I've played RPGs since 1982, and without a doubt, this is my favorite RPG I've bought (and I've bought a lot of them). To be truthful, I'm now editing some Neon Lords books. I didn't start that way, though. I began a year ago as a fan. I loved the game so much I wanted to contribute to it, and now I'm an editor (having a blast doing it).
As I read the rule book, I was frequently laughing out loud at the cool Easter eggs I was finding. As I read each of the classes, I wanted to play each one. The Brutacorn (a cybernetic bi-corn with a ton of attitude), Noise Thrasher (shredder that wields magic through guitar solos), and the Cyberskin (cyborg Ronald Reagans that were built for some now lost purpose before the apocalypse) are just some of the insanely fun classes you can play.
In the lore of the game, an apocalypse occurred in 1992, and we are now millions of years in the future. Chronosages use magic smoke to look back into the past, and they've concluded that the pro Wrestlers were the gods, thus Randy "Macho Man" Savage is essentially like Zeus in the game. Civilization has begun taking root, but it is a fun-house version of 80s-90s excesses. Energy drinks and mutant pizzas abound.
Rules are simple, largely drawn from BX D&D, but there are a lot of the great innovations in the game. Among them are class-based Critical Hit tables (called To the Max! tables) and unique critical hit tables for every monster. These are sure to inject memorable chaos and epic moments in the game. Each class has multiple class-based abilities...some are free (innate) and others require that you spend Class Points. Spend too many Class Points and weird things start happening.
Mutations are a common occurrence that are at times very beneficial.
Hairstyles and sick shades can offer some great buffs to characters.
Within the game, there are also mini games that can come into play: arm wrestling, Power Caps (Pogs), and the dice game Snotz!
It's clear the author loves random tables, there are a ton in the book. These, along with the mini games, give the game master a plethora of tools to make unique, fun, and hilarious adventures for players.
I've run the game for multiple groups, and it has always gone over well. I've even gotten my wife to play this as her first-ever RPG session. I've also played four sessions, and each was a memorable and fun experience.
While I love Dungeon Crawl Classics, Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland is my go-to game. I've even written 2 adventures for it this year.
It helps to enter the game with the right vibe. Don't get brokenhearted if your character gets turned into a pile of goo. There are plenty of cool characters to play. Pick up one or two of the very affordable adventures, and start having fun.
While you can pretty much do anything with any RPG, the vibe of this one is TMNT, Judge Dredd, Predator, He-Man, and the like. You are sure to find a treasure trove of familiar tropes in this game that will have you laughing and begging for more.
And, if you get this book, be sure to pick up "Riders of the Burpwarp" to pick up another 12+ classes, including the Sewer Shark and Toxic Barbarian.
Finally, the game has a great community on Discord where people discuss the game and even run online sessions...a great way to check out the game yourself.
Even if you don't play the game, this book will give you hours of enjoyment in just the reading, and it is sure to inspire you to making some very cool adventures in whatever system you play.
So, what are you waiting for?
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