The Day After Ragnarok
The death of Patton ushered in chaos, as the Third Reich used ancient rituals to awaken the Midgard Serpent, and signaled the beginning of Ragnarok from Norse mythology. Americans, not about to be put down by a giant, world-encircling serpent, fly the Trinity Device into its mouth, instantly killing it. The massive body falls to Earth, destroying much of Europe and changing the rest of the world. This is The Day After Ragnarok, written by Kenneth Hite for Atomic Overmind Press as a setting book for the Savage Worlds role-playing game.
The Day After Ragnarok is a cool, eclectic, pulp setting. Set in the days of World War II, this altered timeline is more of a post apocalyptic setting, where characters can fight the Red Menace one day, root out a serpent cult the next, or fight Nazi’s off with their Marconi Guns and other Ophi-Tech devices in the name of the British Empire. Mixed with the Savage Worlds system that supports the fast, furious action that normally takes place in pulp serials, The Day After Ragnarok is a must-buy game setting.
Split into two parts, a Heroes’ Section and GM’s Section, this 130-page book covers everything you’ll need to play in this deadly world of high adventure. A brief history of the current world starts us off with a bang, instantly grabbing you and pulling you into the setting and not letting go. Awakened by the death of Patton, and other rituals performed by the Nazis, the Midgard Serpent begins its reign of destruction, only to be thwarted by a well-placed nuke that triggers massive destruction. Europe is largely destroyed, leaving the Russians to take over what’s left of the continent. The British Empire relocates to Australia and revives the monarchy there. The United States is left sundered, split into separate states left to fend for themselves, and must try to reclaim the eastern states past the Rockies, now called the Poisoned Lands, from monsters and barbarian tribes. Magic has been reawakened, and the Reds use their psionic power to leverage their position as the only superpower left.
The Heroes’ Section covers what you will need to create characters with the Savage Worlds rules, including character concepts like the Barbarian, the Scientist, and the Secret Agent. It also goes over character roles in a party, like the Bruiser, the Thinker, and Medic, with suggested skills, attributes and edges. It wouldn’t be Savage Worlds without some new hindrances and edges for players to use, like “Snakebit”, a character that is succumbing to serpentine evil; or the new edge “Arcane Background (Ophi-Tech)”, the weird science of the Serpentfall world. Wrapping up the section is gear, from new weapons to vehicles, everything a character could want to fight off the bad guys.
The GM’s Section really shines with a rundown of the post Serpentfall world, detailing all the major players and giving detail to a crazy world. The Communists are the primary remaining enemy, plotting behind what they call the Serpent Curtain. The Man-Apes are the shock troops of the Commie Regime. Nazis are still around, but can turn up just about anywhere – when in doubt, throw Nazis at them. The Poisoned Lands of the United States are a wasteland where mutated creatures prowl and threaten the remaining survivors. It’s a wasteland just waiting to be reclaimed. Sky Pirates, Serpent Cults and more await the characters in this world gone mad.
Also presented for your use is a selection of enemies, from the Russian Man-Apes, Jotun, and Grizzly Ghouls, to the fearsome Death-Worm. You will also find human enemies, like the Serpent Cults, Soldiers, Bandits and a bunch of NPCs ready to throw into your campaign, as enemies or allies.
One of the new Concepts introduced is Ophi-Tech. Weird science created by using bits and pieces of the carcass of the Serpent. Heroes armed with Ophi-tech are a threat to be reckoned with, be it their lightning-shooting Marconi Guns, armored suits, or jet packs. In this world, heroes will need everything they can get to take on the horrors that surround them.
Finally, the crown jewel of this book is its abundance of adventure ideas. Not your standard plot point campaign that Savage Worlds fans have come to expect, but a series of four campaign suggestions, and bare bones plots points to use to flesh out your own game. Ken even hints that if interest is there we might see a normal plot point campaign in the future.
If that wasn’t enough, there’s more! A random adventure generator goes a long way to providing a good framework you could instantly build an adventure from in a short amount of time. It even includes guest stars, victims, and twists to keep the heroes hopping. This added feature is one of my favorite things in the book.
Ken Hite is a master of his craft, creating interesting new settings and takes on old settings. He just finished Tehran: Nest of Spies, expanding the world of The Day After Ragnarok into the Tehran, a hotbed of activity situated between the British Empire and The Soviet Union. Gamers with a taste for crunchier systems can also look into the Hero 6th Edition version of the setting.
If you love good pulp adventure with a twist you can’t go wrong with The Day After Ragnarok. Ken Hite’s writing style is easy to read and he keeps it interesting – I look forward to checking out other books he’s written. Everything about this book kept me glued to it and I look forward to running this for my own gaming group.
February 6th, 2010 at 04:13
Are there any one-shots I can DL to experiment with?
February 7th, 2010 at 15:17
No one shots are available at this time. I’ve seen since the posting of the review that Ken has several products in the works for Day After Ragnarok and currently has Tehran Nest of Spies available.