Barf Forth Apocalyptica

barf forth apocalyptica => brainstorming & development => Topic started by: Mark Plemmons on March 20, 2015, 01:55:43 PM

Title: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on March 20, 2015, 01:55:43 PM
Hi everyone!

This post is first to say HI, and to throw my hat in the ring to let all of you know what I'm working on. I don't have much rules-wise that's ready to share publicly yet, but feel free to comment and advise in advance. I have a very busy work and home life schedule - that doesn't include game design - but I'll try to check in here at least once or twice a week when I can.

It's possible some of you may know me from other forums, or from some of my previous works, but this is my first PbtA project. It's an idea that I've had in mind for a while, but I didn't really have a good game system to do it with, and the last couple of years have been pretty busy with finishing up all the goals from the Corporia Kickstarter. Now that those are completed, I can finally spend my spare time on something completely different.

As you might guess from the working title (other draft titles include Meatball Surgery and Armed Farces), the theme of the game is the roles of doctors in Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals, in the Korean War. Gameplay and moves will be a lot like Night Witches, but with opportunities for both humorous situations as well as lots of drama. To avoid copyright and trademark problems with a certain television S*H*O*W*, the game will be based directly on the real-world MASH units in the Korean War, including the one that inspired the books/movie/tv show in question. If you want to use it to run situations from the popular media, you can. So, it will work with the media, but won't be based on it or licensed from it.

For stats, my draft notes use +skill, +nerve, +luck, and +fight, with points distributed depending on your rank (Lieutenant, Captain, or Major). There are four draft character types/temperaments (Head, Heart, Bones, and "Blood and Guts"), and several (yep, draft again) roles (Blueblood, Casanova, Dad, Egoist, Leader, Old Salt, Stickler, Trickster). Stress and burnout will be particularly important parts of moves and such.

Right now I'm still fiddling with these, as well as some other ideas about how mobile the MASH will be, and how/whether I use "Rotation Points" as a means of allowing characters to get leave or go home. Although real MASH doctors didn't get rotation points like the regular army did, I'm willing to bend reality where I need to service the fiction. That's one of my main rules concepts that I'm still having trouble with.

In September 1951 the Army had introduced a point system that tried to take into account the nature of individual service when determining eligibility for rotation home to the United States. According to this system, a soldier earned four points for every month he served in close combat, two points per month for rear-echelon duty in Korea, and one point for duty elsewhere in the Far East. Later, an additional category-divisional reserve status-was established at a rate of three points per month. The Army initially stated that enlisted men needed to earn forty-three points to be eligible for rotation back to the States, while officers required fifty-five points. In June 1952 the Army reduced these requirements to thirty-six points for enlisted men and thirty-seven points for officers. Earning the required number of points did not guarantee instant rotation; it only meant that the soldier in question was eligible to go home. Nevertheless, most soldiers did return home shortly after they met the requirement.

I'd love to get your thoughts on the points system or anything you think might work well (or be a problem) for the game. Happy to be here!

Mark Plemmons
Brabblemark Press
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: As If on March 20, 2015, 03:15:55 PM
Hi Mark -- I once did this "Burnout Mechanic" for games where people had high-stress jobs.  You would need to add a couple MASH-specific events to the Burnout Points table, and then (in keeping with the theme of the book/movie/tv show) pranks and hijinks could be a way of burning off your Burnout Points. Might work for your game.

Here's the link: http://apocalypse-world.com/forums/index.php?topic=6860.0
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on March 23, 2015, 01:42:44 PM
Thanks for the link! I haven't time to consider it in detail, but it looks interesting.

My current plan is for stress points to triggered by certain missed moves and events. For instance, going without sleep for a day might cause 1 stress. Getting news from home causes 3 stress (even good news - since you can't be there to share in it). That kind of thing.

If you don't try and burn off stress points (sex, parties, pranks, etc.), then you take mental harm and have to get shipped home. Of course, some characters are better at handling stress than others.

Right now I'm still pondering how many points of stress should equal 1 point of mental harm. I'm thinking 6, but I'm not sure yet.

Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on March 24, 2015, 10:34:52 PM
Update: I filled several spiral notebook pages tonight, and I think I've got all the moves and roles set - though of course this will probably change once I start translating my scribbles and typing them out.

Quick notes:
the basic character temperaments are still Head (Brain?), Heart, Bones (or maybe Hands?), and Blood n Guts - or, if you prefer, "blood type personalities" AB, B, A, and O, respectively.

Stats and basic moves mostly unchanged, but I tweaked the special and character moves a bit. (It's really appropriate that AW has Hx, so I can use that along with Dx, Tx, Rx, Px, etc. as part of the medical skill stat.) Made notes to add Court Martial/Formally Charged, Section 8, and others.

