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Topics - Maleficum

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1
Apocalypse World / Playbook advances - tiered plusses?
« on: February 20, 2018, 01:38:25 PM »
So my Hardholder changed playbook at the dusk of last session. We've never really had many Playbook-changes, but a thing that struck me now is that I have a couple of questions, especially since part of the reason we don't experience many playbook shifts is that come to many STATS+2 the endgame fast approaches and the MC get bored.  ::) ;)

So: I know you lose everything intrinsically to you old life and keep everything intrinsically connected to your self, but I was wondering if I took +1 WEIRD as a Hardholder, do I need to take a +1 advance from a Playbook that has two +1 WEIRD?

I know I probably needn't, and that we players can and should take responsibility for fiction and meta, but has anyone else thought about having a finite end of advances? ...maybe not endless STAT-change moves as well?


Also: I was wondering if I should ask my MC what he thinks about changing base statline to one from the Battlebabe. It would fit the character who's secret when Hx reset was that he hated being The Hardholder, having responsibility and dependents and always doing the hard choices.

2
Apocalypse World / 2nd session woes - an observation
« on: January 13, 2017, 05:20:58 AM »
So, we've had quite a few decent Apocalypsw World campaigns, and quite often the first sessions sings beautifully, but the 2nd session is often really bad. It's turtling in every sense of the world, from both MC and often the Players; new NPCs are stale and the characters often get to roll less. I myself fumble alot when MCing the 2nd session.

Is this something common to Apocalypse World? (..or even the -PbtA  RPG engine?)


Some thoughts:

Is the reason a bad grasping of the threath clocks? I think I often try to involve them after making them between the first and second session, but in the first session things flow because I just make a judgement en passant and I think cooler things happen. Maybe I'm shoehorning in my threaths?


Also I think my threath clocks are wrong*. I think I just announce future badness in the 3 o'clock-segment. Something should happen. Something immideate and threathening.


Is is just that Apocalypse World demands a lot from it's MCs? Incorporating into the fiction, learning about the characters, springing forward with named, human NPCs, thinking off screen (mechanical and fictional), caring about versimilitude, being a fan of the characters and being a fan of the players' enjoyment**, saying relevant things, finding perfect break spots (while the players really enjoy the flow), understanding the Psychic Maelstrom and being sure everyone gets a say while validating different playbooks input, understanding just that playbook that doesn't tickle your fancy, ... etc, etc

Do anyone have similar observations, or thought on our observation (and musings)?

*Maybe threath clocks could be a topic for another thread
** another thing I've been thinking of. Different players seem to have different wishes (/preferred enjoyment)

3
Apocalypse World / Search for Article - threaths and fronts
« on: January 09, 2017, 07:28:37 AM »
I found a truly brilliant AND easy-to-understand article that explained how threaths fitted in fronts, what they symbolized, what moves suited what threath, etc. I even bragged that I'd send it to my MC, but after a computer crash I can't seem to find it. I think I found it here, but it was an external link.

Do anyone know what article I'm talking about? Do anyone know how to find it?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Something that stuck out was how the Grotesque is the mouth of a front, the teller of "what here in Denmark is rotten", so to speaketh.

4
So, we're stuck beneath a north american city, like a comic book-version of New York or whatever. Think 12 monkeys, think caverns and tunnels, and we're afraid to go up. I'm MC, and in the first session we entered the City's sewer and it's still many layers of rubble. We're thinking there could be killer robots, hoverboards and the Savvyhead is trying to make a skeleton key-eyeball, for all the doors/elevators/whatnot that the scavenger-teams meet up with.

So what should we expect? What would be cool to experience? (The Characters call the Psychic Maelstrom "the web", "the blood rivers" and "the shadowrealm/otherrealm". I'm really tempted to steal inspiration from Kaare Berg's SOURCE CODE hack here. We've just played 1st session, I'm certain the communal table-chatter will bring us exciting things, though I'm a little intimidated on performing the MC-job for such a stellar group.

