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Topics - Fniff

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Apocalypse World / A Solitary Apocalypse World?
« on: April 18, 2018, 09:08:21 AM »
My friend and I were brainstorming a post-apocalyptic role-play. Something like Threads, Fallout Dust or Frost, or The Road: something that explored the solitude of the post-apocalypse.

The way we imagined it would be is that everyone apart from the other players would be either hostile or (rarely) indifferent to the players. Due to the trauma of the apocalypse, such a gap has developed between you and other people that it simply can't be bridged.

I said, hey, I think Apocalypse World would be perfect for that! All you have to do is exaggerate the threats, ask the right provocative questions, and barf forth the correct form of apocalyptica.

He said, no, Apocalypse World wouldn't really suit.
The problem is that AW, at its heart, is social. A lot of it is establishing how you exist in a post-apocalyptic. More directly, several playbooks (Chopper, Hardholder, Hocus, Maestro’d) specifically don't work in a solitary world.

I said, what if your subordinates were just as distant and strange? Then you have an army you can't quite trust.
He said, it's still your army. He used my Chopper Trouble in a Halfpint as an example: my gang are literally the worst people around, but they're still Trouble’s gang and they follow her.

Thinking on it, you could have your subordinates be also normal. After all, isn't it meant to be special you have this many people in such a lonely world?
But as my friend said, it screws the power dynamic and it's different feeling being along with 13 people than it is being along with 3 people.

Then again, you could just ban Hardholder et all from the game, but that seems cheap.

Is there a solution or am I barking up the wrong gaming system?

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Apocalypse World / Opening Your Brain in a Solo RP?
« on: September 14, 2017, 09:56:58 AM »
I've been trying out solo roleplaying, where it's just yourself and a GM emulator like Conjectural Roleplaying GM Emulator. There's been a few examples on the forums, and I've had a very good time using it with Apocalypse World.

However!
I've noticed that, even when I'm playing a high weird character, I don't use Open Your Brain very much. You see, Going Aggro, Manipulating, Acting Under Fire, these moves have immediate effects in the fiction. Even Reading a Sitch/Person suggests questions I might not think of: if Keeler says he's gonna kill me, he might be lying.

The problem is, the point of Opening Your Brain (it seems to me) is for the MC to give the player a piece of information that they couldn't have learned otherwise. This works fine in a normal RP, but not in a solo one since I am the player AND the MC.

I've tried using randomized pictures to simulate trying to make sense of the psychic maelstrom, but that tends to lead to me piecing them together to form the most obvious conclusion, which doesn't seem fitting.

What do you guys think would be the solution?

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Apocalypse World / Apocalypse World, Play By Post?
« on: April 27, 2017, 07:52:53 PM »
If you're playing on a forum or play-by-post, how do you use 'at the start of the session...'-style moves?

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Apocalypse World / Clarification On Landscape Threat Moves
« on: August 13, 2016, 03:23:43 PM »
Hey, I just started my first game of Apocalypse World. It has a Landscape threat in it, and I'm looking for some clarification on how they work.

The threat in question is the town the players are based in, Salvation. It's a Mirage, with the impulse of enticing and betraying people. I'm thinking the town itself promises to be a place of safety and warmth, but if you settle down there you get fucked over by politics.

However, the moves for landscapes are a little unclear to me. I can understand them being indirect, but I'm not sure how I would present them in the fiction. The 'Present a Guide/Guardian' and 'Open Another Path' confuse me the most; what would that mean in the context of a shantytown divided by cutthroat politics?

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Apocalypse World / Custom Moves for a Metro-Inspired Game
« on: July 14, 2016, 01:55:41 PM »
Hello again!
I'm planning on running an Apocalypse World game that is inspired by Metro 2033. I drew up some custom moves suitable for the game: Tunnel-Crawling and Surface-Prowling.
Opinion and critique is welcome. I won't say anything yet about the design logic, but I will say that the moves are contrasting methods.

Tunnel-Crawling
When you want to travel through the tunnels, choose a destination that is connected to your location by a tunnel. Roll cool.
On a 10+, you get there without trouble.
On a 7-9, choose one.
* It takes much longer than you hoped.
* You run into something you didn't want to meet.
* Treat this as having opened your brain and missed.

