Playbook expansion: The Vatlord

The gods of the golden age made man in their image. But unlike them you don't
do stupid ass mistakes.

The Vatlord

When you add vats for growing people to your workspace and you have figured out
the formula for creating life, this is what you can do:

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When someone is incubating in the vat they will require daily care and nutritients
worth 1-barter per incubation period. An incubation period can be anything from a
week to several months, ask the MC. At the end of a period roll+weird to see
how the subject is faring.

On a 10+ you get to add a trait from the list or pick the subjects threat type. On a 7-9 the MC
will add a trait from the list. On a miss the subject has either died or escaped.

traits
intelligent
beautiful
fertile
compassionate
trusting
strong
dutiful
big
healthy
slight
child-like
wizened
weak
crippled
bloated
need lots of food
can't live outside vat
shuns daylight
stunted
blind
deaf
mute
sickly
male
female
hermaphrodite
stupid
clumsy
ugly
repulsive
fangs
claws
specific memories
disturbing memories
maelstrom sensitive
maelstrom numb
horny
fearless
predatory
hateful
ashamed
afraid
paranoid
aggressive
phlegmatic


When you decide it is time the subject is born from the vat. Unless you already
chose the MC will decide its threat type from the list below. Additionally roll+number
of traits to see if it will express any unexpected traits. On a 10+ nothing
unexpected. On a 7-9 the MC will pick one unexpected trait. On a miss the MC will
pick two unexpected traits. These traits may not manifest right away.

Threat type:
• Cannibal (impulse: craves satiety and plenty)
• Mutant (impulse: craves restitution, recompense)
• Pain addict (impulse: craves pain, its own or others’)
• Disease vector (impulse: craves contact, intimate and/or anonymous)
• Mindfucker (impulse: craves mastery)
• Perversion of birth (impulse: craves overthrow, chaos, the ruination of all)

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Some additional moves you get as the Vatlord:


I made you: You get +1 when rolling against those born of your vats.

Arborist: When the MC picks a trait during incubation you can choose to erase

it from the list permanently.

Botanist: You can add a new trait to the list if you have sperm or eggs from a person with that trait.

Looking for all sorts of feedback but specifically on the traits list, what is redundant/boring and what is missing? The point of the Vatlord isn't to make monsters but rather humans and then dealing with the fallout of that.

It would be interesting to have something that dealt with parenthood stuff. How a vat born's relationship with the vatlord turns out. Mother figure, separation anxiety, Oedipus complex, incestuous desires and so on.
Sort of how screwed up the vat born became by not having been born by actual human parents and how it project that on to the vatlord.

The point of the Vatlord isn't to make monsters but rather humans and then dealing with the fallout of that.

I think this is going to very challenging to convey using only the tools of the written moves. Just for example, having the Vatlord or MC choose a trait makes it seem like that trait should be the defining trait of the NPC in question, when in fact it would merely be one trait among many in a regularly-generated human being. The trait-choice feels more like a dramatic, player-level choice than an in-fiction choice. I mean it is obvious that if a person is smart, they might also be athletic or beautiful or hungry or whatever, and that any of these traits may be more or less definining to them.

Similarly, it seems pointless to try and make an exhaustive trait list; I would far rather see a much shorter list that has obvious gaps in it, so as to make it clear that these choices are not exhaustively determining the total composition of the person.

I think it is also strange to have players interacting directly with threat types, which are generally MC-side tools. Again it feels weirdly deterministic, to know a threat-type in advance of seeing the NPC interact with the world. Maybe that is the weirdness you are going for, though.

It would be interesting to have something that dealt with parenthood stuff. How a vat born's relationship with the vatlord turns out. Mother figure, separation anxiety, Oedipus complex, incestuous desires and so on.
Sort of how screwed up the vat born became by not having been born by actual human parents and how it project that on to the vatlord.

I was gonna let that be a big and hopefully fruitful void :)

I think this is going to very challenging to convey using only the tools of the written moves. Just for example, having the Vatlord or MC choose a trait makes it seem like that trait should be the defining trait of the NPC in question, when in fact it would merely be one trait among many in a regularly-generated human being. The trait-choice feels more like a dramatic, player-level choice than an in-fiction choice. I mean it is obvious that if a person is smart, they might also be athletic or beautiful or hungry or whatever, and that any of these traits may be more or less definining to them.

Similarly, it seems pointless to try and make an exhaustive trait list; I would far rather see a much shorter list that has obvious gaps in it, so as to make it clear that these choices are not exhaustively determining the total composition of the person.

I think it is also strange to have players interacting directly with threat types, which are generally MC-side tools. Again it feels weirdly deterministic, to know a threat-type in advance of seeing the NPC interact with the world. Maybe that is the weirdness you are going for, though.

Yes a shorter list sounds good, maybe as a skeleton to point out what sort of stuff the Vatlord can take from other people?

I think the threat type thing needs to be playtested, I mostly MC so I might be so used to dealing with them I don't think it's strange. The players get to deal with ally types directly later on in the game so this kind of stuff isn't 100% against the obfuscation principle.

Alright so here is the new deal:

Botanist: When you add a piece of somebody to your life-formula you and the MC each get to add one of their traits to your trait bank.

The Vatlord has extracted some of Rolfball's blood and purifies the sample. The player adds Rolfball's cunning to the trait bank. The MC adds Rolfball's fucked up sense of justice to the trait bank.

The Vatlord has extracted some of Dremmer's sperm and purifies the sample. The player adds Dremmer's likeness to the trait bank. The MC adds Dremmer's hatred of weird unnatural shit to the trait bank.

