PbtA Games: Sell One Well +

[Faolyn]

No. It is mud and blood gritty military low fantasy.

I think I like Whizbang's idea better.

 

[Xamnam]

If they exist, what are good PbtA games for the following genres:

Whatever genre it is Neil Gaiman writes

...City of Mists? Someone who's actually read the whole book, or played it, tell me how wrong I am.

 

[Reynard]

I think I like Whizbang's idea better.

Maybe there's a PbtA for that, too. But I was asking after a specific thing.

 

[JAMUMU]

I came here to say OG Apocalypse World or the second edition, but some nabnabberer nabbed it further up the page.

 

[Aldarc]

If they exist, what are good PbtA games for the following genres:

Zombie Apocalypse
Baroque Space Opera
Abercrombie grimdark fantasy
Gonzo Post Apocalypse
Whatever genre it is Neil Gaiman writes

Science-Fiction Recommendations

Alternatives to Dungeon World

Comparing 5 Dungeon World Hacks

Not sure if I can name particular games, but these links may help.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think I like Whizbang's idea better.

Mine is the CW version.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

No. It is mud and blood gritty military low fantasy.

Band of Blades is a Forged in the Dark game, so one generation (or more) away from PbtA, but it sounds something like what you're looking for.

 

[hawkeyefan]

If they exist, what are good PbtA games for the following genres:

Zombie Apocalypse
Gonzo Post Apocalypse

There's Legacy: Life Among The Ruins, which might be good for either of these. It's a post apocalyptic game bout rebuilding society, and is set across generations. The particulars of the apocalypse are up to you. There are sourcebooks for multiple kind of apocalypse, but you can also devise your own with the core rules.

Baroque Space Opera

Uncharted Worlds is a setting neutral space opera version of PbtA.

Abercrombie grimdark fantasy

Some have been mentioned already: Dungeon World, Stonetop, Saga of the Icelanders, and Ironsworn.

Some may take a little tweaking, but you could probably manage to pull off an Abercrombie-esque feel with those.

Whatever genre it is Neil Gaiman writes

...City of Mists? Someone who's actually read the whole book, or played it, tell me how wrong I am.

I think it would work pretty well for a lot of his stuff, sure. I've not played it, but I've read it, and the characters are essentially manifestations of archetypes that struggle with their human side versus their mythical side. Certainly plenty of Gaiman's work touches on that kind of stuff... particularly American Gods.

 

[Reynard]

Band of Blades is a Forged in the Dark game, so one generation (or more) away from PbtA, but it sounds something like what you're looking for.

It's very much an intentional Black Company homage. It's cool, but deeply dependent on not only It's setting but it's specific story -- even moreso that other FitD games.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm certain that Gaiman has had RPG fans and publishers coming to him for years, but it's remarkable that there's no official game that could handle American Gods, Neverwhere or the Graveyard Book.

 

[Campbell]

@Reynard

The Sword, The Crown and The Unspeakable Power might be up your alley. I haven't seen it in actual play, but it might have the right vibe.

The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power - Wheel Tree Press | DriveThruRPG.com

The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power - The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power (SCUP) is a dark fantasy role-playing game from Wheel Tree Press. Remi

www.drivethrurpg.com

 

[Reynard]

@Reynard

The Sword, The Crown and The Unspeakable Power might be up your alley. I haven't seen it in actual play, but it might have the right vibe.

The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power - Wheel Tree Press | DriveThruRPG.com

The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power - The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power (SCUP) is a dark fantasy role-playing game from Wheel Tree Press. Remi

www.drivethrurpg.com

Oh, cool!

 

[Malmuria]

Has anyone played Urban Shadows? That's one game I really want to try

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Has anyone played Urban Shadows? That's one game I really want to try

I haven't. I can't figure out whether it plays like World of Darkness or completely differently. The Adventure Zone seasons where they used it were kind of a mess, and didn't clear anything up. I am definitely interested in hearing more, myself.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I've enjoyed playing Classic Traveller over the past few years, in a style inspired by Apocalypse World. (Each of the subsystems is, in effect, an AW -style move.)

threadbust alert

Can you share anything you care to about your CT inspired by AW? (perhaps in another thread or DM me)

/threadbust

If they exist, what are good PbtA games for the following genres:

Zombie Apocalypse
Baroque Space Opera
Abercrombie grimdark fantasy
Gonzo Post Apocalypse
Whatever genre it is Neil Gaiman writes

Zombie Apocalypse: Zombie World is probably your best bet - in fact a lot of people seem to feel that Zombie World is one of the best onramps to PbtA

Gonzo Post Apocalypse - you mean like Mutant Crawl Classics or Gamma World?

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Has anyone played Urban Shadows? That's one game I really want to try

I've been waiting for 2e (in print) before I kick off a game. But definitely want to play. It supposedly delivers on the promise of certain parts of WoD better than the actual game mechanics of WoD (any edition). Specifically the inter- and intra-necine wars of supernatural groups; the intricate balance of debt and favor between individuals; and the urban-ness of the setting. I don't think it delivers much around the superpowers of supernaturality - you don't get 5 dots in Potence for example...

 

[JAMUMU]

Because I couldn't recomment Apocalypse World I'm going to recommend Simple World and possibly inspire a few folks to have a go at hacking their own beautiful game out of the marble block of inertia:

Simple World - Buried Without Ceremony

A lightweight, stripped-down engine for putting together your next PBtA game.

buriedwithoutceremony.com

 

[Reynard]

Zombie Apocalypse: Zombie World is probably your best bet - in fact a lot of people seem to feel that Zombie World is one of the best onramps to PbtA

Cool. I will check it out.

Gonzo Post Apocalypse - you mean like Mutant Crawl Classics or Gamma World?

Yes.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I've been waiting for 2e (in print) before I kick off a game. But definitely want to play. It supposedly delivers on the promise of certain parts of WoD better than the actual game mechanics of WoD (any edition). Specifically the inter- and intra-necine wars of supernatural groups; the intricate balance of debt and favor between individuals; and the urban-ness of the setting. I don't think it delivers much around the superpowers of supernaturality - you don't get 5 dots in Potence for example...

Teasing apart the different things WoD can allegedly do into more focused games is probably the right way to go.

Terrifying predators? Go to Undying. Scheming ancients? Urban Shadows is right this way.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Yes.

There was a kickstarter called "Broken World" in the first generation of new PbtA way back in 2014. It funded, but myself and 355 of my never-yet-met friends did not receive anything for it - except maybe a first draft pdf

In thinking about Gonzo Post Apoc, I'm wondering what are the player archetypes that can make strong playbooks?
In fact, what are the cultural touchstones for this type of game beyond other RPGs?

Going to go out on a limb, but for a PbtA to work well, feels like it needs to be grounded in some very clear cultural touchstones so that the moves can emulate those touchstone tropes very clearly. Beyond mutations, what else does Gonzo Post Apoc have that say, Mad Maxian post apoc (emulated by AW) doesn't have? In other words, could you just play AW, but add mutations? If not, why not? Hmmmm