A lot of campaign premises on AW I see usually has relatively few settlements, and they typically aren't very connected. Yet quite a few of them seem to contain a number of hardholds at a relatively bad reations, usually because one is trying to overtake another.

So here's the idea. Let's say a couple of Hardholders manage to subjugate a handful of other Hardholders in their areas, basically forming crude feudal kingdoms, either by forcing the other hadrdolder to submit, or killing them and placing their own puppet at the lead. Let's call those Overholds, and their rulers the Overholders. And let's say eventually one rose from among them, who managed to force all the other Overholders to bend the knee, but isn't strong enough to simply destroy them. Now that guy is dead/dying, and the Overholders and their underlings are preparing for the inevitable power struggle to come.

The idea here is, that the civilization, or at least something akin to that has had enough time to regrow enough for the world to become reconnected (motor vehicles are a part of default setting after all). Trade routes provide far-away holds with goods they require in exchange of goods required elsewhere, and warfare can include multiple vehicles and gangs from small to large on both sides, organized under one war leader, however temporarily. What would keeping multiple holds in line without destroying them look like in Apocalypse world? How about affairs between numerous such nations?

This is just the backdrop. I haven't submitted to the players yet (we are in the middle of another campaign), but the idea is that they can pretty much decide among themselves what they would like to do in such a world. My main concern is, that some potential results of such a world may be a bit too large scale to handle under AW:s normal rules, such as warfare with multiple gangs, or trade with the kinds of amounts of barter typically reserved for the Hardholder.

I'd say that honesty demands you tell them the consequences (that's why it's an MC move). Remember, you are having a conversation about the events in your shared fictional space, so if something happens only inside your head, it really doesn't happen in the game. The PC:s are not the party unfavourite until you tell (or at least imply) it to the players.

If you do things behind the players back, there is a risk that they feel like you just pulled stuff out of your ass in a bad way (bad as in "Rocks fall, everyone dies.") when they made a bad call because they had no way of knowing it would be a bad call.

That the "weapon" has the same kind of weight or impact as a "mask".

Being "unmasked" is a powerful image, and one that's easy to create an recreate. Taking away someone's weapon is... interesting, but not to the same degree.

Some of the outcomes/costs don't work as well, for me, as for someone being unmasked.

I don't have a solution to point out, unfortunately, but that's what I see. Otherwise, this is really good!
One way that is already reflected is that somebody seeing you unarmed doesn't get stunned by the fact. Being disarmed has consequences, but those are inside the PC:s head rather than in the way the rest of the world sees them, bacause they are based on PC:s relationship to their weapon.

But yeah I see your point and shall give it due consideration.

Yeah, he pretty much has to explain how he intends to pull off the amount of harm, and failing that it's fiction first.

I liked the concept of Fallen Empires when lumpley presented it in the kickstarted, but noted that it faded into obscurity and hasn't received any attention. I had some ideas though, so I thought I'd try my hand at converting some of the extended playbooks since lumpley hasn't shown any interest in doing so himself. The Bladesoul is meant to be the "tragic" swordsman of the genre that lives (and usually dies) by the blade they wield and the mistakes they make in doing so. Less Norman Bates or Jason Voorhees and more Túrin Turambar or Elric of Melniboné.


The Bladesoul
In the fallen empires, your only companion is the blade. No one else you can trust. No man, woman, child or beast. Everyone else betrays and deceives you. But this you can trust. It shares your pain and guilt and fear. It’s the only one you can talk to. And through its hardness and its edge you keep sane.

You can trust the blade, right?

Name
Jalhar, Lacrak, Elvir, Big Fucker, Softy, Blonde, Hjolm, Corpse, Ork, Blag, Dent, Deg, Frog, Trench, Zuto, Kray, Momo, Gigg, Meat, Stomp.

Look
Man, woman, ambiguous, transgressing.
Dark skin, light skin.
Distinct helm and dark cloak, Well-kept chainmail, black armor, piecemeal armor
Hard eyes, blank eyes, merciless eyes, dead
eyes, or calculating eyes.
Huge body, muscular body, tall gangly body,
wiry body, or obese body.

Stats
Choose one set:
• Cool+1 Hard+2 Hot-1 Sharp+1 Weird=0
• Cool=0 Hard+2 Hot+1 Sharp-1 Weird+1
• Cool=0 Hard+2 Hot-1 Sharp+2 Weird-1
• Cool+1 Hard+2 Hot-1 Sharp=0 Weird+1

