I'm running a game using my favorite creatures and powers of the New World of Darkness (i.e., mages, geist, changelings) without the standard setting (20,000 factions of gothic-posers) or game mechanics (the probability curve of the d10 system is too skewed--too frequently you see things like 3 successes on 6 dice and 1 success on 10 dice). Many of the people I play with want to play a supernatural game where a lot of the mysteries are detailed in advance* but are disatisfied with the NWoD setting and the mechanics.

(*There are pros and cons about detailing the mysteries of the universe in advance instead of making them up during play. I won't get into that here.)

I came up with a hack to use AW-like game mechanics without needing to modify the rest of the NWoD system. All it needs to do is determine whether an action is successful and, if it is, how many successes were rolled. Of course, I would like to come up with AW-style playbooks as well when I find the time. I've gotten positive feedback about the mechanics (finally, someone who's good at something can actually expect to get a good roll most of the time), so I thought I'd share them here. Below is an excerpt from the house rules I wrote for the players:

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Dice Rolls

We will use a 2d6 system instead of the multi-d10 system in the standard rules. Whenever you would normally roll several d10, instead roll 2d6 + Attribute + Ability. Each dot in an attribute or ability counts as one point. You can spend Willpower to add 3 to a roll. If your opponent’s defense applies, your opponent can spend Willpower to subtract 2 from your roll. Otherwise, bonuses or penalties that would normally add or subtract a 10-sided die instead add or subtract one from the roll.

If the result of the roll is 10 or more, you achieve 1 success plus one additional success for every 3 points over 10. The following list summarizes this rule:
 
9 or less = no successes
10 to 12 = one success
13 to 15 = two successes
16 to 18 = three successes
19 to 20 = four successes
21+ = five successes

So a person with Dexterity 1, Drive 1, swerving to avoid a body in the road would normally roll 2d10 and have about a 50% chance of rolling at least 1 success under the standard rules. Under the modified system, they would roll 2d6 +2 and succeed by rolling 8 or more on the dice, which is close to 50%.
 
Equipment

Having the right equipment lets you do something better when you know what you’re doing, but does not actually make you better at something, which is effectively what the standard rules for equipment do. In this game, equipment bonuses add 1 to 3 successes to your result, but only if you get at least 1 success without them. Here is how to convert the equipment bonus in the normal system into a number of successes in this modified system:

1 = 1 success
2-3 = 2 successes
4+ = 3 successes

For example, a lockpick that would add 1 die to a Security Skill roll in the standard rules will instead add 1 success to a successful Security Skill roll and nothing to an unsuccessful roll. A garage that would add 3 dice to a Crafts Skill roll in the standard rules will instead add 2 successes to a successful roll. A shotgun that would normally add 4 dice to a Firearms Skill roll will instead add 3 successes to a successful roll.

The Chance Die

Whenever penalties reduce you to rolling 2d6 + 0 or less, you can’t get more than 1 success and you critically fail if you roll snake eyes. If the penalties are high enough, it is possible to end up subtracting something from your roll.

9 Again, 8 Again, Rote Actions

If you have a “9 again” ability, add 1 success if your roll results in 4 or more successes. If you have an “8 again” ability, add 1 success if your roll results in 3 or more successes. If you perform a “rote action” and get any successes, the minimum number of successes you can have on that action is 3.

I'm modeling a map off of a geothermal plant in the Geysers, where they pipe steam out of the ground to make electricity. "The Plant" will be a relic from the golden age. A cult of steam worshippers (Steamers) operates it, but someone (maybe a Hardholder) controls it (for now) and doles out electricity (along a few poorly maintained high voltage lines) and perhaps some kind of fuel (Juice) for trade with whoever lives nearby. There are photos and maps of these plants and the surrounding area all over the web that can be magnified and copied by hand or scribbled into an art program. They're in coastal mountains, covered with twisty back roads and (for this setting) a towering mass of gnarly pine trees (for bone crushing motorcycle races and maybe some disfigured lumberjacks with chainsaws?).  I like the idea of apocalypica in a forest, just for a change of pace. Also, the cooling tower building looks almost like something at a nuclear power plant--hard to go wrong with that (see the photo below). All sorts of threats can focus on the plant. Who gets the electricity? Why are there so many earthquakes? Are the steamers up to something? Just what the surrounding buildings are used for and how the PCs fit in to the picture can be worked up during the first session.

Below are links to some foundation material, a photo and two maps.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://geothermal.marin.org/geopresentation/images/img052.jpg&imgrefurl=http://geothermal.marin.org/geopresentation/sld052.htm&usg=__5e_71vN-9PxQRG74zq2bVQl56tE=&h=384&w=575&sz=74&hl=en&start=13&sig2=kuYR3xL-l85JuMaBcLKH8w&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=DDdzFa2xh0hU2M:&tbnh=89&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bgeysers%2Bca%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GFRC_en%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=esFTTL7lLYi6sQOF4-3ZAg

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=N38.80508%C2%B0++W122.80985%C2%B0&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=38.815122,-122.800847&spn=0.00227,0.006158&t=h&z=18/

http://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=38.80508&lon=-122.80985&datum=nad27&zoom=4&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=m