my new book Lonely World has been approved and is now available for sale!
my new book Lonely World has been approved and is now available for sale! If you like bleak horror and apocalypse-themed RPGs you will want this!
http://www.lulu.com/shop/taylor-white/lonely-world/paperback/product-22404046.html
got the Printer’s proof for my new book today!
got the Printer’s proof for my new book today! Lonely World! It’s going to need a few tiny revisions, and then this thing will be ready and available for purchase!
So I’m dead set on finishing and publishing my AW hack.
So I’m dead set on finishing and publishing my AW hack.
I need to know what has to be said or included about the original game.
As far as covering all credits/tributes/copyright issues.
Can any folks who’ve already done this fill me on what I need to do?
i wrote this short piece as a campaign starter add-on to my Lonely World hack.
i wrote this short piece as a campaign starter add-on to my Lonely World hack. It starts the game on Day Zero, before the apocalypse has really begun, before anyone knows something is wrong, before your lives are crushed.
It’s a short read, has some notes for starting characters, a few moves intrinsic to the pre-apocalypse world, and is fully-playable and ready to go.
Lonely World is a recent-apocalypse game where an inhuman “Invader” has arrived to wipe out mankind. The Invader changes for every group. Could be zombies, martians, robots, demons, mutants, or something original and unique to just your group.
Well. Lonely World, my AW hack, is finally done.
Well. Lonely World, my AW hack, is finally done.
The demo version, that is.
It is free to all those who wish to experience the end of everything as it is happening.
If you read it, download it, or play it, I only ask that you give me your feedback.
If there is enough support for Lonely World I may make a full version with art and customized character sheets and all that.
For now, it is what it is.
Also, i wanted to post the MC Principles and moves, and the Invader Principles and moves.
Also, i wanted to post the MC Principles and moves, and the Invader Principles and moves. This material goes a long way in determining how a game is run and seen by the players. It brings out all the character and flavor of the game.
The Principles:
• Address the characters, not the players
• Make your move, but never speak its name
• Be a fan of the characters
• Think offscreen
• Sometimes, let someone else decide
• Leave bread crumb trails of hope
• Tomorrow must be earned
• NPCs are the most delicious
• Everything has a cost
• Complacency is the enemy
• The living are rare
• The dead are plentiful
• Bring the splatter
• Ask questions and take notes
• Stay in the fiction
The MC moves
• Get someone in the dark
• Get someone who is alone
• Crash the party
• Drag someone off
• Eat the supplies
• Display a Horror
• Deal harm or stress as needed
• Distract with an enticement
• Bang on the walls
• Bring good news
• Put something shitty in the way
• Funnel them someplace bad
• Make it a project
• Turn their move back on them
• Listen to the Invader
Invader’s Principles
• Never refer to them by name
• Describe how they look, smell, sound, and act
• Give clues to how the Invader feels or doesn’t feel, but never say it explicitly
• Allow the PCs to discover new truths and thus, new terrors
• Reinforce the most inhuman aspects of the Invader
• The Invader is ever-present
• They know where you are, and they are coming for you
• they are a humongous collective unconscious
• they cannot relate to people
• murder, mutilate, and consume at all times
Invader Moves
• Come out of the darkness
• Show up at the most inopportune time
• Snatch someone up
• Organize a huge mob
• Crowd the scene
• Make someone change sides
• Bring out the worst in someone
• Just be there, around the corner
• Smash everything
• Announce their approach
• Follow the signs of the living
I’ll be making the whole thing available as a free PDF pretty soon!
I’ve been working steadily on Lonely World.
I’ve been working steadily on Lonely World. I’m at a point where I can toss it out there and see what kind of feedback I get. The game is nearly complete; it just needs some playtesting and some tweaking. But it’s otherwise playable.
Today im posting a list of all the playbooks. I don’t mind posting the playbook itself; if there is one that anyone wants to see closer
Best Friend: you and your bros have made it through this thing by sticking together and watching out for the group. It’s great to have buddies, but you’re not much without them. Keep them close and they will save you.
