The Regiment: Colonial Marines 2.5
Saturday, February 09, 2013
The version 2.5 playtest kit for The Regiment: Colonial Marines is ready.
GOALS FOR 2.5
A slightly simpler game: I reduced the overall number of moves as well as removing some exceptional cases so it’s easier to remember and apply rules.
Fictional results for stress and wounds: In previous versions, it was easy to gloss over the effects of stress and wounds, falling back on shorthand: “Take 2 wounds.” I wanted each box of damage to have a specific effect to cue a result in the fiction.
More difficult choices: Tough choices are always fun. I revised the old push yourself move into something more interesting (I hope): Keep it together. The engagement move now accounts for details of the specific situation, including morale elements, so choices of fictional positioning have a bigger impact when making that move.
CHANGELOG
New volume of fire table: There are now 5 VOFs: Incidental, Scattered, Direct, Focused, and Concentrated.
New stress system: Each time you take stress, you choose how your solider will react to it: Flight, Fight, or Shock.
New wounds system: Wounds have locations now, and critical wounds take you out of action. There’s a critical move that determines how badly you’re injured, so there’s more uncertainty (you can’t count on a 2d pistol to not kill you).
New and revised moves: Assault now includes covering fire. Push yourself has been revised into keep it together. Help has been revised into aid. Hit the deck no longer requires a roll. New critical move. Rally is now a Sergeant move.
New and revised playbook moves: Changes to each playbook! Give them a close look. Also check out when you mark xp (upper right corner of playbooks).
Thanks for checking it out! If you give it a try, let me know here, on G+, or at the Regiment forum. As always, I'm happy to answer questions.
Labels: apocalypse world, hack, regiment, rpg
The Regiment: Colonial Marines
Friday, January 11, 2013
This is what we're playing right now: The Regiment, set in the universe of the Aliens film franchise. We're Colonial Marines, trying to quell a rebellion on a distant world, but something horrible has escaped from one of the research facilities! Wonder what it could be...
Grab the PDF for new playbooks, weapons, vehicles, and a starter mission by Ryan Dunleavy.
We're also trying out a few new rules, including death moves and a "cinematic death" option (like debilities in Apocalypse World). Like all playtest stuff for The Regiment, this is a very bare-bones kit. You'll need familiarity with Apocalypse World and the Aliens universe to use it.
If you give it a try, or have any questions, head over to the Regiment forums and let us know.
Labels: apocalypse world, hack, regiment, rpg
The Regiment Alpha 2.1 Playtest Kit
Sunday, November 11, 2012
I made a few tweaks to The Regiment for BurningCon 2012. They were a big hit, so now you get to try them out, too.
Changes:
- New "Medic!" move that's all about the hard choices.
- New "Lead the way" move for the Sergeant that is super-badass, and gives the SGT a reason to put all those eggs in one basket.
- Operator only gets one additional move to start, not two.
- "Are you crazy?" move rolled into new move, "Combat action."
- "End of session checklist" move added.
- Advice callout box added to GM2, about not getting bogged down in planning.
- Regimental and Unit order of battle sheet added.
Labels: apocalypse world, hack, regiment, rpg
The Regiment: Alpha 2.0 playtest
Sunday, August 26, 2012
The alpha 2.0 playtest kit for The Regiment is here.
Changes from alpha 1.0:
- Single-sided, 8.5x11 playbooks. A bit simpler now and ultra-compact!
- Revised and standardized advancement across all playbooks.
- Added new modern era special forces Operator playbook.
- Completely revised moves, both in the playbooks and in the basic set.
- Revised weapon ranges and damage.
- New battle plan mechanic, similar to workspace from AW.
- New unit maneuvers mechanic, to gracefully handle off-screen and NPC actions.
Coming soon, but not done yet:
- The new Unit creation sheet. You can use the old one for now, and use "profile" for "operational effectiveness" in 2.0.
Go ahead and grab it, give it a try, and let us know what you think over on The Regiment forum.
