GW's Dark Future board game is getting a digital upgrade!

If your particular flavor of Gamma-style games runs to the road warrior side of the genre, then you'll be pleased to hear that Games Workshop's board game Dark Future is being developed into an incredible-looking crash-n-bash video game: Dark Future: Blood Red States. Here are a few mean lookin' street machines from the game:

But the source material isn't just being ported into the digital arena, it's also being updated to include a more modern and scientifically accurate take on the post-apocalyptic genre.

This behind-the-scenes video highlights the game's ties to science fiction and features interviews with the original creator James Swallow and game developers at Auroch Digital--and even a biologist who talks about the real risks that arise in a world affected by climate change. It's a fascinating way to think about creating or updating the source material and definitely great fodder for your own gaming inspiration!

Here's Auroch's new teaser trailer:


Side note: The box art features a nice little graphic labeling it a "3D Roleplay Game" which I adore, as an aficionado of antiquated marketing flair!

• There's plenty more details over at the official Dark Future site.
• Dark Future: Blood Red States on Steam

h/t to Phil Reed at Battlegrip!

MAD MAX TRAILER: "Blood and Fire" are the rules of Fury Road!

ZOMG! SO MUCH FIRE!

VIDEO: Mad Max has nothin' on these "New Barbarians"

This trailer for The New Barbarians, a.k.a. Warriors of the Wasteland (1983) sold me when they showed a motorcycle bandit take an exploding arrow to the neck (hilarity ensues thereafter). This is Italian-made Saturday afternoon, eighties Gamma-cheese at it's finest.

It looks like the prequel to my favorite Spaghetti-pocalypse film, 2019: The Fall of New York. (Somehow I missed doing a recap on that one, I'll have to correct that soon.)

It stars exploitation film staple Fred Williamson (Black Caesar, the Black Cobra series) as said, explosive archer. Really, what more can you ask for?

Anyway, check out the awesome trailer for Barbarians:

VIDEO: So Dino-Riders is basically off-world, Gamma World

Somehow I'd forgotten that in addition to the insanely cool action figures and playsets, there was also a Dino-Riders television series. The pilot is equal parts awesome/terrible/surprisingly dark for a kids show. So chances are you'll love it!

Check out the pilot episode...

VIDEO: The 80s were a Golden Age of Cyborg movies with Elminators (1986)

Spied this over on io9 this morning--an awesome clip from the 80s cyborg flick Eliminators. Half man, half robo-tank? That dude is definitiely a Mechlok!

TRAILER - MAD MAD: FURY ROAD

Whoa! The new Mad Max trailer that debuted at Comic Con last week looks INSANE! So excited!!! The film premieres May 15, 2015.

UPDATE: Here's four character posters also released at Comic Con!

VIDEO: "Apes" raises the stakes!

This latest Dawn of the Planet of the Apes clip shows just how crafty the apes have become. And brutal!

VIDEO: X-men: Days of Future Past brings the post-apocalypse

I'm really looking forward to this new installment of the X-men. It looks like they've done a bang-up job of envisioning a desolate future. This clip apparently appears early in the film with mutants on the run. It'd make a great adventure scenario--similar to the first part of the Gamma World War campaign's adventure path.

In any case, the visuals are stunning--and that's more than enough reason to post it!

Excelsior!

VIDEO: Viral ads for Dawn of the Apes are great setting primers!

Need something to help set the scene in your next Gamma-esque game? Give players the heebie-jeebies as they watch civilzation fall into ruin in seconds! These timelapse clips from the upcoming Dawn of the Planet of the Apes flick should do the trick nicely:

LONDON



SAN FRANCISCO



NEW YORK

TRAILER: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes--Caesar speaks!

"APES! TOGETHER! STRONG!"

GODZILLA is the ultimate weapon!

HOLY F@#$! The new trailer for Godzilla reveals a previously unreleased plot detail. A BIG ONE. Monster movie fans will immediately get what's going--and it changes the big G's role in the film.