The Bladesoul moves
0 Wovs of vengeance: whenever your life becomes untenable, name the person you hold most
responsible. Take +1 ongoing to all rolls versus them, forever. (All rolls with them directly
as a target count, of course. Rolls against their family and friends, minions, or property
may count, in the MC’s judgment. MCs, remember your job is to make Apocalypse World
seem real and keep the characters’ lives interesting, not deny the PCs bonuses.)
0 Master of Fate: shot, stabbed, and poisoned, you just keep coming. When you are being
scary as fuck and coming at someone, you get +1armor. You still get shot and stabbed,
bleeding just doesn’t bother you that much anymore.
0 Juggernaut: take -2 on all “when you suffer harm” rolls.
0 Roaring rampage: roll+hard to smash your way through scenery to get to or away from
something. On a 10+, the scenery is moved or smashed and you get what you want. On
a 7–9 you get what you want and smash or move the scenery, but you take 1-harm (ap),
and are disoriented and under fire in follow-up actions, leave something behind, or take
something with you. Think smashing through walls or pushing through burned out husks
of carts. On a miss, your foot gets pinned under something mid-smash.
0 Scent of Blood: at the beginning of the session, roll+weird. On a 10+ hold 1+1. On a
7–9 hold 1. At any time, you or the MC can spend your hold to have you at the scene of a
battle (a real battle, not intimate violence between a couple people). If your hold was 1+1,
take +1forward now. On a miss, the MC holds 1, and can spend it to have you there and
pinned down.
0 Stormbringer: you seek the advice of your weapon. Roll+weird to see what it directs you to do.
On a 10+ mark experience and take +1forward if you do as your mask wishes. On a 7–9,
take a +1 if you do what it wants and act under fire if you don’t. On a miss, it has its own
agenda. Act under fire if you don’t follow it.
0 As one: attempts by other PCs to seize your weapon by force, or to disarm you by going aggro or seduction/manipulation, are at -2. NPCs will never
succeed at disarming you against your will, even if you are completely at their mercy.
0 Beastly: you get +1hard (hard+3).

Equipment
You get:
• Your weapon
• fashion suitable to your look, including at
your option a piece worth 1- or 2-armor
(you detail)
• oddments worth 2-keep
Your weapons (choose 1):
• Bastard Sword (Deadly: On the field)
• Battle Axe (Deadly: On the field)
• Sword (Deadly: On the field & hand-to-hand)
• Spear (Deadly: On the field)
• Falchion (Deadly: hand-to-hand & infighting)

History
Everyone introduces their characters by name, look and outlook. Take your turn.
List the other characters’ names.
Go around again for Hx. On your turn, ask 1, 2, or all 3:
• Which one of you once helped me do something terrible? For that character, write Hx+3.
• Which one of you was once kind and unafraid toward me? For that character, write Hx+2.
• Which one of you do I think is pretty? For that character, write Hx+1.
For everyone else, write Hx=0.
On the others’ turns, answer their questions as you like.
At the end, choose one of the characters with the highest Hx on your sheet. Ask that player which of your stats is most interesting, and highlight it. The MC will have you highlight a second stat too.

Your weapon
Choose it’s looks (pick 1)
Anquated, battered, rusty, black, wicked, large, well-kept

Choose its details (pick as many as you like)
Decorated with runes, gilded handle, prominent spikes, text on the blade, metal parts polished to mirror sheen.

Disarmed, you are (pick 2)
0 Vulnerable. Whenever you suffer harm, you suffer +1harm.
0 Open. Every PC who sees you goes immediately to Hx+3 with you.
0 Afraid. You take -1 ongoing until you hold it again.
0 Irresolute. When you inflict harm, inflict -1harm.
0 Ashamed. You have hard=0 until you hold it again.
0 Powerless. You lose access to all of your character moves. You can still make basic moves.

Goals
During play, it’s your job to have your character make and pursue goals. ?ey can be any goals you want, long term and short-. Begin by thinking what your goals might be this very morning, as play begins

Improvement
Whenever you roll a highlighted stat, and whenever you reset your history with someone, mark an experience circle. When you mark the 5??, improve and erase. Each time you improve, choose one of the options. Check it off; you can’t choose it again.
— get +1hot (max +2)
— get +1sharp (max +2)
— get +1weird (max +2)
— get +1 cool (max+2)
— get a new bladesoul move
— get a new bladesoul move
— get a war-band (you detail) and bloody-crowned
— get a holding (you detail) and wealth
— get a move from another playbook
— get a move from another playbook

— get +1 to any stat (max stat+3)
— retire your character to safety
— create a second character to play
— change your character to a new playbook
— choose 3 basic moves and advance them.
— advance the other 4 basic moves.

Your Keep
At the beginning of the session, spend 1, 2, or 3 keep for your lifestyle. If you can’t or won’t, tell the MC and answer her questions. You can earn your keep by: working the hard earth; extorting, raiding, or robbing a wealthy population; executing a murder on behalf of a wealthy NPC; serving a powerful NPC as bodyguard; or other means as you can negotiate them. In addition to your lifestyle, you might spend your keep on: a night in high luxury and company; someone else’s protection, service, or labor; a weapon or other equipment; tribute to a warlord; the bribes required to turn someone’s eye or secure someone’s complicity; rich or beautiful clothing; or other things as you can arrange for them.

Do you have more of these stored away, or did this idea end up to the cutting room floor? My regular gaming group might be interested to run Rogue Trader Apocalypse, and at least one of them thought the shipbooks were needed. I think they might also bring a bit more character and focus to the party's ship.

Also, if you don't have any of these, mind if I make some? I've probably played too much Battlefleet Gothic Armada for my own good lately.

Is the problem with language, or the fact that it wasn't nearly as coherent as I thought?