Roles have changed a bit, to become: Casanova, Prankster, Scrounger, Mentor, Bully, and Stickler. I think that covers all the roles I want to focus on.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on March 27, 2015, 03:06:57 PM
Here are three sample draft pages for those who are interested. I'm still working on "translating" my paper notes into Word. :)

======================

What This Is

MASHED is a story game that you play with your friends. It’s a game that’s based more on conversations than rolling dice – though you’ll still be using those as well. Everything that you say will craft an ongoing narrative, much like a stage play or television show without a script, where everyone’s ad-libbing their lines. The rules and dice are there to help this along, adding an element of randomness that lets you succeed in what you want to do – but also ensuring that that there will be consequences and complications, especially when you fail. After all, war is hell.

In this game, you take on the role of a doctor or nurse assigned to a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in 1951, shortly after the United Nations’ entry into the “police action” that will later be called the Korean War. It’s a game about medics whose government sent them to a foreign land, usually with little to no military training. It’s about men and women who were forced to spend hours and days on end spattered with blood and viscera, their hands inside mangled human bodies, sometimes those of their friends – and were expected to stay sane.

This is a game about the value of human life and the stress that war imposes on those who live through it – but it’s also about relationships. And courage. And humor. And love. Although the medics may spend hours – even days on end – in the operating tent, the game abstracts these into much shorter scenes, focusing on the most dramatic moments. Most of the conversation actually occurs outside of surgery, in those times when the flow of casualties has ebbed. Here you may fall in or out of love, fight the orders of ineffective top brass, pull pranks, help the native South Koreans, pick fights, seduce your way through the unit, pull rank to get what you want, and more.

If you can find enough ways to blow off the stresses of surgery and war, you just might make it through your rotation and get sent home with your sanity intact. Just remember that you’re practicing medicine in a combat zone – and death isn’t confined to the operating tent.

The MASHED rules are based on Vincent Baker’s innovative Apocalypse World game and inspired by other Powered by the Apocalypse games, primarily Jason Morningstar’s wonderful Night Witches, but also by ’Hood, Lapins & Lairs, Monsterhearts, and Tremulus.

======================

Using the Playbooks

When you’re ready to play, select one player to go first. Starting with that player, go around the table clockwise, with each player picking one of the four character playbooks. Each playbook is based loosely on one of the four ‘Humors’ from ancient Greco-Roman medicine, and labeled as: Head (melancholic), Heart (sanguine), Bones (phlegmatic), and Blood n’ Guts (choleric). These are explained further on page XXXX. If you have more than four players, you can provide another set of these four playbooks after the first four have been chosen.

Second, starting with the last player to take a playbook, go back around counterclockwise and let each player choose one of the eight Roles. No two players should start the game with the same role, though this might occur later since Roles can change over the course of the game, at specified intervals. Roles indicate the position you tend to take in your MASH unit’s dynamic, and provide you with unique advancement options that other players don’t get. Roles include: Bully, Casanova, Cutter, Devout, Mentor, Prankster, Scrounger, and Stickler. You can read more about Roles on page XXXX.

Third, pick a rank. Each rank provides a different set of numbers (such as +1, 0, 0, +1). Assign each number to one of the character’s four statistics (Fight, Luck, Nerve, and Skill) on the playbook, however you prefer. For example, you might assign your numbers as Fight 0, Luck +1, Nerve 0, and Skill +1 (or as Fight 0, Luck 0, Nerve +1, and Skill +1), or some other combination.

Fourth, detail your character’s name, appearance, and background. You can invent these from scratch, or choose from the examples that appear on the playbook under: Name, Gender, Uniform, Body, Hair, Eyes, Homefront (your state or country of origin), and Who you write to back home.

Finally, give your character a service number. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip this last step, but having a service number is a nice bonus that provides another mental connection to your character. Details on how to generate a service number appear on page XXXX.

[insert steps in list/bullets]

[begin sidebar]
Consider these three questions when filling out your playbook.
•   Who are you? Have a good idea of your character’s personality traits and appearance. You might base this off yourself, someone you know, or even a fictional character.
•   Why are you here? You might be here unwillingly because of the Doctor’s Draft, or you could be Regular Army (RA) – someone who’s making a career out of military service.
•   What do you want? Think about what goals you have. You might want to keep your head down and just follow orders until you can return home. Perhaps you relish the new experience and you want to enjoy your time in Korea as much as possible. Maybe you’re scheming ways means to hoard money or rise in rank. There are many possibilities.
[end sidebar]

======================

STATS

Each player has four stats (statistics) which are fairly self-explanatory: Fight, Luck, Nerve, and Skill. The more or fewer points you have in a stat, the better or worse you perform any related Moves.

Your rank indicates what point spreads you can assign to these statistics. As mentioned earlier, and listed on each playbook, different ranks provide four different numbers (such as +1, 0, 0, +1) that you’ll assign as you choose to the four stats of Fight, Luck, Nerve, and Skill.

Fight is the stat you use when it’s time to clobber someone. If you want to Slug an idiot desk jockey in the jaw, fumble a pistol out of your holster and Shoot an advancing ROK soldier, or Seize a person or item by force, you roll 2d6 +fight.

Luck measures how lucky you are, and is particularly useful when you choose to Tempt Fate. It also comes in handy when you want to Scrounge for items like misplaced (or stolen!) medicines, or when a Complication arises during surgery. In these circumstances, you roll 2d6 +luck.

