After the Bomb

After The Bomb is a Fallout fan rpg that manages to stick the landing more earnestly and effectively than the officially licensed system does. And this is by a mile.

There are two PDFs, for a combined total of about 60 pages, and they feature clean, highly readable layout and some splashes of repurposed pulp art. It's all very zine-y, but in the best possible way.

The core rules are simple. d20 + Stat + Bonus vs TN. Stats are low, and bonuses can be temporarily broken by taking survival damage. HP is at risk from both damage and radiation, and they eat at it from opposite ends of its track. Damage goes away when you get to safety. Radiation doesn't.

There's a crafting system that also uses the game's core currency, simple level ups, detailed gear, and all the Perks you'd expect from a modern Fallout.

World creation is collaborative, which to me fits *really* well with Fallout. Fallout's best maps have always been sort of a gumbo, with tons of ideas tossed in, and building your map this way ensures that every player has at least something they like floating in the broth.

There's a lot of GM support, including a bestiary, roll tables, and just generally good and clear advice about how to use the system. The second PDF is a pre-cooked sandbox campaign.

There's even basebuilding.

This is easily tied for my favorite post-apocalyptic ttrpg (the other contender being No Nut November: Squirrels Of The Post Apocalypse.) It's clear, direct, flavorful. It covers everything you need to start up a game, and a lot of neat additions besides, and still leaves you plenty of room to freewheel. I'm not the world's biggest Fallout fan, but After The Bomb does right by its material, and it's really easy to imagine Fallout stories in ATB's framework. If you clicked on this page and you like ttrpgs, I strongly recommend you give this one a shot. 

Looks cool!  However, the name might make you *more* lawsuitable, in that the original TMNT RPG had an "After the Bomb" supplement that Palladium spun out into a full game once they no longer had the TMNT license.  That was a long time ago though, so....maybe not?