A long while ago, I went to NYC and played Apocalypse World for the first time with a group of my friends from college. What ensued was one of the best couple of sessions of gaming I've ever experienced. Sadly the session ended when my weekend trip to the city came to an end as well.
However, it inspired me to get Apocalypse World, and to run Apocalypse World at a convention and also to try my hand at creating a playbook. Since I'm playing Apocalypse World again, I got inspired to revisit the playbook. I posted a rough draft of it a long time ago here but rather than resurrecting a long dead thread I figured I'd post a revised and newer version of it here.
The Blisser is a drug addict. They take potent concoctions of drugs to dull the pain of Apocalypse World and to give them an edge. That edge has a price though.
My one concern with the book as it stands now is that it's too complex. I wonder if there isn't too much going on here? I like the theme of the book and I think the moves are pretty neat but it seems like there might be a bit too much to keep track of the way I have it written now. Anyway I'm taking feedback on this that's why I'm posting it here. I'd like it to become a finished playbook at some point and one that people could use in play if they so chose.
Playbook: The BlisserThe world is dead and most people have forgotten what to live for. Not you. You have your pills and your vials and your liquid gold that you pump through your body. When that hits you're a fucking god and no one in this shithole is going to stop you.
To create your Blisser choose name, look, stats, moves, gear and hx.
Names:Bubs, Waylon, Booth, Sid, Junk, Hunter, Brady, Narc, Toker, Trip, Acid, Head, Nancy, Joplin, Hendrix, Kurt, Mary Jane, Betty, Crystal, Speed.
Look:Man, woman, transgressing, ambiguous, concealed
Filthy wear, luxe wear, scrounged wear, vintage wear
Drawn face, tired face, relaxed face or twitchy face
Vacant eyes, glassy eyes, wild eyes, intelligent eyes, or shameful eyes
Gaunt body, broken body, scarred body, or neglected body.
Stats:Cool-1, Hard+1, Hot+0, Sharp+0, Weird+2
Cool+0, Hard-1, Hot+1, Sharp+0, Weird+2
Cool+1, Hard+0, Hot+0, Sharp+0, Weird+2
Cool+0, Hard+0, Hot-1, Sharp+1, Weird+2
The Drugs:You have a concoction of drugs which you take to make you function better in the reality of the world around you. Give it a name. You are addicted to these drugs and must take them at the beginning of each session or act under fire until you do.
Whenever you take the drug roll +weird. On a 10+ choose two, on a 7-9 choose one, on anything else the dose is not enough and you must either dose again immediately and risk overdosing or act under fire for the rest of the session.
- This dose is intense, you suffer one harm(ap) but you will not come down from this dose until the session ends no matter what happens.
- The dose is more potent than usual boost your stats one more than normal.
- The dose opens your mind to new possibilities get +1 weird for the duration of the dose.
- The dose makes you feel invincible get +1 armor for the duration of the dose.
- The dose isn't as large as you thought, your stash does not decrease due to this dose.
You start with a stash of six doses worth 1 barter each. If your stash gets depleted you must barter for more at a cost of 1 barter to 1 stash replaced.
If your stash is ever completely depleted any time you take an action that is not aimed at replenishing your stash you act under fire.
Alternatively you may raid an Angel kit to replenish your stash. You can deplete an Angel kit by 1 stock for each stash you choose to replenish. If there's no Angel in your game then you don't get this choice.
In addition to the effects listed above each dose you take gives you a +1 bump to two stats or a +2 bump to one stat of your choice except Weird. If you choose to gain a stat bonus from the effects of the initial dose as listed above you add that in addition to the normal stat bonuses you get from the dose anyway. So if you choose the extra stat bonus you get +1 to three stats, a +2 to one and +1 to a second or +3 to one stat. No stat can ever exceed a +4. Once you hit that mark you're topped off.
At any time you may choose to dose again to push your stats up by +1 again. You can choose the same stats or different stats. Each time you take another dose on top of the dose you just took you automatically suffer 1 harm(ap). Roll again for the dose effects but this time subtract one from the roll.
Each dose you take in addition to the primary dose cumulatively subtracts one from each further dose effect roll you make. I.E. Two doses equal -2 to the dose roll.
You can take as many doses as your body can handle.
Coming Down:Anytime you suffer more than one harm, or fail a single roll to open your mind to the psychic maelstrom, or any other two rolls in a row you come down from your dose. When you come down you lose all bonuses you currently have immediately. You must dose up again as if the session just started or act under fire for the rest of the session.
Blisser Special:If you and another character have sex choose one:
- You can ignore the effects of refusing a dose or having a depleted stash for the rest of the session.
- If it's a PC they act under fire in the next scene you're in together unless they accept and take a dose of your stuff. They get the dose effects the same as you do.
- If it's an NPC you take +1 forward against them unless they accept a dose of your stuff.
Giving doses out in this way depletes your stock by one dose.
Gear:You get:
* Stash with 6 doses
* 1 Respectable Weapon
* Fashion Suitable to your look.
Respectable Weapons
* Pump Shotgun (3-harm, close, reload, messy)
* Submachine Pistol (2-harm close, area, loud)
* Magnum (3 Harm, close, reload, loud)
* Fire Axe (3 harm, hand, messy)
Moves:You get all of the basic moves. You get one blisser move.
Blisser Moves:Blisser moves are only available to you if you're dosed up. If you are straight then you're fucked.
Blissed Out: Once per session for the duration of a scene you can ignore any ill effects you suffer from harm past 9:00 up to and including being killed. Also if you've ever chosen to take a debilitation you can ignore that too. Once the scene ends you suffer the full effects of any harm including death and any debilitating injuries you might have. If you come down during the scene you also suffer these effects as if the scene ended.
New Horizons: You can roll +weird instead of +sharp to read a charged situation.
Long Strange Trip: You get +1 weird. (Weird +3)
Dusted: Any time you would suffer harm, take a -1 to the harm roll.
Juiced: When you inflict harm inflict +1 harm.
Good Vibrations: Roll +weird on a 10+ you can ask two of the following questions on a 7-9 ask one on a miss nothing happens:
- What is this person addicted to? What can't they live without?
- Where does this person keep their most valuable possession?
- What has this person done that they're most ashamed of recently?
- What would it take to push this person to the point of desperation?
Blisser AdvancementEach time you improve choose one and check it off you can't choose it again.
_Get +1 Cool (max cool +2)
_Get +1 Hot (max hot +2)
_Get +1 Hard (max hard +2)
_Get a new Blisser Move
_Get a new Bilsser Move
_Get 2 Gigs (detail) and
Moonlighting_Get a gang (detail and
Leadership_Get a move from another playbook
_Get a move from another playbook