Author: Dale Jennings

Tin foil hats at the ready – time for some Apocalypse World!

The Apocalypse has been cancelled…

Hey, I’m kidding! Where’s the fun in that?

Just to let you guys know our regular AW game was paused last week to play a one shot of Tales from the Loop.

Normal play will resume in a couple of weeks, and I’ll report in then as usual (just in case anyone missed my regular update).

Take care boys and girls. Keep your ammo close, and watch your 6 😀.

Apocalypse World – session two. 

 

It was our third session of AW Monday night (the first was session zero). Our group consists of – 

Paul as Boo, an Angel. 

Rick as Marlon, a Driver. 

Bard as Emmy, a Maestro’ d. 

Dave as Keeler, a Gunlugger. 

John as Sundown, a Brainer. 

And me, Dale, as the humble MC. 

 

Scene 1 – “Jackson, Interrogated.”

Our third session starts with the gang recovering from last week’s battle with the bikers. Last session Emmy took one to the leg, and required three days care from Boo to recuperate. Boo spends two of his medical kit (tranqs, sutures, gauze etc.) to heal her bullet wound. She’s laid up in his infirmary, alongside Jackson, the (former) leader of the, now dead, biker gang. 

 

While they have Jackson recuperating from the “Grey Plague” (this is a threat I’ve decided on for New Jerusalem; it’s an affliction – a condition which exposes people to danger. I’ve done this during my prep work between sessions, making threat maps and such.), they decide to pump him for information – during their questioning I ask Boo (who’s asking the questions) to “read a person”. His success means he gets to ask questions, which I answer truthfully, about Jackson and his motives. He’s a broken man, pretty much, bereft of his gang, estranged from his brother (Preacher Moon), just about given up, with no hope left. He may yet be used as a pawn in the groups machinations, but that’s up to them.

After they get all their answers the gang walk outside the modified, rusty shipping container, which houses Boo’s lab to discuss what they’ve learnt. There’s a squeal of rusty hinges, sand falling from the top of the door, and a clang as it closes…

Scene 2 – “A brainer in the lab.”

Our focus moves away from the group, and across the desert…

During the discussion this week I’ve asked the group to elaborate on where they are; last week we had the road, with sand dunes either side, a former gas station/road house, a run-down motel, and “New Jerusalem”. This week they describe somewhere like Nevada, or New Mexico as we zoom out to see a bigger area. A rolling desert, with roads cutting through it, and mountains in the distance “like Airwolf”.

I ask Sundown where he was last session, and get the response “in my lab”. “OK, cool”, I say, “tell me about it”.

“Well it’s an old abandoned silo in the desert; part of a former military complex” he says.

Alright! This meshes perfectly with some ideas I’ve been kicking around between sessions.

.

Allow me to elaborate:

Keeler’s player, Dave has already told me he’d like to have some kind of military background. I figure he’s been sent into the world to scout for the base – Fort Meade.

I pitch this to the players, as a group, to see if they’re interested in where this may head.

I’ve already had interest expressed in trying to stop the psychic maelstrom. In our game this has been defined as a kind of radio static, accessible through radio waves, bluetooth devices, walkie talkies etc. I think this likely involves nano-technology of some kind in the atmosphere. This is what gave rise to the idea of the “Grey Plague”. They’re inert nano machines, visible as a grey dust on the skin. So weaving various elements together this is what I pitch them:

There are a number of soldiers who survived the plague, unknown to anyone on the surface. They now work for the computer, which started all this mess. It resides underground, in an as yet, undiscovered part of Fort Meade (I’m imagining some ‘Resident Evil’ type shit going down here), protected by both the soldiers, and a variety of lethal defences… It sent a signal via the global satellite network to unleash the nanites, supposedly to protect the planet, the AI decided the greatest threat to the world was humanity, and tried to wipe it out with a nuclear disaster. Provoking a world war was easy, and now it’s on “mop-up” duties.

