OSR Atomic Campaign Commentary - A Most Dangerous NPC Count Zaroff Amazing Adventures Build Part II

 Count Zaroff is a menacing methodical hunter who hunts only the greatest of prey mutant, mutant animal, or human. Zaroff is a master hunter starting with bow & arrow, then moving on to modern firearms, and finally unleashing his pack of mutant hunting dogs to chase down his prey. He is merciless, quick witted, and highly dangerous. And this blog post picks up straight from here. 

Count Zaroff 

Class/Level: Hunter 6/Archer 5 

Alignment: Lawful Evil 

Abilities: Str 13, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 10 Cha 13, 

Prims: Str, Dex, Int

AC:19 

BTH: +5 

Costume: Black outfit, gloves, tunic,boot, hunter's sash all in varying shades of black depending upon area of hunt 

Hit Dice 5d8 

Hit Point: 35 

Class Abilites: Master Archer, Eagle Eye, Unstable Shoot, Master Bowyer,Blinding Speed, Rapid Shot, Dead Eye Shot, 

Fate Points: 8d8

Backgrounds:* High Society, Military, 

Languages/Knowledges: Russian, French, Latin, Classic Literature, Russian & International  Military Forces & Weapons 

Traits: Arrogant, Suspicious, Aggressive  

Gear: Compound Recurve Bow embedded with South American charms, Score of normal hunting arrows, Score of explosive arrows for during military operations (-2 to hit, but explode to deal +2d6 impact damage to a 5' radius; Dex save for half), Hunting Rifle

Count Zaroff hunts only the most dangerous prey regardless of mutant,human,or mutant animal. Zaroff is one of the most obessive hunters on planet Earth. Count Zaroff has a castle abode & retreat on 'Shipwreck island' where he often has his mutant tribal minions set up ships for wreck. The crews & passengers of these wrecks then become his prey for his hunts. Because Zaroff is retired Russian military he has extensive access to arms & armorments. Zaroff  he has an undergound vault & trophy room below his island. Zaroff's island is covered in rough & dangerous mutant animal infested jungle. Because he is independently wealthy & belongs to one of the most influencial families in Russia he not for want of money. Count Zaroff  has vast resources with  a landing strip,motor pool, and facilities for his island. 

Count Zaroff often farms out his services to many communities across the world where mutants & mutant  animals have become a problem. He will hunt these menaces for free with the understanding that his methods nor the hunt can be hindered or questioned. 

OSR Atomic Campaign Commentary - A Most Dangerous NPC Count Zaroff Background Part I

 So as we once fold back into the Siege Engine mode play there's an mini campaign idea that came about because of consolidating campaign ideas. The 1960's Atomic War dimensional plane has been a mini planar branch that our Amazing Adventures PC's sometime found themselves upon. You can read about that mini campaign in part I here & part II here. 
And upon this planar wasteland Earth there's a mighty hunter of human & mutantkind Russian Count Zaroff, & his faithful mutant servant Ivan. World War III is long over and 'Shipwreck island' has become a hazard to shipping routes throughout the South American Coast off of what was once Chile. 

Fall Out has become a real hazard as it sweeps across the globe periodically wiping out entire communties and regions as it sweeps down from the Earth's atmosphere. The world of mankind has been reduced back to the technological level of the 1920's & 1930's. Mutation has made the wilds of Earth all at much more dangerous. 

And 'Shipwreck island' is a small dot owned by the Russian Cossiack oligarch Count Zaroff. Zaroff survived World War III with the rank of general and claimed the island with it's chateau & underground fallout shelter. 'Shipwreck Island' has a reputation of death, it's impentrible jungles holding only the deadliest of beasts, mutant animals, & worse. 
Count Zaroff hunts only the deadliest mutants & humans across his island & beyond pitting his prowess, abilities, and equipment against the best this world has to offer. Zaroff only keeps the most expressive parts of his prey the head. 
Zaroff is incredibly dangerous having a vast array of weaponry of Korean War & World War II era in prime condition in a motor pool  as well as mini airport on his island. Because Zaroff employs his own tribe of mutant henchmen everything is ready to move at a moment's notice. Count Zaroff has retired to his island but keeps his ear to the pavement for any 'exceptional prey' human or mutant. 

