From 2972a386ecf8fa908781947a254c10f31fe74828 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Madison Scott-Clary <makyo@drab-makyo.com>
Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2023 15:50:12 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] update from sparkleup

---
 writing/post-self/pbta.html | 40 ++++++++++++++++++-------------------
 1 file changed, 20 insertions(+), 20 deletions(-)

diff --git a/writing/post-self/pbta.html b/writing/post-self/pbta.html
index 162ddd9b6..43e4b0e3e 100644
--- a/writing/post-self/pbta.html
+++ b/writing/post-self/pbta.html
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@
 </ul>
 </li>
 <li><a href="#dissolution-strategies">Dissolution strategies</a></li>
-<li><a href="#sanity">Sanity</a></li>
-<li><a href="#player-moves">Player moves</a></li>
+<li><a href="#sanity">Sanity </a></li>
+<li><a href="#player-moves">Player moves </a></li>
 </ul>
 </li>
 <li><a href="#preparing-to-play">Preparing to play</a><ul>
@@ -47,9 +47,9 @@
 </li>
 <li><a href="#gameplay">Gameplay</a><ul>
 <li><a href="#mc">MC</a><ul>
+<li><a href="#dangers-and-the-bigger-picture">Dangers and the bigger picture</a></li>
 <li><a href="#mc-moves">MC Moves</a></li>
 <li><a href="#pcs-and-npcs">PCs and NPCs</a></li>
-<li><a href="#dangers-and-the-bigger-picture">Dangers and the bigger picture</a></li>
 </ul>
 </li>
 <li><a href="#players">Players</a><ul>
@@ -412,7 +412,7 @@
 </dd>
 </dl>
 <p>What this comes down to is the fact that, the more likely you are to fork &mdash; that is, the closer you hew to a Dispersionista lifestyle &mdash; the more likely you are to succeed, but the higher the cost if you fail. The less likely you are to fork &mdash; the closer you are to being a Tasker &mdash; the more likely you are to fail, but the lower the potential cost.</p>
-<h2 id="sanity">Sanity</h2>
+<h2 id="sanity">Sanity <!-- move before sanity --></h2>
 <p>In such a world where physical damage suddenly has less meaning, health is measured in terms of <em>Sanity</em>. After all, you have only a simulacrum of a body; if that gets damaged, why, just fork yourself a new one!</p>
 <p>However, live forever with memories that never dissipate &mdash; memories from however many instances, even! &mdash; and keeping your head about you suddenly becomes far more difficult.</p>
 <p>As such, your <em>Sanity</em> becomes a stat you track, just as you would track HP in any other setting.</p>
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@
 <dt>Avery</dt>
 <dd>TODO</dd>
 </dl>
-<h2 id="player-moves">Player moves</h2>
+<h2 id="player-moves">Player moves <!-- personalize --></h2>
 <ul>
 <li>When you do something relating to [specialty], add +1.</li>
 <li>You have the ability to [do some sort of active special power]. It counts as a basic move using [stat].</li>
@@ -446,13 +446,12 @@
 </ul>
 <h2 id="creating-characters">Creating characters</h2>
 <p><a href="https://rpg.post-self.ink/charsheet.pdf"><img alt="Charsheet!" src="https://rpg.post-self.ink/filled-charsheet.png" /></a></p>
-<p>Hand each player a character sheet. It should have the stat names listed, including the relationship stat. It should have a description of how the relationship stat goes up and down over the course of the game.</p>
-<p>Place the character concepts in the middle of the table. Talk about what they might mean and why they might be cool. Have everyone pick one and fasten it to their character sheet (in the concept box) using a paper clip.</p>
-<p>Tell them to assign the following numbers to their 5 basic stats: +2, +1, +1, 0, -1. If you only have 4 stats, instead assign: +2, +1, 0, -1.</p>
-<p>The maximum that a stat can ever reach in the game is +3, and the minimum is -1. This includes relationship stats. Player moves cannot advance a stat beyond +3 (though player moves can temporarily or circumstantially increase it beyond +3).</p>
-<p>Each PC has a relationship stat with each other PC. Tell the players to do this: whichever PC they know the best, write +2 next to that character&rsquo;s name. Whichever PC they know the least, write -1 next to that character&rsquo;s name. For each other PC, write +1. Tell them to write &ldquo;NPCs&rdquo; and assign that relationship a 0.</p>
-<p>Every character has a harm clock, with six sections. When characters take harm in the game, they mark a number of sections equal to whatever amount of harm the MC tells them they take. Point out the harm clock, and explain that when it&rsquo;s filled all the way up, the characters are taken out of the action (in a genre-appropriate way).</p>
-<p>The next stage of creating characters is to pick 3 moves. When a player picks a move, they pick an option from the list below, give the move a title, and fill in the blanks. Each move gets recorded on their character sheet.</p>
+<p>Hand each player a character sheet. It should have the stat names listed, including the leverage stat. It should have a description of how the leverage stat goes up and down over the course of the game.</p>
+<p>Place the character concepts in the middle of the table. Talk about what they might mean and why they might be cool. Have everyone pick one and fasten it to their character sheet (in the concept box) using a paper clip. <!-- Optionally? --></p>
+<p>Tell them to assign the following numbers to their 5 basic stats: +2, +1, +1, 0, -1.</p>
