Hatchet City and Blind-Blue: Design Lessons

Dear Vincent,

I've read in several places on the 'net now that you no longer recommend "Hatchet City" as a demo of Apocalypse World.

What do you feel is wrong with the scenario? Where does it go wrong?

What design lessons can we glean from this? Which bits are good, which are bad, and which are ugly?

Thanks!

Oh, it playtested poorly. It makes for a fun con session just half the time, give or take, by people's reports. 50/50 odds isn't reliable enough for me to be willing to recommend it.

I haven't really tried to figure out why it works sometimes and doesn't others.

-Vincent

Thanks, Vincent!

It was my experience that it worked pretty well. But it was very easy for a) the various characters to feel like they were playing totally different games (the Brainer is dealing with the mudfish plague while the Chopper is off attacking Ambergrease, for example), and b) end in a giant and kind of messy battle over the hardhold (which similarly leaves non-combat characters with little to do).

We had trouble with the incredible number of NPCs and possible directions for play, as well.

I don't know how universal my experience is.