What do you think?
Rate this book
The Last Caravan
The Last Caravan is a cars and aliens tabletop roleplaying game for 2-6 players about a midwinter road trip in the wake of an alien invasion. You’ll explore landscapes transformed by xenoflora, search abandoned towns and crashed spaceships, discover the otherworldly technology called Harmonics, negotiate with newly- formed factions both human and alien, outrun hostile pursuers, and fight for the future of your world. Your story is about normal people finding heroism under extraordinary pressures. It’s about relationships tested by a crisis, and rediscovering what matters when the world is ending. Your people need you. Will you join the caravan?
208 pages, Hardcover
Published August 23, 2024
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 11, 2025
This is a beautiful hardcover digest sized RPG with a purple ribbon bookmark and a fascinating premise.
Sure, it sounds like something I’d be a sucker for. But not until the great price.
”The Last Caravan is a cars and aliens roleplaying game about a midwinter road trip in the wake of an alien invasion.”
Don’t judge me.
Inside it says it is a ‘cooperative storytelling game’ which would have turned me away had that been on the cover. Which is it? A roleplaying game or a storytelling game?
The introduction gives the usual list of ‘inspirations’ none of which has anything to do with the other (Little Miss Sunshine and Arrival?!).
You get into the game in part one starting on page 10. Six-sided dice (always a good sign). They call the GM “Atlas” as in Rand McNally. The players are Travelers and the classes are Bandage (doctor), Bruiser (fighter), Lookout (hunter/scout), Stargazer (scientist), Talker (negotiator), Wrench (mechanic), Innocent (inspiring person?), Good Boi (dog).
The only set information is that you are survivors of a Two Months War and you need to go west.
The Caravan type is an interesting choice that I can see having a major impact on the roleplaying. You can choose Kin (family), Brains (scientists) and Vets (fighters). Traveling together you are assumed to have some kind of relationship with each other.
Unless you have more than five players you start with a Car that has 2 fuel, 2 supply and 3 cons.
There are 8 skills/talents (they call them Gambits). Be the Boss, Fight Under Pressure, Lie & Trick, Sneak Around, Do Science, Drive a Car, Harmonize with Alien Stuff, Rig & Repair Stuff, Search & Survey, Take Aim, and Talk It Out.
You also have a disadvantage (Inadequacy). Regret, Recklessness, Fear, Detachment and Blame.
Reading the detailed class descriptions, it seems each one starts with 6 special abilities and 4 gambits. So this is not a zero to hero type game. You start out pretty capable.
The Lookout starts with a Buddy which is a pet that helps him scout. Another dog? A squirrel? A falcon? A trained gecko? The dog gains experience from cuddling!
“The Engine“
As expected the games core mechanic is a dice pool. The lazy game designers best friend.
”Gambits” are what they call skill rolls. Heroism is a bonus die that can be applied to rolls.
Failing a gambit gives you either Harm (damage), Drawbacks (a disadvantage of some type) or a Clock Tick on either a 'Slow Project' or an 'Aliens Get You' Type of clock. The clock is an abstract way of measuring time for those gamers that are incapable of using a real clock.
Now that the aliens have been explained they are…. Okay I guess.
One alien had been here already for 20 years and helped build a sea wall around San Francisco to protect against his own people’s invasion cause he fell in love with earth.
Their world was dying so they came to earth, not realizing it could fight back. So they didn’t win outright.
They had already enslaved giant crab people on their own planet and brought them to earth to cause terror and destruction. Some rebelled.
One of the aliens wants to sue for peace. There are also shape-shifting assassins that seem to have won, but…
So there are three human factions and three alien factions working for and against the humans with which the caravan and interact with.
Of course, the game reduces these conflicts to dice pool vs dice pool, most rolled successes win. Woo. Exciting.
The bug aliens in Palladiums 'System Failure' have more depth and are more interesting.
A large human faction is in San Francisco - already an odd choice - and one of their assets is a big Sea Wall to prevent flooding. Really? Humanity will be protected by a big wall?
There are also three alien factions. The militaristic, the peaceful and the ‘just leave us alone’. Again, just not that compelling.
