West Marches PbtA Hack + Bonus DW Content

(For those just looking for the homebrew Dungeon World bonus content, skip to the bottom of this post).

Next week will mark almost 8 months since I started running All Things Under Heaven, my East-Asia-inspired West Marches campaign. 

Over the course of that time (and the preceding few years, when I avidly watched Steven Lumpkin run Rollplay's epic West Marches show) I've come to a realisation: Dungeons & Dragons just can't handle the kind of West Marches game that I want.

This isn't a slight on the system or designers, just a comment on the fundamental difference in genres.

For the West Marches I want magic that feels inexplicable and wondrous rather than systematised, and operates in discrete unique units each with their own underlying logic. I want characters to grow outwards rather than upwards, to become more broadly-empowered rather than straightforwardly powerful, and to be able to lose things through their own choices and through the hardships the game throws at them.

I want a world that is dynamic and has systems that encourage that dynamism, I want unique regions that all feel definitely and meaningfully distinct, I want to plan broad strokes and fill out the details in play based on what makes sense, what comes before, and what my players suggest and achieve.

I want, I've realised, a Powered by the Apocalypse game.

Spells and items and rituals as individual moves; character growth/loss fluid in the style of the "change playbook" option; a GMing structure that replaces Threats and Fronts with the individual regions of the Wastes.

And so I've begun working on the skeleton of a system, a (very) loose hack that draws equally from Dungeon World and Apocalyse World.

Since there was no session of the Twitch ATUH campaign yesterday and thus nothing that needed to be done with my usual hour of streaming GM Prep, I started to actually put some flesh on those bones: designing the initial very-rough draft of what the Basic Moves might look like.

They're still in early stages, but I'm liking how this system is coming together.

It feels cohesive, and like it should deliver the experience that I want (of course, playtesting will undoubtedly demonstrate otherwise).

So, here's a couple of the draft moves. Feedback and commentary very welcome!

(For an insight into my thought process as I put some of these together, check out the video here.)

*****

When you go into battle, roll +Force. On a hit, you do harm to your opposition and they do harm back to you. On a 10+, choose 3. On a 7-9, choose 2:

• You strike especially hard, inflicting extra harm on your target/s.
• You defend especially well, taking less harm from your target/s.
• You are a flurry of motion, engaging multiple foes.
• You push forward, gaining ground or momentum
• You drive the enemy back, creating an advantage or an opening

On a miss, you take a nasty hit. You may still do your harm, GM's choice.

When you push through danger, ask the GM to name the danger/s you risk and roll +Force. On a 10+, you do it. On a 7-9, you still do it but choose 1: you survive but some equipment doesn't, you charge right into something worse, you falter and lose the initiative. On a miss, prepare for the worst.

When you read the lay of the land, roll +Insight. On a hit, you can ask the GM questions. Take +1 when acting on the answers. On a 10+, ask 3. On a 7-9, ask 1:

• What happened here recently?
• What should I be on the lookout for?
• What here is useful or valuable to me?
• What, if anything, appears out of place (or is not what it seems)?
• What is the safest position I can take?
• What is my best way out / way in / way past?

On a miss, you overlook something important but ask 1 anyway.

When you notice something unusual, roll +Insight. On a 10+, ask 2. On a 7-9, ask 1:

• Is this a thing of the civilised world, or of the wild magic?
• Is this thing created, caused, or naturally occurring?
• Is this something that might have value or use to me?
• Is this something that might be dangerous or helpful to me?
• What, from what I know and sense, might happen next?

On a miss, ask 1 anyway and it is older and stranger than you thought. 

*****

BONUS CONTENT! Supplementary Special Moves for Dungeon World

When you ask around for information before a journey, roll +CHA. *On a 10+, hold 3. *On a 7-9, hold 2. Spend your hold 1 for 1, now or during the expedition, to gain the following information about your destination:

• Directions to a significant or interesting location
• General information about the region, its terrain, and inhabitants
• Names of a few powerful local figures, and a little more about them
• Information about dangerous predators or creatures in the region
• Warnings against a common threat or danger to travellers
• Rumours of a great treasure or magical artefact

On a miss, hold 2 anyway but the GM will answer one falsely (their choice).

(Plus, for those wanting something a little more specific than Defy Danger)

When you steel yourself against magic or outside influence, roll +WIS. *On a 10+, you do it and gain an impression of the motive behind the attempt. *On a 7-9, you do it but choose 1: some lesser trace of it lingers, your resolve is shaken by the effort, your resistance or refusal is obvious. *On a miss, prepare for the worst.

(Find this post useful/interesting? Enjoy the content I'm putting out on this blog?

If you'd like to support me to keep creating material like this and working on other RPG/game-design projects, check out my Patreon to help me do more cool stuff and get access to monthly Q&As, early-access playtesting of my story games, or a place on the credits list for any game I make).

Monsterhearts Homebrew: the Brownie

Avery Alder's Monsterhearts is one of my favourite roleplaying games of all time.

I love everything about it: the genre and tropes it revolves around, the heavy focus on inter-party drama and intense and messy character relationships, the idea of keeping a story "feral", the ways it took the principles of Apocalypse World and leapt boldly forward with them (Hx into Strings, the evolution of moves that affect agency over a character's emotions, etc).

Most of all I love how unapologetically it puts forward its insight: supernatural teen drama/romance is, and has always been, queer as hell.

