Author: Darrin Michelson

Remnant Post

So I’ve hit a brick wall on the design of Remnant’s systems. And it might be due to not knowing how a game is suppose to come to a natural conclusion. In Apocalypse World the game naturally concludes as players 12+ their various problems out of existence. The game’s be curve starts at relative stability, introduces a significant amount of instability, and comes to a rest when those instabilities are solved or accounted for. I don’t know what that is for Remnant. How do you guys end your games? What tends to bring them to a close?

For Remnant as it currently stands the only options are:

1. Have your last little hold out of humanity collapse into the Ruin

2. Escape from whatever causes the Ruin (leave this plane of existence, get beyond the edge of the Ruin, however you like).

3. Forge something that will endure the Ruin’s fire and rot while you yourself die off.

The problem I have with this is that the setting is so unrelentingly survival oriented that there is no breathing room for a player to forge art for art’s sake, and that’s a big element of Remnant’s identity. So I’m dialing back the clock a bit. The Authority is still nominally in charge, the city is still populated with refugees, and there is still a culture intact. Rail gangs still scream around the freeways, bars are still filled with aggressive glitch-rock bands, menders still try and revitalize ash into living matter, and block bosses still nominally policeoversee local criminal enterprise. The color everyone needs to live still gets rationed out, but it’s never enough for everyone, and people end up drinking salve more often than pure.

It’s a setting that has time to breath while still having the pressure of scarcity alive and insistent.

Remnant post

And once again I find myself at the rubicon that’s put this hack back into cold storage multiple times in the past: how do I handle forgeries. A forgery in Remnant means a lot of different things, they’re a physical reminder that no one is capable of true creation any more, a temporary expression of humanity in a world guttering out, an expenditure of the only resource that really matters anymore, and a source of a kind of warmth that has nothing to do with heat.

What attracts me to this concept of limited and uncertain memories invested in, built up and set in motion, is the thought of a community of forged artifacts, lamps in the dark, where some buildings are real and some are half remembered, where some people are flesh and blood and some bleed radient gasoline. What does a community of color addicts do when the salve runs dry and nothing precious can be scrounged. How long does such a place retain it’s humanity when half it’s residents are made of heroin. When do whole structures and collective identies go missing. How fast does the Ruin take it.

I honestly don’t know and I’m having a damned hard time expressing it elegantly. I initially considered tagging objects, but the number of potential descriptors ballooned rediculously quickly. I feel like there’s a tight to three questions to that could cover the necessary definitions, but they aren’t coming to me.

Every playbook can forge trinkets, little objects of minor value that can be invested in, giving them that natural glow to hold the Ruin at bay, both within and without. I imagine them being traded, given as gifts, and kept privately as succor against one’s own worst impulses. Some playbook can make much more, with the savvyhead constructing complex machines, the maestro’d forging structures, the brainer forging memories, and the hocus forging whole people. Further some books can invest in their creations better than others, where the Hardholder having a strong ability to invest, while the Battlebabe has almost none.

The answer to that question, as well as how the game ends is in that morass of setting fluff I’m sure.

Well just so I to prevent this post from being devoid of forward progress, here’s the first step to forging: plagerizing.

When you plagiarize describe what you intend to forge and roll:

10+ pick 3

7-9 pick 1

6> MC decides

-what you need is close at hand

-what you need isn’t claimed by anyone

-what you need isn’t complicated

-what you need isn’t in the Ruin

-what you need requires little Color

Remnant Post

Been hammering on these ideas the last few days. Switching from my own stats back to mostly using the AW set has allowed me to pare down the complexity of Color and its bonuses and negatives. I’m not at elegance yet, but I’m in its area code I think.

Stats

Hard, Cool, Sharp, Hot, Color, Forge & Ships

Color is the state that measures how much of the resource the player is holding in their heart. The stuff smells like spilled gasoline, glows like moonlight on Chernobyl, and tastes like life itself. A body needs Color to keep the stain of the Ruin from rotting through it, but Color was meant for breath, not the heart. Hold it too long and the heat of it will burn away the flesh it illuminates, and everything it touches.

You gain Color by destroying things that hold memories. The most common of these are the barter in Remnant, Mementos, which are random objects scrounged from the decay of the Ruin and the increasingly deserted blocks of the Pale City. Color can also be gained by destroying a forgery, or a body that’s currently holding some shine in it. A body can hold up to two points of Color (Flush / Wan / Empty)

Scrounge – When you turn over a space looking for something roll +Sharp:

10▴ – You find what you were looking for, pick (3)

7-9 – You find what you were looking for and pick (1), otherwise you don’t find what you were after and pick (3)

6▾- You fail to find what you were looking for and pick (1)

-It doesn’t take long.

