BUG WORLD

maybe the apocalypse could have been averted, but it wasn’t, and here we are, in a brand new world. this isn’t your cold, nuclear winter, sparse and dead kind of post-apocalypse. the end sent the world on a new course, brimming with life - just not quite as much human life as before. ok, barely any. in the super oxygen-rich atmosphere of the earth today, insect life has thrived. it only took a few decades for bugs to reach incredible sizes, and now, about a century-and-a-half after the disaster, gargantuan insects are a normal sight. from a ladybug the size of a dog, to millipedes that might as well be trains, to horned beetles with skeletons big enough to use as shelter. bugs are huge and they are everywhere. the remaining humans have domesticated some, trained others, made wary peace with some intelligent groups, and carved themselves out sections of the world to live.

BUG WORLD is a Powered by the Apocalypse TTRPG where players navigate this post-apocalyptic jungle world, with all its scavenger towns, junk economies, and incredibly huge bugs. playbooks include more classic TTRPG options alongside bug wranglers and jockeys, rock collector archaeologists, and mob bosses.

formatted so each page is half an A4 sheet. a more easily printable, stapleable, zineable version is planned!

i made this by myself over the course of a few years, fueled by an intense need to see more friendly giant arthropods in the tabletop world. i thought about riding a giant scorpion and giving it treats and the rest of this just came falling out. this shit is CLOSE to done, but it is definitely still a work in progress. mostly it's just missing illustrations, but playtesting is in the works so some rule changes and tweaks are sure to come up.

feedback is much appreciated as a complete amateur game writer, and slightly less amateur illustrator. i'm not going to add capitalization or remove the cuss words though, sorry.

planned additions to the rules: separate vehicle rules outside of gearhead playbook

couple more illustrations added: 10/29/24