I'm gonna drop Arena Clown.

Change the advancement options:

Remove: Reputation/Artful and Gracious

Add: Get followers (Detail) and fortunes
and
Get an Establishment (Detail) and Fingers in Every Pie

I'm probably gonna tinker with the Fans surplus's abit. Also going to drop the Gifts one, I think Finger in Every Pie'd do that better.

I found a picture for the cover. I'm gonna try to assemble a PDF soon.

As a MC in my game, I'd be inclined to say 'All advancements are unchecked after changing to a new type and the ungiven future is still open. But you need 5 more advancements before changing to a different character type again.'

I think my decision is motivated by:

A) That I want to encourage but not force the characters to gradually wind down and retire.

B) I think rapidly cycling through different playbooks would cause weird stuff to happen (Every other advancement could be a +1 to stat max 3, you could add a whole bunch of other characters, etc)

I think A is a better reason for my decision than B.

On the rules question, is that a 'I have no idea what you're talking about' mind boggling or a 'I'm not sure what the best answer' type of mind boggling?

What was happening mechanicly in the game was that we were on page 10, interacting with the ghost, and I wasn't sure if we met the conditions for "Is the other player trying to hide?' which results in the player turning to page 12.

Here's a rules question that came up:

My ghost, Frank, was like 'Shoot up these gross drugs to put the edge off.'(as part of an expectation). Billy, the PC was like 'Okay' and goes into a bathroom stall to pretend to shoot up the crank, but not really.

Does that mean he's 'Hiding'? I wasn't sure if hiding meant 'Prevent the ghost from being aware that you're in the room' or 'Get away from the ghost's sight.'

Also, related, if the player is faking that he's fuffilling expectations, is it up to us the players to decide if he tricks the ghost without any input from the system? Or did I miss something?

[PLAYERS:]

I ran two games! I was the GM both times, I was mostly amused and my player was mostly frustrated. I would say most issues in the game were based on the social context as opposed to the rules text.

PLAYERS:

Eeyore! is a player that can really be into the fiddly bits of a game, sometimes to the exclusion of any meaningful color. He's really into burning wheel and can enjoy using the Fight! rules without a lot of color added to it. I think he tends to become more focused on the fiddly bits when frustration or competition becomes a part of the game, which tends to lead to the color being pushed into the background.
  But when that doesn't happen, he's usually a generator of some really cool color and we get along super well.

Sean (me) is a person who's really, really into color. Like I was all 'fuck yeah' when the whole 'color first' discussions broke out. One of my favorite bits of the AW game I'm running was when one of my players was like 'And my brainer girl has a penis'. I tend to have a love/hate relationship with fiddly bits. I think the play I run into that is most unsatisfying to me is when the color fades out and people are just sort of pushing a long a mechanical procedure, which happens sometimes when I am low on energy on other players get fixated on some fiddly bits.

SOCIAL CONTEXT
I kind of felt the game was doomed from the start, because I really wasn't in the mood to wig myself out. I just saw Blindness the other night, and while I enjoyed the film a lot, I also felt myself very satiated on being wigged out. During the before game set up, I thought 'What would wig myself out?' And I thought 'Rape camp'. And 'What do I not want to talk about right now?' 'Rape camp'. So instead I thought of vague and spooky-i-guess but not really scary stuff about junkies and mutilation and a birthday cake!

1st game
This game felt pretty solid to me, if not particularly inspired. One of the big mistakes I made was that the player digged in the rooms a couple of time, and I was thinking 'he's looking for the solution' and I said 'There isn't any Shadowgate* bullshit going on, for your information.' When what I should have been thinking of would have been 'These are opportunities to Reveal new Evidence! That's the best kind of Shadowgate bullshit imaginable and it should be happening.'

The player went back and forth between two rooms, trying to interact with the ghost, so there wasn't a whole lot of momentum towards escape, and eventually the ghost was all 'you need barbed wire eyes. For your health.' and he busted, end of game.

