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Messages - Brand Robins

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1
Apocalypse World / Re: Touchstone among the people
« on: February 15, 2012, 10:57:32 PM »
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.

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The Dragon Killer / Re: Where is the Dragon Killer?
« on: November 06, 2010, 04:16:52 PM »
Vincent,

You know I'm a fan boy and love you and stuff.

If you ever finish this, I may elevate you to status of game God along with Greg Stafford.

I just read everything in this forum, and this game is what I needed without ever knowing.

3
Apocalypse World / Re: An Arresting Skinner
« on: November 03, 2010, 06:35:06 PM »
I find it deeply humiliating to admit that this happened recently in one of my games.

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blood & guts / Re: Essential Principles
« on: November 02, 2010, 06:24:30 PM »
I'll just note that in a lot of the Dancers at the End of Time style games (of which Nobilis is maybe the most famous) as a GM you more or less replace "Put them in the crosshairs" with "make it almost impossible for anyone to really die."

The change in tone from the flip of that switch is monstrous huge.

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Apocalypse World / Re: Monolithic foreign powers
« on: October 10, 2010, 02:44:20 PM »
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....

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Apocalypse World / Re: Seizing A Life By Force
« on: September 19, 2010, 06:53:35 PM »
I could see Surgical Precision as a Battlebabe move. Which would make them even more ninja than they already are.

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Apocalypse World / Re: Seizing A Life By Force
« on: September 19, 2010, 03:35:32 PM »
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.

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Apocalypse World / Re: Seizing A Life By Force
« on: September 18, 2010, 01:27:52 PM »
Definitely. I don't think the game gains anything by saying "I wanna take him hostage. I shoot him in the leg". "Well, fuck you. Billy, you hit an artery and this dude bleeds out in seconds."

Except maybe the idea that if you shoot someone they might die.

And if you hit them with a 0 harm weapon they might suck it up and then do something unkind back.

Cause taking hostages is cool and all, but sometimes you have to make a choice between doing something that might kill someone you don't want to kill and something that might get you killed by them after you punch Mammoth in the face.

I mean, this is obviously not right for all games. But I've got a group that is always trying to get out of making hard choices with "I don't actually want to kill him when I shoot him at point blank range with a 5 harm shotgun, I just want to graze him a little." And when I let them do it, it lames the game.

So when we play, I have a rule "If you're doing big harm, I'm going to kill bitches. If you aren't, you might get what you want -- or they might decide to do big harm to you while you're waiting."

9
Apocalypse World / Re: Rolling with +5
« on: September 18, 2010, 01:14:05 PM »
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?

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Apocalypse World / Re: Playing cards for AW? Genius.
« on: September 11, 2010, 01:12:53 PM »
Judd,

My initial reaction was the cards were awesome! After all, fiddly bits and cool things that I can obsess over and create in my lonely time fun!

But, based on an initial attempt using 3x5 cards... it does tend to have a slight effect to go as you fear. It wasn't like a sweeping change or anything, but going into conflict situations folks did look to their cards/moves in a way that seemed to slightly diminish the way they looked to their character or the fiction.

We might also have just been having an off night. But I dunno, thinking about it the games where this kind of thing has been successful (D&D 4th, Spycraft) the reason it worked was a good part of play was about the moves. "I'm finally going to get to unload on the Dragon King with my Slayer's Lunge daily!" Where as in Apocalypse World it really isn't.

But still... man... cool cards with pictures!

11
brainstorming & development / Re: Tribe 8 hack
« on: September 03, 2010, 05:00:31 PM »
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.

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Apocalypse World / Re: sell me on weird
« on: August 29, 2010, 07:18:57 PM »
Another one occurred to me today, as I was reflecting on how I'm very tired of the "Brainer as abusive ex" stance for Brainers.

Sigmund Freud was weird. Deeply. Dude spent a year dissecting eels trying to find their private parts. He got hooked on cocaine, thought we all wanted to fuck our mothers, had followers who would get deeply involved in (and deeply influence) the occult,  believed that 90% of people were sexually abused by their parents when they were children (and later thought that wasn't true, its just that we wanted to be sexually abused by our parents when we were children) and thought that without the help of special people, people who could see through dreams and deep, painful examination of the recesses of our minds, none of us could be fully happy in life. Which, of course, gave him all sorts of reasons to ask girls with histories of inappropriate sexual behavior questions about what turned them on.

Plus, he invented Penis Envy. No, serious. Dude was weird.

Maybe he also helped some people.

So, Freud the Brainer:

Name: Brace
Look: Man, high formal wear, plump moist face, soft eyes, soft body
Stats: Cool +1, Hard -2, Hot -1, Sharp +2, Weird +2
Moves: Deep Brain Scan ("tell me about your mother"), Preternatural at-will Brain attunement.

Get a couple advances and pick up Casual Brain Receptivity to get all Sherlock Holmes on people's psyche's, and (as with Ghandi) Oftener Right is going to be up your ally. Lots of Angel moves are going to be sweet too.



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Apocalypse World / Re: Every Hocus needs his Holy Book
« on: August 28, 2010, 02:49:43 PM »
BAD. ASS.

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Apocalypse World / Re: Organizing NPCs
« on: August 27, 2010, 07:52:38 PM »
This doesn't actually solve the problem in my game.  The Savvyhead Lemieux altered a CB radio to allow him to speak to the dead. The consequences of this were so disturbing (the dead now speak on all the CB radios, mostly screaming for help, crying, and curses) that Lemieux changed playbooks to a Battlebabe. So keeping track of the body count is also part of my concern.

Yea, you're boned.

(Johnstone's suggestion is good though)

15
Apocalypse World / Re: Organizing NPCs
« on: August 27, 2010, 06:40:51 PM »
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.)

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