The group seem happy to go along with this as a premise for the campaign, and it gives me some immediate threats, and ideas of where things can head. At the same time this firmly establishes pve, since they don’t want any inter party conflict. Win, win. So, on with the synopsis…

Scene 3 – “There’s a party in Town, or a journey to New Jerusalem.”

We decide the next scene will be the battery powered bus arriving at New Jerusalem. One of the perks for the bus driver, is an allowance to get pissed at the Pig Pen, along with the residents from New Jerusalem. Marlon then drives the bus back the next day, as part of his gig working for Preacher Moon.

We envisage as a table, something like the town of Alexandria (from the walking dead), for New Jerusalem. A number of houses, and a few town buildings, surrounded by a make shift steel wall, complete with lookout posts, and sentry walkways. Guards here defend the town from the ever present threat of wasteland biker gangs, and other (as yet undefined) threats.

Scene 4 – “A grenade in the works…”

The bus pulls into the “airlock” type gate arrangement, where all visitors are asked to surrender their weapons. We established in session zero that no guns are allowed in New Jerusalem. All the party happily hand them over, but Keeler is reluctant to give up his grenade. There’s some good roleplay during the discussion, but nothing that overtly triggers a move (I could have used ‘act under fire’, as a default, because it’s a charged situation, but enjoy the conversation, so let it continue).

Eventually the Gunlugger gives it up, with a warning not to ‘do this’ – an pulls the pin to demonstrate! He keeps it spooned, resets the pin, then hands it over.

Scene 5 – “They all wear tin foil hats round here…”

As they’re making their way into town. They ask what it’s like. I throw it back to the table, and say “this isn’t your first time here – what is it like?”

They each describe the town, and elaborate a little on what they see.

I barf for apocalyptica all over it, and add descriptions of how beaten up, and run down it all is.

Then out of left field the Bard says “they all wear tin foil hats here too”; we are all in stitches, imagining everything we’ve seen turned on it’s head by this, but he goes on to explain “it’s because of the nanites, and the Grey Plague. They believe the tin hats will protect them, and keep them safe”. I love it! So much I give him +1 forward, just for coming up with it. It ties in brilliantly with the fiction we’re creating.

The party now move into town, making a beeline for Sheriff Fords’ office. Deputy Dan is sitting in a beaten up rocking chair on the porch (he’s the one with the cold), and asks what they want. His tin hat is under his deputy’s hat, ‘cos you still need to recognise the law right?

Emmy decides to try to ‘read a person’, to see what’s up with the deputy, and rolls snake eyes! He promptly snaps the cuffs on her, and throws her in a cell to “cool off a piece”. (There must always be a consequence to a roll, no matter what, good, bad, or at a cost). Maybe he’s a bit hot and bothered with the hat and all.

They speak with the Sheriff, and tell him they have Jackson in there possession. Readining him this time is a success, and he’s not happy to hear it. He wanted Jackson dead, because he worries about a reconciliation (Jackson and Moon are half brothers, remember).

He tells them to kill Jackson, which is what he paid them to do in the first place. They agree, and go to speak with Preacher Moon.

Scene 6 – “I see a bad moon rising…”

We move to the town hall, where Preacher Moon sits with some of his flock, preaching about the nanites, the plague, and how the hats can keep them safe in New Jerusalem. Naturally if any of the laws are broken the wicked will be punished (nothing specific is threatened, which seems to make it all the more sinister…)

He wraps up the sermon and greets the party. He’s a huge black man, wearing an especially elaborate foil hat, and a foil collar too.

Incongruously I make him extremely jovial too – happy and smiling as he greets each character in turn, wrapping them in a bear size hug, and holding them firmly by the shoulders, staring deeply into their eyes (this shit actually works with his flock – needless to say, the party are not as easily impressed)

More ‘read a sitch’, and ‘read a person’ rolls are made, and I begin to elaborate on the details to the party’s questions.