It clocked in at 27 minutes.

Second game

I ran the game with the same ghosts and thematic set up as the first game, since I didn't really explore them very much in the first game.

The game ran for an hour, but notably the second half was after fudging a death result. (The player was very frustrated, really wanted to see more of the game, I was down) For this reason you might consider the second half of the game not particularly applicable for playtesting purposes. This very moment the part you that is interested in receiving feedback for the rules as you've-written-them might be slapping your forehead going 'Fucking roleplayers.'

Toward the second half, color kind of faded from the fiction, and the game was basically "Spooky tortured thing tries to stab you" "I run", as the player became mostly invested in pursuing a narrowly-defined strategy and I mostly ran out of creative juice.

Eeyore described himself as frustrated. Occasinially 'RAR fuck this' frustrated, but mostly tolerable 'frickin' Boardwalk with motels' frustrated. It was the sort of expierience that afterward, he really wanted me to run it for other people, in a sort of 'I want to see them suffer as I have' sort of way.

Issues in both games

I hardly followed the 'Reveal new evidence of violence' directions past the initial room, even though it happened on the fiction a couple of times, and moreso had plenty of good opportunities to happen on the fiction. I was more concerned with the other rules of the game. This is too bad because I think it provided a nice creative springboard at the start.

We were confused about 'Tell the GM X personal information', whether it meant the player or the character. We played it player the first time, and character the second time. (Player was more interesting)

There were a small handful of instances where I'd flip 3 of my pages without having to say anything, and I thought 'this is a lot of flipping and not a lot of engaging with the other player'

Conversely, there were some pages (10?) Were there were a fuck lot of things that could be happening, and caused me to reread a couple of times to check whether one of those things could be happening.

Towards my future involvement with the game

I would definitely like to look more into it. I'm thinking of trying to run it with my brother next week when I'm feeling more hungry for the wigs, and hopefully playing it with somebody.

I think the game could be a really nice date game, in a similar slot as watching horror movies together. I think its better than Breaking the Ice etc etc in that regard because its less consciously about romance.

* Shadowgate is a point and click puzzle game that epitomizes the 'look around in crates until something kills you or you find the dongle' design of some heavily prepped rpgs. But at the same time, it had some particularly invocative examples of presenting-evidence-of-violence.

Actually, in the campaign where I'm playing an angel, the problems the MC decided to give me ended up playing a strong role in shaping the campaign. The first-session loveletter I got was about why business was so good for me, and I ended up picking a terrible disease stemming from a ubiquitous mould caused by the setting's unceasing rain. That disease has gone on to be a serious plot point, including a cult that worships the mould and the rain that causes it.

So I suppose the angel may not be as automatic in the situation that it generates, but if the MC is thinkin', well.

The first-session love-letters sound totally sweet! Can you post a copy of yours, or other peoples?

Reading a couple of AP threads, it seems like there are a couple of playbooks that serve as an initial 'kick-off' of situation.

In the game I'm running, I'd say the Hardholder strongly performs in that role - Inserting a person who has a lot of responsibilities, probably has a good share of problems, but also has a lot of barter to throw at people to make problems smaller. In addition, they're set to make decisions that make problems for other people. In contrast, the Battlebabe, Gunlugger, Driver, Brainer and Angel don't have that sort of immediate situation creation. A lot of what the other characters have been doing is 'How do I respond to the problems/opportunities created by the Hardholders drama with their hold?

From the APs I've read, it seems like the Touchstone and Quarantine also serve that kind of role - The Touchstone inserting 'Person who wants to change everything!' and the quarantine as 'Something entirely different entering that people are likely to want to poke with a stick.'

Does this match your experiences? Differ strongly from them? Are there other playbooks that figure strongly into the game's immediate situation?

I like it, but I automatically like all mega man mechanics.

Is it too risky to ever be used?: I wouldn't use it if I had a Witch move that made the character for me. Other than that, I'd go for it.

