Introducing: the Scrapper

Okay, I decided to take a page out of Orly's book and cook up a custom playbook to force myself to get into the nitty gritty of how the playbooks work (partially in prep for a hack, but also because it's fun).

While I was coming up with my guy, though, the "Swapper" was posted, which covers a lot of the same area in a different way, and is probably more clever than mine. I mean, I stole John Harper's scavenge in the ruins move wholesale. Anyway, here goes:

Introducing

The Scrapper
Choppers need bikes. Drivers need cars, gunluggers need guns, hardholders need armor and rebar and whatnot. Who the fuck knows what savvyheads need down in their shops. Trouble is, folks ain't makin stuff like they used to in Apocalypse world. So you gotta go out there and find it, or something near enough. Or you hire a scrapper to do it for you.

Creating a Scrapper
To create your scrapper, choose name, look, stats, moves, gear, and Hx.

Name
Tinker, Grip, Griff, Shiv, Kay,  Eddie, King, Switch . . . (need more names!)

Look
Man, woman, ambiguous, transgressing, or concealed.

Utility wear plus armor, scrounge wear plus armor, scrounged together, mismatched armor

Weathered face, bony face, dirty face, friendly face

Quick eyes, hard eyes, squinty eyes, calculating eyes, sharp eyes, or weary eyes

Wiry body, sturdy body, slight body, or fat body

Stats
Choose one set:
* Cool=0 Hard-1 Hot+1 Sharp+2 Weird+1
* Cool+1 Hard+1 Hot-1 Sharp+2 Weird=0
* Cool+1 Hard+1 Hot=0 Sharp+2 Weird-1
* Cool-1 Hard+2 Hot-1 Sharp+2 Weird=0

Basic Moves
You get all the basic moves (p72-74)

Scrapper Moves
You get this one:
 Scavenge in the ruins: when you search for valuable scrap in the ruins,  roll+sharp.
On a 10+, choose two and find an oddment worth 1-barter. On a
7–9, choose one and find an oddment worth 1-barter:
• You find it quickly.
• You find it with relatively little trouble.
• You find an item that is valuable.
• You find an item that is hi-tech

Then choose 1:
An eye for detail: you get +1sharp (sharp+3)

Jerry-rigged: when you try to fix something, roll+sharp. On a 10+, choose two and it'll work long enough to get to someone who knows what he's doing. On a 7-9, choose one and it'll probably make it to a savvyhead's shop:
• You fix it quickly.
• You don't cause more serious longer term problems with it.
• You don't need any help fixing it.

I think I saw that somewhere: when you search your  pockets
and rucksack for something, roll+sharp. It has to be something
small enough to fit, and it can't be hi-tech. On a 10+, you happen to have just
the thing, or close enough. On a 7–9,  you happens to have
something pretty close, but it might worse for wear. On a miss, you used to have just the
thing, but it turns out that you traded it to somebody for something shiny.

Canny: when you roll to manipulate someone, roll+sharp instead of roll+hot.

Gear
You get:
• 2 handy weapons
• oddments worth 2-barter
• a scrapping kit (saws, wrenches, screwdrivers, etc. Some items in it can be used as weapons in a pinch)
• fashion suitable to your look, either fashion worth 1-armor or armor worth 2-armor (you detail)

Handy weapons (choose 2):
• .38 revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
• 9mm (2-harm close loud)
• big knife (2-harm hand)
• sawed-off (3-harm close reload messy)
• machete (3-harm hand messy)
• crowbar (2-harm hand messy)
• magnum (3-harm close reload loud)

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, choose 1, 2, or all 3:
• One of them is your best customer. Tell that player Hx+2.
• One of them ripped you off, big time. Tell that player Hx-1.
• You think one of them is your ticket to a big opportunity. Tell that player Hx+2.

Tell everyone else Hx-1, by nature you're pretty cagey

On the others' turns:
• Whatever number they tell you, give it +1 and write it next to their character’s name. You survive by noticing small and important details.

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. ?e MC will have you highlight a second stat too.

Scrapper Special
If you and another character have sex, you can choose to promise to find them some particular thing. If you do, you get +1 forward and they act as if they rolled a 10+ to read a person on you.

