I have this idea. It might be shit, but I've got an hour in an airport.
A star wars game, using apocalypse world. That's been done, and really well, in star wars world.
But, here's where I am: being strong or deep or whatever isn't what really matters in star wars. That is, conventional aw stats are not what push plot.
Instead, it's the feels. It's your relationships. So, what about a game where:
1. There are large scale organizations, similar to, but different from, factions in urban shadows. Playbooks are NOT directly affiliated with these, but they have starting stats and define your place in the world. At game start, decide on these as a table, and these become the major organizations that matter. Examples include the empire, jabbas gang, rebel alliance, etc. Shoot for one that's mostly political, one military, one thief, and one the force.
2. Have bonds with PCs&npcs. When these get high enough, reset and raise bonds with an organisation with which they affiliate.
3. For all rolls, roll +bond.
4. Use a corruption mechanic, with corruption for each playbook based on treating people like objects. When you would take a corruption advance and have more corruption advances than bonds, retire as a threat.
5. Make a let it out style move ala urban shadows.
6. The only stats are bonds.
These ideas are loose; I'm not sure if this would bring it the gameplay I want, which is to encourage love and connection. That is, Luke doesn't blast the death star because it's his job or because he's the ace; he attacks the death star because of love.
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So... you're making a Smallville hack then?
ReplyDelete... I don't know smallville.
ReplyDeleteIt's based on a TV show which is a drama about young Clark Kent. They needed a system that was gonna put frikkin Superman on a level playing field with Lana Lang and Lex Luthor... so a big part of the mechanics is centered around your relationships with other characters (both positive and negative).
ReplyDelete::Googles::: it's cortex plus. Nice. There are definitely similar themes, and if I go down this path I should read it.
ReplyDelete/
ReplyDeleteDo PCs orient themselves to organizations, or are organizations important because of how they fill out the narrative of the PCs?
ReplyDeletee.g.: When Han finds Leia in the command center on Hoth, is she working to address the challenge of evacuation because the Rebellion objectively needs that done? Or is the rebellion still evacuating because that's a good way to demonstrate that Leia is stretched too thin trying to protect everyone but herself?
Can there, for instance, ever be an "organization that matters" independent of how it matters to the PCs?
Tony Lower-Basch My instinct is that the players dictate the organizations that matter, and ideally these should line up to the PCs interests. So, the rebellion matters because Leia's player, let's call her Carrie, said "If there's going to be a galactic empire and its evil -- and thanks for that, David -- then let's also have a rebellion. I'll play a noble, and I am totally a member of the rebel alliance."
ReplyDeleteOh, the Empire is also a faction? Then does Leia have a bond with the rebellion, or mostly a strong (antagonistic) bond with the Empire? I note that she spends much of her screen time talking with Vader and Tarkin.
ReplyDeleteTony Lower-Basch I think it'd depend on the PCs. Maybe the Empire is a faction (and one that David Prowse decided was important), maybe not. We definitely see it a lot more than the Imperial Senate, so maybe. And yeah, if the Empire is a faction, Leia has (at least) -1.
ReplyDeleteI could really get in to giving evil factions the finger for fun and profit.
ReplyDeleteTony Lower-Basch Right! Especially if David was like "Fine, Carrie, have some revolution. I'm gonna highlight your Empire bond, so you've got to interact with it! Then Mark is like, 'David, you are being a jerk. I'm highlighting your Jabba stat, so you'll gain XP when you deal with bounty hunters and send in storm troopers to catinas and crap." And Carrie's like, "Mark, how nice of you. Why don't you go ahead and highlight Rebel Alliance. I see you as a freedom fighter, and maybe we can get Leia and Luke to hookup!" And Harrison is like "But, I wanted to hookup with Leia and i don't get to highlight anyone! I'm gonna play a super cool smuggler, with the fastest ship around and a big furry oaf best friend copilot. He's ... like a bear!"
ReplyDeleteThen George, the GM, is like "Jeebs, guys. Everybody highlight The Force. I've got some secrets you might need."
So ... could somebody have just the negative Empire bond, without a Rebellion bond? Like Obi-Wan, who clearly detests the Empire but never seems to give a rat's ass about the Rebellion... And if so, how do they use it to their advantage?
ReplyDeleteSure, 0 bond rating is absolutely a thing. Similarly, Leia doesn't care about organized crime.
ReplyDeleteCool. So what are the benefits of having a -3 bond with the Empire?
ReplyDeleteNot sure! Maybe you roll negative Bond when you go in blazing on stormtroopers?
ReplyDeleteOr absolute value. Maybe you always roll absolute value, such that a strong negative relationship is as powerful in manipulating and messing with an organization as a strong positive one.
ReplyDeleteThis player facing start of session move occured to me:
ReplyDeleteAt the start of the session, unless you're something like the Hardhholder and have your own supply, roll +Faction. On a hit, you have credits on hand to live. On a 10+, you can live in lux, or cover the living expenses of another. On a miss, either spend your own stock or ask if anyone will pay for you. If neither happens, you are alone, desperate, and running out of time.
The HardHolder and Operator (Officer and Scoundrel in Star Wars World) already have start of session moves that do a similar thing. The Maetre D' would also be immune to this.
This is, I think, less hard than the way vincent is doing AW2, fitting a richer society.
It'd be radically weird to not have conventional stats, but it might work. Set up moves in relation to factions, and use that and bonds. That could work, so long as we don't care about intrinsic stats related to characters. See what I can do.
ReplyDelete