Powered by the Apocalypse: Discussion – Page 243 – Powered by the Apocalypse G+ Archives

Wait, wait, I thought we were getting a ninja LE? Whatever happened to that?

Does anyone have any advice on how to approach playbook design?

Does anyone have any advice on how to approach playbook design? I have a couple of ideas I have started working on and I’m wondering what approaches others have taken to design.

The stuff in “Advanced Fuckery” is obviously good, but it’s more at the nuts & bolts level than I’m looking for. Anyone have any good overall advice? “Think about these key things before starting…” “I always get a good visual image first…” ” Define the core of who the playbook is first…”

That sort of thing maybe 🙂

Threats and Fronts Part 2

Threats and Fronts Part 2

So i posted about my problems using the Front creation process. I tried again for my game on thursday and it went at least a bit better.

You can check out what i have here (comments are enabled).

Explanation.

The PCs are

Smith (Brainer. Wants to totally destroy Balls reputation and spirit)

Killer (Gunlugger assassin for hire. No parents anymore. Secretly n love with Lena that has joined Seahorses peace cult)

Oz (Savyhead with a violent gang. Want’S to stop opression by killing Opressors. Currently has a deal with Smith and Killer is part of his gang)

Key ( Angel with Mental problems. Keeps killing people by trying to heal them)

Bettle (Oz’ Pet. A weird beetle mutant that can communicate with him through the maelstorm)

The Maelstorm is about family, sex and keeping care of children and pregnant women.

The Target gang works together with Balls. They give him food he gives to the Angel Falls (hardhold) people but he has secret deals with them. In the end they will use him to totally destroy the people of AF.

Seahorse and his peace cult joined just recently. They where raided by the Target gang and only 30 or so could flee. They are currently living in the empty factory next to Oz workplace. Oz has joined the cult by sleeping with one of Seahorses women.

The things in italics have allready happened.

Here are my problems.

In general i don’t know if my countdowns are good. I made them rather broad, using only 4-6 segments. More make it hard for me.

I am totally unsure about the Sandstorm.

I have also no idea how the Target Gang and the Hardholder work together. Do i need a threat for the gang when i have the warlord?

I still need to think what Bettle wants in the end.

I have no actual idea what the fear of the Target Gang would do to the people of Angel Falls. In reality, they have fallen to the wayside in the last few sessions and only a few people where used by me. I will have to bring them back into currency next session.

I need to do something with these things but don’T know where to put them.

T-Bone got killed by Key (Healing Hand 6-) and no one found out yet.

Rum is a to active kid. Doing lot’s of random shit to get appreciation to a point of self destruction. I brought him back into currency last session but everyone realted to him is dead allready. Killed by Oz and Killer. Key wants him dead.

Balls has “brought” some people to work for him. They are much more happier now but neither i nor the players have a real idea what they are actually doing for him.

Sorry for asking so much on here but this Community is just such a great ressource of sharp and weird people that can Help my

Design for a game

move.

Thanks guys.

So does anyone know of a Cyberpunk genre game using the ApW engine?

So does anyone know of a Cyberpunk genre game using the ApW engine? I feel it would suit for exploring the lives of these sorts of characters and the differences between the haves and have-nots. I’m thinking strongly about trying my hand at it myself as a game design exercise.

Would this work in AW

Would this work in AW

What do you think about playing the people in the “antagonist” Hardhold for one session? They where mentioned a few times but no one has a real idea about what these guys are about. Giving us each a view into the life at this hardhold would be interesting as players. The characters would know at least a bit of the stuff going on there and the threat would be clearer in the next session.

Does this defeat one of the principles or is this totally okay?

So sometimes, a hard move should like, really give it to the player.

So sometimes, a hard move should like, really give it to the player. The MC should be looking to resolve the conflict, to end it in one way or another, swiftly and directly. But sometimes, a hard move is just an escalation.

I’ve got to remember that.

Sketch of an economic system

This is a mercantile system, which replaces barter with four separate abstracted currencies of theoretically equal value: gold, goods, credit and debt. In practice, however, while one credit is worth one gold, and either can pay off one debt or buy one goods, transferring between these different forms is not straightforward. This friction is what (hopefully!) makes the system work in fun ways.

Gold is ready money, coins in gold and silver of recognised weight, purity and value. It is easily transferable into the other forms.

Credit represents money held on account by you with a merchant house or bank. Generally, it is inferior to gold as it is only available where your wherever that merchant has a factor, or the bank a branch. However, it does allow you to transfer funds over long distances safely, and you may be forced to accept credit as part of a bargain when selling goods.

When you deposit gold, gain an equivalent amount of credit and specify the bank or merchant. Spend credit as gold for goods, equipment, or property, or to pay off debt. Pay one credit to transfer credit back into gold.

When you negotiate credit, roll +eloquence. On a 10+, transfer credit to a new merchant or bank. On a 7+, pay one credit to transfer to a new creditor. On a 6-, there is a problem with your letters of credit, your creditor, or your intermediary.

Goods are defined as a specific commodity: highland cattle, bantam chickens, merino wool, wheat, herring, printed breviaries, writing paper, nutmeg, quicksilver, broadcloth, silk, etc. Such goods are characterized by tags (see below), but more importantly, by places of origin or manufacture, where they are available for purchase, and markets in which they might be sold. As an abstraction in the moves for buying and selling goods, you can think of their sources as places in which the goods are in surplus and particular markets as places where it is in demand. Here, follow the fiction and make the trade routes, markets and merchants of the world make sense.

