The Neighbor – a (stranded) member of mortality.
Once, you had a life, then the Otherwhere came, and took you away. You escaped, but the Otherwhere is still a symbol of distance from you.
Look – a monster in that reflection.
Listen – there is circus music between the violins’ sighs.
Wouldn’t you like to take power from them?
The neighbor takes inspiration from the Neverending story, Alice in Wonderland, Jumanji, Pan’s Labyrinth, Don’t Rest your Head, Beast: the primordial, Changeling: the dreaming.
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So, that’s a draft, and i would really appreciate some critique in order to make the playbook more focused.
Wow, that is….creepy as fuck. Well done. What does it mean for them to select the Otherwhere belongs to the Dark faction as opposed to Wild?
This is really great stuff. I really love the fiction you took the inspiration from and found this playbook a faithful rendition in game terms. And, in accordance with Andrew Medeiros, I find the “vibe” creepy and unnerving. Well done!
There’s a typo in the Bazarre move, “spena” should be “spend”.
I quite like the tension of needing Keys around to use your Otherwhere abilities but not wanting them around too much because of the risk of the other creatures. I would like to see a GM’s guide to making the Otherwhere dangerous (and distinct from the lands of the Fae, for example).
Excellent!!!
Why the choice of Mortality instead of Power?
I think this is really cool. However, I’m not sure why you felt the need to add a 5th faction, Dark. I feel the Wild encapsulates the Otherworld/Dark Faction pretty well. It’s quite cool to see how they react to the Fae character, a native of that realm, versus someone who ran away. The Fae probably thinks positively of their world, but the Neighbour knows the true horrors.
Andrew Medeiros it’s a typo.
I meant Night instead of Dark.
While reading the moves for the Night and Wild faction, i could easily envision Otherwhere which could belong to both of them.
A Wild Otherwhere is bizarre and enthralling, forged in weird rules and pacts. I imagined Changeling’s Hedge, the Hell (that is, Wild factions), but also Wonderland and such things.
A Night Otherwhere is predatorial and aggressive. It could be some sort of land of darkness which kidnap and eats human, or also the jumanji jungle. It lacks the presence of structure and rules of a wild otherwhere.
This said – do you think the choice should be better explained? If yes, how would you define the two differences?
Jochen Steimel thanks! 🙂
Jason Corley thanks – corrected. I think it’s not the only typo – not a native speaker.
Actually, my idea was that the Otherwhere MAY be Faerie, Hell, or the Specter shadow world, if such characters are present in the game.
I thought to add a little GM guide, but i’m still thinking on it – also because there are non obvious problems in this booklet (for example, i think the Neighbor is really vulnerable to corruption, because of the emphasis on the let-it out move.) The other thing is that the game should thread, but not focus on the Otherwhere – the City should still remain the main focus of the chronicle, with the Otherwhere invading (wild) or predating (night) on it.
Douglas Santana i thought the neighbor to be essentially a mortal with a connection with this strange place, mor than a wizard – it is more a victim of the otherwhere, than a user. this said, power would be also a viable option.
Anyone would like to muse a little bit more on this?
Chirag Asnani it’s a typo, it should be night 😀
This said, yep, i’m really curious to see how it could interact in game with the Tainted, the Specter, and the Fae.
to everyone – if you’ve
-any advice for the flavor text (i suck at that),
-some way to write the moves more tightly,
-advice about initial equipment or debts,
-advice about the moves Mirror Mirror (i think it could be too invasive in others’ game, but on the other hand the theme i envisioned is one of pushing against others’ boundaries) and Meatgrinder and Hell Slime (not sure if it’s too powerful or not enough, and i think it’s badly written)
-or (i would be honored) playtest reports,
it would be really, really nice. Thanks!
Reality isn’t as stable as people like to believe. You know it. You’ve fallen through the cracks and you’ve made it back. But they will always be out there. Waiting.