Scrapper Improvement
__ get +1hard (max +2)
__ get +1cool (max +2)
__ get +1weird (max +2)
__ get a new scrapper move
__ get a new scrapper move
__ get a shop (workspace, detail) and crew
__ get 2 gigs (detail) and moonlighting
__ get a gang (detail) and pack alpha
__ get a move from another playbook
__ get a move from another playbook

Barter
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: any weapon, gear or fashion not valuable
or hi-tech; the material costs of a crash resuscitation by an angel;
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; a month’s maintenance and repairs for a hiperformance
vehicle well-used; bribes, fees and gifts sufficient to get

I like this one, and I think it and the Swapper can peacefully co-exist. If I wanted them both in my game, I think I would make the Scrapper more about scavenging crap and wasteland survival so she could also function as a guide. Like, if you're looking to raid for a fight you'd want a Gunlugger or a Chopper. If you're looking to go out into the wasteland and come back alive, you want a Scrapper.

That's a good angle I hadn't thought of. I was trying to think of stuff other than "dig up crap" that the scrapper would do, and hit on "sell his crap to people", but being a guide is probably some good space to explore. I'll have to try to think of a move for that.

Yeah, like he's a Scrapper in part because he knows how to get out into the dangerous dangerous ruins and back alive. It's not like nobody else thought of it. Maybe a bonus to staying calm under fire when you're out in the wilderness, or for seizing and whatnot.

Yeah, I had a brief thought about doing something similar to the driver's move where he grants a bonus to his whole convoy if he's leading it. Maybe stealing more from Mr. Harper and his "make a dangerous journey" move.

Oh yeah, also, a couple concerns I had, since I haven't had a chance to playtest this guy yet (and probably won't for a while):

* Overall, is the "power level" (whatever that means for AW) consistent with the canon playbooks?
* How's the special move? I think it might be too much suck for the Scrapper and discourage him from ever doing it. I thought about "+1 ongoing until he does the thing or abandons trying to do it" but thought that might be too much.
* How are the moves? Are they cool enough?

Stats look good.

I think the special is great, personally.

The Scavenge move will be great on a miss. You can totally get into some shit with bandits or critters or environmental hazards.

Jerry-rigged is really cool.

For 'I think I saw that somewhere' on a miss I'd also say, "You remember where you saw it and it was somewhere you said you'd never go back to." Or you sold it to Rolfball. ;)

I don't know why but I really want my scrapper to have a donkey.

Hah! I was *this* close to trying to come up with some rules for pack animals or something, but decided to keep it simple.

I really like that suggestion for the miss on "I think I saw that somewhere".

I can't take any credit for the scavenge move, that is straight copy and pasted from Mr. John Harper, and it's golden.

Thanks for the feedback so far!

How about something similar to the operator move "Eye on the door", like

Close to the land: when you get the fuck out of someone's or something's way before they see you, roll+sharp. On a hit, you're hidden, and they're right on top of you, if you move they'll catch you. On a 10+, you discover something neat--an unknown fact, a hidden trail, whatever, the MC will tell you. On a miss, you're caught vulnerable, half in and half out.

Kinda plays with the exploratory aspect of the playbook, I think.

I'm trying to think of moves that would make the Scrapper really hot shit, and the only other thing I could think of is something where they can basically go into no-man's-land. They're the people who know the exact right places to step when walking through the Bonemelt Marsh, how to go into a cave full of fangbirds without getting ripped to shreds, etc. Which is more importantly places that are safe for them and deadly for other people. That thing you see all the time in movies where they're getting chased by bad guys so go into the Deathmurder Zone, and the bad guys either try to chase them and die terribly, or back off and shout, "This isn't the end! Curse you and your donkey!"

I really like where you're going with that, Bret. Hmmm, right now, locations are handled as threats, and thus have custom MC moves for their dangerousness. I don't want to dictate how that stuff gets handled too much.

Maybe something like this:

They'd be crazy to follow us in here: when you move through a dangerous or hazardous area in the wastes and you or a group you're leading act under fire due to the hazards of the area, you and everyone in the group get +1

I thought about switching it to roll+sharp, but I didn't want to be too cheezirific. I also feel like there's a more interesting way to get at what I did really basically there, but it's not coming to me right now.

I'd do that one like this:

They'd be crazy to follow us in here: you can roll+sharp to get the effects of going aggro, without going aggro. You and your enemy have to be in dangerous terrain, but you don't have to interact in any way. If your enemy forces your hand, the landscape counts as a weapon (2-harm ap far area).

-Vincent

I mean, I stole John Harper's scavenge in the ruins move wholesale.

