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Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

How could you forget World Wide Wrestling or Night Witches?

Urban Shadows should be coming out soon-ish as well.

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Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Yeah, I'm a fan of the "I am a adjective noun" style of chargen. It doesn't work for every genre, but it can lead to some interesting character types through what seem at the time like random combinations.

The old Danger Patrol alpha draft did the same thing.

e: I actually just remembered an old PbtA game idea I had where you played monsters in a dungeon working for Friend Computeran Evil Overlord, and the playbook "halves" were your monster type and role.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

People run the games they own? :confused:

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Zurui posted:

Eleven freaking basic moves.

I remember one hack that was kickstarting that had like 20.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

I just looked it up; it was 23 for a Battle Royale/Hunger Games style game. A few of them aren't even rolled, they're "when you do X, you get Y" but still.

act despite danger
first attack unprovoked
attack someone
manipulate someone
deceive someone
aid or interfere with another's action
want to be friends with someone
try to befriend someone who would not ally with you
attempt to betray a friend
sneak around
attempt to gain insight into a subject or situation
search an area for hidden things
spend some time to treat injuries with medical supplies
calm someone down
secure a place to rest
rest for a while
jury rig something
attempt to cut out the bomb inside someone
gather up the courage to perform a horrible act
spend a drive point after making a roll
put on a show for the cameras
spend favor points to request items or other assistance
when you die

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Adam Keobel just announced that he's going to be writing the official Rat Queens RPG, using DW as a base.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Cyphoderus posted:

And writing for tone is going to be hard. The two things that make Rat Queens stand out in my mind are witty dialogue, that you really can't quantify into an RPG without going at least a little experimental, and a heavy focus on interpersonal relationships. If we get a fantasy RPG focused on relationships, romantic and otherwise, that'd be awesome.
Yeah, I agree, but I have faith in Adam. I believe he'll do right by the property.

That said, there better be a "When you attack Gary, take +1 forward" move.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Verr posted:

Is there anything along the lines of a Unknown Armies/Mage: The Awakening style hack? I'm interested in a game that allows "Mages" or whatever they might be called to start picking at the fabric of reality, confronting hubris and obsession in the search for power.

There's The World Of Our Desires, but I don't know how good it is (someone at the end of the thread says it ran pretty well).

e: oh hey new page.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Sorry to wheel this topic back so much, but I think the biggest reason people expect gear porn in games is because D&D was (until 4e) a very gear-dependent game. It's pretty much ingrained in people now that you need to have STUFF.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

I really like the idea of a PbtA cyberpunk game where the corporations and relationships between them are created by and during character generation.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Impermanent posted:

Everybody makes a runner. Faces, Deckers, Street Samurai and Rigger players all make also make a corp per player. Magician, Shaman, and Adepts make up magical setting details.

Sold. When's the Kickstarter?

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Judging by their G+ feed, it looks like we're going to get a PbtA Bundle of Holding very soon. They posted teasers of World Wide Wrestling, Monster of the Week, and what looks like Legacy.

e: and by "soon" I mean "two minutes after I posted that".

Base is Monsterheards, a Monsterhearts campaign book, Bootleggers (30's gangsters, new to me), and Cartel ("Mexican narcofiction", also new to me).

BtA is Monster of the Week Revised, World Wide Wrestling, Legacy: Life Among The Ruins (generational post-apoc, goon written I think), and Deniable (another one I never heard of; dark British ordianry-people-swept-up-as-spies comedy ).

Evil Mastermind fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Sep 1, 2015

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Meinberg posted:

I finally got around to reading World Wide Wrestling and it is awesome. Have there been many PbPs of it? I'm curious how the timing works in the PbP format.

I'm in one now, and it's been working pretty well.

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3719524

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Golden Bee posted:

I contend The Parent is more playable than 80% of custom skins for this game.
"Lydia, did you touch the thermostat?" is the greatest move with the greatest name in the history of Monsterhearts.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Cyphoderus posted:

If you want to read the game, keep in mind that the entirety of my experience with wrestling is watching a match here and there during 2 months of "research" for the game, and most of those weren't modern WWE :v: So our game is definitely an example of how things can turn out when the GM is not a card-carrying Wrestling Fan.
Not just the GM; I ran a game of WWW where three of the players didn't know a thing about wrestling, but in like 10 minutes they were coming up with stuff that wouldn't be remotely out of place on a wrestling program. It does an amazing job directing the playstyle for everyone.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

I'm going to go ahead and multiquote myself from the KS thread because y'all need to get up on this.

