Remember the M.U.S.C.L.E. (Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere) toys from the 80s? Weird little pink monster pro-wrestler dudes that came in plastic garbage cans? I loved those things, traded ‘em like crazy in the school yard. Because they were, mostly, awesome monster men. The pro-wrestling thing was a little lost on me, even with the NES game, but whatever. Anyway, Cuss Word Books’ Whisper City Pro Wrestling is, to my mind, the closest we’re gonna get to a M.U.S.C.L.E. RPG.

A mysterious event has wiped out all of humanity except for a couple cities in the Midwest. There, beset by monsters and endless wilderness, they mostly indulge in pro-wrestling to pass the time. In fact, life in the post-apocalypse has mostly reconfigured itself to revolve around pro-wrestling (and also baked potatoes). You are a pro-wrestler and you seek fame and fortune.

The system is factor 12, meaning you use a D12 for everything, even lower dice, with some quick mental math. It is super light and straight forward, with the bulk of the rules framing out the basic flow of a wrestling match – grapple, to set-up, to attack, to finisher (if enough damage has been done) to pin fall. Character creation is easy and modular and allows you to make characters that are cryptids or people with heads that are actually soda cans, which is what I want out of this game. The rest of the book gives guidance for setting up fight nights and for what to do in the wrestlers’ free time (a series of random tables that include breakfast options, leisure activities and straight up crimes, all of which serve as a path to some really weird play sessions).

I should note that this is one of the funniest RPG books I’ve ever read. Ted’s got opinions on all sorts of topics, and they routinely wind their way into the text in amusing digressions. Even if you don’t like pro-wrestling (I…don’t?), you’ll find a lot to enjoy here.