I played a Touchstone who went among the people acting with hope and offering hope all the time.

I got shot in the face so much!

As it turns out in a world full of nasty people who need their sheep to stay afraid, controlled, in line, and dependent upon them that not everyone likes hope.

Also turns out that some folks are so afraid that they just want to kill hope, even their own. After all if you know its all done, know it bone deep, then much as it may be bleak at least you know what it is. But what if after all that someone starts trying to pry open the lid? What if all the things you did were wrong? What if you might have to actually be afraid again because it turns out everything isn't over?

The answer seemed to be "Shoot Burn in the face, cause that's where his mouth is" a lot.

Though I will admit, I did end up with a good bit of barter when Burn got on his "offering hope" kick. But then, of course, came the shooting in the face and the stealing of my stuff.

Oh, and to answer the initial question, I usually did it as a narrative thing. Like when everyone else was fucking or fixing their car or whatever, I'd just be like "Burn is down at the bar, talking about the moon landing again" or "Burn starts talking to the guys with the guns about how they can, in fact, feed their children without killing everyone else's."

Which, maybe half the time, would end up turning into a full scene. Like, when we'd get an NPC that responded and we wanted to know why. ("Why is Dremmer so pissed every time you offer her hope?") Or when someone was going to react differently than you might think. ("They bring forth your scratch, sure, but grudgingly" "What's up with that? I read them to see why they're so upset when they seemed so happy before.")

Really, its a cool move to use around the edges, and let grow into something when it expands the world.

I find it deeply humiliating to admit that this happened recently in one of my games.

I would play this game.

As for the Maelstrom -- well, it depends how "real" you want it to be, doesn't it? The international media is certainly one way to go, but there may also be less Western modes of dealing with it. There is a rich mystical tradition in Lebanon, part Christian part Islamic, part other stuff, that could probably be mined for ideas. (Or you could kick back to older Persian stuff, and go with "The Lie" as the maelstrom.)

Or the Maelstrom could be the foreign powers.

Why the fuck does America keep bombing us? Why won't the French help anymore? What is Ahmadinejad really up to? Open your brain the maelstrom to find out.

Want to deal with the foreigners on their own terms? Need to get a message to someone in America? Need to use the stolen CIA transmitter? See if you can see through the maelstrom.

Which makes it really interesting when the Hocus (Hezbollah marja-i taqlid?) "Isloates a part of the maelstrom" and suddenly you've got a UN social worker tied up in your basement....

Sure. Make your character's lives interesting. Come down on either side of the harm levels to make sure that happens.

Yes, exactly. And sometimes that does mean killing the dude who got shotgunned, and sometimes it doesn't.

My issue is with the simple intent of an action overwhelming the complexity of an action. That is to say, when you shoot someone there is so much shit that can go wrong in a tense moment that just because a character intends to shoot someone in the toe and not kill them gives no guarantee that is actually what's going to happen. Sometimes you go to shoot someone in the toe and shoot them in the pelvis, sometimes bullets bounce, sometimes people get shot in the toe and die anyway. (Though as you point out this is rarely "insta kill" and more "dying in shock over the next hour" type death.)

I'm in no way saying "kill the dude every time!" What I am saying is "just because a PC says "I don't want to kill him when I shoot him with a shotgun at point blank range" doesn't mean I'm going to respect the "I don't want" part more than the "with a shotgun at point blank range" part.

When the characters can swing it, why not? (And when you're later in the game and going for that 12+ you'll want to be able to hit a +5 to get it regularly.)

However, if its happening all the time it could be that you're going easy on the PCs. I mean, maybe not, but the fact that everyone is always helping and never interfering with each other sounds like the first few sessions I played, until I started:

1) Working the PC-NPC-PC triangles hard. When PCs are in an "us vs the world" mode they will be able to beat the crap out of lots of things. But when they get separated, have feuds, and are not working together where the Skinner can sleep with the Gunlugger and get the +1 forward and the hold to spend without the Gunlugger worrying that the Skinner is going to bone her over... well, then it gets harder.

(I'll note this is similar in my experience of Dogs. A group of Dogs who works together and never infights will tear almost anything that isn't a full grade sorcerer down in no time flat. Which is why you've got to get the Dogs fighting amongst themselves.)

2) Don't be kind with read the sitch. If they do what you say they get the +1. So tell them horrific shit to get it.

"What's my best move?"
"Shoot the 8 year old in the face and use her 6 year old sister as a human shield."

"How could I get you to let me into the secure area?"
"Give me the key to the skinner's room."

"Which enemy is most vulnerable to me?"
"The one that the skinner is in love with and will be pissed off if you hurt."

3) Sometimes moves don't come from the PCs, sometimes they come on the PCs. If characters with no sharp never roll read the sitch, then start throwing them into situations where they have no idea what is going on and, without a read, no way to find out. This, obviously, works better when the PCs aren't all working together, as being isolated and unprepared (to steal from another Baker game) are easier to accomplish on individuals.

Anyway, this is all speculative. I suppose the first question I should have asked is: How is it working out? Are you happy with the fiction that's being made? The flow of game? Their involvement and yours? Are they happy?

Re: Sex Moves -- part of the issue is that in moving to Tribe 8 you're moving from "this guy" to "these guys."

That is to say, in AW you only have one Battlebabe. In Tribe 8 you may have a whole pack of former Magdalite Jackers. Do they all fuck the same because they're all the same splat?

That said, sex moves are a MUST for Tribe 8. Especially as they have to interact with Z'bri moves. Especially those of the Sangis.

(Custom Move: Get fucked by a Sangis: on a 10+ its... what it is, but you move on. On a 7-9 you have to take a new sex move from the Sangis list, but you get to chose. On a fail, the GM choses.)

Something to consider about power level is who has guns, who has weapons, and so on. AW assumes a gasoline and ammo rich post apocalypse, with grenade launchers and sniper rifles and shit. In Tribe 8 you're a badass if you have a sword that isn't made out of a street sign. OTOH, some of your enemies will have guns. And some will be able to make you bleed out your eyes way before you can get in close.

I quite like the division of stats into former tribe and advances into Outlook. I wasn't sure what to do with that when I'd thought about it,  but your way makes sense.

What do eminences do here? I'd almost like to tie eminences to advancing moves or something. Like if you have Fury you can Go Aggro +12 or something. But that SERIOUSLY inflates starting plot impact... so... egh. Maybe they give you weird specific moves, or influence the way you open your  brain to the dream?

I'd say chose one move from your old Tribe list. Only the really badass members of the tribe had aspects, and two makes you rock out. Which is cool, but if we're worried about balance then it could be toned down.

Manifestation  -- hot or weird?

Many of the aspects need tuning. Like, they are 10+ Rock! 7-9 Also rock but sort of for a short time! Like Dahlia's doorway -- only lasting for an hour is... egh. It should be something like "it lasts just long enough for you to get out, if you leave something behind" or some such.

(This, I suspect, comes largely from converting between agendas of the games.)

Evans at Cool +2 feels wrong. Of all the Tribes I could see the Evans having the most variation. Like, there is on thing that all Evans are +2 at. Maybe they should have more hot too. After Madgalites and Dalhians its the Evans that get the most play.

Doomsayers should be able to get followers as an advance.

Herites and Jackers need to be be both more differentiated from each other and from parent Tribes. (This is a fault of the source material).

Should weird be changed? Tribe 8 is a weird setting, but less in the "creepy sluagh" way than brainers and such in AW.

BAD. ASS.

I've found the easiest way to keep NPC creep from driving me nuts is to kill them off as fast as possible.

(I'm only partly joking.)