The moves in AW tend to use a playbook’s main stat for their function, and often include a move that allows them to use that main stat in other, highly-used moves for that playbook. To give an example: the brainer is going to have weird +2. Of their 6 moves, 1 is a weird bonus, 3 roll +weird, and 2 substitute +weird for other stats (one for hot, and one for sharp). In other words, this character is (a) fucking weird, and (b) highly competent. All the playbooks have a similar effect, though not all are 6/6 like the brainer. According to Vincent, the main reason for this is to ensure that every character is reasonably good at acting under fire (or, in the sprawl, acting under pressure), since they’re all going to be doing that a lot.
By comparison, looking at the Sprawl book, I see the hacker in particular is quite diversified. The hacker seems to require +synth, +mind, +edge, and +cool to run the Matrix moves, and has no playbook moves to transfer their competence at +mind (or whatever else) over into other moves.
I was wondering what the intention here is? I see that for some things you can replace normal rolls with +synth if you have the appropriate cyber-parts, so I can see a general sort of push to incentivize people to chrome up. The flip side is, as far as I can see, even if the decker wanted to chrome up, it wouldn’t affect most of their moves, so that doesn’t seem like the underlying design decision. And, generally, they’re likely to reasonably suck at acting under fire.
Can anyone clarify for me what they feel the effect on gameplay is of this change in stats emphasis, and de-powering of deckers is? The other playbooks don’t seem so diversified, so it seems like an intentional decision.
I don’t really understand how the example of the Brainer, being super Weird, goes into Vincent saying ‘everyone should be good at acting under fire.’ It’s pretty easy to make a Hardholder or Gunlugger who are bad at that move, if I recall correctly.
There are two matrix moves which don’t rely on Mind or Synth. Of the two, Jack Out is pretty circumstantial – the Decker can always fight her way out of a system and exit the matrix in a safe or relaxed place. So it’s a more peripheral move, from my perspective. Fighting ICE with Edge seems like it’s not terrible to me – violence in the real world of the Sprawl is driven by Meat or Edge, normally. Between being stat’d well for Login and Console Cowboy, it seems like the Decker could give ICE the slip from the start. And it’s not like that character couldn’t put the remaining +1 in either Cool or Edge.
I think if you’re really worried about a nerfed Hacker, you could either change the Melt Ice move to come out of Mind, or provide a bonus selectable playbook move that lets them sub in Synth for Melt Ice. Personally, I haven’t seen the Decker as a horridly hobbled playbook.
The Hacker has two playbook moves that replace Synth and Mind for other stats (Rep and Tech Support). They also have several moves for reducing their likelihood of encountering ICE or reducing the bad effects ICE can have on them. So, as Charlie said, it seems like a good Hacker should rarely have to roll Melt ICE or Jack Out and will have some good backup options even if they’re forced into those situations and roll poorly.