Author: Luke JW

Final question for me for now: the group rules contained on previous MC Sheets was dropped from the final MC Sheet. Was this due to space considerations or has the concept been dropped altogether?

Has anyone seen instructions on how to use the old US Threat Sheets?

I am looking to run US for the first time shortly. I have some familiarity with PbtA games, but the one thing we haven’t seen much of yet for US is the material on being the GM. So, I wanted to go over the list of things that I plan to do as GM to help get things rolling. Any thoughts, additions or modifications appreciated.

Before the session

I was going to make a list of the following things from the playbooks:

– implied NPCs like the Fae’s lord.

– implied places like the Werewolf’s territory.

– intimacy and corruption moves.

This gives me a bare bones of player related cast and locations, as well as some hot buttons to push.

During the Session

1. Use a relationship map on a blank sheet of paper showing NPCs are they are created and record their relationships, debts and factions.

2. A record of each PC’s faction scores in the open. This will help provide a quick shot view of the faction focus for the session. It will also help other players know who to go to when they want help with certain factions.

3. I plan to use a city map to record locations generated in play, both specific and general (i.e. faction strong suburbs).

4. In addition to starting moves, I was going to ask a lot of questions. I intend to direct a lot of these toward the city map and the relationship map to help establish the setting. For example, “Why do you fear entering this suburb?”, “Which piece of territory in another faction’s influence would you like to be in control of.” 

5. I will also create 3-4 ideas for large scale threats (Fronts) and choose 1-2 that seem appropriate based on what playbooks are chosen and the other player generated stuff above.

In terms of the Debt questions, are these intended to be used only for other PCs, or can NPCs be included?

One thing that seems key is driving the PCs toward each other, which I think the Debts and large scale threats will help with. Has anyone other thoughts here? 

Is the Persuade An NPC at the end of the Fae End Move a paste error? Doesn’t seem to make sense.

Would there be much of issue in US if the faction for certain archetypes were changed? The Faction moves/score seem to import a sense of alliance between archetypes of the same Faction.. I am tempted to move Tainted to Night Faction and Wolf to Wild Faction to allow for a war between Vampires and Werewolves type storyline.