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Messages - John Mc

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31
blood & guts / Re: Playbook Directions
« on: September 24, 2010, 05:50:14 PM »
I want the crazy talk!


How do you recognize mindshare effectiveness when you see it?


I use "recognize" loosely.  Perhaps it's subconscious or perhaps it's something deliberate and/or enumerated.  Perhaps it's an observed internal reaction or a prediction of things to come.  I don't know!  That's why I ask.

You know what I mean, like we all get what "recognizing mechanical effectiveness" is like.  What's that for mindshare effectiveness.  Obviously the answer isn't as easy, but that's no reason not to attempt it.  :)


(BTW, I think I get a bit of it already, but I think this question will improve my understanding.)

32
Apocalypse World / Re: Rolling with +5
« on: September 20, 2010, 12:15:03 PM »
Thanks guys, that's good input.  It's working right now, but I could certainly benefit from some more of those triangles.  :)

33
Apocalypse World / Rolling with +5
« on: September 18, 2010, 11:08:09 AM »
My players have designed their characters such that they're rolling +3 most of the time (they've got a stat up to +3 and substituted it where they can, then they do things like never read the sitch if Sharp is bad or never open their brain if Weird is low).  Whenever they get bonuses, which is often, they're rolling with +4.  I've even started hitting more and more situations where they've got +5 to the roll.  So here's my question:

When you've got +5 to 2d6, you can't get less than 7.  Does that mean you just can't Miss?  Is that cool?


The most common sources of bonuses are currently reading the sitch, and our Skinner's sex move.  She has tons of hold on people and spends it freely to help them out.  (She's never mean with it, in fact I don't know that any player has used HX to interfere either.)

34
Apocalypse World / Re: Sixth Sense and Healing Touch
« on: September 07, 2010, 12:33:46 PM »
Thanks Vincent!

35
Apocalypse World / Sixth Sense and Healing Touch
« on: September 05, 2010, 05:28:51 PM »
Quick easy question:

If an Angel has Sixth Sense and Healing Touch, can she roll sharp for Healing Touch?


My bet is that the rules as written say no, but I might overrule that for my specific game.  Still, I'm curious.

36
Apocalypse World / Re: Custom Moves Compendium
« on: September 04, 2010, 04:15:54 PM »
A couple from my current game.  (Cheapside is a slum, and Seers are little weird blind albino pygmies that live underground and have an unusual connection to the psychic maelstrom.)

If you enter Cheapside, roll +sharp
On a 10+ walk free.
On a 7-9 choose 2:
-You don't lose anything.
-You don't hurt someone weaker than you.
-You don't turn back unsatisfied.


When you touch a Seer, roll +weird
On a 10+ your brain has opened to the psychic maelstrom and you gain insight from it.
On a 7-9 your mind opens to the psychic maelstrom unprotected.
On a Miss you come to somewhere else later with no recollection of what has happened.


When you pilot a finicky and difficult helicopter, roll +weird.  
On a 10+ get all of the below.
On a 7-9 choose 2 of the below.
-It'll take you where you want to go
-It arrives in full working order
-It goes fast, smooth, and responsive
-All passengers and cargo stay secured

37
blood & guts / Re: Tone and Color
« on: September 02, 2010, 01:56:13 PM »
Yea, like everyone says, you can totally change that stuff around.

I do suggest that the stuff get changed with a consistent vision in mind.  Don't just let every player make their own substitutions, or make substitutions willy-nilly.  For example, my players tried to do that (choose names not in the books, look different than the books), but after four sessions everyone is glad we stuck to the stuff in the books.  It kept us all on the same track.  Vincent provided a clear vision for us to work with, and I wanted to use it.  My players hadn't grokked it yet, but they did once we got rolling and everyone benefited.  If they'd run off after different creative visions we wouldn't have as coherent a result.

38
Apocalypse World / Re: An Arresting Skinner
« on: August 10, 2010, 10:18:40 AM »
This came up in my last game session.  The Skinner started stripping and exempted the Battlebabe.  The Battlebabe then took all of the Gunlugger's guns away.  He was like "I can't do anything about them taking my guns?"


I've limited the move at times in the past.  My Skinner was captured during a battle and wanted to (while restrained) start removing clothing to completely end the battle while her allies cleaned up.  I didn't allow that, but I'm not sure how crazy this move is supposed to be...

