custom playbook: Swapper

Just looking for feedback, I guess!

(also, if anybody has a better name than Swapper, let it be known... please?)

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introducing
THE SWAPPER
In Apocalypse World, the supermarkets are fallen. The department stores are stripped clean, the warehouses emptied, the factories gunned and shelled and burned.

In Apocalypse World, everybody wants a piece of what's left. Shame there isn't much to go around, but them's the breaks.

NAME
Marx, Fan, Standard, Keynes, Malthouse, Smith, Locke, Rockefeller, Corp Rit, or Margin.

Antoinette, Septer, Shaka, Chin She, Papal, Louis, Feudal, or Coronation.

LOOK
Man, woman, or concealed.

Luxe wear, display wear, casual wear, utility wear, or vintage wear.

Angular face, pudgy face, scarred face, handsome face, crooked face, round face, or guarded face.

Appraising eyes, shifty eyes, trusting eyes, guarded eyes, beady eyes, or cold eyes.

Fat body, full body, lanky body, twisted body, little body, long body, or hidden body.

STATS
Choose one set:
• Cool+1 Hard-1 Hot+1 Sharp+3 Weird-1
• Cool-1 Hard=0 Hot+1 Sharp+3 Weird=0
• Cool+1 Hard-2 Hot=0 Sharp+3 Weird+1
• Cool+2 Hard-1 Hot-1 Sharp+3 Weird=0

BASIC MOVES
You get all the basic moves (p72–74).

SWAPPER MOVES
You get this one:

Lassie fare: at the beginning of the session, roll+barter spent (max +3). On a 10+, you get your spent barter back, plus that much barter again (if you spent 0-b, then you get 1-b). On a 7-9, you get your spent barter back plus 1-b, and somebody wants a favor, a promise, or a hookup. On a miss, you get none of it back, and you start the session in a sticky situation that needs to be dealt with.

Then choose one:

I know what you need: when you manipulate somebody, roll+sharp instead of roll+hot.

Marketeer: when you go into a holding's bustling market, if you roll 7-9, you choose one instead of the MC. If you miss, you just can't find it, nothing bad happens.

Spread the wealth: when you give 1-barter to a PC with strings attached, you gain +1Hx with them.

Connections: whenever you roll for a barter move not from this playbook, add +1 to that roll.

Ear to the ground: you can ask your contacts for advice to gain the benefits of insight.

Trading partners: when you help or interfere with someone, if you've given them barter in the past, take +1 forward.

GEAR
You get:
• 1 handy little weapon
• oddments worth 3-barter
• fashion suitable to your look (you detail)

Handy little weapons (choose 1):
• .38 revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
• 9mm (2-harm close loud)
• big knife (2-harm hand)
• sleeve pistol (2-harm close reload loud)
• a club, like a baseball bat or crowbar (2-harm hand messy)

CONTACTS
Your contacts, you should have at least three of them, can consist entirely of the other players’ characters, with their agreement, or entirely of NPCs, or any mix. If it includes any NPCs, sketch them out - names and 1-line descriptions - with the MC. Then, answer these questions:
Out of your contacts, who...
• owes you big?
• do you owe big?
• wants in on your trade?

HX
Everyone introduces their characters by name, look and outlook. Take your turn.

List the other characters’ names.

Go around again for Hx. On your turn:
• Tell everyone Hx+1. You're up front about what you want and need.

On the others’ turns, choose 1 or both:
• One of them, you've been supplying person for ages. Whatever number they tell you, ignore it - write down Hx+3 instead.
• One of them burned you on a deal once. Whatever number they tell you, give it -1 and write it next to their character's name.
Everyone else, whatever number they tell you, give it +1 and write it next to their character’s name. You make it your business to know how the people around you work.

At the end, find the character with the highest Hx on your sheet. Ask that player which of your stats is most interesting, and highlight it. The MC will have you highlight a second stat too.

SWAPPER SPECIAL
If you and another character have sex, they can give you gifts worth 1-b, at no cost to them.

SWAPPER IMPROVEMENT
Whenever you roll a highlighted stat, and whenever you reset your Hx with someone, mark an experience circle. When you mark the 5th, improve and erase.