Blanket: you’re not a killer and your skills aren’t much use anymore. The system you depended on is all gone. It sounds bleak, but you are above it. You have the ability to show unconditional compassion, understanding, and love.
Compass: you always know the way because you always know where to look. You can see the true path and you can help others who have strayed from it. You can find lost things: people, trails, truths.
Deviant: Not much has changed for you. The real demons, the real destroyers of worlds aren’t in the streets. They are on the inside, aren’t they? Inside you. Bubbling right beneath the surface.
Escapee: Weee! Fuck work, fuck taxes, fuck the law! I’m loading all the booze, guns, drugs and girls in the nicest car I can steal and I am setting this town on FIRE TONIGHT.
Falling Star: The end of everything hit you even harder. These…normal people all around you only lost their homes, families, crappy jobs, and meager possessions. You lost the power. The glory. The fame. The life.
Gravedigger: Fuck the Invader. Seriously. Invader ain’t so tough. They use violence on us? That’s fine. You know violence.
Holdout: Ignorant savages all around you. Fools, with their reality shows and smartphones and garbage culture. They didn’t know what was coming. But you did. You prepared. You don’t need to scrounge in the dirt and fight with the Invader. Your bunker is safer than any place else. You’ll wait them all out if you have to.
Homesteader: If a man wants to survive in the long term, he has to have land. He has to work it and tend to it if he wants it to provide for him. A man can provide for others, too, if he wishes.
Machine: If you’re going to make it for very long, you’ll need stuff. And things. Things gotta get done. Can’t sit around all day, or things won’t get done. Gotta do the things to get the stuff. You get the stuff, you can keep living. Got it?
Nobody: Hey, you’re nobody. If you don’t always want to be that way, then step up.
Shining Armor: People look up to you. You don’t know why, but they always have. They look to you for answers, for action, and inspiration. And from you, they don’t need flowery speeches or swagger. You don’t need to pretend you’re smart or tough. Just be real with them and they’ll trust you with their lives.
Slinger: The Invader put you in a survival situation. Real world shit. Kill or be killed; that kind of shit. You can make it. Be smart, be quick, and never hesitate.
Last one for today:
Last one for today:
The Shining Armor seems at first to be a paladin-type, but I’d like to see how dark they can get with this character. I know it’s in him.
All the Survival Guides are in various levels of completion, but I think these 4 show what I’m aiming for with Lonely World.
I’ll post some M.C. material next.
Introducing…
THE SHINING ARMOR
Creating a Shining Armor
To create your Shining Armor, choose your life before, looks, stats, moves, gear, and Hx.
Life Before:
police, soldier, true believer, natural born leader, repentant badguy
Look:
dress: uniform, fatigues, plain clothes, bold colors,
face:
meat:
eyes:
Stats
Heart +2, meat +1, Blood -1, Face +0, Brain +1
Heart +2, meat +1, Blood +0, Face +0, Brain +0
Heart +2, meat +0, Blood -1, Face +0, Brain +2
Heart +2, meat +0, Blood -2, Face +1, Brain +2
Shining Armor Moves
Choose 2:
Kill with regret: when you commit a violence, roll+heart instead of roll+blood. Also, if you choose to suffer 2-stress for the act, mark an experience
Fortress of solitude: you get +1brain (+2brain) when you isolate yourself.
Do it for the kids: While defending helpless NPCs from danger, you get 1-armor. If you are wearing armor already, use that instead. They don’t stack.
Make yourself a target: When you enter into a charged situation, roll+heart. On a 10+, all NPCs will recognize you as their most immediate threat. They are unable to attack anyone else, and will be too afraid to attack you, unless you attack first. On a 7-9, only the toughest and well-armed NPCs around will attack you, the rest run for cover or hide behind someone else. On a miss, the NPCs panic. Some flee, but most will attack you, and a few start taking hostages.
To the Rescue: If someone you care about is about to die and you have a feasible way of getting there, roll+heart:
10+ you get there with plenty of time. Also, if you love them, you have a +1 to any attempts to save them
7-9 you get there, but there’s not much time left
on a miss, you’re there, but danger is everywhere
Gear:
You get:
fashion according to your looks
a pistol or shotgun
2-supply worth of ammunition and food
something that is Your Whole World
Your Whole World: this is a special something that you’ve carried with you since everything ended. If you lose it, you take 4-stress.
