Tag: Jason Cordova

This is a new Apocalypse World hack called Whispering Willows. It is about talking animals in a harsh, magical world. At a glance, it has some nice little twists on the AW concept (including a currency system that reminds me a little bit of Monsterhearts). It is free. 

http://www.lulu.com/shop/michael-tangherlini/whispering-willows/ebook/product-21343378.html

Story Game Sunday continues its exploration of what is possible in a roleplaying game. Yesterday we played Liam Burke ‘s Dog Eat Dog. This one is about colonized people, and whether they will resist their occupiers or assimilate. It was originally designed as a classroom exercise to teach students about imperialism and the Pacific islands. 

This one is pretty intense, to say the least, and it is excellent. To get players in the mood, you actually have a conversation about which player is the richest. That player then becomes the Occupation, while everyone else is a Native. From there, you go around the table and have scenes. At the end of each scene, the Occupation player will determine if each Native in the scene obeyed the ever-increasing list of rules called The Record (the first rule, “The [occupiers] are superior to the [natives],” is always in play). Those Natives who obeyed a rule are given a token for doing so. Those who disobeyed a rule lose a token. Natives who have six tokens by the end are assimilated into the Occupation culture. Those who lose all their tokens essentially rise up in rebellion and must die by the end of the next scene they participate in.

The game is extremely fascinating and fun. The way it uses mechanics to enforce power dynamics between the Occupation and the Natives is quite interesting. The Natives have no real power in a scene unless the Occupation allows it. Only when a Native rebels do they gain absolute power over the Occupation – but it is fleeting, since they die afterwards. 

Good stuff, indeed. Thanks to Rob Ferguson for organizing things, and also to Daniel Lewis Ferrell Riley and Derek Grimm for an excellent play experience. 

Last night for Friday One-Shots we played Jake Richmond ‘s Ocean. In this one, you play a group of amnesiacs who wake up in the middle of an underwater research facility that has a monster roaming around in it. You have to explore the facility and gradually piece-together information about yourselves, the facility, and the monster – all while looking for a way out. It was a good little game!

Thanks to Rob Ferguson Daniel Lewis and Derek Grimm !

I’m in the middle of converting The Temple of Elemental Evil to Dungeon World. It is either the hardest or easiest game project I have ever undertaken – I can’t decide which. The basic tension is the fact that old school modules are incredibly detailed (there is a description of literally every building in the intro village of Hommlett). I can hand-wave most of this stuff and just wing it, which is what DW generally recommends, but then the question becomes: Am I running the ToEE or something else? 

I am inclined to sticking with the broad outlines of ToEE and not delving too deep into the weeds with it. The big, signature features of the dungeon will be in place, but I’ll probably wing it on everything else as the Hits and Misses dictate. 

Not really RPG-related, but I think my copy of Machine of Death is coming in soon, and I am so freaking excited!

For The Gauntlet’s Wednesday game night, we played Jason Morningstar’s The Shab-Al-Hiri Roach. It was, as ever, deliciously vile and twisted. Thanks to Rob Ferguson for organizing.

So, what would a LARP by Jason Morningstar look like? Like this, apparently. 

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/122764/The-Climb

Some candids from last night’s game of Monsterhearts.

One of our story’s villains, a dark power called Lilith the Butcher, is shaping-up to be a very fun NPC. Our story takes place at some point in the 80’s, and I have fashioned Lilith to be a sort-of hair metal goddess. She is often found racing around town in her black trans-am. She is the proprietor of a bar called The Pit, where she was recently found dancing on the bar to “Pour Some Sugar On Me” in front of a rapturous biker gang, one of whom had his eye put out by her stiletto heel. She is campy, vampy, and brutally violent. And in her self-possessed thrill-seeking, she is a perfect foil for our confused and broken PCs. 

MH is such a terrifically fun game. I’m very happy with how the PCs are starting to interact with each other. They are mortal enemies one minute and then the best of friends the next. I suppose that’s pretty close to the teenager experience. 

Thanks to Daniel Lewis Daniel Fowler Rob Ferguson and Ferrell Riley .