Three Things to Know If It’s For You:
- Ashes Without Number uses a hex-crawl exploration system that procedurally generates adventure sites, settlements, and encounters – eliminating those hours of world prep that keep many players from playing.
- The game’s sandbox design means player decisions shape the narrative – there’s no predetermined story to follow.
- Ashes Without Number features cross-compatibility with other “Without Number” games (Stars, Worlds, Cities), which expands content possibilities across genres.
Look around the forums, and you’ll likely find more than a few prominent voices praising Sine Nomine Publishing’s Ashes Without Number.
This indie tabletop RPG brings hex-based exploration and sandbox mechanics to the post-apocalyptic genre, and so far, the reception has been huge.
While we’re no strangers to the Without Number series, Ashes brings some impressive modular GM tools that make campaign setup and management simple while sticking to its OSR roots.
So, is Ashes Without Number worth the hype? Is it just another Fallout-like experience? Let’s dig in (and fair warning – you might not survive the wasteland!)
Want to experience the wasteland for yourself? Pick up Ashes Without Number on DriveThruRPG today and start building your own story in the Without Number universe!
What Makes Ashes Without Number Stand Out?
At its core, Ashes is a post-apocalyptic sandbox RPG that puts world-building power right in the GM’s hands.
While many games in this genre drop players into a specific flavor of doom (think nuclear winter, zombies, etc.,) the Ashes system gives you a comprehensive toolkit for building nearly any scenario you can imagine.
Want to combine radioactive wastelands with a bit of eldritch horror? Have at it.
The game runs on a familiar d20 and 2d6 system that many OSR veterans will immediately recognize, but newcomers to the game won’t find the rules overwhelming – a staple of classic OSR games.
Character creation is easy, and the classes and abilities in the game favor creativity over complexity. Whether you’re a mutant scavenger or a wasteland warrior, the system supports all kinds of build types easily.
The Mutation System
One of the most unique features of Ashes is the mutation system. This goes beyond simple “roll for superpower” mechanics and introduces beneficial and detrimental mutations to gameplay.
For instance, you might gain the ability to teleport short distances, but find that you become more vulnerable to radiation. The mutations are both stat modifiers as well as story hooks that give your character more flavor.
While some players love the mutation system, others find that it’s a bit too random for their taste. But the modular nature of the game means groups can enjoy as little or as much of the mutation system as they like in any given campaign.
Survival Meets Combat
Ashes Without Number does a great job of balancing survival in the wasteland with combat. The game has an impressively large system for disease, starvation, trauma, and resource scarcity that keeps each action perilous.
The scrap technology and salvage rules deserve special mention in Ashes. Instead of endless lists of pre-defined gear to choose from, the system gives players guidelines for how to cobble together their own equipment from what they find across the ruins of civilization – if you’ve got the skills for it.
This injects some fun creativity into the mix. Because who doesn’t want to wield a weapon made of a broken microwave and a car battery?
GM Tools Players Love
One of the top highlights of Ashes Without Number is the GM support materials the game offers.
The faction system allows players to track competing groups vying for wasteland control, each with their own goals and set of resources. Random generation tables cover everything from ruined cities to mutant regions, and the hex system means you can set up a unique scenario in no time.
The game’s sandbox tools create a system-neutral environment, so you can really create to your heart’s content and feel like you’ve created something truly unique.
Many GMs say that using Ashes Without Number’s world-building resources enhances their Fallout, Gamma World, and other (even non-apocalyptic) campaigns.
Tips for Getting Started with Ashes Without Number
Whether its your first foray into the apocalypse or you’re a wasteland veteran, a few tips can go a long way to creating a great campaign. Here are some of our top tips for getting started with Ashes:
Start Small & Build As You Go
Many GMs feel the pressure to build out the entire world before the first session. But you may find it easier to start out with a single settlement and the surrounding hexes. You can then let the world grow organically through play.
Embrace the Random
Ashes is famous (and somewhat infamous) for the degree of randomness the game employs. But you have the freedom to dial up or down the randomness as you see fit.
But don’t shy away from it! You’ll find that embracing the random can lead to some surprising moments that no one at the table could have planned.
Mix and Match Systems
Ashes has a modular design that allows you to mix and match systems to meet your table’s comfort level with the play. You might find that newer groups want to skip the detailed survival rules initially, and then add them once everyone’s comfortable with the basics.
Cross-Genre Potential
The best part? If you own other Without Number games, you can get creative and blend genres fairly easily. You could throw in an unexpected portal in the wasteland that leads to a fantasy realm (Worlds Without Number) or stumble upon a fully-functioning starship (Stars Without Number).
Use the Free Version
Like many of the other Sine Nomine games, Ashes Without Number does have a free version with near-complete rules. You can purchase the deluxe edition for extra content like techno-wizards and expanded faction rules, but it’s easy to run full campaigns with the free PDF.
Take Your First Step Into The Wasteland Today!
Ashes Without Number is seeing great reviews for a few key reasons: it respects both player agency and leans into the fun of GM creativity.
We’ve seen a lot of shift toward narrative-driven games, as well as a return to some of the fun of OSR gaming, and Ashes fits that slot nicely.
So, what story will you write in the wasteland? You can grab the game on DriveThruRPG now – both the free and deluxe editions. So start building your own wasteland story in the Without Number universe today!
