I find the hardest part of creating playbooks is writing moves for the characters.

I find the hardest part of creating playbooks is writing moves for the characters.

I find the hardest part of creating playbooks is writing moves for the characters. Not so much having an idea for a move, but making it useful and work in the game. Any advice on this? Or any resources?

19 thoughts on “I find the hardest part of creating playbooks is writing moves for the characters.”

  1. Steal, steal, steal.

    Here’s something from my paladin: Armor of Faith: When you would take damage, you may grit your teeth and accept the blow. If you do, take no damage but lower your Bond with your deity by one.

    Does that scan familiar?

  2. I steal constantly, and then edit to make sure it fits.

    But knowing if it works or not, that’s an empirical question; run a “test” by trying out the rule to make sure.

  3. You will have to understand which interesting situation triggers a check-in with the fiction and where do you want the story to go from here (even if it’s vague).

    I love read a sitch and go aggro on someone,they are great enough exemple of that system.

    That’s what I use when I do custom or hack moves. That and the procedure written by Vincent Baker at the end of Apocalypse world (2e).

    I wouldn’t say “steal!”, but understand what a move does to the fiction and make your move using that knowledge to get the effect you want for your game. It could end up using the same move.

  6. David Rothfeder

    Good artists borrow, great artists steal.

    That is, good ones look to others for things that work and incorporate into their practice. Great ones take, break apart and understand, then remake in their own style.

  8. Don’t be afraid to scrap an idea and replace it: just because it’s written doesn’t mean you have to keep it.

    Ask other people what they think a character of that type should be able to do.

    Ask yourself what excites you about that character type: what would you like to be able to do if you were playing them?

    Write things that push the game’s agenda and the character’s.

  10. James had a bunch of great suggestions. I’d also say, examine the genre you’re trying to emulate (if you are emulating) and make note of the kinds of things people of each type do.

  11. Also, “use X instead of Y” when rolling is an easy one to flavor. You can put interesting conditional requirements, and just trying to figure out why, say, you’d be rolling+Cold here instead of +Hot always immediately has given me fictional ideas and can feel really unique each time, especially if you word and explain it right.

  13. Some things to consider (an incomplete checklist)…

    Does the playbook have moves that:

    =Modify the basic moves

    =Improve stats or upgrade other playbook moves

    =Give the character items/resources/status

    =Give the character a starting shtick

    =Give the character a way to get moves from other playbooks

    =Give the character a way to change playbooks

    =Give the character a way to end their story

    =Give the character a unique way to interact with the world/fiction

    =The character will eventually be forced to take

  16. Making (or bribing) a character to do something. Or controlling someone’s fate. So, like, that Maestro’D move where you can make someone come to you, the Skinner move that paralyzes people, the Battlebabe move that lets you decide who survives a fight, etc.

Comments are closed.