Each time you improve, choose one of the following. Check it off; you can’t choose it again.
__ get +1hard (max hard+2)
__ get +1hot (max hot+2)
__ get +1weird (max weird+2)
__ get a new swapper move
__ get a new swapper move
__ add a new contact
__ get 2 gigs (detail) and moonlighting
__ get a workspace (detail) and crew
__ get a move from another playbook
__ get a move from another playbook

BARTER
If you’re charging someone wealthy for your services, 1-barter is the going rate for: one good deal brokered; one high-quality or rare item obtained for them.1-barter will cover a month’s living expenses, if your tastes aren’t too grand. As a one-time expenditure, and very subject to availability, 1-barter might count for: restoration of a damaged or neglected vehicle to working order, a month’s maintenance of a hi-performance vehicle well-used but not damaged; a night in high luxury & company; any weapon, gear or fashion not valuable or hi-tech; repair of a piece of hi-tech gear by a savvyhead; a week’s hire of the protective companionship of a battlebabe or gunlugger; a year’s tribute to a warlord; bribes, fees and gifts sufficient to get you into almost anyone’s presence.

For better stuff, you should expect to make particular arrangements. You can’t just wander around the commons of some hardhold with oddments ajangle and expect to find hi-tech or luxe eternal.

Wow, holy cow this is really similar to the playbook I cooked up last night! There's a lot of major differences, but we both went for a high sharp character, and we both came up with "roll+sharp to manipulate someone", and they're both oriented around finding stuff for people. Craziness.

I think yours is both more original and interesting, though :)

Some feedback - I love the idea of a barter-focused playbook. I think this could use some work, though.

The stats are a bit off the charts. I'd consider bringing the +3 Sharp down to +2 to be more in line with the other playbooks and balance the stats according.

The Laissez-Faire move is neat too, but maybe give it its own stat like the Hocus and Hardholder have. Make it +biz or something to represent your operations and have it give you barter/gear. I like the sticky situation on a miss - having things stolen or getting held up or having a warlord demand that you acquire something for her.

I know what you need is perfect.

Marketeer is a good idea, something that lets you tap into the bustling market, but I don't like it negating the consequences of a miss. Maybe have something where on a 10+ it costs 1-barter less than you expect (to a minimum of 1-barter).

Spread the Wealth is perfect I think.

Connections would work just as well as a generic +1 for barter moves I think, otherwise you'd never want it until after you've picked up your two moves from other playbooks.

Trading partners is cool too.

Another I'd consider:

I have just the thing! When you need a specific piece of gear, roll +biz. On a 10+ you have it in your stock! On a 7-9, you have it but MC choose 1:
- you were relying on it for trade. Pay its regular cost in barter.
- it's non-functional. You're gonna need to get it repaired.
- it's dulled or cracked. If it's a weapon it does -1 harm, if it's armor it's -1-armor.
On a miss you just sold it to Rolfball.

And just to be clear I love this idea. I'm miffed I didn't think of it since I love playing merchant characters.

Bret - thanks! This playbook needs some picking apart, imo

Some comments on your comments:

Lassie fare and contacts were originally going to be something like a Hocus and her cult, what you suggested. I should try again to make that work so it can sit side-by-side with the current version for comparison.

Stats-wise: I'm not sure! Given this recent post by Vincent about the stats, I actually think I fell short. My original intention was to mimic the Battlebabe in some way, stats-wise, and I did, but without really understanding what was going on there. Now that I see it, I realize that the setup above has a stat array balance similar to the Driver, and a move structure like the Battlebabe's: three moves, one of which is always "+1 sharp".

I tried and tried to come up with something like I have just the thing!, but I kept falling flat.

Connections is a tricky one! I think I'd definitely have to change Lassie fare if Connections was a bonus to barter moves, since Lassie fare is, as it stands, a barter move.

The thing is the Battlebabe has those stats because she has a very high Cool which is not used that often. Swapper has a very high Sharp so it should be more in line with all the other characters since Sharp is used more often than Cool.

Perhaps Connections could be used to "know a guy."  Kind of like Circles in Burning Wheel. If you're looking for help with something, 10+ will give you someone who can help that owes you. 7-9 will give you someone but they won't do it for nothing. A miss finds someone that you ripped off or owe money to.

This is a good idea but it need to be refined.

First, your stat list are way off. But that's been said.

Second, I think having a roll that's basically gambling isn't really great or grabby or really what the moves are for. IMHO, give the Swapper a Market like the Maestro D' Establishment, except that it's not drugs, dancers and entertainment; it's gasoline, tomatoes and slaves.

All we need is a clever mechanic to represent this and a couple of Moves to fill it out. They should always serve complicate the fiction.

