I love subverting archtypes, too, and I think something that really helps with that is thinking of what playbook you want your character to transition to. Some playbook transitions make sense, like a Touchstone to a Hardholder, or a Driver to a Chopper or something, but the really unusual progressions can make for some very interesting and subversive characters.

I played an Angel turned Savvyhead who began to lose perspective on what makes people different from objects. I GMed for someone who was an Operator who turned into a Brainer because of another PC having a bad effect on him and breaking his psyche. I've been wanting to play as a Faceless who becomes an Angel but retains his plague doctor mask and wants people to be afraid of him for fear of getting too close to someone.

So yeah, pick an unusual playbook combination and try to think of why a character would develop like that. Why would a Hocus become a Gunlugger, for instance, or what would make a Quarantine become a Maestro'D?

Oh, and as a side note, the idea of a Savvyhead whose workshop is a garden is fantastic.

I think it's really interesting, and it's a good way to get around the "okay, we're in a new place, what do we do" awkwardness that comes up when you visit new hardholds in game.

My main suggestion is to try to differentiate the 7-9 outcomes from the fail outcome. A 7-9 is still a "success", but to me some of those options are just more specific ways to say the failure outcome. If I was a player and I rolled a 7-9, I wouldn't interpret those options as succeeding on the roll.

One thing I like to do when I'm making custom moves, (and you can feel free to disregard it if it doesn't fit your MCing style), is to make 10+ give more concrete rewards in addition to the "narrative" rewards a weak hit gives. So, you could have those 10+ outcomes be the options for any time someone succeeds on the roll, but have 10+ options where the player gets experience for learning a thing or two about themselves, or history with another character, or 1-barter, or a fun little trinket.

That's just my feedback though, so feel free to take it or leave it, of course!

The hardest part for me is making good PC-NPC-PC triangles. I think it's just difficult because of the group we play with, where we're used to all the PCs working together and sharing goals. I have to really work to find something that makes one PC want something that doesn't align with the goals of another PC.

This is my first time MCing, though, so I haven't seen how tricky MCing the last session is.

Hello everyone,

I've been playing Apocalypse World for a while, and one of my favorite things is seeing what players pick when they choose the "pick a new playbook for your character" advancement.

So, what are some of the most interesting combinations you've seen? Which combinations would you like to play as or see? Here are some of mine.

Angel --> Faceless
I haven't seen this yet, but the next time I'm a PC in an Apocalypse World game, I want to be an Angel (with Healing Touch) that turns into a Faceless, and my mask would be one of those terrifying plague doctor bird-masks. There's something about an unsettling healer that appeals to me.

Savvyhead --> Maestro D'
Turning your workspace into some kind of establishment that people visit could open up so many possibilities.

Skinner --> Hocus
Maybe as a Skinner, you get too many admirers, and you somehow find yourself with a cult. The hardest part of being a Hocus is dealing with your cult, after all, so switching over to a Hocus could show the downfalls of being a captivating Skinner.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

@nerdwerds: Actually, no, I've never played inFamous. I've watched one of my friends play it though, so maybe some of it seeped into my brain?

@DWeird: I'm glad you like it! The list you thought up for the Link move is really nice, I think I'll incorporate it. My problem with the Conduit is making sure the player has his own motivations, which is tricky if the maelstrom is just telling him what to do. But with your list, the player will make his own motivations by interpreting that list into the fiction, which is fantastic.

@Ebok: You made me realize I had a typo, the move is supposed to be Waste Not, but I'll just leave it. Anyway, I definitely see what you mean, it's way more interesting for the player to get what he wants but with strings attached. Thanks for pointing that out!

Thanks for the constructive feedback. It's interesting that you bring up the Hoarder, since that's one of my least favorite playbooks. I didn't realize that I'm basically mimicking that which makes me uninterested in the Hoarder.

What do you think would be the best way to motivate the player by using the maelstrom without simply telling him what to do? Would that problem be avoided if I gave maelstrom visions as normal, but let the player interpret what those visions "want"? I worked with the player on this playbook, and he's happy with everything, so I don't want to change too much, but hopefully there's some subtle nuance I can correct to put all the responsibility on the player rather than myself as MC.

