True Apocalypse (Minimalist Version)
A downloadable game
Introduction
True Apocalypse is a system designed to supplement tabletop roleplaying games in the family of Powered by the Apocalypse (PBTA).
These games include Dungeon World, City of Mist, the Avatar TTRPG, and more.
It is designed to give more modular difficulty to gamemasters for the purpose of more finely tuning play experiences. It is my attempt to formalize some of the homebrew I have used when playing PBTA, and to give a universal toolset for these types of games.
This is a text-only version designed for a minimal game jam. More content may come in the future. It is currently only 2 pages long.
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Comments
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Ohh I like your approach as well! I think that changing the impact of the roll is an interesting solution!
For me, a regular challenge is something a hero is roughly equally matched with (two equally skilled warriors fighting),
A tough challenge means they are a little outmatched (a human warrior competes with an elven archer at target practice)
An epic challenge means the hero is not favored at all, but it is still possible ( a warrior trying to arm wrestle an ogre)
Thanks for writing this out and sharing. I often find myself faced with similar issues, and making challenges appropriately difficult.
I’m sure that PbtA “traditionalists” would say that the difficulty should follow the fiction. While a fighter could simply walk up and slay a lowly minion with a simple Hack and Slash roll, they would suggest that a Boss Encounter requires overcoming various obstacles just to get close enough to threaten the enemy. There’s also the obligatory reference to the 16HP Dragon example.
My solution has been to leave the numbers as they are and adjust the outcomes based on the situation. Sometimes a 10+ is a full success and sometimes it grants an extra boon; sometimes a 7-9 is a full success or a success with a complication.
Do you have any thoughts on how to define “epic challenges” etc?