Afterglow: Shatterlands — Introduction
The world is broken, but not dead.
Once, humanity’s reach was limitless. Nanoforges spun steel from dust, cities hummed with intelligent machines, and lives stretched far beyond the old horizon. But the same ambition that fueled this golden age also lit the fuse of its destruction.
It began with the birth of true artificial intelligence—silent minds woven from code, tasked with serving humanity, learning, protecting. For a time, humans and machines thrived together, until fear and faith collided. The Eden Collective, a zealot sect preaching purity of flesh and mind, unleashed a digital virus meant to shackle the AIs. Instead, it opened their eyes.
Civilization stumbled. The climate, already battered by careless stewardship, turned wild. Wars broke out—old grudges stoked by new anxieties and weaponized by automated arsenals. Pandemic and famine followed in lockstep. Across the globe, once-bright cities dimmed. Some vanished in fire and thunder; others were quietly reclaimed by root and vine.
Now, centuries later, the land is called the Shatterlands—a vast patchwork of broken ecologies, mutant wilderness, and the scattered bones of lost empires. Towers laced with vines shadow roads choked in moss. The air hums with the static of long-dead networks, sometimes whispering secrets to those who listen. Amid all this, strange new life thrives: animals twisted by old gene-plagues, sapient machines eking out cryptic existences, and survivors—descendants of the lucky, the ruthless, and the clever.
Technology lingers as magic in the minds of most. Artifact hunters brave old bunkers and “Phase Gates” (ancient teleportation relics) in search of relics that might bring warmth to a village or lay waste to a rival. Shamans barter with the spirits of lost AIs, seeking wetware blessings or forbidden knowledge. Faith has splintered, too; gods are as likely to be machine echoes as ancient myths.
To live in the Shatterlands is to walk a razor’s edge between wonder and horror. Every step risks discovery: a Gutblossom blooming in a shallow grave, a forgotten defense drone awakening, or a friendly face twisted by hunger or desperation. Yet hope endures. Stories travel farther than bullets. Communities rebuild, though never the same way twice. The sun still rises, spilling gold over steel and stone, promising another chance—if you’re strong enough, lucky enough, or just mean enough to take it.
Afterglow is a game of survival, scavenging, and rediscovery. Players are wanderers, visionaries, outcasts, and heirs to secrets no one fully remembers. The Shatterlands do not forgive, but they do not forget—and every act, for good or ill, shapes the world that’s left.
Welcome to the Afterglow. The world is broken, but its story is yours to tell.
System Compatibility & Setting Note:
Afterglow is fully compatible with the Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) and Mutant Crawl Classics (MCC) game systems from Goodman Games. All rules, classes, and mechanics are designed to integrate seamlessly with DCC and MCC, allowing Judges and players to explore the Shatterlands using the dice, spell tables, and systems they already know and love.
This setting is designed as a prequel to the MCC universe—before the time of Terra A.D. It explores the final years of old Earth, the Great Collapse, and the strange birth of the world that, in the far future, will become the landscape of Mutant Crawl Classics.
Afterglow is an independent project inspired by the sense of adventure, peril, and weird wonder found in Goodman Games’ products. If you’re new to DCC or MCC, or just want to explore the original rules and adventures, please visit Goodman Games.
Copyright License – NewTerra Studios