Monday, August 1, 2016

We're playing Spacewurm versus Moonicorn.

We're playing Spacewurm versus Moonicorn. I want to talk about it, and I'm not sure I can separate out the weirdness we're bringing to the table with the weirdness inherent to the game.

Its all good weirdness, though I have a quibble or two with the system.

History: this is the second campaign of an ongoing world. Maybe a year or two ago, I started a super hero game based on getting super powers from pills. We had three players, and went through the game until they defeated "the status quo", which they did with teleportation, love, and free hand-held replicators for all.

We used microscope is zoom out and see what happened over the course of centuries. We're maybe a couple thousand years past those events, and they are still the renown heroes of legend.

I'm playing a former ally of those three, who is now the Mogul. I control the TSA for transporters, a planet using an economic system called Humanity 2.0, and I'm huge in the cybernetics industry. Like, Bill Gates huge. All I want is to empower human to be the best they can be, and let them know about trolls through Whuffie. I'm the minor player in the PCs.

Space Wurm controls the secret police (all secret police everywhere), and religion (all religion everywhere). He is seeking to control The Spice (the pills that create supers), cybernetics, and interstellar travel. Neither Aliens nor the Imperial throne exist. He is referred to as "Your grace", because he's evil space pope.

Moonicorn sprang from the consciousness of all humanity, and is named Hope. Moonicorn is utterly fantastic -- whenever he meets an authority figure, the authority begins to lose control. He believes in my character. Moonicorn is out to defeat those who would destroy him and save humanity.

What do I love about this game?
1. That it is a follow up campaign. OMG. I've tried doing this in the past, and this is the best I've ever seen. I GMd the first game, and am playing in this one. Switching that around has been fantastic.

2. The powers and abilities are so wide ranging! Space Wyrm controls all religion! Moonicurn messes with all authority figures!

3. Its so ridiculously novel.

Some things I find odd:
O1: From the beginning, this has seemed more like a Monsterhearts hack than a Dungeon World one.

O2: Some of the wording can be strange.

But, you guys, this is glorious. I adore this campaign so much. Its like we're playing Dune or Star Wars or a dozen other things!

17 comments:

  1. Just picked this up and have been enjoying each page. Hoping this gets a nod at the ENnies next year because this is something special.

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  2. Craig Maloney It really is! I was lucky enough to get it on the monster hearts second skins kickstarter, and it blew my mind.

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  3. From what I understand it was inspired by monsterhearts second skins and dw.

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  4. This just makes me think of the Charlie the Unicorn shorts... in particular the 4th one where he goes to the moon and encounters a giant space millipede.... its so surreal...

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  5. Anything unique in the mechanics that if benefit from if I'm not really interested in another DW variation?

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  6. Aaron Griffin If you look at it as another DW supplement you'll be disappointed. It doesn't break any mechanical ground outside of having two hyper-powerful characters at the table.

    if you look at it as a gonzo supplement that does interesting things with character dynamics with some amazing design then you'll enjoy it.

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  7. Anyone know if there are printable sheets for it....

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  8. Jeffry Crews The playbooks are separated out in a separate file.

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  9. Craig Maloney yeah that's what I was looking for, thanks. I have enough setting material to last a lifetime, but an always interested in mechanical stuff.

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  10. Both Moonicurn and Space Wurm handle bonds different from anyone else; Space Wurm decides if characters are treasure or mere currency, while Moonicurn can always add another bond at end of session without erasing an existing one.

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  11. I really really want to play this with my group... The moves are super hawt...

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  12. The I believe in you moonicorn move is hawt. You look a player who has rolled less than 10 in the eye, tell them you believe in you spend an integrity point and poof 10 on 7-9 and 7-9 on a miss.

    The moguls owe list is also hawt as is the lovers ... Well everything the lover does.

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  13. Jeffry Crews I believe in you is super great. Moonicurn tried to use it on my mogul before we even met, on the grounds that the player looked me in the eye. It hits the trigger. The GM said no, and that's OK.

    I've enjoyed playing the mogul, but more for the fictional elements that the system ones.

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  14. I noticed that the sheets print out weird if you fold them like a booklet. The wurm needs pages turned around and moonicorn doesn't line up. Hell they probably weren't meant to be folded but I thought they were due to pics on front/ back cover

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  15. Yeah, Jeffry Crews . That's not false. There's definitely a couple production issues. I choose to look to the positives, and how remarkably the content is.

    But, YMMV.

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  16. Oh I don't hate it I just want it perfect :)

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