Waste Knights

Waste Knights: Second Edition is a post-apocalyptic game of adventure and survival for 1-4 players inspired by cult classics of the post-apo movies and set in dystopian Australia destroyed by experiments of a powerful corporation. Each player becomes a rugged hero, travelling through the wasteland, facing unnatural weather and enemies forged in long-forgotten laboratories as well as experiencing adventures full of dramatic choices and disturbing characters.

The game is adventure-based, with each Adventure branching out into a number of Plots revealed depending on the players’ narrative choices. Each plot offers unique game mechanics and stories that can be found in the Book of Tales – some of them are keyed to a particular adventure, some are generic, but all enable the players to immerse themselves in the setting and make decisions that change the world around them.

Each knight (player) has 2 actions at their disposal, which basically enable them to travel around the continent in their Vehicle, explore the area for ever-dwindling Resources (Fuel, Ammo, Meds), or camp in order to repair their Gear and heal Wounds or Radiation. Each adventure additionally offers a number of unique Plot Actions that let the players affect the story and fulfill their goals.

As the players move around the huge, 6-panel board depicting ruined Australia, they fight various Enemies, try to survive hardships of the unforgiving land, discover mysterious places and resolve narrative Encounters with many branching options to follow. Successes on any field bring them Experience Points needed to upgrade their knight using a unique deck of special abilities or skills. At the same time they should avoid suffering Wounds, Radiation or Damage to their vehicle, or else they will end up with permanent Injuries or Malfunctions.

Combat utilizing custom dice is both quick and brutal, so each enemy encountered on the road forces players to consider their options: what weapon to use, which resources to spend, how to best utilize their gear cards or special abilities. Adopting an efficient strategy when facing a particular opponent means life or death in the Australian badlands.

However, the heart of the game are stories. Each playthrough is based on an adventure found in the Guide. Some of them are co-op, others competitive, others still may end with the players grouping around different factions and forced to fight their former friends. The construction of each adventure offers lots of narrative choices guaranteeing high replayability and encompasses unique setup elements so that the basic game can be prepared quickly and the players can focus on the plot, not the rules.