Two players and their characters in our group are already pursuing world changing projects, but neither are looking to do so via science (establishing a world wide organization and a communications network in their cases).
So a friend and I decided to design a Drive book to fit in for projects that are not explicitly ‘Science’ as the Drive book “Push the Boundaries of Science” already covers all things ‘Science’.
This is what we thought up and would like your review, comments and criticisms.
Doomsday Clock
Book available to open when:
-You start to create a project or organization that will change the world.
Discuss your project with the EIC, and write down a list of probable milestones that need to be completed for the project to work, as well as the project itself. The EIC will tell you a Threshold, based on how large the Project is. Take a Bond with the Project. Bonds with your Project cannot be Burned and do not affect your Bond Threshold. Every time you reach a milestone in your Project, increase your Bond with the Project by 1. When your Bond with the Project reaches its’ Threshold, your Project is completed.
Acceptable Losses:
You may burn 2 bonds with any single entity to gain the benefit of burning a bound but after you roll, instead of before.
Move available when:
You burn a Bond to fulfill a Milestone.
Witness the Power:
Remove one Impossible move or add one Possible to your character sheet.
Move available when:
You are over half way finished your Project
This is a really cool idea, I like the idea of something like “The Authority” and books like that. Jason, one of the co-designers, has actually started working on a setting book that will see the addition of Team Books (in addition to the Origin and Drive) and one of them is something like this, but it’s all pretty rough right now. I can totally see it working as a Drive book is that’s their main motivation and are devoted to it, work towards it whenever they can.
The main idea here is that they’re Burning Bonds to complete the project, right, so personally, I would choose to have the requirements to open the moves be a bit snappier and, if you can, tailor it to the group as much as you can. It’s already a custom book and moves, so if you can force some character growth or change out of it, all the better. You can tailor it more to the goals of the project as well. If they are trying to create an organization or superhero group, that goes out and tries to solve problems rather than being largely reactionary, you can make the requirements have to do with clashes of vision or priorities, methods, etc.
My first instinct would be to set requirements to create friction and tension between the players and other NPCs. It could also be something like recruitment in an X-Men movie, and the requirements could be tailored around having to convince someone to join or prove to them that your way is right, your problem you want to solve should take precedent, etc.
TL;DR – a great idea, I would tailor the requirements to fit the game and group to try and get some added tension in there.
Already proceeding on all fronts you mentioned. It’s exactly like the X-Men or Avengers recruitment idea as you already pointed out.
The tension comes from trying to recruit Ironman or the Hulk and the characters differences, getting to get them each to sign on might be a Milestone each, truly getting them to commit and work as a team is the final Milestone and the Avengers is born.
My more primary concern was the moves the book opens. Acceptable Losses seemed like a good trade because your making sacrifices for your ideals.
Witness the Power however I feel could be improved, changed or thrown out for something better. I just don’t know what, as there are so many good moves in the book already that cover ambition. You pick (or open) this drive to build something ambitious and world changing. My thought with Witness the Power is that it changes you as you work on it, maybe opening up new avenues of experience or possibility as you go, but there could be a better way to add change or show growth, I just don’t know how to design it yet.
I think we should make Acceptable Losses (maybe rename it For the Greater Good?) a bit less vague, and instead, open it: “When you burn a Bond with someone close to you to fulfill a Milestone.”
Also, as examples, here’s a couple of things we were thinking for Milestones, for the Avengers, and for the Project Gilbo is actually using in his game:
Avengers Project:
-Acquire Government Funding
-Get Superhero on Board (can be completed multiple times)
-Build a Homebase
-Create Early Warning System
Required # of Milestones: 7.
The Network Project:
-Infect a Politician
-Modify Virus to Infect Mutants
-Dismantle Demon Hunters League
-Install Magical Artifact as Firmware
Required # of Milestones: 5
… This totally wasn’t supposed to be Supervillianious, btw.
So, there’s a lot of flexibility, depending on how hard the players/EIC make the Milestones, and how many need to be completed before the project is complete.
Also, I suppose just tacking on “Milestones” to be completed to get Bond points is needlessly complicating the simple mechanics. Refactor, refactor.
I concur with reducing vagueness and your rewording. Maybe there’s some other way we can make a cool Move for the second Move in the book, relating to self sacrifice, rather then sacrifice of others?
‘Gain this move whenever you prioritize your project over your personal goals or safety’ sort of deal?
Milestones aren’t a bad idea really, especially if it gives focus throughout and particularly if you’re playing a game where the EIC gives the players more leeway and freetime to do the things they want to do, rather than being reactive to the things they throw at them.
You might even consider making the moves themselves more personal and having fictional consequences rather than mechanical ones. For example, a move you might gain access to after building a headquarters might be using the benefits of it, like:
When you use the influence of the [team name] to gain access to resources normally closed off to you, say how you go about doing it and roll+Influence. On a 10+, you gain access to the resource, though there may be conditions attached. On a 7-9, you gain access to the resource, but only in exchange for something else.
Or maybe an opening requirement like: [You may open your base] when you write in a new Bond with a benefactor you must keep happy in order to continue operating in the city. (So, could be SHIELD, the pentagon, the mayor, etc.)
Also consider that it doesn’t necessarily even have to be something with a lot of strings attached. The EIC can make the PCs work for it by simply having them go through the ringer trying to establish the base in the first place – dealing with the city’s reaction, government, building stuff for it, finding materials for it, detailing how they’re going to house dangerous artifacts/criminals, etc. The milestones to actually get the thing built and done are probably enough fun and difficult enough that there needn’t really be an additional costs in my mind, if done properly.
Once the PCs get an HQ, it’s actually even easier for the EIC to beset them with stuff as the possibilities only increase. Portal to another dimension? Awesome, what can come out of there? Automated defenses? Awesome, how about a villain that controls technology or travels through it, etc. HQ becomes an easy target for attacks and such, how does the city view that? An early defense system means the EIC actually has to work less to get the players to react to things – your early detection detects an entirely foreign wavelength of light and energy in the building, what do you do? Your early warning detection system detects a meteor on course to destroy the planet, what do you do?
If it’s mostly the moves as benefits that you’re wanting to brainstorm, then I’d probably pick stuff like access and resources (money, modes of transportation, crazy stuff for the workshop), influence, power, fame (access to government facilities, recognition on the streets, some degree of authority over the police, maybe a voice at the UN even), safety and recovery (a medical bay, robot surgeons or a safe place to crash/hide from the law or enemies), the X-men effect (drama within the team, stronger bonds, seeing others in a new light, relationships, etc.). I would probably make moves that corresponded to that kind of stuff and, of course, there are all kinds of 6- and downsides to all that stuff that comes with the territory.
Something like…
Networking
-Unlock this move when you develop a partnership with or make a concession to another significant rival organization or project.
When you call on your on your partnership for help, roll +Influence, on a +10 they’re will to assist you within their capabilities as a sign of good faith between you both, on a 7-9 they’ll do it, but you’ll have to do something in return for them.
One for All
-Unlock this move when your team all rallies with you to help you complete one or more milestones on the project, setting aside any differences of belief regarding what you’ve set out to accomplish.
Each of your allies receive a new Bond with your project or organization when it is completed, this does not count against their Bond threshold, and can be used in the place of other Bonds to Gather Intel or Aid you, or even burnt as a recognition of your project or organizations impact on the world or city.
Think one for all is too much of a passive move. You can just do bonds with other characters normally, no?
True. How can we make something more active and related to relationships surrounding the project?