Count Zaroff may become an NPC ally or enemy for the players as he hunts mutant menaces for wasteland  communities for the thrill of it. 

Count Zaroff & co. are anti heroes & complete heels mysteriously helping a wasteland community only to disappear back to 'Shipwreck island' in time for a banquet fit for a king or at the very least a count. Count Zaroff is taken from a 1932 American pre-Code horror film 'The Most Dangerous Game' , directed by Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Schoedsack, starring Joel McCrea, Fay Wray and Leslie Banks.
Next time we'll get deep into building Count Zaroff in Amazing Adventures. 

OSR Atomic Campaign Commentary "This Shall Not Come To Pass" Revisiting The Free Downloads Of Issue #2 Of Atomic War & Issue #2 World War III

"Look upon the pictures of our giant cities hundred of years in the building, smashed by the atom-bomb, and say: this shall not come to pass! More than ever today, only a strong America can prevent this from becoming a reality!"

Between work & a series of migraines I haven't had much time to jump right back into the Atomic laden battle ground of my commentary on Atomic War issue #2 ! New York has been destroyed complely last issue & is now a roiling burning cinder wasteland in a limited nuclear war. The retro future of 1960's depicted in Atomic War! & World War Three issue #2 or #3 depending upon Comic book plus or the Internet Archive) is squarely in the realms of weird science. The cover depicts a kidnapping of a Korean general by US Army helipack commandos! Sadly the interior doesn't depict such an operation!? But inside we get right into the meat & potatoes of a Korean/Soviet war that turned red atomic hot! In Atomic War issue 2/3 from 1952 we get right into Operation Vengeance the nuclear bombing of the Moscow by American forces straight out of Greenland. Then Operation Invasion we get a detailed overview of the Russian response with paratroopers trying to invade Alaska! The spy from Coney Island is the interior fiction piece & hits the bricks running. Mission Demolition is wall to wall fighting in the European theater between the Soviets & Americans with the American Nuclear artillery remaining victorious!



World War III is squarely in the wheel house of the classic Atomic Age Science Fiction & weird science genre. The first story called Jet Jammers Jamboree where the Soviets test a piece of universal jamming equipment straight out of Dr.Frankenstein's laboratory. The Americans have an artillery piece that looks like it would belong on Mongo more then the Korean War. Commando in Muftiis about the Russian Resistance & American forces working with them. Its about a Soviet nuclear stock pile bunker & the raid to take it. Very Star Wars in its way actually. Devils of the Deep is Soviet submarine action & pits the Soviets against the United States Navy bubble headed helmets included!

The way that these two issues strike me is how evenly the various armies are in these series by Ace. All of them have similar post WII gear with a weird science twist or two. All of the hard ware is very Fallout & post apocalyptic weird. The events of WWIII depicted are smaller scale concerning the nuclear aspect but very high scale in regards to battles & events ala the events of World War II. This is due to the writing & artwork. Everything depicted in these two issues is pure Pulp style.
Everything in these two issues is tailor made for Mutant Future or Gamma World. But there's a solid fantasy element that could be over looked. Could all of these atomic bombs be blowing planar holes in the fabric of space time?! What happens when adventurers or worse begin crossing into this smaller scale atomic wasteland?
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You can Download World War III issue #2 right over here


Atomic War Issue #2 Can Be Downloaded Right Here

 Now what happens to all of those powerful artifacts that are sitting in various museums across this version of the Sixties Atomic War Earth? Will there be incredible dimensional & planar doors opening at various points letting powerful other worldly energies across the landscape & possibly bringing invaders from beyond or worse?
Could there be generations of mutants, psions, & heroes already among the populace simply waiting for the call to action? this is a world in need of saving but is ready to be saved in the middle of a war that it hardly seems to understand?!

If  World War II saw a huge explosion of costumed adventurers then WWIII might see another Pulp age the likes of which we haven't seen before!