Whatever you choose has the +handle tag, and detail it for everyone else. You get a +1 when defending it.
• a family held together by love
• a universal truth that is above the horror
• a belief in the wisdom of someone else
• a lover who promised to never leave your side
• your humanity, because you will never sink to those depths
• a precious thing that has all the answers
Hx:
On your turn choose one or both:
One of them was counting on you and you failed them. Tell them Hx-2.
One of them wants what you have. Tell them Hx+1.
Tell everyone else Hx +0.
On the others’ turns:
Choose which one of them you think is the most courageous. Whatever number that player tells you, add 1 to it and write it next to the character’s name.
Choose which one of them you think is going to get a lot of innocent people killed. Forget whatever number they tell you, you have Hx-1 with them instead.
Everyone else, whatever number they tell you, subtract 1 from it. You have a hard time connecting with people you think will die before you do.
At the end, find the character with the highest Hx on your sheet. Ask that player which of your stats is the most interesting, and highlight it. The MC will have you highlight a second stat too.
May I Introduce?: When you meet a new character, decide if you think they are a threat to what you’ve made into your whole world. Tell the MC what you think. then roll+heart:
10+ the MC will tell you if you’re right. You get a +1 against them when protecting your whole world from them, just once. Also, they can tell you’re serious about it.
7-9 the MC will give you a vague idea on how threatening they are. Also, they can tell you have something valuable.
on a miss, assume whatever you want, but you can’t tell anything on them.
Shining Armor Improvement
__+1 heart (+3 heart)
__+1 meat (+2 meat)
__+1 brain (+3 brain)
__+1 face (+2 face)
__choose another Shining Armor move
__choose another Shining Armor move
__replace Your Whole World with something similar or better
__replace Your Whole World with something similar or better
__get a move from another survival guide
__get a move from another survival guide
Here’s a few playbooks for Lonely World:
Here’s a few playbooks for Lonely World:
First,
Introducing
THE BLANKET
You take care of others, and they will take care of you. It’s a simple idea, and something you’re good at. Make it work for you.
Creating a Blanket
To create your Blanket, choose your life before, looks, stats, moves, gear, and Hx.
Life Before:
young child, student, invalid, retiree, stay-at-home parent, desirable young adult
Look:
dress: rags, cartoon characters, casual clothes, flower-print, a blanket
face: sweet, matronly, adorable, handsome, cherubic
meat: goddess, warm, sexy, undeveloped, aging, lean, tiny, waifish
eyes: soulful, captivating, teary, youthful, joyous, innocent
Choose one set:
Heart +2, Meat +0, Blood -2, Face +1, Brain +2
Heart +1, Meat +0, Blood -2, Face +2, Brain +1
Heart +0, Meat +1, Blood -2, Face +2, Brain +1
Heart +0, Meat +1, Blood -2, Face +1, Brain +2
Blanket Moves
You get this one:
Give by taking: People like to spend time with you because you make them feel special, cared for, or relaxed. roll+face:
10+ you melt away their stress. you get +1Hx with them for every bit of stress melted, up to 3.
7-9 you can melt away the stress if you want, but you don’t get any Hx bonus. They may take it the wrong way or feel smothered.
And then choose 1:
I don’t need you!: In battle or during some drama, you can ignore all attempts to help or interfere with you. You can also choose people by name to allow to help or interfere.
Kids these days: if you are the youngest person around, you get +1face (+3face)
No one can find me here: If you need to escape from a bad situation, roll+meat and you find an exit that the badguys can’t fit through. 10+ you get in and escape with no problem. 7-9, you get in, but you’re stuck for a while.
Everybody stop!: When people are fighting or staring each other down, or when violence is imminent, you can break the tension. roll+face:
10+ no one can initiate violence until you’ve said your piece. NPCs will back off, for now.
7-9 NPCs may back off, or they may laugh at you and go back to fighting. PCs can start fighting only if they seize the moment.