The Vatlord has extracted some of Jojo's flesh and purifies the sample. The player adds Jojo's intelligence to the trait bank. The other players say that's pretty lame, be more specific! After a bit of discussion Jojo's booksmarts are added to the trait bank. The MC adds Jojos's ugliness to the trait bank but the players protest again. After another discussion Jojo's fucked up teeth are added.

The default trait bank:

crippled
insane
vat dependent
sickly
predatory

Now the Vatlord must go around collecting samples and the Vatborn will have an uncanny likeness to established characters.

The default trait bank:

crippled
insane
vat dependent
sickly
predatory

Now the Vatlord must go around collecting samples and the Vatborn will have an uncanny likeness to established characters.

Genius!

It's a neat idea. Metaphysically/ethically disastrous in terms of its setting implications, but definitely more fun to play that way.

1) I have no idea wtf that picture is supposed to be.

2) Getting +1 from I Made You is booooring. I think this would be much more exciting: At any point, you can declare that a creature made in your vat has a weakness, and what it is. One weakness per creature.

3) The revised trait bank list and botanist move are good, although "crippled" and especially "insane" are a bit vague. I mean, you have players protesting against this vagueness in your example.

4) Have you read Vance's The Dying Earth?

Anyway, I like this. I should put something like it in World of Algol, it would make Blair happy.

1) I have no idea wtf that picture is supposed to be.

2) Getting +1 from I Made You is booooring. I think this would be much more exciting: At any point, you can declare that a creature made in your vat has a weakness, and what it is. One weakness per creature.

3) The revised trait bank list and botanist move are good, although "crippled" and especially "insane" are a bit vague. I mean, you have players protesting against this vagueness in your example.

4) Have you read Vance's The Dying Earth?

Anyway, I like this. I should put something like it in World of Algol, it would make Blair happy.

1. A guy in a mask putting a jar of stuff into a vat.

2. Your move is cool although I'd like to catch the awe of the creature rather than the knowledge edge of the Vatlord. I hope I get to playtest this though.

3. trait bank:

vat dependent
sickly
predatory
paraplegic
mute
open brain

4. At first I wrote this as a complete playbook and the names were: Turjan, Pandelume, Shelley, Saturn, Blain, Vic, Aya, Leto, Kali, Tubs, Brahma, West, Herbert, Dolly, Ian, Hermes, Mary, Wei, Boyle, Flamel, Papal, Croll

2. What do you mean by "catch the awe of the creature"? Like: When you announce you are the creature's creator, it will cower before you in awe? Or like: When you exert your will over one of your creations, it must obey you, flee, or rebel, and if it rebels, you get +1 ongoing until you defeat it or it manages to escape (?)

3. So would you say that T'sais is "predatory"?
(It feels a bit euphemistic-y to me, I would go with "hostile" for a general word or straight-up "hates life" for her specifically.)

The list you've got right now is pretty good, but I'm wondering if something like this would also be interesting and have some extra replay value:

Before you begin playing, write a specific trait next to each of the general weaknesses. You or the MC can add this trait to a vat-creature you make:
crippled: _________
dependent: _________
hostile: _________
psychic: _________
uncommunicative: ________
weak: _________

And then each time somebody plays a vatlord, they will have a different starting list, and more specific traits to add to their creations. Might be too complicated, though, especially considering part of the fun is collecting traits from other characters.

2. What do you mean by "catch the awe of the creature"? Like: When you announce you are the creature's creator, it will cower before you in awe? Or like: When you exert your will over one of your creations, it must obey you, flee, or rebel, and if it rebels, you get +1 ongoing until you defeat it or it manages to escape (?)

3. So would you say that T'sais is "predatory"?
(It feels a bit euphemistic-y to me, I would go with "hostile" for a general word or straight-up "hates life" for her specifically.)

The list you've got right now is pretty good, but I'm wondering if something like this would also be interesting and have some extra replay value:

Before you begin playing, write a specific trait next to each of the general weaknesses. You or the MC can add this trait to a vat-creature you make:
crippled: _________
dependent: _________
hostile: _________
psychic: _________
uncommunicative: ________
weak: _________

And then each time somebody plays a vatlord, they will have a different starting list, and more specific traits to add to their creations. Might be too complicated, though, especially considering part of the fun is collecting traits from other characters.

2. Basically I want to explore how the player handles the creatorhood. Do they consider their creations children, slaves, equals? If they try to control their creations do they do so by seduction, threats, manipulation or something else? With your move the reaction would be up to the creation and the MC would have to spend brain resources coming up with a personality and stuff, with normal moves a personality will snowball forth. With the simple +1 they can do whatever they like but they'll still do it better than anyone else. Can you come up with a way to do that? If the move is too ugly just not having it might be better.

3. She is a perversion of birth (impulse: craves overthrow, chaos, the ruination of all). Her vat traits would probably be beauty and insanity or maybe swordsmanship. A predator wants to victimize someone, might be skirting threat impulse but I've seen plenty of innocent grotesques.

Interesting thought but I love how AW-lists are limited, the only blanks I remember are for filling in the names of people.

Ah, yeah, I can see your thought process a lot better now.

I suppose with choosing a threat impulse in particular, "insane" might not actually be such a bad choice to have on the list. Or even "flawed," although that might depend on how well the rest of the material/playbook/expansion puts the players in the right mindset.

Usually, I think of +1s that don't influence behaviour towards the game's agenda as being rather useless (in game-design terms), but I can see how it would make the Vatlord player feel superior to their creations, thus posing the question "if you are so superior to these people, how do you treat them?" Hm. I'd be interested to see how it worked in actual play, anyway, but yeah, that could work.