Dimensional doors swing both ways & the call of adventure echoes across the planes! Meaning that we may see fantasy adventurers from other worlds seeking justice, opportunity, & the advantage to exploit another world in dire need of their services.



Next time how, where, & why the post apocalyptic smashes head long in to the weird science & hard Sword & Sorcery fantasy of OSR gaming! Stay tuned kids!

OSR Atomic Campaign Commentary "This Shall Not Come To Pass" Revisiting The Free Downloads Of Issue #1 Of Atomic War & Issue #1 World War III

"Look upon the pictures of our giant cities hundred of years in the building, smashed by the atom-bomb, and say: this shall not come to pass! More than ever today, only a strong America can prevent this from becoming a reality!" 

Yeah its been a couple of years since I revisited one of my favorite Post Golden Age comic book series. I've been looking to go into a public domain resource for post apocalyptic science fantasy gaming, both Atomic War  & its sister title World War III by Ace Magazines are perfect gaming resources.



 

According to the wiki source entry;
"A comic series that lasted four issues and published by Ace Comics from November, 1952 to February, 1953. According to Bradford W. Wright, in Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America (ISBN: 0801874505)

“Published during the time of U.S. participation in the Korean War, Junior Books’ Atomic War! Speculated on the possibilities of World War III. Despite the series’ stated purpose to warn against the horrors of atomic warfare, it did just the opposite. In its stories, U.S. forces employing tactical and strategic nuclear weapons triumphed repeatedly over the Communists.”

According to Scott Shaw at Oddball Comics: “This is one of many comics that reflected our national paranoia during the Cold War of the 1950s and early 1960s. The cover depicts the atomic destruction of Manhattan (note the crumbling Empire State and Chrysler Buildings.) Here's a quote from the issue's first story, "Sneak Attack."

"Look upon the pictures of our giant cities hundred of years in the building, smashed by the atom-bomb, and say: this shall not come to pass! More than ever today, only a strong America can prevent this from becoming a reality!"

Ace Comics was a publisher of comic books during the 1940's through mid-1950's. Like many comic book publishers of the day, the earlier series included costumed superheroes. As trends in the comic book market changed, the focus shifted more to other genres, such as crime horror and romance. The company ceased publishing comic books in 1956.

These comics are in the public domain and various publishers and creators have used them since."

Now let's start out with the fact that this isn't our world of 1960 at all, this is the Pulp world of the Fallout video games & 1950's monster movies especially the Toho films. The military technological axiom is much higher then normal. These folks have atomic powered planes, weird tech military armament,  pin point atomic bombs, etc. & in the first issue New York becomes a solid loot zone right out. Post World War II Berlin is next on the map in Berlin Powder keg  & boy does it get hit. The place becomes a block by block warzone between Allied & Soviet forces.

Atomic War is so straight up & over the top that it reminds me of the Fallout video games & how the comic book tries really hard. America was deep into the Korean war at the time of the publication of Atomic War. The military hardware & weaponry was post WWII boom era & the middle story Operation Haystack bares this out. The last story in this issue Counter Attack takes place around an Arctic military bomber base & a Russian inside sabotage jobber & agent.





The comic book gives three possible loot zones & military style weaponry that the PC's might find. During the late Seventies & early Eighties I'd frequently hear about Atomic War in whispered tones among certain comic book fans. Most of us older comic book fans who knew about the 1950's Seduction of the Innocent hearings laughed our behinds off & some of these folks were also a part of the Eighties D&D Satanic panic;
"A number of Ace stories were used as examples of violent and gruesome imagery in the 1950s U.S Congressional inquiries into the influence of comic books on juvenile delinquency that led to the Comics Code Authority, namely Challenge of the Unknown #6, Crime Must Pay the Penalty #3 and Web of Mystery #19. Western Adventures Comics #3 was used as an example in Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent, and in the United Kingdom Atomic War #4, Beyond #18 and World War III #2 were cited as examples by Geoffrey Wagner's 1954 book on the same subject, Parade of Pleasure — A Study of Popular Iconography in the U.S.A. "

 In New York City comic book shops I'd hear about Ace Comics among Gamma World & post apocalyptic fans with enthusiasm & gusto as the source for their campaigns.  That's sort of where I'd love to head with the comic book series for my own purposes. But I would combined the events of Atomic War issue one  with World War III. The gullible Americans & Allies of the United Nations are caught by a surprise Soviet attack.



