Anyone up for a PbP game?

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Anyone up for a PbP game?
« on: May 20, 2012, 02:58:29 PM »
Would anyone be interested in getting in a PbP game with me? I have one that has been running for about a year now, but I feel like starting something more to run parallel to that one.

I would prefer two or three players, but a forth might be fine as well. But anyone interested should shout out and we'll take it from there.

I could MC regular AW, but I would be happy to run my Dark Heresy/Rogue Trader/General 40K inspired hack. I call it Dark Galaxy.

This link might lead to a folder of docs, otherwise I'll fix it when at a computer.
Okay, new link:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B06M_51wBJSFNzY1MDhmY2EtYzA1Ny00NDU4LThhMDktYmZjOTVmODlhNzg0

Some basic stipulations about the rules are here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1piowZ7V0JvzxwAr5VBBK04suSb31qJvdZqCb2sJj3Ag/edit

I've tried to keep the rules of Dark Galaxy as close to regular AW as possible, basically to do just as much design work as necessary to be able to play. Because this is not a hack that is made for distribution it remains full of holes to be handled when it is needed for play. However, I've used it now for a year and it runs perfectly well for enough of the time for play to be fun. But anyone who plays it needs to be aware that the rules are a work in progress.

I have some playbooks that are available, like Inquisitor, Trooper, Psyker, Ship's Master, Commander and Death Dancer,  and some that I can finish if anyone wants them, like Hierophant, Ruler and Acolyte. I guess I could drum up something more if anyone would be particularly interested in something else that would fit, like Pilot or Scum Boss or something.

So, if anyone would be interested in this, I'd be super happy. Otherwise, as I said, I could very well run a game of vanilla Apocalypse World.

So. Any takers? :)

(EDIT: New links.)
« Last Edit: May 20, 2012, 05:36:02 PM by Simon JB »

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2012, 04:02:13 PM »
Might just be me (haven't used Google drive before), but, as you suspected, the links don't seem to work, both just link me to a 'try Google drive' page.

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2012, 04:08:28 PM »
Okay, thanks for letting me know! I'll fix it as soon as I can!

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2012, 05:37:49 PM »
There! The links should work now!

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2012, 05:43:45 PM »
Yup, working.

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #5 on: May 21, 2012, 05:51:04 AM »
Im in!

Im new to ApW, and have only MCed 2 sessions so far. But Im an old hat RPGer anf hva played many a campaign of Dark Heresy :)

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2012, 12:55:05 PM »
I'd be interested in this. I'm new to AW, I've read the rules but never played and would love to try it out.

I also love 40k so I'd enjoy playing either straight AW or Dark Galaxy, whichever you'd prefer.

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2012, 05:50:22 PM »
Hey, that's great, you two. I'm quite confident both in MCing in general and in this form of PbP in particular, so I'm sure you will be in good hands. :) 

One thing might be good to point out about this hack. Dark Galaxy is inspired by 40K, but it is not 40K. So that means there is no given canon from that universe and its lore. The only canon is what is stipulated in the rules and the playbooks we use, and what is stated on-screen in our particular game. All right with that? 

So, if you look at my playbooks, does anything draw your eyes? I suggest we start some loose talk about what you will play here in this thread until we know if anyone else wants to join in. That cool?

We will run the actual game in a google doc, in two-column tables, with in-fiction talk on the left and game table talk on the right. Each player will pick a color for their text, and I will write in black. I've done it this way a lot now and it works really well. Ok?

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #8 on: May 21, 2012, 06:51:11 PM »
Sounds cool to me - all the more fun to build a world, and it's not like 40k has much solid canon to build on! Probably better to start fresh.

I like the look of the Ship's Master, myself. That looks like fun! I'm thinking of a young character, someone who recently inherited command of a great ship and adjusting to the power and responsibility.

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #9 on: May 21, 2012, 07:05:11 PM »
Something that I think might be useful to state would be how much posting you would want per week.

Reason is, I was in a PbP (a 40k one, actually) that ended a couple of months back.  Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but it was also totally dominating over everything else I was up to, and I (and possibly others) don't want to get into that kind of situation again.

And additionally, I would quibble one thing: by my reading of the rules (which could be wrong), it's impossible to have twisted +3, as that means you're at 12.00 on the corruption clock and instant death/npc-hood.  (I'm assuming the relationship is correlative, rather than inverse, but I don't remember seeing it spelled out anywhere.)  This has the effect of not only making twisted-centric characters (such as, most notably, psychers) mechanically weaker, but also, they easily gain corruption, which makes them incredibly short lived as they need to take mutations/debilities pretty much every time.  Not to mention the 7-9 results on twisted rolls often have some pretty nasty stuff happening.

