Hello. I wish to introduce my local TTRPG club to Masks: The Next Generation. During the next convention, I have a two hour time slot to GM a one-shot. I have to assume the players have not played PbtA games before.

My trouble is, so far my experience shows that between character creation, making connections within the party, distributing Influence, explaining the setting, the general moves and the dice rolling, you need about 30-45 minutes before you have actually gotten to play your character.

Is there any way I can shorten this introductory part by nixing some parts of the system? Which parts are in your opinion indespenable and which can be safely left out for a first impression of the system?

Hi Everyone! With Kickstarter fulfillment for Chasing Adventure winding down, there are a few big updates to the game I wanted to share with everyone.

###Physical Copies Now Available

If you missed the Kickstarter campaign, have a friend who wants a book, or you want to give book to someone for the holidays, more Hardcover and Softcover copies are now available on the newly launched web store.

Take a look.

###Advanced Playbooks Have Released

• The Artificer is an eccentric tinkerer who creates powerful (if sometimes unstable) contraptions and substances. You can see a preview of the Artificer above.

• The Monk is a disciplined martial artist who works tirelessly to maintain their skills and inner peace.

• The Monster is a terror who unleashes their true nature and connects more with other horrors than the civilization they once called home.

You can get this bundle on Itch and the Web Store, and soon on DriveThruRPG as well. These playbooks are in beta and actively being playtested. If you'd like to give feedback, ask questions, or find people to play with, check out the Chasing Adventure Discord.

While the stretch goal to make these free and and part of the physical book wasn't reached, I am still glad to design these playbooks and offer them to the community for a small price.

It's been a busy seven months since the project was backed. Thank you to everyone who contributed to make this a reality! I hope to have some more exciting updates to share next year.

Hey All!

Once again, welcome to the weekly thread where you can link products, kickstarters, podcasts, videos, really anything you like, as much as you like.

As usual, rules 4 (1 advertising post) and 5 (no LFG) are suspended in this post.

New stretch goal? Post here!

Need two players for Night Witches? Post here!

Designer dropped a dev diary? Post here!

Handy dandy loaded dice on amazon? Post here? Please don't on that one actually.

Have fun, and lets see some interesting stuff.

Hello, I don't see this having been posted here yet and it was advised I do so. I've marked it Brand Affiliate, which is I think what that marker is for. I'm just a freelancer, but as I'm a co-author on this project, felt appropriate.

I'm one of the co-authors on the current Monster of the Week supplements Evil Hat is crowdfunding.

It's mostly aimed at hunters though has a lot for Keepers to bite into as well. 9 new hunter playbooks, 9 new team playbooks, several sci-fi leaning options for monster hunting campaigns that lean toward X-Files or They Live, advice on homebrewing and game play, and a new system of integrating hunter-focused story arcs alongside the mysteries the team is facing.

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/evil-hat/slayers-survival-kit-and-hunter-s-journal

tl;dr: The Between is a game about Victorian monster hunters dealing with supernatural mysteries (and their own pasts) while working to unveil the plan of a secretive Mastermind behind much of the horror afflicting their London setting. It uses Carved from Brindlewood mechanics, a sub-family of Powered by the Apocalypse games focused on collaboratively telling horror-mystery stories together. The game runs using a vast catalog of pre-written Threats, but none of them have official/canonical answers to their core Questions - the players must assemble a theory out of the Clues they’ve discovered, and roll to see how right they are. 

If you like PbtA games with super-specific, evocative playbooks, or want to really feast on a giant ‘menu’ of content to potentially run for your group, you could do a lot worse than this. $30 for a 3-book set digitally, $90 from them in hardcover (with decent rates on international shipping).

-

For everyone else: Hello, everyone! I’m unaffiliated with The Gauntlet, but have fallen head over heels for the CfB system broadly and The Between in particular. I made a thread when this Backerkit campaign went live a month ago, but with a little over two days left, I want to highlight the bonus content they’ve already unlocked and what’s still left.

The core rulebook has 6 playbooks (and a 7th potentially unlocked during play!), 11 Threats to investigate, and a Mastermind to serve as the antagonist of your campaign - or at least, its first season. Shadow Society, an expansion book, adds 6 more new playbooks, another 20 Threats, and 3 additional/alternate Masterminds. Suns of Another World has 3 spin-off settings, alternate frameworks with their own 6 bespoke playbooks, plus Threats and a Mastermind unique to each - essentially separate, standalone games of The Between!

