This has been a long time coming, and I am so happy to finally have my stinkin’ paws on it. The KickStarter buy-in was $49 with optional add-ons of other products for the game. I did get some add-ons, but will talk about them separately. It’s not available on the site yet as it just shipped to backers starting about a week ago, but you can check here to watch for availability of the game (a shame I can’t get a commission): Games / Tabletop – Magnetic Press LLC . The first thing needed to be mentioned is how big the rulebook is at 308 pages. Started this while I was still reading the book to get ahead a little and do it while it was a little fresher in my brain. I will say they did a lot of research and homework. They’re pulling information I am unfamiliar with, even though I am just a casual fan (I’ve seen the movies and watched the cartoon once or twice forever and a minute ago). From the book: “The canon of this RPG is based on the classic 1958 film and its 4 sequels, incorporates aspects of the 1974 TV series and 1975’s Return to the Planet of the Apes and novelizations. The original novels Conspiracy (2011) and Death of the Planet of the Apes (2018), as well as many aspects of the comic series (1974 - 1976) - as well as nods to over 5 decades pf classic Planet of the Apes source materials.” (Slight paraphrasing done) The ruleset is the Magnetic Variant (as the company calls it) of the WEG D6 system.
Chapter one is the usual brief overview of the the world you play in and welcome to RPGs and the different styles of gameplay like serial play (campaign), premiere play (one offs with movie feel and stakes to go with it) and solo play. There’s even a note about discrimination and bigotry in the game and how the theme of the game should be about overcoming hatred and not succumbing to it.
Chapter 2 is a rules primer to give a feel for how the game works.
Now to the real meat of the game Chapter 3: The Great Apes. Chimps, Gorillas, and Orangutans are discussed in depth as are some others that didn’t make it like baboons, monkeys, and bonobos. Ape government is in there, as is information about the Sacred Scrolls and the Quota System. There are 12 archetypes one can choose from, including: Ape Journalist, Ape Scientist, Philosopher Ape, and Service Ape.
Chapter 4 is about The Beast, Man. They differentiate between Tribal Humans and Astro-nauts (a play on the word as in how one of the Apes would pronounce it). This chapter and the previous are written from an Ape’s perspective, so one can expect certain…biases. As a side note, throughout the book are scattered lines of dialogue from the movies. If one wants to play as a tribal human, they are unable to talk without someone (ape or astro-naut) to teach them. They do break down nicely the “ecology” of the tribal human and the “ecology” of the astro-naut so it can be easier to play the respective type. There are 8 archetypes to be played, 4 for tribal humans and 4 for astro-nauts.
Chapter 5 is Children of the Bomb (like I said, they went all-out and inclusive in this). This chapter is not written from an ape perspective as few mutants have been seen by Apes so little is actually known. We get a breakdown of the government system and religion, the differences between Mutants and Underdwellers, and other necessary information. There are only 4 archetypes available, 3 of which have psionic powers which is also explained in the chapter. There’s even a blurb about The Makers and their role. Psionic powers come in the form of: Divination, Transmogrification, Manipulation, and a handful of melding of the 3.
Chapter 6 is about character creation and even a short solo adventure one can play to get a handle on the rules.
Chapter 7 is combat and recovery. It covers the combat sequence, defenses, healing, and mental trauma. Pretty standard stuff.
Chapter 8 is Mandemus’ armory, describing a wide array of weaponry.
Chapter 9 covers vehicles of all kinds that can be found across the many timelines from in the past (modern times) to the future (present timeline of the movies).
Chapter 10 is the all important chapter about running the game. It covers all environments found and any effects that could happen.
Chapter 11 goes more in-depth about the world. Ape City, the Provinces, The Forbidden Zone, and many others, as well as various NPCs one may come across.
Chapter 12 is all about adventures. It includes an introductory adventure, campaign hooks, adventure hooks, and tools to make your own adventure.
This is going to be a blast to play, if you’re into the subject matter.
Actual play: https://youtu.be/qTMrOSaHT7g?si=ZQeLXfl8y2AkclMu
UpDaTe: You can go here for pre-orders: www.planetoftheapesRPG.com May have to copy and paste, may not.