – he’ll rip out your heart
On a one way track and you’re not coming back
‘Cause the killer’s on the attack”

– Accept, “Fast As A Shark”

An early start and an uncomfortable lunch. A manifesto, gently delivered. What to do when the crops are coming right at you. Sky-weasels, houses in the air, and wholesale jerky production. The rolling wounded. A desperate standoff, at least on one side. “That was not only a dolphin!”

After The End #3: “Sounds Like Bull To Me!”

“On a warm summer’s evening

On a train bound for nowhere…”

– Kenny Rogers, “The Gambler”

Morlock trouble. A home invasion of the home that our protagonists invaded. Travel. Missing the start of the show, but not the end. Scary rumors. Friends in high, and low, places. A windy day spent inventing.

After The End #2: “The Holy Glow”

“So I’ll close my electronic door
And keep the cold outside
And hug my aluminum pillow
Oh so tight
And pray the radiation doesn’t
Make me sick tonight”

– Warrant, “April 2031”

In which our protagonists go scavenging around town, with mixed results… but the real loot is the friends they make along the way. Encounters with the outside world. Varying attitudes towards radiation. A rainy day spent inventing.

Who’s Who in the Wasteland

It’s time to take a closer look at our… well, not so much “heroes”, so let’s say “protagonists”. Let’s get to know our wastelanders.