• Ghosts of El Paso: a Western; local notables trying to protect their town from a season of spirits
• Unsinkable: mystery at sea for the passengers and crew aboard a doomed Transatlantic ocean liner
• Court of Wolves: protect Louis XIV from the Satanists and werewolves allied against him

You could genuinely play this game for years before repeating any material (though there’s a lot of room for replays to go *wildly* differently with some branching choices). It’s full of clever, inspirational design. Despite a lot of obsessively-focused design, there’s enough wiggle room that one campaign could be horrifically brutal and grimy, while another could be more like two-fisted pulp with a bit of edge. With my home group, I’ve already got players speculating about “our next campaign” and “when I run this…”, which feels like some of the highest praise I could pass on. 

Give it a look! I’d love to hear your thoughts, and as a big fan of this game who wants to see it do well, I’d love to field any questions you might have. Their final few stretch goals include:

• 3 more playbooks (a gaggle of low-class henchmen being hunted by a serial killer, an Alice-like woman half-caught in daydream realm, and a chemist experimenting with a serum injected into their body)
• 2 more Masterminds (the vampire queen of a surreal otherworld who seeks to puppet the British monarchy and an aristocratic family of rival monster-hunters)
• a 4th alternate setting (with its own playbooks, Threat, and Mastermind!): Blood & Coal, about locals in Appalachia during the early Dust Bowl, fighting to preserve their home from demons

If you're curious, the current edition of the game and of Ghosts of El Paso are both free on DTRPG through this Backerkit's run!

Friends, Goblins, Dice Rollers,

I'm sharing the WIP version of my steamboat-themed TTRPG, Steam Over Sweetwater.

In S.O.S. you play a tight-knit steamboat crew taking dangerous work on an endless river plagued with gangs, giant snapping turtles, and the occasional magical object.  It’s Swamp Opera, River Punk hijinks with a strong tendency toward violence and plenty of room for character depth.

Sweetwater uses Powered by The Apocalypse mechanics and is influenced by other PBtA games such as The Sprawl, Dino Island, Masks, and Monster of The Week. You can get the entire rulebook below.

Comments and Feedback welcome.
https://www.goblinworkshoppe.com/sos-wip-ttrpg

Hey All!

Once again, welcome to the weekly thread where you can link products, kickstarters, podcasts, videos, really anything you like, as much as you like.

As usual, rules 4 (1 advertising post) and 5 (no LFG) are suspended in this post.

New stretch goal? Post here!

Need two players for Night Witches? Post here!

Designer dropped a dev diary? Post here!

Handy dandy loaded dice on amazon? Post here? Please don't on that one actually.

Have fun, and lets see some interesting stuff.

I don't think it's controversial to acknowledge that there are broadly two different ideas of "what PbtA is." Personally, I'm not particularly interested in arguments that try to identify The One True PbtA. Clearly there's value in both ideas. BUT- I wish I had a way of talking about them separately.

If you're scratching your head like wtf is this lady on about, here's a quick primer on the two PbtAs:

First, there's the creators' version: "PbtA is anything that's inspired by Apocalypse World." All it takes to stamp the official PbtA logo on your game is to email the Bakers, tell them your game stands on AW's shoulders in some way, and you'll get permission.

But ask the community, and you'll usually get a much different answer. We talk about PbtA more like its a system. The prototypical PbtA game is "play to find out", fiction-first, with a fail-forward attitude. It has Moves triggered by the fiction where players roll 2d6+Stat with a mixed success option. The GM doesn't roll dice; they have a list of moves that just happen. All PCs share the same Basic Moves, with special Moves on their unique playbooks, which represent character archetypes.

Vincent Baker has written about how a lot of these systems were "historical accidents". Yet they've become an indelible part of our collective mental model of PbtA.

And, if I may editorialize, I think that model is great! It provides an incredibly accessible template for designing TTRPGs, and it's led to a beautiful proliferation of new indie RPGs from talented new designers. PbtA was the first time I saw an RPG and thought "I want to make one of those!" I'm sure I'm not alone.

That all said, the issue remains. These are two different ideas living under the same moniker. That seems very silly!

It's not just about wanting more precise terms. The language we have shapes what we talk about, right? I love the community-codified version of PbtA we have. I'm also really curious about non-traditional (originalist?) PbtA design. What are the non-mechanical aspects of AW and other games in this space that inspire people? Let's talk about design philosophies and techniques, tone and style, whatever!

