Mutant Year Zero
Mutant: Year Zero is a post-apocalyptic role-playing game, published by Modiphius Entertainment and developed by the Swedish games studio Free League Publishing, under license from Paradox Entertainment.
It has a long and rich history in Sweden, the land of meatballs and snowflakes. The first edition was released by Target Games in 1984, at the height of the Cold War and the Golden Age of RPG’s. There have been several editions in the years since, one of which evolved into the hugely popular Mutant Chronicles franchise in the 1990’s
The Swedish version of Mutant: Year Zero was released in April of 2014 to critical success. You can buy the game and support Modiphius Entertainment at this link
The Setting
In this game, you play as one of The People - heavily mutated humans living in The Ark, a small and isolated settlement in a sea of chaos. The outside world is unknown to you, and so is your origin.
Mutant: Year Zero has two major game environments, each with its own style of play:
The Ark
Your home in the dawnworld. A nest of intrigue and Lord of the Flies-style power struggles, it’s far from a safe haven. But it’s the only home you know, and just maybe the cradle of a new civilization. The game rules let you improve and develop the Ark in the areas of Warfare, Food Supply, Technology, and Culture. It is up to you, the players, to decide which projects to embark on.
The Zone
Wastelands outside the Ark. You will venture into the Zone in search of food, artifacts, other mutants, and knowledge - not least about The People’s own origin. The game includes two maps of example Zones; London and New York and a plethora of tables and other tools to let the GM populate its sectors with mutants, deadly monsters and bizarre phenomena.