[12:36 PM]Jason M Peercy: I am Jason Peercy, co-writer of The Real Thing RPG, as well as the follow up release which is live on Backerkit now, Angel Dust and King For A Day.
[12:37 PM]Dan the GMshoe: (Oh, and please give us a (done) when the intro is complete. )
[12:37 PM]Jason M Peercy: (I am done)
[12:39 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Sorry, waiting on me? I am Jason Ward, co-writer of The Real Thing RPG as well!
[12:39 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Done
[12:40 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Thanks for having us back. It was fun last time… Several great questions from folks.
[12:41 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Glad to have you back!
[12:41 PM]Dan the GMshoe:ย And thanks, guys! The floor is open to questions!
[12:41 PM]Jason M Peercy: Thank you for having us back!(edited)
[12:41 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Cool. I’ll give a quick game intro if it helps…
[12:41 PM]Dan the GMshoe: First, perhaps you should recap what The Real Thing is?
[12:42 PM]Dan the GMshoe: (Besides Coke, because yes, I’m old enough to remember that ad campaign…)1
[12:42 PM]Jason M Peercy: Go for it, Ward
[12:44 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: The Real Thing is a Powered-by-the-Apocalypse TTRPG based loosely on the music and themes of Faith No More’s music. It is a lightweight system for telling heavy stories. It is an anthology of three books. Each book has two parts. The first is a sandbox system that can be used to tell all kinds of stories. The second is a 15 – 20 story that can be played with a Narrator an 2 – 6 players.
[12:45 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: The system allows for telling all kinds of stories, but the story we have written is in three parts, and takes place in a semi-real world setting during the early 90s.
[12:45 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Each book broadens the scope of the rules/system and the scope of the included story.
[12:46 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: The Real Thing (book 1) focuses on hyper-personal, time-boxed stories that help develop a character and group as you play.
[12:46 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Angel Dust (book 2) is about crafting a community/city/region that the characters from book one inhabit, while exploring that world and learning broader and deeper truths.
[12:47 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: King for a Day adds rules for the supernatural and mystical, and the story unravels the truths that the characters thought they knew as they explore the nature of power and struggle with how to either embrace it or deny it.
[12:48 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: (done)
[12:48 PM]Dan the GMshoe: (Oh, we don’t use the (done) thing anymore after the intro. Thanks, though! )1
[12:48 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: (mic drop)1
[12:48 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops:
[12:49 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Is The Real Thing a complete game on its own, or does it require books 2 and 3?
[12:50 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: It’s a complete game that we have run numerous stories in. The system in just The Real Thing allows for short-form (1 – 10 sessions) of play, focused on developing characters in a deep and collaborative manner. Characters advance as they remember or apply knowledge of their own pasts.
[12:51 PM]Dan the GMshoe: And the setting is “real world” modern day by default?
[12:51 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: The story included in that book is roughly 4 – 5 sessions worth of material, and it is a “walled garden” of sorts. Ther eis plenty to do, but it keeps the characters in a small area with a lot to do.
[12:51 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Near-modern. It’s the 90s… but yes.
[12:51 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: We have also run sci-fi and historical fantasy/fiction stories in the system.
[12:52 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How does the community crafting work in Angel Dust?
[12:52 PM]Jason M Peercy: The setting is real-world adjacent for the included story, but the systems provided can be adapted to any setting.
[12:53 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Before I answer that, I need to unpack the primary mechanism we created for the game, as a modification to Powered-by-the-Apocalypse…
[12:53 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: It is called “Discovery.”
[12:54 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Essentially, as characters fail at certain actions (Moves), they are prompted to add to their personal and group story by creating facts. The Narrator says “mark a discovery, and tell me about…” something related to what just happened in the failed move, but in the past.
[12:55 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: In the first book, this focuses, this focuses on the players telling the group something about themselves. This creates very deep and detailed backstories that can interrelate characters to each other or the NPCs and events of the story.
[12:56 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: In Angel Dust, we broaden Discovery and ask that the players begin telling the Narrator about the world around them in addition to the things they might tell about themselves.
[12:56 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: This leads to the creation of new game mechanisms for “Locations” and “Factions.”
[12:57 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: When a Narrator prompts the player to talk about their character, they will prompt in order to get responses that generate locations and factions, thus fleshing out the world.
[12:58 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: For example, a player might tell a story of how they were once robbed at gunpoint by someone in a rough neighborhood. The Narrator would follow-up by saying, “you mentioned you were outside of a diner when it happened… tell me why that diner was an important place to you and the community.”
