How to play Apocalypse World (and other PbTA games) like a French
There is a specific gaming culture relative to playing Apocalypse World amongst the French rpgers (“rôlistes”). (It's not the only one, I don't know if it is the main one, I just know it exists.) Many of them will even tell you that what they do is the essence of what is asked for in the rules. Here’s roughly how it goes.
At the start of a campaign, spend one or two whole gaming sessions for collective worldbuilding by negociation. Build a map and relation map of most important places and characters.
Players are in charge of describing what happens on a hit. You may tell them roughly how it goes and then ask them to fill the details in, but you should leave it all to them as often as you can.
For every MC move you make, you should strike as hard as you can (not as hard as you wish). These are not games for the faint of heart.
For every MC move, you may delay the strike. Tell the players. You hold that big hammer raised just above their heads, you may strike anytime you like.
For every MC move, ask the players (not the characters) as often as you like. “You enter the town and somebody attacks you, who is it and why?” “The Azonians capture you, bring you the mother tree you’ve only heard of and throw you in its rootpit, what does it looks like?” “The Azonians capture you, where do they bring you?” “The Azonians capture you. What do they do with you?” “You enter the rootpit and are filled with terror, why?” “Ok, this is our first session, so what is the threat and how do you discover it?” You may also ask a player for question relative to another player's character “Alex, why does XIII hates Gwen's character?”
/sub
RépondreSupprimerInteresting
RépondreSupprimer.. :)
RépondreSupprimer:-0
RépondreSupprimerPlayers are in charge of describing what happens on a hit isn't something I've always seen.
RépondreSupprimerFor every MC move, you should strike as hard as you can I have never noticed, or done.
.
RépondreSupprimerYes, "as hard as you can" seems very strange
RépondreSupprimerMustn't be french apart from point 1
RépondreSupprimerEric Nieudan Matthieu B syncretism isn't perfect. I choose some usages I've seen repeatedly during the last years, but I don't think I ever witnessed them all together.
RépondreSupprimer"as hard as you can" it's something i've seen, and seen talked about, and fought against (as a correct interpretation of the rules). If only I could find where again... I believe I saw that again on G+ in the past few weeks, but I don't remember the context. BTW there is some basis to it because there is one mistranslation in the French version where it says "frappe aussi fort que tu peux" instead of "(...) que tu veux" in one place. Yeah, it has been discussed enough to be rule-lawyered. Now this will be fixed in the French 2nd edition, won't it? ◔_◔
Kalysto de la vacuité I know many French that do not play like that, yes, but they don't really stand out as the French way of the Apocalypse if they play the same as everybody else, do they?
RépondreSupprimerThat may not be how people actually playing the game play it, but that sure looks like how a lot of people tell me it's done, yeah.
RépondreSupprimerGherhartd Sildoenfein : sure but now it's doomed to contain "gherhartd sent très mauvais" in a margin somewhere so there :p
RépondreSupprimerFAME! AT LAST!
RépondreSupprimeroof peux/veux is a common and brutal typo isn't it
RépondreSupprimerThere is a lot of crossing the line here; i'd like to talk more about that.
RépondreSupprimerGrégory Pogorzelski Yes, in play, they usually strike quite had but not as hard as they theoretically could.
RépondreSupprimerT. Franzke You now know where to find us :)
RépondreSupprimerOle Peder G.
RépondreSupprimerFirst point is pretty by the book for many *W games (even for those who also give you insight on how to play your first session).
RépondreSupprimerWhat's wrong with your fifth point? It is because you have seen it overused?
And FWIW, is there anything wrong with any of them? Was it only amusement from your side to make this list?
I don't think he's saying any of these practise is wrong, Pierre. I think he just means they're just not what's in the manual: that may be your AW but it's sure not the book's AW. At least that's how I read it.
RépondreSupprimerAnE I'm ready to bet a 20 that "at the start of a campaign, spend one or two whole gaming sessions for collective worldbuilding by negociation" means spending 8-16h around a table just talking about what we players want and not, you know, make a character and jump right in when the GM's ready, which is what actually happens when you follow AW first session sheet.
(pipped at the post by Greg)
RépondreSupprimerThere is nothing wrong with any of them. Just it's not how I perceive what the rulebook say (which imho isn't very important except if it's what you're talking about) nor how English speaking rpger play (from what I read or listen to here and there).
There is nothing wrong with the fifth point neither.
But, as all of them, this alters the gaming experience in major ways.
Due to mitigating circumstances, not guilty, Your Honor
RépondreSupprimerPodcast Actual play requirements corrupt everything ;)
1)World Building is crucial but it is also excessively frustrating for me
I prefer to make best of a session to live the fiction and not to build its foundations. Also I make sure that the world building is done before the first session by organizing a brainstorm for a week (on board, mails , forums…)
Oh yes, I love relation maps.
2) I give them this luxury on occasion for the sake of ‘on air speaking time”. However I never grant this favor if it dictates the behaviour/speech of an NPC.
I rather let them describe some good ass kicking when they have the upper hand
3)Nope. I strike hard only when I feel the fiction needs this.
4)That on the other hand is quite true… I often declare this for the show. Essentially for an ‘annouce future badness’ that feels better if the current scene is concluded first.
A MC move being what it is, I should’nt declare this impending doom ‘at loud’
But here again that’s the peculiar perversions of actual play podcast that intend to be didactic
5)Where/when did you run into this? I play this little game once a year. When I really want to make a pass and give a player the chance to really seize the fiction. Or when I’m reaaally lazy :)
Editorial policy… it’s magic. One can thus pass his mania, his whims...
The best way to know: try it. Because different people react in different ways.
RépondreSupprimerI often feel like I still hold the reigns to tight even though I am all about playing to find out what happens and player lead narratives. Not sure on how to get away from that.
RépondreSupprimerTurning MC is fine. If you need a hard rule to push yourself from "controlling" the game, why not (eg) decide that you'll ask the players on a double?
RépondreSupprimer