Evil Mastermind posted:

Magpie Games (the folks behind Urban Shadows) just sort-of* launched the kickstarter for Masks: A New Generation, a PbtA superhero game focused on teenage heroes along the lines of Young Avengers and early Teen Titans.

Backing gets you access to an early draft of the playbooks and such, and while I'm still reading through the playbooks I have to say I really like the art style.



* It's not under their company, but they are involved with the project.

Evil Mastermind posted:

Okay, just going through the playbooks first without looking at the general moves sheets. Also kind of jumping around and writing this during a boring-rear end phone meeting I don't need to be in so I apologize in advance.

tl;dr: This is basically Monsterhearts, but with superheroes.

The stats ("Labels") are Freak, Danger, Savior, Superior, and Mundane.
There are also Conditions, which are like emotional "damage" that can give you some serious penalties (being Insecure gives you -2 to any roll to stand in defense or reject what others say).

Looks like the inter-character mechanic is Influence. Inter-group dynamics seem pretty important (which makes sense given the topic), as each playbook has two team moves: when you share a triumphant celebration with someone and when you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone.

The XP system is called Potential. Mark it when you miss a basic move, mark it five times and get an advance.

One of the general advances is "Unlock your Moment of Truth", which is your big heroing up come-into-your-own "call me Nightwing" moment. I really like that idea. Like MH, there are also "Adult Moves".

Each playbook is pretty specific; they're going the "powers as a metaphor" route a la Monsterhearts. That means that each playbook represents a specific type of super, and each playbook only has a few options for powers which are separate from your moves for the most part.

For example, you have The Bull, who's the brick and whose powers are preselected as "Someone changed you, made you into a perfect weapon: superhumanly tough, incredibly strong, and uniquely skilled at fighting. Decide how each of those abilities manifests." But The Legacy (who is a direct next-gen hero) gets to pick one of five power suites. Each suite has a bunch of familiar power groups, but he has to pick two powers from that suite he doesn't have.

Okay, I explained that badly. One of the Legacy's available suites is pretty much Barry Allen Flash: Super speed, regeneration, phasing, speed-reading/learning, and air manipulation. If Kid Flash takes that suite, he has to pick two of those powers he can't use. He can get them later with an advance, but until then he's just a bit behind Barry power-wise.

Quick playbook rundown and sample moves:
  • The Bull is the afforementioned brick. The straightforward heart-on-your-sleeve jump in type.

    quote:

    The Bull’s Heart: You always have exactly one love and one rival. You can change your love or rival at any time; give the new subject of your affections or disdain Influence over you. Take +1 ongoing to any action that supports your love or frustrates your rival.
  • The Nova is the energy manipulator. He rolls to generate "Burn" (basically Hold) that he can spend to use his other powers. The downside is that unless you roll a 10+, you're going to take some conditions as your powers (and emotions) get the better of you.

    quote:

    Reality Storm: You channel a destructive burst with your powers. Spend 1 Burn to directly engage a threat using your powers, rolling + Freak instead of + Danger. If you do, you will cause unwanted collateral damage unless you spend another Burn.
  • The Outsider is the alien prince/princess/warrior/etc. The one who sees the beauty in this world because it's all new and exciting to her. Also one of her moves is a "Kirby-craft" spaceship.

    quote:

    The best of them: When you build someone up by telling them how they exemplify the best parts of Earth, roll +Freak instead of +Mundane.
  • The Legacy has big shoes to fill. They have an established hero they draw their power line from, but they aren't as good as their predecesor. I mean, you can stand on your own, and they know it, but you still have a name to live up to. No pressure, right?

    quote:

    The Legacy Matters: Whenever you accept what someone from your Legacy tells you about the world or yourself, mark potential and take +1 forward.
  • The Protege is like the Legacy, but where the Legacy stands more on their own, the Protege is being trained and groomed to assist (or replace) another hero. The other downside is that your mentor is trying to make you into them.

    quote:

    Fireside Chat: When you seek advice from your Mentor, roll + the Label they embody. On a hit they give you insightful advice. On a 10+, take +1 ongoing and mark potential if you follow it. On a 7-9, you get +1 forward to see it through. On a miss, they don't have time for you because something big has gone down. Mark a condition, GM's choice.
  • The Janus has the fun task of having to balance a mundane life and responsibilities with your great power. You have great responsibilities in both lives. The trick is balancing them.