Nerve is your mental steadiness and courage, and helps you mentally brace yourself to face a situation. If you want to Act Up, Manipulate, Seduce, or Pull Rank on someone, you roll 2d6 + nerve.

Skill measures your medical ability, your natural talent, and how well you pay attention to detail. When you want to Eyeball a situation or Diagnose (Dx), Prescribe medication (Rx), or Treat/perform surgery on a patient (Tx), you’ll roll 2d6+skill.

Special Moves and playbooks may sometimes state that, when you make a certain Move, you add a different skill to your roll than you normally would. For instance, you might be indicated to roll +luck during surgery instead of +skill. Those rules override the general stat descriptions above.


Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on March 27, 2015, 05:05:57 PM
One more draft page. These are the playbook types.

================

HUMORS

Each of the Humors describes some common positive and negative traits for you to play with. Keep in mind that although you may inhabit a character with a mixture of both, you’ll probably have a stronger, more active conversation if you focus on either the positives or the negatives. For instance, a surgeon who is almost exclusively self-righteous and egotistical, but exhibits charity and kindness on rare occasions or with only one other person, will be much more memorable – and probably more fun to play – than an ‘average Joe’ with a better-balanced emotional state.

Head is the melancholic Humor. You are rational, focused, and conscientious. You prefer harmony rather than conflict, and dislike chaos. If you were one of the four classical elements, you would be Earth. You rapidly become interested in other people when your sympathy is awakened for their suffering. However, you are also subject to depression and moodiness, easily becoming preoccupied with the tragedy and cruelty of the war. You can sometimes seem aloof, critical, indecisive, and unforgiving.
If this is your Humor, consider starting play in the Devout or Misanthrope role.

Heart is the sanguine Humor. You tend to be sociable, talkative, and pleasure-seeking. If you were one of the four classical elements, you would be Air. You often get interested in helping people when you see them trying to improve their situation. You are usually full of ideas. However, you can be flighty and easily distracted, and don’t follow through on something you start. You are often late, and quick to anger.
   If this is your Humor, consider starting play in the Casanova or Prankster role.

Bones is the phlegmatic Humor. You are inclined to be a perfectionist, private and conservative with your beliefs, and try to be calm and patient in your interactions with other people. If you were one of the four classical elements, you would be Water. You tend to become interested in a subject when the persons around you start showing interest in it first. You like to be punctual or, preferably, arrive early. However, you can also be uptight, self-conscious, stubborn, and obsessive. You dislike sharing your feelings and troubles.
If your Humor is Bones, consider starting play in the Mentor or Scrounger role.

Blood & Guts is the choleric Humor. You have seemingly inexhaustible reserves of energy and passion, and when a job needs to be done, you want it finished quickly and precisely. If you were one of the four classical elemental, you would be Fire. You can easily become interested in something that challenges your capabilities. You enjoy respect and being in charge, and you like making plans where you can focus on the ends rather than the means. However, you can also be arrogant, insensitive, impulsive, ruthless and egotistical. You are absolutely convinced that you are a winner, and have an obsessive drive for success. You usually have little fear of taking risks.
   If this is your Humor, consider starting play in the Bully or Stickler role.
Title: Re: MASHED (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on March 30, 2015, 11:21:56 PM
I realized that (duh) it makes more sense to provide a document with the latest updates, since this is a DRAFT, and the previous posts will be rapidly getting out of date.

Here's a link to the latest public design draft. The big addition in this Word doc is that it includes all of the basic moves and medical moves. There are still character and special moves to come, though.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8o3435qc1terh3a/MASHED_design_draft.doc?dl=0

Thoughts?
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on April 03, 2015, 04:28:21 PM
Here's the link to the latest rough draft. I finally got the basic and character moves written up, but there's lots more to come!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0aigzbok1j8t5hl/MASHED_design_draft_150403.doc?dl=0



Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on June 19, 2015, 10:14:19 AM
Just a quick note. I haven't abandoned this - just needed to take a break for some family stuff and to release some supplements for my Corporia RPG. Of course, as soon as I did that, I learned that I barely have any hardcovers left from the first run, so I need to publish a Print on Demand edition. My current plan is to release the POD this month, then get back to 'MASHED' in July.

Still happy to hear any comments or questions in the meantime.
Title: Re: MASHed
Post by: Mark Plemmons on September 06, 2015, 05:32:44 PM
I've spent the last three days running through different Operating Room rules in my head, and I think I've got it mostly figured, but I still have to crunch it. I'd love to hear your thoughts. See below.

Basically:

There is a one-page playsheet for each wounded soldier. Each soldier sheet represents dozens of other similar soldiers operated on, because players aren't going to want to repeat dozens or hundreds of operations in a row.

Each major part of the body (head, chest, guts, each limb) has its own trauma clock. You use Dx and Tx (diagnose and treat) moves for surgery, but can only focus on one clock at a time. The MC sets each clock's current status on the playsheet before handing it out.