Okay, I've incorporated a lot of suggestions--notably, changed the stats, the improvement battery, and overhauled the session move. Here's the stuff that changed:



STATS
Choose one set:
• Cool+1 Hard-1 Hot+1 Sharp+2 Weird=0
• Cool=0 Hard=0 Hot+1 Sharp+2 Weird=0
• Cool+1 Hard-1 Hot=0 Sharp+2 Weird+1
• Cool+2 Hard=0 Hot-1 Sharp+2 Weird-1

BUSINESS
By default, your business has an okay reputation and a pretty good selection, but no particular roots (biz+1 surplus: 3-barter want:1-barter).
Choose 2:
• You’ve made a name for yourself. +1 biz.
• You’ve got people throwing business your way. +1 biz.
• You’ve got some special things that nobody around here does. Surplus: +1-barter.
• You’re always well-stocked. Surplus: +1-barter.
• You’ve got a little something socked away in case things go sour. Want: +1-barter.
• People owe you some favors. Want: +insight.
Then choose 1:
• Your name is mud in a lot of places. -1 biz.
• You’ve got a lot of crap and scrap. Surplus: -1-barter.
• Your deliveries can’t always keep up with demand. Want: -1-barter.
You also get to detail your business. Pick two things that you almost always have in stock:
• food and water         • vintage stuff
• raw materials         • luxe wear
• technologica         • live animals
• arms            • armor   
And detail, with the MC, two or more NPCs with an interest in your business.
• Who wants in?
• Who owes you big?
• Who do you owe big?

SWAPPER MOVES
You get this one:

Lassie fare: at the beginning of the session, roll+biz. On a hit, you’re in surplus. On a 7-9, somebody wants a favor, a promise, or a hookup. On a miss, you’re in want, and you start the session in a sticky situation that needs to be dealt with right now.

Then choose one:

I know what you need: when you manipulate somebody, roll+sharp instead of roll+hot.

Spread the wealth: when you give 1-barter to a PC with strings attached, you gain +1Hx with them.

Marketeer: when you go into a holding's bustling market, if you roll 10+, whatever you’re looking for is not only available, it costs 1-b less than you would expect. If you roll 7-9, you choose one instead of the MC.

Connections: whenever you roll+barter spent, add +1 to that roll.

Trading partners: when you help or interfere with someone, if you've given them barter in the past, take +1 forward.

I have just the thing!: When you check your stock for a specific piece of gear, roll+biz. On a 10+ you find just what you’re looking for.  On a 7-9, you have it, but the MC will tell you 1:
• you were relying on it for trade. Pay its regular cost in barter.
• it's non-functional. You're gonna need to get it repaired.
• it's dulled, cracked, or rusty. If it's a weapon it does -1 harm, if it's armor it's -1-armor.
On a miss, you used to have one, but you just sold it to some guy.

SWAPPER IMPROVEMENT
Whenever you roll a highlighted stat, and whenever you reset your Hx with someone, mark an experience circle. When you mark the 5th, improve and erase.

Each time you improve, choose one of the following. Check it off; you can’t choose it again.
__ get +1hard (max hard+2)
__ get +1hot (max hot+2)
__ get +1weird (max weird+2)
__ get +1sharp (max sharp+3)
__ get a new swapper move
__ get a new swapper move
__ choose a new option for your business
__ erase an option from your business
__ get a workspace (detail) and crew
__ get a move from another playbook
__ get a move from another playbook


Thoughts:
- with the right setup, right now the player could get +3 biz. Is that a big deal?
- I erased the improvement option to get Moonlighting. Does anyone think that I should have erased the "get a workspace" improvement instead?
- the barter payoffs for Lassie fare are maybe high, I don't know. I wanted to make sure that no matter what, the player would always have some barter to play with unless they made a specific decision to remove that.

Surplus: 3-barter want: 1-barter makes me very happy.

So does want: +insight! This is really fun stuff.

Using biz for more moves than just the one makes me very happy too. I don't think that biz+3 is a problem, if that's what somebody wants.

For improvement, did you consider a gang for security, with leadership?

-Vincent

This is my rewrite, I changed a few things, incorporated the idea floating around.

The Capital

STATS
Choose one set:
• Cool+1 Hard-1 Hot+1 Sharp+2 Weird=0
• Cool=0 Hard=0 Hot+1 Sharp+2 Weird=0
• Cool+1 Hard-1 Hot=0 Sharp+2 Weird+1
• Cool+2 Hard=0 Hot-1 Sharp+2 Weird-1

Market

By default, your market has an okay reputation and a pretty good selection, but no particular roots (biz+0 surplus: 3-barter want: 1-barter).