This feels like a spoiler to me, so fair warning to you--though, this just makes me want to see it even MORE!



If you watch it and comment below, spoilers be damned!

Has anyone statted-up Godzilla for use in a Gamma World or Mutant Future campaign? I recall once someone doing the Krakken from Clash of the Titans, but it was basically a force of nature. Impossible to destroy, but still had some stats to make it playable.


Some content reposted from Exonauts

TRAILER: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes!

The trailer for the second part of the rebooted Planet of the Apes series is here! Here's the official description:

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.

Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, and Judy Greer join the cast this time around. Look for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes sometime in July of 2014.



Chimp leader Caesar adorns the official poster for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Thoughts on the trailer?

Fallout fan film!

Mutants of the Musical Wasteland

Great commercial from the 80s for GE. I really think the height of post-apocalyptic cheese was the decade of excess. So much to love.

Via Boing Boing

Video: Action Cats are Awesome!

Anyone remember this commercial parody from Saturday Night Live, back in the day? I saw this as a kid and totally wanted it for our orange tabby at the time.

It's like the Dinoriders toys, but AWESOMER, because they fit onto a REAL CAT.

Perhaps these are the feline heroes of a forgotten Department of Defense program, now called back into action to protect Gamma Terra?

In any case, they also kinda reminds me of Gammarauders these days too (which I picked up a while back, and I'll need to do a full review of soon).

Still wish they actually made these. Forget Laser Cats and give me Skele-kitty!

Billy Ocean is awesome and obviously a mutant alien of some sort

Man, this is awesome--why don't I remember seeing this?

MISSION: Stat up that goat-lizard dude and make him a Gamma duke or baron in your next game! And I should have guessed that Jawas worshiped Billy Ocean.

Via io9.com

The Silent City: Post-apocalyptic web series!

The Silent City web series is a Kickstarter project wrapping up tonight, and though they've already recieved funding to do the project, they're still accepting backers for the next 8 hours. If there's one thing this world needs it's more homebrew post-apocalyptic video.

Synopsis

When an unexplained event decimates the human race, the survivors fight for their lives in the ruins of a once mighty civilization.

A decade later, the dangers of the new world have taken their toll. Hopelessness and isolation have felled many of the original survivors, and now one man walks alone, determined to endure against all odds.

The fun part of this one in particular is that Backers will have the chance to influence the story. New Yorkers will even have a shot at being extras in a zombie horde scene!


There's only a few hours left and lots of cool rewards including artwork, DVDs, and more!

Kickstarter page

Zardoz Video Game in 8-Bit, Intro

If only it were real. Pray to Zardoz that whomever made this decides to set up a Kickstarter project and finish it!

Punks of the Apocalypse: My Chemical Romance

I dig this music video from My Chemical Romance a la Mad-Max-on-SNL-Laser-Cats-production-values.

Appendix "G": Inspirational Sources

Literature, movies, and TV have long served as inspirational sources for games (duh!). Fantasy games in particular have a well known list, created by Gary Gygax and co. that has been amended through time, but it's name has remained: Appendix N. Star Frontiers was among one TSR's early efforts at science fiction and they published a comparable list of sci-fi for that game as well.

It got me thinking that it would be nice to have an "Appendix N" for the Post Apocalyptic genre. And while there's no codified criteria, I think there are some easy ones to list, not to mention a few that I personally enjoy. So I've begun compiling a list, which also includes some of my own choices that may or may not be directly related to P.A. per se. For instance, I'm not sure Buckaroo Banzai counts as post apocalyptic, but it's certainly weird and wahoo enough that I find it inspiring. :)

I'm calling the list Appendix Gamma or Appendix G for short. I've had this on the blog for a while, but I've added several new links recently so it seemed appropriate to call it out. It's not a "complete" list (and that's also kind of on purpose since it's mainly stuff I'm looking to inspire this blog) but at least the "easy" ones are on there. Feel free to drop any other suggestions in the comments.