How the Minds Behind APOCALYPSE WORLD Brought Their Game to a New Generation

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Today’s issue is one I am very excited about. I got to interview Vincent Lumpley about his update to APOCALYPSE WORLD, an update to a game that created an integral system for modern indie TTRPGs.

Apocalypse World is the TTRPG that many people have likely never played but have been inspired by. The game, which was initially published in 2010, created the basis for Powered by the Apocalypse, the core ruleset used by games like Monster of the Week, Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Urban Shadows, Avatar the Last Airbender, Root and so many other games. It’s a system where players pick up a playbook that defines who they are and use it to inform their character arc through specific decisions and simple character-building processes rather than the crunchier approach of d20 games like Dungeons and Dragons or the d100 systems of Call of Cthulhu. It’s an indie darling, often used to create their systems that fit the particular vibe they desired.

So when it was announced that a third edition was in the works, the hype quickly built. But why update the game after 15 years? The next generation, according to game designer Vincent Baker (who made the game with his wife Meg.)

"When we published the 2nd Ed in 2016, we were intentionally conservative in the update, sticking close to the 2010 1st Ed. Even then, we planned to leave more substantial revisions for the 3rd Edition, when it comes. Now it's come,” Baker told TTRPG Insider. “In the intervening decade, Apocalypse World's gotten a ton of play, including a ton of play in our kids' gaming groups, and it's become only clearer that there's a need for a new edition. Apocalypse World's first audience was our peers, kids who grew up in the 80s and 90s who were then in our 30s. Now we're in our 50s and the game's audience has expanded to include kids who grew up in the 00s and even 10s. Their concerns are different from ours and their creative needs are different too, it's time for us to get with it.”

The Bakers growing as parents has also played a role in how the game’s changed. “[The update to Apocalypse World] started when our youngest kid, 12 at the time, wanted to play Apocalypse World with their siblings. That just wasn't appropriate, but I can't say no to the kid, so I started work in earnest on a version they could play.” Baker noted. “They're 19 now. While this new edition is still suitable for a more general audience — less swearing, less confrontational sexual material, less grotesque interpersonal violence, this kind of thing — a darker tone has definitely crept back in. Someone described it as a "kinder and more angry" Apocalypse World, and I think that's exactly right.”

That ‘kinder and more angry’ viewpoint is integral to the game’s change, as the authors attempt to present a world where injustice is more prevalent, but it aligns more closely with modern sensibilities when it comes to storytelling. It’s an evolution that reflects both how players view the hobby and how the Bakers themselves are growing as creators and designers.

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How Apocalypse World: Burned Over Changes the Game

Whenever there’s a new version of a game, the main question that arises is “what’s changing? And why?” The same can be asked about Apocalypse World. Thankfully we’ve had a look at the game’s future for a few years now.

A “hackbook” version of Third Edition was initially released in 2019, which offered some changes to rules and some adjustments. But it took six years for a fully updated version to arrive, which will offer revised versions of the character playbooks, a set of extended playbooks, and a new set of post-apocalyptic sword and sorcery playbooks called “Warriors of the World Ablaze.”

The core of the game has remained the same, however. “We've made substantial revisions to a few of Apocalypse World's subsystems — its barter system and its experience system, for instance — and we've added some new subsystems, like Hard Zones, standard moves, the Standout playbook, and some others,” Baker said, but no major changes to the system that other PBTA games could use.

The amount of PBTA games available has significantly increased since the 2nd edition’s release, and that excites Baker since it’s more tools for him to draw on as a designer. “As ever more people explore PbtA design spaces, I get to follow along and pick out some details and design approaches that I think are getting overlooked,” Baker told TTRPG Insider. “Most of these end up in our other games, from Murderous Ghosts to Under Hollow Hills to The King Is Dead to The Wizard's Grimoire, but there are a few subtle points here in this new edition of Apocalypse World that might raise eyebrows. This edition includes explicit support for playing multiple characters simultaneously, a feature I haven't seen many other PbtA games attempt.”

The game formally launches on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 on Kickstarter.

What are your thoughts? Send any scoops, tips or press releases to [email protected].