10/28/2024
Good morning everyone! Today we're going to dive into the mechanics of Final Girl Rising and explain why Powered by the Apocalypse is the best system for this game. First, if you don't have previous experience with PbtA, let me explain a little about how the system works.
PbtA is a 2d6 system. This means you roll two six-sided dice when you want your character to do something. Based on the result, 2-6, 7-9 or 10+, your character has varying levels of success. A 2-6 result means that your character doesn't succeed at their task, but is introduced to a consequence that deepens play. A 7-9 means your character succeeds, but not without complications. Finally, a 10+ means your character not only succeeds, but often receives a bonus of some sort for doing so.
Your character has something called Stats, that can be added or subtracted to each roll, depending on what your character is good, or not-so-good, at. Your character also has something called Moves, which are abilities they can use to interact with the game world in specific ways. When you make a roll, you use a Move combined with a Stat, and where your result falls on the scale of success tells you what happens next.
Each character has access to a group of Basic Moves, actions anyone can use, and Playbook Moves, which can only be used by characters with a specific Playbook, or archetype. Playbooks are a fundamental part of Powered by the Apocalypse, and the system is at its strongest when it embraces archetypal characters. Since slasher horror leans hard into tropes that are common for the genre, PbtA is the perfect system for this flavor of game.
Let's use the Wallflower Playbook and the Playbook Move, "Portend Certain Doom," as an example. This Move requires the player to roll with the Stat called "Flight," and Wallflowers have an automatic +1 to all Moves rolled with Flight.
The player rolls a 6 but, because her Flight is +7, the total result is 7. This means the player succeeds, but with complications, and the Playbook tells them what comes next: "What you predict comes true, for better or worse, and you gain 1 Tenacity."
Tomorrow, I'll go into more detail about Tenacity and other conditions a character can receive when playing Final Girl Rising. For now, though, thank you once again for the support, and please continue to spread the word about Final Girl Rising. We couldn't make this game without you!
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