This is the first of 2 addons I got for the game. It was also $49 during the Kickstarter. It’s another fat book at 312 pages. The short version is that this goes over the different timelines available to play in the game as well as key figures one could run into or are relevant during the times.
Chapter 1 is The Promise of a Better World and covers 1958 - 1973. It starts with a timeline going back to 1953 and has a blurb about the Cold War. ANSA is the military affiliate of NASA and stands for the American National Space Administration. We get information on events, legends, and rumors of the time like the Juno/Mars Mission and the Secession War in which Texas left the Union, as well as the Missing Apollo Missions. There are 3 “Promise” Era archetypes usable in addition to the specific Astro-naut archetypes from the Core Rules. They get into the politics of the era and some defense projects and locations (Area 51). Next is a list of the major players and their relevant stats. So Taylor, Dodge, and the rest as well as several others.
Chapter 2 is No Escape and covers 1973 - 1982. We’re in the “Chimps have landed” timeline. One key event/rumor is the body of the dead Chimpanzee Dr. Milo disappears from the morgue at one point with whereabouts unknown. New archetypes are available, which can be used in conjunction with the appropriate ones from the core book and the last chapter. There’s an update on politics for the time and new organizations that come to the front, like the Animal Exploitation Bureau, Fur and Feather Magazine, and McHanon and Nash Technology. Locations include Armando’s Sensational Circus, Kwan’s of Hollywood, and Marine Camp XI. A bunch of bios follow, as do vehicles and adventure ideas.
Chapter 3 is The Nature of Conquest (1983 - 1992). A lot going on in this chapter. So much it takes up 80 pages or so of the book. So much goes on in this span of time. So much goes right, and so much goes so horribly wrong. The intro to the chapter gives a history of the era, from the deaths of Zira and Cornelius to the rise of Caesar. They then sum it up nicely with the “Ape-o-naut Tapes,” a lightly redacted version of Cornelius’ and Zira’s conversation from Escape from the Planet of the Apes. Next is the more obligatory timeline. March 1983 is when the dogs and cats are wiped out. By November 1984 the US starts toward a Totalitarian Regime. 1988 the Authoritarian Party takes the election, and by 1989 major changes have happened. During a stretch between December 10 -15, 1991 global nuclear war happens. In January 1992 Caesar leads his allies (ape and human) into the wilderness. In the events, legends, and rumors section, more information is given on the virus that killed the dogs and cats. The start of Ape Management, evolving the apes so they can be ‘helpers’ to the humans, the fall to authoritarianism, trouble abroad, the night of the fires, and the mushroom clouds. There’s a quick blurb about playing in the era and some new archetypes. Chronologically speaking, this is the first era with ape archetypes. Apes cannot speak at creation (at this point), but can spend some XP as they acquire enough to go from babble to sound mimicry to full speaking ability. There’s also a lot going on with the politics and organizations. There’s the State Security Council, State Security Agency, American News Network (the state run propaganda, err, news network), The Watch, Human Labor Movement, and many more. In locations, we get a deep dive of Modern City and the agencies in its border. The also go into the Provinces and other locations of interest. The bio section goes over every major player of the era: Caesar, an updated bio on Armando, Governor Bruck, Malcolm McDonald, and a lot more. Also included (like previous chapters) are some fodder NPCs of many types. Equipment, vehicles, and nuclear weapons are next. Lastly is the adventure hook section.
On to chapter 4 Choose Your Battles (1993 - 2040). This gives us the Exodus of Caesar and his band of apes and humans from Modern City to the First Colony. There’s a blurb (spread over 2 parts and separate non-sequential pages) about Caesar’ Legacy. He becomes referred to as the Unknown Ape as opposed to the King of the Apes, when the Lawgivers struck him from the record in the 2700s. There are hints that he has descendants still. It is known that his grandson Alexander ruled Ape City with Virgil’s son Jacob (the first Lawgiver) as his aide and spiritual advisor. The timeline at points is spotty as some specific “history dates” are lost, with some sources saying the mutant attack on Ape City came in 2004, while others say it was 2020. What is known is the virus that destroyed the cats and dogs mutated due to radioactive fallout and accelerates apes’ learning abilities. It will mutate more over the next few centuries, affecting human intelligence. Eventually, the events of The Battle for the Planet of the Apes happen and in the wake of those events the Alpha/Omega bomb (the bomb used to destroy the planet <see the movie events earlier in the series>) is almost used. 20 years on from the Battle, a delegation from the Forbidden City meet with Caesar and others to discuss a peace treaty. An accord is reached, though 2 apes appear to lose their mind (go apeshit?) and an elderly Caesar and young Steven (now Mendez II) survive to rule their communities. There are several events, rumors, and legends during this time. More ape uprisings, new enemies and allies, and the schism between Caesar and Aldo. There are new archetypes, and all the archetypes (except Lawgiver, which doesn’t exist until the 2600s) are valid. Humans in this era would be servants of the Apes. Politics and organizations include the Mutants of the Forbidden City and the Aldonites among others. In locations, the main is the first Ape City, aka Caesar’s City, aka The Unknown City. The Forbidden Zone is discussed and is a colloquial designation between Ape City and the remnants of Modern City. The Zone is typically more irradiated than other areas, though it becomes less so over the millennia. The Forbidden City is discussed more as well. The bio section gives updates on some characters and introduces other. Barter is used at this point for acquiring goods. We get some new equipment and the obligatory game scenarios to get your session off the ground.
Chapter 5 What Lies Beneath (3958 - 3979), We’ve hit the timeline of the original Apes movie and first sequel. Interesting to note, the full timeline from when Liberty 1 crashes and the planet goes totally nuclear is about 67 days. Taylor and crew land November 25, 3978 and everything goes boom January 31, 3979. Other events of note: Ape society’s quota system breaks down in 3958 and Dr. Zaius shuts down an archaeological site in the Forbidden Zone in 3977. The Ape cities vary a little across the land. There is Ape City in the east which is stretched its boundaries in the surrounding area to become the nation-state of Simia, where events in the movies happen, and there’s also Central City on the West Coast. There are also villages with tree houses, simple huts and other small structures. History, rumors, and events presented here add a little more to what was given in the core rules. The politics and organizations section is heavy on organizations and light on politics. There’s the Hunt Club, which was showed in the original Planet of the Apes movie; the Anti-Vivisection Society, which was started by the Chimpanzee Scientist Prisca, who thought butchering humans was a bit distasteful; and also the Fellowship of the Holy Fallout, which is the mutants we meet in the 2nd movie; as well as several others. Then there are more bios with new characters as well as updates to others, including: “Bright Eyes,” Dodge, and Stewart. There are 38 bios presented in the chapter, new and updates. Lastly, there are a couple scenarios and hooks.
Chapter 6 The Infinite Highway. The chapter talks about time travel and various theories (or postulations, however one wants to put it) of time travel and how to use it in your game. It even allows for a Psionic Power called Infinite Regression. There was obviously a lot to unpack here, hence the length. Said it before, and will say it again, they definitely went above and beyond in researching the lore to complete this. If you’re going to get the core rules. you should most definitely pick this up.