5
Apocalypse World / When there's no PC hardholder...
« on: January 06, 2017, 03:54:18 PM »
So, the classic "so who's boss, is it one of you..?"-leading question left a big "no". Luckily the nice person who everybody looks to and has done so for a long time ended up married to the though guy-Angel Grip. She's named Hindenburg and is more a leader and caring individual who tries to make life in Train Station good for everyone, and relies heavily on the Council of people who knows stuff. This means she leans heavily on her husband The Angel, The Savvyhead ("if there's one thing you can count on, it's thing's break") and The Hocus, who got the answer on a read person that HE couldn't do anything to strenghten her resolve, but her husband did so regulary.


I've had this before, and sometimes The Chopper is the boss, or otherwise I make a hardholder with good and bad sides. I try to make the hardholder female (I should definitely make the next MC-hardholder a transperson), mainly because it's cool and a really good habit to make the boss female. (I often GM for kids, at summer school and the like.)


Do you have any Do's and Don'ts? Good habits, nice tricks or just scene-framing-routines for when there's another (benevolent) big player™ in town?

And talking about benevolent? What kind of threath is she/he/they?   


If my questions and prompts fail to enthuse, tell us about a NPC hardholder/leader type who worked good in your campaign (before ...or after... eating it).

6
Dungeon World / Dogpiling the GM and the "Powered by the Apocalypse..."
« on: February 20, 2015, 10:18:01 AM »
So, this is actually becoming a problem in the Dungeon World™ campaign I'm a GM/MC/DL for.

Yeah, I should make moves when the players look to me or they fail, but what I'm experiencing is that the players are thrilled (and a little apprehensive about the dangers it brings) so they will just start making moves like 3 at a time, often making the monster dead/defeated before it has done anything og significance.

Now, I love that the players are enthused, and in the one fight I remembered to be assertive and always demand descriptions of their climbing (instead of their spell-casting) on player admitted to beeing so excited he had difficulties remembering the fight properly. However, last time they kind of complained that the skeleton was kind of though.

Yeah, it probably was, for a skeleton - but not for a mummy! (They had set it up themselves, in the conversation.) However, the three players, even the one not in the scene dogpiled on it/(the fictuion)/(me) and trashed it before it did ANYTHING COOL (except relinquish an artefact sword). I mean, even if the magician was on another level due to the guardian wanting him, he intuitively reached out with a ring filled with a necromanticer's blood and made it crumple in a corner. Now, I know enough of my movie history to make the mummy follow them, stalking in the night, cursing their compatriots, but I'm wandering...


... how do people cope with players (beeing thrilled/enthused) dogpiling the Dungeon Lord™, making they be able to paint a story-background sheet and presenting cool and dangerous monsters? I mean, even if I'm a fan, they should experience adversary except by the dice?


(I've put it in the Dungeon World sub-forum, because I find that at least in ApW and MH the player characters aren't always in exact alignement for the (story) goals.)

7
Apocalypse World / So wanting to play, watching movies...
« on: August 05, 2014, 04:39:38 PM »
I want to play! I'll probably MC, but that's playing to!

Kevin Costner in "The Postman". :O

The Hocus, The Skinner, The Savvyhead, The Gunlugger, The Battlebabe, The Hardholde; The Cult, The holdfolk, the believers and non-believers... and the Warlord!


Did I mention I miss playing, "Cold lonely summers"...


What other post-apocalyptic flicks should I see, for inspiration or brilliance?

8
Apocalypse World / XP each roll, even in "a sequence"?
« on: December 05, 2013, 05:36:17 PM »
So I play Burning Wheel, where you only got one test for sword (the best one) even if there's a long, drawn out fight (you can get tests for other skills/abilities). I believe Monsterhearts have a "one XP per scene", but I don't have my powered-by-ApW or even ApW for this (long)weekend and we're gaming monday.

Do I get an XP every time I roll a highlighted stat, even if it's just the same one?