Ideally, I'd like to see the bubble expand around what we think of as PbtA to continue including The Community's PbtA, and to include ideas, mechanics, systems that may seem further afield, but to me, are still fundamentally "PbtA."

Here's what I'm proposing: Community PbtA (cPbtA) and Creator PbtA (cPbtA). Think you can do better? ;)

I would like to know if there is any PbtA game focused on these pillars: crafting, light combat/explorationg and social interactions, thanks in advance everyone

I recently started GMing Offworlders and it's been a blast. In the rulebook, which sits at about 30 pages, it tells readers to "break this game" and encourages hacking. The system has been solid while lightweight, but I love the idea of adding new mechanics to enhance the game.

One thing I've "hacked" into Offworlders is something like advantage/disadvantage. I grant PCs a +1 or -1 to a roll when favorable/unfavorable circumstances arise. Researching the PBTA dice math, it seems like a fair bonus that doesn't break the odds too much. It also provides a good mechanic for PCs aiding one another. It's a small change, adding something that wasn't in such a short rulebook, but it's improved the game for us!

What are some easy ways to hack, enhance, or beef up lighter PBTA systems?

I'm a few sessions into running an Offworlders mini-campaign, and it's been a lot of fun so far. However, being a rules-light game, the Offworlders book is also light on GM advice. I think I've done a solid job so far, but I'm always looking to improve. I'd love to hear some additional GM guidance that could apply to Offworlders or other PBTA games.

Any solid advice from your own experiences GMing, or recommendations of sources to check out (e.g. I've heard that Dungeon World has a great GM section)?

Hi! I'm someone who's new to GMing (to be more specific about my play experience, I have played DND 5e and a bit of pathfinder, but never ran a game) who really wants to run a PBTA game for my friends, and was wondering if this subreddit had any game recs for someone who's new to this family of systems?
To be more specific about my preferences so this post isnt just "tell me your favorite PBTA games" I originally wanted to run something like Jojo's bizarre adventure, but none of my options there seemed particularly appealing (eidolon which is still in play-testing, and city of mist, which despite aesthetic similarities, has a completely different tone and setting than what I was looking for) so something that encourages a narrative similar to that would be ideal.

In short my idea is this. The party is teleported away by this god-like entity to a pocket dimension that looks like a Renaissance Faire. The entity forces the party to compete in faire styled competitions against other hero groups. However, the other hero groups are all different parties my friendgroup have played as in the past from stuff like DnD.

The question comes from trying to still focus this one shot on the core drama of Masks. I could, in theory, have the one shot be entirely focused on the competition and just be action. But that sounds boring and doesn't highlight what makes masks so interesting.

Basically: I'm trying to find a way to balance actiony competitions, the internet fun of crossing over different campaigns, and still keeping the game focused on the drama and growth of the party. I would appreciate any suggestions! Thanks!

(My initial idea would be having the rival hero groups form strong opinions of the player characters. It would be dramatic for both the character and player when you consider that rival was once the player's PC)

This move... it says even if the roll fails, the device works. The only difference between rolling 12 and 2 is that the device works exceptionally well or just works. He wants to build a mind reading device? He can do it, without a chance to fail! A teleportation device, a dimension gate? Yeah, he can do it all!

How to handle such overpowered shit as a GM? 🤯

This Saturday, join us on the PbtA Discord for a day of seasonal one shots. Games include:

• Against the Odds
• Bluebeard's Bride
• Masks
• Monster of the Week
• A Monster's Tail
• The Seventh Order

All games are 3-4 hours and run from 8 am to 8 pm Eastern US time.

To join a game, just get on the server (https://discord.gg/MP2wvZQcPK) and DM ghost orchid (that's me). See you there!

Hi, I'm a very beginning GM, especially new to PBtA (never played, soon to GM for the first time) and there's one thing I've been wondering about the most lately: surprising player characters.
I mean situations like, PCs are travelling down the road and there's an ambush set up by bandits, or there are some traps wherever PCs happened to go. There's nothing like passive perception here, no opposing rolls or anything like that like in classical RPG, so how do I resolve situations like that? Do I use a soft move like Show signs of an approaching threat or something like that and let the players play a move as a reaction? Like, "You see a light movement in the bushes, you also feel like you just saw light reflect from between the branches. What do you do?"?
I'd be grateful for any explanation, I may just not grasp the idea of PBtA in itself enough to understand it.

