Oh wow, this is dope. I was half expecting 40 Troika backgrounds but this is even better: It gives you comprehensive rules for running the game with Troika but still allows the group to figure out what e.g. an Exiled Pirate Liberal actually means. Cheers!
Running Ultraviolet Grasslands: Which System?
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In my next pass at my “Ultraviolet World” PbtA hack for UVG, I intend to make the standard playbook backgrounds much more UVG-flavored, and less generic fantasy. They currently aren’t much changed from Jeremy’s “Homebrew World”.
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Nice! I’m curious about how you design the playbooks. Will it be specific archetypes that might be typical for the UVG - let’s say a Bonecrafter with bonecrafting spells (whatever they are) or more like modular ones where you can pick options similar to the Background / Career combo in Uncharted Worlds? (That way you could maybe realize the idiosyncratic Backgrounds that are one of the strength of the setting.) Also, will there be race options (Cat-Lords, Ultras etc) similar to Elf, Halfling etc from DW or will they be separate playbooks? In any case I’m super interested in the project!
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I will be keeping the playbook moves as they are. I’m going to add a bit more UVG flavor to the “Look” section. I’m also going to make the standard Backgrounds more UVG-inspired, although the mechanics will likely stay pretty much the same.
The “Advanced Backgrounds” idea will be an option that will take the “split playbook” idea from Uncharted Worlds or Spirit of '77. That would let you play something a bit more exotic, like a Cat-Lord, Ultra, Vome, sentient animated skeleton, polybody, etc.
This also meshes well with Luka’s in-development OSR-inspired SEACAT game system that uses a similar “Skeleton/Skin” system. [I’d link to that document, but it’s behind a Patreon paywall.]
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Maze Rats spells + Black Hack roll under was fine for us, overall. I think Into the Odd might be a strong contender for the game too if I ever did more UVG. Whitehack and Knave also get honorable mention
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Looking at this again, and if I end up not using SEACAT then I’m thinking about running WoDu, either straight or hacked (e.g. replacing the magic system, replacing the skills and abilities). For Into the Odd or Electric Bastionland, you’d probably want to look carefully at how to hand out arcana / oddities, and in the specific case of EB it would almost certainly require new failed careers.
Or not, YMMV and folks might love the juxtaposition of treating the Violet City like Bastionland, I guess.
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If SEACAT had been in the current state of completion when we left the Violet City I wouldn’t have looked for alternatives. I think it is coming together quite nicely.
Having said that I am really happy with Whitehack: https://blackcitygauntlet.blogspot.com/2020/03/a-uvg-character-creation-guide-for.html
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It looks great!
I did find one issue: There are only five values (+2, +1, +1, 0, -1) to assign to six stats.
Other than that, I like all of the changes from standard Dungeon World.
Edited to add: I particularly love the Earthling!
Glad you like The Earthling! It was a hack of a Dungeon World playbook from “Adventures On Dungeon Planet” to put it into a similar framework as Jeremy’s other HBW playbooks.
And good catch on there only being five modifiers for six stats… (Should have been “+2, +1, +1, 0, 0, -1”)
My work on UVW has pretty much stalled for now.
And, honestly, the current state of Luka’s own SEACAT system is pretty darned cool… Were I to run another UVG campaign, I’d probably just use that!
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Agreed @Haladir: I’m leaning back toward SEACAT after spending the weekend poking at alternatives. It’s feeling vaguely Cypher-esque in some ways, but without the frustrations I have with that game engine. Example: Numenera has a wonderful setting but combat feels way too much like modern D&D. The major remaining obstacle, I think, are the spells, but I might use a random generation system like that in Freebooters on the Frontier or Maze Rats, or just bringing over arcana / oddities from Into the Odd.
Probably already been suggested but Freebooters on the Frontier 2e would be a good fit I think.
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FontF was my first choice initially, I love the game to bits and it has exploration and travelling baked into the system. It even has trading rules! As with other D&D inspired fantasy games - like Black Hack - that I also considered I wasn’t sure how to implement the science fantasy flavour of UVG. Wizard Fighter Thief and Cleric don’t sound like UVG characters and even if you have sort of Halflings, Elves and Dwarves in UVG they are nothing like your typical fantasy species the way they are portrait or at least hinted at in Freebooters (feather like step for Elves/ bonus for Dwarves being underground etc).
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I think the classic four classes can fit okay. Taking the Seacat hero types:
Cleric becomes Lifesculptor Biomancer
Fighter becomes Timelost Warrior
Magic user becomes Electric Wizard
Thief becomes Freehold Archaeologist
I think all the races would easily be incorporated under UVG’s definition of humans, which includes dwarves, half-elfs, half-lings, and lots more.
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I wholeheartedly agree: It would take a bit of fiddling - e.g. you would have to adjust the spell generation table for the electro wizard - but it can be done. We are deep into an ongoing campaign at the moment so I don’t feel like putting work into a Freebooters UVG hack but if I’d ever start a new campaign I’d consider giving it a try.
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