So in a fantastic turn of events I get the chance to run an AW game for a friend and her RP group that live a few hours away. This will be a one shot and I was wondering what people have done in the past for one shots that really help AW shine.
All of the people playing have done AW at least once, and I’m doing core playbooks and the limited edition (non animal) playbooks.
Kill everyone.
/sub
6-8 hours. 4 or 5 players. Yes.
I’ve run demos for AW at GenCon several times two different years now. I pulled the method I used from the following thread on Story Games
http://story-games.com/forums/discussion/13941/aw-convention-demo-advice
From the post by Mcdaldno about halfway down the page.
The only thing that isn’t in that setup is having a flavor of the apocalypse. I prepped two basic backgrounds last time.
1.) a sci-fi AW set on a rotting cargo ship that had become a space prison dependent on random automated shuttles. Think Arkham City in space. Based on “Perdition” by Ann Aguirre.
2.) a post-apocalyptic NASCAR track where they hold death races and the nearby shopping center. (Based on a local Nascar track from my hometown.)
Marshall Brengle
Oh, I don’t know, that seems a little…oh, wait, you mean their characters, right.
I’ve not run AW as a one-shot, but I have run a couple of other PbtA games, including Monsterhearts. Make a few NPCs with agendas that are designed pretty much to point PCs at each other in conflict. When you have the players introduce their characters, take copious notes, give yourself a couple of minutes to look for obvious fault lines within the party. Drop nukes (triange creating NPCs) on those fault lines immediately.
The nice thing about Apocalypse World (and Monsterhearts for that matter), is that the player agendas likely are going to lead to PC vs. PC conflict (either social or physical, sometimes both) eventually. That can be a slow burn, or it can be a bonfire. The big thing is that you don’t have time for the slow burn. In a one-shot, you want it to start out hot and end in a bonfire. Put them in positions where they go after each other quickly. If you can do that, your players will create a few hours worth of drama pretty much on their own.
Trevis Martin Stuart Dollar Thanks both for the fantastic advice. I really like the idea of using leading questions to determine who is in what role. Like what Mcdaldno said in that link. And I’ll definitely push for PC vs PC conflict to make things interesting. Mcdaldno suggested taking out the operator playbook from the equation. Are there any other suggestions for playbooks that might need to be nixed? I’m using the core playbooks and the faceless, touchstone, macaluso, meastro’d, hoarder, quarantine, and solace.
For most one shots I tend to leave the Driver out. McDaldno is right that the Operator and gigs tend to become focal if used, but I usually include it as an option.
Part of the reason I made the death race track setting was an effort to make the driver more central. (It’s the least used regular playbook in my experience.)
Also Macaluso is awesome but a little tricky.
I was seriously considering stealing your nascar and mall idea. Then I was going to put a gladiatorial ring in the middle of the track for non racing death matches, or maybe leave it open to what this arena is and ask someone “Which of you is the biggest celebrity of this town?” Then follow with “Are you known for your driving skills in the death races (hands driver)? Are you known for your ability to perform song and dance (skinner)? Are you known for your ruthless ability to dominate in the gladiator death matches (gun lugger)?”
In one game using that setting there was a hocus who’s cult would throw themselves on the track during the race as an act of faith.
My model for death race is the Kansas speedway, and the nearby Legends shopping center (open air mall)
That’s messed up. I love it.
Trevis Martin I want to play in that game. Sounds wonderful.