or melee weapon, for instance, uses the character's strength statistic as its damage dice. Firearms, on the other hand, use a fixed amount of damage dice regardless of a character's stats, based on the caliber of the weapon. Notable to this system, skill advancement (what might be considered "leveling-up" in other RPGs) is a fluid and ongoing process, based on the application of a talent during gameplay. A specific talent that is used successfully during gameplay increments in ability immediately after being used. Most everything the player needs to know to play the game is summarized on their character sheet. Contents 3 rulebooks - Basic Rules, Player's Guide and Gamemaster's Guide an introductory scenario character sheet a 3 panel reference sheet (full of tables and charts) counters and a feedback sheet Reception William A. Barton reviewed Aftermath in The Space Gamer No. 43. Barton commented that "If your taste in RPGs tends toward simplicity or to systems that are easily playable without a lot of work, you'll surely want to pass up Aftermath, and stick to Gamma World or The Morrow Project. If you thrive on complexity, countless calculations and mounds of information, Aftermath will give you that - and more." Like its sibling, Bushido, Aftermath! gained a number of very positive reviews on its publication. In the Open Box feature of White Dwarf #34, Andy Slack gave the game a 10/10, comparing it favourably to both Bushido and The Morrow Project RPG. It received similar positive treatment in the pages of the short-lived Imagine magazine. The reviewer compared it favorably to Mad Max but disliked the use of Australia on purely familiarity reasons and suggested moving it to a location more familiar to the players. Baylis also compares the game to The Morrow Project and gives the adventure included a positive review. Aftermath was ranked 29th in the 1996 reader poll of Arcane magazine to determine the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time. The UK magazine's editor Paul Pettengale commented: "Aftermath can be a harrowing game. Still, in the hands of a decent ref, it can also be one of the most involving to come out of the pre-1985 boom, with plenty of scope for freeform campaigns." Reviews Different Worlds #15 (Oct., 1981) Arcane #14 (Christmas 1996) Scenarios A number of add-on scenario and campaign books were published. Because of the detailed rules, it was possible to