Tags: +exotic (rare or from far away, always in demand in this part of the world), +livestock (living animals, difficult to transport and feed), +perishable (needs to be sold quickly), +fragile (needs to be carefully handled), +shoddy (poor quality, -1 forward to sell) , +superior (good quality, +1 forward to sell). Size Tags: +portable, +bulky. By default it takes a mule to carry one goods. +portable goods can be carried in a pack, +bulky goods a cart.

Examples: sheep or cattle (+livestock, +bulky); wool or grain (+bulky); parrots (+exotic, +livestock); spices (+portable, +exotic); glassware (+fragile, +superior).

When you sell goods at market, roll +cunning. On a hit, you can sell your goods for an equivalent amount of gold, credit or goods. On a 10+, choose 3. On a 7+, the MC chooses 3 and offers you a bargain, or you choose 2. On a 6-, trouble!

* You can take your payment in gold, instead of goods or credit.

* You can sell goods even if they aren’t in demand.

* You don’t make a loss (-1 gold, credit, or goods).

* You make a profit (+1 gold, credit, or goods).

When you purchase goods, spend gold equal to the amount of goods and roll +cunning. On a 10+, choose 3. On a 7+, choose 2. On a 6-, you make a bad bargain and gain goods that are short weight, defective, or otherwise problematic.

* You obtain the goods of your choice.

* The goods are +superior, +exotic, or +portable.

* The goods are not +bulky, +perishable, +fragile, +livestock, or +shoddy.

* You can buy goods that are not in surplus.

Debt abstracts money owed to a creditor. Specify who you borrowed money from and how much.

When you borrow money, roll +eloquence. On a 10+, you gain debt equal to gold borrowed. On a 7-9, the MC will ask you to put up something as surety appropriate to the debt.

You may pay off your debt to a creditor at any time by spending gold equal to the debt plus one.

When you are in debt, at the beginning of the session roll +debt. On a 6-, everything is fine. On a 7+, interest comes due, pay one gold by the end of the session or increase debt by one. On a 10+, one of your debts comes due by the end of the session, pay it off in full or forfeit your surety and face other action. On a 15+, all your debts come due at once. Good luck!

Design Question

Design Question

Handler Playbook (sorry for Spamming the channel with my stuff)

I am still thinking about my Idea of the Handler, bascially a dude with a big scary monster that he can kinda control.

I think he doesn’t really need more moves then a way to control his monster and maybe one more. Kind of like a Hardholder or Chopper.

The two problems i have right now are monster creation and monster control.

My first instinct about the creation was to create a few lists that you can choose from, like a Hardholder builds his Hold. Bodyform and a few features. All this choices would also include an instinct/impulse that the monster would follow. To be really scarry i think you need 3 or 4 instincts.

The list right now looks like this

—

Choose a basic kind of body

* Lizard I instinct : to hoard

* Mammal I instinct : to mate

* Mutated mess I instinct: to shatter sanity

* humanoid I instinct : to get away

* insectoid I instinct : to mate

In battle it counts as a 2 harm small gang

Give it two additional abilities

* Fire breath 3 harm close, area, fire I impulse: To destroy

* Immens strengh and claws 3 harm hand, messy I instinct : to show power

* More than animal cunning I instinct : to corrupt

* It’s heavily armored 2 armor I instinct : to rest

* It’s gigantic +1 armor I instinct : to destroy whole buildings

* It has wings/can burrow or has other unique movement modes I instinct : to get away

* It can carnouflage itself I instinct : to scare

* Uses psychic powers to destroy your mind 2 harm ap quiet I instinct :

* Is grows strange diseases ridden fungus on his skin mechanical stuff I instinct : to infest

* It’s extremy sleek and agile I instinct : to get away

* Can carry a ton of stuff I instinct : to rest

–

The list isn’t so cool and not all of the instincts are that memorable.

Some abilities also might be cool but would lead to more or less the same instincts.

Right now you can pick your cool stuff but you have to take the downsides that come with it or you pick your poison and have a beast that is not as cool. I kind of like this. Giving people the ability to choose instincts for themselves would take away some of the animalness of the beast and lead to strange things. Also people could just take the “harmless” instincts but still build a killer monster.

I am also not sure how may abilities you should get. Are there any cool things i am missing or better instincts i could use?

to be continued

Who of you has played with homebrewed Playbooks and how was the experience?

How do you deal with playbook extentions (or Micro Playbooks) like the Wurm, Devoted or Catalyst?

Do you put them on the table right away or do you have to “explore” some of them through In-Game actions like you would a compendium Class in DW?

So i was thinking about School in Monsterhearts.

So i was thinking about School in Monsterhearts. I allways felt that the actual going to school has very few mechanical stuff or general help in the text.

Then it hit me.

1. There is no moves about writing tests, but there are moves you can use on your teacher. You can manipulate her or turn him on (and then he can be monstrous) or even lash at him with violence. Those are all not good ideas in general but it could work. You can use strings against them in general.

You can maybe gaze into the Abyss during a test (good luck on a miss)

2. School has still so many cool moments you can use. Alone project work is amazing. Okay, maybe one guy can work with his favourite partner but Amy (PC) really wanted to work with Juliet (NPC) but Juliet is working with Claus now (who Amy has a crush on) the only people without partners are

Fathma (keeps to herself, is not cool but knows a lot) Herman (he is fat and smelly but an okay guy maybe) and Joey (violent, lazy, bad-boy-cool) What do you do?

Also class work where the teacher assigns you random partners.

3. A really simple move

When you do someones homework for them, gain a string on them

Maybe another move for

When you give your homework arround for people to copy

School is in Monsterhearts, you just don’t get what you want easily.