Apocalypse World's problems minus the quantum bears.

[Lago PARANOIA]

The resolution mechanic of Apocalypse World is one of those 'step one: win a land war in Asia' gambits where we don't even have to look at the rest of the rules to declare it dogshit. However, let's play pretend for a little bit and claim that Apocalypse World had a non-shit resolution mechanic. In what other ways does this game and its derivatives use rat turds for ice cream sprinkles?

So please, no more than minimum talk about quantum bears. I know it's a fucking problem but there are already like three threads about them.

[Sakuya Izayoi]

Here's some talking points off the top of my head

* Sex Moves are often elevator pitched as "if they squick you out, don't use them". However, they offer significant incentives: the Gunlugger, for example, takes +1 forward with no potential problems, whenever it's procced. This means that, in lieu of a willing player, the Gunlugger gets to argue with the GM as to whether his three-holed mattress counts for his morning buffing ritual. The issue of two conspiring players also brings up the matter of having sex granting XP in some cases. Want some XP that doesn't involve killing things that can fight back, or recovering valuables? Clear off the kitchen counter.

* The group's fishmalk can force other players to also fishmalk via the "highlighting" system. In AW, you gain XP whenever you roll a "highlighted" attribute. You do not get to choose this attribute, another player does. You can be pretty sure someone will highlight your worst one, forcing you to play a buffoon the entire session so you can level up faster.

* The quantum bear problem exacerbates a more central issue: the intent of the design is to pit you against a game of attrition you cannot win. If you actually like the idea of playing out a survivalist scenario RPG, and don't mind rules light storygaming, this will be tempting. But the designer wants you to play misery tourism, and thus if ran in that spirit, it takes away resources faster than it gives them back, if it does at all (look at how people talk about the Skinner playbook, they talk about how the theme is "destroying something beautiful, forever"). Vince is the kind of GM that encourages people to roll Rangers, then goes out of his way to kill their pets.

[Mistborn]

The resolution mechanic of Apocalypse World is one of those 'step one: win a land war in Asia' gambits where we don't even have to look at the rest of the rules to declare it dogshit. However, let's play pretend for a little bit and claim that Apocalypse World had a non-shit resolution mechanic. In what other ways does this game and its derivatives use rat turds for ice cream sprinkles?

Well the designer is a creep and that sort of bleeds into the game through the sex moves, which he supposedly added in the hopes it would encourage his players to put out. So yeah your character potentially get's real mechanical bonuses for sleeping with people, that's a thing and it's pretty creepy

The thing about AW though is that there's not that much too it, the setting is pretty bear bones and the mechanics bearly exist. What Apocalypse World and it's clones do "well" is appeal to shitty pretentious people by couching themselves in their tribal languages. Seriously go to RPG.net and try reading one of the threads on a *World game, it's unbearable because everyone involved is a total smarmgargler.

[silva]

The biggest design flaw is the promise of PvP, but the absence of any coherent resolution for solving actual PvP conflicts. The end result is reality show like name-calling and pricks instead of direct confrontations.

[Koumei]

the setting is pretty bear bones and the mechanics bearly exist.

it's unbearable because everyone involved is a total smarmgargler.

I see what you did there.

[Dean]

The thing about AW though is that there's not that much too it, the setting is pretty bear bones and the mechanics bearly exist.

I love you.

[Mask_De_H]

Bear witness to LM's bear puns.

Outside of getting highlighted stats, there's no reason not to use your best stat for as much as you can. The stats aren't balanced before you get into quantum bear territory. The stat arrays tend to be lined up so that there are total sucker stats, so you better hope you didn't need to be able to fire a gun or talk to people.

The fronts and doom track are a license for the MC to fuck with you on a whim since advancing both is solely up to the MC.

The game is trying really hard to be in your face and edgy, but it comes off as absurd.

Ignoring quantum bears, there's no real rhyme or reason to how Moves work. There are also times where you're going to want to know more than your pay grade allows you to on a hit with Read a Sitch/Read a Person, so you're leaving critical information on the floor.

