Design Question

Design Question

Design Question

Handler Playbook  (sorry for Spamming the channel with my stuff)

I am still thinking about my Idea of the Handler, bascially a dude with a big scary monster that he can kinda control. 

I think he doesn’t really need more moves then a way to control his monster and maybe one more. Kind of like a Hardholder or Chopper. 

The two problems i have right now are monster creation and monster control. 

My first instinct about the creation was to create a few lists that you can choose from, like a Hardholder builds his Hold. Bodyform and a few features. All this choices would also include an instinct/impulse that the monster would follow. To be really scarry i think you need 3 or 4 instincts. 

The list right now looks like this 

—

Choose a basic kind of body

* Lizard I instinct : to hoard

* Mammal I instinct : to mate

* Mutated mess I instinct: to shatter sanity

* humanoid I instinct : to get away

* insectoid I instinct : to mate 

In battle it counts as a 2 harm small gang 

Give it two additional abilities 

* Fire breath 3 harm close, area, fire I impulse: To destroy

* Immens strengh and claws 3 harm hand, messy I instinct : to show power

* More than animal cunning I instinct : to corrupt

* It’s heavily armored 2 armor I instinct : to rest

* It’s gigantic +1 armor I instinct : to destroy whole buildings 

* It has wings/can burrow or has other unique movement modes I instinct : to get away 

* It can carnouflage itself I instinct : to scare

* Uses psychic powers to destroy your mind 2 harm ap quiet I instinct : 

* Is grows strange diseases ridden fungus on his skin mechanical stuff I instinct : to infest

* It’s extremy sleek and agile I instinct : to get away 

* Can carry a ton of stuff I instinct : to rest 

– 

The list isn’t so cool and not all of the instincts are that memorable. 

Some abilities also might be cool but would lead to more or less the same instincts.

Right now you can pick your cool stuff but you have to take the downsides that come with it or you pick your poison and have a beast that is not as cool. I kind of like this. Giving people the ability to choose instincts for themselves would take away some of the animalness of the beast and lead to strange things. Also people could just take the “harmless” instincts but still build a killer monster. 

I am also not sure how may abilities you should get. Are there any cool things i am missing or better instincts i could use? 

to be continued

10 thoughts on “Design Question”

  1. Control right now is a 2 part process. 

    1. you choose in what way you control your monster 

    * With whip, threats and constant oversight I instinct : to get revenge

    * A psychic link I instinct : to follow the will of the maelstorm

    * Bribes of special food I instinct : to eat

    * Sheer luck, you have no idea why it listens to you, and only to you  I instinct : to protect

    * You have a team that controls  I instinct : to mate

    * ITS APOCALYPSE ELECTRONICS, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT THING DOESNT WORK I instinct: to do random shit

    I think having different ways you do it is cool and gives players some ideas on how it works. Putting another instinct there is really fitting and brings the count to 4. I was thinking of letting players be able to drop one instinct if they have more then 3 but…

    Now the interesting thing is the control move. There are a few ways you could go with it. Something like leadership(Hardholder) or Indomitable(Touchstone) but i lack experience in using/seeing this move in play to make an informed design decision.

    Then there is the move i have right now 

    When you control your monster roll+hot

    On a hit it does as you want to but you still have to control it the whole time 

    On a 7-9 it also follows one of it’s instincts during the time and there is nothing you can do against it 

    On a miss it will follow all of it’s instincts with little control from you 

    **

    I was thinking about making it 

    10+ you choose one instinct

    7-9 you and the MC choose one option 

    to make it more dangerous but that would also mean that you could never make your monster just sit down and rest, it would constantly do something and all your time would be spend controlling it so you have no time to do other stuff. 

    It could be that you can choose 

    “You can choose to make your monster perform really well but it will follow one more of it’s instincts” but this seems kind of unrelated, especially if the instinct and the command are counter to each other.

    I am also not sure how often command should be rolled for particular things or if you would need a way to “force” your monster out of an instinct. 

    I could do something like this move (from the Boy and his Dog Playbook)

    Tricks: When you give your dog a command… 10+ hold 5, 7-9 hold 3

    Spend hold to

    *The dog obeys immiately 

    *The dog is not harmed or hindered

    *The dog is not confused, distracted or frightened

    *The Dog performs really well

    *The Dog performs happily

    1. I don’t think this is a really good move 

    2. I don’t think this gives you the flavour of a half controlled beast of destruction

    What can i do to get this feeling? 

    to be continued

  2. The Handler would be a Hot playbook and have another move to allow him to use hot for Go Aggro and Seize when using his monster in battle. 

    Is this enough? I think having his monster to deal with is quite enough to make it interesting. 

    The Juggernaut has extra moves but his Mech is not a threat in itself. The monster definetly should be stated out as a threat. 

    (It also implies that there are other creatures like this in the world) 

    Someone suggested a move for unleashing the monster without constraints to absolutely destroy something. It could maybe work like Oh yeah! (Faceless) but i am not sure if it is needed. 

    I could be a move you just get, if it is a move you can take i would have to write more moves so mmhhh…. 

    To put this thought and monster creation together, maybe a few of the choices you make give you access to new moves but this would feel to much like playing the Monster, not the MonsterHandler i am affraid. 

    Does this playbook need more moves? 

  3. I like the instinct concept, except that insects are typically hoarders (bees, ants, termites, even cockroaches all hoard foodstuffs) and lizards are predatory scavengers (I would change lizards instinct to “consume”). Apart from that, it looks good.

    Side note: what about a robotic companion? Instinct: to disassemble and analyze.

  4. Oh, I guess some of your instincts under control I think are too wordy. You want to be brief and also allow for plenty of MC interpretation.

    I would change those to:

    * With whip, threats and constant oversight I instinct : retribution

    * A psychic link I instinct : to follow the maelstorm

    * Bribes of special food I instinct : consume

    * Sheer luck, you have no idea why it listens to you, and only to you  I instinct : loyal

    * You have a team that controls  I instinct : to mate

    * ITS APOCALYPSE ELECTRONICS, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT THING DOESNT WORK I instinct: MC secret

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