Scene 7 – “It all began with that radio…”

Moon explains tht the first case of the Grey Plague began when he was tuning in an old WWII (he doesn’t know this, just describes it as an “old radio device from the days long before the fall”) radio set.

It sits in the town hall building and is clearly a part of their weird tin foil hat wearing religion now.

Sundown walks over to it, and says he wants to read the psychic maelstrom – success!

I describe the radio tuning light coming on all on it’s own (this is the nanites at work – it seems natural that brainers somehow control them, subconsciously), and the tuning dial begins to spin, then the sounds of static, and number stations begin to fill the air…

There is a amazed gasp from the onlookers as this occurs, someone starts screaming, and another faints.

Scene 8 – “A vision from the past…”

As the brainer succeeds in his roll, I decide to share the information thus –

I describe the AI computer lights flashing deep underground, and the hum of the aircon fans thrumming in the darkened room. Then we become an electron flowing through a long coloured tube (a piece of wire), as the signal is sent from the computer, via a satellite relay, and thence to outer space. We sit high above the planet Earth (which I describe as a blue globe, covered with cotton wool wisps, and coloured splashes of land), able to see the energy as each satellite broadcasts it’s signal downwards. Cherry red, and bright yellow dots begin to appear, as the nukes go off, and then darkness descends…

Needless to say, they decide to help Preacher Moon, and there is a cheer from the assembled Jersulalites.

We fade to the next scene, with them back in their bar at the Pig Pen. Sundown shares what he has learnt with a ritual – they all join hands, and he ‘replays’ the vision he saw from the old radio set in New Jerusalem. Since I described this in front of everyone, we just describe the effect of the Brainer’s talent, and say “you now see what Sundown saw in his vision, as if through his own eyes”

It’s now come to the end of the session, and we leave there until next time..

Session notes:

Locations:

Pig Pen

New Jerusalem

Elsewhere (another town)

Fort Meade

The Desert

The Road

Cast:

Toyota

Been

Rolfball

Gams

Yen – Bouncer – brute

Sheriff Ford

Preacher Moon

Jackson

Threats:

Pig Pen – landscape – breeding pit – generate badness

Marlon’s car – vehicle – wild fucker – defy danger

New Jerusalem – TBC

Above is incomplete; just the important stuff for now.

Apocalypse World – session one.

Our second session of AW tonight (the first was session zero). Our group consists of –

Paul as Boo, an Angel.

Rick as Marlon, a Driver.

Bard as Emmy, a Maestro’ d.

Dave as Keeler, a Gunlugger.

John as Sundown, a Brainer. (absent this week)

Our second session starts with three of the PC’s wanting gigs. They’re low on barter already.

We all decide the Sheriff from New Jerusalem wants Jackson’s biker gang killed and agrees to pay them two barter each for it. He wants half the loot from the gang until the gunlugger goes aggro on him, which quickly changes his mind. But now he’s all like “fuck you” to Keeler. I’ve already highlighted everyone’s hard during Hx cos I’m pretty sure blood will flow tonight.

The scene in the Pig Pen (Maestro’D’s bar) allows rolls for read a sitch, read a person, manipulate someone etc., along with some playbook moves (way out of here, eye on the door and everyone eats, even that guy). This is all driven by the conversation of course. After every move I make I’m asking “what do you do?”.

There’s a scene with the driver trying to sucker someone, which he totally misses, so I turn his move back on him, and he hears a gun cock next to his ear. This is what lets him get an eye on the door.

We’ve already established the psychic maelstrom was created by a computer virus, before, or during the fall (was it because of, or the cause?). It manifests as electronic “white noise”, like an audible TV static, through bluetooth headsets, walkie talkies, radios, TV’s etc. MC note – I’ve been told “The Cell” movie, and “Dollhouse” TV shows have some good tips for this.

The aim of the party now is to find whatever is generating this virus (AI supercomputer? Underground? Military hardware, like the “Red Queen”?), and get rid of it.