10+ heals one segment
7-9 heals one segment, but choose from consequences (one of which is another clock gaining a segment)
6 or below leads to Complication (9 or below may cause consequences that lead to Malpractice) and one or more other clocks gaining segments.
Up to 2 other medic players can 'assist' on a surgery, to give a + 1 each.

You can start operating on any clock you want, but the goal is to do the minimum needed - to play 'par' surgery - so as to treat as many as possible. If you spend too much time on one patient, a consequence may make your next patient's clocks worse, since he spent too much time waiting for you.

I'm thinking some players will want to make a patient 'good as new' but be forced to choose how much time they can afford to spend. And it will be worse when an NPC they know ends up on their table.?
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Rubberduck on September 07, 2015, 04:20:26 AM
Hmm.. I might be wrong, since I'm just looking at your synopsis, and haven't tried the rules in play, but: The way I understand your Operating Room rules, they seem a bit roll-y. Actually, scratch "a bit". They seem a lot roll-y. Does the rolls trigger from actual play, or will it (as it seems to me) just be a question of rolling multiple times, until the patient is well enough, and then on to the next set of rolls, maybe with some decorative descriptions thrown around it. What are the players' choices, besides deciding when to stop?
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on September 08, 2015, 02:28:17 PM
I don't think the amount of rolling will be excessive, but it's definitely something I will be thinking about as I nail down this idea.

Now, if you were rolling 10+ every single time, then it would be just rolling multiple times until the patient is well enough. However, all lower rolls will be throwing various consequences and failures at the players.

The 'surgeon' won't be rolling to heal all the trauma clocks, because they're all continuing to get worse. The player has to focus on one, hoping that the consequences to his rolls don't cause the other clocks to get worse even more rapidly than they already are. I'll try to get that section fully updated and posted this week, if real life doesn't interfere.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on September 10, 2015, 04:14:35 PM
Here's a link to the latest design document. It's still in rough shape, but contains all the new operating room material. Of course, this will have to be playtested, so feel free to try it out and let me know. Credit will be given, of course.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nhnrquxwqq801br/MASH_PBA_150910_PUBLIC.doc?dl=0

Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Rubberduck on September 11, 2015, 06:07:21 AM
"If you trust that the medic who triaged this patient did so accurately, you can skip the Diagnose (DX) move." You should probably give a reason why Dx is needed. Because, as I read the rules right now, the safest thing to do seems to be to trust the other medic and not make a Dx roll, given how Dx has a tendency of making things worse. There is literally no benefit from rolling Dx as it stands now, and a bunch of drawbacks if you roll low (even just 7-9). Maybe move the 10+ result down to 7-9, and have a good diagnosis (10+) give a bonus to the Treatment. Playtesting will have to show the right balance, but Dx seems punitive at the moment.

The full rules look less rolley than I feared. Depending on the severity the MC wants to put into a situation, it looks like he could put in patients that only has a single clock at 4, making the surgery go by quickly unless there are complications. After playtesting, you should probably put in some examples of different configurations of patients and how they'll generally work out. Say a three day stint with two easy anonymous patients (one clock at 4), followed by a seriously injured named patient, would have the first two mostly serve to drive up stress, before getting into the hard job of saving the named patient. It might tend to reduce a patients to a bunch of numbers that just need to be reduced to 3, but that might be a feature, allowing a shock when it turns out that there is a person behind the numbers.

There does seem a bit of a lack of obvious ways for the players to strategise their way out of bad situations. In an battle you can run away, try to outmanoeuvre or try to negotiate. In the surgery it seems you can swap places with another medic, use hold (if you have it), or impose a debility. They all require a Tx roll to solve the situation, perhaps with a tiny bit of bonus. That might also be a feature, leaving a surgeon to have a bad day where he just can't help but make mistakes (bad dice luck), but I could see it sapping player enthusiasm, when they can't do anything to alleviate the bad dice rolls. The character's moves might change that, but until then..

Speaking of debility "You can now ignore this clock, but the overall clock is unaffected." First off, does this apply to all debility choices, or only Tx? Secondly, I take this to mean that the Status clock is unaffected. Or is the overall clock another clock? What is the reasoning behind not (potentially) lowering the status clock? If all other clocks are at or below 3, you are forcing the player to operate on a clock that doesn't need it. If any clocks are above 3, he'd need to operate anyway, since he can't send away the patient before all clocks are low enough.

All that being said, the conversation in surgery still seem kinda structured around the moves. I tried to run the conversation in my head, and it kinda runs make move -> explain result -> make move -> explain result -> make move. Where an AW game would go do something->make move -> explain result -> do something -> make move. The next move for a surgery always seems predestined. The player might wrap some language around it, but he is just saying stuff to justify the move that has to come. He isn't doing something, and then making a move based on what he does. But I might just be running the conversation wrong in my head. Or I'm missing an aspect introduced by other parts of the rules.

Unrelated to the Surgery rules; Under Relieve Stress, 7-9, do you remove one stress and choose one, or just choose one? The reason I'm confused is because the first choice says "remove one additional stress" which kinda suggests that you always remove one stress (on a hit).
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on September 11, 2015, 11:14:14 AM
Great comments, thanks! I'll respond individually below.

