Post originally by His Divine Shadow at 2003-05-28 06:09:09
Converted from Phorums BB System

Mad Max is set in Australia, but it could be just as well set in practically anywhere that has deserts with roads, it doesn't have all that much "local" flavour. The events could just as well take place in the Mojave desert, and it wouldn't make a difference.

Maybe I've watched too many B (or even Z) class rip-offs of Mad Max, but somehow deserts seem to go hand in hand with the post-apocalypse, and would probably find it hard to get into the proper mood on the steppes of Russia, or the dense ruins of Western Europe.

The desolation and openness of the Western US seems oddly appropriate for the genre, especially since Fallouts are familiar to players who otherwise have little familiarity with the genre (which is probably one reason for the Fallout-inspired perks in the game).

Personally, I've been constantly tempted to take my current post-apocalyptic game (using Fuzion rules) into Europe. OTOH, I used Fallout references to lure in the players, so I'm not sure how it would go with them. Not that there's all that much Fallout-inspiration in my campaign, but I've found that it makes it easier to refer to the computer games in may cases, rather than to launch into a long-winded explanation of my more original concepts I had in mind for the game. After all, we get only around 4 hours of gaming a week, and all goes more smoothly when you don't have to explain basic concepts.

Strugatsky's "Roadside Picnic": isn' that the one sometimes known as "Stalker"? The Russian movie went by that name, IIRC, though it's ages since I saw it or read the book.