Thanks to all the alpha 1.0 playtesters and fans for your help and support.
Labels: apocalypse world, hack, regiment, rpg
World of Dungeons
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
So, I made a thing.
World of Dungeons is a complete short roleplaying game that answers the question "If Dungeon World was the latest version of a classic roleplaying game, what would the original look like?"
Basically, it's Dungeon World 0E. We've been playing it for several months now, and it's been a blast. If you're a fan of classic dungeon games, or Dungeon World, or both, I think you'll dig it.
How can you get it? By helping the Dungeon World Kickstarter reach $27,000 (about $1200 to go as of this writing). UPDATE: It's unlocked! Once it's unlocked, everyone who contributes at any level gets it for free.
Labels: apocalypse world, dungeon world, hack, rpg, wodu
The Regiment Alpha Playtest Kit
Monday, March 05, 2012
Here's the alpha playtest kit for THE REGIMENT, an Apocalypse World hack about soldiers at war.- Playbooks for the Soldier, Officer, Sergeant, Medic, Commando, and Sniper.
- Moves and Weapons tri-fold.
- GM toolkit tri-fold.
- Regiment/Unit tri-fold.
http://www.onesevendesign.com/regiment/the_regiment_alpha_1_0.pdf
There's a Regiment forum over on the Apocalypse World boards. Please discuss the game over there.
Thanks!
Labels: apocalypse world, hack, regiment, rpg
Apocalypse World: Guide to Hard Moves
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
I keep seeing some people struggle with this, so here's a handy guide to hard moves in Apocalypse World.When you make a regular MC move, all three:
1. It follows logically from the fiction.
2. It gives the player an opportunity to react.
3. It sets you up for a future harder move.
This means, say what happens but stop before the effect, then ask "What do you do?"
- He swings the chainsaw right at your head. What do you do?
- You sneak into the garage but there's Plover right there, about to notice you any second now. What do you do?
- She stares at you coldly. 'Leave me alone,' she says. What do you do?
When you make a hard MC move, both:
1. It follows logically from the fiction.
2. It's irrevocable.
This means, say what happens, including the effect, then ask "What do you do?"
- The chainsaw bites into your face, spraying chunks of bloody flesh all over the room. 3-harm and make the harm move!
- Plover sees you and starts yelling like mad. Intruder!
- 'Don't come back here again.' She slams the door in your face and you hear the locks click home.
See how that works? The regular move sets up the hard move. The hard move follows through on the threat established by the regular move.
I've seen people struggle with hard moves in the moment. Like, when the dice miss, the MC stares at it like, "Crap! Now I have to invent something! Better make it dangerous and cool! Uh... some ninja... drop out of the ceiling... with poison knives! Grah!"
Don't do that. Instead, when it's time for a hard move, look back at the setup move(s) you made. What was threatened? What was about to happen, before the PC took action? Follow through on that. Bring the effects on screen. Bring the consequences to fruition.
And speaking of consequences, a hard move doesn't automatically equate to severe consequences. The severity of the threat is a separate issue, depending wholly on the fiction as established. The hard move means the consequences, large or small, take full effect now.
It's not about being mean, or punishing a missed roll, or inventing new trouble. It's about giving the fiction its full expression. Setup, follow-through. Action, consequences.
Labels: apocalypse world
The Regiment: Elements
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Paul and I are still working hard on THE REGIMENT. We had planned on a Q1 release originally, but have since decided to take more time with it and do another round of playtesting instead. Here's another teaser PDF for you in the mean time.
FAQ answer: It's an Apocalypse World add-on, not a stand alone game. You might think of it as a specific kind of apocalypse (one in which WWII never ended, and has consumed the globe) with new playbooks and moves to suit. Sort of like an AW playset, in a way.
(UPDATE: There was a typo and one of the moves needed tweaking, so I uploaded a new version of the PDF.)
