Originally shared by Oli Jeffery
How much of a genre should be gamified?
I’m working on an AW hack inspired by Aliens, DooM, and Event Horizon. A common archetype in these, and their heritage like Seven Samurai is the new kid and / or jackass.
But I can’t think of a way to make them an appealing player character. I can see someone wanting to play Ripley, Newt, Vasquez, Hicks and even Burke – but what’s the advantage to playing Hudson?
The advantage to playing a jackass is that you can be a jackass and say “hey, it’s not me, it’s the archetype!”. There are plenty of players who like being jackasses. 🙂
As Hudson I get to tell the truth that nobody sees or wants to hear. Everytime You read the situation on a 6- you decide why you are fucked
That type of character usually redeems themselves at some point, often in death (sometimes they just have a really satisfying and well-deserved death). Give them a cool redemption move where they can give someone else a big bonus forward or ensure their escape by retiring the character. Give them a second move wherein they get a bonus when they have a change of heart and take a new playbook. The fun then becomes playing chicken, holding out as the jerk and timing your turnabout and/or death – the moment when the whole game centers on your character.
Hudson was the tech. Unlocked the doors, sorted the maps and PDT scan. That he lost his cool could be just his character, not his character sheet.
That said, have you read John Harper’s Colonial Marines? There’s a stress mechanic in there.
http://mightyatom.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-regiment-colonial-marines-25.html?m=1
Traditionally the jackass is lucky as hell. They make it out the other side of the shitstorm when better folk die. All my examples are out of genre as I am sleep deprived but I’m sure someone else could back me up on this.
Action Movie World has a trope like that that may help. But it’s kinda tongue in cheek
You could give them a move with limited uses where whenever they announce the group is doomed everyone but them gets a bonus to survive or overcome the next dangerous scene. But they really have to sell it.
I would also look at the Mortal from Monsterhearts, moves that earn you XP or hold forward when you are unprepared, freak out or get in/cause trouble due to your inexperience. The in-fiction ineptness translates into more rapid XP gain and hence advances to ‘redeem’ yourself with, or hold and forward that mimic ‘luck’
PbtA is actually ones of best genres I’ve ever seen for modelling this kind of thing.
Toby Sennett John Harper really is the “Simpsons did it” of indie RPG design…
Leszek Karlik Oh, that definitely, but I was thinking more of mechanical benefits.
Steven Warble Yeah – actually Hudson does that when he predicts the alien Queen…
Yan Périard I really like this because I’m a fan of the players having narrative control but will combine it with Steven’s idea so that it has a benefit too – the doomsaying helps you plan…
Richard Greene
Agreed. Monster of the Week also does some similar stuff with Mundane, having to do with wandering off on your own and being captured. If a mundane is going to stick it in a world of monsters and badass hunters, they’re going to have to get stronger in a hurry. If the jerkass is going to survive, they’ll have to redeem themselves in some way. MotW also offers xp to people protecting them.
The Jerkass could mark xp when they ignore the plight of others. Maybe the other person gets +1 to get through their plight (so they can confront the jerkass about it later). Or they mark xp when they confront the jerkass. Something like that could be a way to encourage interesting character interactions.
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