"If you trust that the medic who triaged this patient did so accurately, you can skip the Diagnose (DX) move." You should probably give a reason why Dx is needed. Because, as I read the rules right now, the safest thing to do seems to be to trust the other medic and not make a Dx roll, given how Dx has a tendency of making things worse. There is literally no benefit from rolling Dx as it stands now, and a bunch of drawbacks if you roll low (even just 7-9). Maybe move the 10+ result down to 7-9, and have a good diagnosis (10+) give a bonus to the Treatment. Playtesting will have to show the right balance, but Dx seems punitive at the moment.

Yeah, I need to tweak this for sure. Thanks!

The full rules look less rolley than I feared. Depending on the severity the MC wants to put into a situation, it looks like he could put in patients that only has a single clock at 4, making the surgery go by quickly unless there are complications. After playtesting, you should probably put in some examples of different configurations of patients and how they'll generally work out. Say a three day stint with two easy anonymous patients (one clock at 4), followed by a seriously injured named patient, would have the first two mostly serve to drive up stress, before getting into the hard job of saving the named patient. It might tend to reduce a patients to a bunch of numbers that just need to be reduced to 3, but that might be a feature, allowing a shock when it turns out that there is a person behind the numbers.

Agreed.

There does seem a bit of a lack of obvious ways for the players to strategise their way out of bad situations. In an battle you can run away, try to outmanoeuvre or try to negotiate. In the surgery it seems you can swap places with another medic, use hold (if you have it), or impose a debility. They all require a Tx roll to solve the situation, perhaps with a tiny bit of bonus. That might also be a feature, leaving a surgeon to have a bad day where he just can't help but make mistakes (bad dice luck), but I could see it sapping player enthusiasm, when they can't do anything to alleviate the bad dice rolls. The character's moves might change that, but until then..

My intent is to try and make surgery a somewhat realistic balancing act where the player has to make tough decisions, though this will be more effective when they know the patient. Surgery is also supposed to be a bit painful and stressful (for the character - not the player), so they have more reasons to try and blow off steam (Stress) with Events when they're not operating. We'll see how it shakes out in testing.

Speaking of debility "You can now ignore this clock, but the overall clock is unaffected." First off, does this apply to all debility choices, or only Tx? Secondly, I take this to mean that the Status clock is unaffected. Or is the overall clock another clock? What is the reasoning behind not (potentially) lowering the status clock? If all other clocks are at or below 3, you are forcing the player to operate on a clock that doesn't need it. If any clocks are above 3, he'd need to operate anyway, since he can't send away the patient before all clocks are low enough.

Yeah, I'm thinking there's probably no significantly good reason to have an overall clock. That's probably coming out.

All that being said, the conversation in surgery still seem kinda structured around the moves. I tried to run the conversation in my head, and it kinda runs make move -> explain result -> make move -> explain result -> make move. Where an AW game would go do something->make move -> explain result -> do something -> make move. The next move for a surgery always seems predestined. The player might wrap some language around it, but he is just saying stuff to justify the move that has to come. He isn't doing something, and then making a move based on what he does. But I might just be running the conversation wrong in my head. Or I'm missing an aspect introduced by other parts of the rules.

This is something I'm struggling with, since the Surgery conversation is definitely more constrained due to the circumstances. The Events that take place outside the O.R. are more traditional AW moves. In the O.R., you're stuck at a table with a patient, and have to either give up or keep operating until you're satisfied. There's not a lot of room for different types of moves yet, but I'm thinking about how this can be tweaked for more options and less 'predestination'. Any thoughts welcome.

Unrelated to the Surgery rules; Under Relieve Stress, 7-9, do you remove one stress and choose one, or just choose one? The reason I'm confused is because the first choice says "remove one additional stress" which kinda suggests that you always remove one stress (on a hit).

It should be:

On 10+, choose two. On 7-9, choose one:

•   Remove one Stress from yourself, and relieve one Stress from another person who was involved.
•   Ensure that there are no consequences for this action.
•   Add one to the Mission Pool.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Rubberduck on September 15, 2015, 06:35:41 AM
I've given some thought to the player choice / conversation. And much like I hate to say it, it might be that the structure is wrong. I can see the structure giving some very tough choices and tense moments. I like that. But it primarily depends on dice luck, not player choice, which is bad.

The problem is that there are really only three significant choices. Whether the character starts the operation, whether the character continues the operation, and what side effects the player picks. The first two will only rarely be a choice, since the character will probably always wanna do the operation, the exception being when drama (and maybe stress) interferes. And rules probably aren't needed to leave room for that exception.

Which leaves the side effects. Which kinda leaves me in a dead end, because the side effects alone can't really constitute a system.

So.. a couple of random ideas that may or may not improve things.

