Nerdarchy on Powered by the Apocalypse Hack for Zoo Mafia RPG Design Diary #4
In this 17-minute video on Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted continue their exploration of creating their own roleplaying game — Zoo Mafia RPG. They are now looking at the merits of Powered by the Apocalypse.
The conversation begins with a quick overview of Zoo Mafia and continues with a closer look at another RPG system to hack and transform into this new game concept. This design diary looks at the Powered by the Apocalypse RPG as a potential system.
PbtA uses a 2d6 dice system for all resolutions weighted towards success with a complication. The system also rewards failure by gaining XP, which simulates the notion of learning through one’s mistakes.
Character creation is also relatively simple. Players choose a Playbook, which is a discrete collection of Moves through which characters interact with the game. There are also general Moves every character can use. In addition characters have an array of stats but these are tailored to the particular iteration of the system. For example in Monster of the Week the stats are Cool, Sharp, Tough, Weird, Harm and Luck while Dungeon World uses the classic D&D ability scores.
The system also includes the concept of Tags similar to the Fate RPG, which are descriptors specific to an individual character that players may invoke for various purposes. In the video conversation they go on to explain how armor and hit points work and wrap up with a look at the advancement procedure in PbtA games.
No Comments