Example:

Doberman, my gunlugger, assaults a factory with some bad guys to rescue a his pet dog or whatever. First Doberman captures the entry with a grenade, a couple of rounds and a Seize by force-move. Then he stealthily takes up a new position up high with an act under fire-move. There he's spotted, and as some bullet whistles past he opens his brain with the battle-hardened-move and learns that there's heated water in the pipes. Then Doberman begins the assault of the main part of the dog-nappers' gang with shooting up the steam pipes and rolls seize by force. While the last few stand amidst gusting bodies and shot up steam-pipes and threathens his dog, doberman shouts out threaths that involves both his guns and the slow removal of limbs and organs. The Go Aggro-move is successful, so he's the hero and makes his own day.

The question:

Assuming his Hard is highlighted, do he get 4 XP (or just one? ... or even 3?)


9
Apocalypse World / Clearwater - Hopes, needs and a distant Utopia
« on: December 02, 2013, 03:55:23 PM »
So I finally got a game going - which is starting to roll. Four players, all less experienced than my 10ish games. One has unfortunately missed two of three sessions.

While I finally think I get fronts, I realize that I need help with threaths.

The PCs:

Vision - The Hocus of a sex-less salvation by holy fire (atom bombs, they cleanse the lost with regular witchburning flame). In game two they embrace sex and sexuality (and parties!) (We are all confused when she's a she.)

Trench - The Faceless, A lumberjack? ...with hopes of having someone to protect, but her morbid antiques alienates her from the rather decent folks of Clearwater

Marlon - The Driver - a rather old hermaphrodite who've forever searched for Utopia, but the first session Hx-reset gives us the secret that s/he's really lost the belief in Utopia

Storm - The Skinner - makes totem-poles, is the glue of Clearwater but maybe also it's curse? Manipulates others for hir own needs. Ambigious gender, blantanty sexual.

--------------------------------
Clearwater is in a Valley. Cheyenne is a youngish leader chosen by popular demand. The populace is hard working, clean and lives in families, with children. The Cult is off course argumentative, shuns cleanliness and is totally sexless, i.e. until their new direction emerges.


------------------------
THE FRONTS (please comment/help)


Front 1: HUNGER - "Hungry Eyes spell danger"

Dark future: Clearwater is devoured by those of larger hunger than themselves or by hunger generated by unfortunate events.

-------------------------------
Threath 1: Deep Dark Forest - Landscape, prison

Impulse: To Contain, Deny Egress

"The people fear the forest, and never venture them at night. Dark, strong and dangerous creatures live there in the Darkness. Trench has  felt one's presence."

Custom moves:

- when you patrol the outskirts of the forests at night roll+sharp. On a hit you avoid the ambush and on a 10+ you learn something, on a miss you'd better pray you just get ambushed!

- when you're lost in the forest and try to keep it's voices out, roll+weird. On a miss, the MC will give you a new move. On a hit you'll be able to contain yourself, and on a 10+ you'll remember parts of a conversation (if you want you can read "person")

possible moves:

When you bring others into the forest, gain XP - when you miss an oppourtunity to do so take 1-harm
When you can't see the forest, act under fire to keep calm when doing anything important, gain XP when you shed blood near the forest


THREATH 2:

HUNGER - condition
Impulse: To expose people to danger

When Manitou's raiders Marlon burns down the granary (in the night)


Threath 3: Salacious Sybarites - Brutes - consume recources

"Mostly partying Cultists" - Bundy, Shipman, Costanza, Denke, Bathory, Milat, Toppane, Edina & Gain(dead)

Countdown - every time they party the need for rationing increases (cumulatively):

03:00 - everyone take -1 forward
18:00 - everyne take -1 ongoing
21:00 - everyone acts under fire
after that people will start dying


Threath 4: The Masked Cannibals

Grotesques - Crave Satiety (by eating children), oh ... and they wears masks!
 
They follow the edicts of their long-lost leader, waiting for her/his return, allying themselves to whatever warlord provides...