    quote:

    When time passes, roll + your Mundane to see how you're managing your obligations. On a 10+, things are going okay---you have an opportunity or advantage thanks to one of your obligations. On a 7-9, you've lapsed on one obligation, your choice. On a miss, you haven't given your normal life anywhere near the attention it deserves; the GM chooses two obligations that are going to bite you in the butt.
  • The Delinquent isn't doing this poo poo because you want him to. He's doing it for attention, to get a rise out of people, to basically shove a middle finger in the world's face. You got a problem with that? Good.

    quote:

    Mary Contrary: When someone tries to pierce your mask, build you up, or provoke you, you can interfere. Roll + Superior. On a hit, they take a -2 on their roll. On a 10+, take Influence over them or clear a condition. On a 7-9, you expose yourself to retribution, cost, or judgment. On a miss, they get a 10+ no matter what they rolled and you mark a condition, their choice.
  • The Doomed is a ticking time bomb. Sooner or later, everything is going to wrong and you can't stop it. But if you're going to die young, you can at least make sure the life you do have matters.

    quote:

    This one is a little to complex to just one-move-summary it, but it's similar to Corruption in Urban Shadows or the Chosen in MotW. Basically you pick what your "Doom" is, like becoming unmade or opening a dark gateway. You also have a five-box Doom track; when you embrace your doom, you can do things like clearing conditions or get bonuses on basic moves. Mark all five boxes on the track and you can take a powerful Doomsign ability...which marks Doom each time you use it. The last Doomsign is "Your doom arrives; confront it and perish."
  • The Transformed was human once. Now they're a monster, a stranger in your own body, a freak on perpetual display. If you're lucky you're pitied; if not you're feared. Either way your life as you knew it is pretty much over.

    quote:

    Coming for you: When you mark a condition, take +1 forward against the person you most blame for causing it.
  • The Beacon isn't the most powerful. Or heavily trained. He's got maybe a sword, or a bow and trick arrows, or maybe he's just really agile. He's pretty much always out of his weight class. But man, who cares? Dude! You're a loving superhero! Fighting aliens and monsters and poo poo! How cool is that?


I don't think I need to tell you which specific characters the playbooks are based on. They're all well-designed enough that you go "oh, this is obviously <name>" by the time you get to the "pick your main powers" section.

So yeah, this is pretty awesome so far. I mean, I can map the character arcs of a few established comic characters through the playbooks, and there's a lot about the interplay between characters and the team. I like how the power selection is limited by playbook to keep things thematic to the core concept, although some of them don't make sense to me (why does the Protege have "Body Elasticity"?), but I don't know if there'll be something in the main text about picking other people's powers without an advance.

Evil Mastermind posted:

Oh man I think I'm going to be gushing about this game for a while. Sorry folks.

So you have five stats, called "Labels":
  • Freak is about being different in some way, shape, or form. Generally rolled to use your powers.
  • Danger is how scary and destructive you are.
  • Savior is how much of a goody-two-shoes you are.
  • Superior is how much better you are than everyone else. This is the most leader-y stat.
  • Mundane is how grounded you are, and how much you can relate to other people (super or not).

They go from -2 to +3 as usual, but unlike other PbtA games they aren't fixed. They'll move up and down as you play and make moves as you discover things about yourself, shift your priorities, and, well, grow up. Once you've five advances you gain access to the "Unlock your Moment of Truth", you can basically come into your own and lock one of your stats in place.

The Janus's Moment of Truth posted:

The mask is a lie, and some piece of you has always known that. Doesn't matter if others can see it. You're the one that can do the impossible. Mask off. Costume on. And you're going to save the drat day. Of course, you better hope nobody nasty is watching...

There are also the five Conditions: Afraid, Angry, Guilty, Insecure, and Hopeless. They can be inflicted via moves (even from teammates), and each one gives a -2 to specific situations until cleared.

Evil Mastermind posted:

So that's a good reason to talk about Influence!

Influence is the inter-character connection mechanic, but unlike MH or DW it's an either/or thing. Either you have Influence over someone, or you don't.

But here's the thing: Influence isn't inherently bad. It's not about control like Strings are, they're about much much you value their opinion of you, whether you realize it or not. Or whether you want it or not.