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about that too much.

Stats
Choose one set:
* Cool+1 Hard-1 Hot+0 Sharp+2 Weird+1
* Cool+1 Hard+1 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

Basic Moves
You get all the basic moves (p72-74)

Moves

Pick 2:

Scavenger: when you search or scavenge, roll+sharp.
On a 10+, choose two and find an oddment worth 1-barter. On a
7–9, choose one and find an oddment worth 1-barter:
You find it quickly.
You find it with relatively little trouble
You find an item that is +1barter
You find an item that is +hi-tech
You find just the perfect thing

An eye for detail: you get +1sharp (sharp+3)

Jerry-rigged: when you try to fix something, roll+sharp. On a 10+, choose two and it'll work long enough to get to someone who knows what he's doing. On a 7-9, choose one and it'll probably make it to a savvyhead's shop:

• You fix it quickly.
• You don't cause more serious longer term problems with it.
• You don't need any help fixing it.

I think I saw that somewhere: when you search your pockets and rucksack for something, roll+sharp. It has to be something small enough to fit, and it can't be hi-tech. On a 10+, you happen to have just the thing, or close enough. On a 7–9, you happens to have something pretty close, but it might worse for wear. On a miss, you used to have just the thing, but it turns out that you traded it to somebody for something shiny.

They'd be crazy to follow us in here: you can roll+sharp to get the effects of going aggro, without going aggro. You and your enemy have to be in dangerous terrain, but you don't have to interact in any way. If your enemy forces your hand, the landscape counts as a weapon (2-harm ap far area).

Canny: when you roll to manipulate someone, roll+sharp instead of roll+hot.

Nomad Gear
Pick 2:

• Remote Detonator (hi-tech): With reasonable foresight or planing, any terrain is dangerous, the enemy is unaware and takes +1harm.
• Hideout: You have a secret dwelling out in the wastes (detail).
• Tricked out Sniper Rifle (3-harm +1harm at far ap hi-tech)
• Multitool: Pick an extra option for jerry-rigged.
• Stillsuit (fashion hi-tech) You're functionally self-sufficient; take +1 for rolls that involve landscape.
• Throat mic (hi-tech): Hold 1 per barter spent. Spend 1-hold: Call for back up or ambush (2-harm small 1-armor mobile).

And you get:

2 handy weapons
oddments worth 2-barter
fashion suitable to your look, including at your option a piece worth  1-armor.

Handy weapons (choose 2):
• .38 revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
• 9mm (2-harm close loud)
• big knife (2-harm hand)
• sawed-off (3-harm close reload messy)
• machete (3-harm hand messy)
• crowbar (2-harm hand messy)
• magnum (3-harm close reload loud)

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, choose 1, 2, or all 3:
• One of them has spend a week or more out in the wastes with you. Tell that player Hx+2. 
• One of them thinks you're an idiot savage. Tell that player Hx-2. 

Tell everyone else Hx-1, by nature you're pretty cagey

On the others' turns:
• Whatever number they tell you, give it +1 and write it next to their character’s name. You survive by noticing small and important details.

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.

Nomad Special
If you and another character have sex, they get 1-hold. They can spend it to have you right there, anytime.

Scrapper Improvement
__ get +1hard (max +2)
__ get +1cool (max +2)
__ get +1weird (max +2)
__ get a new scrapper move
__ get a new scrapper move
__ get a shop (workspace, detail) and crew
__ get 2 gigs (detail) and moonlighting
__ get a gang (detail) and pack alpha
__ get a move from another playbook
__ get a move from another playbook

Vincent, thanks! That move is way better, and I'm not surprised.

Hahah, Ben, sorry, I didn't mean for my ruthless stealing to be improperly attributed ;)
(seriously, though, thanks, what a great move!)

Orly, that is sweet like candy! I really like what you've done there, especially the Nomad gear. The special move is cleaner than mine, but I feel like it it might keep the scrapper/nomad from trying to seduce anybody, since there's not an obvious upside on his end of the bargain. What about this:

If you and another character have sex, they get 1-hold. They can spend it to have you right there, anytime. When you get there, you have +1 forward.

I think dropping the armor was a good call, I just initially pictured this guy with all kinds of random scraps of junk metal attached to his clothes and cobbled together, but with the 'scout/guide' kind of thing that is turning out to be cooler, less armor makes more sense.