Is it too complicated? To me, yeah. I would remove the concept of getting/losing basic moves. For NPC's, I would say 'You get their custom move' (OF COURSE they have a custom move, hold on a second *writewritewrite*)

Is it too mechanical? Maybe!

Is changing another character's move too powerful? Yes, and that's okay.

Do I think this means you can lose basic moves? Maaaaybe. And that's too complicated and funky for me.

Is there a more elegant wording that leads to the same results? State that you swap moves that they don't have. That automatically disables basic moves, and also doubling up on moves which would be weird. Also, you want to avoid the term 'special move' because that is confused with the 'special', which is a sex move.

This is appealing to the bizarro robot part of my head so I'm going to participate even though I haven't finished a campaign.

Numbers of players: 6 (2 joined at the 3rd session)
Number of PCs: 6 in total, nothings weird happened with that.
Number of sessions: 4
Number of playbooks used: 6, nothing wierds happened yet.

Characters:
Doom Wolf: Gunlugger
Dashell Vega: Battlebabe
Straight Cougar: Driver
Allison: Hardholder
Charmer: Brainer
Ruth: Angel

I've read a thread about what happens to the advancement options when a character changes playbooks, and I'm going to assume Vincent's answer would be 'Ask the fiction', which is both satisfying and frustrating because sometimes the fiction's answer is "I don't know about advancements dude, I'm mostly composed of fetish-outfit descriptions and morbid vignettes because that's the way you like me"

So what I would like to hear is: How did you handle it in play? What did the fiction tell you that made you handle it that way? Did the fiction tell you 'He just made THE transition. (Switch your character's type) is marked off.' or 'He just made A transition. (Switch your character's type) isn't marked off.' How did you feel about the result?

Allison:

Maybe it being too much and them liking it is a hit result!

Maybe it's a failed result! They like it they're just not useful for anything immediately afterward!

Sex is weird like that, especially when it generates a vague mechanical result with a small bit of possible fiction as the result of a die roll.

Heya! Thanks for the continued critique.

On the weird moves: I think Moment of Clarity works as the weird-supernatural-move that isn't optimized for the character. I dunno about Arena Clown. It intensely amused me when I imagined it and I have been flip-flopping on including it after ward.

On show-off: For NPCs, you're going to assume that they're going to be shocked and dropping the ball on what they're doing. For PCs, they're assumed to be having other more important things to worry about when you like kill an ostrich with their name on it in the thunderdome.

Special: Its not necessarily an orgy! A nice, quiet, threesome between friends would provide more than statistically average chance of getting a bonus instead of weirding out all of your buddies because you're manic.

I'm not sure what to do about Frenzy and Reputation. Minus the stat, they both work really well for the character. They're both away from the character's competent stats, and not in the obviously-other way that Moment of Clarity is. It would make sense to me that the character would Frenzy and have Reputation in a Hard way. Would it make sense to say "You get these moves, but you roll Hard". Would that be not lame? Would it be technically better if I just wrote up new Moves that were basically the same, but with Hard?

Also, those results were written before I was aware there was a little section in the book that said what those sorts of things mean. I thought it was like "Oh, +1 disease, I know what that looks like." I kind of want to cover the problems when people decide its cool to give you gifts. Like they're not just leaving a bunch of crap lying around next to all the other Apocalyptic crap. I mean the door step to your Gladiatorshack is covered in junk your promoter said you liked. And people throw arrowheads at you because they heard you collect them, but seriously those are sharp.

Community means that your fan base looks at each other and feels like they're a part of something. It means they (generally) don't rip each other off. It means they (generally) only sell each other their untainted supply. It means they (generally) make up after fist fights.

I'm not sure I should specify what +inability to deal means very much. I think your answer is totally appropriate sometimes. I think its totally inappropriate other times. How I'd label it would have to give people the room to make the right call on that.

[THE GLADIATOR:]

Revised version, more feedback would be grand.

