Tarostar
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Joined: Wed 22 Jul 2015, 09:42

5/5 - My review of the core book

Fri 23 Oct 2015, 06:45

I wrote a review for the core book to post on the Modiphius site, but I didn't realise they have a word count limit so I had to cut much of it. I therefore include the whole review here.

TLDR: Recommended!

As someone who tends to enjoy hard science fiction and serious post apocalyptic stories I was quite skeptical, but Mutant: Year Zero not only turned out to be the post apocalypse game I always wanted, but one of my current favourite roleplaying games. The rules are clever and fairly simple. The setting is consistent and conjures up a future world I am eager to explore where mutants and talking animals are believable. The great artwork helps a lot here. Most importantly though it is the structured sandbox style of play with minimal work needed from the GM, together with the opportunity for the players to work towards the future they want for their ark that really makes this a great game.

The game is set in a grim future and survival is very much the focus of the game. Both the survival of the individual player characters and the very survival of the ark which they call home. It is a harsh world where death from starvation, thirst, rot or violence is a near certainty. Yet, there is always hope. This hope is beautifully presented in the players staking out the development, and thus future, of the ark and its dwindling population. Yes, the players actually get to set the course for the future of their own community and then work towards making that happen. To do so they must face down challengers from within and without, and most importantly they must leave the flimsy safety of their dying ark and venture into the unknown dangers of the zone.

Against this dark and gritty backdrop of an apocalyptic future is contrasted the fantastic powers that the players, and in fact all the mutant inhabitants of the ark, possess. The very rot that is killing them also lets them unleash incredible powers. Likewise the zone is full of the bizarre. Indeed, while this game has a dark and serious undertone it is also full of humour. I think this makes for a great game, where players will be challenged and forced to make serious decisions, but with room for laughter and jokes. This is not a horror game, but still very much a survival game.

The rules support this mood and the setting of the game perfectly. I suggest getting the free PDF to learn about them. I can say though that the rules focus on creating a fun game experience and give the players hard choices - “is succeeding worth the risk of pushing the roll?”. Character creation is very fast which is good in such a potentially deadly game. It also ensures the characters have bonds to other characters in the ark and a unique and important role to play in the group.

Finally, I must re-iterate that this game creates a terrific structure for sandbox play where the GM will be discovering and enjoying the story together with the players. There are some set locations and a meta-plot that can be inserted as preferred. These are great for ideas and having something for the players to work towards, but to me are just the icing on an otherwise perfectly edible mutant cake.

There is a lot of other products to support this game. It is available in English and Swedish. There is lots more coming out. If you want to explore a post apocalyptic roleplaying game then I recommend you give this one a try.
 
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Tomas
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Re: 5/5 - My review of the core book

Fri 23 Oct 2015, 09:42

Awesome, thanks for that great review! :)
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