Gear
You get:
fashion according to your looks
a backpack, lunchbox, or messenger bag with toys, books, and other personal items.
a small luxury like soap, candy, tea, cigarettes
Either a very special toy (+handle when played with), or a pet (+handle when healthy). Whatever it is, it is special to you. Describe it for everyone. Tell them what it looks like, where you got it, and what its name is.
Hx:
On your turn:
One of them has been taking care of you, at least more than anyone else ever has. Tell that player Hx+2
Tell everyone else Hx+1. You love attention.
On the others’ turns:
You make snap decisions on whether or not you like a person. Whatever number another player gives you, either add or subtract 1. This can be for any reason at all.
May I Introduce?: When you meet a new character, roll+face: 10+ ask three; 7-9 ask one.
o Does this person have any pressing issues?
o Is this person being less than genuine?
o Are they a probable threat to the group?
o What do they need the most in the world right now?
o How do they feel about me?
o Will they take attention away from me?
On a miss, tell the MC if you think they need you or if you need them more.
Blanket Improvement
__+1 heart (+2 heart)
__+1 heart (+2 heart)
__+1 meat (+2 meat)
__+2 face (+3 face)
__+1 brain (+3 brain)
__get another blanket move
__get another blanket move
__become part of a family
__get a move from another playbook
__get a move from another playbook
Another Survival Guide for Lonely World
Another Survival Guide for Lonely World
I like the Nobody because i’m a huge fan of the underdog, and a lot of horror RPG fans i’ve met are the same way. His horizon is open on a thousand different roads.
He was originally called “The Volunteer” for my Chaos Earth hack, and has representation in some other shit i’ve done.
Introducing…
THE NOBODY
you never thought you’d ever get this far. The Invader came and you ran. You ran, and you hid, and somehow you survived. The world now demands more of you than you ever thought it would. But for the first time you have a real opportunity to make your life worth living.
Creating a Nobody
To create your nobody, choose your life before, looks, stats, moves, gear, and Hx.
Life Before
factory cog, cubicle drone, chronic loser, just some guy
Look
dress: business casual, ultra casual, hip fashion, survival
face: easy, average, sorta attractive
meat: average, slumped, overweight, underfed
eyes: fearful, dead, eager, bright
Stats
Heart +1, Meat +0, Blood +0, Face +0, Brain +2
Heart +0, Meat +0, Blood +1, Face +0, Brain +2
Heart +2, Meat -1, Blood +1, Face +0, Brain +1
Heart +2, Meat -1, Blood +0, Face +1, Brain +1
Nobody Moves:
Choose 2:
Shows initiative: when helping someone not currently in a battle, you do so as if you rolled a 10+
Yes man: when helping someone out, if you follow their orders to the letter, you get +1Hx with them. If you go above and beyond their expectations, mark experience.
Guilty of giving too much: whenever you take 3-harm or more, take an additional point of harm and mark experience.
Works well under stress: +1heart (+3 heart)
A little bit of everything: when you think you know how to plausibly solve a situation using a small or innocuous item that you just happen to have on your person or very close to you, roll+brain. 10+, it’s just what you needed. 7-9, you do it, but something breaks.
Hidden talent: You start play with a Survivor move of your choice.
Gear:
You get:
fashion according to your looks
a pistol, rifle, or shotgun
food and oddments worth 2-supply
Hx:
On your turn:
Pick who you think is the best leader. Tell them Hx+2
Pick who you think is the biggest slacker. Tell them Hx-1
Tell everyone else Hx+0.
On the others’ turns:
One of them sees you as a brown-noser. Take whatever they tell you and give it -1Hx.
May I Introduce?: When you meet a new character, roll+brain: On a 10+, ask two from the list below. 7-9, ask 1.
• What kind of work did they used to do?
• What’s their socio-economic background?
• What’s a good way to start a conversation with them?
On a miss, ask 1 anyway.
Nobody Improvement:
__+1 blood (+2 blood)
__+1 meat (+2 meat)
__+1 face (+2 face)
__+1 brain (+3 brain)
__you get buddies or a lover
__get another nobody move
__get another nobody move
__get another nobody move
__get a move from another playbook
__get a move from another playbook