To streamline the surgery, don't add any rolls to Complication or Malpratice. On a failed Tx roll, the player picks two choices from Complications, or may Push your luck and spend 1 stock. On a 10+, no complication happens. On a 7-9, only one happens. On a miss choose two choices from Malpractice. Remove "The patient’s friends will learn how poorly you performed this treatment." from the malpractice table, meaning that the player will either have to give him a debility + stress disorder, or potentially kill him. Actually, maybe just make it 1 choice + stress disorder. Choices being either add to all body clocks, or give a debility.
That gives a potential choice on what clock to work on for the Tx roll (which is made in the conversation), choice to choose debilities, choice on whether to push your luck (which can be made in the conversation) and choice to choose how you will horribly affect the patient if you failed your Push your Luck roll.

Another idea was to add a countdown clock. Have each roll (Tx and Push your luck) reduce the countdown clock. Once the countdown clock reaches 0, you have to be finished with the patient, or you'll have patients that are waiting for treatment dying. This could force the player to give up on a clock, simply because he has no more time. And if there is more than one clock needing treatment, he now knows that he'll have to leave time to visit all of them. This would change the effect of the "Treatment takes longer than expected." result from the Tx consequence list, to: "The countdown clock is reduced by one."

With the above, it is still pretty dependent on the player's rolls, but I think there is more choice. Though I haven't thought all the consequences of my ideas properly through, so..
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on September 15, 2015, 09:13:37 AM
Hey, those sound like good ideas, thanks! The countdown clock is particular feels very appropriate. I'll seriously consider how those would work.

You definitely deserve an editorial credit when this is all done!  :)
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on September 15, 2015, 09:50:52 AM
I come from a dice-heavy background, and this is the first AW-type game I've written, so all this feedback is helpful.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on September 15, 2015, 10:57:12 AM
Oh, one other note. So I'm also working on changing the names of the playsheets. I was heavily inspired by the Natures in "Night Witches", but I think using Humors or Roles for the playsheets is actually limiting in terms of expanding the game. So the list will start off with the basic doctors and nurses, but be expanded to more easily allow play for other people in the camp.

For instance:

CORPSMAN
CUTTER
DENTIST
MP
NURSE
ROLLER
SHRINK
etc.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on September 17, 2015, 05:14:19 PM
The Word doc is kind of a mess right now, so here's a look at some of the introductory material I've been working on this week. It's slow going, because the research and reading takes much longer than the actual writing does!

-------

Racial Content

“I have some vivid memories of Korea and many of them I wish I could forget. There is the memory of the old Korean who stumbled unloading a crate from a C-54 in Pusan, and the little pipsqueak of a GI private who seized him by the faded coat lapels and shouted in his face: “You sonofabitch – if you do that again I’ll punch you in the nose!” There is the memory of the wretched young man with his feet half eaten away, dying of gangrene and refused medical assistance by a succession of MOs because he was a Korean and didn’t count.”

-   Pierre Burton, war correspondent for Maclean’s

Whether they were widespread or not, racial incidents against Asians (friendly South Koreans or the enemy North Korean and Chinese troops) certainly did happen. Even Asian American soldiers and medics might be unfairly viewed with suspicion. Players should be prepared to encounter a variety of low- and high-ranking NPCs with racist views. How your characters react – and the consequences of those reactions – will surely become an important part of the conversation.

If you want to play as an Asian-American, history records that substantial numbers served the Army in both combat and medical roles during the Korean War. There appear to be no records for any South Korean medics being seconded to a MASH unit, but there’s nothing stopping you from creating one. The most likely scenario may be that it was a temporary assignment - as a medic and translator for wounded Koreans - that turned into something long-term.

"When people were getting killed and shot up and everything, we all got to stick together.” . . . "The (South) Koreans would look at my face and . . . look at a white guy's face and say ‘Y'all no same-ah same-ah.' And I'd say yeah we are, we're all 3rd Division, 58th Artillery.”

- Mr. Nathaniel Brunson

In 1948, President Truman issued Executive Order 9981, officially abolishing racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces. In truth, a complete integration of the military didn’t occur until 1954 – one year after the war had ended. Thus, some of the African American soldiers and medics you encounter may still come from segregated all-black units. Even the Chinese Army singles out captured African Americans for special propaganda, reminding them that they are fighting for a segregated nation back home.

If you want to take on the role of an African American medic, you’ll be serving in an integrated MASH unit, free from the constraints of a segregated environment. Of course, you may still encounter an occasional NPC who prefers segregation or who disrespects your position in some other way. Treat these backwards persons as appropriate for your character’s role in the conversation, but don’t worry about your place in history.

It is historical fact that many African American WAC officers and enlisted reservists returned voluntarily to active duty as nurses, serving with great merit. Furthermore, despite the long-held view that no black surgeons served during the Korean War – a view disproven by Dr. Alvin V. Blount Jr. of the 8225th MASH, at least. Black doctors did serve in the Army, albeit in small numbers.

