Mutant: Undergångens Arvtagare

Mutant: Undergångens Arvtagare, also known as Mutant: UA, is a role-playing game re-release by Järnringen Förlag (formerly owned by the now defunct Target Games), if not an entirely new version, of the classic Swedish RPG Mutant. Mutant: UA uses a slightly slimmer rules version, and is set in the same, but heavily expanded, world.

Gameplay
A character typically belong to one of three classes. Non-mutated human, anthropomorphic mutated animal/human hybrids, psionic animal/human or robot. Each class features different available abilities. Humans typically have higher social status, contacts, old money and positions of power. Mutants have various abilities either related to their animal form (mutant cats might have night-visions, mutant sheep might be able to eat grass, mutant crows might fly) or something completely unrelated (intelligent horses that breath fire). Psionic abilities are powerful (becoming immaterial, slowing time, telepathy or killing with a touch) but very hard to control and use effectively. Robots always follow Asimov's three laws (not regarding mutants and psionics) and have access to built-in equipment such as tools, jetpacks, translating software, built-in weapons and air cushions. A robot also starts with light natural armour, and can take extreme amounts of damage.

Characters start as one of several loosely described professions, which decide their starting skills and cash. The skill system has been heavily slimmed since old Mutant, and now consist of a dozen broad skills such as Dodge, Acrobtics, Sciences, Technology (general understanding of how to screw a lightbulb or turn on a VCR), Medicine, Heavy Weapons and so on. Robots use a different form of occupation, allowing a robot to heavily specialised experts. A mechanic-type robot could buy perfect understanding in technical skills, but stay completely oblivious about how to climb a wall or play a game of cards.

Setting
The game is set entirely in post-apocalyptic Scandinavia, some centuries after a partly-forgotten Catastrophy. Mutated intelligent animals, human descendants to the Ancestors that survived in the huge underground Enclaves, old intelligent robots and psionics have to contend with each other and rebuild a new society under the Emperor of the Pyri Society. The world is at roughly 1800's level, with steam engines, human aristocrats, factories, smog-filled cities and remnant technological relics such as lasers and canned soup. Civilisation is coming back, but slowly. Vast areas outside the cities and surrounding farmland are wilderness, with strange and hazardous forbidden zones dotting the landscape.

Themes such as rascism (mutant/human, but also strong prejudices towards the undetectable and powerful psionics), bourgoise entrepeneurs, rebuilding and cargo cult movements around ancient technology. The game takes archetypes from diverse sources such as Mad Max, August Strindberg, spaghetti western, film noir, Astrid Lindgren, zombie splatter and survival horror. All set to the background of a Sweden that once was.

Publications
Järnringen begun publishing this version of Mutant in 2001, and has continued to 2008-2009. The print started with the core rules and a small printing of the classic starting adventure Vid Regnbågens Slut. As of 2008, there had been 16 other titles including the epic hardbound three-book campaign consisting of Pirit - Den Innersta Kretsen, Nordholmia - Kaiserns Testamente and Hindenburg - Min Älskade. Other titles have all been limited to the area around the Botnic sea, including books on Göborg, the independent democratic merchant city-state outside former Gothenburg, the city-state of Nowa Warsawa, several smaller settlements around the sea and Ulvriket, the military dictatorship in former Denmark. A pure detective novel, Blodsmak - Ett fall för Sennja Maller, has also been published.

The latest version, Mutant: Year Zero, is currently published by Fria Ligan/Free League and Modiphius (english edition).