Category: Powered by the Apocalypse

The following post is classified ALPHA DUCK ULTRAVIOLET!

The following post is classified ALPHA DUCK ULTRAVIOLET!

The following post is classified ALPHA DUCK ULTRAVIOLET! If you are reading this post and are not cleared for ALPHA DUCK ULTRAVIOLET, please report immediately to your nearest confession booth for termination. Remember: obedience is mandatory, citizen!

I ran a Paranoia hack for a group of friends just before Christmas. I ran it essentially seat-of-the-pants, relying on the various cross-purposes that I had set up in the Mandatory Bonus Duty and Secret Society sheets to cause chaos. Which ensued in the form of teleporting mutants, robotic rhino rampages, multi-directional treason triels, and Commie mutant sabotuers – all in all, a highly successful game of Paranoia. The Mandatory Dance Parties were also a highlight, helping to keep energy levels high throughout the game!

No real rules beyond 2d6+stat and some vague hit-point esque mechanics; given that it’s treasonous to know the rules anyway, I figured that I didn’t need any more than that. The Computer is your Friend, citizens!

https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B3c8gGVv-YzVYVo1LXhReWlwTVU/edit

Dust

Dust

Dust

Overview

The world is gone, of course it is. We all of us live in tent cities. These vasts compounds of interconnected heavy canvas communities are sealed with animal fat and tree resin. They have to be, to stay out of the open. To stay out of the dust. Everything is toxic: the air, the water, the soil, the animals, the people. The people most of all. So we huddle. We protect ourselves. We wear masks in all but the most intimate of settings. We eat what we can grow in caves with water we run through our filtration systems. We live on the knife’s edge. 

Seals

When you’re out in the dust, your ass better be behind a seal. A lot of shit can have a seal: vehicles, tents, sealsuits, etc.

All characters get this one:

Sealed Off

Seals are any piece of equipment that protects you from the dust. Seals can be applied to a lot of shit. Your sealsuit is something you’re almost born into. It’s just what it says it is: a sealed suit that protects the user from dust, specifically airborne dust. It includes a gasmask and heavy, head-to-toe canvas usually sealed with some sort of animal fat. You can also seal off vehicles or tents, whether that tent is just a one man fly or it’s a sprawling hold. 

When you need it, declare what you’ve already sealed and spend your seal; you can spend 0–3 of seal per use. You can resupply it for 2-barter per 1-seal, if your circumstances let you barter for those kind of supplies, i.e. rubber hoses, prepped canvas or leather, sheet plastic, animal fats, rubber cement mixed with bubblegum, whatever. You begin play holding 3-stock.

If you take in the dust out here, whether through water, air, whatever, roll+hard. 

•   On a 10+, spend a few minutes barfing but you’ll be fine.

•   On a 7–9, take 1-harm (ap) now and 1-harm (ap) again in a little while. 

•   On a miss, take 3-harm (ap) now and 3-harm (ap) again in a little while.

When your seal is in question, like maybe you got shot at or the weather’s like ass, roll+seal.

•   On a 10+, you’re sealed up and doing fine for now.

•   On a 7–9, you’ve got a problem with your seal, a leak or a crack, something. Take -1 seal.

•   On a miss, your seal is blown. You’re taking in dust.

After you go into battle with your vehicles, guns, and gear, roll+sharp. 

•   On a 10+, you conserved your resources. Pick one. 

•   On a 7–9, choose two:

      • You’re running dangerously low on fuel

      • You’re running dangerously low on ammo

      • Your gear needs maintenance and repair. You take -1 seal.

When you scavenge in the ruins, roll+sharp.

On a 10+, choose two and find an oddment worth 1-barter. On a

7–9, choose one and find an oddment worth 1-barter:

• You find it quickly.

• You find it with relatively little trouble.

• You find an item that is valuable.

• You find an item that can be used for a seal. +1 seal.

In which I talk about Murderous Ghosts!

In which I talk about Murderous Ghosts!

In which I talk about Murderous Ghosts!

Tim Franzke started a thread about AW games, and Declan Feeney had this to say:

“Of those Murderous Ghosts is unusual in that its a two player game (one GM and one Player)”

This is true! Also, this is not the whole truth!

When Vincent and I designed MG it was absolutely as described above, and that way works beautifully. Then we went to PAX East 2012, where Jared Sorensen had no voice (which was a thing in and of itself). And he ran a game of Action Castle in which he did not talk at all. And apparently it was legendary levels of awesome. Which got me thinking about large group games, and how that happens. Which lead me to look squinty at MG, and see how it could be something beyond what we had designed.