[to be continued]

10
So I've MCed "Blue-Blind and Hatchet City" twice, and yes - I keep juxtaposing 'blind' and 'blue'. These two threads saw something interesting: Hatchet City sells ApW    and    Blind-blue and Hatchet City playtests poorly.

So this thread is for my runs (I hope to run it a few more times), and experiences - and perhaps most of all the reponses returned from the players.


Note that I am by no means an established gamemaster (MC) or even charismatic, so I think my efforts will be very "regular joe MCs a con-scenario".


My two runs so far has been on a con, and I'm selling it as a con-scenario that's not written by my that I want to run at a Convention come june.

My internet-issues aren't all up, as I also need to paint after my moving. Hopefully I'll get this written soon enough.

11
So the I present the Playbooks as "this what you get, and you get what's in here". Then everyone seems to enjoy making the characters, and Hx is almost always a blast*.

*) note: I haven't made characters more than 4 times, 75% is still good


So the Angel who considered making a backstory of delivering drugs to the population was told that he couldn't (start with it established). The Battlebabe who wanted a bar had to work (unpaid) there. I'm sure you can think of other examples from your own campaigns.


THE SET-UP: So in a game, after Hx is done and a scene were the Chopper beats up the Hocus and chooses to "impress, terrify or dismay" the Player of the Hocus instigates a scene were he tries to establish that they (the brothers!) have had a regular sexual relationship. The Player of the Chopper ups-the-ante and exclaims that it's the other persons turn. If there's pity on anyone, it's the player in the middle of the sofa.

However, and here's THE QUESTIONS: Where's the line between colourful character-building and shamelessly steeling authorship outside the Playbook?  I feel like that's not only  a way to break the archetype of the playbook, but it lesses the rules.

In Burning Wheel I've learned that a "generous GM" really lesses the character-building if she just let's everyone have shoes, clothes and a sword. Should I be worried - and more strict with the "this is what you get"-speech, or should I let players walk over the Playbooks to enhance their own enjoyment (at the expence of balance/and possibly others?)


I know groups that would not have enjoyed if I insited that my character and another had (any) sexual relations, though it happing in play is cool.

12
Apocalypse World / Questions and custom moves to - AP: Crossroads
« on: March 10, 2013, 07:05:31 AM »
Campaign: Crossroads

Answers and comments appreciated. I'll probably add some "love letters" as well, maybe even before session 2.

--------       -----------
Questions:

The Drivers sex-move: It’s -1ongoing for every roll, until Phoenix can prove it’s not like she own’s hir or anything, right? I guess this means there’s encouragement to prove just that?

The Brainer-moves: Can they be secret? (the brainer in this case was more creepy than secret, but we’ve struggled a bit with In-puppet-strains, as I said it implants an imperative, but by no means overwrites your own. The player of Kite thought, quite rightly (as backed up by the player of Burroughs) that it was fuckery and wanted to kill Burroughs. We could quite easily have lost a character to PC-Vs-PC-violence, although I know there’s a few more stops inherent in the ApW-system.

---------------         ----------------
Custom moves:

When you fight a pack of Devildingos and you’ve got a gun/noisy weapon of sorts, roll +hard:

on a 10+: you’re safe, you only need to shoot a couple before they get that  you’re no prey
on a 7-9: You’re safe, but it cost you. Either let their teeth catch some equipment/gear or let them taste your flesh (1harm, after armor).
On a miss: You’re surrounded, wounded and running out of ammo. Better prey someone comes to your rescue! Better yet, call someone!


When you go into the Screaming Hils searching for something, roll +weird:

10+ You probably find it if it’s reasonable. If it’s unreasonable, you will find it!
7-9 You find someting, maybe it can help you find what you seek – or maybe this is what you really seek?
Miss: Congratulations, you’re lost in the screaming hills. Tell us what the nightmares you’ll wake from are, and remember to tell us occacionally. First though, we want to know how you propose to get home.


When you traverse the oceans of sand in a vehicle, roll +sharp.