Andrea Serafini if you compare the Visitor to the Oracle you might see it fitting Power better. Both can be victims of their powers – regular people who inherited or were chosen to carry a burden, a gift, a curse. In one case it’s prophecy, in the other the attention of the Other side.
Honestly one of the most compelling US Playbooks I have ever seen.
Does US allow users to publish and charge for their creations?
We do not allow people to charge for their playbooks. If you want to publish it through Magpie Games, you’ll want to speak with Mark Diaz Truman about that. [bows]
Douglas Santana thanks a lot – keep you ready for the Cat, the Upstart and the Princess then! 😀 (I dont’ know when i’ll complete them. I don’t know whether i will complete them. I don’t know even when. Also because i can’t find a good humans-worshipping-a-cat image)
I’m not really sure about the faction – i mean, really. It is one of the things that has been more difficult in writing it.
You are right about the fact that the Neighbor is a normal human being cursed with special power, like the Oracle.
I interpreted the starting faction more as “which faction should the character root for?”
And the answer was right out – the Neighbor is an underdog with respect to the Otherwhere. For all its creepiness and power, it’s a prey.
Like Mortals. The Neighbor should root for Mortals.
This said, Andrew Medeiros you know a lot more than me about the implicit mechanisms of the game. Would you like to give an advice about the distribution of the faction scores, and the faction the Neighbor should belong to?
Hmmm, tough call. It’s your archetype, so I think it’s ultimately up to you. It feels like a Power playbook, what really matters is where people place this person when looking at them. Do people see them as having powers or do they see a victim of circumstance? It’s a tricky one.
I’ve toying with the idea of Jumper-style playbook. The first thing I knew for sure is that it’d be Power. Mortal for me are those guys whose source of power is their humanity… their experience, their motivation, their mortal ties, their mundane skills.
Andrea Serafini… tell me more about the Upstart! 😉
Andrew Medeiros i think you got it right. I see them more as a victim of circumstances (and so, a Mortal), while other persons may see them as having creepy powers.
Douglas Santana have you watched Better call Saul, or Breaking Bad?
The Upstart is a Wheeler and Dealer. They’re driven, ruthless and political. They’re puny mortal, and definitely new to the game, but when they realized that the occult powers in the City may help them to realize their Aspirations… they decided to jump in the big pool!
It’s a dangerous game, though – and this means to make their hands dirty. Will they manage to keep themselves straight to their Aspirations? Or the road to hell is really paved with good intentions?
As mechanics, Upstart mostly deals with debts.
A little peeping show:
The confidence trick: when you successfully trick, distract or mislead someone you owe a Debt to, choose one more option from the list.
A revelling fly: at the beginning of the session, ask every other person at the table to name a NPC. Choose amongst those NPCs one who owes you a Debt and another you owe a Debt to – explain how ti happened.
Andrea Serafini it’s a Veteran-to-be!!! rsss
Good work… after the Neighbor really can’t wait to see it all fully developed. If you need playtesting, let me know.
Douglas Santana i would love to have playtest reports for the neighbor!
Would you like to send me an email or a message? I’m not able to do it.
Cat Corruption moves:
☐ You displeased me: When you make your disappointment known to someone, you may mark corruption and spend 1 to 3 debts you hold on them. They suffer that much harm, ap. You don’t need to be in their physical presence.
☐ Dominance games: When you do something nasty just to piss off someone in front of you, you may mark corruption.
If you do, must they choose one:
-Give you 2 debts on them
-Flee from your presence
-Hurt you physically.
☐ Stray God: when a scene happens outdoors or in a public place, you may mark corruption to have always been there to see and listen, unnoticed.
Ordinarily, I don’t like player-created content; I worry about gameplay balance or thematic consistency. However, this is some of the rare player content that I really, really like and wouldn’t be averse to using.
Pompeius Pomponius , your intro is spot on. Would it be fine to you if i were to modify it a little and credit you? If yes, under which name would you prefer to be credited?
Sure, go ahead. I’m glad you like it.
Gamers will know me best as “Stefan / 1of3”. My last name doesn’t matter, it will change next month anyway. 😉