Update #19: Freedom's Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose
1 day ago
– Fri, Jun 05, 2026 at 08:46:30 AM
Hey Degenerates,
When I last rapped at ya, I was in the process of quitting my Federal job to escape regulations preventing me from the international shipping and recieving I need to do as an independent game publisher.
My last day on the job was one week ago, and I'm here to tell you, I'm glad to be done with all that stress. Having time to sleep and take care of all of my appointments without juggling leave is also nice. We are gradually getting back up to speed on Wasteland Degenerates core book. I've discussed moving ahead with some international shipments with my partners, and Matthew estimates that we are over three-quarters complete with the core book.
Speaking of which, I wanted to highlight a couple of spreads. We are re-using a fair amount of art and layout from the Jumper Cable Edition released last year, but honestly we simply did not have the pagecount to give full spreads to some of the more interesting concepts and game mechanics. In particular, we had to squeeze CosmOS Interfaces and Mutations (the Wasteland Degenerates answers to Apps and Nano Powers from Cy_Borg) onto one page each. The expanded spreads have a lot more going for them:
I love this spread so much. The retro-futuristic vibe of a GameBoy that can reset time really appeals to me. And here we have Mutations, now with real art!
Matthew said he chose the spider leg mutation because OF COURSE HE DID. It is one of the cooler ones, though I sorta want to see his take on the Darkling Twin. We'll put a pin in that for later.
It's not all refurbishing old spreads, though. I'm pretty excited to debut the Sidekicks spread!
This isn't quite the final draft (still trying to fit all of the vicar's info, so ignore that for now), but I wanted to share it anyway because I always loved that weird spread in the Mork Borg core book where you just had four weirdos that could help the party for whatever reason. Now GMs have an easy source for hitchhikers as the PCs drive those lonesome wasteland roads.
FLAIL TO THE WASTELAND
Finally, I wanted to give a shout-out to my awesome podcast friends over at FLAIL TO THE FACE! They have been playing my Wasteland Degenerates starter adventure, Reaver's Rhapsody, and it sounds like they're absolutely having a complete blast doing it! They just released the fourth of their Wasteland Degenerates episodes, Full Yellow Jacket, but if you want to rewind to the first of their wasteland adventures, you can start with Hot Wheels! Check it out!
Well, that's all I have for you today. I have to thank you again for your patience as I sorted out my job situation. I want you to know that we are actively working on the final product, and it is my #1 priority.
Catch you in the Wasteland, folks.
Update #18: Cataclysmic Decisions
about 1 month ago
– Sun, Apr 26, 2026 at 08:28:12 AM
Hey Degenerates,
I've mentioned in the past that the delay in publishing the Wasteland Degenerates hardcover is because of Federal regulations related to my job (that I didn't know about when I took the job nine years ago). Since learning about it, I've been trying to find a new job, but let's just say that current conditions in the United States are... unfavorable... to people in my field.
I've come to the difficult decision to go with my passionate love of game design, and leave my official position in the near future. It's a leap of faith, but I am ready to make it. Others in the industry have done the same thing, and most of them haven't been eaten by two-headed basilisks.
The long and the short of it is that I don't know exactly when the book will release, but it CAN release, and soon.
That said,
Cataclysms Go!
Here's a preview of a spread that you'll probably see a lot of during the game. Like the 'Borgs, each day that dawns in the infested wasteland requires a die roll, and on a "1," something happens. UNLIKE the other 'Borgs, what transpires is not so much a herald of destruction, but apocalypse playing out in real-time... the world is already dead, after all; these are just the throes of mortification.
There are a total of six cataclysms, and any one of them could end life on earth. Some are slow and painful... like starvation, but other ends are mercifully swift, if not painless.
Each cataclysm has six stages, with the early events being fairly innocuous but the final event being, well, final. I imagine that some campaigns will have multiple cataclysms racing to see which will be the one to punch the Earth's ticket.
I look forward to hearing how your campaigns end!
You Want Lore? I've Got Your Lore Right Here!
Note that this is not a final page, but it's pretty close. Engel Eisen is the asshole billionare whose narcissistic pursuit of power beyond what is permissible by physics started the planet on its downward trajectory. He isn't a figure that shows up in adventures to taunt adventurers or who has a stat block; he's just a guy who has more money, ego, and technology than sense.