39
Apocalypse World / Re: [AP] Barnum's Crossing
« on: July 23, 2010, 12:47:07 PM »
Thanks guys, glad you like it.

40
Apocalypse World / Re: Repeat Moves
« on: July 22, 2010, 04:01:47 PM »
Thanks Vincent!  That answers my question, and I agree with it.  We'll see if my players come along and ask "why?", but for me, at least, it makes sense.  :)

41
Apocalypse World / Repeat Moves
« on: July 22, 2010, 02:12:57 PM »
Could be I'm crazy.  Could be I'm remembering something from playtest that didn't make it to final version.  Could be I just can't remember where I saw it.  Anyways,

I seem to remember that you can't make the same move twice.  Like if you Read a Sitch and miss, then you missed that's done.  Wait for the next Sitch to Read.

We ended up discussing this after last session and I can't remember where I'm getting this from.  My players made a good point, that I should try to change things with my moves such that the same move wouldn't happen twice.  If they try to seize something and miss, then my move should make it unseizable, so we progress to the next thing.  Then one player was like, what if I fail to manipulate, suck up the concequences, and then want to keep trying?  I wasn't sure that was a good idea, and definitely thought Vincent recommended against it, but now I can't find that reference.


Anyways, can you try the same move more than once?

Should the MC try to change the fiction when you fail, but if it makes sense allow another try?

I usually don't make much of a move when they Read a Sitch (although I invent stuff into the fiction, it's more of a revealing I guess).  Can they just do it again if they want more questions? 

If not, what's a new Sitch?  I'm pretty sure I was too limiting on that last time, but I'm curious what others think.  (PC trapped in a burning building is a sitch, if they jump out and are outside now is that a new sitch?  If you and I are arguing, that could be a sitch, if you draw a gun is it a new sitch?)


Is there some place where this is all covered that I read in the past but can't find now?

42
Apocalypse World / Re: Going Aggro or Manipulating Groups
« on: July 22, 2010, 01:49:16 PM »
I can't remember whether my Gunlugger was Not to Be Fucked With or not (since he bought it either right before or right after the scene).  Still, rules say he'd deal 4 Harm (5 -1 for small gang) and they're unarmored.  Unless I miss understood, he was a legitimate threat to them.  That seemed real too. (Trained guy with an AK vs 12 unarmored ya-hos who get caught out of cover at close range.  That's murder time.)

If he'd had a revolver, he'd be forced to threaten one guy or a kitten or some light harm, which they wouldn't have minded.

43
Apocalypse World / Re: Going Aggro or Manipulating Groups
« on: July 22, 2010, 11:57:43 AM »
Last session the Gunlugger wanted to Go Aggro on a small gang and I didn't have any problem with that.  As it happens he dealt 4 harm to them, which is enough to make them break.  So he killed a bunch and drove the rest off.

His weapon didn't have area, which is an interesting point.  Still it worked well for us.


In general I don't think a move shouldn't work on a group.

44
Apocalypse World / Re: [AP] Barnum's Crossing
« on: July 22, 2010, 11:36:36 AM »
A couple notes:

We've never been the roleplaying group that draws portraits of our characters.  Brian likes making maps, but he doesn't actually do it that often.  For Apocalypse World I've followed Vincent's advice and encouraged more artwork and map making.  Turns out I completely forgot that Mary's got a B.A. in Art, and evidently Brian is damn fine with a pencil.  We've been missing out on opportunities here for years.  We added another dimension to the game and made AW more real.  I love it.  Personally I can't make a stick figure to save my life, but that shouldn't stop my friends from expressing themselves.  Even the less inclined have enjoyed some map making which fed back into my portrayal of the world.

I was running without an physical copy of the book.  Mike saved the day by lending his iPad.  It proved invaluable.

The game worked well with 6.  Of course there was less screen time per person, but people stayed engaged.  I'm going to have to make up lost screen time to Mary and Dena (Specter and Snow).  They got the short end of the stick last time and I want to rectify that.  (I had 1-2 players in each scene, so upping that average would help.)  Still everyone agreed that a great time was had.  To quote Jeremy "That was easily one of my top ten [roleplaying] sessions of all time.  That and the first session are both top ten."  Given that Tower Creek is also in this "top ten" for him, Vincent got a lot of praise for his batting average.  (We've only run DitV 3 times or so, and no other lumpley games.)

45
Apocalypse World / [AP] Barnum's Crossing
« on: July 22, 2010, 11:36:25 AM »
Last Saturday my group got together for our second session of Apocalypse World.  They had a gigantic blast and I thought I'd share the experience, to the extent that it's possible to do so.  :)


A little background: I've got a group of friends who've been meeting on/off for gaming every weekend for 10 years.  Lately it's been more board gaming, but roleplaying is the original activity.  Others had little idea about Apocalypse World, but were willing to give it a shot.  Our 1st session of AW was a huge hit.  The character creation process got high marks from all players, including comments like "Why doesn't every game have these awesome little books?"  It was all smoothness and thrill.  We made the characters seem real, we made the world seem real, we foreshadowed threats to the PCs, we set up a love triangle, we had a fight, and everyone walked away wanting to find out what would happen next.

