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mburnamfink 's review for:

Apocalypse World by D. Vincent Baker
4.0

This is not a playtest review. Apocalypse World is a brutally elegant post-apocalyptic RPG, with a basic system of 5 stats, and 2d6+Stat vs a static DC of 7 or 10. What makes it great are the characters, and the concreteness of the Moves that each character makes to define the world and what they do. These Moves are partially descriptive, partially emotional, always awesome and tension-ratcheting. This basic system, combined with some hard-headed GM advice about putting things that you love in the crosshairs and making every blow count, make Apocalypse World more than the sum of its parts. My only worries are the tone, which might be too edgy for some readers, and the Wounds system, which seems both a little limiting for a game where Bad Things happen all the time, and too Simulationist for the rest of the game. Damn stylish, and lots of mine for ideas. Hope to run it soon!