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Apocalypse World: review
Apr. 14th, 2014 11:43 amI seem to have acquired a new RPG campaign. This got long, so I divided the post into two parts. Below are my thoughts on the system. Details of the specific campaign will be posted later.
Apocalypse World is a role-playing system which I first encountered through YouTuber JP Mc Daniel's R&D stream. My impression of it was of a system that was much less heavy on rules in comparison to the traditional d20 systems I was used to. Instead, it is designed for a fluid and cinematic style of play, relying somewhat more on co-operative world-building between the players and the Master of Ceremonies. It is an excellent system for players looking to roleplay more than dungeon crawl, especially since it is easy for a character to take damage and hard for them to heal. Levelling up doesn't bring an increase in hit points--you remain just as squishy as when you started.
After watching the series (which provides an excellent and entertaining demonstration of how the system works), Sahaquiel was all fired up to try it out for himself and ordered the PDFs. I was a bit taken aback by how excited he was--clearly I hadn't realised how burned out he was getting with D&D.
So my first step was to read the manual. Yep, there's just the one. Most of it I didn't even need to bother with, since it was aimed at the MC. It is written in a very colloquial style that invokes the sort of mood players may (or may not) be looking for in the game. If you're offended by swearing, it might be best to steer clear.
The information isn't as well presented as I would have hoped. Rules are repeated in different places, the order isn't as logical as one might wish and you sometimes have to do a fair bit of hunting to find what you are looking for. This is particularly frustrating during game-play. Some parts are intentionally vague, as they are meant to be left up to the players, but there are places that could benefit from greater clarity. However, overall the rules are relatively simple and make for a fun and balanced game.
Apocalypse World is a role-playing system which I first encountered through YouTuber JP Mc Daniel's R&D stream. My impression of it was of a system that was much less heavy on rules in comparison to the traditional d20 systems I was used to. Instead, it is designed for a fluid and cinematic style of play, relying somewhat more on co-operative world-building between the players and the Master of Ceremonies. It is an excellent system for players looking to roleplay more than dungeon crawl, especially since it is easy for a character to take damage and hard for them to heal. Levelling up doesn't bring an increase in hit points--you remain just as squishy as when you started.
After watching the series (which provides an excellent and entertaining demonstration of how the system works), Sahaquiel was all fired up to try it out for himself and ordered the PDFs. I was a bit taken aback by how excited he was--clearly I hadn't realised how burned out he was getting with D&D.
So my first step was to read the manual. Yep, there's just the one. Most of it I didn't even need to bother with, since it was aimed at the MC. It is written in a very colloquial style that invokes the sort of mood players may (or may not) be looking for in the game. If you're offended by swearing, it might be best to steer clear.
The information isn't as well presented as I would have hoped. Rules are repeated in different places, the order isn't as logical as one might wish and you sometimes have to do a fair bit of hunting to find what you are looking for. This is particularly frustrating during game-play. Some parts are intentionally vague, as they are meant to be left up to the players, but there are places that could benefit from greater clarity. However, overall the rules are relatively simple and make for a fun and balanced game.