World War III #1 - 1953 Ace Cold War Atomic Explosion


The World War III events of both of these comicbooks are very George Pal & even remind me of the his film "When Worlds Collide". They'd be perfect fodder for a Mutant Future game but what about a traditional Dungeons & Dragons game? Well that's where things get very interesting. The Earth of this place might have its dimensional doors ripped open by the atomic bombs. Not only could it be the spawning ground for all kinds of folks with powers. But for a traditional Dungeons & Dragons party of adventurers it might be the perfect opportunity to loot some of the national treasuries of a wide variety of countries!

There is lots of gold, treasure, & possibility a huge number of magic items just waiting for a group of adventurers to go looting across a any number of US or European cities. Simply watch out for that radiation spawn mutations lurking around just about every corner.

World War III issue #1 is available right here for a free download

Atomic War Issue #1 (Ace Comics) is available right here for free download

Now when it comes to using any of the Ace Comics in my own campaigns I'm looking to get this material right into the background of my own on going Amazing Adventures! rpg sessions. This is where the Amazing Adventures Companion comes in hot & heavy because 90% of the Korean War era hardware is already statted out making the Ace comics material  a super easy slide in.

The future 1960 Atomic War Plane Prime is a side branch of the normal Pulp prime of my campaign world where the factions of the mutant & super powered are taking hold when the bombs fell. The weird science of the world is cranked up to eleven & things get really heated with the increased radioactive & weird science radiations of this world. Castles & Crusades will be playing its part coming up but that's not till our next blog entry.

Free OSR Post Apocalyptic Comic Book Resource As Alternative Old School Campaigns

With the release of the trailer for Fallout four  video in the last couple of days there's been post apocalyptic fever in the air.  Couple this with the film Mad Max Fury Road's success at the box office and it a perfect storm of OSR  post apocalyptic madness. Trey over at the Sorcerer's Skull blog has been plugging into this vibe already with a host of comic book and graphic novel resources. But I can hear you saying its at least another week till payday and I need a fix for this retro future weirdness right now. No worries I've got you covered with a boat load of public domain pre and post apocalyptic resources courtesy of the Internet archive. 
Grab It For Free Right Over
HERE
This is a rather tasty download with all eight issues of Atomic Attack in the mix plus a couple of extras like Captain Marvel Adventures Issue 66, Charlton Premier #2 Children of Doom (and the most phallic rocket ship in comic book history),If an a bomb fell (makes a great player hand out that the PC's find letting them know right away what their in for), Planet of the Apes Power record (more inspirational reading & listening), The H bomb and You ( always a good one to stick into that bunker or fallout shelter with skeletons).

For years I've been pulling from these comic books for Metamorphosis Alpha 1st edition, Gamma World 1st & 2nd edition, and most recently the Mutant Future or my own DYI Advanced D&D 1st edition home brew. And there are a wide variety of uses and reasons for this. Number one is the easy of use with things like the original Planet of the Apes films that have the 'BOMB' as the center point for their backdrop. Couple this with all of the alternative WW III Earth's from Star Trek and you can see that this is an easy campaign  side slip. These are not very politically correct and its easy to see that players that are history buffs are going to be in for a shock when they realize just how twisted some of these retro future alternative Earth's and time lines are. 

A bit of background on the company that put out Atomic Attack, Youthful comics were an interesting company according to Wiki:
  "Youthful (also known as Youthful Magazines) was an American comic book publisher that operated from 1949–1954. The company was owned by attorney Bill Friedman^[1] and his wife Sophie, with Bill holding the title of Publisher. Comics editor Sol Cohen (possibly with help from financier Harry Donenfeld) helped launch Youthful.The company specialized in non-superhero titles, instead focusing on horror, Western, humor, and romance comics. Notable titles published by Youthful included the Western titles Gunsmoke, Indian Fighter, and Redskin (later known as Famous Western Badmen); the science fiction/horror series Captain Science (later known as Fantastic, Beware, and Chilling Tales), and the humor title Jackpot. Altogether, the company only published ten distinct titles, with many series changing their name and continuing the numbering of the previous title.