The NPC presents 10 different examples, but strangely because the equipment list for each of them is the largest stat-block it cant help but give the feeling that they were made to be mugged.
There are 8 alien creatures and I’ll be damned if they aren’t straight up D&D monsters. Not like copies of, but like the same flavor and would be unmentionable in any OSR product. And if you want to know the meaning of a Long Serrated Tongue, you’re on your own.
”Alien Artifacts and Items” describes 10 items of various utility including translators, a sonic screwdriver like device, telekinetic glove, plant grower, and no real weapons.
”Alien Vehicles” describes the good and bad features alien vehicles might have. There are five vehicles described that are pretty interesting air, water and ground capable.
”The Song of Aern” is all about the aliens. Honestly there is nothing new here that hasn’t been mentioned in the book before and as far as details on their ‘Harmonic/Song’ powers - there are none.
”Regions” divides the United States into 23 regions ‘with its own adventure connecting to the larger invasion story’. There’s a pretty awesome map with hand drawn notations on it. My home, California (you’d never guess would you) is divided into “The Republic of Saint Francis” and “Angeles Catdos” with areas marked “Slum Zone” and “Active Fighting!! Be careful!” Honestly I could write a campaign myself based on this.
The next 30 pages give rough outlines of each of the named regions (often states) and suggestions on possible events or directions that could occur there and some of the rewards that could result from being there.
It is by no means ‘plot-point’ campaign, but it does give enough of a variety to suggest that there could be some interesting adventures happening. This elevates the project far above the usual for this type of product.
There is also a chapter called MacGuffins which gives some advice on how to run the campaign. Very helpful.
There is no question that the Regions sections convinced me that this game could actually be played - and maybe actually has been. There’s enough good ideas that I could run with. The system isn’t great but there just might be more to keep than to throw away.
The book itself is beautiful - though I’ve seen a lot of beautiful books with dumb ideas in them. But this one has a lot of potential.
It’s not a perfect game, but it’s enough of a real game - a real RPG - that I have to give it 5 stars. If all you need are a few house rules and some scenario design, that’s as good an RPG as any other out there. And I think this is close to that.
That said who it would appeal to is an open question. It certainly appeals to me - but most RPG players I know are violence lovers more than challenge lovers. I can see making it a really interesting RPG for those who could get into it. I definitely recommend taking a look at this.
If there were a TV show based on this concept, i would watch it. But then, hell, I watched all of “Falling Skies”.
Sure, it sounds like something I’d be a sucker for. But not until the great price.
”The Last Caravan is a cars and aliens roleplaying game about a midwinter road trip in the wake of an alien invasion.”
Don’t judge me.
Inside it says it is a ‘cooperative storytelling game’ which would have turned me away had that been on the cover. Which is it? A roleplaying game or a storytelling game?
The introduction gives the usual list of ‘inspirations’ none of which has anything to do with the other (Little Miss Sunshine and Arrival?!).
You get into the game in part one starting on page 10. Six-sided dice (always a good sign). They call the GM “Atlas” as in Rand McNally. The players are Travelers and the classes are Bandage (doctor), Bruiser (fighter), Lookout (hunter/scout), Stargazer (scientist), Talker (negotiator), Wrench (mechanic), Innocent (inspiring person?), Good Boi (dog).
The only set information is that you are survivors of a Two Months War and you need to go west.
The Caravan type is an interesting choice that I can see having a major impact on the roleplaying. You can choose Kin (family), Brains (scientists) and Vets (fighters). Traveling together you are assumed to have some kind of relationship with each other.
Unless you have more than five players you start with a Car that has 2 fuel, 2 supply and 3 cons.
There are 8 skills/talents (they call them Gambits). Be the Boss, Fight Under Pressure, Lie & Trick, Sneak Around, Do Science, Drive a Car, Harmonize with Alien Stuff, Rig & Repair Stuff, Search & Survey, Take Aim, and Talk It Out.
You also have a disadvantage (Inadequacy). Regret, Recklessness, Fear, Detachment and Blame.
Reading the detailed class descriptions, it seems each one starts with 6 special abilities and 4 gambits. So this is not a zero to hero type game. You start out pretty capable.
