Author: Pierre Savoie

I joined a Kickstarter for the FarFlung PbtA game. It proposes a zany far-future game. Without giving too much away, it has 6 Characteristics, 7 basic Moves, and 3 Moves for a PC or NPC to help another. It gives several high-powered character types in a future with high medical tech and anti-aging, and their Special Moves. Most interesting was its section on Challenges (fronts) and they gave an organized list of sample Challenges with multiple Moves for how to deal with them. As usual only players roll during a Move initiated by the opposition.

HOSTILITIES

Creep (a weak character)

…Creep counter-attacks

…Creep yells cat-calls, insults and abuse (-1 Feeling; yes, you can hurt a character in points called “feels”!)

…Creep attacks

Gang of Creeps (many weak characters)

[similar moves]

Boss Creep (one strong character)

…Boss counter-attacks

…Boss orders gang to do things

Paramilitary (one strong charaxter)

…Paramilitary counter-attacks

…Military actions (call for back-up, suppresive fire, may initiate cease hostilities)

Paramilitary unit (several strong characters)

[similar moves]

Alien Predator (one strong creature)

…Sneak attack

…Player breaks free of the predator’s pounce

…Counter-attack

…Ravage the pounced target

Psi Monster (one weird creature)

…Sneak attack

…Counter-attack

…Mind Blast

…Flee by moving through walls

Alien menace (one grand creature)

…Counter-attack

…Berserker rage

Giant Kaiju (one grander creature)

…Counter-attack

…Every interval, smash more of the city

Space Knight (one grander creature)

…(some kind of intimidation Move upon first meeting characters)

…Counter-attack with laser boade

…At each interval, slash at target

ENVIRONMENTAL

Containment (imprisonment, strong hazard)

…Think of something!

…Brute Force

…Affect someone or something outside of the containment (hard to do)

…Someone comes to your rescue

…Villain gloats (and reveals details of their master plan)

Infiltration (strong puzzle, a kind of contest with countdown tokens)

…Recon

…Disguise

…Sneak Around

…Sabotage the Security System (major benefit: more countdown tokens allowing you to stick around longer)

… -1 countdown (after each interval or round)

…Any Moves that may draw attention to you will reduce countdown tokens or force you to leave

Hull Breach (strong hazard)

…Evacuate

…Seal the Breach

… -1 countdown (after every interval subtract a countdown token. If down to zero it is very bad for anybody not in safety)

Long Journey

…Stay on Course

…Planning the Route

… -1 countdown

Dangerous Piloting (strong event)

…Sit in the Pilot’s Chair

…Turbulence

Chase Sequence (strong event, uses Countdown tokens)

…Escape

…Slow down pursuers

…Surrender (no roll necessary)

… -1 countdown each interval

Arcane Device (strong puzzle, uses Countdown tokens for a certain amount of time before something bad happens)

…Make sense of the thing

…Sabotage it

INTERPERSONAL

Fact-Finding (long-term event, more than a simple Lore roll)

…Use your Expertise

…Find someone who can help you

…Mental stress

…Unwanted attention

…Time is running out

…Countdown drops to zero? It’s hopeless. (Can’t try again for a while, something significant must change in the story to try again.)

Social Gathering (strong event)

…Life of the Party

…Sneak weapons into the event past security

…Mingle

…Use the party as cover

… -1 countdown (the party won’t last forever)

…Dreadful insult!

…Inopportune arrival

…Become Conspicuous

Cease Hostilities (strong event)

…Plea to surrender

…Assert your social status

Deceit (strong event)

…Deceive (special move)

Haggling (strong event)

…Haggling (special move)

Intimidation (strong event)

…Demand

…Scare

…Throw your weight around

Revive and Rest (have to do with the damage and healing rules. A character can be restored to conscious action with minimum points, then heal later.)

This may be tangentially related, but Aethercon is a free online RPG convention which also has panel discussions, and one is on the different “schools” of character-class design. As character class and playbooks are central to PbtA games, it may be of interest.

http://aethercon.com/#ArticleID238

There is somebody who has started a forum for all Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) games on Roll20.  I am a big fan of the roll20.net teleconference system for games, though other places exist.  It has great features but is system-agnostic and works for any rules set apart from the biggies like D&D or Pathfinder.

To discuss starting PbtA games or joining games, go to the Looking For Group listing and ask to join.  You will then get a link to joining the forum proper (this one is not a game as such but set up as a forum only).

https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/44388/powered-by-the-apocalypse-pbta-game-club

https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/44388/powered-by-the-apocalypse-pbta-game-club

Dungeon World is also based on the Apocalypse World rules, and on the dungeon-world.com page’s downloads there is a fan guide about the “philosophy” of running such a game, which depends on maintaining the back-and-forth flow that drives the game action (the GM introduces a situation or danger, the players get to respond to it with a Move, and the GM completes the situation as a result of player action.)

Maybe Sean can ask to borrow this essay and “sci-fi”-ize it?

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3269630/dwdotcom/eon-guide/Dungeon%20World%20Guide%20pdf%20version%201.2.pdf