Queer Content

“I had a ton of fun during the Korean War. There were 10-15 gay soldiers on the base. As long as we weren’t seen doing anything, they couldn’t discharge us. So we all rented a hotel room once a month, plastered the wall with Playbills from A Streetcar Named Desire, and had lots of sex.”
-   Anonymous veteran

The 1951 Uniform Code of Military Justice defined homosexuality as “unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex”, classifying both oral and anal sex as ‘sodomy.’ It was deemed an offense punishable by court-martial. In reality, how strongly the code was enforced – and whether cases were even prosecuted - depended on the situation and the persons involved. Under combat conditions, a feeling of male camaraderie and shared intimacy develops that is not present in civilian life, and even the actions of blatantly queer personnel might be shrugged off with a “live and let live” attitude.

This is not to say that witch-hunts didn’t happen. If the offender was not well regarded in other respects, or ran afoul of an intolerant officer, he or she might be subject to continuous surveillance, humiliation, threats, and interrogation (often by Section Eight discharge boards or intelligence officers), followed by a court-martial and a dishonorable discharge.

Whether you decide to start play as a queer character or not, these are persons and incidents you might encounter as you play the game. At times, you might even find your character the target of a seduction roll. If this occurs, you don’t get to block that move by claiming that your character is exclusively heterosexual. The roll of the dice determines whether someone incites a potentially arousing response, but you are in charge of your character’s reaction. You decide how you want to follow through.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on October 16, 2015, 04:00:52 PM
The latest draft can be downloaded HERE on Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com/s/5zxxz8lg2sd1cs1/MASH_PBA_151016_PUBLIC.doc?dl=0) for anyone who's interested. There haven't been a lot of changes to the rules yet, although some are coming (see the latest posts above). Most of the changes have been to content and world flavor.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Rubberduck on November 18, 2015, 08:30:40 AM
Oh, one other note. So I'm also working on changing the names of the playsheets. I was heavily inspired by the Natures in "Night Witches", but I think using Humors or Roles for the playsheets is actually limiting in terms of expanding the game. So the list will start off with the basic doctors and nurses, but be expanded to more easily allow play for other people in the camp.

For instance:

CORPSMAN
CUTTER
DENTIST
MP
NURSE
ROLLER
SHRINK
etc.

Without actually having played, I still think that the roles are essential. When you look at MASH or Band of Brothers or whatever, they tell you who that person is in the group, much more than whether he is a nurse or a preacher or a machine gunner. Joey isn't Rifleman #3, he is the Prankster. Roles is also a group that you could maybe expand on later on.

About the Humors you might be right. But I'm still cautious about making the professions a defining part of the character. Depends a bit on the focus. I could see may moving the Humor moves over to Roles instead. Then maybe have professions, but have them be the smaller part, with a package of profession specific moves. So a character can be the Prankster Nurse or Devout Radio Operator. Most of the social/camp moves would come from the role (unless perhaps it is a social profession like preacher, psychologist, local black marketeer), while the profession would provide some professional moves (better at operations, better at fighting, able to manipulate the mission pool).

This is bases on my impression that most of the game would be about interpersonal relationships in the MASH camp (with occasional "adventures" to completment the social play). So to use the above theoretical setup, role moves for the main play in camp, and professional moves occasionally useful for the "adventures".

To put it another way, once you get past the fact that you need to speak with the supply officers to get the noise makers you need for the party, the most important thing about him isn't that he is the Supply Officer. The most important thing when you want to wrangle those supplies out of him is whether he is a Stickler, a Scrounger or maybe a Casanova. When you are a second lieutenant, once you get past the fact that the Major seriously outranks you, the most important thing isn't that he is an Officer. It's whether he is a Bully, a Mentor or, god forbid, a Prankster. At least that's how I see it.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on November 25, 2015, 03:45:15 PM
Rubberduck: Agreed about the roles being essential. I'm not sure whether or not professions will be added, or even how to do so if I go that route. I'm just spit-balling that idea right now.

On the plus side, I've got a new public draft which can be downloaded from Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com/s/zqs3m67uxd8oo8a/MASH_PBA_151125_PUBLIC.doc?dl=0). It's been slow going, but I've added more details on rank and equipment, stress and harm, and made some tweaks to the Operating Room moves. I still have a lot more MC stuff to write, and no doubt lots of rules tweaks once I get more into actual playtesting.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on December 01, 2015, 03:51:11 PM
I added some minor tweaks and clarification and moved some things around (mostly in regards to Rank, Humor Moves, and Pay). Next I'm going to start adding MC chapters.

If you want the latest draft, click here for the Dropbox link. (https://www.dropbox.com/s/ozpiz3c9dttnsv9/MASH_PBA_151201_PUBLIC.doc?dl=0)
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on January 22, 2016, 03:28:17 PM
Lots of updates and changes in this version! I added lots of MC material.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vt3y0si6iin0nxv/MASH_PBA_160122_public.doc?dl=0

Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Rubberduck on February 02, 2016, 07:47:46 AM
I only had time to skim. But..

Maybe move the Hx values currently listed under roles down to the Hx section. It is only important for non-Apocalypse fans, reading the rules for the first time. But still.

Dx: What is the hold used for?

I'll have to check the MC moves and stuff later.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on February 02, 2016, 11:00:18 AM
Thank you! I'll take a look at these.