[12:58 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops:1
[12:59 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: The player then gets to relate why they loved the place, what it was like, who frequented it… etc.
[1:01 PM]Jason M Peercy: This is a piece by Teresa Guido. The book art is gritty and a bit noir. It captures the style of the world for the story in the books.
[1:01 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Generally speaking, who are the antagonists in the game, and are they physical threats, or more like social/emotional challenges?
[1:01 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Great question…
[1:02 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Mechanically, they can be anything from a horrible megacorp to a space pirate… the system can be used as a sandbox to tell any story.
[1:02 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: That said, in the stories we have provided, based on our interpretations of FNM’s music, the antagonists are people in power, from street bosses to corporate oligarchs.
[1:04 PM]Jason M Peercy: For the story we provide, both. There are NPCs that the players can choose to be antagonistic to, or allies with, solely depending upon their interactions and emotions. There are events that pose physical threats, but the real challenge is how the players interpreet the consequences, good or bad, of these challenges, NPCs, and events.
[1:06 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Yeah, the three part story we wrote can go a lot of different directions. It has been intrigue, espionage, street brawl, gunfight, seduction… you name it! There are NPCs, locations and factions we’ve provided, but th esotry progresses based on how the players approach those things. That is the nature of an emergent game system like Powered-by-the-Apocalypse (PBTA).
[1:08 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: I’m not sure how many people here ever played the Planescape PC game from 25 years ago, but the interactions remind me of that. It is a choice-based system that reacts to how you want to play.
[1:08 PM]Jason M Peercy: That game is GREAT!(edited)
[1:08 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: yes
[1:09 PM]Dan the GMshoe: What supernatural aspects appear in King for a Day?
[1:09 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Spoilers!
[1:09 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: From a system perspective, we have crafted (and are massaging) a system that makes supernatural entities “modular.”
[1:11 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: That means that we have broken down the tropes of 90s horror/RPGs/etc into their component parts so that players can craft supernatural characters that have aspects they are familiar with, but that are not exactly like “vampires” or “ghosts” or whatever.
[1:11 PM]Jason M Peercy: The system is intended for players to be able to go down the path of becoming something supernatural, but at a cost.
[1:11 PM]Jason M Peercy: Players create their own story of how this happens, what it means, and decide themselves what they are becoming and why.(edited)
[1:12 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Every character who becomes supernatural chooses a “sacrifice” (weakness) and elects to forego their own humanity in order to gain power. For doing so, they gain supernatural powers that break many of th enormal rules.
[1:14 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Once a character becomes supernatural, they begin stripping away their earlier discoveries as they forget themselves. So, now when a character fails at an action and the Narrator tells them to “mark a discovery”, the player instead “removes” a discovery by crossing it off. They then tell the Narrator what they are choosing to forget about their mortal life. But as a reward, every so often (every 5 discoveries), they get to gain a new supernatural power.
[1:15 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: I didn’t mention earlier, part of the Discovery system normally (pre-supernatural) is the that every 5 discoveries yield a character advancement, where they select a new move from their sheet and gain access to it.
[1:15 PM]Dan the GMshoe: That’s an interesting way to simulate losing touch with humanity.
[1:16 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: exactly
[1:17 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Here’s an example character sheet (playbook). There are 12 of these to choose from.
[1:17 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops:Protector_Playbook_v09.pdf1.41 MB
[1:18 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: It isn’t ready for primetime yet, but the sheet gets another page added when you become supernatural. This page will have the process for selecting your weaknesses and advanced moves.
[1:19 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Can you say a bit about the supernatural world as a whole in the game? How hidden is the supernatural, and what are some of the major forms that it takes?
[1:20 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: In our version of the story/game, the supernatural is an allegory for the .01%. They are ultra-powerful and above the understanding of most normal people.
[1:21 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: They wield phenomenal power.
[1:21 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: In the supernatural case, pretty much no one knows they exist, though. They are a sort of illuminati, but ageless.
[1:23 PM]Dan the GMshoe: And do such powerful beings totally lack memories of being human?
[1:23 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: We have actively avoided giving them a specific name or following a specific lore so that groups can craft their own specific versions. That said, they can have many of the powers you attribute to vampires, anansi, werewolves, jiangshi, mummies, etc.
