Can't Go Home Again- Sci-Fi Hack

I'm working on a hack, inspired, as others have been, by BSG.  However, I'm aiming for a somewhat broader scope, hoping not to emulate just BSG but others sci-fi works in a similar genre, such as Macross.  I'm looking for any sort of feedback, and will keep this thread updated when I make major updates.

Main Doc
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-ZL22mEZoK7dA2vCY3bGgfj81DxlpS-dayHMTLiEGlU/edit?usp=sharing
Playbooks
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rAW4UzxW9qnnNhdMzKW43z57jSEMa12EO2VntQlQssE/edit?usp=sharing

At the moment, the main area that I'd appreciate some feedback with is the damage system.  Right now, there are four distinct damage types, representing the various kinds of harm that the characters might encounter: bodily harm, exhaustion, emotional trauma, and equipment damage.  I'm worried that this might be too complicated for a PbtA game, but I'm hoping that it isn't.  Mostly because I think Blood, Sweat, and Tears are great names for damage types, but also because I want to mechanize the different kinds of unpleasantness in the world.

I've also hit a bit of a brick wall in terms of moves for the archetypes, so any ideas floated that direction would be just great.

There's definitely a lot more stuff to go, and I'll be keeping the keeping the To Do list updated as I Do It.

Multiple harm types can definitely work.  Another example can be found in "Panem et Circenses" by neonchameleon:
http://apocalypse-world.com/forums/index.php?topic=6778.0

Multiple harm types can definitely work.  Another example can be found in "Panem et Circenses" by neonchameleon:
http://apocalypse-world.com/forums/index.php?topic=6778.0

Sweet, I will take a look at it.

It's good that you're going beyond emulation! What you want to do in this case is strip BSG down to its most basic elements and abstract them, make them nonspecific. And that's what you're doing! You've got the Enemy - include a Worldship, emphasise scarcity, emphasise politics (Resulting from scarcity), emphasise flight from an old world whose spirit remains with the people and is invoked for all kinds of purposes - to produce a sense of home, to advance a political agenda, to have something to return to one day or something that is irrevocably gone.

Another quick suggestion - mandate two Fronts running at all times - one internal, relating to scarcity or political conflict, one external, relating to the Enemy.

Regarding the Agenda: The Agenda is just the stuff the MC is supposed to have in mind at all times when MCing. You can be more specific than "Make the characters' lives not boring." if you like, and I would. I like "Build towards a resolution" - how is that expressed in play? Would "Build towards a climax" be better? Consider modelling the game's storytelling structure on TV - seasons, arcs, episodes.

Regarding principles:

Create interesting dilemmas, not interesting plots (I like it! Could do with some rephrasing but the idea is solid.)
Everyone can die, but movements can endure. (I'd say "People die, movements endure" - shorter, more evocative.)
Name everyone, make everyone human. (How does this relate to the principle above? It feels like a dogma carried over from Apocalypse World, where it was a principle because the game's communities were small and . Consider the potential of including a generic faceless mass in your game. Maybe rather than naming everyone, say "Everyone has a faction" or something like that.)
Ask provocative questions and build on the answers (I like it! This should be part of every PBTA game)
Respond with challenging circumstances and occasional rewards. (This feels like a missed opportunity to emphasise scarcity - "Respond with challenging circumstances and inadequate rewards"?)
Leave the world that was lost to the players. (Not clear what this means - "Remind them of the world that was lost"? "Show traces of the world that was lost"?)
Unveil mysteries in their due course. (I feel like this would be better built into a Front mechanic)
Let the players fill in the gaps. (Covered by "Ask provocative questions and build on the answers".)
What has happened, is true. (What does this mean? It seems obvious - do you mean something like "What is done cannot be undone"?

Sprinkle evocative details everywhere (Why wouldn't you already do this?)
Make the world seem real (Why would you need to do this? It's a story! Be more specific than "real".)
Build a bigger world through play (Unclear what this means, probably covered by "Ask provocative questions and build on the answers.")
Address yourself to the characters, not the players (Generic, cool. Wherever you find a generic principle, justify it to yourself - don't just paste it from one game to another.)
Make your move, but misdirect (Generic, cool)
Make your move, but never speak its name (Generic, cool)
Think offscreen, too (Generic, cool)
Be a fan of the players’ characters (Generic, cool)

I'm glad you like the concept, and running multiple Fronts simultaneously is definitely something I see as being integral.  There is a lot more separation between the fighty types and the non-fighty types, so even just for the sake of having everyone have something to do, having multiple kinds of fronts active at once will be necessary.

Most of my principles and agendas have their language taken directly from Simple World.  I think it's really good language to use though!  Once I've gotten further in, I'll probably make another pass on formulating my own language, adding or subtracting as necessary to get down to the core experience.  Even at this phase, though, I've written some of the principles and agendas in my own language, so I can address those personally.

I like "Build towards a resolution" - how is that expressed in play? Would "Build towards a climax" be better? Consider modelling the game's storytelling structure on TV - seasons, arcs, episodes.

This is going to wind up with a whole section, probably in the next revision because it's been eating at me for a while.  The core of the idea is that most long-term games I've been a part of have no idea when to end things.  And so, I'd like to include elements of play, and remind the MC, that everything is building to the end of the game, which I'm terming the resolution, but climax could be better.  But on the other hand, an explosive climax is relatively easy.  A satisfying denouement is hard.

Everyone can die, but movements can endure. (I'd say "People die, movements endure" - shorter, more evocative.)

I'd like your language there, I might just swipe it.

Leave the world that was lost to the players. (Not clear what this means - "Remind them of the world that was lost"? "Show traces of the world that was lost"?)

Unveil mysteries in their due course. (I feel like this would be better built into a Front mechanic)

Here, I'm mostly talking about where the decision making ability lies.  I want to leave the little details of the world, before things went bad, in the hands of the players, while leaving the larger mysteries, not all of which are hostile, in the hands of the MC.

What has happened, is true. (What does this mean? It seems obvious - do you mean something like "What is done cannot be undone"?

This is basically my way of saying be honest to precedent.  Events that have occurred previously in play should be honored and maintained moving forward with the story, and should inform future events.