Again, thanks for pointing this out.

Hello, everyone,

I'm running my first game of AW and introducing it to some people. One person has played it a bunch of times before, so to keep him interested, I wanted to create a new playbook for him.

My favorite part of AW is the maelstrom and how flexible you can be with what it can do, so I wanted to create a character that is heavily influenced by it. Please tell me what you think!

The Conduit

During the Golden Age, the world was full of content people. The apocalypse did something about that. Now most people are living in their dusty little corners of the torn world, terrified every day that the psychic maelstrom gnawing at the edges of thought will someday take over.

And then there's you. You're more than happy to accommodate the maelstrom.

Playbook Ability: Link
During character creation, pick two powers to have access to below.

The Conduit is more attuned to the world's psychic maelstrom than other people. The maelstrom's link with the Conduit almost makes it seem like a living abomination that wants to contort the world around it into chaos, and the Conduit is the lucky individual that is privy to this unwavering hunger for entropy.

Because of this partnership, the maelstrom will sometimes act to preserve the Conduit when he's in danger.

Whenever the Conduit opens his brain to the maelstrom and the maelstrom implies that it wants a certain thing changed in the world, the Conduit can work to make that change real. If he succeeds, he receives 1 hold with the maelstrom. He can spend his hold, 1 for 1, to:

• become invisible while stationary, but only for maybe a minute
• stun one person in sight for a moment or so
• make one person believe a total lie, at least for a little while
• see what should not be seen
• cause a small amount of telekinetic force that will probably be easy to control

The Conduit can only have a maximum of 3 hold at one time. If the Conduit has 0 hold, he can still trigger one of the above effects he has access to, but he will be reduced to -1 hold. At -1 hold, the Conduit owes the maelstrom, which will make it quite clear what he will have to do to make up for the deficit.

Moves
(x) Harbinger: at the beginning of the session, roll +weird. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 1. Whenever you miss a roll, you can spend your hold, 1 for 1, by:

• causing a nearby NPC to fall unconscious
• causing a nearby NPC to panic
• breaking an object in sight
• drawing attention to something else

All effects are caused by unseen forces and not necessarily attributed to you. On a miss, the MC holds 3 with the same conditions.

( ) Anything can change: when you roll a 6 or 9, you may add 1 to the total and take 1-harm (ap).

( ) Window to chaos: when you make bodily contact with someone and open their brain to the maelstrom, roll +weird. On a 10+, you create the vision they see from the maelstrom. On a 7-9, the MC creates the vision, but you can change one detail. On a miss, treat it as if you both opened your brains to the psychic maelstrom and missed the roll.

( ) Waste note: when someone near you dies and you want to preserve their consciousness in the maelstrom, roll +weird. On a hit, you succeed, and you may consult that person when you successfully open your brain anytime in the future. On a 10+, you take +1 forward when acting on their advice. On a miss, remnants of that person's consciousness and dying emotions linger where they died.

( ) Purpose displaced: while you are acting on behalf of the maelstrom, you get +1armor.

( ) Ungrounded: you get +1weird (weird+3).

Conduit Special
When you and another person have sex, treat it as if you used Window to chaos and rolled a 10+.

Creating a Conduit
Name
Think of your own name.

Stats
Choose one set:

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

HX
On your turn, choose 1, 2, or 3.

• Choose the character that you think the maelstrom finds most acceptable. Tell that player Hx+2.
• One of them refused to take your advice at a crucial moment. Tell that player Hx-1.
• Choose the one you think is the most open-minded. Tell that player Hx+1.

Tell everyone else Hx-1. You're a bit unusual.

On the others' turns:

• Oh yes, the maelstrom must have that one. Whatever number they tell you, ignore it and write Hx+3.
• Everyone else, write whatever number they tell you next to their character's name.

Advancement

• get +1cool (max cool+2)
• get +1hard (max hard+2)
• get +1hot (max hot+2)
• get a new Link power
• get a new Link power
• get Followers (detail) and Fortunes
• get a new Conduit move
• get a new Conduit move
• get a move from another playbook
• get a move from another playbook

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