Hi everyone! On AW2E and the Lifestyle move, does everyone really use it at the beginning of each session? Sometimes the previous session ends in a cliffhanger or was just like a day in fiction time, what do you do on those cases. I’m curious how everyone uses this, specially ’cause I’m working on something like that for my #NahualRPG game.
Hi everyone!
Hi everyone!
Table agreement. No strict rule here.
I think it changed from an ingame time measurement in 1E to a out of game mechanic in 2E for a reason.
It creates an atmosphere of always finite supply which fits a post-apocalyptic setting. It also pushes players to look for gigs or other ways to earn money and that creates more interaction with the world and chances to run into trouble – sooner or later someone will miss their gig roll. Basically it’s a built-in plot creator.
As always you don’t have to stick to it to much though. When I forgot about it, I always handwaved it and it was fine.
For your own game the most important questions imho are if it fits thematically and if the game benefits from a plot creation tool in the rules. If not, it’s not necessary. Many other PbtA work very well without it.
When I’m the MC, always, every time, at the beginning of every session, no exceptions.
I do it for every session, even if it’s taking place mere hours after the previous one.
Which implies that living through really dramatic periods of time is drastically more expensive. That’s interesting.
Vincent Baker do you ever end a session on a cliffhanger? Dremmer and Stank in a standoff, guns pointed. Next session, you open on the scene and… everyone rolls lifestyle?
Aaron Griffin Everybody spends for lifestyle before we open on the scene.
When you end on a cliffhanger, you still do “who knows who better?” at the end of the session, right? Same thing with spending for lifestyle at the beginning of the session.
Interesting. I’d never thought of it as an out of context move like the end of session one. It feels like something that needs fiction around it
Yeah, nope. In 2nd Ed, barter’s designed to cycle at the pace of sessions, not at the pace of fictional time, same as Hx.
If you play it by fictional time, you lose the new effect, but it’s no worse than it always was in 1st Ed, so whatever.
I’ve been doing it 1st Ed style all the way.
I’ll refrain myself of old habits and give it a try next time. Thanks for clarification.
I am using it every session.