XCrawl Classics is the closest we will ever get to a Shadowrun in the DCC ruleset. This is set in an alternate world, essentially an Earth where a fantasy world once existed, followed by a great cataclysm, and the world transitioned into a more modern age.
"Almost the entire population of the NAE lives in and around the major cities. The lands outside major population areas are simply too dangerous to settle, so for the most part humankind stays close to these urban areas." - XCrawl Classics, page 246.
The world is different than ours. All the cities are fortress cities, and the lands outside the outermost walls, past the farms and agricultural areas, and the uncontrolled wilderness.
"Commoners generally travel from city to city by automobile caravan. Trucks, buses and private cars arrange a start time and all drive to the destination in a convoy for their mutual protection. Some caravans take place every week or even every day, and many hire professional security experts to protect against bandits and wandering creatures." - XCrawl Classics, page 251.
The wilds are very much like bandit and monster-controlled zones, with highways patrolled by the imperial army and air cavalry, but are still largely dangerous places, only safe in numbers.
To expand the vehicle combat rules, check out the Vehicle Mayhem zine for a fun game that utilizes the DCC dice and game rules for car battles, featuring a car design system. This one is a must-have for vehicles and car battles outside the dungeons and arenas.
XCC also has a limited supply of firearms, and you can find more in a few zines, including Orbital Assault Vehicle and Crawl! number 8. Both give you a good selection, and Crawl 8 gives you black powder, science fiction, and cowboy guns as a bonus.
OAV has the heavy weapons, but many of the guns are simplified, whereas Crawl 8 provides a more in-depth look at each type of gun. Crawl 8's guns tend to be more overpowered compared to OAV, and the guns in OAV feel more like XCrawl weapons, giving you a good selection of the heavy stuff, like rocket and grenade launchers.
Overall, OAV is the better choice for XCrawl. It keeps the weapons simple, deadly, and within reason for damage output, and gives you a good selection of heavy weapons. You also receive a few modern-style classes that you can use for government operators.
"Outside the walls of the great cities of the NAE, dragons are the absolute sovereigns of the Empire. These fiercely territorial creatures claim huge tracts of territory in America and throughout the world, and destroy all attempts at permanent settlements near their lairs." - XCrawl Classics, page 250.
There is no reason why DCC classes can't be in XCC In fact, the rules say the following:
"The adventuring life has always called to half-elves, who perhaps seek to gain some of the acceptance from both the human and elvish communities who typically hold them as a breed apart. There are far more half-elves competing in Xcrawl than full-blooded elves." - XCrawl Classics, page 58.
So, if there is no elf class in XCC, and elves are in the games, then you can import any class from DCC or any other compatible game into XCC. That gives us a whole Shadowrun-style world populated with semi-modern technology (based on the 1980s), fantasy races, magic, and Mad Max-style wildlands populated with monsters and fantasy creatures.
I would set the timeline culturally to the period between 1985 and 1995, as evidenced by the presence of Sailor Moon-inspired outfits in one of the adventures. However, technology is still in the VCR (pre-DVD era), radio, cable TV, and BBS-style Internet era, with primitive computers like the Commodore 64 and the original IBM PC 8088 with 640K of RAM and a 320x200 CGA 4-color CRT. The best display you are likely getting is a VGA board (320x200 at 256 colors, or 640x480 in 16 colors). None of these did 3D beyond raster-drawn pixilated lines and solid-filled polygons.
Honestly, the world outside of XCrawl appeals to me more than the death sports inside of it, and this is the same way we felt about Car Wars when we grew up. The world around the XCrawl games feels like a place filled with violence, survival, criminal gangs, magic, fantasy races, crowded cities that are melting pots, vast areas of destroyed civilization, orc biker gangs, dragons that hold dominion, magic wastelands, and an oppressive central government barely holding the overcrowded populace at bay from revolt and revolution.
The game mentions inspirational media, but there are a few key omissions. I would include the Running Man movie (there is an in-joke in the art on that page referencing this, so it is hinted at but not directly mentioned). However, as a DJ running the game, please consider including rooms inspired by classic game shows, such as the original Price is Right TV show.
You know in your heart of hearts you have to do this.
Give these a deadly twist, such as the mountain climber game, where one player is chosen at random to ride the trolley up the mountain, and the other players have to guess the prices of items. If they go over the limit, drop that climbing player to their death, no save, and let it be. Toss these game show rooms in randomly every few adventures, don't overuse them, and watch your players slowly hate you and love you at the same time.
And you can use games from any game show, but The Price is Right is the all-time king of them, and one of the most imaginative of the bunch. Remember to include prizes like the home game, 1970s refrigerators, Bundt pan sets, washing machines, giant chrome 1950s vacuum cleaners with lights, and other items featured on the show! Create these as magic items if you wish, with unique abilities, such as the vacuum cleaner being able to suck up 1d3 small monsters per turn and toss them into a vacuum cleaner bag of holding (size A bag with filters).
Retro one-of-a-kind magic items with a twist are totally XCC.
It does remind me a little of the Umerican setting and game, and XCrawl feels like the spiritual successor to that genre, but with a magic-infused setting, 1980s culture, and the typical mix of fantasy races and monsters. Umerica is a cool game, worthy in its own right, but XCrawl has the Shadowrun vibe and magic.
XCC is a fun game, and an even more compelling universe around the games, completely worthy of a DCC-style Shadowrun-style world. Do not sleep on this game or ignore it as silly.
And... come on down!
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