Deluge is a system-free post-apocalyptic setting written by Brad Murray, published by VSCA and released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. It is available at DriveThruRPG and Lulu. It’s also part of the January 2012 New Year, New Game Indie Bundle at DriveThruRPG.
Any efforts at stealth, though, should get a bonus. Efforts to spot or be alert should get a penalty. If you’re playing a Fate Core (Fate 📖) derivative, just put the aspect,“Torrential downpour,” on every single scene."
Deluge’s killer feature is the various mechanism sections – they are the instructions for how to create rules for your game table that will invoke the appropriate feel of a Deluge campaign. And this is where your homework lies. Certainly some systems will account for many of the called out mechanisms, but Deluge makes sure to let you know what mechanics you’ll need.
Bibliography
Deluge also includes a section on influencing games – Greg Stolze’s Reign, Pinnacle Entertainment Group’s Savage Worlds, Luke Crane’s Burning Wheel, Evil Hat’s Fate Version 3, Grey Ghost Press’s FUDGE, and Wizards of the Coast’s D20 Modern. I find this very helpful so I can see what games inspire game designers and wish everyone would include them.
How Did Brad Make This?
Included is a page detailing Brad Murray’s production decisions, a mix of hows and whys. It’s good stuff to understand what goes into releasing an electronic-only product.
Conclusion
Sprinkled throughout Deluge are several vignettes of life on Earth. These are well written and provide yet another channel for strongly conveying the setting’s desired look and feel.
I also really appreciate how Deluge creates a slow reveal – building to the reveal of what is causing the rain. There is mention of angels early in narrative, and as part of the random tables, but no explanation beyond that. Ultimately the cause of the rain is left up to the game master – or perhaps an Ob 7 Angel-wise.
Buy this if you are interested in running a very different post-apocalyptic future…it ain’t Waterworld but something much more ominous. Or if you are interested in a blue-print for crafting and possibly releasing your own campaign setting. Or if you are interested in taking a design constraint and running with it.
Don’t buy this if you are hydrophobic. Or know that post-apocalyptic settings don’t do it for you. Don’t buy this book if you are looking for a fully detailed campaign world or location.