A while back I was playing Rimworld (the computer game) and watching the BBC series Outcasts, and I started thinking that it would be a fairly easy but interesting hack to turn Apocalypse World into a game about human colonists on a hostile alien world.
Well I’ve finally finished by brain dump on the thought: 10 thoroughly un-play-tested playbooks revolving around colony themes. I present my “Colony World” hack for Apocalypse World.
Looks like something enjoyable. I will ask my group if they be interested to try this.
Have you read/played Durance? There are some good ‘playset’ ideas in there that may help define your hack, Tremulus style.
I hadn’t heard of Durance. I may need to look into that.
Have you seen this?
http://mightyatom.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/apocalypse-world-planet-athena.html?m=1
I hadn’t heard about that either. I was picturing a newer colony, just trying to get started and situated.
Ha Ha! and after playing Planet Athena for a few sessions…. It has gone to shit you and you can play THIS:
http://www.onesevendesign.com/regiment/the_regiment_2_5_colonial_marines.pdf
Looks like fun, actually. How do you envisage using the Xeno move in place of Go Aggro?
Craig: I envision it a lot like that iconic scene from Aliens, where Ripley has gone into the Queen’s nest to rescue Newt, and ends up face to face with the queen. She threatens to burn all the eggs if the queen tries to stop her and Newt from leaving. It was basically going Aggro, but it was going aggro with an alien that probably doesn’t understand fear or cause and effect the same way humanity does.
In Colony World terms, that would be Ripley (the Homesteader with a Child Newt probably) inside an insectoid swarm hive. She wants to make it clear to the Queen that if the swarm moves against her, she will burn all of the eggs first. If the queen was a human, that would be Going Aggro to be allowed to leave. The Alien Queen isn’t human of course, so instead she has to make the Interact with the Alien move and roll+xeno (+family morale for Newt being present). On a 10+, the MC will give her good detail about the situation, like “The Queen doesn’t want to get burned but she knows she can always lay more eggs. She’ll let you get far enough away you can’t burn her yourself, then she’ll make her move.” On a 7-9 the MC could say “The Queen doesn’t seem to like the look of your flamethrower, and appears cowed.”
This post has encouraged me to add flamethrower to the weapons list for the Colonial Soldier, and Interact with the Alien to the list of moves Homesteaders add their family morale to (when their family is present and in danger.)