Customer Reviews

After the Bomb The Complete Role-Playing Game

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There are actually two versions of this game and both go by the same title by the same author. They were published by Palladium Books a little more than ten years apart. The first is a world setting for the game _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other/More Strangeness_. The second is a complete RPG onto itself specifically named _After the Bomb, Second Edition_. The Amazon information seems to indicate the second book, but the review above clearly refers to the first. Read the condition notes carefully before buying.

Now understand, both are excellent games. Both games work well within the greater Palladium System which allows for easy mixing of different games and different characters, although the different flavors of the Palladium System always require some conversion work. In ATB, the players take on the roles of intelligent, usually-talking, mutant animals of various species and minor super-powers. The mutants can be built to look small or large, very humanoid or completely animal-like, or steriotypical furries. Personally, I like playing as normal-appearing animals who can pass unnoticed around most other characters. Unlike other "furry" games like Iron Claw or BESM, ATB is very crunch-intensive with very specific limits on what characters can or can not do. Unlike most of the Palladium Games, mutant animals are created using a point-based system. The points allowed in the original TMNT game are a little low (according to general consensus). In 2nd Edition, there are new options for taking animal-themed which make up some of the difference. If the GM wants to run a game where characters actually have capabilities similar to the Ninja Turtles or mix mutant animals with characters from other games, then the GM should consider offering the players twenty to thirty extra points. Other than that one glaring flaw, the game mechanics work very well and are fun to play.
The setting is a post-apocalyptic world shaped by a series of disasters. Despite the name, the new version has a world history more fleshed out which has very little to do with atomic bombs (though they and radiation are still factors). The mutant animals in ATB are the results of viral warfare which has been blending human DNA with other lifeforms randomly. There is an evil human empire which is very similar to the Coalition in the better-known _Rifts_ game. Options are included for playing as mutant humans as well (specifically in the 2nd edition).
This game is particularly fun if blended with other Palladium Books. I've played with Ninjas and Superspies.

This was the first role playing game I really got into. As a fan of the original TMNT comics I was thrilled to be able to create my own mutant animal characters and adventures. This book is compatible with entire Palladium family of games (Rifts, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Beyond the Supernatural, etc.) and has a wealth of sourcebooks of its own (After the Bomb, Mutants in Orbit, and Mutants Down Under to name a few). A great role playing game for beginners or experts.