[1:23 PM]Jason M Peercy: The supernatural world is fairly hidden from most of reality in our story. But, the characters interact with it throughout the story. Beings with phenomenal power control corporations, and vast wealth. Though not all of those whom have gained power from them stay attached to them. The story for the characters is about what happens if they go down those paths of power. How the chages affect not only themselves, but their world as well.
[1:25 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Many of them would lack any connection to humanity, and this would show in the way they treat others, or in their utter avoidance of them. Most, however, eventually stagnate before they completely lose touch. They would rarely wield their supernatural gifts in order to avoid the potential of becoming even more monstrous. It feels a bit like the slide from humanity that occurs in Vampire Requiem or The Masquerade, but without the specific trappings of vampirism.
[1:27 PM]Jason M Peercy: Moral: becoming a monster has consequences, which reflects the attitudes of the wealthy and powerful .01% in the real world.(edited)
[1:28 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: We wish it had more consequences, though! 1
@Dan the GMshoeAnd do such powerful beings totally lack memories of being human?[1:29 PM]Jason M Peercy: Not entirely
[1:30 PM]Dan the GMshoe: So the only supernatural creatures are the highest of the elites in the setting?
[1:30 PM]Jason M Peercy: It would completely depend upon the negatives they have.
[1:31 PM]Jason M Peercy: And no, supernaturals aren’t the only elites, nor are they only elites. But, for purposes of the story, they represent a portion of these elites who work to spin the world to their own tune. Government officials, and others are regular people. Some have contact with these beings, and others have no clue.
[1:32 PM]Jason M Peercy: The allegory truly is power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
[1:35 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: There is definitely room for more supernatural creatures in the sandbox system. In fact, many of the challenges (NPCs/monsters/traps/etc) that a Narrator can create can be supernatural. You could also play a game that had lots of wizards and dragons, if you wanted. BUT, the story we have written with the system has it so supernatural creatures are rare and powerful.
[1:36 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Generally speaking, what is the expected ratio of action to drama in this game (if such a thing even exists)?
[1:37 PM]Jason M Peercy: That fully depends upon the Narrator and players at the table. In the given scenario there is more drama than action. But the action that does occur supprots the drama and build up to it.
[1:38 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Two answers, as usual…. In the sandbox, it is whatever you all choose to make it with your own stories. In our story, it is a bit variable as well. We have written opportunities for both, but the way in which each potential challenge is approached will factor in. I’d say on average it about 66% – 75% drama/rp/intrigue, then the rest is action/combat.
[1:39 PM]Jason M Peercy: Climaxes are confrontations, which can be action combat, but it could also be intense RP. However, there are a couple of scenes on both of the new books, Angel Dust and King For A Day, where action occurs.
[1:40 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Yeah, a Narrator can always make it unavoidable…1
[1:40 PM]Dan the GMshoe: I know you have to wrap up shortly, so is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[1:41 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: I have a denoument statement or three…
[1:42 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: First, this game is so much fun to play and narrate. We’ve done a handful of actual plays and plenty of playtests, and universally people LOVE the discovery system. Even if players don’t like the emergent style of game that PBTA generates, they really dig Discoveries. Multiple people have told us that they have adapted Discoveries to other systems!
[1:43 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Second, even if you don’t know or love Faith No More, this is a great game. Faith no More influences the themes, and we pay them tribute in many ways… but unless you ar ea fan, you won’t even notice it!
[1:43 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Third, thanks a ton for having us!
[1:44 PM]Jason M Peercy: We will also be at Gen Con this year with World of Game Design at Booth 2661! Come say hello and check out what we have going on there (edited)
[1:45 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Great!
[1:45 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Usual reminder: If you’ve enjoyed this Q&A and would like to treat me to a coffee or two, you can do so at https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe. Anything’s appreciated! Ko-fiBuy Dan Davenport a Coffee. ko-fi.com/gmshoeBecome a supporter of Dan Davenport today! โค๏ธ Ko-fi lets you support the creators you love with no fees on donations.
[1:45 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Yep, folks can get the first book now at that booth or at our store (store.accidentalcyclops.com)
[1:45 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Thanks for joining us, guys!
[1:45 PM]Jason M Peercy: We have some exclusive deals and giveaways for people who back the project at Gen Con this year!
[1:45 PM]Jason Ward | Accidental Cyclops: Thanks!
[1:45 PM]Jason M Peercy: Thank you for having us!
[1:46 PM]Dan the GMshoe: If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll get the log posted and link you!1
[1:46 PM]Jason M Peercy: Much appreciated