10+ you get were you want, choose 3
7-9 you get were you want, choose 2
Miss – first of all, you don’t get were you want. Second, the MC makes a hard move.
•   you get there quickly/you don’t have to stay in a bad place
•   there’s still gas on the tank/the car’s not damaged
•   you don’t have to pick up a hitcher
•   you get to pick up a hitcher

13
Apocalypse World / Apocalypse World – Crossroads
« on: March 10, 2013, 07:01:34 AM »
1st Session of our new campaign:

So I read the vignette, then the blurbs on the Playbooks, answer a couple of questions and gulp a little apocalyptica, like when I toss the Playbooks up for grabs: In Apocalypse World “finder’s keeper’s” a rule to live by, (until the gunlugger’s obvious direct move makes t to die by…)


We get:

A Brainer – quite early the player started fiddling with the booklet, terrifying glee upon his visage…

A Driver – I’ve thought the driver looked bland, but somehow it’s been taken all three times I’ve played. I’m really getting to see why it’s a great playbook.

An Angel – the player caught it quite early, but by no means grabbed it. Just sat silently reading it. “I want to play an Angel named ‘Doc’, an lo-and-behold, I could.” I’ve gotten questions on whether the names are mandatory, and I change my answer up, but I really love the “To create your [playbook] choose name, etc…”

… and the last player asks for advice and get The Battlebabe. (I’ve heard referances to “Barb Wire”).

I’m getting a bit anxious, as I’m not too keen on a travelling show, as it’s my really first campaign (and I’ve not really been a conscious fan of post-apocalypse) and I think it’s easier to reincorporate and build investment in a home-based campaign. So I ask questions almost like I’m desperate:

“So, you work for a warlord or something – adding a bit of class? You’re just the right acco- the unpronounceable* word a hardholder need.)”

*)to me :$

Me, confident: "I’m sure you’ve got a base, right?”

The Angel: “Oh, you mean? Nah, I’m a battle-medic. Named ‘Doc’.”

”You’ve got a place you keep coming back to? A favourite place in between missions?”

I don’t think Apocalypse World encourages leading questions, but I know what I'm not up to. The Battlebabe help me out: “I think I own a bar or something.”

Me, grabbing the life-line: “You can’t. That’s actually it’s own playbook, maybe we’ll introduce it later. You could work there, like a violent bouncer or something?”

The B’babe: “Sure.”

Me, saying what honesty demands, as I’ve overstated the “You get what’s in your playbook, what’s in your playbook is what you get”: “Or rather, you could want to work there as a bouncer, now you just take the occasiounal bounce…erhm?...”

B’babe: “My brother runs it, I just hang.”

Me, saved: “So, this bar in the middle of the desert, were you (*looking at the driver*) usually park, and an Angel (*looking at the angel*) has hung up … and a … seedier fellow? (*looking at you-all-know-who*)… so what’s this place, this poison-selling oasis, called:

B’babe: “Crossroads.”

-----------------------------------
The Cast:

The DriverPheonix– ambigious sex, leather wear – as real and cool like the real fake skai of his back seat - collects cars which is parked at in the Garage behind Tavi’s Crossroads. Slim bodied, with a fine-boned face and cool eyes cool like a lonely desert night.

The BattlebabeKite Honeytree– the 16 year-old sweetfaced girls; evocations like “cheerleader” and “jailbait” are tossed around and approved by the player. Arresting eyes. Shotgun and spiked chain accompanying the baggy military pants, the scissored T-shirt and leather jacket.

The BrainerBurroughs– I describe him as someone the kids, if there were any here, would make rhymes about. A bogeyman with caring eyes, Hot-2. Has kept watching Kite for a while.

The Angel Doc – man, utility wear, rugged face w/clear eyes and a rangy body. Got the moves 6th Sense and Battlefield grace! A combat-medic, who off course hates combat and only does it for the jingle. Carries an Angel’s kit and a saw off, in addition the wearing armour. Stays in the hammock all day.


Tavi – the proprietor of Crossroads – Kite’s older brother (27 years), quite the business acumen, so keeps a couple of adding-business-peeps around. Taken care of Kite since their parents died a long time ago.

