Aaron and Jay – you don’t want to read beyond the line.
Why did I decide I needed a different threat map? I’m not sure. It was fun to make. The PDF’s with my handwriting are at the bottom of the page.
I got excited and realized once I was done I needed to write up the Anubis and Lup’s battalion as threats.
Threat # 1 Earth
Kind: Landscape, mostly Maze
Impulse: Trap, frustrate Passage
Description and Cast: Earth is always present- pulling, wanted this here in case they crash land into it.
Psychic Warlords, maybe? I’m imaging people in mountain/bunkers for the past 50 years. But maybe not. Might nix that idea. I like the idea that what is left floating in orbit is all we’ve got. All that is on Earth is the psychic maelstrom.
Yeah, I like that better.
Stakes: Is there a cure for the maelstrom? Will the maelstrom spread to Mars?
Custom Move/Countdown: Psychic Warlords enter Low Earth Orbit
Connected Threats: When you crash land on Earth, the psychic trauma of humanity’s near extinction attacks your mind. Roll Open Your Mind to the Psychic Maelstrom and brace yourself. Shit is about to get Yoda’s-Cave-Weird.
Threat # 2 Hades Station
Kind: Warlord/Prophet
Impulse: Denounce and Overthrow
Description and Cast: Met them the first game – players don’t know this is a Martian military scouting mission just yet.
The Major, Senior Leadership, Armors, Tunnel Dogs
Stakes: Will they destroy what is left of Earth? What is Bastet’s link (and her father’s link) to Hades?
Custom Move/Countdown: Hades is dropped on Earth.
Connected Threats:
Threat # 3 Olde Earth Bullshit
Kind: Institution
Impulse: Exploitation/Violence
Description and Cast: I didn’t want to put down each faction as a threat just yet. This felt like a good way to cover it.
ZDS, Dionne, High Cathedral
Stakes: Can humanity overcome its old problems? Will OEB doom what is left of humanity?
Custom Move/Countdown: A station perishes
When you grow frustrated by OEB roll +Sharp
On 10+ Choose 1
On 7-9, the M.C. chooses 1
On a miss, bullshit reigns
You see what might be a diplomatic solution, ask the M.C. how you will have to compromise
You see an economic solution, ask the M.C. what you’ll have to pay.
You see a weakness you can exploit, ask the M.C. what you’ll need to attack.
Connected Threats: Wherever there are humans…there’s O.E.B.
Threat # 4 Luna City
Kind: Market/Waypoint
Impulse: Offers hospitality, comforts, supplies
Description and Cast: Closest thing to a real city.
Frankie the Merchant
Stakes: Can the factions of L.O.E. unite?
Custom Move/Countdown: L.O.E. Unite / L.O.E. Civil War
Connected Threats: O.E.B.
Threat # 5 Alien Stone on the Dark Side of the Moon
Kind: Pinpoints/Doorway
Impulse: Offers another way of thinking
Description and Cast: Alien monolith-type thing on the Dark Side of the Moon. Cross between 2001 and Yoda’s Cave and phantasmagoria.
Alien Intelligence
Stakes: Can a new way be proposed before someone takes control/lays claim of it?
Custom Move/Countdown: Someone takes control: Hades / Z.D.S. ? Luna Mercantile / Psychic Warlords
When you make contact with the Alien Intelligence, roll +Weird, tell the M.C. what you hope to learn from the Alien Intelligence.
On a 10+ tell the M.C. what reassuring form the alien takes,- you learn it, make a new move if you need to.
7-9, what is off about the familiar form the intelligence takes? Same as above but it takes a long time. Clocks tick away. The landscape of the game will be different when your character emerges. If necessary, make a new character while your character is engaged in the Alien Stone. The M.C. will make a clock and both of you can tick it off as needed to show your old character emerging.
On a miss, the form taps into a deep fear. This is a good opportunity to switch playbooks to show how your character’s brush with an alien presence turned them strange.
Connected Threats: ?
Threat # 6 The Martian Mission
Kind: Institution
Impulse: Condemnation and Judgment, promote and justify violence
Description and Cast: The scouting mission from Mars.
Senior Leadership
Stakes: Will they overthrow their dolphin overlords?
Will they make contact with L.O.E. Humanity?
Custom Move/Countdown: Contact is made and/or Dolphins overthrown…
Connected Threats: Hades Station
Threat #7 Anubis
Kind: Vehicle/Vicious
Impulse: to kill and destroy
Description and Cast: Bastet’s LOE Fighter.
Bastet (also her father?)
Stakes: Can this LOE Fighter survive the trip to the Moon and/or father?
Custom Move/Countdown: None
Connected Threats: None
Threat #8 MEGA (Mars Electus Genus Alpha) Program
Kind: Clan
Impulse: Close ranks? Protect their own? Riot Burn and kill scapegoats?
Description and Cast: The Weaponized Battalion Lup is a part of…
Jorge “Saint”
Stakes: What drove the battalion apart? What could bring them together? Are they people or androids with fake memories?
Custom Move/Countdown: They gather towards a toxic and/or magnetic leader.
Connected Threats: Hades Station might have a team…
Also, these things were manufactured on Mars.
If you’d like to see more Apocalypse World: Burned Over Low Earth Orbit stuff, please check out the link to the Low Earth Orbit Index below.
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