When you do have Influence, you can do a couple of things with it.

First off, you get a flat +1 forward when rolling moves against someone you have Influence over.

If you try to take advantage of that Influence, you can roll and give the target a -2 forward, a Condition, or to get a further +1 forward against them. You can also risk your Influence over a person, tell them what you really think of them, and possibly clear one of your own Conditions or improve your Team pool (more on that in a second).

If you try to reject someone's influence, it's a flat roll. Success means you can cancel the Influence and get +1 forward against that person ("gently caress YOU DAD I'M NOT GOING TO LEAD THE LEAGUE OF ASSASSINS"), shift your Labels a bit, or cancel one of your current Conditions as you prove them wrong.

I like that you can use Influence for inspiring each other, supporting each other, cutting each other down, or pissing Banner off to get him to Hulk out (the Bull and the Transformed get some nice bonuses if they get certain conditions).

Oh, and every adult gains influence over you when they're first introduced. Just FYI.

So, the Team Pool. The pool starts a 1, then when the team enters a fight or dangerous situation, the leader (whoever he may be) makes a flat roll, getting a bonus if he has Influence over everyone and/or everyone's on the same page, or a penalty if there's mistrust or you're unprepared. People can spend points from the pool to give help someone else (giving them +1 forward), or can spend them to make the act selfishly move which can let you shift your Labels around a bit.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

I admit I would like a few more options for powers, or the ability to snag a power choice or two from another playbook, but I think they made the right choice because they're going more for "teenagers, who happen to be superheroes" rather than "superheroes, who happen to be teenagers".

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

I can't verify since I'm not backing the Patreon, but rumor has it we're going to be getting a PbtA game based on Kill 6 Billion Demons.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Covok posted:

What's the comic about?
A college girl gets a jewel implanted in her forehead, is transported to a world made of the bodies of dead gods and inhabited by Bhuddist/Gnostic angels and demons, and to get her also kidnapped boyfriend back it looks like she'll have to...well...

Also it has poo poo like this:

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Thanqol posted:

My mind is also blown by the MC getting new moves based on what Playbooks the players picked! I never thought of that and it's such a good way to bring the fundamental questions of each type into play.
What's weird is that it's such an obvious idea in retrospect.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

unseenlibrarian posted:

The Last of Us." Your people are no more; you're the last of them. When time passes and you've spent it with a monument to your fallen species, roll +Superior. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 2. On a miss, Hold 1, but mark a condition to reflect your survivor's guilt. Spend your hold 1 for 1 to:

-Discover some useful artifact of your people, even if you don't know what it does: It will become clear when the time is right.
- Clear a condition (Other than the one you gained for failing the roll) by finding an inspiring message from a long-dead member of your race.
- Find a hint or a clue to a current dilemma or mystery based on an anecdote of your people.

Ooh, interesting idea. The only real concern I have is that the "take a Condition" thing on the 7-9 feels kinda short-term for the weight of what it is narratively. But that said, I don't know if you'd want to tack something on to make that particular Condition harder to clear.

Related: I've been working on a Masks playbook for your Jamie Reyes-style "I found an artifact that makes me part of this huge galactic organization" hero. It still needs work, but the basics are there.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Covok posted:

I thought this would fullfill one of the missions for The Masks Kickstarter, but it appears I was mistaken.

Regardless, I made a custom playbook called The Kid. The Kid is primarily inspired by DC's Captain Marvel (Not Marvel's Captain Marvel). For those who don't know, Captain Marvel main gimmick is that he is a child who gains the body of an adult when he uses his powers.

The main metaphor for the playbook was that type of young adult who clings to the idea they're still a kid. Basically, that teenager who is refusing to grow up and become an adult. While I like most of the playbook, two of the moves are a little weak.

Anyway, without further ado, here is The Kid v.1
Doc
PDF


Any comments are appreciated.

I love your move names. Did you post this on the G+ group or anything?

I don't know if "Fellow Adult Guy" should work off Freak, though. I want to say it should work of superior instead, given that Superior is about being "being right, correct, intelligent, clever, stubborn, type A", which could be a kid's interpretation of being an adult.

You have "unlock your moment of truth" listed twice under advances.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Covok posted:

Thanks for the feedback.