Doug Wildey (yes of Johhny Quest fame!) was the company's lead cartoonist, with work published in virtually all their titles. Other notable creators associated with Youthful included Bill Fraccio, Harry Harrison, Pat Masulli, Don Perlin, Wally Wood, Graham Ingels, Ed Goldfarb, Henry Kiefer, and Manny Stallman.

Youthful's first title was Gunsmoke, which debuted Apr./May 1949 and ran until 1952. Youthful acquired the Pix-Paradetitle Youthful Hearts in 1952, continuing its numbering under the new title Daring Confessions until 1953. The Youthful titles Attack and Beware were acquired by Trojan Magazines in 1952, which continued their numbering. Youthful, in turn, renamed the titles Atomic Attack and Chilling Tales, respectively, also continuing the numbering. The company was mostly finished by 1953, with only Jackpot continuing until 1954 (its final issue cover-dated May)." 

When we are reading these comic books we are not talking about our world at all here. These places offer a myriad of atomic wastelands where a DM can stick any number of weird mutant horrors or strange life forms. They also offer a ton of ideas for weird weapon systems, artifacts, relics, etc.  and are a perfect place to stick your old school retro tech sci fi devices.  They also offer a nice change up for a science fantasy or fantasy party of adventurers to visit. They make excellent worlds to park your space craft from Star Ships and Spacemen second edition in orbit as well. Alien enough to have the weirdness factor or as living museums to really bring home the strangeness of the event. 

Now with all of that Children of Doom from Charlton comics  takes a very special note  for this download.  It has a special place in my heart, and this issue was one of my favorites, Dick Giordano the editor must have seen something very special in this dark fable of the post apocalytpic wasted future. Denny O'Neil (writing as Sergius O'Shaugnessy) and Pat Boyette's Children of Doom is a tale of alternative history, post apocalyptic time travel, and cautionary tale all rolled into one..
It also has some very compelling characters that make excellent NPC's. My most recent excursion into this darkly interesting tale had some of the denizens from Lamentations of the Flame Princess's The Lusus Naturae. Some of the oozing implied dimensional jumping hi jinks inferred from the writing of Raphel Chandler  & the weirdly twisted artwork of Genifer Bone for the characters  in this book make this a marriage made in hell. The world and time line of Children of Doom is just the sort of place that these horrors would be interested in. 

Given the incredibly weird yet tragic Outer Limits vibe of the story PC's who got involved were immediately compelled to try and save this world as one of the vile villains of Lusus Naturae is busy twisting the timelines and histories to their black heart's content. I let the players read this tale and its instant righteous anger and quick involvement on the player's part. Now given the great black and white artwork, science fictional elements of the tale and the characterizations of cast of characters this is really a no brainer to get the PC's involved. One thing that Lusus Naturae got right is the interweaving of its monster's into each other's lives and their weird as well as twisted dysfunctional interactions. A bit that I've played with while using Children of Doom from Charlton's story line for this.

You can read more of Children of Doom over at the  Diversions of the Groovy Kind blog  if you don't want to wait for the free download. I don't want to get into too much of the on going story line of what's happening with the cast of The Lusus Naturae book. Because I've got to DM this game tomorrow night and my players read this blog! 

