Threats and Fronts Part 2
So i posted about my problems using the Front creation process. I tried again for my game on thursday and it went at least a bit better.
You can check out what i have here (comments are enabled).
Explanation.
The PCs are
Smith (Brainer. Wants to totally destroy Balls reputation and spirit)
Killer (Gunlugger assassin for hire. No parents anymore. Secretly n love with Lena that has joined Seahorses peace cult)
Oz (Savyhead with a violent gang. Want’S to stop opression by killing Opressors. Currently has a deal with Smith and Killer is part of his gang)
Key ( Angel with Mental problems. Keeps killing people by trying to heal them)
Bettle (Oz’ Pet. A weird beetle mutant that can communicate with him through the maelstorm)
The Maelstorm is about family, sex and keeping care of children and pregnant women.
The Target gang works together with Balls. They give him food he gives to the Angel Falls (hardhold) people but he has secret deals with them. In the end they will use him to totally destroy the people of AF.
Seahorse and his peace cult joined just recently. They where raided by the Target gang and only 30 or so could flee. They are currently living in the empty factory next to Oz workplace. Oz has joined the cult by sleeping with one of Seahorses women.
The things in italics have allready happened.
Here are my problems.
In general i don’t know if my countdowns are good. I made them rather broad, using only 4-6 segments. More make it hard for me.
I am totally unsure about the Sandstorm.
I have also no idea how the Target Gang and the Hardholder work together. Do i need a threat for the gang when i have the warlord?
I still need to think what Bettle wants in the end.
I have no actual idea what the fear of the Target Gang would do to the people of Angel Falls. In reality, they have fallen to the wayside in the last few sessions and only a few people where used by me. I will have to bring them back into currency next session.
I need to do something with these things but don’T know where to put them.
T-Bone got killed by Key (Healing Hand 6-) and no one found out yet.
Rum is a to active kid. Doing lot’s of random shit to get appreciation to a point of self destruction. I brought him back into currency last session but everyone realted to him is dead allready. Killed by Oz and Killer. Key wants him dead.
Balls has “brought” some people to work for him. They are much more happier now but neither i nor the players have a real idea what they are actually doing for him.
Sorry for asking so much on here but this Community is just such a great ressource of sharp and weird people that can Help my
Design for a game
move.
Thanks guys.
i also did no Dark Future or Stakes. I always have problems with those and don’t really see their point.
Dark future and stakes are about two different things, both important to running AW: leaving things to wonder about/disclaiming decision-making, and playing honestly. When you write stakes, you tell yourself that you won’t decide those results. When you write the dark future, you commit to a series of events that will occur without interference, and so aren’t “winging it” as it were.
well yeah, i kind of get this. I still don’t know how having this written down will help me directly at the game table. i have trouble finding the right note or move when i run anyway so having some “dead” information on my sheat wouldn’t be so cool. I guess i coul look at a question and frame a scene about this question but? Wait. This sounds like a cool idea actually.
/sub
To me, the point of Dark Futures is to say that is to say that the PCs always have the option of not acting on a threat, and a consequence will happen because of it, a consequence that people will likely care about.
If the players always feel like they have the option of not acting on a threat, and you never have a problem creating interesting consequences when threats aren’t addressed, then you’ve developed techniques that handle the main purposes of Dark Futures. Its possible that Dark Futures may be a better technique, that’s your call.