So I proposed to run it as a game event at Connecticon 2012. They gave us a room with 75+ people for a two-hour slot. Vincent Baker had no idea what I was thinking, but he went along with it because we’re like that.

Here’s how it works:

Select a member of the audience to manage the cards. One person familiar with the game runs the ghosts and one other person holds the Player book. Treat the Player as a shared character, and when there is any choice to make, poll the populace to come up with the decision. Whenever there is a question like “Who will miss you if you don’t come back?”, the Player chooses a different member of the audience to answer. Enjoy,

The first time we did this, Vincent was the Ghosts and I was the Player. I died in 28 minutes. It was super-fun.

Then we had a new volunteer take on the Ghosts and another take on the Player, and a third handle the cards. Vincent and I shadowed the players for the first half-hour or so in case they got stuck, then it just ran. The Player managed to crawl out alive in just under 90 minutes.

Since then, I ran it for 12 people with John Harper as the Ghosts, facilitated six other people playing it after PAX Prime, and played in another 5-person game. So officially, it works great as a two-player game, but also as a small-group game and as a large group game. Try it, it’s fun!

Hopefully, Vincent and I will be running it at PAX East in a few months.

New Playbook (just Text, Tri-Fold will come)

New Playbook (just Text, Tri-Fold will come)

New Playbook (just Text, Tri-Fold will come) 

It isn’t something completly unique or so, more of a combination of AW Driver and DW Ranger but hey, you have something to play with.

I will give the tri-fold out when it is ready. It would be cool if someone could shoot me the Hollow and Selkie (Monsterhearts Skins) for it. 

Introducing

The Master of Hounds 

We contain ruthless predators within, call them wolf or ambition or rage but it is there. Only with full control of this wolf can we survive. That’s why we have laws to not be on each others throats at all time. Alphas make these laws and the other packmembers follow. Law is all that seperates us from the howling within. 

But law, to far removed from the beast makes us weak. We loose our claws and our fur falls out so we are cold and without weapons.

The only law that makes us strong it the one close to the beast. Pack law.

I am this law

Homo homini lupus.   

NAME

Argos, Fang, Ace, Toto, Lockjaw, Beethoven, Hooch, Marley, Rex, Bolt, Lassie

Sonya, Beau, Concorde, Flash, Hidalgo, Spirit, Artax, Cisco, Rigel, Pokey

Nala, Marlin, Sarafina, Kenai, Naveen, Sadie, Flik, Remy

Lams, Sheba, Friskies, Felix, Milk-Bone, Winalot, Kibbles, Avoderm, 

 

STATS

Cool +1 Hard +2 Hot+1 Sharp-1 Weird=0

Cool +1 Hard +2 Hot+2 Sharp=-1 Weird=-2

Cool +0 Hard +2 Hot=+1 Sharp+1 Weird=-1

Cool +2 Hard +2 Hot=0 Sharp=-2 Weird=-1

MOVES

You get all the basic moves. You get Command and then choose a second Master of Hounds Move 

HX

Everyone introduces their characters by name, look and outlook. Take your turn. 

List the other characters‘ names.

Go around again for Hx. On your turn

Tell everyone else Hx -1, you don‘t really get people individually. 

On the others‘ turns: 

Everyone, if they belong to a gang, have followers or something similar, whatever number they tell you, give it +1 and write it next to the character‘s name

*Choose one of them who was with you, when you tamed your first beast whatever number  this player tells you, give it +1 and write it next to the character‘s name 

*Choose one player who attacked one of your animals recently, whatever number this player tells you, give it +1 and write it next to the character‘s name 

LOOK

man, woman, ambiguous, transgressing

fur clothes, shredded clothes, leather clothes, 

circus animal trainer clothes, showy clothes

Scarred face, animalistic face, tattooed face,

rugged face, busted face

hawklike eyes, squinting eyes, weary eyes, mad eyes

hounded eyes 

hard body, overbuilt body, scarred body, crooked body 

GEAR

In addition to your pack of animals you get 

* oddments worth 2 barter 

* one animal control weapon

* one people control weapon

animal control weapon, choose 1 

Tranquilizer Gun (s-harm far  reload) 

A whip (1 harm hand  close)

A heavy chain (2 harm hand area)

human control weapon, choose 1

.38 Revolver (2 harm close reload loud) 

Machete (3 harm hand messy) 

Sawed-off (3 harm close reload messy)

PACK OF ANIMALS  

You have a pack of 3-12 violent animals 

Choose the kind of animal

Lupine

Feline

Bovine

Avian

Reptilian

Insectoid

Mutant 

Choose of these profiles: 