Last – he’s been here longer than Tavi and his sister. Always sits here, tells a couple of not-so-exiting-stories and makes everything last. Somehow he adds business and is kept around.

Lemieux the mechanic – runs a garage behind Crossroads. This is were Pheonix parks his vehicles. Lemieux creates best when drinking, just like Pheonix drives best…

Uncle – the local hardholder – claims patronage of Crossroads, Tavi knows the score and they work pretty independently, if it wasn’t for that unsavoury chap that’s been ogling Kite.

Uncle’s daughter – came in in the last scene.

Lemieux’ Masterpiece – the jukebox that plays four songs, at random each day. Achy-breaky heart, Jolene and a tune with someone loosing his house, wife, cars, but keeping his dog. Knowing the devildingoes of the desert, that’s one guy down on his luck! … oh, and Kite’s favourite: “Like a Virgin”.

Whitey – a broadshouldered dark-skinned “denis roadman in drag” (a movie-referance?), get’s angry if not referred to as “she”. Drinking buddy of Phoenix. Has not yet made an actual appearance.

Rotschild – once threatened Pheonix, got beat up with his two goonies
Peppering – Rotschild’s bodyguard?
??


Uncle military/enforcers:

Rum – bouncy tits, bouncy ass, M16 and a smile
Mad Dog – cartoony Mohawk – pecks like mountains but lack Dolph Lundgren’s mimicry.
Mice – a mousy gal? with a sub-machine rifle
Putrid – new, lives up to his name
-------           ---------------

Locations:


Tavi’s Crossroads – a simple roadside cafè-design, with buildings sheds cropped up around it. We’ve got a map.

Uncle’s compound – recently built, barbed wire and a sementy wall. Upon a sandy hill. I’ve described the sands of the deserts like grains of mountains merging to become mountains and outlasting mankind once again. Explains how cars drive the desert…

Dumppolis – a ruined city, with a bowl (football/baseball stadium?) and creatures living/hiding. Cannibals?

The Screaming hills - ???


--------------        -------------
Hx – people barely know eachother, except Burroughs who knows everyone. (Pheonix once got startled by him when sleeping – and Doc quite evidently (and rightly) distrusts him. Kite really doesn’t trust Phoenix, even though she helped him out of a scrap in a deal-gone-wrong. She suspects a bad deal indeed, like … ehm, trafficking. Phoenix once helped Doc save a life. Doc thinks Burroughs is doomed to self-distruction. That’s probably only half-true, but at least Doc’s got one positive Hx after being on the road with Phoenix until they got here.

No-one has any cool start-of-game-moves; I guess some loveletters are needed. ?

----------------          --------------------
     
First scene is Kite listening to Last telling two of Uncle’s gunluggers about how this tiny sweetfaced girl beat up two men. The story isn’t great, but he tells it with conviction. They spot a dust-cload – and after a while Phoenix walks in the swinging saloon door. Phoenix ends up reading Last and understand that Last stays here for comfort, something bad has happened – that’s why he tells the boring stories.

Then Doc gets hit on by Rum, while lying in his hammock. Doc always keeps his distance.

Then Pheonix get’s hit on by Rum, with her two pals Mad Dog and Mice. Doc’s there – and Burroughs. When Rum gets the shivers when looking at Burroughs, he Direct-brain-whispers to her. Phoenix interferes and misses (get’s Rum’s knee in his groin and bleeds from his ear. -1forward and 1harm(ap). He aces his harm-roll, so I make him og unconscious (feeling the need to deescalate the situation a little)… as  Kite flies over the bar and goes agro on Burroughs, who backs away until Kite presses him against the wall. His caring eyes catches hers and the old man reassuringly pats her forearm while we zoom in on the calf-skin gloves with the small metallic barbs on the fingertips. In-brain-puppet-strings and Kite wants to let it be and walk behind the bar. She fights this and really just want to Seize Burrough’s life by force at the tip of her spikes. So much for de-escalation.

