This year will see the launch of Privateer Press' new game Riot Quest, a hex-based arena skirmish game set in a possible, post-apocalyptic Iron Kingdoms. In a recent post, Privateer Press took a look back in time to exactly how this world got so messed up.

The story goes like this: The humans of the Iron Kingdoms

were granted full access to magic when their god Thanar struck a deal with the soul-claiming Infernal to help them fight back the enslaving Orgoth. They promptly did this, and then proceeded to use this magic to blow one another up too.

That was until the Infernals returned, hunting for that which was promised them.

The world of Riot Quest represents the timeline in which humanity and its allies fail to defeat the Infernals. They succeed in claiming two-thirds of humanity's souls, and make sure to kill and destroy any who stood against them for good measure.

Now, very few are left in this world. Which leaves its resources wide open to opportunistic treasure hunters!

We can expect to hear more on Riot Quest in the very near future as Privateer Press are gearing up for its pre-release at GenCon 2019, with a global release coming shortly after that.

Riot Quest's background is certainly an interesting one and it is very cool to see the post-apocalypse approach applied to a fantasy setting. The general style and theme reminds me a bit of a term sometimes applied to the Scarred Lands RPG, "Grimbright". This is where a setting fits with the usual grimdark tropes, but the atmosphere of the game is far more optimistic and cheerful than you might have thought.

Is this a game you are keen to learn more of?