Ferocity +2, health +1, 1-Armor Instinct+1  

Ferocity +2, health +2, 0-Armor Instinct+1 

Ferocity +1, health +2, 1-Armor Instinct+1 

Ferocity +2, health +1, 2-Armor Instinct+2 

Choose as many strengths for the animals in your pack as their ferocity: 

fast,  huge, strong, quick reflexes, tireless, camouflage, intimidating, keen senses, stealty, omnivore

Your pack is trained to attack and kill people, choose as many other trainings as their health

search, hunt, scout, guard, perform, labor, travel, steal,  

Choose as many weaknesses as their Instinct

flighty, savage, slow, broken, frightening, forgetful, stubborn, lame, mad, sickly

Moves

*Command

When you work with your pack of animals in something they are trained in 

and you do something under fire, add their ferocity to your roll

and you go aggro add their ferocity to your roll

and you seize by force, add their ferocity to your roll

and you read a situation or pack, add their ferocity to your roll

and you seduce someone,  add their help to your roll

and you take harm, you can add their armor to your armor but they take the harm you know…

If you work with your animals and someone interferes with you, they add their instinct to their roll 

O Well trained 

Chose another training for your pack of animals

O _Pack orde _

When you read a group of people roll+hard

* Who is the pack alpha 

* Who is the pack omega

* How can I damage this pack

* Who in this pack is easiest to manipulate 

Who is fighting with the pack alpha for power 

O Security in numbers 

When you open your brain to the psychic maelstorm and are in the protection of your pack of animals you can roll+hard instead of +weird

O Primal Howl

When you howl like a beast that stalks the night you get the effects of going aggro on all enemies within earshot with the demand being “flee in terror”. If they suck it up they take s-harm.

O Animal Speak 

You can talk to animals and can use moves on them like on humans and they get +insight

Special 

When you have sex with someone they smell a bit like you (and you will smell a bit like them). They can use the Command move once 

Advancement

get +1 hard (+3)

get +1 sharp (+2)

get +1 cool (+2)

take another Master of Hounds move

take another Master of Hounds move

take a move from another playbook

take a move from another playbook 

get a breeding pit and training ground where you can work on animals like on tech

get a real gang(detail) and pack alpha

you get a herd of livestock(alive, valuable), 2 gigs and moonlighting. One gig      must be “tending your herd(2 barter/they are gone) “

Would you agree, that Apocalypse World, Dungeon World and Monsterhearts are really the big 3 of the *World family?

Would you agree, that Apocalypse World, Dungeon World and Monsterhearts are really the big 3 of the *World family?

Would you agree, that Apocalypse World, Dungeon World and Monsterhearts are really the big 3 of the *World family? Is there another game one “should” know?

So, Fronts.

So, Fronts.

So, Fronts. I’m prepping them for the first time and finding the division between Fronts and Threats, or one Front and another, to be a bit blurry.

So like there’s this mountain town called Kettle, and the PCs all live in or around there. I’ve made Kettle as a Front, expressing Ambition (the folk put on airs of being a bona fide City, with the holder Harridan styling himself Mayor). The 4 Threats are the Mayoral Council (Warlord: Dictator), the Peacekeepers’ Council (Brute: Enforcer), the Council of Commerce (Dictator: Collector), and Respectability (Affliction: Custom).

That all feels solid to me, ready to write up details and Dark Future.

It gets hazy from there. I made another Front, the Countryside, expressing Decay. Threats are the Hills (Landscape: Maze), Operation Phoenix (a sealed bunker related to the germ warfare that caused the Apocalypse–Landscape: Breeding Pit), and Wolves (Brute: Hunting Pack).

Except, maybe Operation: Phoenix could be a Front of its own? The PCs haven’t interacted with it much yet; maybe it’s just a threat NOW but when it gets fleshed out a bit more (unsealed and explored frinstance), it could split off into its own Front?

And on top of that, there’s this roving gang, referred to as the Burners, that’s been locust-swarming the lands away down south and is now spreading up here. And there’s the distant holding that the Touchstone USED to live in, where he made a rather DitV-ish decision to fix, the dirty laundry of which is following at his heels.

So, where do they go? I started a Front called Far Lands (Threat: Burners, Dictator: Alpha Wolf), but it feels off. What kind of Front/Threat partition would make sense here? I could see the Burners being a whole Front with several Threats (Princy–Dictator: Alpha Wolf; Princy’s Horde–Brute: Mob, etc).

What’s y’all’s read?