She roll a bit prematurely, while apologizing to the player of Burroughs who’s quite up for it. I defuse it by talking how I would handle it as a player and we agree that Kite tries to kill Burroughs and gives him a scar on his jaw, while fighting the terrible pain that Burroughs somehow inflicts on her with his brainfuckery. 1harm each, and they both learn something of eachother.

Kite offers up that Uncle has reminded Tavi of his interest in the Brainer, and a scene were Rum is posted to “watch him” is made. Rum knows the score, so goes to the bar and leaves Burroughs well alone.

Rum later get’s a ride with Phoenix who’s tounge get’s Rum were the cramped coupe can’t. Phoenix freaks out in the cramped sweaty, back-seat and drives Rum to Crossroads instead of Uncle’s holding. He does however stay* the car in the street until She’s safely out of  reach/view of Burroughs who’s pale, lanky and angular silhouette mirrors the crazy-large eye which we would have refereed to as the moon (only like 8 times bigger).

Burroughs has a scene were he demands results from Tavi, who’ve we’ve learned is “doing accounting upstairs”. Tavi says he knows were it’s buried, and holds up a warning sign in yellow and red of a skull with bones in it. I have a couple of ideas…

Doc is congratulated by Uncle, with the chin-tweak accustomary to small warlords, for saving Uncle’s daughter. He get’s some stuff (1-barter) and extra congrats from Rum, who was with the girl when the Devil-dingoes attacked.

--------           ------------         -------


14
Apocalypse World / Apocalypse Con - The Martlands Saga - Part I & II
« on: March 09, 2013, 04:44:24 AM »
HolmCon - Apocalypse World – the Martlands Saga

Part 1:

So, at the Convention I finally got to play (MC) Apocalypse World . After our car broke down, (how we scrounged, who we met, how we survived the cold and snow and got on with an improvised machete is another story, one best told with a glass of whiskey to warm us), we missed every game so I suggested we could try Apocalypse World (I’d prepared Blue-Blind and Hatchet City for the next day) – the Host’s wife joined us so we talked a bit around Apocalyptica and Imagry, presented a few playbooks and decided to draw at random.



We got:

GunluggerRex – Man, older, meticulous, kept adding apocalyptica - the player is a builder and probably wasn’t thrilled with the simple character, but everything he did built setting and added order and in session II some real deep stuff!

Brainer Sundown Smith, “because the sun sets (for someone) when I enter the room”, clinical wear, scalpel and a violation glove (which really just was icky substance). Obsessed with hygiene and a New (clean) Order.

The Chopper - Doom, no! Domino!, who insisted he could read and who’s Doom Riders Dominoes wore matching adidas leather jackets and their T-shirts bore their motto “Just do it”. We never learned how he could read, but it was he who read the name of the ruin were he’d founded their Hardhold: Wall-Mart. To the north were BIG K-mart and their only hope of survival (or avoiding assimilation) were to bond with the other Marts, that made up: The Martlands.

Just as were were to play, we got another player: A Hocus named Spider, who quickly made himself the renowned “Spyder of the Wall”. A fat, bloated and sweaty dude.

As we played a Driver joined, after watching a little bit. He was Frankie, and he knew the terrors of the sun and the Wasteland. He also told'em: "My other car is a tank."

Hx was a blast!!

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First scene I set up a showdown on the street (really just a strip of pavement) between the brothers: The Hocus and the Boss-man Chopper. The Chopper seized and scared/impressed his brother and took definitive hold of the street. The Gunlugger walked right between them at one time, to protect the pretty Sundown and set himself up for a touch from the violation glove. I made a sticky-suckin’ sound as it stole his deepest secrets. One of them was his utter inability to save his daughter, one time – long ago!

The gunlugger built setting by loading his weapon, sitting in his shed and being on post. Sundown’s player revel in her wickedness, until the Hocus initiated a nighly visit to his brothers tent.

“Are you ready?”
“I think it’s your turn.”

