Mutant Crawl Classics Post-Apocalyptic; Old-School Renaissance (OSR); Class-based; Exploration-Driven; Survival; Sandbox; Low Prep; Tactical Combat

At‑a‑glance: Post‑apocalyptic OSR • d20 saves + funnels • 3–5 + Judge • Low prep • Not rules‑lite • 2–3h sessions

Theme and Setting

In Mutant Crawl Classics (MCC), humanity sifts through the radioactive bones of the Ancients. Tribes of seekers brave overgrown complexes, malfunctioning AIs, and rogue warbots in search of artifacts that can keep the village alive one more season. The tone is pulpy and exuberant—deadly, yes, but always spectacular—where discoveries bring as much danger as they do hope.

Core Mechanics and Rules

MCC runs on an OSR chassis compatible with Dungeon Crawl Classics: ability modifiers, swingy d20 tests, critical hits, and fumbles. Character funnels send zero‑level peasants into the meatgrinder; a handful survive to become classed adventurers (Sentinel, Shaman, Rover, etc.). Mutations and artifacts function as wildcard powers—impactful but risky—encouraging creative problem‑solving over set piece builds. Judges lean on rulings and reaction rolls, while players husband torches, rations, and hit points like their lives depend on it—because they do.

What Makes It Unique

Where many post‑apocalyptic games skew grim, MCC embraces weird science fantasy: psychic flora, rad‑zones, and forgotten satellites that still answer to garbled commands. Its robust adventure support—hexes, ruin crawls, and tournament modules—makes it easy to drop a mission on the table and play tonight. The artifact usage flow (identify → risk → master) turns every discovery into a mini‑game, and mutation tables guarantee surprises without bogging play.

Target Audience and Player Experience

Ideal for tables that enjoy OSR lethality, rulings‑over‑rules, and exploration as the core loop. New groups can onboard quickly via the funnel, while veterans get deep campaign legs from hexcrawls and village‑level consequences. If you want pulpy survival with big dangers, bigger swings, and constant discovery, MCC delivers.