Gosh I wonder why there are so many surviving the end of the world games in my collection. Living through the PNW melting into near oblivion... I ended up needing these games more than I thought I would. And they're actually helping me process, though they won't necessarily help others.
I have survived a lot worse than this recent event, but reinforcing why I continue and how I can continue is precious to me.
This game is much more about a personal, local ending of your old world via amnesia, and the beginnings of the alchemy of starting over again by exploring who you used to be. I love how well the tarot is used here, from the majors to the minors. The game can also be used to build character backstories.
This is the most representative of the foundation of the ideas I have when assembling this list. The number of cards, 22, is quite small yet yields a kaleidoscope of story and processing. If you've ever heard of the 18-card challenges over at places like Button Shy Games, I think a narrative story like this would be a good fit. At any rate, among my favorites of all my games.
A post-apocalyptic road trip, what could go wrong? Well, a lot of things, but this game keeps that pared down so that you far more often run across nostalgia and wonder in a changed world. Do the orcas return to your local patch of ocean? Do birds nest in the overgrowth of cities? Do you find a movie theater that's still running off of solar generators? Do tanks and border guards interrupt your journey with more or less disdain and threats? You can make it happen. There is always beauty even amongst the wreckage of the world, and the ashes scattered amongst the asphalt.
This game offers you flexibility with how large you want your "accident" to be. I rather like the Follow the Leads system, since it creates situations where you run across an element later on in the game, as well as the multiple act structure set into the mechanics. (To be clear, I always add a follow-through element in my play sessions for any game, but Follow the Leads makes this easier and is pretty good practice. ) You have a lot of player agency though you still must encounter chaos.
This is a mini-journaling postcard-sized solo game where the end has happened, and you find yourself delivering mail in the aftermath as a kindness to strangers, and perhaps to yourself. I played with the rule of: if you roll a package for yourself, you can open it without traveling. Whether you mark that as progress is up to you. I found this post-apocalyptic game strangely hopeful.
A story about going through a more personal and localized ending of a world—your career as a wizard, the disappearance of your mentor and your growing disillusionment. Process what happened, why it happened, reflect on yourself, and decide what comes next. This can be played singly (I recommend inserting the Ace of Spades 1/4 from the top of the deck in this case) or with others.
