Author: William Nichols

We finished out a year-long arc recently.

We finished out a year-long arc recently.

We finished out a year-long arc recently.

The heroes, dubbing themselves The Catalysts, sought to change the world. The enemy mastermind was The Status Quo, and our heroes sought to upend it.

In preparation, they built super tech and removed advantages before taking it fully on.

Our heroes were:

Signon, who has control of devices he can see.

Ectype, who can make copies of things he can touch.

Full Disclosure, who can read minds and implant false memories.

The advantages removed were:

Private sectors primary over public for resources

Exploitable poverty

Humanity’s lack of empathy

How?

For the first, they captured an asteroid, and put everything mined into the hands of the UN High Council on refugees.

To reduce exploitable poverty, they created a super tech device which, with the pres of a button, would create one of six staple grains. This was the brain child of Signon.

To help humanity be more empathic, they added something to the device: create another one. Then they went public, spreading these around the world. To make this work, Ectype made a copy of himself and this copy was put in the center of an asteroid, as part of a machine to make what people needed.

But don’t worry, there were dozens of Ectypes at this point.

With those advantages removed — and Obama on their side — they started dealing conditions:

[critical]: Hope For the Future

[critical]: World fever for the catalyst mission

[critical]: Humanity choosing to be a part of what’s next.

[moderate]: compromised secrecy

Between putting Ectype in every hoispital, Signon using the teleportation pads (did i forget to mention? They invented teleportion, using a small part of Ectype) and super space suits to build a moon base, and oh yeah the super undies that make everything easier …

The status quo and all its wiley vileness is holding on by a thread. As in, I’ve written down that we need one condition of damage.

Full Disclosure, who has amnesia meets with his family, and founds out that his father is the embodiment of the status quo. His family is one of the 80 families who own half the world.

Pushed to his limit, Full Disclosure extends his powers. He makes everyone in his household fully aware of suffering in the world, and accidently reaches out to the population of the world, ensuring everyone knows.

With that, everything changes. They spend the next session dealing with fallout, and next time we’re going to do a microscope session and push ahead in the timeline.

Does the vamp get a get a debt whenever someone already in their web fulfills the trigger?

Does the vamp get a get a debt whenever someone already in their web fulfills the trigger?

Does the vamp get a get a debt whenever someone already in their web fulfills the trigger?

That is, does the vamp generate debts whenever someone in their web asks them for a favor (for example), or only when someone enters the web?

With this “unemployment” thing I’ve got going on, I find I have extra time.

With this “unemployment” thing I’ve got going on, I find I have extra time.

With this “unemployment” thing I’ve got going on, I find I have extra time.

I’ve spent this time in a variety of ways, one of which is on my Apocalypse World game. If you are in this game, read no further. It’ll make the game worse for you.

For everyone else – this is a game of abuse and misuse of power, the effects of violence on the psyche, drugs and depression. I’ve taken some imagery from Fallout, so keep that in mind. I’m looking for any advice on love letters – which I’m planning to send next session, and see what happens.

We started with two characters (and a Driver who left quickly):

1. The Quarantine: She is from the Golden Age of Legend. She wears powered armor, and carries advanced weaponry. She has a plasma assault rifle. We’ve learned what she wants from life is to live with her wife in a little house, and ignore the rest of the world. I’m going to tempt her with that when next we meet.

2. The Operator. He’s a mover and shaker in the world, and always has a job or two going. His first of session move (Moonlighting) greatly effects what happens in game. He’s been communing with the psychic maelstrom, including learning to summon Ghouls (people whove lost part of their humanity, including the need for sleep) and giving a maelstrom infused tumor to the river, which is the source of the ghouls. His next  advance may lead him to being a Brainer.

Which is all the better, as we now have:

3. The Hocus. With a ever-growing group that listen to his every word, Want Rabbit is leading his people away from other settlements. He feeds them drugs and they slowly loose the need for anything aside from him. I’ve found it difficult to challenge him – perhaps next time, there will be a fight among his cult, especially as he allowed some ghouls to join.  He’s talking about wanting a place to settle down that is just his, and I may offer him a hold, but at a cost.

