How do you present Playbooks to new people
I also tend to present Playbooks by “role”.
People in Charge
Social People
People that kill stuff
Weird people
*the rest
there are pure types of this and hybrids. I tend to start with the People in Charge and the Hardholer. He is pure control (i know he is also killing stuff but that is not as deep in it i think)
Then i present the hybrids.
Maestro’d – In Charge and Social
Hocus – In Charge and Weird
Chopper – In Charge and killing things
Killing people
Gunlugger – pure
Faceless – pure (weird)
Juggernaut – killing + the rest
Touchstone – killing + social
Battlebabe – killing + social
Social People
Skinner – pure social
Solace – social + (anti)weird
Weird people
Brainer – pure Weird
Hoarder – weird + rest
Savyhead – weird + rest
Rest
Angel
Driver
Operator
Quarantine
I explain them a bit more of course but this is the first general direction i give people. But i only did this once. Just spreading out all the Playbooks could work too i am sure but would make it a bit harder for everyone.
My GF for example thought the Chopper was a professional Executioner, chopping heads.
i start with people in charge because i like to see them in game a lot.
I usually give a quick description and then list off a few characters in media that probably belong to the playbook.
I’m running a one shot next weekend for a group of people who only ever play 3rd edition D&D and just sent out an email literally the day before you posted this. Here is what I wrote, word-for-word:
Apocalypse World is not a game about the apocalypse, or survival, or fighting assholes, or discovering secrets, or confronting weirdo evil, even though all of those things could happen. Apocalypse World is really a game about relationships, trust, loyalty, romance, revenge, and, sure, there’s weirdo evil as well.
Apocalypse World’s rules are really simple: If you do it, you do it.
If there’s a question as to whether or not you can do it, you break out 2d6 and roll, usually adding one of your stats, which ranges from -2 to +3. Every roll of 10 or higher is a success. Rolls that land between 7 and 9 are a partial success. 6 or lower is generally a failure, but not always a complete failure. The MC, or the Master of Ceremonies, never rolls dice. And that’s about it.
Every character has five stats: Cool, Hard, Hot, Sharp, and Weird. If you’re trying to avoid danger or damage, you’re going to roll Cool. If you’re trying to inflict danger or damage, you’re going to roll Hard. If you’re trying to get something from somebody, you’re going to roll Hot. If you want to know things about a person or a situation, you’re going to roll Sharp. Everyone can roll Weird and have access to psychic potential, some people are just a lot better at it than others. Your character will be good in some of these and not so good in at least one or two of these. Every character starts with 2 or 3 special abilities, or moves, and these almost always play off of your good stats.
You’ll have a sixth stat called Hx, and this is determined by the relationships your characters have with one another. Character creation actually requires that you all at least be aware of each others’ characters. You’ll see more of how this works when we sit down to play.
Each character starts out as a simple playbook that holds all of your info, they’re kind of like D&D classes but the names are not always very explicit, so here is a brief summary:
THE ANGEL – the only healer-type of playbook, they’re good with Sharp
THE BATTLEBABE – a fighter-type, dangerous and sexy, they’re good at avoiding getting hurt, they’re good with Cool
THE BRAINER – weirdo psychic mindfuckers, they can read minds and make people suffer just by looking at them, they’re good with Weird
THE CHOPPER – they ride a motorcycle, how cool is that?! oh, they’re also the leader of a biker gang, no shit, they’re good with Hard
THE DRIVER – behind the wheel of a car they are like a god of ages past, they’re good with Sharp
THE FACELESS – a fighter-type, they wear a mask and are relentless killers, they’re good with Hard
THE GROTESQUE – outcasts and abominations who’ve been permanently changed by the apocalypse, they’re good with Weird
THE GUNLUGGER – another fighter-type, they specialize in fucking up other people, they’re good with Hard
THE HARDHOLDER – if every hold is like a kingdom then every hardholder is like a king, most are warlords, some are pretty decent, which would you be?, they’re good with Hard
THE HOARDER – junk dealers, they’re never broke but sometimes they have to feed their hoard, they’re good with Weird
THE HOCUS – they’re pretty lucky and others notice this, that means they’ve got followers, some might call them cultists, they’re good with Weird
THE MAESTRO’D – they run a business, they have employees and responsibilities, but they also have coin and trade in secrets, they’re good with Hot
THE OPERATOR – they take on odd jobs and tend to know everybody worth knowing, they’re good with Cool
THE SAVVYHEAD – they know how to fix stuff and make new stuff, they’re always in high demand, they’re good with Weird
THE SKINNER – artist, hustler, performer, stripper, prostitute, spy, maverick, they are all of these and none of them, they’re good with Hot
I don’t think players really need to know more about the playbooks, otherwise it gets too game-y and less story-y.
really cool list Patrick Henry Downs short and to the point.
Patrick Henry Downs, I’m totally “borrowing” that, thank you!
You’re welcome. You’ll notice the Quarantine, the Touchstone and the Solace have been taken off the list, that’s because I felt like these were advanced playbooks and not appropriate for a one-shot. Still, I did initially write…
THE QUARANTINE – they were around before the world got ruined, they’re good with Cool but they do not have any Weird!
THE SOLACE – when all around is chaos and catastrophe they act as beacons of safety, they’re good with Hot
THE TOUCHSTONE – storytelling saints or mooching conmen, they carry a message of hope to all who will hear it, they’re good with Hard
I don’t really see something hard about playing a Touchstone, what makes you classify them as advanced?
Their +2 stat is Hard and all of their abilities play off of Hard, thus they’re good with Hard. I think the concept of the token of hope is something newbies might not grasp in a first run of the game. The Quarantine, the Solace, and the Touchstone all have abilities that touch upon the nature of the maelstrom and since this is never really fleshed out in the rulebook itself it’s something most GMs might not have tackled either. It’s best to keep the playbooks in a one-shot game simple and relevant to what new players will expect from the post-apocalyptic genre. YMMV.
I was talking about hard as in difficult. Playing a Touchstone isn’t more difficult then playing a Hoarder i think.
The Token of Hope can also be mostly ignored without breaking the ‘book. (unlike the Hoard).
Visionary could be a difficult move to wrap your head arround but once you explain that it is basically a really big carrot for bringing your vision into the world it works i think.
I agree with Patrick Henry Downs , The touchstone is definitely a hard based book. Indomitable is perhaps the most combat swingy move in the game. Personally i don’t like the book.
Hey, i am not arguing that Touchstones are all about Hard. They are just not that hard to play ^^
ah, I don’t know if hard to play exists in AW
I didn’t really say they were hard to play, I just called them advanced playbooks. Like 1st thru 5th level D&D was considered basic and 6th thru 10th was considered expert. I think it’s best for new players to the game to have a choice of playbooks that are simple and relevant to what they will expect from the post-apocalyptic genre.
trust your players