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Ghost Lines: 4-page mini-game AW hack
Here's the new mini-game/hack thing that I've been designing and running lately.
It came about because our World of Dungeons world was destroyed in an apocalypse when the Gates of Death were broken and we decided to advance the timeline by 1,000 years. I was heavily inspired by the style and setting of the video game Dishonored, as well as stuff from Ghostbusters (as usual, for me).
It's very bare-bones, but there's enough there to play with and build on if you're game. I'm happy to discuss details, answer questions etc. Maybe some players from our local game will jump in with some AP, too.
It came about because our World of Dungeons world was destroyed in an apocalypse when the Gates of Death were broken and we decided to advance the timeline by 1,000 years. I was heavily inspired by the style and setting of the video game Dishonored, as well as stuff from Ghostbusters (as usual, for me).
It's very bare-bones, but there's enough there to play with and build on if you're game. I'm happy to discuss details, answer questions etc. Maybe some players from our local game will jump in with some AP, too.
Comments
soonnow.That train image is so beautiful, especially in this context.
I used a bunch of his art as inspiration during our WoDu game, so it seemed right to use his work to springboard the 1,000-years-later game.
Your link to the PDF was busted when I went to the site, so I had to enter it manually.
Mr. Harper, you are remarkable! I would love to shake your hand!!!
That said, I think one of the coolest things I've learned from this (or at least the five minutes I've taken to look it over so far) and all of your other games is that in this community, it seems the honest way to attribute influence is simply to just name the folks from whom you borrow. Every one of your games has a wonderful "Credits" section (or similar). This has pretty much solved my latest moral dilemma - how do I give credit where credit is due!!!
So, Mr. Harper, thanks again for being an unfathomably fantastic designer. I know that I'm gonna' learn a lot from this game.
~Klaus
(P.S. All the links and buttons should be sorted now.)
I especially like the general vibe (the gaslight electro-industrial ghostbuster vibe is very evocative - was it your idea, or did some other source inspire it?), the STEEL move, and the FINESSE move.
The FORCE move seems very forgiving, compared to other *W hacks. Is it because the general setting is just that much more scary, or what?
Do you really take trauma just from seeing a teammate hurt? Like, 1-segment each time?
Finally, what kinds of stories do you expect to tell with this game? Is it all episodes about bulls running into one scary situation after another and then hoping to retire to safety? Or do you see a larger over-arching story direction?
1. Thanks! Inspirations are noted in the doc.
2. It's basically seize by force, which, no, not forgiving at all.
3. Trauma each time, yep. "Hurt" is something you'll have to judge.
4. Well, that's what you'll play to find out. For us, the side jobs take over the game in no time. Who knows what'll happen when you play it, though. That part's out of my hands entire.
Couple of questions, though-
Do NPCs have stats in this? Re. the Will move- or is that a judgement call?
The (only?) way you turn Coin into Stash is to (pay to) work side jobs?
Doesn't specify which segment to start marking scars and horror in- you could get one 'free' if you start in the left or right segments. This may not matter.
The Anchors opening move is to take 3 trauma if they succeed in their Steel roll to draw a ghost into contact with them? I see why there is a lottery...
Do you have any Agenda or Priciples in mind? Other than to make them want to build up that Stash ASAP.
Hmm...
Why are you being sent out as an all-Apprentice crew?...
What happened to the Master and the Journeyman crew who were training you on the run in to Cloudspire?
Are you worried it will happen to you?
Which high-ranking passenger is insisting the train returns now, before a more experienced crew can be sent out?
For that matter, why are the local crews on strike and refusing to work the line?
Do they consider you strike breakers, or are they just glad it's you and not them?
(edited for typos, and added some establishing questions)
1. No NPC stats. Make MC-style moves.
2. Yes. I think you could decide that you can also simply stash extra coin, 1-for-1, although that's a worse exchange.
3. Doesn't really matter.
4. I know, right? It's a shitty job. Our volunteer Anchor has Wild, so at least she gets the +1 ongoing out of it.
I'm working on Agenda and Principles now. Will take some more playtesting to see them, probably.
Love your questions!