Free Comic "Children of Doom" by O'Neil and Boyette- Charlton Premiere #2 (cover-dated November 1967) For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns

Read It Right Over
HERE


Children of Doom" by O'Neil and Boyette- Charlton Premiere #2 features a classic cover with one of the most phallic covers in comic book history but don't let that fool you. This is a fantastic old school post apocalyptic comic from the 1960's. Sixty seven to be exact. This story is perfect to draw from as fodder for your old school post apocalyptic adventures. We've got mutants, time travel, alternative worlds and time tracks, weird space travel, and some great artwork to pull from for your games. The vibe in this comic reminds me of some of the great old pot boiler sci fi movies from this same time period.
 All of the classic elements are there to draw from for an adventure. A party could easily shift in and out of the events of this comic helping the plot along at key points allowing a DM to deal with adventure elements as they come. There could be a few alternative random world event encounters along the way to spice things up for a party as well. The encounters for an adventure with this one could be done at key points to keep the adventure's pacing and action moving with a party. I wouldn't say that this comic would make a great campaign but it could be a nice little mini adventure to break up the usual post apocalyptic tradition.
The artwork and pacing in this comic story  is very well done and I enjoyed the old school imagery and artwork.Parts of which reminded me of some of the E.C. style of classic science fantasy comics precede this comic. Many of the elements of visual story telling here would later become incorporated into the surge of graphic novels such as the stark black and white panels, etc.
All in all there's lots to mine from this one. Gaze through this great science fiction classic from another time and get your post apocalyptic groove on for today! 

Free Comic Book Download - WWIII Issue #3 For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaign

Grab It Right Over
HERE

We didn't skip an issue, this was the only other issue of  Ace Comics World War Three title. Shame to because this issue has some strong stories and some of the most adaptable material I've seen in these comics.
This issue picks up the limited nuclear exchange and conventional forces action with the addition of some awesome retro future 1950's technology thrown into the mix. 

The cover starts us off with some cool retro future helipacks for the WWIII continuum's US soldiers, it says so right on the buttons they've got coming off the prop.
Jet Jammer's Jamboree is the first story into this issue and its a great tale of air action in the skies of  World War Three. We've got the Reds in this story using some electronic jamming technology and getting shot to hell. This it turns out was a Red test run for this technology and full scale air raid will becoming soon. Then we get into a full scale jet fighter battle.
 The US forces come out but the cost is high. I could actually see a time travel mission in a post apocalyptic campaign to recover the Red technology to fend off a Wizard's Warship ala Thundarr.
Commando In Mufti - Gives us a raid on a Soviet base and also some really cool helicopter/plane hybrids as well. Here we've got a conventional raid on Soviet nuclear base. It's rough going for the Americans down into a multi level dungeon that would put a group of PCs right into the thick of the action.
 The Americans left quite a few military secrets behind even after their forces decimated the place.
Devils of the Deep is by far my favorite for this issue. Here we've got lots of underwater post apocalyptic action, the uniforms of the Merican forces are like something right out of Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow. The divers have to take out Soviet naval forces and there's lots of underwater action. Throw in some aquatic mutant monsters and your ready to go for an old school Shadow Years adventure.

Using World War III Issue #3
For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns 



This issue really puts the Merican forces right into the thick of the WW III action. There's  plenty of places for this to be used as the basis for either a time travel or alternative Earth style post apocalyptic campaign.
Much of the technology in this issue borders on the comic book ideal and wouldn't look out of place in an issue of Nick Fury Agent of Shield. The retro technology makes some great relics or artifacts for PC's. Several of the military forces would also make some great sources for a cryptic alliance or another post apocalyptic cult that the PC's stumble across.
 The Korean era retro technology won't ruin a campaign if the PCs find some of this stuff but there is enough of a 'neat' factor that will keep players interested. There's lots to pull from in this issue.
All in all this is a great issue to pull from the comics are not well known the events of these issues are quite nicely laid out and we get plenty of action in these.
 Great stuff for a retro future post apocalyptic campaign. Fun stuff from another age thanks to Ace comics. Don't worry there's plenty of nuclear age action coming up!
'Remember this is the war that will never happen if America remains strong and alert!'