I've read it cover to cover more times than I can count; I've played in campaigns from online to 8-hour convention contexts; I've GMed it a few glorious times and have plans for more; and I even had the privilege of reading and giving feedback on some very early drafts for the Second Edition.

Monsterhearts is a game that I love.

And so being a game designer and somewhat of a nerd, of course I set out to write a bunch of homebrew content for it. I've written a handful of custom Skins for the game, informed by my desire to see an integration between monster archetype / high-school drama archetype / pattern of teenage dysfunction.

Until now these Skins have all lurked on my hard-drive gathering dust, but now that I have a blog it seems a shame not to share them.

Apologies that they aren't properly formatted and laid-out: that's not one of my skill-sets.

If I can talk my friend John into it, I might try and pull something of the sort together for people who want consistency of appearance with the standard Skins.

So:

The Brownie

Your friends and loved ones mean everything to you – you cannot imagine a warmer glow of satisfaction than knowing you’ve helped them nor a worse feeling than watching them suffer when you can do nothing to intervene. You chase that feeling of approval and thankfulness, delighting in service and praise and willing to shoulder burdens that are none of your business just to feel needed and useful and wanted. 

Stats

Hot -1, Cold -1, Volatile +1, Dark +1

Name

Abdul, Alexis, Deacon, George, Leto, Ophelia, Paige, Sergius, Stuart.

A servant’s name, a forgettable name, a weak-sounding name, a peasant name.

Look

ragged, casual, servile, polished, mismatched

needy eyes, watchful eyes, insecure eyes, protective eyes, demanding eyes

Origin

diminished house-spirit, born to serve, searching for purpose, oath-bound, indentured for a term

Your Backstory

You have one friend who is very dear to you. Declare one person to be one of your loved ones. Give them 2 Strings on you. Take one String on them. 

You were there for someone in a moment of emotional vulnerability. Ask them what secret they confessed to you, and you gain 1 String on them.

Brownie Moves

You get this one and choose two more:

[x] Family of Choice. You may have any number of loved ones. The first is chosen during your backstory. Every time you choose another loved one, give them 1 String on you. Whenever you subjugate yourself to the needs of your loved ones, carry 1 forward and gain the condition needy.

[ ] Love Hurts. Every time you forgive the ones you love for hurting you, and make excuses for them, gain a String on them.

[ ] Invisible Helper. When you defend someone you love without them ever knowing about it, mark experience.

[ ] Bond of Service. If you and another character have a total of 5 or more Strings on one another, gain 1 to all rolls against them.

[ ] Shoulder to Cry On. You crave to be useful, and feel that is all you’re good for. When others dump their emotional problems on you, roll with dark. On a 10 up, they lose all their conditions, and you choose one: mark experience, carry one forward, or gain a String on them. On a 7-9, they choose one:  they lose all their conditions or they gain a String on you.

[ ] Self-Sacrifice. When you leap into the way and take the blow instead of someone you love, roll with Volatile. On a 10 up, you take the harm instead of them, but reduce it by 1. On a 7-9, you take the harm instead of them. On a success, gain a String on the loved one who you saved or give them the Condition guilty.

[ ] Unloved and Unwanted. When you are needy and then gaze into the abyss, carry +1 forward to your roll. 

Sex Move

When you have sex with someone you cannot help but crave their approval. Add them as one of your loved ones (including giving them a String on you) and then trigger the Shoulder to Cry On move even if you have not taken it.

Darkest Self

You can’t bear the ingratitude of the people around you – you bleed and sweat and slave away to make their lives easier and they dismiss your efforts as invasive and unwanted? Make them realise how much they need you - destroy every good thing in their life until they need you back to fix it. You escape your Darkest Self when you go too far and harm one of your loved ones, or when you admit that they never asked for the level of devotion you gave them.

Advancements

-Take another Brownie move

-Take another Brownie move

-Take a move from another Skin

-Take a move from another Skin

-You belong to an Obeisance of Household Spirits

-Add 1 to Hot (max 3)

-Add 1 to Cold (max 3)

-Add 1 to Volatile (max 3)

-Add 1 to Dark (max 3)

Playing the Brownie

Needy, taken for granted, overlooked, craving importance. The Brownie is about trying to take all of your loved ones’ problems onto yourself for the rush you get from approval and being needed and useful.

You are at your strongest when helping others: Family of Choice makes you much more effective when you are pursuing the interests of your loved ones, and if it involves giving away some Strings then Bond of Service can also turn that into a strength. Unloved and Unwanted allows you to take the needy Condition and make it work for you.

Love Hurts, and Shoulder to Cry On can all provide a source of Strings to fuel Bond of Service and allow you to push back against your loved ones if they are trying to shut you out or prying where they shouldn’t. Invisible Helper provides a handy source of experience, as can Shoulder to Cry On if things go well.

Self-Sacrifice is your move of last resort, endangering yourself to protect your loved ones and either gain Strings on them or give them a Condition that you can leverage into them needing a Shoulder to Cry On.

(Find this post useful/interesting? Enjoy the content I'm putting out on this blog?

If you'd like to support me to keep creating material like this and working on other RPG/game-design projects, check out my Patreon to help me do more cool stuff and get access to monthly Q&As, early-access playtesting of my story games, or a place on the credits list for any game I make).