+<p>The maximum that a stat can ever reach in the game is +3, and the minimum is -1 &mdash; with the exception of <em>leverage</em>, which can go as low as -3. Player moves cannot advance a stat beyond +3 (though player moves can temporarily or circumstantially increase it beyond +3).</p>
+<p>Each PC has a relationship stat with each other PC. Tell the players to do this: whichever PC they know the best, write +2 next to that character&rsquo;s name. Whichever PC they know the least, write -1 next to that character&rsquo;s name. For each other PC, write +1. Tell them to write &ldquo;NPCs&rdquo; and assign that relationship a 0. <!-- reevaluate --></p>
+<p>The next stage of creating characters is to pick 3 moves. When a player picks a move, they pick an option from the list below, give the move a title, and fill in the blanks. Each move gets recorded on their character sheet. <!-- talk about moves first, etc --></p>
 <h2 id="session-zero">Session zero</h2>
 <p>As an optional step before the game, it might help to have a session zero. These sessions are a good way to help strengthen both the players&rsquo; bonds with their characters and with each other. There are many different ways to help get all the creative and social juices flowing. These aren&rsquo;t necessary, and need not even be their own sessions independent of the first session, however, setting aside time specifically to build up the world can be eminently useful. In fact, they can even be a good time for building the players&rsquo; characters from the ground up in a collaborative and communal style. Here are some ideas for what to do:</p>
 <dl>
@@ -460,7 +459,7 @@
 <dd>
 <p>The obvious thing to do is to ask about the character&rsquo;s past. Share some of the information behind your character such as:</p>
 <ul>
-<li>When did they upload? </li>
+<li>When did they upload? <!-- need a richer timeline plus relevance to a character's background (e.g: do you remember the lost, what about subsidies, etc) --></li>
 <li><em>Why</em> did they upload? </li>
 <li>Where do they live in the System? Deep in a densely populated public city-sim, or out in nature, all by themselves?</li>
 <li>How have they gained reputation so far? Did they take a hobby from phys-side and turn it into something new? Do they even <em>care</em> about reputation? After all, later on in time, reputation matters less and less.</li>
@@ -474,18 +473,18 @@
 </dd>
 <dt>Setting</dt>
 <dd>
-<p>A setting can be a character in its own right. It can have its own story to tell. Within <em>Post-Self</em>, there&rsquo;s the obvious world of the System, but the System is merely a shell housing sims of nearly infinite variety. These, then, become the sims. Building this setting doesn&rsquo;t necessarily need to be 100% up to the MC, though. If the players aren&rsquo;t meant to be spelunking in undiscovered, unfamiliar lands, build the sim or sims together under the MC&rsquo;s guidance.</p>
+<p>A setting can be a character in its own right. It can have its own story to tell. Within <em>Post-Self</em>, there&rsquo;s the obvious world of the System, but the System is merely a shell housing sims of nearly infinite variety. These, then, become the setting. Building this setting doesn&rsquo;t necessarily need to be 100% up to the MC, though. If the players aren&rsquo;t meant to be spelunking in undiscovered, unfamiliar lands, build the sim or sims together under the MC&rsquo;s guidance.</p>
 <ul>
 <li><strong>Pros and cons:</strong> Have each character create a list of two or three pros and cons about the sim. For instance, it could have this <em>really great</em> noodle place over on Main, the sunsets can be absolutely beautiful, but whoever built it had apparently never seen real cobblestones before, as it&rsquo;s all but impossible to walk on the street without twisting your ankle.</li>
 <li><strong>Made-up history:</strong> In a place where everything can be perfect, imperfection has become something of an art. Clearly, the sim designers were inspired by <em>something!</em> What was it? Some disaster they remember phys-side? Some bit of perfection that can only be accomplished by cutting corners elsewhere; what drew the designer&rsquo;s eye to that perfection? Have each player give a sentence or two describing the designer&rsquo;s inspiration, then let the next player piggyback off of that.</li>
-<li><strong>Copy of a copy:</strong> After centuries, cities on phys-side go through many of their own changes, are built up, torn down, and rebuilt as almost-the-same. If a sim is a copy of a place phys-side, what has changed? What did the sim designers not see fit to bring over? What did they exaggerate?</li>
+<li><strong>Copy of a copy:</strong> After centuries, cities on phys-side go through many of their own changes, are built up, torn down, and rebuilt as almost-the-same. If a sim is a copy of a place phys-side, what has changed? What did the sim designers not see fit to bring over? What did they exaggerate? How has the city phys-side diverged?</li>
 </ul>
 </dd>
 <dt>Safety and expectations</dt>
 <dd>
 <p><em>Post-Self</em> is, above all else, a world for stories. Fighting? Sure, it can happen, people get angry at each other all the time. However, you can step away from conflict. Injuries? Sure, they happen. But there is no death without going through outrageous amounts of effort.</p>
