Conversion to Apocalypse World rules

Jason · 08-01-2012, 10:26 PM

I've had some interest from players lately in trying out In Nomine with the rules from Apocalypse World (or, more specifically, Dungeon World, a D&D-style variant of that system). If you've ever played AW or any of its hacks and you're interested in throwing me some advice on what you think needs to survive the translation, I'd love the feedback. I've got a ton of notes already, but here's a summary of my basic thinking so far:

Keeping interventions: My players and I agree that 111 and 666 interventions absolutely need to make the cut, so I've been working on a way to adapt AW's 2d6 system into a 3d6 system. Mostly, this involves a recalculation of the ranges for a miss (now ≤ 9), a partial hit, (now 10-13), and a hit (now 14+). Stat modifiers will also be slightly larger than in AW (+/- 4 or 5 for humans, compared to +/- 3 in AW, though I figure celestials are superhuman and so may exceed these in time).

Two-part playbooks: Playbooks will be a combo of a single-page coversheet for Choir or Band, plus a longer playbook for Superior. (I figure I may make some playbooks for sorcerers and other types of characters later, but I'm just going to start with a small handful of Choir/Archangel combos to try it out with my players.) In addition to a list of basic moves common to every character, the Choir/Band coversheet will have the obvious starting moves (Resonate, Suffer Dissonance, Perform a Song) and a small list of extra moves you can choose from that would make sense for your Choir/Band. Most moves, however, will be in the Superior playbook, including the attunements, some songs, and a few skill-oriented things for each Superior. The Superior playbooks will also give options for gear, what kind of vessel(s) you start with, and roles.

So, for instance, if you're going to play an Ofanite of Stone, you'll have the option to pick up some Songs of Motion and driving-related moves from your Choir coversheet (because all Ofanim should be able to choose stuff like that), but you'll have access to defensively-oriented fighting moves and the Songs of Might from your Superior playbook. If you want to get one of the Songs of Harmony, you're going to have to check whether any allied Superiors have it in their playbooks. Yeah, it's more restrictive than default In Nomine, but it's much more in keeping with the thematically-directed (and less overwhelming) approach of AW-derived games.

Now, some stuff I'm still trying to work out...

Basic Moves: What should the basic moves be, and what should they be called? I'm interested in how Dungeon World and Monsterhearts redid Apocalypse World's basic moves to be more in keeping with their respective genre expectations, both in terms of choosing evocative names ("Go Aggro" vs. "Hack and Slash" vs. "Lash Out Physically") and in terms of adjusting mechanics. I'm still trying to figure out, however, what the moves should look like for a game with as much thematic range as In Nomine (and whether I can or should try to come up with music- or Bible-themed titles for moves).

Forces & Characteristics: This is the toughest part for me, and the area where I'd most appreciate input. Do I keep all 6 characteristics? Do I have Forces somehow mathematically/mechanically linked to characteristics, or do I pretty much remove them from the mechanics like GURPS In Nomine does?

My working plan has been to offer a fixed stat range to assign to the normal 6 characteristics (+3, +2, +1, +0, +0, -1), and say that your Forces in each realm designate the maximum bonus you can get in that realm's Characteristics. (So if you want to get that +3 to +4, you'd better make sure you have 4 Forces in that realm.) I rather like the mechanical simplicity of fewer stats in AW and Monsterhearts, though, and the GURPS conversion indicates to me that you can preserve the essence of the system even if some stuff gets trimmed out, so I wonder whether an In Nomine hack would benefit from an overhaul in this area.

I've got some other issues I'm working through, but that's the stuff most on my mind right now. Any and all input is very much welcome.

08-01-2012, 10:26 PM	#1
Jason Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston, MA	Conversion to Apocalypse World rules I've had some interest from players lately in trying out In Nomine with the rules from Apocalypse World (or, more specifically, Dungeon World, a D&D-style variant of that system). If you've ever played AW or any of its hacks and you're interested in throwing me some advice on what you think needs to survive the translation, I'd love the feedback. I've got a ton of notes already, but here's a summary of my basic thinking so far: Keeping interventions: My players and I agree that 111 and 666 interventions absolutely need to make the cut, so I've been working on a way to adapt AW's 2d6 system into a 3d6 system. Mostly, this involves a recalculation of the ranges for a miss (now ≤ 9), a partial hit, (now 10-13), and a hit (now 14+). Stat modifiers will also be slightly larger than in AW (+/- 4 or 5 for humans, compared to +/- 3 in AW, though I figure celestials are superhuman and so may exceed these in time). Two-part playbooks: Playbooks will be a combo of a single-page coversheet for Choir or Band, plus a longer playbook for Superior. (I figure I may make some playbooks for sorcerers and other types of characters later, but I'm just going to start with a small handful of Choir/Archangel combos to try it out with my players.) In addition to a list of basic moves common to every character, the Choir/Band coversheet will have the obvious starting moves (Resonate, Suffer Dissonance, Perform a Song) and a small list of extra moves you can choose from that would make sense for your Choir/Band. Most moves, however, will be in the Superior playbook, including the attunements, some songs, and a few skill-oriented things for each Superior. The Superior playbooks will also give options for gear, what kind of vessel(s) you start with, and roles. So, for instance, if you're going to play an Ofanite of Stone, you'll have the option to pick up some Songs of Motion and driving-related moves from your Choir coversheet (because all Ofanim should be able to choose stuff like that), but you'll have access to defensively-oriented fighting moves and the Songs of Might from your Superior playbook. If you want to get one of the Songs of Harmony, you're going to have to check whether any allied Superiors have it in their playbooks. Yeah, it's more restrictive than default In Nomine, but it's much more in keeping with the thematically-directed (and less overwhelming) approach of AW-derived games. Now, some stuff I'm still trying to work out... Basic Moves: What should the basic moves be, and what should they be called? I'm interested in how Dungeon World and Monsterhearts redid Apocalypse World's basic moves to be more in keeping with their respective genre expectations, both in terms of choosing evocative names ("Go Aggro" vs. "Hack and Slash" vs. "Lash Out Physically") and in terms of adjusting mechanics. I'm still trying to figure out, however, what the moves should look like for a game with as much thematic range as In Nomine (and whether I can or should try to come up with music- or Bible-themed titles for moves). Forces & Characteristics: This is the toughest part for me, and the area where I'd most appreciate input. Do I keep all 6 characteristics? Do I have Forces somehow mathematically/mechanically linked to characteristics, or do I pretty much remove them from the mechanics like GURPS In Nomine does? My working plan has been to offer a fixed stat range to assign to the normal 6 characteristics (+3, +2, +1, +0, +0, -1), and say that your Forces in each realm designate the maximum bonus you can get in that realm's Characteristics. (So if you want to get that +3 to +4, you'd better make sure you have 4 Forces in that realm.) I rather like the mechanical simplicity of fewer stats in AW and Monsterhearts, though, and the GURPS conversion indicates to me that you can preserve the essence of the system even if some stuff gets trimmed out, so I wonder whether an In Nomine hack would benefit from an overhaul in this area. I've got some other issues I'm working through, but that's the stuff most on my mind right now. Any and all input is very much welcome.