I was thinking this morning about the classic movie The African Queen as pertains to Apocalypse World.

I was thinking this morning about the classic movie The African Queen as pertains to Apocalypse World.

I was thinking this morning about the classic movie The African Queen as pertains to Apocalypse World. In many ways the main character’s world is over, and their quest to destroy a German gunboat is a direct reaction to that fact. That their self-destructive journey results in the creation of a new world is part of what is so appealing about the movie (if not necessarily the book), and the various obstacles hurled at them by man and nature do not look dissimilar to me from a countdown clock. Bogart’s Charlie Allnut is clearly a Driver in this scenario, and exemplifies all that is best about that playbook, but I have struggled a bit placing Hepburn’s Rose Sayer. The best I can reason is that she would be an Angel, as that is close to the role she played in the missionary camp and on the boat, but one driven by a furious and unstoppable thirst for vengeance.   

2 thoughts on “I was thinking this morning about the classic movie The African Queen as pertains to Apocalypse World.”

  1. Angel, with some Battlebabe moves… or better, that one nigh-op combo-move from the Battlebabe and Touchstone playbooks… but, not using a combatant playbook directly.

    Thing is, it’s their show… so, they get to be the stars of the show — else, the fiction demands an end to their story, and would develop replacements or be fin-de’facto.

    Hypothesis: Luke Skywalker dies on the Tatooine attempting to protect his homestead, Old Ben arrives at his god-son’s residence, sensing the disturbance late and alone… gets a spirit-quest vision in the midst of the traumatic aftermath scene, and searches for Leia Organa on his own… Leia becomes a rising Dark Jedi that outwits Darth Vader from within his ranks, after succumbing to his tortures, betraying the Rebellion in a haze of inexplicable deep personal loss felt from far away in waves of echoing anguish, then becoming a prize student Darth Vader finds himself unusually infatuated with, only to eventually learn he is her biological father, because (like Obi-Wan Kenobi) Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious knows some truths held in reserve… different stars develop, a much darker plot about abusive fathers and incest is explored… all because the heroic fiction demands a different course after Luke suffered some bad-roll-streak on his read-a-sitch moves; But, on a brighter note, Alderaan is saved because, pointless example would be pointless after she submits.

    Angel… she is definitely an Angel, stepping up and being Battle-hardened [gunlugger] with Battlefield Grace [angel] quite possibly picks up a Towering Presence [touchstone] and perhaps shows one of the many variant be in the right place at the right time moves once or twice — however, something done once or twice might just be a special case or custom move developing from the fiction situation.

    (conformement a… mes pensees devoile)

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