THE GLADIATOR:

Description: The worse off people are, the more their struggles are hopeless, the greater their need to watch bastards in even bloodier, more pointless struggles. You're that bastard and they love you with all of their hearts.

CREATING A GLADIATOR

Choose a name, a look, stats, moves, gears, and Hx

NAME:
Beast, Matador, Freakshow, Captain Bloody Hands, Felon, Benedict, Angeldust, Pyramid, Endless Or Smiles

Peaches, Molly, Marlene, Garbo, Medusa, Obsession, Glitter Bitch, 2-faced, Trooper,  Vicious, Ada Loveless Or X

STATS:
Cool+1. Hard+2. Hot+1, Sharp=0, Weird-1
Cool=0, Hard+2, Hot+2, Sharp-1, Weird-1
Cool-1, Hard+2, Hot+1, Sharp=0, Weird+1
Cool+1, Hard+2, Hot=0. Sharp+1, Weird-1

Hx:

On your turn:

Choose 1 or none:
- One of the characters thinks the fights are a barbaric waste of time. They get +3Hx
with you.
- Everyone else gets +1, you've made yourself noticeable

On their turn:
Choose 1 or none:
- On a night that the crowd hated you, one of the characters pulled you through it. Ignore what that player gives you and write Hx+3.
- Everyone else, if they perform with you or do arena buisness, add +1 to what they give you, otherwise subtract 1 from what they give you.

LOOKS
Man, Woman, Concealed, Andryognye

Pretty face, Striking face, Rugged face, Scarred face, Lively face

Showy scrounge wear, fetish wear, formal wear, showy vestaments, ancient armor, sexy skimpy wear

Calculating eyes, Shadowed eyes, indifferent eyes, judgemental eyes, hungry eyes, caring eyes

Sturdy Body, Wiry body, Huge Body, Muscular body, athletic body, sensuous body

Partly shaved hair, elaborate fake hair, no hair, pretty hair, multiple-color hair

GEAR

In addition to Fans, detail fashion according to your look. Have some fashion that is 1-armor for fights.

Get 2 arena weapons and a Practical Weapon
Arena weapons:
- Ornate dagger ( 2-harm hand valuable)
- Mace (3-harm hand loud messy)
- Chain saw (3-harm hand autofire messy)
- Spiked Knuckles (2-harm hand messy)
- Silver Fire Axe (3-harm hand messy valuable)
- Buzz-saw glove (2-harm hand autofire messy retractable)
- Chain lasso (s-harm close)

Practical weapon:
- 9mm (2-harm close loud)
- Crowbar (2-harm hand messy)
- hiddden knives (2-harm hand infinite)
- sawed off shotgun

MOVES

Get Showman and choose 2 more.

Showman At the end of a grand display of your skills, roll+hot. on 10+, you get surplus from your fans, on a 7-9, get surplus but also get 1 fallout. On a miss, get all of the fallout.

Hot Commodity When a character other than you sets up a showy display of your skills for profit, they roll+juggling(Or 0 if you have no juggling.) On a hit, a special prize of 2 barter can be made from the competition above normal. On a 7-9, the MC chooses 1:
- The job is especially dangerous.
- The Gladiator has to lose in order to get the prize.  
- the Gladiator is competing with someone the Gladiator has history with.
- The job is somewhere treacherous or difficult to reach.
- The job is just gonzo, weird, or embarrassing

Torrid Physical damage to yourself and your clothes makes you sexier. Replace 1 point of Harm with a +1 bonus to Hot that lasts until the end of the session. You can't replace another point of Harm this session.

Tactical Mind roll+Hard when Reading a Charged Sitch.

Moment of Clarity: When everyone is watching and time seems to stand still, choose a primal truth that you want to convey to the audience. Roll+weird. On a hit, that truth occurs to them in a powerful way. On a 10+, they go do something about it, right now. On a 7-9, The truth only occurs to some people, and some people come away with a Lie. On a miss, treat it as you've opened up everyone's minds to the Psychic Mealstrom and missed.

