The Monsters That Broke the Grid, Systems Failure Bugs Explained

Systems Failure is a gritty post apocalypse tabletop RPG from Palladium Books, and the Bugs are the reason the setting works. In this video, you dig into how they feed on energy, travel through power lines, and turn technology into a trap.

In this video I go over how the Bugs function as a system, not a normal monster list. Look at hierarchy, leadership, movement through infrastructure, and why restoring power is dangerous.

This is a Systems Failure RPG discussion from Palladium Books, focused on Bug enemies, campaign use, and GM advice.

Chapters
00:00 Intro and what this video covers
00:33 The Bugs, predators that feed on energy
01:22 Why cities collapse first
01:49 How Bugs move through wires and power lines
02:22 Why turning on power is deadly
02:53 Bug behavior, comfort vs starvation
03:22 Bug hierarchy, no queen, leadership matters
03:55 How encounters are meant to run
04:12 Army Ants, Tier 1 swarm muscle
04:30 Assassin Bugs, deception and human speech patterns
05:14 How to run voice traps and doubt
06:22 Bombardier Beetles, walking artillery
07:12 Killer Bees, fear, frenzy, and chaos
08:00 Stink Bugs and the Silkworm horror
09:02 Silkworm comparisons and paranoia at the table
09:40 Bugs as a campaign engine, pacing and escalation
10:58 GM advice, run them like a system
12:00 Why this section stays usable today
13:05 Learning curve, patterns, and player adaptation
13:40 Scale, squads, swarms, and leaders
14:15 Lightning Bugs, coordination and cohesion
14:55 Disrupt scouts and infrastructure
15:20 Why there is no final boss
16:25 How humans adapt without power
17:18 Silkworm moral pressure and hard choices
18:24 Sound as a warning tool
19:30 Wrap up and using Bugs in other campaigns
20:50 Rifter question and Palladium updates mention
21:05 Patreon plug and sign off

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