First off, yes, I did post it on G+.
Good, that let me add you.

quote:

Secondly, my reasoning for Freak instead of Superior is because you're a kid in an adults body and the assumption is few know. So, like the move says, you're appearance and antics are off putting and ergo confusing and weird. So, the move is trying to suggest the whole thing should be awkward and more happens out of your weirdness than any attempt at maturity. Ya know?

What are your feelings after the explanation: keep it or change it?
You know, I'm not sure now? I think it can be argued either way.

quote:

Also, every official playbook lists "Unlock Your Moment of Truth" twice. I think it's so you can lock two labels.
Oh, I didn't notice. I've been focusing more on the core moves than the advances since I want to get the core working first.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Made a few changes to The Wielder, one of which was to rename it to the better-sounding "Bearer".

I added a few moves, and put in a note that you can't use your powers and such if the Artifact is taken from you.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

I think it'd help more PbtA games if designers would split moves out between "Basic Moves" (the stuff you're going to use all the time) and "Special Moves" (the stuff that comes up only in specific circumstances or only every few sessions). Yeah, it's the same number of moves, but it helps the perception of your moveset.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

It also helps the designer really pare down the list; which of these are actually important?

I've talked about this thing before; it has 23 basic moves. But so many of them could be combined, or are really situational.

Do you really need separate moves for "first attack unprovoked" and "attack someone"? Or "secure a place to rest" and "rest for a while"? Hell, one of the moves is basically just assigning a tag to someone without a roll. That's like listing "if your weapon has +foreful, it knocks things over" as part of the basic moves.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Just a head's up: physical copies of Urban Shadows are available for sale.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Yeah, go with MotW. One of the bonus playbooks is The Summoned, which is straight-up Hellboy, with the weapon option "Red Right Hand".

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Covok posted:

Funny enough, Urban Shadows is similar, if my player is to be believed.
In the sense that they're both designed around the idea that your power can get out of your control, yeah. The main difference is that the MotW Spell-Slinger is more focused on combat magic, whereas the Urban Shadows Wizard's moves are more balanced between combat and utility.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Gerdalti posted:

I think they are, I'll be buying it tomorrow (payday). I was looking to see if there were some extra playbooks or anything out there. I did manage to find a few (Meddling Kid, Luchadore, etc.).

There are a few; The Summoned, The Hardcase... I don't remember them all but I have a bunch. I can link them later.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Yeah, that's all the ones I have, so you're set.

There was an Action Scientist playbook too, but I don't seem to have it...

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

It is indeed! Thanks!

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Josef bugman posted:

Heya guys, quick question but has anyone got something a bit like Hunter the Vigil for apoc world? Was wondering about running it either IRL or on here. Thanks!
Monster Of The Week

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

It seems like they're doing the old mistake of adapting an existing *World game (DW in this case) instead of designing things specifically to the setting.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Thanqol posted:

Also, the Monster Hearts guy is doing a heavy metal sci-fi hack
I would just like to point out that two of the playbooks for this are "Mystic Cat" and "Sapient Weapon".

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

I can't imagine what kinds of stretch goals he could do, apart from maybe a hardcover (which I'd love).

e: I mean, hell, Dungeon World still hasn't delivered all its stretch goals and that funded in 2012.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Captain Foo posted:

Hardcover would be very good and cool
I still regret not getting hardcovers of Night Witches and Urban Shadows. They look so good.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

The first new AW2 playbook was just released: The Waterbearer

quote:

Every once in awhile there’s a place worth being, even in Apocalypse World. And if you’re in that place, sometimes you wind up becoming more than you were. You’re not about the grasping, gasping thirsty mess of the world, you’re not afraid of the howling wolves, and you could give a drat about what October wants or who T-Bone is loving. You have the Source, and it can quench any thirst they have.

Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

I like how it's got elements of the Hardholder, the Maestro'D, and the Hocus, but takes the ideas in a different direction.

Man, I'd love to play a Maestro'D in the same game as a Waterbearer. You could get some really interesting dynamics going on there.

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Evil Mastermind
Apr 28, 2008

Yeah, this thread happened because back when I made the AW thread hacks were still pretty rare.

I've kind of been wondering if it's worth closing the other thread once AW2 just to keep the discussion all in one place.

Saguaro PI posted:

I'd really love to see a game where are four of those playbooks are together. Watch the various forms of hard and soft power butt up against each other.
Oh man that would be amazing. It'd be such an amazing mix of control levels.

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