[Username17]

It's sort of tied up with the quantum bears thing, but Apocalypse World doesn't have difficulties. It doesn't even have rules for opposed tests like Scion does. If you want to sneak down a hallway in your ninja socks you roll your move with your bonuses. If you want to sneak down the same hallway in your rocket powered rollerskates, you roll the same move with the same bonuses. More difficult seeming tasks are not actually more difficult, the MC is just supposed to make worse quantum bears happen to create the illusion of difficulty.

This is especially egregious when characters come into conflict with NPCs and other PCs. Since task difficulties don't exist, there's no difference when attempting a move against someone who is more competent vs. attempting the same move against someone who is less competent. Even non-games like Scion can handle that.

-Username17

[TiaC]

So, if you chose to play it as if it were satire, would it be a barrel of laughs?

[Koumei]

Watching other people play it straight could be funny. Enjoying the suffering they go through and all that, it's basically the same as watching Funniest Home Videos. Possibly a "Players-through-characters PoV" websomic ala Darths & Droids would work.

But just playing it ironically is unlikely to make things particularly entertaining. At least with other "roll on a random table to see if something HILARIOUS happens" games tend to have something in their favour that gets your interest to start with.

[TiaC]

I was thinking more of melding it with Paranoia or the like.

[Mistborn]

I love you.

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[/img]

Edit:On a more serious note Apocalypse Worlds problems aren't limited to terrible execution, it's premise is also terrible.

We've made a big deal about the "system" being horrifically disempowering to the players, but it's hard not to see that as it working as intended. It bears repeating that the Apocalypse World mission statement is that the Mister Cavern is supposed to disempower players by throwing endless unwinnable scenarios until they can't bear it any longer. Unlike in Paranoia where the PCs are supposed to be disposable clones and the entire table can get a good chuckle when they die in some lol randumb way, AW seems to want you invested in your characters so it will hurt more when the MC slowly tortures them to death. That's unbearably fucked up but it gives the ultrapretentious types the wood.

Basically *World is the new AD&D 2e. If someone sings it's praises that's a red flag and you probably shouldn't game with them.

[Lago PARANOIA]

Basically *World is the new AD&D 2e. If someone sings it's praises that's a red flag and you probably shouldn't game with them.

Now that's just rude. That version of D&D, while fucked up in a lot of ways, is at the very least playable. And if you have a slightly-above average DM you could unironically have fun in a game like that while still adhering to the rules.

The game is trying really hard to be in your face and edgy, but it comes off as absurd.

The names for some of your moves have to be some of the most ridiculous shit I've ever seen committed to paper. 'NOT TO BE FUCKED WITH'?

[Koumei]

I know, it ends on a preposition!

[Josh_Kablack]

Basically *World is the new AD&D 2e. If someone sings it's praises that's a red flag and you probably shouldn't game with them.

Now that's just rude. That version of D&D, while fucked up in a lot of ways, is at the very least playable. And if you have a slightly-above average DM you could unironically have fun in a game like that while still adhering to the rules.

LAGO, you're being either obtuse or disingenuous. I myself played AD&D 2E on and off for years, and if pressed I could handpick some of the rules subsystems as working better than those parts of the rules in any other edition.

But Mistborn wasn't making a claim about 2e, he was making a claim about the sort of people who laud 2e. Someone around here has a sig about bad arguments traveling in clusters, and since about 2004, "2e is the best, I never bothered with later editions" is likely to be in in the middle of a cluster of so much post-Gygaxian legacy bullshit lacking the historic grounding of true Gygaxian legacy bullshit that it's not even worth the effort to try to untangle. Hence an unironic claim of "2e is the best edition" is an auto-ignore red flag for me online and a strong warning not to game with the claimant in meatspace.

Mistborn is claiming that ____ World games fans have similarly alien desires of TTRPGs backed with similarly impenetrable worldviews and are also best ignored and avoided.

[Lago PARANOIA]

I'm not objecting to the idea that someone who says that 2E D&D is the best thing ever is probably not someone whose opinions on game design you should respect. I am claiming though that someone who puts 2E D&D on a pedestal isn't even in the same category as derp as someone who does Apocalypse World. I could see myself having non-hipster fun at a 1E/2E D&D game a ginormous fanboy ran if I had a couple of beers in me and they were otherwise chill about the whole thing. If I was feeling charitable (I'm not, currently) I could come up with a couple of excuses as to why someone could legitimately feel that 2E D&D was the best thing ever and find common ground with them.