Labels: apocalypse world, hack, regiment
[AW] Seize by Force is a Peripheral Move
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
It took me 80+ sessions of Apocalypse World for it to sink in, but there it is. Seize by force is a peripheral move, not a basic one.It's one of the least-used moves in the game (or it should be). The fictional actions it represents are unusual to the point of almost never happening. Virtually every situation where seize may come up is better covered by a combination of act under fire and go aggro (plus some of the optional battle moves, occasionally).
In the rare case where a character really is just charging forward to their goal with no concern for their own safety, the move works great. Maybe it should be called walk through the fire or something.
Seize also muddies the waters really badly for some players. Any time a character goes after a goal, it's interpreted as "seizing" a thing, and the move is rolled -- even when the outcomes and effects of the move make no sense for the fictional situation. The last AW game I played in was plagued by repeated discussions about whether an action was seize by force or go aggro. It was go aggro, every time (with some acting under fire sprinkled in), but the fact that the seize move was there in front of everyone turned a simple action into a rules debate. It was tiresome.
Bits in the text about "seizing the moment" or "seizing a life" confused things all the more. I know what Vincent was going for there, but in practice it's confusing as hell.
So, goodbye, seize by force! You're getting cut from the basic moves sheet. Enjoy your new company with the peripheral moves. I'll see you around some time.
Labels: apocalypse world
The Eye of Chaos
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
This is one of the games I'm running right now, an Apocalypse World hack for playing dark fantasy in the style of Warhammer.
The PDF has a character sheet, new basic and peripheral moves, spellcasting, and three rough character types cobbled together from AW types, Johnstone's work, and some ideas of my own. If you're familiar with AW, there's enough here to get you going if you want to try it out.
I'm pretty proud of the violence move.
Labels: apocalypse world, hack
Apocalypse World: Crossing the Line
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
I'm seeing a trend in some of the custom moves people are making for Apocalypse World. Basically, some moves are "crossing the line" regarding what the players' role is and what the MC's role is. I think it's a bit of a problem, so I'm writing this post to lay out my thinking.The Line
In Apocalypse World, the players are in charge of their characters. What they say, what they do; what they feel, think, and believe; what they did in their past. The MC is in charge of the world: the environment, the NPCs, the weather, the psychic maelstrom.
Sometimes, the players say things that get very close to the line. Usually this happens when the MC asks a leading question.
MC: "Nero, what do the slave traders use for barter?"
Player: "Oh man, those fuckers? They use human ears."
That's a case of the player authoring part of the world outside their character, however -- and this is critical -- they do it from within their character's experience and frame of reference. When Nero answers that question, he's telling something he knows about the world.
Compare that exchange with this one, which is crossing the line:
MC: "Okay, Nero, so you get the box of barter away from the slave traders and haul into the back of the truck."
Player: "Cool. I open it up."
MC: "Okay. What do you see when you open it?"
Player: "Um... uh, a bunch of severed fingers?"
See the difference? In the first case, the MC is addressing the character and asking about some knowledge he has. In the second case, the MC is fully turning over authorship of the world in-the-moment to the player, which is not part of the player role in AW.
Moves That Cross the Line
So, given that, we can look at a custom move and see if it's crossing the line. Is the move asking the player to fulfill the authorship role of the MC? In my opinion, if the answer is 'yes', it's not a good move. Let's look at some examples.
Here's a custom move from the book that approaches the line:
When you go into Dremmer’s territory, roll+sharp. On a 10+, you can spot and avoid ambush. On a 7–9, you spot the ambush in time to prepare or flee. On a miss, you blunder into it.
At face value, it might look like the player is authoring the world in-the-moment, determining if there's an ambush or not. But this move is rooted in what the character does and the effect it has. By making this move, the player isn't deciding what Dremmer and his people do, that's the purview of the MC. The move is determining how well the PC deals with what Dremmer already has in motion (i.e. lying in ambush for trespassers).
