New Playbook: A Boy and His Dog

A Boy and His Dog
A Playbook for Apocalypse World

No matter where you go, you're always alone in this world.  Sure, there's other people, but they all have their own wants and needs and they're looking out for number one.  Not you.  You've got a true friend.  You've got a Dog.

Creating a Boy (and a Dog)

To create your Boy, choose name, look, stats, moves, Dog, gear, and Hx.

Name

Basset, Bull, Cal, Doberman, Dog Boy, Dog Girl, Dogmeat, Husky, Mutt, Pa, Rex, Scooter, Spots, Terry, Whisper

Look

Boy, Girl, Man, Woman, Ambiguous

Utility Wear, Casual Wear, Hunting Wear, Scrounge Wear, Ratty Luxe Wear

Chubby Face, Droopy Face, Kind Face, Strong Face, Weathered Face, Young Face

Curious Eyes, Bright Eyes, Inspiring Eyes, Quirky Eyes, Soulful Eyes, Tired Eyes

Compact Body, Healthy Body, Mid-Pubescent Body, Small Body, Husky Body

Stats

Choose one set:

Cool +1 Hard =0 Hot =0 Sharp +2 Weird =0
Cool +1 Hard =0 Hot +1 Sharp +2 Weird -1
Cool -1 Hard +1 Hot =0 Sharp +2 Weird +1
Cool =0 Hard +2 Hot -1 Sharp +2 Weird -1

Moves

You get these two:

Bond of Loyalty

When someone inflicts Harm on your Dog, you gain an equal amount of History with them.  When someone Heals your dog, you gain an equal amount of History with them.  If someone kills your Dog, they set their History with you to -3.

Tricks

When you tell your Dog to do a basic trick, roll + Sharp.  On a hit, it does it.  On a 10+, it does it really well, like without fussing or performing above expectations.

Additionally, pick 1:

Animal Lover

When you Read an Animal, roll + Sharp.  On a hit, you may ask them questions as if you had used the Read a Person move on them.

DON'T FUCK WITH MY DOG

When you and your Dog fight together, you count as a small gang.  Harm 3, armor according to the circumstances.

Get 'Em, Boy!

When you use your Dog to Go Aggro or Seize by Force, add +1 to your roll.  Increase the harm your Dog does by 1.

Tough Doggie

Your Dog gains +1 Armor

Dog

Name your Dog.  Take a name off your Playbook or another one.

Choose it's Strengths, up to 2.
Bloodhound, Clever, Fast, Fierce, Friendly, Healthy, Huge, Independent, Obedient, Small

Choose it's Looks, up to 2.
Compact, Huge, Mangy, Mutie, Mutty, Pretty, Sleek, Well-Bred

Choose a Weakness:
Filthy, Fickle, Horny, Lazy, Loud, Mean, Sickly, Slow

If your Dog attacks someone, it does 1-Harm.  Your Dog has no armor.  Your Dog has the full Harm countdown clock.

If your Dog dies, you can spend an advance to get a new one.

Gear

In addition to your Fashion (worth up to 1 Armor, at your discretion), you get a Nice Solid Weapon, and Oddments worth 3 Barter.

Nice Solid Weapons:

Enough Knives (2 harm hand infinite)
Hunting Rifle (2 harm far loud)
Machete (3 harm hand messy)
Magnum (3 harm close reload loud)
Sawed-Off Shotgun (3 harm close reload messy)
9mm (2 harm close loud)

Hx

Tell each other player -1.  You're closer to animals than people.  But if someone else has an animal (like a pet or something), tell them +1.  You get along with other animal people.

On everyone else's turn, listen to what they tell you, and choose one or both of the following:
*One of them went out of their way to be nice to your Dog.  Whatever number they tell you, add 1 to it.
*One of them was mean to your Dog.  Whatever number they tell you, ignore it, and write down -2.

For everyone else, take the number they tell you and give it -1.  You're closer to animals than people.

Improvement

_ +1 Cool (max +2)
_ +1 Hard (max +2)
_ +1 Sharp (max +3)
_ +1 Weird (max +2)
_ Get a second Dog.
_ Make up a new Trick your Dog can do with the Tricks move.
_ Make up a new Trick your Dog can do with the Tricks move.
_ Get a new Boy and his Dog move.
_ Get a new Boy and his Dog move.
_ Get a move from another playbook.
_ Get a move from another playbook.
_ Get 2 Gigs and Moonlighting.
_ Get a Gang and Pack Alpha.

The following Playbooks gain this as an advancement option: Chopper, Driver, Faceless, Gunlugger, Operator, and Skinner.
_ Gain a Dog and both Bond of Loyalty and Tricks.

Beat to the punch, DannyK!

I like it.  Tricks seems a little weak for a core Move, but it may just be because of how I'm interpreting the words "basic trick".  I feel like it should be more like...

Well Trained

When you tell your dog to perform a task or trick you've trained it to do, roll +Sharp.  On a 10+ it does it perfectly.  On a 7-9 it does it, but it might be slow, distracted, or half-assed about it.

