The players only resolve combat to the level of detail needed for the encounter; they can forgo more complex resolution methods if it benefits the game's current pace.

Firearms, on the other hand, use a fixed amount of damage dice regardless of a character's stats, based on the caliber of the weapon.

Notable to this system, skill advancement (what might be considered "leveling-up" in other RPGs) is a fluid and ongoing process, based on the application of talents during gameplay.

[4] Barton commented that "If your taste in RPGs tends toward simplicity or to systems that are easily playable without a lot of work, you'll surely want to pass up Aftermath, and stick to Gamma World or The Morrow Project.

In the Open Box feature of White Dwarf #34, Andy Slack gave the game a 10/10, comparing it favourably to both Bushido and The Morrow Project RPG.

The reviewer compared it favorably to Mad Max but disliked the use of Australia because it would not be well-known to North American or European players and suggested moving it to a more familiar location.

... is a paragon of bad organization: the combat system is sprawled across all three books, and some of the information necessary for the player's design of their characters is in sections marked, 'Gamesmasters Only!'"

Instead of exploring the rich possibilities of a postapocalyptic setting, Aftermath bogs down in a mire of rules, resulting in a game so complicated that it's nearly unplayable."

Swan also felt that "there's an uncomfortable preoccupation with violence ... with virtually every facet of combat rendered in excruciating detail."

A well-placed shot from a sniper or a bite from a poison cookie can instantly wipe out a character that it took a couple of hours to create."

Swan concluded by giving the game a below-average rating of 2 out of 4, saying, "Though its drawbacks are many, Aftermath is paradise for players who thrive on detail or for thos who want to wring every last drop of blood out of combat encounters.

But for thos emore interested in role-playing that in staging detailed fights, wading through the two-hundred-plus pages of Aftermath rules is hardly worth the effort.