Not so for Apocalypse World. The only thing that would make me seek out a game -- any game with that person, not just Anus World -- with someone who thought that was the best system ever is if they were totally new to roleplaying but showed some promise in the after action reports. People who have looked at other storygames, even heavily flawed ones like FATE and Burning Wheel, and declared that Apocalypse World is the one for them are beneath my consideration in almost all matters TTRPG-wise. I don't feel the same way about 2E D&D and I don't think most people on this board do, either. Derps like shadzar giving the system a bad name aside.

[Sakuya Izayoi]

I think one of Vince's biggest crimes is that he enables people to go "Wow, glad I'm not one of those Storygaming Swine Creepos," and then rally behind their own creepos like James Desborough, James Raggi, or Z.S.

[JigokuBosatsu]

The *World games are hard to even think about once you hit the problems that we've talked about over and over again. Is there any way to redeem them? Do we even want to?

[silva]

From all the "problems" cited here, the only one I see mentioned by the game actual plauers/target population is the one I cited (lack of substance for PvP). Even if some hacks alleviate the problem more or less (like Monsterhearts for eg).

[Mask_De_H]

There's something of a desire for a gritty post apocalyptic game or a simpler D&D, but I don't know if the Anus World games are salvageable. All they have is some attitude and malformed ideas, which is good enough for some people.

[Dean]

Silva I made something for you

[Koumei]

I imagine that there was a time where I could have enjoyed a game of 2Ed, contingent on having not played RIFTS (TM) or 3Ed before. Now, I can't. I could only think "This shit has been improved upon, why are we not using those improvements? Why is almost everything other than hit-with-sword a case of asking the DM to make something up on the fly for you? What the fuck is happening here?" or alternatively "This is shit, why are mecha pilots, dragons and psychic mage warriors all banned?"

But such a time existed at all - before these other games, and yet where 2E existed. It's faults can be forgiven due to the time it was made (although that's no excuse for playing it now). *World doesn't even have that going for it. It isn't some pioneer of the industry, rough around the edges and in need of some polishing for a new edition, it's just a bad game based on bad ideas.

[Dogbert]

I already had AW for a comedy of errors/viking hat power trip, but this:

When you make a move to turn someone on
(with a character action or with scene description), the
other player doesn’t get to exclaim, “Wait, my character
is straight! There’s no way that’d turn them on.” That’s a
decision that we as players can’t make for our characters.
The dice are going to be the ultimate referees of what is
and isn’t sexy for these characters.

...that alone, I'm not easily squickable, but this...

FATAL's writers must be proud.

[Koumei]

For what it's worth, that's basically the same as "you fail your fear save against the dinosaur and panic" "Woah now, my character isn't scared of dinosaurs!" in regards to "the rules actually can override the way you think your character should be acting all the time. Sometimes, the dice actually do determine things in spite of how you like to imagine your character".

The difference of course being the sexual aspect. Because it's really uncomfortable territory where you tell someone without their consent the person to whom they are attracted (regardless of whether a sex scene follows or even a fade-to-black follows).

I've seen an argument in an Exalted game, where one player was Boobzilla with an Appearance specialty* of "Sexy" and another player was adamant that "I don't like massive tits, nor does my character, so your specialty doesn't get to apply". "Tough luck, the specialty isn't 'Massive tits' or even 'Physically Attractive', it's 'Sexy', which means through looks, actions, demeanour and a little magical edge from the Charm, she has that effect". There were bitter tears involved, IIRC. It shouldn't surprise anyone that this kind of thing happens in Exalted, mind you. It's just another one of those "EVERYBODY ELSE: LEARN FROM THIS LESSON" games.

*Lunar Charm, take attribute specialties

[Sakuya Izayoi]

Another difference might be, in games with a fear check system, you can build a character who's better at them than others. Adeptas Sororistas are simply braver than your average human and charge face first into danger with a flamethrower, ready to martyr themselves. Monsterhearts does not let you build a character who's straighter than straight and is mechanically harder for same-sex individuals to seduce, and the fluff would be terrible if it did.