HyveMynd
Supporter
Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
Posts: 2,273
Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
Currently Playing: Monsterhearts 2
Currently Running: The Sprawl
Favorite Species of Monkey: None
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Post by HyveMynd on Oct 5, 2015 5:39:14 GMT -8
In anticipation of Stu Venable and crew (hopefully) getting to play Spirit of '77 this coming weekend, I busted out my copy and read though it. I have mixed feelings. It is definitely it's own game, but I can clearly see where pieces from other PbtA games have been copied & pasted into it. Some moves have been lifted verbatim from Apocalypse World and Dungeon World (just with a new name), while others have had minor tweaks made to them. Some parts feel messy, as some moves have 6- clauses while others don't. On the one hand, why reinvent the wheel if you don't have to? If there is an existing move that fits your game, why not use it and save yourself the trouble of writing a new one? But on the other hand, moves in PbtA games are so crucial to creating the fiction of your game, why would you not tailor them to your specific game? There's also a lot of moves coming from a lot of different places to make up a character in Spirit of '77. It looks like it could be really confusing for new players. Fingers crossed the players have a blast, but I kind of wish Apocalypse World, Dungeon World, or Monster of the Week was the first exposurethe HJ's crew had to PbtA games.
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tomes
Supporter
Hello madness
Posts: 1,438
Currently Running: Dungeon World, hippie games, Fallout Shelter RPG hack
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Post by tomes on Oct 5, 2015 18:41:13 GMT -8
I think it'll be all good either way. You're a PbtA guru, so you're looking at all the fiddly stuff. The fact is that people who aren't invested in the system (as you are) will either have fun or not based on all sorts of factors, with the mechanics just being a slight part of that. What's great with the Spirit of 77 game is that the GMs are very dynamic and have a great balance of cinematics, story, and player involvement. (I played in one of their games at Strategicon about a year ago.) I think it'll be a great game, and the fact that it's PbtA is just a part of that. But isn't that the way? To show that the mechanics work seemlessly in this scenario to make an engaging and fun game? (As opposed to, for example, the Fate game stork mentions have felt to in-your-face mechanically.)
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HyveMynd
Supporter
Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
Posts: 2,273
Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
Currently Playing: Monsterhearts 2
Currently Running: The Sprawl
Favorite Species of Monkey: None
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Post by HyveMynd on Oct 5, 2015 19:15:43 GMT -8
You are absolutely right, and thank you for pointing that out. The most important part of this experience is that people have fun. That is the surest way to encourage people to play again and check out the system for themselves. Which I sincerely hope happens.
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