I have never played any game using the PbtA system, but I see it mentioned a bit here. I tried reading through the core book to get some answers to the questions I have, but I've always been horrible at reading rulebooks of all sorts. I was hoping that you could answer some of my questions, and if not, just let the thread die.
I've seen mentioned that the rules tie in with the setting/the setting "is the rules". How does that work?
In which way is it easily hackable?
Is there a possibility to make it a "generic" system, or does that conflict with the "setting is the rules"-thing?
Is it suitable for longer campaigns?
Overall pros and cons? Do you like it? Would you recommend it and why?
>also general I guess
>>46055140
It's a bad game with a ton of cringy forced ERP shit in itHello, Reddit
>>46055140
>In which way is it easily hackable?
Core mechanic is very simple, rules rarely stack or compound, making changes simple to execute.
>Is there a possibility to make it a "generic" system, or does that conflict with the "setting is the rules"-thing?
It conflicts.
>Is it suitable for longer campaigns?
Depends. You have to think about how fast you want to advance in a campaign, etc.
>Overall pros and cons?
Pros: simple,f reewheeling fun. Good for playing like you played D&D when you were 12.
Cons: Breaks if you play it like an MtG player. Virt will sneak into your house and rape you.
>Do you like it? Would you recommend it and why?
I'd definitely recommend it AW and DW as good reading for their view on DMing, and I'd probably recommend DW for it's niche (fuckabout dungeoncrawl play).
bomp
>>46057010
Except he liked Apocalypse World.
And Apocalypse World is far better than Dungeon World because it uses the mechanics correctly.
DW is just an attempt to mash a decent game into old school D&D. The result is a bunch of retarded mechanics on the OSR end, PCs that are hard to fuck up or threaten, and lack of understanding of what moves are supposed to do. Half of the moves are actual combat maneuvers. That's not a narrative thing, moves are meant to drive the story forward. Look at the AW moves for shit like the Hardholder, the whole "roll to see if you get something thourhg influence" shit. DW also has too many fucking moves per character.
Also, the Harm move (where you roll +Harm) is FAR more interesting than the stupid hit points bullshit of DW.
>>46056092
Confirmed for never having read it.
>>46055140
>Rules tie to Setting/Setting is "the Rules" How does that work?
My assessment there would be because the effects of roles generates new facts and issues into existence.
This is commonly derided as the "Quantum Bears/Ogres/Bandits" issue: A poor roll can CREATE additional challenges. As an example for doing it moderately well, let's say you need information, you're in a bar, and you roll poorly to get it out of someone through intimidation. The DM could say "Alright, you slam his head into the table, and demand to know where X is. Before he can answer, you hear a pointed cough, and someone interjects "Excuse me." You look up to see (other members of his gang/a pair of town enforcers/his big brother) walked into the bar while you weren't paying attention. "I think you should stop talking to him," the (Threat) says."
An example of doing it poorly would be, say, a player screws up on a roll to pick a lock, and ends up opening it straight into a room of four guards playing cards. That one strains disbelief, as presumably in the time it took to pick the lock, you'd have heard them talking.
The other big way that it reflects the "Setting is the rules" thing is a kind of meta-commentary for me: the rules of any game SHOULD reinforce their setting and theme, and PbtA games tend to do so more than some others.
Look at Apocalypse World, Monsterhearts, and Dungeon World. Each of their rulesets shifts to match the tone and setting, so that rules reinforce the feel of the setting. Sex is important in Apocalypse World because it's a sign of trust and vulnerability. It's important in Monsterhearts because it's a game about teenage hormones, emotional turmoil, and drama. It's not in the rules of Dungeon World at all, because that's not the point of D&D games.
>In which way is it easily hackable?
It's a very simple system, and the later segments of the book walk you through ways to modify it. It's not only simple enough to hack, it comes with a guide.
(cont)
>>46059982
Not that guy but the game does give you in-game benefits for ERP.
>>46060801
It gives consequences for sex. Not necessarily ERP.
It's like saying DnD is only ever a murdering and genocide simulator because you get rewards for killing shit.
>>46060923
Aren't DnD characters usually called Murderhobos?
>>46060993
A Murderhobo is a term for any rpg character who has no backstory, no home, no family and only lives to kill for XP.
They're more common in dnd, but they're just bad played PCs in a system that encourages it.
>>46060704
>Could it be Generic?
I would say that the base SYSTEM is fairly generic, but that once you make a setting, it would be better to tweak the system to fit that setting better, to reinforce the themes. Like the difference between Apocalypse world and Monsterhearts.
>Is it suitable for Longer Campaigns?
I can't speak for Apocalypse World, only for DW and Monsterhearts, but I think you could get....maybe five to six months of weekly play. Assuming a level every other session, you'd max out after 20 sessions for Dungeon World, and Monster Hearts gets...weird with its progression. Monsterhearts is more of a CW teen monster drama TV show: You can get a couple seasons out of it, but then you'll get bored, or want to change more drastically,
>Pros and Cons
Pros:
-PbtA games are REALLY easy to explain to new players. You could teach 4 newbies how to play and make their characters inside an hour.
-Fun. I know this is going to be subjective, but I find the shared world-creation of PbtA games to increase player investment and enjoyment. I started a game of DW with literally nothing planned beyond "You are all in the King's Throne room. He's pissed. Why?"
Eight minutes later, we had developed local political intrigue, prophecy shenanigans, and a plan to go kill a Vampire to repay the kingdom for melting down one of its statues.
Cons: the games are very different than a lot of RPGS, and can be hard to grasp, if you're more experienced. DMing can be very nerve wracking without the right attitude, as things are invented so often between you and the players.
>Do I like it? Would I recommend it?
I do, but I would recommend getting a PDF first, maybe trying a game, and then deciding whether to buy or not.
>>46060801
Also confirmed for never having read it.
Some playbooks have negative consequences and one playbook completely negates whatever consequences the other playbook states.
Acknowledging that sex is something that happens, and not without consequences, is not a call to ERP.
>>46061065
(cont)
>>46060801
As noted in >>46060923, there's not an incentive to ERP, merely for your character to have sex. (This sentence isn't even true of all PbtA games. To my knowledge, of the core 4 games (Monsterhearts, Monster of the Week, Dungeon World, and Apocalypse World) only Monsterhearts (a game about Teenage Drama) and Apocalypse World have rules that acknowledge sex.)
And many of the "incentives" are fairly lax. Several of them are "Do one of your normal abilities for Free to the person you're having sex with!" Hell, one classes's incentive is "no one gets an incentive".
In Monsterhearts, at least one class is penalized for having Sex.
>>46060993
The murderhobo thing is...a mildly complex issue. Basically, many D&D characters ARE "Murderhobos" (Adventurers without families, hometowns, etc) for one (or more) of three broad reasons:
1. The player has no interest in exploring his character's past, so he didn't write one, or wrote one with nothing to really touch.
2. The player wanted to fill that "lone Hero in the World" archetype. For example, after about 30 minutes in A New Hope until the end of the Empire, Luke was a Murderhobo.
or, and this one comes up more than it should.
3. The player doesn't want to create a backstory the DM can abuse for cheap pathos. Many inexperienced DMs will spend a session or two building up a character's hometown or family for the sole purpose of having the BBEG ruin it/rape them/kill them, etc. Or they won't build it up, and instead will just say that, offscreen, that happened. Worst, they won't discuss it with the player beforehand. Some players may not want to have these things done to their character's backstory, for whatever reason. Being forced into it, they get upset, and resolve to not let it happen again, and further instruct others on how to avoid it. To quote a Changeling the Lost sourcebook: "[You] can't take my eye if I cut it out myself."