For contrast, here's a custom move that crosses the line:
When you try to deal with the rat-men, roll+hot. On a 10+, they'll listen to what you have to say. On a 7-9, they'll listen, but choose 1:- they're drug-crazed and seeing visions
- they're arming up for war on the tunnelers
- they're starving for blood and demand some right now
See how that move asks the player to author the game world in-the-moment? There's no opportunity for another player to have any say. The player says what they do, then rolls the dice, then says what the NPCs do, then says what he does about it. Not only is this crossing the line into the MC's arena of authorship, it's also a huge bore for everyone else.
See how that move asks the player to author the game world in-the-moment? There's no opportunity for another player to have any say. The player says what they do, then rolls the dice, then says what the NPCs do, then says what he does about it. Not only is this crossing the line into the MC's arena of authorship, it's also a huge bore for everyone else.
In various custom move threads around the web, I'm seeing moves that cross the line like that. They ask the player to initiate the action and then also author the outcome. That structure makes for a boring move and also a confused player who's asked to do things that fall under the MC's role.
Here's a simple fix that improves that move:
When you try to deal with the rat-men, roll+hot. On a 10+, they'll listen to what you have to say. On a 7-9, they'll listen, but the MC chooses 1:
- they're drug-crazed and seeing visions
- they're arming up for war
- they're starving for blood and demand some right now
That's pretty obvious, right? Instead of the player choosing what the NPCs do, the MC does (I also dropped 'on the tunnelers' from the war choice, so the MC can decide in-the-moment who the rat-men are going to fight).
Here's another way to do it, with the player still choosing, without crossing the line:
When you try to deal with the rat-men, roll+hot. On a 10+, they'll listen to what you have to say. On a 7-9, they'll listen if you prove yourself. Choose 1:
- you consume their vile drug and have visions with them
- you give them some intel on their enemies
- you let them taste your blood (1-harm ap)
Similar choices, but all written as actions the character takes.
Hopefully that all makes sense. "Crossing the line" isn't the end of the world in a custom move, but it's something to be on the lookout for. Keeping moves on the player-role side of the line will help make them sharper and stronger in play.
Labels: apocalypse world, rpg theory
Apocalypse World: Planet Athena
Monday, September 06, 2010
Roughly 3,200 terraforming colonists, technicians, scientists, corporate representatives, and military personnel arrived on LV-917 (aka planet Athena) over 30 years ago. Since then, they have received no re-supply, no support, no signals of any kind from Earth. They are abandoned and alone, left to make whatever lives they can at the far edge of space.
What condition is the colony in now? What has become of the original mission; the various roles and responsibilities? How much of the original population has survived, and what is the second generation like? Are the HNLs (hostile native life-forms) real? Play to find out.
This was my AW pitch at PAX for the game with Ryan Macklin, Will Hindmarch, and Chris Hanrahan. They worked magic with it.
Labels: apocalypse world
War...
Monday, August 30, 2010
Teasing a thing Paul and I are working on...When you bond with a fellow soldier, tell them to increase their bond score with you by +1. If this raises the bond to +4, they reset to +1 and mark experience.
When you see a fellow soldier suffer harm past 9:00, roll+bond. On a 10+, you rush to help them right now, no matter what. On a 7-9, you’re badly shaken. If you do anything but rush to their aid, you’re acting under fire. On a miss, you’re in control. If you rush to help them anyway, mark xp.
When you assist another soldier, roll+bond. On a hit, you help them. They take +1 forward. On a 7-9, you also expose yourself to danger, fire, retribution, or cost.
Like I don't have enough stuff simmering around here.
Labels: apocalypse world, hack, regiment
Apocalypse World: The List
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Twelve people are responsible for the end of the world.They're still alive out there. We have their names and pictures on The List.
We're going to kill every last one of those bastards.
You in?
Labels: apocalypse world
Apocalypse World Character Sheets
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Here are my sheets for Apocalypse World, updated to the final version of the game.
Includes sheets for all the Basic and Peripheral moves, too.
EDIT: Updated file to the 07.06.10 version (with MC sheets).