4. I am impressed and appalled by how inventively nasty this job is. I mean, the whole setting is cool, but throwing in something so shitty? How do you come up with this stuff?! Be Anchor, fail one roll, and maybe the Symphonic Horror crawls in your ears and fries your brain with sweet, horrific melody.
Looking at side jobs, is there a place for a Dark Heart-style job generator? If not that, then certainly a ghost rumour/lead/patron/job genrerator would be useful.
Just remember to degauss your magnetic boots, double-check your cable clamps, and never, ever, cross the lightning-streams.
While I'm really interested in finding out what the difference is for my groups, what are your thoughts on what it means to silence a spirit, versus clearing one? How has that gone about in your game?
I think my favourite section is "Spectrology".
I find the Favors confusing, though. Are they supposed to be just a metagame currency, or in play do you have them refer to real stuff relevant to specific characters, etc?
And yes, you're right... you can eyeball steel/level for NPCs when evaluating the Will move.
@TildeSee: In our game, silencing has involved "destroying" a spirit, turning it into electroplasm. They did that by trapping it with two lightning-webs and overloading it with lots of electricity.
@Paul_T: They're currency, with as much or little color attached as you care for. Sometimes, it's easy and obvious to say, "Milo -- that crime-boss you worked for that time? -- hooks you up with his buddy who runs black-market gear, so you can get that spare heavy suit you wanted." Other times, you don't go into the details and they just spend a Favor point.
Have you ever considered making a steady supply of cool, inspiring little games and releasing them absolutely free of charge into the universe for people to enjoy? I think you should consider that.
Sincerely,
All gamers everywhere
PS - Also, don't forget to make them all look totally amazing.
I had them floundering as a 3 person crew because their legendary lead bull was too drunk to operate. When they managed to stop him from committing suicide with a pistol after they nabbed the ghost of the anchor of his former crew. Once they saved him, he sobered up a bit and gave them solid advice on how the operation worked. It was good fun, made me sorry it was a leaving-town-one-shot.
If it were to get beefed up to half a dozen pages, I'd love a lay-out map of a few different kind of cars (Passenger, Royal, Cargo, Engine, Caboose).
I'm working on a 4th page now (some random tables). Layout maps for train cars is a great idea.
@John_Harper
Could the Steel move be one of the missing links of Dead Weight?!
An afternoon of hacking gave me Ghost Lines Dark, largely because Messers Harper and Walmsley had already done all the hard work. I hope to playtest it in the next few days.
Some quick thoughts from an initial comparison- Your downward spiral might be faster? Reducing the max harm and trauma through scars as you recover. Plus it costs much more. It may be counterbalanced by the Dark 'roll higher than current harm' mechanism? Except now I look, Harm accelerates and Trauma slows. Which both make sense. But overalll, I'd say this is definitely Ghost Lines Dark.
Do you see some specifics, like the Rook always risks their health, and the Anchor their sanity? These are dangerous jobs.
One thing maybe missing is the obtaining of Stash- currently the only way specified is to roll 5+ on a side job. The AW version gives you 2 Stash just for working a job, effectively giving a 2 for 1 conversion rate, as well as the chance to get more on a good roll. Together with Downtime recovery costs, could mean many more crazy scarred lonely Bulls winding up dead in the gutter. Again, Darker. Not a bad thing in itself! Just an observation.
And maybe your Skovlan and Iruvian abilities are switched?
(edited for sense and typos)
Some aspects of the revised game probably need tweaked to fit the new system. Things like how many ghosts you need to clear and lines you need to work to level up.
I figure that you can store Coins in your Stash any time you're in town (possibly at some cost?).
Re: Skovlan and Iruvia - I guess I had messed around slightly with the implied setting. (I erased all the Apocalypse World rules and rewrote stuff from scratch. Iruvia got no scars because its lines have the lowest ratings.) Switching them would match the original PDF slightly more.
World of Dungeons -> Ghost Lines -> Lady Blackbird -> Stranger Things -> Ghost/Echo
The old website: http://onesevendesign.com/strangerthings/
Stuff from my blog: http://mightyatom.blogspot.com/search?q="stranger+things"
http://onesevendesign.com/ghost_lines.pdf