The Landfall Marine

AW2E: Landfall Marine

50 years ago, the enemies of humanity unleashed a psychic weapon that destroyed all hope for the future. Anticipating the attack and its outcome, a clandestine military project rushed to evacuate Earth. They built secret orbital stations and expanded the hidden Mars base into a functional colony. Their grandchildren - you - grew up dreaming of blue skies and blue seas that no longer exist.

Today, the mission to reclaim Earth begins.

The landfall marine has access to the most powerful weapon system in Apocalypse World, but is caught in a struggle between assimilation and the horrifying and violent mission to reclaim the world for their superiors. Warning: whichever way this plays out, if anybody’s playing a landfall marine, the reclamation mission will be an unignorable central feature of your game.

This is, yes, an update and adaptation of the 1st Ed Space Marine Mammal, except human. I think it worked out well. It brings to the forefront some of the more serious tensions in the playbook, that playing a dolphin didn't really showcase.

It also includes something new to Apocalypse World, which I find pretty exciting: an MC's guide to go along with the playbook, with rules, threats, and MC moves for creating the rest of the reclamation mission.

Hey, and all thanks to my very generous Patreon patrons. Without them, this release wouldn't have been possible. If you dig it, please consider signing up!

My Patreon

This looks awesome. Thanks Lumpley!

That's a totally fascinating new playbook (and supplements). I would love to see a game with a Landfall Marine *and* a Quarantine. There could be some very interesting dynamics at play there.

One question: I'm not at all sure where I might use the "when you cover ground" walkingsuit move. What's it for? Is it a specialized form of "act under fire", or supposed to describe the walkingsuit traveling at all times, or just for battles?

Thanks!

The walkingsuit moves basically parallel the paragraph above about baseline vs charged up. In baseline, your walkingsuit can walk at moderate speed, but to really cover ground - especially to sprint, leap, fly, or exert powerful physical force in motion - use the move.

In short: if walking there in no particular hurry is all you're doing, don't use the move. If you're in a hurry, or if there's another reason why you can't or don't want to just walk there, do use the move.

-Vincent

Really the only way this makes sense to play, IMO, is if all the other playbooks are cetaceans. Gunwhaler. Orcababe. Narwhal Skinner.

(Thanks, Vincent! Makes sense now. Maybe it needs a few expletives to hammer that point home...)

Brutal, lumpley, absolutely brutal. Let me see if I've got this straight: You get experience for abandoning the totally reasonable* and completely sane* missions, and nearly all your improvements are about adapting to life on the ground... Hmmm...

Say, is there a way to get back to the orbital platform? If you are adapted to ground-food, are the rations topside still edible?

If the Marine is in play, does that mean the Maelstrom is always a weapon? Like, 100% of the time and 100% accurate? Just checking.

Hey! I made a legal-size trifold version, here is a link