Anarchopunk 2020

Anarchopunk 2020 is a modern punk rpg about opposing states and other hostile systems. It wears the loose-fitting clothing of a satire (directed at a certain other property,) but it's notably deeper than that, and it has concepts and mechanics that stand firmly on their own.

The PDF is 28 pages, with solid layout and clear writing, plus some well-placed and extremely well-edited art.

Mechanically, Anarchopunk has an unusual and flavorful game loop. Any time a PC does something punkish, they gain heat. When a PC gains heat, the GM can use that heat to attack them. The more heat they've accumulated, the harder the attack. Essentially, this simulates how states respond to resistance.

Heat can be lowered, which reduces the GM's ability to unilaterally take PCs off the board, but heat can also be used in a gamble to make PCs more effective or to weaken the GM's hold on the story. To put it another way, getting the state's attention and using that attention to highlight the flaws and overreach of the state is how the game frames the path to winning.

Setting-wise, Anarchopunk expects to be set present day, present time, but there isn't anything in the game specifically anchoring it to that. You can use this to tell stories about friction between communities and states, regardless of whether they're real or not. The only requirement is that you use punk themes at the core of your setting, not punk trappings on a game that's otherwise about the agents of the state.

Probably the strongest and most refreshing element in Anarchopunk is that it frames the rules of the game as the enemy. The GM is the system. The system is given advice on how to beat the players. There's a small bonus buried in the book for players who ignore the rules.

The element that felt flattest to me was Anarchopunk's theme of music. The PCs are, by default, in a band, and I had a hard time not seeing this as a silly beat conflicting with the rest of the game's more serious tone. Still, if you'd prefer a more light-hearted game, there's definitely room to do that as well within Anarchopunk's framework, and the inclusion of music gives the system some versatility.

GM-wise, solid advice on how to run Anarchopunk is scattered throughout. Safety tools are provided, as are the basic precautions that you put in a game if you think someone might try to use it in bad faith.

Overall, if you've bypassed this because the idea of running a modern day punk game feels too realistic or too bleak, that's fair and I completely understand. However, there's really cool mechanical design in here, and the game has a much wider range than I was expecting. I think it's worth a look.

Minor Issues:

-Page 16, Cops, "It's time shit" it's time to shit