Free Comic Book Download - World War III #1 1953 For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns

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World War III #1 1953 was another early Cold War Post Apocalyptic comic that has slipped into the public domain. The book was a part of the whole campaign of anti war anti nuclear war comics that seemed to actually glorify this type of warfare.  Similar in look and feel to the E.C. horror comics and the later Mars Attack comics. 
Ace was the producer of  some damn fine comic books in the 1940's and 50's. At least till the whole Seduction of the Innocent crap that created the Comic Book Code Authority and sent comic books back to the Stone Age for awhile.
These comics make for some great fodder for your old school post apocalyptic games such as Mutant Future and Mutant Epoch or even DYI post apocalyptic games that you can create.
With a new Fall Out video game looming on the horizon and players interested in all things post apocalyptic lately I've been diving into the deep end of these sources.
There are several reasons why I turn to these sources. The technology is WW II and Korean Era which means its ready available in the post apocalyptic games out there. There are time lines in these stories enabling a DM to adapt them quickly and easily. For example in the very first story we get the origin of this world's World War Three. Everything in these stories is an odd mix of conventional warfare and the liberal use of nuclear weapons.  There's also some really odd retro future technology that we get here and there in the backgrounds of  some of these stories that make great artifacts and relics. 

Using World War III #1 1953 From Ace Comics
For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns 
.

The first story in on this comic is titled World War Three Unleashed and it lives up to its name! Within three pages we've got Reds unleashing hell upon the unsuspecting American public. This is really a weird mix of an odd mix of conventional warfare and the liberal use of nuclear weapons. US and Soviet rocket planes streak through the skies as the bombs fall on the US soil. This is a Soviet First Strike with no doubt. As I said earlier the time line is very clear cut in Ace comics material. This makes it perfect for adapting as background material for a POA right off the bat.
The second story in is 'Operation Comeback', USA forces are closing for a retaliatory military operation on the Soviets. Yet, here again we've got a mix of nuclear assets and conventional military being deployed. This gives a ton of recoverable military hardware where the nuclear arms are deployed. Bombs drop, Soviet forces survive and the war goes on.
 'Last Stand For The Secret Missile' is everything you could want as a DM in a post apocalyptic comic. A Soviet base inside a mountain houses a nuclear missile silo and the conventional American forces have them pinned. This is a running battle to get this thing taken out. This base looks like a multi level military style base from the Soviet era. There seems to be an odd mix of Korean era stuff and modern. The army finally using a combination of nuclear artillery and army tactics to get the job done.
 This story gives a DM a really nice blue print for a Soviet base. Add in your favorite combat bots, a few artifacts, and your ready to go.
I love the tag line 'The war that will never happen if America remains strong and alert.' I've used that line several times during Mutant Future adventures. All of the tales that appear in this comic make perfect fodder for an alternative Earth foray by post apocalyptic adventurers. The few times that I've used this comic book for Mutant Future its been as a side line adventure for PC's.
More to come folks. And happy gaming! 

Free Comic Download - Atomic War! Issue #4 (Ace Comics) (April 1953) For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns

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HERE

This is Issue Number Four and one of the best out of the series in my humble opinion. This issue starts out with the pre holocaust military action going right into the nuclear deep end with Arctic Assault a combination mission of nuclear bombing and dirt side action. We're given deep background on the Commie/Soviet forces and the Mericans assault on them. The tech level is upped a notch and we're thrust right into a world where the jets are nuclear powered, the missiles are more deadly, and the action deep. Want to know what the action is when a cold war goes to hot in the Arctic? This is the story that's going to give you the background on one of those multi level bases and deep dungeons. Here we're given two for the price of one story. The Merians and Soviet bases are perfect fodder for your old school post apocalyptic games.
 Old Timers Die Hard features artillery pieces, fanatical soldiers and some solid action done in the retro style of Fifties comic books.  We've got tank battles and a perfect set piece to add in for one of those famous battle scenes that seem to paint every Gamma World game done in a perfect alternative Earth style.
Operation Satellite is the sort of story that a DM can sink his teeth into and come up with a perfect adventure to run parallel with the story. Another story with multi level hidden bases, weird Soviet hybrid war heads, and space based nuclear weapons from the Fifties folks. 

Peril at Ploesti features some Soviet sub battles plenty of atomic action and lots of potential for those underwater Shadow Years Mutant Future adventure backgrounds. This is a great story for a short comic book feature. This is one of the strongest issues to come out from Ace comics and it also happens to be the last for this series!