Show off roll+Hard when Acting Under Fire as long as someone is watching.

The world's a stage When you make a threat through a spectacle of violence, you can go aggro on people indirectly and to people who aren't present. They can't back off and forcing your harm results in S-harm

Arena Clown When you react to a threat of violence with levity, roll+weird. On a 10+, they stalk off if they're an NPC or mark experience for stalking off if a PC. on a 7-9, choose 1 if its an NPC or let the PC choose 1 otherwise:
- They deal you harm first.
- You recklessly disregard a responsibility
- They chase you off

SPECIAL:

Roll+The number of people you're having sex with after the first. On a hit, you all take +1 forward. On a miss, you're too much, you all take -1 forward.

ADVANCEMENT:

- Get +1 hard (Max Hard+3)
- Get +1 hot (Max Hot+2)
- Get a new Gladiator Move
- Get a new Gladiator Move
- Choose a new option for your Fans.
- Get Frenzy From the Hocus playbook
- Get Reputation from the Operator playbook
- Get Artful & Gracious from the Skinner playbook.
- Get a move from another playbook
- Get a move from another playbook

ARENA

Circle two or three desciption that fit your arena:
- Bared flesh
- Illusions of the far past
- Barbed Wire
- Spotlights
- Live Hazards
- Built hazards
- Dirt and Muck

FANS

By default you have about 50 Fans. They love you but they don't know you or live with you. They live in distant communities from each other but some will gather for your fights.
(Surplus: +growth, Fallout: +desertion)

Choose 2:
- Your fans are particularly hard-core and dedicated. Replace fallout: +desertion with fallout: +rioting (2-harm gang medium 0-armor).
- Your fans feel a strong kinship with each other. Add surplus: +community
- Its a status thing for your fans to throw themselves at your feet. Add surplus: +acts of worship
- Your fans are huge in number, around 100, and gather from far. Add surplus: +1barter and fallout:+1overburden
- Your fans love to throw you gifts. Surplus: +Pretty or useful things, fallout: +litter
- Your fans are successful and elite. Surplus: +1 barter, fallout: +judgement

Choose 2:
- You have few fans, around 25. Surplus: -1barter
- This stuff provides a escape from what's going on around them. Add surplus: +distraction and fallout: +inability to deal
- Your followers are a bunch of animals. fallout: +savagery
- Your fans take this shit really seriously. fallout: +revenge
- Your fans get high and get everyone else high. fallout: +stupor
- Your fans disdain peace, law and reason: fallout: +violence

Barter:

If you're charging someone wealthy for your services, 1-barter is the going rate for:
fighting one opponent in an arena, publicly announcing your faith in them, a threat delivered spectacularly, a month's employment as a bouncer or figurehead

1-barter will cover your living expenses in a month, if your tastes aren't too grand. 2-barter will cover living with showy luxury, as your fans expect.

That's neat Antisinecurist, but way too detailed for 1 move out of 5 for a extra character type in my book. I'm probably going to nail it down to a simpler "You get in a fight, you get hot" move.

I'll probably stay away from baseball bats because I want the color to be less pro-wrestling more roman colliseum/pit-fighting/thunderdome, but hey mebbe I'll budge in that direction.

I wanna make it into a trifold and try it out in my players when they reach The Ungiven Future. It'll probably need another revision before than.

Re: Hot Commodity - I want to keep the insistence on involving other players. On one hand I think its weird because it gives other players power more than it gives the Gladiator power, on the other hand it makes the Gladiator the center of attention in an undergoing.

Re: The Special - I think its much worse than the Faceless, really. I'm pretty close to dropping it altogether.

One Possibility I was thinking: Roll+Additional sex partners after the first. On a hit, everyone gets a good thing, on a miss, you're too much, everyone gets a bad thing.

I like your suggestions for gear. Consider the Hidden Knives to go in Practical gear, and to change the gear procedure to "Pick two arena weapons"