Labels: apocalypse world
Apocalypse World: Separate Them
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
From last night's game...Jonathan's operator, Lafferty, goes to deal with one of his crew, a woman named Clarion that he sometimes sleeps with. She's climbed up on the water tower and has golden light streaming from her eyes. Lafferty was pretty goddamn certain that he had dealt with The Light once and for all, but no, he didn't -- Clarion is the bitter end of it. So up he goes.
He says, "I creep up behind her." (He's acting under fire. He blows the roll.) She turns her gaze on him and so he opens his brain to the Light, just like that. He rolls an 8, a mixed result. A wave of peace and contentment floods through him (he's felt this before). "You're in the light now. Everything is going to be alright," I say, speaking for Clarion. The choice is: accept the peace and happiness, or tear away from it, violently and for good.
Lafferty tears away. Part of him tears a bit (1-harm ap) and part of Clarion tears, too -- it's worse for her. Lafferty comes out of the Light and sees Clarion collapsing, blood streaming from her eyes, falling off the water tower. He lunges out for her. (He's acting under fire. He blows the roll.) She falls.
We all look at the picture of the island that shows the water tower. "That's pretty tall. I'd say it's 50/50 for her." Everyone agrees. We roll. It doesn't go Clarion's way.
They carry Clarion's limp body into the house where Lala the medic is. Lala works on her for a bit then comes out with the news. "Her head is messed up real bad. Her heart is beating and she's breathing, but that's it. She's not waking up. Ever."
-----
A little later, Lafferty goes into the room where Clarion's comatose body is. He holds her hand. "I'm opening my brain," Jonathan says. "I want to try to find her, wherever she is. Can I do that?" Oh yes. Yes yes, I say.
Lafferty opens his brain. He blows the roll. I think to myself that my move is separate them, but I don't make it yet. He finds Clarion in a dark place. A between-world full of shadows and murmuring voices. She's lost, groping around. Lafferty goes and embraces her, tries to talk to her. She's confused. "I'm not supposed to be here," I say, speaking as Clarion again. "I want my mom."
Lafferty killed her mother a few days earlier. He never got around to mentioning that.
He tries to talk to her, but she's confused. "My head hurts," she says. "I don't like this. I want my mom." She kind of pulls away as if to go looking for her mother in the shadowy netherworld. I'm just about to bring my move to fruition.
"I let her go," Jonathan says. She disappears into the darkness.
Separate them.
Labels: apocalypse world
Apocalypse World GMing
Friday, April 23, 2010
From last night's game.
"I want to get a garage."
"Ok. Are you gonna take it as an experience improvement, or arrange to buy one with barter?"
"I can buy one with barter? Cool. I'll do that. How much?"
"I figure 8 will cover the basics."
"I figure 8 will cover the basics."
"Cool. I'll buy one."
"Hold on there. Apocalypse World is all scarcity, yeah? You can't just go buy a garage. If you get a garage, that means someone else doesn't have theirs anymore. They're trading you for it."
"Hold on there. Apocalypse World is all scarcity, yeah? You can't just go buy a garage. If you get a garage, that means someone else doesn't have theirs anymore. They're trading you for it."
"Yeah, okay."
"So there are two garages on the Rig. One is Hester's. The other's Corbett's. You need to go talk to one of them."
"So there are two garages on the Rig. One is Hester's. The other's Corbett's. You need to go talk to one of them."
"Oh.... hell. Shit."
Respond with fuckery and intermittent rewards. Tell them the possible consequences and ask.
"So we have good hold of the cargo ship now. The crew all accounted for and tied up on deck?"
"Yep. The crew is bound helpless at the feet of your gang of murderous savages. You're leaving them alone while you go check out the bridge, right?"
"Ah... fuck."
"Yep. The crew is bound helpless at the feet of your gang of murderous savages. You're leaving them alone while you go check out the bridge, right?"
"Ah... fuck."
"I'm looking over the cargo manifest. How much loot can we get off this boat?"
"Here's the list. You can see where everything is meant to be delivered. There's barrels of clean water, boots, some luxe goods. Which settlement would you like to steal from first?"
"Dammit."
"Dammit."
Labels: apocalypse world