Nice work, now I must really watch that movie so I can see how close of a match it is.  :)

I recall really not liking the movie but digging the short story quite a bit.

This is amazing.

I wish that Tricks were something else.

I really want to play this character.

If your Dog dies, you can spend an advance to get a new one.

Cold!

Suddenly I want moves like "Breeder" (Collector) and "My Other Dog Is A Wolf", now, too.

I haven't actually seen the movie.  I based this on my impression of the canine follower as apocalypse trope (and Dogmeat from Fallout, and to a lesser extent Dragon Age's Dog and Warhammer 3's Ratcatcher's Dog).

Yeah, Tricks are kind of bland as written.  Maybe it should be part of just having a Dog, and not a move in and of itself?

How about you make a list of the tricks that the dog can do? So, play dead, attack, run away, fetch, guard, find someone and so on. Or make a longer list, and you have to pick so many your dog can do?

Yeah, Tricks are kind of bland as written.  Maybe it should be part of just having a Dog, and not a move in and of itself?

Yeah, I think just build tricks into Dog, and then maybe make Get 'Em Boy a move that you automatically get.

I like this one bunches. And yes, Tricks needs a bit more clarity. I like the idea of choosing my Dog's Tricks. I'm glad to see the option of taking an improve and giving it to my Dog for a new trick, instead taking it myself.

I was talking about a playbook like this with Bret but didn't get it done.  I was thinking of making the boy-dog connection a little Weirder, so that the Tricks move (I called it "Get Help Lassie") worked like the leadership move for gangs, you rolled it and you could get the dog to do stuff, even things you'd never taught it, one trick per hold.  It sounds a little wacky but it's no weirder than a Savvyhead learning secrets from the toaster she just fixed. 

Also, I made up a Tracking move that allowed the boy and dog to track people they knew or whose possessions they had, or just generally sniff around for things, like water or gasoline.  Nobody else has anything like this without using the maelstrom, so it's interesting. 

Also, sex move?  I figure the lover gets to join the pack temporarily, so maybe they get a one-time only use of Tricks.

Other names: Snoop, K9, Wishbone

I really like the concept - the lone character and his loyal pet.  World's full of raiders, scum, and mutants, so who can you trust more than your best friend?

I was partially inspired by this concept to write the the Tribal Playbook (yeah, I'm advertisting.  Tell your friends).  I can see the Tribal getting a pet and Tricks as an advancement. 

I really like the idea of customizing the dog (like the Driver customizes his car, or the Hardholder his holding/gang).  But I think the Move:Tricks needs to be more like how Pack Alpha, Seize by Force, etc operates in that after rolling, the player can pick how well, and to what degree the canine functions. 
Example:

Tricks:  Give the dog a command.  Roll +Sharp.  10+ Pick all 5.  On a 7-9, pick 3.  On a fail, the dog does not, or cannot obey. 

--The Dog obeys the command immediately.
--The Dog is not harmed.
--The Dog is not confused or distracted.
--The Dog performs particularly well.
--The Dog performs happily. 

This way, with Tricks, the dog can hide equally well from the hungry raiders, attack the radscorpion, or track the kidnappers through the swamp. 

Also, I think all Playbooks need social Moves, or Moves that add to the world in some way; that create something in the world.  Also, what is the BaHD's niche in the world?  I'm not sure it's combat.  The Gunlugger and Battlebabe already do combat - that is their niche. So where does the Boy and His Dog fit into the world?

A social move, like: "Pet the Dog.  Roll +[whatever. Sharp?] when dealing with someone.  They'll stare into the loveable mutts eyes and as per the Skinner's Hypnotism. (maybe?)

Maybe a Move where the Boy can communicate with his Dog.  Telepathically, like in the case of Blood from the story: ABaHD?  Or if the dog's a mutie or cybernetic, then maybe it can speak?  If the dog's just a regular ol' dog, maybe it can simply communicate empathetically like fucking Lassie? ("What's that Dogmeat?  Mel fell into the well?")  And then, maybe - as per the loyalties of a dog, it can give you some good advice, granting the PC some +insight? ("Don't do it, Davie.")

Canine Sacrifice: The Dog can take a point of +harm for you or someone else in battle?  It follows the theme of loyalty.  After someone takes +harm, roll +sharp.  10+ the dog gets to them in time and the person takes no harm, while the dog takes half the harm (rounded down).  7-9 Subtract one harm from the total.  The dog, and the person divide the remaining harm between them.  Fail, both the dog and the person take the full harm, after armour. 

Trying to think of a Move that can change, or add to the world.
What do ppl think so far?  Hope it inspires.

How about making the Canine Sacrifice roll based on Hx? If it is about loyalty, your connection with the target should make a difference?

Regards,

Shane

Willow:

Really like the concept, and some of the stuff you've written. I've been getting a few ideas of my own, reading this, and would like to try my hand.  Would you mind if I wrote up a separate entry for ABaHD?