Ok you guys are probably a bit biased but here goes nothing…
So I bough Dungeon World and Uncharted Worlds few months ago. Loving it! It’s one of the best revelation system wise since Fate Core few years ago.
Now, I’m tempted to buy Apocalypse World (2nd ed), since it’s the root of it all but in your honest opinion, would a learn anything new that I didn’t already know from DW about the system?
I know about the Harm mechanic, which is pretty cool. But anything else?
Because setting wise, even though I like Post Apocalyptic, to me it seems like Apocalypse World is a bit too wierd (to me it looks a lot more like the Mad Max remake than say On The Road or The Postman).
If you’re not planning to Apocalypse, don’t worry about buying it just because. You won’t lose out if you grasp the principles of the games you’re actually playing. Take a look at the refbook, it’s free on the website.
I think AW is an incredible book for explaining how the Powered by the Apocalypse system works. Absolutely a “must buy” if you’re interested in the broader system.
If all you’re looking for is system mastery, or a deeper understanding of PbtA’s underlying philosophy, or whatever you want to call that, then I personally don’t think you’ll get much out of AW that DW doesn’t already give you. DW has a good grasp of its system and genre, and the two settings are similar enough in focus (action, resources and weird crap) that you likely won’t get much new stuff out of it.
That said, ora lege relege. More reading is never a bad thing, and AW is where it all started. But I think you would be better served by looking a bit farther afield, to see what people have done with the system to model really different genres. You’ll see more novel ideas compared to what you’re already familiar with that way.
For a concrete recommendation, I’d say Urban Shadows. It has really smart relationship and faction mechanics, and does a good job of giving the city a character in its own right and making it a backdrop for a hotbed of noir intrigue. It’s very different from AW and DW in its focus, and has great GM advice so you can see how it all works together and why it’s designed that way.
/2¢
I began with Urban Shadows and went “backwards” to the AW book. I agree with Mark Diaz Truman that the AW book is helpful with explanations, and I look to it for guidance when I am running/playing any PbtA game (DW, Blades in the Dark, etc)
Jason D’Angelo has been doing a deep read of it and may have thoughts.
Yeah I’m kinda doing it backwards too : DW, then UW
Yes. My understanding of how the overall PbtA systems work was greatly enhanced by getting AW
As much as I usually find myself disagreeing with Mark Diaz Truman, on this we agree.
That AW book is jam-packed with knowledge and wisdom and information that isn’t really found anywhere else. While meaning no disrespect to Latorra, Kobel, Truman, Medeiros and the dozens of others who’ve written hacks, Meg and Vincent’s work is packed with nuggets and insights not found other places.
I think the thing AW has that DW does not is that the mechanics are finely-tuned to create pressure on the player characters. It’s like a machine you keep cranking the handle on, knowing that one day — maybe not today, but some day — it’s going to blow up in your face. AW is a dangerous game. DW is a heroic game. They’re both good, and you can learn a lot from both. Monsterhearts and Urban Shadows are especially instructive for making social interactions the beating heart of their mechanics, and I recommend them without reservation also. And, if you’re like a lot of us, you will probably find there are a lot of games with PbtA mechanics that will make you very, very happy. Enjoy!
Ok that sold me. Thanks all! 🙂
I think it depends on what you like about DW. My experience is that people who like DW tend to like different parts of pbta than other games. AW does a great job of telling you how and why to break habits from running and playing other games. If you like playing a game where the goals are character defined and highly mutable, AW has a lot to offer. But if you liked the flow and simplicity DW but the overall feel of a traditional dnd campaign, AW isn’t likely going to offer anything new that you want.
It’s important to state that the designers of AW2e don’t supervise, edit, or otherwise have any input into what other people do with their system. That means that you can find moves in other pbta games or supplements that may violate the design philosophy behind pbta as a system. The system isn’t just a collection of cool looking moves.
So, the question becomes, what are your objectives? If it’s just to learn how to play DW as written, than no, you don’t need AW. BUT if you want to understand the design philosophy behind pbta as originally intended by the designers, than yes get AW2e. It doesn’t spell out everything you’d wish to know, but it helps.