I lied slightly when I said I had finished making playbooks for James Mullen’s Troublemakers.

I lied slightly when I said I had finished making playbooks for James Mullen’s Troublemakers.

I lied slightly when I said I had finished making playbooks for James Mullen’s Troublemakers. So I present the Scout! This is a kid who is way, way too into whatever scouting organization they are a part of. I intended this to be a more comedic playbook as they take it to almost military levels. Des gin wise their move Consult the Guidebook doesn’t read like I want it to. I think I want it to be the like the Constructor move that the Gizmo has. If it doesn’t work I have in mind a different move that I note below the playbook proper. Design notes are denoted by brackets [ ]. Feedback is appreciated as always.

14 thoughts on “I lied slightly when I said I had finished making playbooks for James Mullen’s Troublemakers.”

  4. I’m just looking at the playbook in detail now; I love the Scout idea, there’s lots of potential in it. Here are my observations:

    Consult the Guide: I like the idea of a book the kid can consult in times of trouble, I’m just wondering how to make it work? The move as written is probably less effective than just getting a clue and The Prodigy already has a move that literally allows the player to consult a text book during play… maybe this move triggers on a miss? So The Scout can save the day by looking in their guidebook?

    Rub Some Dirt On It: this actually gives me am idea for a “Be Prepared” move, that lets the Scout spend their allowance retroactively, so they can always try and have what they need just by saying “I bought it earlier.” I like the “Medic!” side of this though and that could work as a simple “Give them a badge to reduce their trouble.”

    Order Acknowledged: Perfect move, though I’d like to see a sharper name for it… “Dyb, Dyb, Dyb” or “Yes, Sir/Ma’am”?

    Fundraising: Perfect move again, don’t even put in the ‘once per day’ limit, as you can only get money for chores when your allowance=0 anyway, though I might even remove that limit for this move, as allowance resets at the start of every session as well.

    There’s the signal: Perfect again!

    Follow my lead: Another great move; again, I’d remove the limitation and let it apply to all the kids who are with The Scout when they duck successfully.

    If you’re looking for some limitation on any moves for this playbook, I’d suggest the “trouble=0” requirement that The Cherub has, so their moves are supercharged but can only be made when The Scout is being a goody-goody.

  5. Oops, missed the Tools of the Trade alternate: that’s a good one too! I think the hardest part of designing this playbook will be choosing which moves to keep!

  7. James Mullen I”m in EST time.

    First, thanks for the feedback and enthusiasm. A lot of the limits were just because I have trouble judging balance, so if you don’t think they have to be as limited that’s fine. I think Tools of the Trade will replace Consult the Guide as I just can’t organize the latter in my head. Not sure if I’ll keep Be Prepared or Medic! though. Anyone else have a suggestion?

  10. Looking good. The moves are a little repetitive, especially since the Scout can’t refill their stuff better than other kids. On the other hand Be Prepared uses will, so…eh?

    I also think the Follow My Lead is too strong. It should be limited to one or the other, and/or they should take -1 penalty (or +1 to duck). The Punk has a similar move (*You’re with me) that is simply not as good. And that’s weird.

    Also, minor quibble, but the Scout shouldn’t disrespect the uniform. The description might be better as: “There’s nothing wrong with being a scout: you get to do cool things, learn useful skills and have fun with other kids your own age; you don’t even mind the dorky uniform!”

  11. Fair comment about the uniform; I knew there was another ‘follow me’ move somewhere but I couldn’t remember which playbook it was, so I’ll have a look. Cheers!

  13. Pretty much any time during the day (GMT) that suits you both, plus one or two other players if possible; if at the weekends, then between Noon and 11pm GMT is best.

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