Ok, yes, I seriously think a MLP:FiM game could be done right by an AW hack. A pretty deep hack, but a hack nonetheless. For those going "wha?!"

Look, you have 6 playbooks:

-Twilight Sparkle
-Pinkie Pie
-Rainbow Dash
-Apple Jack
-Rareity
-Fluttershy

The GM in this game is Princess Celestia, since she controls pretty much everything in Equestria. But when the ponies enter the Everfree Forest...control leaves Princess Celestia's hands real quick. That's an aside, though!

There's not much advancement: cartoon characters don't change their inherent natures or abilities much. I still want to keep the experience system, though, because it works well, is fun, and goads players into action. One choice for an advancement is to switch characters next session (episode). I imagine a lot of character switching, with not every pony in every episode. Maybe some small advancements as well, like stat boosts or one new move.

Princess Celestia's prep is pretty different. Maybe organized like a front, but a whole new one every episode. This will probably be where the hardest design work is done.

I also think: less stats. Maybe three per character (+ Friendship/Hx), with five total stats, so each character is missing two core stats and thus some core Moves. My instinct is to simplify, and make the characters very distinct to reward switching characters and trying out new things.

Obviously, stats will be renamed, basic moves will be retooled/changed, and new playbooks written up.

This is simply a post of curiosity. I want to know what you all think about this (you'll probably have to know MLP:FiM to parse this post, but hopefully not the game. Ideally it'll be playable by young girls, and aimed at family play and pony geek play). I'm going to give it my best shot, anyway, until I decide AW isn't the right engine and do something else, or give up on it, or playtest the hell out of it and make it a real thing.

I've played both Dogs (one & a half abortive sessions) & AW.
I've GMed both Dogs & AW.

Now, I know they are both supposed to articulate certain ways of GMing--categorically different ways of GMing, from my understanding--and I'm having trouble parsing that.

When I GM Dogs, I don't plan a story. I'm a fan of the player's characters. I play to find out what happens. I reveal the town in play (I'm honest, even generous, with information).

If you know AW, you know I GM it the same way.

I'm sure that's not all the things I do in either game, but I can't seem to come up with meaningful differences.

I feel blind here. Can someone point it out to me, or ask me provocative questions such that I figure it out myself?

I think that keeping the world's psychic maelstrom perpetually undefined will be counter to your agendas and principles practically every time you play. Sooner or later, in practically every game, you'll have to decide and commit to some concrete explanation, or history, or something for it.

That would have been good to know in the book! (he said, trying not to sound like a jerk)

Anyway, in the first game I MCed, the maelstrom was super-vague & undefined & only towards the end did I define it for myself as something less vague like, "all the souls that died in the Apocalypse, floating in psychic space." It didn't really play a large part in the game, and my less vague description of it didn't come up in a meaningful way.

I realized on my own that that keeping it vague was problematic (just because it didn't seem to be anything, and I wanted it to be something), and in the game I'm MCing now I came up with a fairly concrete definition up-front (for myself). But I never even thought of the possibility of making it a Threat! Or a Front! Maybe I should do. But for now, I feel on solid ground with what I've got. Maybe it'll get solider.

I'm in this PbP game Chris is running right now. Were at 1.5 sessions, more or less (hard to say in an online environment), and at least one PC is badly wounded and another is at 11:00 right now (all due to PvP). It's crazy.

Ha. In my (7 sessions & running) game, we've had NO harm from PvP, and I think the max harm any PC has been at (not taken all in one shot, but how many boxes they have filled in) is 6:00, maaaybe once 9:00.

No one took harm last session, I don't think.

...for my game, at least. I suspect it'll also be a new idea for some of yours, which is why I'm sharing it.

For this session, we had 4 characters, 2 characters going together in one (geographic) direction, and 2 characters staying put at the home base. So I created 2 love letters/beginning of session moves, 1 for each pair. Here's how they work:

Dear Key & Dust: You’re off to the remains of old Sludge Pump. So, what happens on the way?  someone roll+sharp, and someone help or hinder.

on a 10+, you get there more or less fine, but choose 1.
on a 7-9, you get there okay: choose both.

    * Clarion wants to tag along: (helping/hindering character choose 1)
          o with Dust?
          o with Key?

    * Dust’s cult begins begging for: (helping/hindering character, choose 1)
          o A religious vision, a touch of the howling psychic maelstrom.
          o A release of their stress, an emotional high, an experience.

On a miss, both, and it looks like a nasty sandstorm has kicked up: getting to the river will be harder than you thought.

The trick is that the person who rolled the stat chooses the * choice, and the person who helped/hindered gets to choose the o sub-choice. It worked well, and the players thought it was cool. Here's the other one, for posterity:

Dear Pitt & Pollux: What’s going on at the Braindome? Someone roll+hot, and someone help or hinder.

On a 10+, choose 1.
On a 7-9, choose both.

    * Snap has: (helping/hinder character, choose 1)
          o Taken a liking to Pollux, and regularly lets Pollux into the shop (when Pitt’s not there).
          o Begun to fear and distrust Pollux, and won’t willfully let Pollux into the shop or stay there while Pollux is there.

    * The majority of the Braindome population have been demanding: (helping/hindering character, choose 1)
          o That Pitt do something with her tools & workshop about how fucking hungry & thirsty they all are.
          o That CJ get rid of Pollux.

On a miss, choose both, plus, things just don’t feel right today: the next time you consciously act against someone, it’s acting under fire.

Just to say: I don't think you need to change anything. We've played 7 sessions so far, and only ONE of the PC's has had sex, and NO PC has had sex with another PC. As MC, I wish more fucking was happening (because I think it makes things interesting), but it's not like our game is bad or not fun for not having it.

Thanks for the comments, everybody (esp. nemomeme, that helps a lot!).

Glendower: It's not a problem with the players; like, they don't make me feel like I have to bring the fun. I just put that pressure on myself.

I just re-read the beginning of Play Unsafe and it's made me so much more excited to play. The part where Graham says, "If you play all serious, and conduct yourself like you're at a business meeting, no one's going to have any fun," really struck home with me. I think I've been running AW like I have to have this really weighty, human story, and trying to push it. Instead of, you know, just playing. I've been trying to choke the game and extract something from it (what exactly, I'm not sure), instead of going along with it.

I'm excited again about prepping. I've got some time this afternoon and so I'll probably write a couple love letters and make a front or two.