PCs:
Barnum, the Hardholder, played by Jeremy.  He's the boss of Barnum's Crossing, which is a merchant town on the intersection of two rivers.  It's got a large population, but small number of guards.  They pay tribute to the local warlord "Gentleman" Jack for protection.  At the end of session 1, Barnum stands up to Jack's emissaries and badly wounds one in a tense climactic scene.

Mercury, the Skinner, played by Jennie (my wife).  She's the most highly sought after courtesan in the hardhold, and currently Barnum's lover.  She's a bit of a hedonist and general free-spirit.  At the end of session 1 she's had an affair with Man, and things are tense between her and Barnum.

Man, the Gunlugger, played by Mike (Mary's husband).  He's scarred body and soul.  He's come to Barnum's Crossing looking for a reason to live, and has fallen in love with Mercury.  He and Barnum have some bad blood in their past.  Session 1 ends with him feeling pretty good about his prospects with Mercury and working for Barnum despite their past history.

Spectre, the Savy-Head, played by Mary.  She's one of Barnum's Crossing's oldest inhabitants and a bedrock of support for Barnum.  She lives alone out in her junkyard between the two intersecting rivers.  She lives to discover past creations and build new ones.  She sees the world as a collection of stories.


For session 2 though I've got two new players.  They show up right as we're about to give up on them.  Unfortunately this means we put things on hold while they make characters.  Fortunately, the creation process is very popular and we cooperate to an unprecedented degree on their characters.  When we get to the HX section, we go around the table and everyone tosses out some invented history worth +1 or -1 at their discretion.  This works very well, because the original players really grasp the HX thing now and are excited about it.  So now we've got:

Snow, the Battlebabe, played by Dena.  She's a cold bitch who thinks survival is as good as it gets.  She's worked with Mercury in the past, but feels threatened by her.

Always, the Hocus, played by Brian (Dena's husband).  He leads the cult of Nuclear in Barnum's Crossing.  Their teachings involve closeness, unity, strength, family, and technology.  The faith exists with the approval of Barnum himself, who is a "Sunday practitioner".


The game starts off with Always hitting his fortune, but his followers have Surplus: +stupor, and Barnum getting 7-9.  The players all agree they want to see +reprisals after last week's climax, so reprisals it is.  Still, I don't lead off with that.

Opening scene: Man shows up at Mercury's place.  He doesn't have a place in town and figures he might as well invite himself into this one.  It looks like they're going to reach a reasonable agreement when one of her customers shows up and asks her out for the evening.  She accepts, which complicates the discussion with Man.  Ultimately she explains her profession and steady thing she's got with Barnum.  Ultimately he blows his attempts at seduction and looks like a super creepy dude.  Some of her hold on him from last week gets spent and he leaves dejected.

Cut to Snow approaching Barnum's Crossing on foot.  She makes out some finely dressed guys on motorcycles scouting the perimeter.  She passes them by and heads in looking for work.  As it happens Barnum's hiring guns in an attempt to discourage the Gentlemen.  Her first task is to take his boys out to cause some trouble for Jack.

Always is communing with his followers in the abandoned nuclear power plant when he hears some scuffling in the rubble.  He investigates and realizes there are intruders skulking around ready to pounce.  He tries to sneak up on them but blows the roll, so plague cultists spring out and capture him.  He takes a couple harm and activates their custom move, (similar to the waders in Hatchet City) which he also blows despite his high Weird.  So now he's abducted and infected.

One of Always's cultists bursts into Barnum's office and demands aid.  Barnum summons Man and tasks him with a rescue mission.  They confer briefly and agree that "quick is better than clean".  Man heads down to the riverside where he's previously seen these "Harbingers", he quickly spots someone who might know something.  A brief interrogation turns up that Always is Down Below (in the caves).  Man marches directly Down Below.  He finds a small gang of cultists and doesn't fool around with any stealth.  He orders them to surrender then tears into them when they go for their weapons.  Always wakes on the ground as gunfire rakes the cave.  Wanting immediate insight, he opens his mind to the maelstrom.  Many impressions leap out of the chaos toward him, but one thing stands out: some of these cultists have something powerful in their possession.  Man has done his work though and the surviving Harbingers are fleeing.  Always seizes a runner by the legs, causing him to lose his satchel and continue his flight without it.  The scene ends as Always examines his prize: a vial of golden slimey substance.