I had initially envisaged a “Pig Pen” vs “New Jerusalem” scenario a la “The Stand”, but now have a radically different story arc to consider. And you know what? – I love it!

I’m rolling with what the players are putting down, and between us we’re creating a pretty good story.

Two of my players have already gained an experience improvement – is this normal to improve once per session? The others are one roll away. I want to see them unlock more rewards, and grow as characters. They need five to unlock those advanced rewards right, so that’s another four sessions at least.

Also Gunluggers – how shit hard are they. He walked up to the biker gang with a machinegun and just mowed them down! Because he’s got that small gang thing going he was on equal terms, and his armour kept him from harm (along with “suffers little harm”). Is that normal too? I mean one guy taking out a small gang on his own. I visualised it like Terminator, bullets smacking into his flak vest, and him just keeping walking. Wow!

The driver used his car to mow down some, and the other players cashed out the rest. All except Jackson, the leader, who is Preacher Moon’s brother (the leader of New Jerusalem, and the Sheriffs real target). He had that crazy tech virus thing going, so the Angel wants to heal him. I need to decide where that’s headed – maybe he pretends to recover, but is still working for the computer?

Thanks to all of you that offered advice on my first post. I used most, if not all, of those suggestions and had a great game thanks to it. Any more suggestions gratefully received.

Anyway, until next time – keep your supplies close by, and your powder dry.

Adios amigos.

Apocalypse World – session zero.

So we finally got to play AW last night. Our group consists of –

Paul as Boo, an Angel.

Rick as Marlon, a Driver.

John as Sundown, a Brainer.

Bard as Emmy, a Maestro’ d.

Dave as Keeler, a Gunlugger.

After playbooks were chosen, moves picked, and looks decided on, we did the Hx thing, going round the table. I frantically wrote notes on index cards, to detail the relationships, but also recorded the session on an MP3 player, so I can listen again if I need to.

The group are based at “The Pig Pen”, which is the Maestro’s establishment. The main attraction is the fights, supplemented by booze and sex. We’ve got bare knuckle brawls and mud wrestling babes in two rings in the bar. The bar is in an old roadhouse at back of a rundown gas station (pre-fall this was a common amenity along the roads).

Nearby, about 12 miles away, is the town of New Jerusalem. It’s run by a preacher called Moon, and presided over by the local Sheriff. The folks there don’t tolerate booze, sex or fighting in town limits, so regular old battered, battery powered buses run out to the pig pen, so the townies can get their jollies. Naturally some folk are not best pleased about that.

We also have a biker gang run by Jackson, who unknown to most, is the preachers half brother.

I set a few scenes where the players could role play their characters, but was dissapointed by the lack of any real buy in. I had the driver and brainer approaching the town, in the big old muscle car, engine throbbing in the sunset, along the arrow straight road. Cue players – go! Nothing! OK, so what do you guys talk about? “Nothing – we can speak volumes with a single glance”. OK, cool, let’s note that one for the future.

We had the others in the bar, watching the fights and wrestling. OK you’re all there drinking – go! Nothing! Maybe I should have thrown an NPC in their face, all drunk and nasty?

All the group seemed to totally ignore all the relationships formed during Hx, and expressed strong dislike for any “inter party conflict”. Hmm, so I’ll have to provide all the impetus and antagonism they need. I think we’re missing out on a big part of the game there, but will make a story of “us vs them” to accommodate. After all, it’s their story. I’m sure conflict will arrive soon enough, and I’m really looking forward to find out how the story develops…

Did I have too high expectations from the group maybe? Any advice on how to encourage role play appreciated. Any other advice you guys can provide also appreciated. I’ll be doing threat maps etc. later this evening (+1 GMT here, UK time).

Hi all. Going to run my first Apocalypse World game in the next few weeks. Any advice? (Other than all the excellent advice in the book)

I’ve got some ideas for people, places, scenes, threat etc. but haven’t given them any context yet. I plan to do this at the table, and after the first session.

Thanks for the help, and happy to be here.