This past weekend was the third instalment of our local gaming convention Hammercon.

I planned to be running a wargaming event, EPIC: Armageddon, but it fell through in the end and, at 11:00pm Friday night, one of the con organizers asked if I'd be up to running a slot of Apocalypse World the next morning; I said "sure!", because I've been in love with AW for a long time and I like to spread that love.

So, I printed playbooks (including The Faceless), re-read some rules, got some scrap paper and pencils, and showed up bright and early the next morning.  My session sign-up sheet had filled in minutes... all with newcomers to AW!  I got to my assigned table, settled in, greeted the players and handed out the playbooks.  After a few brief explanations we started a "First Session" and then...

...something terrible happened...

I got to meet Crimson Absinthe, of the drug-making Absinthe clan, near-naked, chain-swinging Battlebabe, with hints of an incestuously competitive relationship with her little sister, and dreams of being a kingmaker.

There was also Jag, the Driver of the Harmbulance, aka Bertha, a spike-festooned, armour plated ambulance, moving from holding to holding, breaking hearts and heads with...

Rover, the tall, stick thin, twitchy, Gunlugger, suffering from a severe vitamin-c addiction due to neurological experiments performed on him by his insane uncle, an addiction only kept at bay by a rapidly decreasing supply of tinned oranges.

All in the employ of the Hocus Ruger, the Rapemast... Ringmaster of the all female, tattooed, contortionist extravaganza the Circus of Discord, riding the roads and spreading lust and debauchery at every stop in between.

I met them as they were just rolling up to the holding of New Hope... and got to see just a glimpse of their insane exploits... before time was called and their players scattered to the winds...

I fell in love with these sick fuckers... and they were snatched away from me... I'll never get to find out what happened after they kicked over the figurative anthills around them... don't know who Rover will side with... or if Jag has found his true love... or why Ruger is so attached to his top hat... or what the hell is going on with Crimson and her sister... I want to play to find out... and now I can't...

Apocalypse World is a cruel, cruel game, and playing single sessions at conventions can break an MC's black, withered heart...

I hate you Apocalypse World... please hold me forever.

Hey all!

Just gearing up to start my third Apocalypse World campaign.  The game has been a real blast and has really energized my local groups. 

The first campaign lasted thirteen sessions and had a single PC survivor (not counting a "Retire to safety" PC earlier in the game) while the second lasted six sessions and had two survivors... Despite such apparently grim outcomes, all players involved were extremely satisfied with the arcs of their stories and all have been clamouring to play again.

My first two games (and single session demos I've run) have all been completely freeform, so I wanted to try something different this time.  I talked to the six other players participating this time and asked them for concepts/interests they'd like to see in the next campaign and I attempted to weave as many of them as I could into an "intro story" that would give a framework to the coming game.  Additionally, I wanted to look at how allowing/limiting certain playbooks would influence play, but I didn't want to make any decisions before I got the other players' input.

Here's what I got: tunnels, "snowpocalypse", zombies, mobile holdings, spiders, tall buildings.  Now, not all those elements are going to necessarily make it into the game, but I think I've been able to put some nice combos together.

So, on 9/11/11, we'll be starting a brand new game... and I'm hoping I can maintain some actual play reports and other notes and things.

Here's the intro story, please feel free to comment!

Hey all!

Recently had our Savvyhead change to a Hoarder on their 6th improvement and it raised a question about whether they still had access to ungiven future advances or whether they'd have to do get another five improvements as the new character type before they opened up again or were they always available once one gets to their initial 6th advancement.

I'm partial to having the PC need to gain the five improvements as the new character, settling in to their new role/outlook/life, but I'd like to hear other thoughts and could be easily swayed.

...but with a sound like the scream of a woman dying in stillbirth...

Hey all!  Grim stuff that.

Just to let you know, [redacted - the guy who bought WA for me] did A Very Bad Thing this Christmas... he game me a book... a roleplaying book... a manual for a game called "Apocalypse World".  It reduced me to vomitting and tremours, my mind spiraled into horrific depths, visions of rotted sugarplums mocked me with their stuttering dance... I was reduced, altered, reborn... and I fell in love.

On to my new love...

One day, our world ended... no one knows what happened... but end it did, in fire, terror, madness and a Golden Age died.  It's fifty years later. 

When you close your eyes and shut everything out... you can almost hear it... the howling... the screaming... the psychic maelstrom that is the last great remnant of the Fall... sometimes... sometimes, it doesn't scream... sometimes... it whispers...

You... ya YOU, want do you want?  You've got two hands... what do you wish to wrap them around... a gun?  The neck of your hated enemy?  A lover's breast?  What would you do to maintain that hold...

It's all about choices... hard choices... and the hope you can live with them... or survive them...

I really want to play this.

That's my pitch.  Let me know if you've got any questions... or choices...

K.

So, this is the pitch I've made to my gaming group in regard to Apocalypse World... I'm giddy with anticipation!

P.S.  I did actually get horribly ill for a few days after receiving the book.