Using Atomic War Issue #4 (Ace Comics)

 For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns 

 

There are several things that I love about this Ace Comic issue. The deep backgrounds and details of the stories are great fodder for a retro future Mutant Future game. The ideas here are way, way ahead of the 1953 date that this comic was published but this is tempered with some of the ironic ideas present in this issue.
The forces in this issue are almost hell bent on exterminating themselves and through the action there's some great ideas for background material for your old school adventures. Retro-future games set in this world are going to have some really interesting military hardware to deal with. Even though this issue's technology is from the Korean era there's some nuclear scale weapons that can wreck havoc with the forces in a game of Mutant Future or Gamma World for that matter.
All in all this is one of the best of the Atomic War series and the potential for setting this material for gaming in a post apocalyptic campaign couldn't be higher in my opinion. There's lots of potential here and because they're not that well known there's lots of room to improvise. These stories are not tied to any particular comic continuum giving a DM lots of room to move these stories wherever they need to go in a campaign.
Is this the end on our series of articles for those great Fifties Nuclear War exploitation comics as resources for your old school post apocalyptic campaigns? Certainly not! There were plenty of other one shots, short runs, and more in this particular genre. We've got more coming up!
Remember only a strong America can prevent
Atomic War! 

Free Comic Book Download - Atomic War Issue #3 (Ace Comics) (February 1953) For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns

Grab It Right
HERE
The sheer nuclear insanity picks up with Issue #3 of Atomic War! from the Ace comic company. This issue ups the nuclear action to the patriotic insanity level of eleven. In terns of weirdness the Commies in this issue are about as blood thirsty as they get. This makes for some great fodder for the 'Dark Years' of a Gamma World or Mutant Future game campaign. The artwork is professional and indicative of the period of the Fifties. They expected their readers were going to read and so each world balloon is a mini paragraph into itself. The retro dialogue is great stuff as well and reminds me of the EC comics of the time. Its very ironic and blood thirty in places.
Let's dive right into the nuclear military action of this issue!

Commando Cracker Jack is the first story in here and puts us into the gun ho action with a special crack team of army commandos sent into the enemy lines on a very critial mission. There's some potential here for a cryptic alliance style group based on these soldiers. The fervor here is something that would stir the heart of any mutant in bunker 11. Speaking of bunkers pay attention to the WWII/Korean war era bunkers at the beginning of the story.
Log of the Snorkel Wolf Pack would make a great grim movie or background for a Mutant Future adventure. The underwater action,adventure set pieces, sunken subs, etc. are eerie and kinda neat for some alternative world hi jinks.The Soviet sub technology is very rerofuture and has some quest or mission potential for a Mutant Future adventure. The end is very grim. A sunken ship wreck of irritated hulks at the bottom of the ocean may provide plenty of potential for salvage and adventure though.
 The Invaders is a nice two pager that has a few elements that could be stolen for a quick encounter.
Slash By The Iron Grey Hounds is one of my favorites for this comic. Atomic land battles, nuclear artillery pieces, and tanks are always fun. This one has some real looting potential for a Mutant Future game in terms of an irritated death land quest. 

Using Issue #3 of Atomic War!
For Your Old School Post Apocalyptic Campaigns

Atomic War! #3 makes all the right moves for use as adventure fodder for an alternative world POA campaign. The 'Commies' are absolutely hands down ruthless and the Allied or Merican forces are insane. So basically just the right mix for a Mutant Future or post apocalyptic campaign. The weird military nuclear technology is very retro future and fits in great for a Fallout style campaign. The battles,ruins, deathlands that are all highlighted in #3 can be used as background material.
Atomic War isn't that well known among Old School players and so its pretty easy to pull this series as a resource. Much of the battles in this comic could be pretty insane to pull from for such an alternative campaign and provide a DM with just enough background for a very cool set of short, lethal, and highly dangerous convention set style adventures.
All in all Atomic War Issue #3 had all of the nuclear action I was looking for in a free comic! I hope you enjoy it and have a great time among the  ruins.
 Remember only a strong America Can prevent
Atomic War!