thumb|right|Original game box, 1988

Dark Future is a post-apocalyptic miniatures wargame published by Games Workshop in 1988.

Description

Dark Future is a Mad Max-like game of vehicular combat set in an alternate world. Krokodil Tears (1990), and Comeback Tour (1991). Reissues were published by Boxtree Ltd in 1993, and were followed by Dark Future: Route 666 (1994), a novel expanded from Newman's story in the anthology of the same name. From 2005–2007, Black Flame published a number of new novels as well as republishing some of the original GW and Boxtree books. The timeline of the original Demon Download Cycle was updated from the 1990s to the 2020s.

In May 2019, a video game adaptation, Dark Future: Blood Red States, was released. According to the review aggregate website Metacritic, it received "generally favorable reviews".

Reception

In the September 1989 edition of Dragon (Issue 149), Jim Bambra admired the physical components of the game, which he called "impressive." He concluded, "gamers looking for a fast-playing game of highway combat will find the Dark Future game worthy of recommendation."

In the April–May 1990 edition of Challenge (#43), John Theisen liked the simple game mechanics and the high-quality game components. But, considering the very high price of the game ($48 in 1990), he was disappointed "by a lack of versatility in design. There are only three types of vehicle and only 16 types of weapon." He pointed out that more vehicles and weapons were available in the White Line Fever supplement, but said, "as a customer, I'd be pretty perturbed to find myself shelling out 48 bucks only to find out that I need to spend another $16(!) to get what should have been included in the first place." Theisen concluded, "All in all, Dark Future is a good game — but not a great one."

In the February–March 1989 edition of Games, Matthew Costello called it "fast-paced, straight-forward in its Mad Max confrontations. And I hope that all of this automotive mayhem is therapeutic. Because it certainly is fun".

Reviews

Game reviews

  • Casus Belli #48
  • Computer and Video Games

Fiction reviews

Demon Download

  • Simon Ings

Krokodil Tears

  • Simon Ings
  • Buzzsprout

Rules expansions and scenarios

White Dwarf

  • 100: "Highway Warriors!" - preview
  • 102: Preview
  • 103: "Illuminations" - Review of Carl Critchlow, Thrud the Barbarian and Dark Future Artist.
  • 104: "Redd Harvest" - Scenario
  • 105: "Street Fighter" - Rules for extra-vehicular combat
  • 106: "A Day at the Races" - New car types and equipment for racers.
  • 107: "White Line Fever": Advanced Manoeuvres, and rules for Trikes and motorcycle combinations
  • 108: "White Line Fever": Advanced Shooting
  • 110: "Tournament Rules" - Simplified rules for quick play
  • 112: "St. Louis Blues" - Scenario
  • 124: Dead Man's Curve, part 1 - Advanced rules for campaigns, weather, darkness, psychosis, salvage, experience
  • 125: Dead Man's Curve, part 2 - More advanced rules for success, fame, recruitment, cybernetics, hacking and gamemasters.

Challenge

  • 52: "Sand Cats" - Scenario

Dark Future fiction

Anthologies

  • Route 666 (short story anthology), edited by David Pringle, GW (1990)

Demon Download Cycle

  • Demon Download by Kim Newman/Jack Yeovil, GW (1990); Boxtree Ltd (1993); Black Flame (2005)
  • Comeback Tour by Kim Newman/Jack Yeovil, GW (1991); – Based on the story "Kid Zero and Snake Eyes" in the anthology Route 666.
  • Dark Future: Route 666 by Kim Newman (writing as Jack Yeovil), GW (1993); Black Flame (2006) – A novel expanded from the short story "Route 666", originally published in GW's anthology of the same name.

Black Flame revival

  • Golgotha Run by Dave Stone, Black Flame (2005)
  • American Meat by Stuart Moore,Black Flame (2005)
  • Jade Dragon by James Swallow, Black Flame (2006)
  • Reality Bites by Stuart Moore, Black Flame (October 2006, )

Unpublished novels

A final book, United States Calvary, was promised in Comeback Tour (2007) but was never produced. A finished manuscript for a novel titled Violent Tendency by Eugene Byrne was lost when the writer's computer crashed.

See also

  • Battlecars, an earlier battling car game by Games Workshop.
  • Car Wars, created by Steve Jackson Games in 1980.

References

  • Electronic journal providing support for Dark Future
  • Dark Future: Blood Red States is a modern reboot of the classic Mad Max-inspired boardgame
  • Official Site - DarkFuture.Info (Auroch Digital under licence from Games Workshop)