Don't get me wrong, there are some interesting ideas there, but unless I'm missing something, twisted seems like it could do with more work.

But that's just my opinion, of course.

Edit: also, Chaomancer: 40k has a *ludicrous* amount of canon.  I've played in a 40k game before (not the one mentioned above) with some guys who knew their stuff (I don't, I'm just familiar with the tabletop armies) and they were dropping references, histories, you name it, very regularly.  I think it's all in the novels.

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #10 on: May 22, 2012, 02:47:58 AM »
Perhaps a Mystic Warrior, then. They read a bit like a Jedi knight, but suitably 40k-ed up it needs big pauldrons and skulls :)

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #11 on: May 22, 2012, 02:53:10 AM »
I've played and run PbP games before, and I like it very well. Your method sounds fine to me.

I'd like posts about once a day, as I find I lose interest if many days pass between turns. Anything more than that will probably not work over time.

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #12 on: May 22, 2012, 03:20:19 AM »
Once a day sounds good to me, too.


Edit: also, Chaomancer: 40k has a *ludicrous* amount of canon.  I've played in a 40k game before (not the one mentioned above) with some guys who knew their stuff (I don't, I'm just familiar with the tabletop armies) and they were dropping references, histories, you name it, very regularly.  I think it's all in the novels.

Heh, yes, there is a lot - but much of it contradicts itself. Different novels can say very different things! Do tech-priests actually have mystic power? What is the place of abhumans in the Empire? Just how tough are space marines?

I find that 40k fans can have huge disagreements on what is 40k, with neither side being right or wrong. That's what I meant by it not having much solid canon.
« Last Edit: May 22, 2012, 09:10:47 AM by Chaomancer »

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #13 on: May 22, 2012, 10:32:13 AM »
Right, let's see. Twisted is -2 when Corruption is at zero, and +3 when it's at eleven o'clock. I see it's a bit unclear, I'll straighten it out where I can. 

The twisted moves that most carry the risk of increasing corruption are the super-powerful specials, where you basically trade an automatic victory for guaranteed corruption. It will most likely be a very big thing when those are used, and the trade off is the player's choice. Actually, the idea is that corruption mostly always is the player's choice. Except, of course, when the MC makes a really hard move to that effect. :)

The Psyker, whose shtick it is to have and use high twisted, also has the option of taking harm instead of corruption. 

I would like the pace of play to be a bit fluid. My work schedule is very different from week to week, so there will be periods where I can't make once a day, because all my creative energy is taken up by my work. But most of the time I check my games constantly on my phone, so at times when more of us can do that play should be able to advance a good bit in a single day. At least now and then. 

Important is that we play when we can, are cool when the others can't for a while, and make an effort when it's been too long. That said, I guess once a day is a good overall pace. 

Another thing that I would like is that we write as little as possible on each line. It might sound strange, but in my experience it is a good thing to keep in check the impulse to create a lot of things and do a lot of things each time you sit down to do your playing for the day. It's better to describe an action or answer a question too briefly and be prompted for more than to write in monologues.   Much like when you play around a table. It makes play more communal and fun, and at the same time much less costly when it comes to time and energy. (This is maybe unnecessary to point out, but it has often taken some time getting used to, so I'm just mentioning it.)

Chao, the Ship's Master would be awesome. I've only had one in play for a single session, so I'd be super happy to see what happens with it over time!

The mystic warrior would be cool. As you can see, it's written to take the color closer to Star Wars than to 40K, with altered instead of twisted, and the Beyond instead of the Warp. How do y'all feel about that? I'd like to unify that in one direction or the other. Also, I'll write it a kicker special and a corruption special. 

Soylent, if you'd be in, what would you like to play?

Re: Anyone up for a PbP game?
« Reply #14 on: May 22, 2012, 11:03:16 AM »
If I were in (and while I am leaning - aw, screw it, I'm in.  Why not, right?) I'm considering between Death Dancer and Commander, currently leaning towards Commander (presumably of the on-ship security force if we have a Ship's Master).

[Re: twisted, yeah, I just forgot to factor in zero corruption into my calcs.  My bad.]

As for colour, depends what colour hats you want us to be wearing.  40k is light black hats vs dark black hats, Star Wars is white hats vs black hats (IMO, anyway).  Also, in SW, no-one aside from force users have to worry about corruption, while in 40k, everyone does.    40k would seem to be more consistent with everything else in the playbooks, but I'm convincable either way.