Everyone heard the howls, every week, as the two brother consumate the non-competative part of their relationship.

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The Chopper – not-that-complicated – kept referring to everyone but his brother with the wrong name, even when corrected by others. It was a brilliant move by the player.

Frankie eased into it, and Sundown kept weirding out the gangbangers – basically me adding gulps and fearful glances and she revelling in it.

Frankie talked about life on the road we made another Front: “She-who-lives-in-the-mouintans-with-the-tribes” and as Frankie failed his retrospective roll+weird, we added the move:

When you interact with HER ANTENNA, roll+weird!

Everyone wanted to continue playing next night!!


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I did a little preparation, refined the “when you interact…” and prepared a few scenes.  I tried to start with a verbal love letter with the gang fighting against K-marts Doberman’s gangs, and the Chopper’s well-disciplined gang handled it, though the letter should have been written!

Frankie’s player hadn’t played anything but D&D several years ago and a short indie-game just before, so I decided I’d be careful to add scenes for him – as the others aren’t really shy.

I started up with a blond Domino who’s tits pressed against the window while asking quite suggestively if he wasn’t going to ‘drive’ her anytime soon. “Nah, I only drive when paid…” and other phrases didn’t exactly endear her, and she got quite pissed when she suddenly saw Sundown in the back seat.

Shedevil then said she wanted time off, and Domino got her to back away calmly, but she skipped on her duties (to seek out Frankie, who drove Sundown to Low-Mart were she set up a trade, but the dealer Outlet (yes, I made that her name) wanted a piece of our handsome driver, who still played hard-to-get.

The Gunlugger got a visit from the Chopper, who tossed a rock at his door. Everyone knew that the gunlugger got so old by being careful and meticulous. The Hocus interacted with the Gunlugger as well, he and Frankie was actually part of the dedicated fucking-cult of Spider, though they really didn’t attend or care for the rituals. (The Gunlugger thought Spider was the smartest).

When Frankie got back, I let Shedevil make her move – and before Frankie talked to Spider (or anyone) she simply asked: “Wanna fuck?”
“Ok.”

I made the player tell one detail and added on of bouncing blonde hair in the night myself. After a couple of scenes with others, I made a post-coital picture of her head on his chest and her blond hair really bothering him, making his nose itch. Then I made him roll+cool!

He aced it*!, brushed away her hair and thought: “It’s cool. No biggie.” ?

* The Gunlugger laughed at the mechanic and how much it said about the character!

Sundown rambled about having thoughts and plans (she wanted to connect the Martlands to stand up to the K-Marts), and while the Hocus condescendingly (feeling threathened?) patted her head earning her ire, it nearly could have come to blows, when the Chopper came to her and said: “I’ve heard you’re thinking thoughs!??!”?!”

Sundown’s answer was: “Oh, why bother!??!”

The Chopper, not-so-complicated, was pleased – as he wouldn’t have tolerated any thinking in Wall-Mart – and so was ready to deck her! ... as the player volunteered after the game, the next morning. :)

A spectator asked what was going on, since we mostly just talked and barely did that. I told him, and consequently the table, of K-mart and how everyone was doomed unless they could band together and that a godess was being born in the mountains and had two new favorites: The Hocus and the Brainer – who aced their “acting with the antenna”-rolls.

When the rain came down, it brought the dark protective (saving-us-from-the-burning-sun) heaven with it and everyone sought shelter. It birthed a two-headed plan to make love to the neighbours in Low-Mart and band together AND kill, rape and plunder the scum of Low-Mart! The Brainer got blind (with love to the godess) and there was a great fucking frenzy, with freaky details and ick that included everyone, even Frankie’s car. We ended it after answering some sex moves.

The greatest shame of Domino was that he instigated the ‘biblical’ relationship with his brother and he remembered his first kill, a kind of low-moment: the nine-year old girl, trampled and shot – which made him boss of his gang. The Gunlugger expanded on how he couldn’t even find the bastard and get revenge on him, who thread on his girl before he shot her!

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