The Lookout starts with a Buddy which is a pet that helps him scout. Another dog? A squirrel? A falcon? A trained gecko? The dog gains experience from cuddling!
“The Engine“
As expected the games core mechanic is a dice pool. The lazy game designers best friend.
”Gambits” are what they call skill rolls. Heroism is a bonus die that can be applied to rolls.
Failing a gambit gives you either Harm (damage), Drawbacks (a disadvantage of some type) or a Clock Tick on either a 'Slow Project' or an 'Aliens Get You' Type of clock. The clock is an abstract way of measuring time for those gamers that are incapable of using a real clock.
Now that the aliens have been explained they are…. Okay I guess.
One alien had been here already for 20 years and helped build a sea wall around San Francisco to protect against his own people’s invasion cause he fell in love with earth.
Their world was dying so they came to earth, not realizing it could fight back. So they didn’t win outright.
They had already enslaved giant crab people on their own planet and brought them to earth to cause terror and destruction. Some rebelled.
One of the aliens wants to sue for peace. There are also shape-shifting assassins that seem to have won, but…
So there are three human factions and three alien factions working for and against the humans with which the caravan and interact with.
Of course, the game reduces these conflicts to dice pool vs dice pool, most rolled successes win. Woo. Exciting.
The bug aliens in Palladiums 'System Failure' have more depth and are more interesting.
A large human faction is in San Francisco - already an odd choice - and one of their assets is a big Sea Wall to prevent flooding. Really? Humanity will be protected by a big wall?
There are also three alien factions. The militaristic, the peaceful and the ‘just leave us alone’. Again, just not that compelling.
The NPC presents 10 different examples, but strangely because the equipment list for each of them is the largest stat-block it cant help but give the feeling that they were made to be mugged.
There are 8 alien creatures and I’ll be damned if they aren’t straight up D&D monsters. Not like copies of, but like the same flavor and would be unmentionable in any OSR product. And if you want to know the meaning of a Long Serrated Tongue, you’re on your own.
”Alien Artifacts and Items” describes 10 items of various utility including translators, a sonic screwdriver like device, telekinetic glove, plant grower, and no real weapons.
”Alien Vehicles” describes the good and bad features alien vehicles might have. There are five vehicles described that are pretty interesting air, water and ground capable.
”The Song of Aern” is all about the aliens. Honestly there is nothing new here that hasn’t been mentioned in the book before and as far as details on their ‘Harmonic/Song’ powers - there are none.
”Regions” divides the United States into 23 regions ‘with its own adventure connecting to the larger invasion story’. There’s a pretty awesome map with hand drawn notations on it. My home, California (you’d never guess would you) is divided into “The Republic of Saint Francis” and “Angeles Catdos” with areas marked “Slum Zone” and “Active Fighting!! Be careful!” Honestly I could write a campaign myself based on this.
The next 30 pages give rough outlines of each of the named regions (often states) and suggestions on possible events or directions that could occur there and some of the rewards that could result from being there.
It is by no means ‘plot-point’ campaign, but it does give enough of a variety to suggest that there could be some interesting adventures happening. This elevates the project far above the usual for this type of product.
There is also a chapter called MacGuffins which gives some advice on how to run the campaign. Very helpful.
There is no question that the Regions sections convinced me that this game could actually be played - and maybe actually has been. There’s enough good ideas that I could run with. The system isn’t great but there just might be more to keep than to throw away.
The book itself is beautiful - though I’ve seen a lot of beautiful books with dumb ideas in them. But this one has a lot of potential.
It’s not a perfect game, but it’s enough of a real game - a real RPG - that I have to give it 5 stars. If all you need are a few house rules and some scenario design, that’s as good an RPG as any other out there. And I think this is close to that.
That said who it would appeal to is an open question. It certainly appeals to me - but most RPG players I know are violence lovers more than challenge lovers. I can see making it a really interesting RPG for those who could get into it. I definitely recommend taking a look at this.
If there were a TV show based on this concept, i would watch it. But then, hell, I watched all of “Falling Skies”.
Displaying 1 of 1 review