-No one spots you.

-You don’t leave a mess.

-You find something unexpected.

Tip Back and Drink – When you have the time and space take a nice Long Pull of that sweet, sweet shine, and feel like a human being again (Become Flush), otherwise take Quick Sip to keep level (Become Wan, otherwise Become Flush).

MC Moves – The MC has a few Soft and Hard moves associated with Color which are available depending on whether or not they’re currently holding.

Holding Color:

Soft – Running Low – The player’s Color is finite, and they’re starting to feel it.

Hard – Drain Them – If the player makes no effort to top off feel free to make their next Color based action cost as much of it as you like.

Soft – Smoke – If the player fails to keep Cool under Fire, or if they make an aggressive or violent move, the warmth of their Color has reached a fever heat, and pushed much further it will light a fire within them.

Hard – Fire – If the player makes no effort to quench that fire by dousing it with a Quick Sip or more of fresh Color, or by expelling the Color in some manner feel free to Burn them with harm as established. Each time this move is used without the player quenching increase the range of what is burned from self, to touch, to personal space, to small room.

Empty of Color:

Soft – Dulled – The player’s lack of Color can be seen and felt by others.

Hard – Repulsing – If the player makes no effort to take in fresh color feel free to make a current social interaction go badly.

Soft – Empty Ache- If the player fails to keep Cool under Fire, make an aggressive or violent move, or are treated as Repulsing by someone, remind the player how long it’s been since they’ve had a pull of shine and how they feel the filth of their stain spreading.

Hard – The Ruin Howls- If the player makes no effort to take in some fresh Color feel free to Stain them or the space around them as established. Each time this move is used without the player quenching increase the degree to which things are Stained, temporarily, on-going, or permanently.

Forge is a measure of a character’s talent with Color, how powerfully it resonates within them, and how deft they are at making a forgery.

Plagiarize – When the player plagiarizes their memories ask the MC what it would take to make something and roll.

10▴ – You have the items needed to make the desired Forgery

7-9 – Your’re missing some items needed.

6▾- You’re missing the items, you need help, or someone is standing in your way.

Make a Forgery

This is still in progress but as is stands right now

Savvy Head – Forge complex objects or machinery, Forge Structures.

Hocus – Forge individual characters and small groups.

Brainer – Forge memories, steal Color

Chopper/Hard Holder – +1 to intimidating others if Wan or Empty

Battlebabe/Skinner +1 to Hot when Flush

All characters will be able to Forge incidental objects that have no mechanical benefit but are nice story trinkets.

Remnant Post

Feeling a bit zonked on typing out mechanics tonight. It’s hard to keep the machine of a game mentally in place as the entries begin to span multiple pages.

Instead I photobashed another picture of the Pale City for relaxation tonight.

I heard a song on the radio who’s lyrics were effectively a description of Remnant’s core themes, and even some very specific terms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvZhnksc_Fw

so I’m thinking about Remnant again. It embarrasses me to say how long a few of these ideas have taken to root in me.

When the player decides they want something explain it to the MC and ask. The MC must tell them what you need to accomplish the goal, the raw materials, cost in Color and what you might need to destroy, and then ask “how bad do you want this?” If the player still wants it, mark a Pang.

MC Move

Soft – Remind the player know that their course of action will consume Color, make their Tint smolder uncomfortably, or cause the Ruin within to Yawn, then ask them, “How bad do you want this?”

Hard – Consume some or all of the player’s Color, Ignite their accumulated Tint, burning them or something nearby, or let the Ruin swallow hope or stain something of value to them.

My online group is chatting about what system to use for a Super Sentai/Power Rangers style game. Basically super hero teens that eventually fight with a combined, giant robot. I would prefer the system to be PBTA if at all possible but I’m not seeing anything that targets a the sentai/ranger setting directly on a quick search.

Does anyone know of an appropriate or ballpark hack?

Still boiling, boiling, boiling that can of pop down to the sweet, sweet syrup.

Dunegonauts Post

(Current Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PsHBT1V5MINifP-7xN3cpI-Rm8E64LnPeWpSK1JeSWE/edit?usp=sharing)

I spent the last several days cleaning up the document and trying to flesh out some of the systems. The addition of Debts is a big one. Individual employees take on debts just like the franchise does, and just like the franchise they have to make weekly minimum payments or face a consequence. Withe the addition of this pressure button players are encouraged to take advances that improve their income or circumstances. From them comes the pressure on the business to take tougher jobs with greater payouts.

I will admit that writing up a whole section of debt and desperation was a bit more depressing than I was hoping for in this game, but the underlying core is still there.