4. The Skinner. I’m really happy she joined the crew. Orchid was working in Maestra Krim (NPC)’s establishment, largely between the sheets. She’s slowly getting every PC to owe her favors, and is good at plying her art to make others do as she wants. She’s talking about taking over Maestra Krim’s and becoming a Maestro D’. I don’t want to offer her that yet – I don’t think the story is done yet – but I may offer her to advance her “Seduce/Manipulate”, which’d mean, among other things, she won’t need to record hold as often against NPCs. It also gives them a chance….

———-

There’s about four fronts, and I expect to offer them each something at next session, through the use of love letters.  

For the Quarantine: To either take up a symbol of hope and set about making a better world, or to retire to safety with her wife. Maybe adopt some kids, try to raise them away from the maelstrom. Good luck, and god speed. 

For The Operator: To gig the obligation gig Keeping the Maelstrom Happy (You keep it happy / you fucking blow it), and an option for the next advance to be to Brainer along with a +1 weird. I’d also let him change his paying gigs.

For the Hocus: A hold, guranteed. But, the Maelstrom wants something from him – I’m not sure what. Possibly torture, maybe just drugging someone. Maybe bringing more people into the fold of the maelstrom – those from the Golden Age of Legend (like the Quarantine) are able to keep it at bay, so long as they keep on their helmets. Maybe ruining them.

For the Skinner: Show beauty in the world, and advance Seduce/Manipulate. I don’t think I’d require her to use an advance. Mostly, I want to make sure she is not overshadowed, and the Hocus is pretty ridiculous. If she could manipulate important NPCs into putting her interests above their own, she’d be remarkable.

Those are my plans for love letters. I’m open to any and all feedback. I know I didn’t give a lot of information on the world, but rest assured it is a weird, desperate place – with military juntas trying to rule by the barrel of a gun.

Fallout World, second session.

Fallout World, second session.

Fallout World, second session.

PC Cast: The Quarantine, The Operator

NPCs: Hadrin, a chopper and gang. Murphy Sawguns, hardholder of Pentslanding. Colonol Waters, commander of The Southern Clave.  Tammy, the Quarantine’s wife, colleague & taken by the maelstrom to be a pain seeker.

Questions for anyone reading: Does this make sense? Am I letting the Operator be OP in any meaningful or relevant sense? Should a 7-9 on Moonlighting and choosing to botch the obligation gig cause something as strong as a biker gang showing up to get whats due? Did I arbitrate the seize something by force move correctly when The Quarantine shotup the gang?

Prior Session: The PCs went on a moonlighting gig from Murphy Sawgums,.. They knew The Quarantines wife was taken by Hadrin,.

Session highlights: We started with the PCs outside the amish settlement of Second Chance, an amish farming settlement that treats outsiders as meat.

Both the Quarantine and Operator have first-of-session moves: the Quarantine remembers more about the Apocalypse, and the Operator does Moonlighting. The Quarantine learned that yes, the apocalypse could have been stopped but (follow-up question) those that let it happen thought this was a better outcome, due to being backed in a corner.

The Operator has “brokering deals”, and worked out a deal to get Pentslanding to bring salt water to Second Chance. He rolled a 7, and his obligation gig came due, which started us at a terrible place as a chopper gang (mentioned in the prior session) rolled up, looking to collect for Murphy Sawgums.

Hadrin’s gag had the Quarantine’s wife, and were interested in taking both the Operator and the Quarantine. They wanted the Quarantine for information about where she comes from, and the Operator was behind on his debt in Pents Landings.

The gang threatened the PCs, and the wife. This … did not go well for the biker gang. The PCs played a bit of a trick, and the Quarantine wanted to “seize her freedom by force”, and she rolled +hard. With a 10+, she choose to inflict terrible harm and to impress, dismay, or frighten.

WELL … what’s a GM to do? She was using her assault plasma cannon (3-harm autofire hi-tech loud) against a gang of 15 assholes (2-harm small 1-armor gang assholes), so she did 4-harm. Due to size and armor, that was something like 2-harm to the group, which meant a few casualties.

