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Message: <blockquote data-quote="chaochou" data-source="post: 8418335" data-attributes="member: 99817">To continue the discussion of 'mystery' and 'investigation' in Apocalypse World and whether it 'does them', here are some more ideas.Let's say Dust, our Hocus, says while being asked what's up with her followers that a couple of them have been killed recently. Let's say it's Zeal and Crater that got aced somehow. Great - we have something of a mystery. How did they get themselves killed? Is it coincidence, plain bad luck, a vendetta?So we can ask Dust some provocative questions about the circumstances? Were they both killed in the junkyard? Were they lovers? Had they made you angry recently? Were they close? What was the last thing Zeal said to you?We immediately let the player establish all kinds of additional elements about this mystery before we do anything. We establish the player's fears and suspicions, their connection, their attachment.This is the foundation of mystery in Apocalypse World. You care enough about the player characters to ask them what matters to them and what the boundaries of their knowledge are.Okay, we've asked our MC questions and maybe Dust is now intrigued enough just by what came out of that to get proactive to sort this situation out. They go and see Francois, the Maestro D and offer fancy candles for their place if Francois will bring in the killer. And Francois agrees, as long as there's a case of whiskey in it too, and now Dust owes Francois a set of fancy candles and a case of whiskey and Francois has Fingers in every Pie and hits the roll and two days later the head of the killer arrives in a box.And maybe now we're done with that.Or maybe someone hands me the MC a golden opportunity, like upon seeing the head Dust says 'Anyone know this guy?'And so maybe I make a soft move like 'This old timer everyone calls Bleach hobbles over and says 'Sure. He runs with that badass assassin crew out of the old clocktower.' Like, I'm announcing future badness and we have a new mystery as to why this crew are killing off Dust's followers.Or maybe Francois misses the Fingers in Every Pie roll and now it just got real for Dust and Francois.Or maybe instead of all of that, Dust just goes to Crater's place and opens their brain to the maelstrom and sees their death happen.Or maybe in their answers to my provocative questions they said someone brought them a bullet, or axe, or lawnmower blade which killed Zeal and they take that to Leone the Savvyhead and he can make stuff speak to him and he learns stuff that way, maybe clear stuff or cryptic stuff, and we get our mystery expand and deepen that way.Or maybe none of the above happens, and instead the player does nothing. But when they miss their next Frenzy roll we know why their followers turn on them - cos Dust didn't protect Zeal and Crater and now they're afraid and angry, and Dust better make amends right now...So I hope it's clear that mystery and the unknown can easily form a really central element of Apocalypse World play (and hopefully its also clear they usually do in my games).And I hope it's equally clear that what we're not doing is railroad investigation into stuff the MC has written for the players to 'find out'. Pre-scripted, pre-determined, zero-agency 'learn what's in my notes' play. Jumping through hoops finding scripted 'clues'. There are plenty of games to do that with if you enjoy it - and Apocalypse World isn't one of them.</blockquote>

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