I spent part of the weekend hammering out the broad strokes for my day job dungeon crawler. Hopefully some of what I’m trying to express comes through. Heavy influence by Inspecters and some copy paste from Apocalypse World.

DUNGEONAUTS

Congratulations! You’re all founding members of a salvage company that profits off the looting and exploration of the Dungeon Planets that orbit the Earth. You’ve got a lot of debt to pay off, and you’ll need to make a payment at least once a week. To avoid bankruptcy you’ll have to work as a team, take gigs for salvage, get your haul back through customs, legally or otherwise, and then sell the product for a profit. That is if your expenses don’t eat it all first.

For Every Game Week

At the beginning of every game week make the following two rolls:

Debt Roll

At the start of the session, roll to see what the franchise’s current cash on hand looks like

– 10+ – You’re still just in the black

– 7 to 9 – You’ve got a bit of debt, but a couple of lucrative gigs will pay it off

– 6 and below – Mistakes were made. You’re starting this week with a considerable debt and creditors out for blood, better get creative.

Job Offers

At the start of the session, roll to see what the franchise’s current cash on hand looks like

– 10+ – Your prospects look bright and the money is good.

– 7 to 9 – The jobs are offering chump change, basic work, or dangerous conditions

– 6 and below – Beggars can’t be choosers, expect jobs to be double booked and for the requirements to change mid stream.

For the First Session and Grand Opening

When you’re sitting down at the table for the first time the Financier should walk through the following questions. Listen to the Player responses and ask any follow up questions that come to mind, and press them for details. Take your time get to know the world beging established.

Create a salvage company

A salvage company must have the following:

– A Financier

– A Manager

– A Hacker

– A Dungeonaut

The Financier

One person takes the roll of the Financier, also known as the MC, the Game Master, the Storyteller, and the Dungeon Master. Their objective is to play to see what happens, establishing the shared fiction as they go, and then make suggestions for how the players could succeed within those circumstances. To do this the Financier honestly describes the game world’s events, challenges, and outcomes, letting them snowball off one another as they would logically. They then use these events to encourage the players to produce exciting fiction, while offering clear solutions to problems and ways escape from danger. The players are in no way obligated to accept those solutions.

The Employees

Every other player at the table is an employee of the salvage company. A player’s job is to describe their character’s actions vividly, to treat them like a real person with clear goals that they’ll chase with all the passion they have. However the character’s goal is not the player’s. The player’s goal is to screw that up by describing how things go wrong for their character within the established fiction. The characters can stumble and get injured, sometimes seriously, but they cannot be killed outside of very specific circumstances. Players should feel free to be brave and foolhardy with their characters in equal measure.

The characters fall into one of three positions within the franchise:

– A Manager – Also known as the boss. They make business decisions, hire new employees, give raises, and can fire employees. The manager can also moonlight as a Dungeonaut when the staff is thin.

– A Hacker You can’t go anywhere in a Dungeon Planet without someone to hack a floor plan into place. The hacker remains on the ship where they use the computers to crack the alien code. They can then alter and adjust the modular layout of the Dungeon Planets to build a path for the team. They also update mission objectives, alter priorities as needed, and provide early warning for incoming threats. The Hacker can also moonlight as a Manager when staff is thin.

Dungeonauts – Any individual who delves into the Dungeon Planets is a Dungeonaut, though they have different specialties and quirks. Their job down planet-side is to complete the mission objectives, protect one another from threats, and to collect as much additional loot as possible to help the company dodge insolvency at the end of each game week.

The Brand

Once everyone has decided coming up with a name. This will be the brand identity of your new franchise.

The Company Ship

A franchise needs a way to get to the Dungeon Planets.

– Name your ship, and describe it’s overall appearance. Give it some love because it’s going to be your office away from Earth. And your bunk. Include a bathroom if nothing else…

How big is it?

There’s just enough room for the bare essentials (+Agile, +Day Trips)

-It’s small enough for a tight crew without privacy (+Sips Fuel, +Cramped)

-It has some room for a full team, or space for privacy (+Amenities, +Fussy Systems)

-There’s room for a tight crew, but a large hold (+Extra Loot, +Gas Guzzler)

-Large fuel tanks with (+Long Haul, +Vulnerability)

Describe two strengths that can be relied upon.

– Describe three weaknesses that just can’t beat out of it for love or trying. You’re a start up or a company, perpetually on the ropes of bankruptcy, your equipment is going to be garbage half the time. Air isn’t exactly cheap in space.

Define your Dry Dock

Your team can’t stay in space forever. This will be where you crash (not literally; maybe not literally). Where is your port located?