Things you Move (surplus / want) Pick 2.

Arms and Armor (+1harm & 1-armor for you and your staff / persecution or seizures)

Food & water (+1barter / riots)

Materials, raw and crafted (+1 barter / idle)

Hi-tech: electro, bio or weird (services of a Savvyhead or Brainer / robbed)

Vintage and luxe (+1barter & +1biz / +1barter & -1biz)

Medical gear and pharma (+1barter & services of an Angel / disease & desperation)

Pick another 2:

Good staff (+1biz / +1barter)

You've cornered the market on something you move ( +1barter / jealousy)

You’re always well-stocked (+1barter / +1barter)

People owe you favors (+favors / +insight)

Slush fund  (-1barter / buyoff one want)

And detail, with the MC:

Your market place,  your staff (Sweet Today, Abednego and Big K) and a couple of NPCs with interests in your biz: Who wants in? Who wants out? Who owes you? Who do you owe?

MOVES
You get this one:

Invisible Hand: At the beginning of the session, roll+biz. On a hit, you're in surplus. On a 7-9, pick one surplus and one want. On a miss, you’re in want.

Then choose one:

I know what you need: when you manipulate somebody, roll+sharp instead of roll+hot.

Spread the wealth: when you give 1-barter to a PC with strings attached, you gain +1Hx with them.

Special Order: when you take inventory of a holding's bustling market, if you roll 10+, whatever you’re looking for is not only available, it costs -1barter than you would expect. If you roll 7-9, you choose one instead of the MC.

Connections: whenever you roll+barter spent, add +1 to that roll.

Trading partners: When you give some one barter with not strings attached, take +1 forward with them until there are strings.

I'll check the back: When you check your stock for a specific piece of gear, roll+biz. On a 10+ you find just what you’re looking for. On a 7-9, you have it, but the MC will tell you 1:

• You were relying on it for trade. Pay its regular cost in barter.
• You're holding it for someone else.
• It's frayed, broken, or rusty. You're going to need to get it fixed up.
• You have something close to, but not, what you wanted.

IMPROVEMENT
Whenever you roll a highlighted stat, and whenever you reset your Hx with someone, mark an experience circle. When you mark the 5th, improve and erase.

Each time you improve, choose one of the following. Check it off; you can’t choose it again.
__ get +1hard (max hard+2)
__ get +1hot (max hot+2)
__ get +1weird (max weird+2)
__ get +1sharp (max sharp+3)
__ get a new swapper move
__ get a new swapper move
__ choose a new option for your business
__ choose a new option for your business
__ get a gang (detail) and leadership
__ get a  holding (detail) and wealth
__ get a move from another playbook
__ get a move from another playbook

I really like the stuff y'all are coming up with for the marketplace move (and everything else). Personally, I think more barter floating around is a good thing: mo' money, mo' problems.

That's a very tidy rewrite, Nathan. As MC, I really like the gig-like format of the biz. Gives lots of good material to work with.

That's what the playbooks are about, engaging the fiction. Not min/maxing the mechanics. I wanted to make sure that the Capital existed in an orthogonal space to the Hardholder, the Operator and the Maestro D'.

Change "You're holding it for someone else," to, "You're holding it for Rolfball," and it has my full support.

I don't like I have just the thing. It doesn't seem like it should be a move here - it more has the appearance of a custom MC move or something. As it stands, using the move doesn't really do anything spectacular, it simply tells you the status of some items you may or may not have. But wouldn't the MC already do that for you? Imagine your Swapper without that move, and someone asks if you have something. Probably, the MC will invent something on the fly that is remarkably similar to that to figure it out.

Looking at the class now, that move seems like a waste to blow a choice on. If anything, I could see it as a move you start out with next to Lassie Fare, or like a custom move attached to you, like how a Hocus has insight or augury or something.

Then two additional things:

1) I first read Papal in the names section as "Paypal," and was solidly disappointed when I was corrected. I will give you one awesome-buck if you add Paypal or more economic puns to the name list.

2) On a similar note, totally keep the name "Lassie Fare", digging it like ten shovels.

It's a rewrite of the Chopper Move Fucking Thieves. the way it would work is like the savvy head coming up to you and saying I need a big fucking rivet gun or a flux capacitor. And on a 10+ look hey there it is! I don't have to buy it from that scum bag Roflball.

Sure, without out it, the MC could just say you have it or not but that's kinda boring. Maybe you're holding it for Roflball? Maybe it's broke? Exciting things.