Surface-Prowling
When you ascend to the surface, start a countdown. You can use an oxygen canister to set back the countdown by one segment, but they're real heavy and take up space. Remove the countdown when you reach a place with atmospheric sealing.

Before 9:00: Your oxygen is over 50% and you're breathing okay.
9:00-10:00: Your oxygen is below 50% and your head is spinning.
10:00-11:00: Your oxygen is in the teens and your throat is closing up. Carry -1 forward.
11:00-12:00: Your oxygen is in single digits and you're coughing up blood. Take 1-harm.
Past 12:00: You've run out of oxygen.

Scratch out a segment when your PC travels for thirty minutes.
Traveling one map square equals:
* 30 minutes when you're walking.
* 15 minutes driving safely.
* 5 minutes driving insanely. You're acting under fire and the fire is 'you're gonna crash'. Every square you're traveling adds a -1 to your roll.

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Apocalypse World / Custom Playbook: The Ditto
« on: July 07, 2016, 06:12:16 PM »
Hey folks! Long-time fan, first-time poster. I love the design of Powered By The Apocalypse and my hobby is homebrewing, so I decided to make a custom playbook for Apocalypse World. This is inspired primarily by SOMA but also has elements of Terminator and The Iron Giant.

I noticed that a common complaint with custom playbooks is that they are often take over the game and don't interact with other players. I hope my playbook avoids those pitfalls, adds to your game, and suits the world.

So, without further ado,
introducing...
Quote
THE DITTO
Back when computers weren't paperweights, you could move data around the place. But you weren't really moving anything; the computer just copied it and deleted the original. Same thing here, just replace the computer with the psychic maelstrom and the data with your brain.
You went from your boring pre-apocalyptic life to being a corpse stuffed with wires in a dying world. You're succumbing to entropy and you can't fix it. A few people claim they can repair you, but they're not doing it out of the kindness of their hearts. Before you know it, you'll be their pet abomination.
But just because you're dying doesn't make you weak.

Dittos are tragic cyborg abominations. They have serious power at their fingertips, edging into terrifying if you're creative. However, they require regular maintenance or else they turn into a pile of malfunctioning junk. Warning: you're going to be in debt to either fellow players or the MC. Prepare to get fucked around with.


You get this one and another move of your choice.
Terminal Entropy Operator
At the end of every session, roll weird.
On a 10+, all systems optimal.
On a 7-9, choose two effects that apply for the next session.
* Your body will malfunction at an inconvenient time.
* You can't use your integral components.
* All harm you receive is doubled.
* If you refuse an order from anybody, it's acting under fire.
On a miss, mark a segment of your countdown clock with a symbol. These marked sections cannot be healed and effectively cap your health. This move does not inflict damage, you keep the health but cannot heal the segment when it goes. You can mark segments until 9:00.
If 9:00 is marked, the MC chooses one from the 7-9 results. It's in effect until you get a segment unmarked.
A PC can operate on you like a Savvyhead making something, but they have one goal; unmark every segment on your countdown. You cannot operate on yourself.

Vampiric Drain Protocol
You can rob psychic energy from people's brains to replenish your own. Roll weird for NPCs; for PCs, roll Hx and only if they're past 9:00 on their countdown clock.
On a hit, you unmark a section of your health. On a 10+, choose two from the list. On a 7-9, choose three;
* You'll never forgive yourself.
* Something beautiful is destroyed.
* There will be consequences for you.
* Something ugly is created.
* They will never forgive you.
The MC will interpret what they mean.

Predictive Analysis Software
When you Read a Person, add these questions to the list.
* How do I find you?
* How do I break you?
* Why do you __?

Efficient Algorithms
+1 Sharp(+3)

Maelstrom Dependency
You can leech off some energy from the psychic maelstrom, but it'll fuck with you first. Roll weird.
On a 10+, the maelstrom unmarks two segments of harm but shows you a vision that you must fulfil. Until you do, one of your highlights is erased.
On a 7-9, the maelstrom unmarks a segment of harm but gets inside your head. Treat this as having Opened your Brain and missed.

