Rural Apocalypse: Antler Valley by Dave Woodrum is a generic role playing game supplement published by Fishwife Games. The supplement is intended for a post-apocalyptic setting.
This is a 27 page PDF which is available from RPGNow at the regular price of $3.20 but was purchased at the reduced price of $2.40. One page of the PDF is the front cover, one page the front matter and one page the Table of Contents.
The Introduction is less than a page long and give a brief overview of the setting and how to use it in a campaign; creatures in the area have been affected by mutation, and it is said that this can easily be changed.
Section 1: Lead In Hooks is a collection of adventure hooks, four in total, designed to get characters to visit the valley. The motivations behind these are all pretty different.
Section 2: Major NPCs covers three major NPCs – one being the primary foe, one being a dead hunter who ran afoul of that foe and one being a mysterious young woman associated with the hunter who is never actually met, unless the GM decides so, but many references to her are discovered. There is also a major group of NPCs who are a significant force in the area.
Section 3: Random Encounters is a d100 table of 50 random encounters for the valley.
Section 4: Map Locations is the largest section of the supplement and describes the various different locations in the valley. There are two colour hex maps of the area, one labelled, one not. The different locations provide varied encounters, from potential combat to potential ally to hazards to possible safe havens.
Section 5: Wrapping Things Up is a short bit on how to end the visit to Antler Valley, whether to move on or to make a place in it.
Rural Apocalypse: Antler Valley in Review
The PDF has no bookmarks, although they would have been very useful. The Table of Contents only has the major sections, maps and random encounter chart listed. Navigation could be a lot better.
The text maintains a single column format and a few fairly minor errors were noticed. Other than the two colour hex maps there are a number of what would appear to be stock images, black and white photos of various run down locations generally reasonably appropriate to nearby text. Also in places throughout the text are blank areas for a GM to make system conversion note. Presentation is okay.
Antler Valley is perhaps most suited to a near-now post-apocalyptic setting, not long after the apocalyptic event, rather than one in the distant future such as would be seen with Mutant Future. The surviving technology is roughly equivalent to the present day, without any of the futuristic technology seen in Mutant Future, and hasn’t deteriorated enough for the setting to be many decades in the future.
This is essentially a sandbox hexcrawl setting. There are a number of reasons why characters might be in the area and a variety of different locations for them to visit. There are a few overarching and interwoven threads; the main threat NPC, the dead hunter and the mysterious woman for whom he has left caches and messages across the region. This can give clues related to the main danger, various safe places and useful equipment. The various NPCs have their relative strengths and abilities described, which could then be adapted into a specific game system. Rural Apocalypse: Antler Valley is an interesting post-apocalyptic region and it can be found by clicking here.
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