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roleplaying theory, hardcore / Re: Genuinely curious: Why do you like Apocalypse World?
« on: February 19, 2016, 02:04:26 PM »
Hi Korbl! When you say:
"I know one person who I've played with that I would maybe trust to not kill all the players an hour into the first session, whether through malice or incompetence."
I'm a bit dumbstruck. That's really rather sad. And it has nothing to do with Apocalypse World (AW), because no game can protect you from that. Especially not all those traditional games that give the GM leeway to do whatever they want. In fact, AW has principles and agendas that directly tell people NOT to act like this. Check out these agenda items for the GM:
• Make Apocalypse World seem real.
• Make the players’ characters’ lives not boring.
• Play to find out what happens.
Is it "real" to have characters land on a bear? Only if you've established in the fiction already that it would make sense. It would definitely make the character's life not boring, and it would be interesting to see what happens. But you should follow all three items.
But what should the GM do instead of the bear? You were asking for "without broader lists of potential complications for such rolls." Let's take a look at the GM Moves:
• Separate them.
• Capture someone.
• Put someone in a spot.
• Trade harm for harm (as established).
• Announce off-screen badness.
• Announce future badness.
• Inflict harm (as established).
• Take away their stuff.
• Make them buy.
• Activate their stuff’s downside.
• Tell them the possible consequences and ask.
• Offer an opportunity, with or without a cost.
• Turn their move back on them.
• Make a threat move (from one of your fronts).
• After every move: “what do you do?”
These are broad and easy! Here are examples of them in action, regarding the climbing roll you mentioned:
• You fall off the wall and land on the other side. You're separated. And to make that have teeth, you hear enemies coming. Can your allies get over the wall in time to help you?
• You fall right into a net (depending on your fictional circumstances: mutant raider trap, giant spider, ...). You're captured.
• You make it up, but there is someone with a gatling gun on the other side, aimed at you. You're in a spot. What now?
• You take one harm from the fall, as established by the wall being dangerously high (why else call for a roll?).
• You drop and lose your weapon, and it falls into a crack on the other side. How to get your stuff back?
• You spot a piece of treasure on the other side! You can grab this opportunity, but only at a cost of leaving your allies behind.
All of these without even knowing anything more than "there's a wall you're climbing." Imagine how these Moves could spark ideas when you've got a whole fictional situation going on!
I love AW because it sets out these stakes before every roll. I know the GM moves. You know the GM moves. No need to discuss the bad things that could happen. Just roll and snowball forward.
"I know one person who I've played with that I would maybe trust to not kill all the players an hour into the first session, whether through malice or incompetence."
I'm a bit dumbstruck. That's really rather sad. And it has nothing to do with Apocalypse World (AW), because no game can protect you from that. Especially not all those traditional games that give the GM leeway to do whatever they want. In fact, AW has principles and agendas that directly tell people NOT to act like this. Check out these agenda items for the GM:
• Make Apocalypse World seem real.
• Make the players’ characters’ lives not boring.
• Play to find out what happens.
Is it "real" to have characters land on a bear? Only if you've established in the fiction already that it would make sense. It would definitely make the character's life not boring, and it would be interesting to see what happens. But you should follow all three items.
But what should the GM do instead of the bear? You were asking for "without broader lists of potential complications for such rolls." Let's take a look at the GM Moves:
• Separate them.
• Capture someone.
• Put someone in a spot.
• Trade harm for harm (as established).
• Announce off-screen badness.
• Announce future badness.
• Inflict harm (as established).
• Take away their stuff.
• Make them buy.
• Activate their stuff’s downside.
• Tell them the possible consequences and ask.
• Offer an opportunity, with or without a cost.
• Turn their move back on them.
• Make a threat move (from one of your fronts).
• After every move: “what do you do?”
These are broad and easy! Here are examples of them in action, regarding the climbing roll you mentioned:
• You fall off the wall and land on the other side. You're separated. And to make that have teeth, you hear enemies coming. Can your allies get over the wall in time to help you?
• You fall right into a net (depending on your fictional circumstances: mutant raider trap, giant spider, ...). You're captured.
• You make it up, but there is someone with a gatling gun on the other side, aimed at you. You're in a spot. What now?
• You take one harm from the fall, as established by the wall being dangerously high (why else call for a roll?).
• You drop and lose your weapon, and it falls into a crack on the other side. How to get your stuff back?
• You spot a piece of treasure on the other side! You can grab this opportunity, but only at a cost of leaving your allies behind.
All of these without even knowing anything more than "there's a wall you're climbing." Imagine how these Moves could spark ideas when you've got a whole fictional situation going on!
I love AW because it sets out these stakes before every roll. I know the GM moves. You know the GM moves. No need to discuss the bad things that could happen. Just roll and snowball forward.