Dust Highway

A Post-Apocalyptic Convoy-Running Overlay for the Poker Run Engine

One deck. One rig. Whatever's left of the interstate.

The interstate used to connect six states. Now it's mostly dust, wrecked overpasses, and stretches of asphalt too far gone to trust at speed.

Your rig is one of the last vehicles still running out here — and everyone left on the highway knows exactly what that's worth. Fuel. Parts. A working engine. All of it gets you noticed by exactly the people you don't want noticing you.

You run supplies between what's left of the settlements, because someone has to, and because sitting still gets you picked apart just as fast as moving does. Keep the rig running. Watch the horizon for dust that isn't wind. Get where you're going before the road — or the people who control it — takes everything you've got.

Most rigs don't last a season out here. Yours is going to try.

What You're Playing

Dust Highway is a solo, card-driven convoy-survival game built on the Poker Run Engine — the same one-deck resolution system running every overlay in the catalog. If you've played another overlay, you already know the rhythm: draw your hand, read what it tells you, push deeper before the run turns against you.

Every check is a poker hand. No dice, no custom components — just a standard 52-card deck and a Road Log to track your rig.

• Solo play · 10–20 minutes per run
• Standard 52-card deck + notepad — that's the whole kit
• No dice. Every check is a poker hand, evaluated on the spot
• Four zones of pressure, each one meaner than the last
• A real final confrontation — three checks, no do-overs, against The Warlord

The Loop

Choose a reachable zone. Flip a card. Number cards trigger an encounter by suit — raiders, stranded convoys, fuel depots, abandoned rigs. Face cards break the pattern with an event of their own. Three encounters, then you pull into whatever passes for a safe stop and spend your scrap.

Push your Engine Grade, gather Fuel Caches and Convoy Logs, and watch for a Warlord's Signal — you'll need all of it before you're ready to confront what's actually running this stretch of highway.

Fail enough Chassis Integrity checks and the run ends where it ends. Survive, and you push further next time.

Get the Core System Free

Dust Highway runs standalone — no other purchase required. But if you want to see how the engine underneath it works, or start designing overlays of your own, the full System Reference Document is free, no sign-up required, at dragemstudios.neocities.org.

One Deck. Endless Settings. One Resolution System. Unlimited Expeditions. Powered by the Poker Run Engine™

An Official Poker Run Engine Product Compatible with Poker Run Engine Version 1.0

Poker Run Engine™ is a trademark of Bill Heckler.