The sidebar is related to Radiological Algorithm-Deterministic Boolean Organisms... or RADBORGs for those that like acronyms. These are android laborers that come in a variety of specializations. Most are mindless servants, but some, like the new PC class, Unleashed Sapience, have cracked their deterministic programing and become people in their own right. They start with RAD-Implants (as seen in the Jumper Cable Edition) and could explode in radioactive flames if destroyed.
Anyway, that's all I have for today. Thanks to everyone who is still with me after all the delays. I promise that I will make this worth your time!
Scott C. McDonald
Update #17: The Wasteland that was my Expectation
3 months ago
– Tue, Mar 03, 2026 at 06:50:43 PM
Hey Degenerates.
I know my updates have been few and far between lately, and that's on me. I meant to get this out on Sunday, but I got sick enough that all I could do was sleep and play Mewgenics (aka the Mork Borg of cat breeding simulators) for like two days.
Real talk for a second: Living in Minneapolis as a civil servant during the last few months has been... difficult to say the least. It is hard to concentrate on creative endeavors when the entire community is on edge due to a massive influx of Federal "law enforcement." I did what I could for people and avoided getting shot.
I'm not going to lie; between that, trying to find a new job, and family obligations, Wasteland Degenerates suffered. Since I am not an artist, I also have to abide by the availability of my art and layout person, and, judging by his last CHAINSAW update, I can't blame him for wanting to prioritize his sick kid a bit.
That said, I got some of my responsibilities resolved, and Matthew and I talked over the weekend: we will be cranking out more content more quickly now; we owe it to you.
It's pretty clear we aren't releasing "First quarter, 2026), but I will not give a new expected date, because I now realize I simply do not control when this gets done. When I announced the original date of August 2025, it was under the expectation that work would proceed at the same rate that it would for the Jumper Cable Edition; clearly 2025 laughed at my naive planning.
All that said, I won't be caught slipping again. I'll keep you in the loop, and stay on my artists to get things resolved once and for all.
The heavy stuff aside, here's some more art.
Going Postal
Consistently one of people's favorite aspects of Wasteland Degenerates has been the Postalist religion. What started as a joke about a terrible Kevin Costner movie made from an excellent David Brin novel became a fundamental aspect of the Wasteland's precarious political balance: the Post Office betrayed the Federal Remnant and now they war over the last remaining resources.
True to its Borg roots, there are no good guys in the Wasteland, but few icons fill degenerates with more mixed feelings than a Postalist Deliverance Truck; they could rip your arm off seconds after selling you stamps.
Next update will include the Gas Hogs faction, which is featured in Reaver's Rhapsody, which you all SHOULD have in your email boxes. If you don't, reach out (or just download it for free from my Itch page).
And again, I just wanted to thank you all for your patience. I promise you we will get there.
Scott
Update #16: Reaver's Rhapsody (Belated)!
6 months ago
– Tue, Dec 16, 2025 at 07:39:57 AM
Hey Degenerates,
Been awhile since I rapped at ya, and I apologize for that. Life just keeps on lifin', and I got caught up in health issues, the U.S. government shutdown, and scheduling.
That said, I'm pleased to announce that everyone who backed should be getting a digital copy of both the Wasteland Degenerates Jumper Cable Edition and a sneak peek at the introductory adventure, Reaver's Rhapsody, in their email today!
The adventure was modeled on classics like Rotblack Sludge and Lucky Flight Takedown, with multiple ways of completing the mission. Please come to our discord and report on your adventures!
Tunguska recommends that you not fail the Gas King.
More to come as we rampage towards completion of the Kickstarter rewards!
Oh, and some folks were asking about the Wasteland Degenerates Third Party License, so you can make your own content for the Wasteland. I'll work on getting it put up on the website, but here is the text in full:
1.
If you adhere to these terms you are allowed to publish free or commercial material based upon and/or declaring compatibility with WASTELAND DEGENERATES without express permission from either Scott C. McDonald or a presiding officer of Wasteland Degenerates LLC.
2.
Art and text from our books may not be reused or translated, unless you have our explicit permission. You can use the names of creatures, locations, characters, cataclysms, and organizations of the game world. You are free to use maps found in the core WASTELAND DEGENERATES rulebook and organizational iconography for the factions.