Back to Snow, who's leading Barnum's gang out to where she saw the Gentlemen earlier.  They're getting discouraged when they crest the rise of a hill and notice a large cave mouth below them.  There's echo's of motorcycle engines coming from inside.  Snow quickly dives in, but the gang doesn't follow her...

Barnum's office, he's talking to Specter.  She's requesting three motorcycle engines she needs to build a jury-rigged helicopter.  Just then they see a line of headlights erupt from the ground over in the rich part of town.  Barnum sends Specter to rally his men.  As she leaves he realizes Mercury is in danger.  He grabs his revolver and heads toward trouble.

Mercury is having a fine evening.  The party isn't the best of the season, but likely of the week.  As she seeks out some refreshment she hears a ruckus outside.  She goes to the (2nd story) balcony to observe.  It's the Gentlemen and they're raiding in force.  She tries to take a read but misses.  One of the Gentlemen takes notice of her beauty and orders a concerted attack to get her.  Turning she finds her date has abandoned her and everyone is fleeing.  She tries to run downstairs and out the back door, but realizes she'd have to shoot her way through the mob to get out.  (This was my one fuck up, she hit a 7 and my worse outcome was too much worse, c'est la vie.)  Back on the second floor she's running out of time.  She makes a desperate leap out a back window into the alley, and comes down hard on one ankle for 2 harm (ap).  Still, she hobbles down the alley trying to avoid attention.  Just as she's about to make it clear when she spots a Gentleman accosting a young woman.  Using her natural charms, she distracts him from his prey and convinces him to meet her in an hour elsewhere.  The lug wanders off and she walks free of the nightmare a heroine.

Barnum is headed directly into the chaos, but is realizing how out matched he is.  He grabs a fleeing merchant and orders him to sound the alarm.  The merchant begs off as he's unarmed, but Barnum hands over his revolver and orders him on.  After this sacrifice, Barnum turns again toward the violence, perhaps even more out matched.  As he approaches the party that Mercury has just escaped she spots him across a wide avenue.  In relief she runs to him and calls out.  He turns just in time to see her scooped up into the arms of a passing Gentleman.  He cries out her name as she's carried away from him.  He hesitates not a moment, immediately charging the nearest Gentleman and seizing a motorcycle for himself.  He ends up being struck by a nail studded bat, but he ignores the pain as he races after his love.

Snow, Specter, Man, and Always arrive just in time to see Barnum's chase in the distance.  Snow unslings her rifle and tries to take down the Gentlemen who're intercepting Barnum.  She misses terribly though.  In fact she hits Mercury's date from earlier and draws return fire from some more Gentlemen.  The group is taking incidental fire, but Man ignores it and tries to slow down Mercury's abductor with some distracting fire, which succeeds.  Always opens his mind to the psychic maelstrom in an attempt to contact his followers, but shit doesn't really work that way.  Instead he feels a presence, resting deep in Down Below.  "Do you want to rouse it?" He totally does.

Back to our chase, Barnum is gaining on his quarry.  The Gentleman really wants to make off with his prize though, so he attempts to lose Barnum amidst some obstacles.  Barnum is undaunted and weaves right through.  At the same time he manages to lose his two pursuers in the same obstacles, without taking any fire at all.  Finally it's down to the home stretch.  They're coming up on the cave that the Gentlemen used to get into the Crossing, and dozens of Gentlemen are riding into it at this very moment.  Barnum moves to seize Mercury, which she assists by flailing at her abductor.  Barnum rides up a wall of rubble and flies across the path of the other motorcycle, grabbing Mercury and taking definite hold of her while he shocks and awes the assembled Gentlemen.  Before they can react he tears ass right out of there.  He doesn't stop until they reach the bridge in the center of town.  At which point they're swept up in passion.

While the two enjoy being alive and in each other's arms the camera pulls out to reveal a rifle scope.  Man is watching the whole thing with a pained expression.  He heads off to the bar to get drunk, where he learns two things.  One, Mercury's date is dead and his landlord has an apartment for Man, and two, there are hard drugs to be had down on the wharf.  Man goes down to score what turns out to be "Honey".  The same substance Always discovered earlier.  He takes it immediately and starts experiencing extremely pleasant hallucinations.  He retires to his new loft to dream.

In our final scene, Always retreats to his temple where his followers have gathered out of fear.  They pray together and he augurs for answers to his new-found affliction.  He isolates and draws out of the maelstrom everything Tao, the leader of the Harbingers, knows about sustaining life despite his plague ridden body.  However he leaves behind quite a bit of his own knowledge and we discover that he was not always a priest.  Sorrow Snake, the father before him, saved him from a life of crime, but taught another aspect of the Nuclear: Fission.  Always deposed him and drove him out of Barnum's Crossing.  He's still out there though...

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