Review & Commentary On Nuclear Sunset:The Southwest & Pacific Northwest (Mutant Future) From Vigilance Press For Your Old School Campaigns

During the endless parade of titles there are several that seem to always get lost in the shuffle. Nuclear Sunset is one such OSR setting title and its a damn shame. This is one of the better post apocalyptic settings for Mutant Future and I happen to know the author on social media. Basically Nuclear Sunset: The Southwest  is the region around the panhandle of Vegas and beyond with a post apocalyptic Western feel. This is a weird western setting with a modern twist. Sure all of the familiar Westerns sites are there but things have changed a bit. Its a mix between Mad Max & Fallout New Vegas with a twist of Hollywood Westerns burned over a campfire stove of weirdness.


Grab Nuclear Sunset
The Southwest Here
Nuclear Sunset: The Southwest gives the DM a whole bunch of weirdness to play with from factions such as  The Marshalls  who are the law bringers of the wastelands and on the wane to their nemesis Hell's Heart a biker gang on steroids. Add into the mix The Cartel who are wasteland corporate types we've seen a million Eighties and Nineties VHS post apocalyptic films and you can slot in the 88th the former remains of a military platoon and base. Then there's a boat load of ruins and locations that can be dropped into your campaigns. All of this for two dollars and it can easily be used with your favorite OSR game because the whole affair is stat free so you can adapt it as you like. This setting came out in 2011 & its a great example of what can be done with a post apocalyptic region adventure setting. Right so now flash forward to 2016 and we get  Nuclear Sunset: Pacific Northwest along with a  ton more content. Thanks to one of my background patrons I was able to legally get a copy and take a quick look at four A.M. this morning.



 Grab Nuclear Sunset
The Pacific Northwest Here

The Pacific Northwest supplement presents a very different region for a post apocalyptic campaign with similar conceits but vastly different factions and adventure goals. Its a mix of rural woodland adventure mixed in with mutant frogs,tons of factions, and a setting that is as deadly as it is weird. Pacific Northwest adds expanded territories, brand new adventure locations, a ton of factions, and a boat load of new adventure opportunities for post apocalyptic adventurers for Mutant Future or any OSR rpg system including Labyrinth Lord and other retroclone systems. 

Weird factions such as the Samurai Legion, the the Silicon Syndicate, and even more create an established order and setting dynamic within the bounds of the regions here your party are strangers in an even stranger mutated land. Basically adventure and NPC elements are already in play regardless of the PC's presence. This surrounds some very rich ruins and death lands adventure wasteland locations. This is going to keep the pace of adventures moving and keep the players on their toes.
Another aspect of this product is that there are lots & lots of mutant monsters with adventure hooks peppered throughout. This is a campaign setting with an  over time campaign expansion element worked in meaning that adventurers over the long campaign haul can make a real difference for long term play. This also gives the Nuclear Sunset setting an extra in on the wasteland domain level of play something that other OSR products might want to get in on.  This means that there are real campaign gains and benefits for PC's and this gives players a real time stake in play within the setting.  Is it worth it? The books are very well done and generic enough to fit into and slip into the back door of most post apocalpytic old school campaigns.


  Grab Legacy of Ruin Here

Still need more setting and information the Nuclear Sunset setting? Vigilance Press put out a novel set within the same setting called Legacy Of Ruin. The plot is like something out of a Nineties late night movie;"Naomi Oliviera lives in a world shaped by the cruelty of the past. Radiation-warped creatures haunt the sun-blasted wastes that once sheltered the promise of a better tomorrow. She lives day to day by scavenging technology from the ruins of the world that was, until her brother is kidnapped and she finds herself thrust into events much larger than her own personal survival. Naomi must challenge her own limitations and discover how far she is able to go for the one person she's willing to die for.

From an arena of death to a city of murderous machines, Naomi's adventure takes her across the Pacific Northwest on a tour of the post-apocalyptic nightmare. She won't be alone on her trek, but trust is a hard currency to come by in this place and she will spend it sparingly. Through the maze of shifting loyalties and conflicting motives she discovers her foe is no ordinary kidnapper.

For someone has awakened with knowledge born before the great war, a man with a legacy that could reshape the world. His quest could unleash death the likes of which haven't been seen since the bombs fell, since the world was transformed into a living hell. His mission is not simply to awaken an ancient technology.

He seeks to reclaim a legacy of ruin."