Clunky pre-war space station (+Corporation, -Modern)

-Asteroid shit city (+Crime, -Feds)

-Cali pontoon community (+Community, -Amenities)

-Port in a major metropolitan city (+Feds, -Corruption)

Port Details

Players Pick Two, Financier Pick 1

Amenities, Corporation, Bureaucracy, Feds, Modern, Backwoods, Black Market, Unregulated, Competition, Opportunities, Gov Contracts, Cheap Fuel, Watering Hole, Cheap Rent, Labor Pool, Unionized, University, Shipping Hub, Corruption, Tight Security, Crime, Dense Population, Community, Urban

Ask plenty of questions

Where is your office located, or do you operate out of your ship?

– Who is in charge at the port? How are they disposed to the company?

– Who are the notable dock crew?

– Do you have friends here? Family? Where are you all living planet-side?

– Who are you in debt to? No don’t waffle, who has your by the bits?

– Who is the local Federal Inspector? Can you bribe them in a pinch?

– Do you rent a warehouse? How large? Who owns it?

– Who do you sell goods to? What is their niche? Will they buy illegal stuff?

Playing the Game

In no strict order take turns bouncing back and forth between the Financier and the Players asking and answering questions. The Financier will describe the people that arent the Players’ characters, as well as the challenges they and circumstances pose to paying off the week’s debt.

Setbacks and Success

The players in turn should be looking for places within the established fiction where their characters can stumble on the way to success. The Financier can suggest ways the Players can escape from tricky spots and If a player takes the Financier’s suggestion they’ll take +1 to accomplish the task. When they describe their actions the Financier or Players can declare that it qualifies as a particular move. When this happens pick up 2D6 and roll.

Rolling for moves

– 10+ – things go spectacularly well and the Financier describes the outcome. If this success was based on a Financier suggestion Mark 1 Experience.

7 to 9 – things maintain course But the either the Player or the Financier adds a complication based on the established fiction.

– 6 and below – things as established get noticeably worse and the player defines the car crash that follows. If the stat is highlighted Mark +1 Experience.

Advancement

When the player gets 5+ Experience erase the current Experience and take an advancement listed on your playbook.

Advancements include:

– Asking for a raise

– Asking for overtime pay

– Asking for vacation time

– Asking for a promotion

– Get a friend hired onto the staff

– Gaining a new playbook move

– Improving a stat

– Gaining new equipment certifications

– Gaining a new move from another playbook

– Walking off an injury

– A glorious death!

Be careful though, if your character’s advancement outpaces the Franchise’s it will become more and more likely that they’ll be headhunted by a rival company. See ‘Leaving the Company’ for details.

Franchise EXP

Any time you invest your profits into your franchise mark experience. 5+ experience = franchise advancement.

-Pay Scale Increase

-Health Insurance

-Vacation Time

-Company Car

-Custom Uniforms

-Promise Stock Options

-Attract Investors

-Open New Franchise

-Buyout Compeditor

-Golden Parachute

-Invest in R&D

-Break Room

-Nepotism

-Ship Upgrade

-New facility

Leaving the Company

Head Hunting

At the end of the game week player’s that aren’t the manager roll for their market prospects. For every level they have above the Franchise’s roll one die.

6 & Below – You’re a nobody and you’re lucky to have this gig.

7-9 – Someone has

-taken a interest in your exploits

-asked to have a conversation about your future

-started talking about you in the community

-publicly stated that you can do much better

10+ Someone has made an offer you can’t refuse and you’re giving your two weeks notice. The franchise has that time to make a better offer (pay raise, medical, more vacation, player’s choice) or your character moves on to new challenges. This character is now an NPC in the world, either working for a rival company or somewhere nearby. Time to hire a new character.

Getting Fired

The Manager can hand out pink slips to under performers (advancement option for a character retirement?) Time to hire a new character.

Early Retirement

Players can choose to retire a character mid-mission in a blaze of glory when they choose the early retirement character advancement. When the player chooses this option, describe the scene they would like to send their character off in. The Financier and other players should then play to make that scene possible. When the doomed character takes enough damage to be injured, instead of taking that injury, play out their last moments. Time to hire a new character.

The Financier’s Job

Your job in the game is to:

• Oversee franchise creation and team creation, then lead the team in kicking off

the adventure.

• Create places and people that you find vivid, exciting and fun.

• Give the characters dangerous, wondrous,and challenging situations to face.

• Play fair, and play to find out where the game’s story will go.

• Provide golden opportunities to escape tricky situations

MC Moves

-Forecast a potential headache

-Deliver a migraine

-Offer up an opportunity, either with or without a cost

-Create a speed bump

-Drop a road block