Escape the Apocalypse

By Alex White

- 2 minutes read - 248 words
IN DEVELOPMENT - This is a game for 1-5 players about escaping an apocalypse and finding their beacon - their source of hope..

You decide what kind of apocalypse from the following options

  1. Zombie Plague
  2. Alien Invasion
  3. Robot Uprising
  4. Nuclear Holocaust
  5. Nuclear B-Movie
  6. The Ice Age Cometh
  7. Scorched Earth
  8. Global Pandemic
  9. Lovecraftian Horrors
  10. Rise of the Kaiju

You can also decide whether you want to play within the Young Adult, Heroic, Grim, or Horror genres - the escalation of horror gives more harrowing tropes to incorporate in the game, and makes bleaker endings more likely.

You play through three Acts, with three scenes in each Act. Playing cards are used to indicate the level of threat in each scene, and the capabilities which the player characters are able to bring to bear to attempt to overcome those threats.

Throughout the game you are collecting valuable resources - supplies, tools, weapons, and secrets. These can be used to bolster your capabilities when facing threats, but you have to be careful how you use them! If you run out of supplies or tools, then you will face trouble in the ranks as your supporting characters turn against you! If you don't have many secrets gathered by the end of the game, the future for humanity as a whole may look bleak!

Can you escape the apocalypse, find your loved ones and live happily ever after? Or will you die trying?

A desaturated blue-grey scene of a post-apocalyptic city with abandoned cars and ruined buildings. The title Escape the Apocalypse is prominant at the top

Example page (work in progress)

a work in progress page spread showing urban zone with a handwriting font on slightly crumpled paper, with a sketch illustration of a container yard in the bottom right and a coffee cup ring in the upper left

Touchstones

Media and literature which have inspired this game include:

  • War of the Worlds
  • Cloverfield
  • Metalhead
  • The Last Of Us
  • Contagion
  • The Day After Tomorrow
  • Threads
  • Cthulhu's Reign