For the Hx, I may include a shorter version of that info again as a sidebar in the Hx section. I expect that the subject matter of the game will attract a lot of non-AW fans, so it may be best to keep it in character creation.

I believe the Dx hold is used for the Treat roll.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on March 18, 2016, 04:10:46 PM
Here's the latest public PDF for those interested: https://www.dropbox.com/s/whrcoxqsyvvnt8q/MASHED_public_160317.pdf?dl=0

Feedback is welcome, as always. I need to separate out the character info into actual playsheets, and add a sample trauma clock worksheet for the Operating Room scenes, but otherwise I think this is pretty much a complete first draft.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Rubberduck on March 21, 2016, 07:40:37 AM
I'll need to check it out later. For now I've just skimmed it. One thing I noticed in the skim was the "Causes and Types of Trauma" tables which are d100. You might want to make them d66 instead, so that people don't need weird dice (I have plenty of those myself, but the default AW engine assumes d6s).
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on March 22, 2016, 08:04:13 AM
Good point! There's no way (that I know of) to accurately translate those percentages to d6, though. I'll just remove the language about 'rolling' those traumas, so the MC can just use the charts as a bit of historical reference. Thanks!
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on April 20, 2016, 03:09:14 PM
The second draft is nearly finished. I just have to clean it up a bit and add some draft camp sketches and playsheets, so I hope to have a big open playtest PDF and announcement soon.

Below is a link to my sketches of the playsheet (front and back page):
https://plebotamus.wordpress.com/2016/04/20/first-look-mashed-playsheet-draft/ ?
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on April 25, 2016, 12:04:19 AM
Here's the link to the open playtest!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/30189637/MASHED_playtest_v160424.pdf

Whew.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on May 06, 2016, 10:08:26 AM
The open playtest PDF is also now on DriveThruRPG, which is the best spot for it. That way I can easily update it and notify all the downloaders at once. The link is:
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/181455/MASHED-open-playtest-edition

There's also a G+ community as well! I'm there pretty often, so that's the fastest way to get a hold of me if you want to.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/116645538083415263681

Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on June 15, 2016, 04:08:11 PM
I've made some significant additions and improvements to the playbooks, medical moves, MASH operations, and more. Hopefully I'll be updating the playtest file in a few days or later next week.

If you download the playtest PDF from DriveThru or RPGNow, it'll be automatically updated and you'll get a notification email (assuming you have them turned on).
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on June 21, 2016, 03:32:27 PM
The open playest v2.0 is now available for free on DriveThruRPG and RPGNow!

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/181455/MASHED-open-playtest-edition
http://www.rpgnow.com/product/181455/MASHED-open-playtest-edition

I've updated and replaced the playbooks, revised and improved the roles, added new medical moves, and also added lots more info on how a MASH operates. I'm currently shooting for a September release on Kickstarter, so please check it out! All feedback welcome.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Sestuss on July 08, 2016, 11:57:08 AM
Cool looking book! I just checked out the preview. I must admit this wouldn't be a concept I would have ever come up with. Considering MASH was one of the two shows my mother used to watch all the time when I was younger, this makes me think maybe I should go and make a "Little house on the prairie" hack.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on July 08, 2016, 12:28:44 PM
Thank you!

At first I laughed, but the more I think about it, a LHotP-style game might be a lot of fun! Just don't tell my wife since she'd expect me to write it. :D
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on August 30, 2016, 10:29:32 AM
Just a note to say that I'm still working on MASHED. I'm hoping for a Kickstarter launch in Sept or Oct. Announcements will be forthcoming, of course.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on September 12, 2016, 03:38:48 PM
MASHED is ready for launch on Kickstarter - coming Tuesday, September 27th! I hope to see you there.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Noctimania Games on September 24, 2016, 04:14:40 PM
As a long-time fan of the show I'm intrigued by your idea! Keep up the good work :)
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on September 27, 2016, 09:33:29 AM
Thank you!

The Kickstarter launches this morning at 10 AM CT! I hope you'll come check it out.
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on October 03, 2016, 11:41:05 AM
I suppose I should have included a link to the Kickstarter, hmm?  :)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/504288855/mashed-a-korean-war-mash-rpg

Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on October 18, 2016, 09:34:49 AM
There's only 1 week left in the Kickstarter, so if you're interested in picking up a copy now with shipping included, don't wait. The POD copies won't be available until after the backer copies ship.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/504288855/mashed-a-korean-war-mash-rpg

Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on October 25, 2016, 03:46:32 PM
Only 7 hours to go! If you want to live chat about MASHED tonight before the Kickstarter ends, I'll be doing an online Q&A from 7-9 pm CT. Just go to: http://tinyurl.com/rpgnetchat
Title: Re: MASHWorld (working title)
Post by: Mark Plemmons on January 06, 2017, 11:00:20 AM
The PDF edition of MASHED is now available on DriveThruRPG and RPGNow!
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/199282/MASHED-A-Korean-War-MASH-RPG

The print/POD copies and other Kickstarter add-ons are coming in the near future.? If you were a Kickstarter backer, there's a 'freebie' link in the latest backer-only update.

So excited to finally start getting this out into the world!