3.
The mechanics and game rules of WASTELAND DEGENERATES may be reused and referenced freely.
4.
Your product cannot claim to be affiliated with Wasteland Degenerates LLC or Scott C. McDonald or use the WASTELAND DEGENERATES logo unless you have our explicit permission.
5.
You’re not allowed to give the impression that this is an official WASTELAND DEGENERATES product or that we endorse or sponsor you in any way unless we’ve made special arrangements with you.
6.
You are allowed and encouraged (but not required) to use the WASTELAND DEGENERATES compatibility logo.
7.
Neither Scott C. McDonald nor Wasteland Degenerates LLC take responsibility for any legal claims against your product.
8.
Any legal disputes, controversies or claims related to this license shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Minnesota and the nation of the United States of America, and will be adjudicated in the State of Minnesota.
9.
The following text must be included in the legal text, somewhere visible in the publication, and on the website or storefront where you promote the product:
[Product name] is an independent production by [Author or Publisher] and is not affiliated with Scott C. McDonald or Wasteland Degenerates LLC. It is published under the WASTELAND DEGENERATES Third Party License.
10.
This copyright text must be legibly included somewhere in the product and on the storefront:
WASTELAND DEGENERATES is copyright Scott C. McDonald and Wasteland Degenerates LLC.
Okay, that is all for now. Matthew and I are back to the content mines, extracting that content. Stay safe out there!
Scott
Update #15: Evidence of Progress!
9 months ago
– Sun, Sep 14, 2025 at 09:22:24 PM
Hey Degenerates,
I know this update is overdue, but I wanted to work some things out with Matthew before we reached out again.
New Class!
First things first, you guys are owed some content, so here's the Genetic Desperado, one of the two bonus classes in the hardcover edition of Wasteland Degenerates! (note this is not final artwork... the writing is finished, however!)
I had some bad writer's block while working on the Rad City Music Brawl stretch goal bonus zine, but I'm happy to say that the resolution hit me like a meteorite infected with space fungus and I'm back to writing regularly. This one is going to be hilarious and fun, and I expect to hear a lot of wacky rock & roll adventures when it finally comes out.
Fulfillment Expected First Quarter 2026
No, you haven't missed shipping. I know, the original Kickstarter said August 2025, and in an ideal world without global shipping chaos and domestic American job market chaos, I might have been able to make that deadline. But we live in a world with both of those things; both Matthew and myself have obligations and requirements that we really could not have imagined at the start of all this.
You guys have been patient and very cool about all this so far, so I'm going to ask for further patience. In the meantime...
Reaver's Rhapsody Intro Adventure Expected Soon!
My next update will be to release the Reaver's Rhapsody introductory adventure packet through BackerKit. I know an official Wasteland Degenerates adventure in the style of Rotback Sludge is long overdue, but everyone who backed any level of the Kickstarter will receive a free download of the adventure. Heck, let's also say that folks who backed last year's BackerKit campaign for the Jumper Cable Edition will also get it. Why not?
Shout Outs!
Rustborn Bastards
I mentionedRustborn Bastards last time, but the project has now launched, and I definitely wanted to get people's eyeballs on the Wasteland Degenerates Expanded Universe! This is looking really great, a mix of Cy_Borg, Wasteland Degenerates, and Water World. Go check it out and then tell me you don't want Wasteland Degenerates, But Boats.
Torque Borg
Speaking of the Wasteland Degenerates Expanded Universe, I wanted to let you know that you can now bookmark Torque Borg, which is launching October 7th. I categorically reject any suggestion that there isn't room for more than one Mad Max-inspired installment in the borgosphere; after my conversations with the author, our vehicle systems, while compatible, are different enough to justify separate projects... being able to mix and match is one of the strengths of 'borgs!
Elementalysm
Finally, Elementalysm is a really beautiful-looking Mork Borg-compatible project that seems to have slipped under folks' radar. There's still a week left to get in on this gorgeous and unusual project that gives me Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes. Here it is, just in case that would scratch an itch you might have.
Aside from those three, I'm also looking forward toRagnaBorg (Matthew's working on it!) and I've of course already pledged for Zac Goins's Raptor Ruckus.
Anyway, that's all for now. Looking forward to getting back to work! See you later!