D.S. Al Coda
When you die on your own terms, choose three. You interpret what they mean.
* They forgive you.
* Something beautiful is created.
* This has changed things, big-time.
* Something ugly is destroyed.
* You forgive yourself.

Integral Components

Chameleon Module (Implanted)
You can imitate a human almost completely; PCs must Act under Fire to being fooled by it and roll Hx instead of Cool.

Consciousness Transfer Kit (Hi-Tech, Applied)

If you have a brain recording, including your own, you can create a new ditto from a suitable body. Roll sharp. On a 10+, choose two; On a 7-9, choose one.
* Their soul survived the transfer. Otherwise, they can't perform actions that their previous self didn't do.
* They're mentally sound. Otherwise, they are prone to murderous insanity.
* They can control multiple bodies and count as a gang. Otherwise, they're limited to one body.
* They're physically able. Otherwise, they're weak and prone to malfunctions.
* They obey your every order. Otherwise, they have free will.
A player can consider this a second character or an NPC: their call.

Noospheric Psychrometer (Implanted)
You can Read a Person on the psychic maelstrom.

Terminator Chassis (Implanted)
You have 2-armor (This doesn't stack) and a hidden sword (3-Harm, Hand, Implanted).

Growth Gel (Applied, Remote)
You can infect a building/area with Giger-esque tumors. You may Go Aggro on people near them. If they force your hand, they forcibly exit the area and can't come back for a day.

10 KILL 20 CRUSH 30 DESTROY 40 GOTO 10
Once a session, you can transform into a murdermachine for a scene. Roll weird. On a 10+, you get all six; on a 7-9, two; on a miss, you get one but mark one segment of your countdown clock.
* You're terrifying. Anyone with an ounce of self-preservation runs screaming from you, and rival players are Acting under Fire if they do anything except flee.
* You're huge. You're Massive-4, and your steel fists count as Using a Vehicle as a Weapon.
* You're heavily armored. You have 3-Armor.
* You're a one-robot-army. You count as a medium gang with harm and armor according to your weapons and armor.
* You've got mounted artillery (4-harm, far, area, messy).
* You can fucking fly.

Name
Simon, Sho, Sonny, Hal, Orsina, Caroline, Ash, David, Kyoko, Maria.

Look
Mechanical body, dead body, mix and match body, skeletal body, makeshift body, spiderlike body.
Red eyes, dead eyes, human eyes, glowing eyes, video eyes, no eyes.
Filtered voice, monotone voice, deep voice, stuttering voice, glitched voice, child's voice.

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

Improvement
- Get +1cool (max cool+2)
- Get +1hard (max hard+2)
- Get +1weird (max weird+2)
- Get a new Ditto move
- Get a new Integral Component
- Get a vehicle (You detail)
- Get a gang (and Pack Alpha)
- Get a move from another playbook
- Unmark one countdown clock segment
****
— get +1 to any stat (max stat+3)
— retire your character to safety
— create a second character to play
— change your character to a new playbook (lose all your integral components and the terminal entropy operator move)
— choose 3 basic moves and advance them.
— advance the other 3 basic moves.

Gear
You get:
1 Integral Component
Oddments worth 1-Barter
Fashion suitable to your look (You describe)

Hx:
* Which one of you fixes me up on a regular basis?
For that character, write Hx+3.

* Which one of you helped me and wanted no reward?
For that character, write Hx-1.

* Which one of you had a hand in my creation?
For that character, write Hx+1.

For everyone else, write Hx-2. You don't recognise anything in this place.

Ditto Special
If you've got unrestricted access to somebody's brain, you can record a copy for you and the psychic maelstrom. You jump to Hx+4 with them; if you're already there, reset to Hx+1 and mark experience. What the maelstrom does with the recorded soul, you don't know... Yet.
I am open to critique and happy to take suggestions. If you like the playbook and want to use it in your game, thank you so much and tell me how it goes so I know what to fix.
Also, it would be criminal not to mention Noofy's 'The Synthetic', who has a few parallels with the Ditto aside from both being robots.

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