The atomic wasteland is as wild as the West has ever been. In the face of mutants, outlaws, and worse old-world iron might be your only ally. Travel the radioactive lands of Tarnation with your companions in search of the spells left behind and try not to let ‘em reap further ruin on what remains.

Atomic is a post-nuclear wild west RPG set in the ruined realm of Tarnation. With little knowledge of the world before technology is magic, radiation is a curse, and them’s that know their letters are few and far between. Atomic is played in three modes: Shootin’, Lootin’, and Ramblin’ & Gamblin’. Each mode uses playing cards, poker chips, and dice to simulate the perilous nature of life in Tarnation.

SHOOTIN’

During the Shootin’ or combat phase, players - known as Hombres - declare a shot by placing a card from their hand in front of them, this card represents a bullet or Spell. Each Hombre in combat reveals their Spell when the Dealer (GM) says Draw firing it in order of initiative which is indicated by their card’s rank.

The current shooter rolls their Grit dice (2D6) and the Dealer adds the result to the value of his own Luck die (1D10) which is kept a secret. If this sum exceeds the played Spell’s rank it hits dealing damage equal to the difference between the value of the Shootin’ check and the Spell’s rank. Because of this Spells of a higher rank simulate a shooter keener to haste than to aim compared to those shots made by a shooter who takes his time.

LOOTIN’

Checks to Loot are made as a party to locate and collect Spells and Junk from the Wasteland. Each player participating in the Looting phase rolls their Grit dice. The cumulative total of these rolls plus the Dealer’s Luck die amounts to the party’s Loot Score. The Dealer draws cards from the Wasteland Deck slowly, adding the ranks of the cards drawn - called the Spell Score - until it approaches the Loot Score in value.

If the Spell Score exceeds the Loot Score at any time the Looting phase is Bust. During a Bust the players may only retrieve a number of Spells whose ranks total half the Loot Score (rounded down). After all the spell cards have been drawn during the Looting phase, players must then decide amongst themselves who will take each Spell.

RAMBLIN’ & GAMBLIN’

During the roleplay or Ramblin’ phase whenever a player performs an action with an uncertain outcome they must perform a Skill check. The Dealer will declare which Skill to check based on the player’s intentions. The Player then rolls their Grit die (2D6) adding up their values. They may also reroll a number of Grit dice equal to their level in the Skill being checked to adjust the outcome. The Dealer then secretly adds the value of the Luck die without revealing the final score, only announcing the result.

The Outcome of a Skill check is relative to the difficulty of the action or DC (Difficulty Class) which can range from level 1 (easiest) to level 3 (hardest). The Dealer will determine the DC of a check based on context drawing a number of cards from the top of the Wasteland deck equal to its DC. The Dealer compares the sum of the ranks drawn to the score of the player’s Skill check (Grit+Luck) to determine the outcome of the player’s action.

Players may also push their luck by sequentially raising the DC or ‘Hitting’ - prompting the Dealer to draw another card from the Wasteland deck and increasing the Skill check’s DC up to a maximum DC of 5. Players gain more Experience from more difficult Skill checks which they can use to buy more Perks.