Single Playbook Hacks?

Playbooks are awesome. Niche protection is great. I'm curious if there are any examples of single playbook hacks, however.

I'm trying to wrap my head around hacking Unknown Armies. For those of you who are unfamiliar, it's a horror game about obsession. All PCs have an Obsession. As long as 2 PCs don't have the exact same obsession, I feel like a single playbook (The Obsessed) would be all the niche protection you need as the unique nature of an obsession would make each playbook unique in execution. Someone obsessed with Guns would play out differently than someone obsessed with Observing, let's say.

So yes, any examples of single playbook hacks?

Supernals in general, and the Amber sub-hack in particular, is shaping up to be a single playbook hack. That said, there are some character advances for an Amber character that may be invalid once play begins, depending on the starting advances chosen.

Charles

I don't know UA, so can't directly comment on it, but I can see one way for a single playbook system to work.

One way to structure something like this could be through sub-playbooks. So you have a single core playbook, but then you choose one or more sub-playbooks, perhaps 'unlocking' more during play. For Amber you might have a sorcery sub-playbook, a Pattern powers sub-playbook, a Logres sub-playbook, etc. I suppose this would be similar to modular playbooks.

Simon Hibbs

I think the point of a playbook is that it say, hey, here are some limited choices that support a specific archetype.  You've got moves, sure, but also look, gear, advancement, maybe a sex move kind of thing, maybe even names.

If you just have one playbook ... I'm not sure that it's a playbook?  Isn't it just "character creation"?

If an Unknown Armies hack wouldn't benefit from specifically-themed sets of character options, niche protection, and etc, then just don't use playbooks.  You can still have a convenient one-sheet character sheet that includes all character creation information, but that's not an AW-style playbook, it's just good design.

If you just have one playbook ... I'm not sure that it's a playbook?  Isn't it just "character creation"?

This, combined with the previous suggestions and my own thought muddling is a little moment of clarity. You're absolutely right. A simple character creation that skews to building around a concept to be obsessed about in flavor supported by slight mechanical advantages when pursuing said obsession in the Basic Moves. Spot on.

One way to structure something like this could be through sub-playbooks. So you have a single core playbook, but then you choose one or more sub-playbooks, perhaps 'unlocking' more during play.

This is exactly how I pictured character progression (mini playbooks, really only 2).

Thanks for the input, everyone. I'll get to writing and post something soon, hopefully!

Actually, my approach for powers in Amber is to have a single advance that grants a given power. All of the standard moves for a power are granted thereby. If you want to take your power to the next level, then take a custom advance. That advance will grant one or more custom moves that work with the power in question, the custom moves to be designed by you and the MC and whichever players are kibitzing at the time.

Charles

Charles, I took another look at the Supernals subforum and didn't see anything on advancement, so I'm a little unclear about your advancement scheme. Could you provide or an example to point me to the document that lists it out? I'd love to see your solution.

I have put up the basic sheet for character creation and advancement. If it is not clear how it works, then let me know and I'll clarify.

Awesome examples, Chris. Helps a lot!

Thanks guys.

You could take a look at my AW mutation ("Apocalypse: Emergence") in "the nerve core" forum. That uses a single "playbook" for all the characters, to be made as a group together, as you describe.