Apocalyptic Froth

I love me some roleplaying, but I have to admit that after many years of loving roleplaying, I am just about sick of swords. Rather, I am just about sick of roleplaying with fantasy tropes. Which is not saying I don't want to PLAY games brimming with fantasy tropes, just that they aren't very exciting to think about any more. Frankly, at the cusp of my third decade on the planet, I think I've been exposed to every possible description of "I hit him with my longsword" or "I do magic at him".

So, where to go? Well, the first reach is towards science fiction, because I am a nerd of towering nerdosity and have spent a fair amount of my lifetime imagining spaceships lobbing things at each other both cunning and terrible. It seems a place which would fit me well, and give me a nice place to think fun things and write up fun adventures and generally have a grand time of it.

Sadly, however, it is not so simple. To get a game going that doesn't require too much math, rethinking of paradigms, mapping and describing confusing combats in three dimensions, etc, you need to hand-wave a bunch of the realities of science fiction and end up smack dab in the lap of science FANTASY instead. Which is a fine genre! I love it! But it's basically Dungeons and Dragons where your sword goes "ZAP' when it hits things.

So, onto Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Time. So, the players will be fighting over the one canteen and arguing over if they should cook their fallen companions to avoid starving! GREAT!

Now, what do have them do?