Some of the gang were reduced the slag, others ran away. The chopper lost an arm. His bodyguard grabbed the wife and threatened to kill her, but the Operative got off a good shot (do something under fire, and the fire is “you fuckup the wife with a bullet”), and the bodyguard lost his head. Hadrin left, telling the PCs that he’d pay the debt to Murphy Sawgums – as the Operator had just advanced, and chose to get rid of his obligation gig.

With the Operator the the Quarantine’s wife both in bad condition, they stole the remaining bikes and headed to The Quarantine, to use the medbay. Which meant the good people at Pentslanding were ignored, and they are running short of food.

The Operator wasn’t allowed in, but was given a hamburger and fruit while waiting.  The amazing food opened his mind to the psychic maelstrom. He learned the world is supposed to be green, and the sky blue. That the apocalypse has fucked over the sky, and that the sun isn’t meant to be red. He also got a new obligation gig – Food snob (you eat something amazing / you stomach turnips)

The Quarantine got her wife into the isolation rig and away from the maelstrom, but in the medlab figured it’d either take weeks to fix the tumor caused by the maelstrom, or would expose anyone in Quarantine to the maelstrom. She choose letting it take weeks.

Colonel Waters told his Quarantine that he needs her in the field to help reclaim the United States government. That’s about where we quit.

If you’ve read this far, do please comment. Seeking ideas and thoughts.

I’m running a AW game inspired by Fallout (loosely).

I’m running a AW game inspired by Fallout (loosely).

I’m running a AW game inspired by Fallout (loosely). Tomorrow is our second session, and I just put together fronts. If you’re in that game, you shouldn’t read this post. Spoilers.

This is my second time putting together fronts, and I find the process really rewarding. I went from some ideas based around play, to dark histories and some serious problems that are only solved if the PCs deal with it.

I’m going to write those fronts down here, and hope they make sense. I’d appreciate any feedback. Seriously. What do you all think?

Background – The Quarantine (playbook) has been in the world for a few weeks, and has kept her sanity. She’s hooked up with an Operator and Driver. In the first session, she was worried about building technology to redeem the apocalypse, and finding Tammy, who left the Quarantine with her and has disappeared. In play, we found there relationship may be deeper than her superiors know — and that Tammy has been taken by a chopper gang.

The Operative owes money to, and does jobs for, the NPC Hardholder Murphy Sawgums. Murphy sent The Operative on a job to find out why Second Chance had stopped sending food to Pentslanding. He brought the Driver and Quarantine. Together, they found Second Chance is a group of Amish who distrust outside and who pay protection to the largest gang – which is no longer Murphy.

That’s about where we stopped. The fronts I’ve got are:

Front 1: Against Pentsrising

Expresses: Ambition

Dark Future: With another power up North showing itself, Pentsrising will need to mobilize to stay afloat. They can’t stand on their own against The Northern Clave, and will be cut off & starved unless Murphy gives over control.

Stakes: Will food come in from second chance? Will Pentsrising starve? Will Q be accepted by Pentsrising? Wlll the Operative pay off his debt to Murphy? Will Pentsrising maintain itself?

Countdown 1 ends with food riots and cannibalism within Pentslanding.

Countdown 2 is Murphy response to the Northern Clave. Eventually, he’ll send his goons to take Second Chance, but the Northern Clave will respond will terrible force.

There’s a bunch of threats, with plenty of blanks. The NPCs are Murphy (Warlord, Collector), the Amish (family, brute) and the Northern Clave (Grotesque, mindfuckers).

Front 2: Overwhelming the Southern Clave

Expresses: Despair/Envy

Dark Agenda: If Hardrin (NPC chopper) gets information from Tammy (NPC from the Quarantine that went missing), he’ll be able to raid the Quarantine for laser guns & advanced bikes. He’ll leave very little standing, and take out everything he can.

I’m a little proud of one of the threats — Tammy. I’ve got her s a grotesque, pain addict. When she was exposed to the psychic maelstrom, it broke something inside her. As she breaks more, she’ll willingly give more information to Hadrin until she helps him destroy the Enclave. Hadrin’s pretty normal, just an Alpha Wolf.

Those are my two fronts after a couple hours of play. There’s a few NPCs on the home front.

As large scale as some of this sounds, a lot of it is really – Will the Quarantine get her girl back? Will the Operative stay afloat?

If you’re still reading, do please comment.