Horses in the Wasteland?

Had my first Apocalypse World game last night. Had a few hiccups, but folks had fun anyway.

There was a bit of discussion over whether or not there would be horses in the setting. My impression is no: not enough greenery around in this post-apocalyptic setting. Cars and mysteriously unevaporated gasoline? yes.

But then again, why not?

Has anyone else incorporated horses in their setting? How did it work out? Did it introduce some additional wrinkles?

I don't think of Apocalypse World as a setting, it's a game for creating your own Apocalypse World through play. If you think yours has horses, then go for it. After all if the world can support human life, if precariously and in dwindling numbers, then why not horses? There are predatory creatures after all, and they have to prey on something.

Simon Hibbs

I played in too-short-lived, but great game where there were vehicles but the most common mode of transport was horses.  It presents no difficulty.  And yeah, AW has no stock setting.

Horses in a post apocalyptic setting = awesome!

Thank you for the encouragement, everyone! I'll keep my mind open (to the psychic maelstrom!!!).

In my last Apocalypse World,  my players feared horses marginally more than the vipercats and the murderfish, and I think that's largely because they never saw one, just what had been left in the wake of horses.

We played a long game where horses were the standard mode of travel (apart form walking) and the biker gang roaming the wastes was a Big Deal They had bikes, dammit! You couldn't outrun them! It worked well. There were a handful of horses in the holding, so befriending the hardholder meant the Operator and the Battlebabe could borrow them when visiting another holding.

I also think the Chopper could have a gang of horseback marauders instead of bikers. You don't even have to change any rules, just treat their bikes as horses. I've also wanted to do that for some reason: post-apocalyptic horse riders have a certain flair.

Thanks again for the encouragement, folks.

I made up a bunch of messed up creatures for my AW game, and this is the horse entry:

Mustangs - the horses of the 101 superficially resemble their pre-Apocalypse ancestors, but are more like goats than horses. Two-lobed eyes of gold or blue peer out from matted white manes, and their gnarled red horns curve up and back from massive bull-like brows. Their short muzzles are filled with a frightening array of teeth, and their beards disguise a massively muscled set of jaws: they can eat almost anything, and in the wild, occupy an alpha scavenger role, occasionally hunting down other animals - even humans - when food is scarce.

Also:

Quilldeer - this quadripedal bird is about 4 feet high at the shoulder, with long, spindly legs, and its body is covered in sharp, spiny feathers. Its snaky neck ends in a birdlike head, with a long, swordlike beak.