Just discovered pbta and have played monster hearts 2.

What systems would you recommend for more character driven stories and drama?

Thanks,

I watched Bobs Burgers for the first time like a year ago and I've wanted to try and put together a food truck sim/domestic slice of life TTRPG ever since. I'm beginning to gravitate towards using PbtA as a framework cause I could make different cooking methods into moves and it might lend itself well to rules lite interpersonal RP with *mild* mechanical interaction behind cooking/business management.

Working title would be "Food-Truck World" I guess. In terms of non TTRPG influences I'm very much looking at Bobs Burgers and the Papa's [___]-ria" series of flash games for inspiration.

I was wondering if there were any PbtA type games with interesting cooking/food service mechanics I could look at for reference? Additionally, peoples favourite games for relatively mundane social interactions/relationship management would be interesting to look at

Hey All!

Once again, welcome to the weekly thread where you can link products, kickstarters, podcasts, videos, really anything you like, as much as you like.

As usual, rules 4 (1 advertising post) and 5 (no LFG) are suspended in this post.

New stretch goal? Post here!

Need two players for Night Witches? Post here!

Designer dropped a dev diary? Post here!

Handy dandy loaded dice on amazon? Post here? Please don't on that one actually.

Have fun, and lets see some interesting stuff.

Especially for those who have played longer campaigns, how many Moves does it take before a mid-level complexity situation is "done" or "dealt with".

The reason I ask is that it feels like a lot gets done in a session, but when I look back each player only really did 2-3 rolls, and each roll generated a LOT of forward momentum. PbtA style mechanics are Fail Forward by their nature, but does it feel like situations play out too quickly, and are over too soon?

On the other hand, does it feel awkward or slow when a roll only "progresses" a conflict but doesn't change the situation/context. (Roll+Combat -> advance clock/deal damage/mark progress -> Roll+Combat again and again until clock is full/hp is empty)

Obviously I'm looking for vibes/opinions (be sure to mention which game btw, their approaches are quite different)

Hey, so simply put, I'm new.
Long story short, someone suggested MASKS to me. Initially it seemed weird, but I slept on it and now it became my ADHD obsession for probably the next week or so.

I've been trying to poke around the internet to find any active communities (namely on discord since I use it quite often), but have been unable to find an active community for it. Like, I saw there's an official (I think it's official) discord server for it, but it's practically dead with zero activity.
So, does anyone know of any good and at least relatively active discord servers for this game?
Or am I better off looking for a different super-hero themed TTRPG?

Long time D&D GM, have been looking at other systems recently and think I want to try running a PBtA style game. The setting I'm trying to run is a Fantasy Wuxia (Chinese martial arts) story where the players are Sect members for one of four big factions who have to take on Sect missions rescuing captured members, protecting goods shipments to outposts, fighting and defeating competing Sects members over resources or personal grudges, etc. Most typical media portrays a might-is-right mindset and disputes are resolved by whose fist is the biggest.

I've been doggedly looking at every system I can find to figure out what best to run this setting in and the closest I've come is GURPS which ultimately burnt me out on trying to figure out how to build and price each type of martial art/ special ability (think for attunement that allows flame punches and stuff) my players want to specialize in a well as the main faction npc's they'll be expected to fight against. Instead of literally building and pricing all of the abilities out 1-by-1, I figured I'd take a look at the more narrative systems and see if I could make my life easier here.

Do you guys have any recommendations for an existing game in the PBtA space that you think would work for this?

My best friend is brand new to TTRPGS and wants to run a game where 3 players get in an isekai situation and end up as magic girls/boys and attended a school, she says DND/PF has too many choices and wants to stream line it....so which PBtA should I suggest... I know of Monster of the week but that just kinda sounds wrong.

Hello folks!

I'm in a situation where I have one spot left for a session of Bluebeard's Bride and a couple of friends (as in they are a couple) showed interest. Usually anything more than 5 players is a no-no for me, and the game specifically has only 5 "playbooks" (the archetypes) but I'm in an awkward situation where its either one and the other wants to at least spectate the session - something I'm not keen to as it hurts overall immersion - OR try and cram/create a 6th playbook?

I never ran this, anyone here who has ran it can or done this share a thought? Any help is welcome anyways.

Thanks!