 <p>Stories, however, can hurt as much as any weapon, and words can wound us all. In the course of play, it&rsquo;s important to make sure that, no matter the intentions of everyone involved, anyone can feel welcome and not at risk of injury. As such, it&rsquo;s important to have a discussion before playing to see if any topics are off limits. Players should discuss limits and boundaries amongst each other (or one-on-one with the MC who can share them anonymously).</p>
-<p>As MC, it&rsquo;s also important to set expectations for the campaign. What kind of story is this going to be? Are there any plot points you have planned that might involve sensitive topics? If so, turn that into a conversation! Don&rsquo;t think of it as spoiling the story so much as letting your players get in the right mindset. Open it up to a dialogue and let everyone suggest ways to make the game as fun as can be so that it can run smoothly.</p>
+<p>As MC, it&rsquo;s important to set expectations for the campaign. What kind of story is this going to be? Are there any plot points you have planned that might involve sensitive topics? If so, turn that into a conversation! Don&rsquo;t think of it as spoiling the story so much as letting your players get in the right mindset. Open it up to a dialogue and let everyone suggest ways to make the game as fun as can be so that it can run smoothly.</p>
 <p>There are a lot of tools that might help with this, from X-cards to consent checklists. A list of these is provided in the resources section.</p>
 </dd>
 </dl>
@@ -500,6 +499,8 @@
 <li>Give the players a sense of what the world is like, and how it operates.</li>
 </ul>
 <p>Astute players will realize that these two things can sometimes be at odds with one another. MC, the way you navigate this combination of responsibilities is by honouring your Agendas and your Principles.</p>
+<h3 id="dangers-and-the-bigger-picture">Dangers and the bigger picture</h3>
+<p>Between sessions, or even during them, the MC can create Dangers. Dangers are things that might cause problems for the PCs, or fight them for resources, or block the PCs on their path. When you create a Danger, take an index card. Write its name, and its Ambition, and 1-3 MC Moves. Its Ambition is whatever this thing wants and strives for. If the PCs don’t do anything about the Danger, the Ambition will either happen or it’ll be attempted and disastrous effects will result. The MC Moves are things that the MC can add to their list of MC Moves whenever the Danger is afoot.</p>
 <h3 id="mc-moves">MC Moves</h3>
 <p>The MC moves are the specific things you say in any moment. There are two different cases where you use the MC Moves, and you use them differently in each of those cases. When the players look at you expectantly, you make a regular MC Move. When a player fails a die roll (getting 6 or lower), you make a hard MC Move. John Harper best described how to handle those two cases, so I&rsquo;ll quote him:</p>
 <p>When you make a regular MC move, all three:</p>
@@ -514,7 +515,7 @@
 <li>It follows logically from the fiction.</li>
 <li>It&rsquo;s irrevocable.</li>
 </ol>
-<p>Say what happens, including the effect, then ask &ldquo;What do you do?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>Say what happens, including the effect, <em>then</em> ask &ldquo;What do you do?&rdquo;</p>
 <p>A list of MC Moves is already written for you, waiting to be customized. Cross off up to three moves, and add up to three of your own to the list:</p>
 <ul>
 <li>Separate them.</li>
@@ -535,8 +536,7 @@
 <li>____</li>
 </ul>
 <h3 id="pcs-and-npcs">PCs and NPCs</h3>
-<h3 id="dangers-and-the-bigger-picture">Dangers and the bigger picture</h3>
-<p>Between sessions, or even during them, the MC can create Dangers. Dangers are things that might cause problems for the PCs, or fight them for resources, or block the PCs on their path. When you create a Danger, take an index card. Write its name, and its Ambition, and 1-3 MC Moves. Its Ambition is whatever this thing wants and strives for. If the PCs don’t do anything about the Danger, the Ambition will either happen or it’ll be attempted and disastrous effects will result. The MC Moves are things that the MC can add to their list of MC Moves whenever the Danger is afoot.</p>
+<p>(( TODO ))</p>
 <h2 id="players">Players</h2>
 <h3 id="player-moves_1">Player moves</h3>
 <p>Player moves come in three general forms:</p>
@@ -547,7 +547,7 @@
 </ul>
 <h4 id="taking-action">Taking action</h4>
 <p>When you take an action that risks failure or opposition, roll with one of the basic stats. On a 10+, you succeed at your goal. As appropriate, the MC might award you: resource points, harm dealt, or a bonus to carry forward. On a 7-9, the MC will offer you a hard bargain or a cost. If you agree to that hard bargain or cost, you succeed at your goal (and as appropriate, the MC might award you resource points, harm dealt, or a bonus to carry forward).</p>
-<p>When someone succeeds (with a 10+ or a 7-9) on a Taking Action roll, it’ll sometimes make sense to represent their success with a number of resource points. For example, if someone tries to read a person’s facial expressions and determine their true intent in a conversation, they might make a roll. If they get a 10+, the MC might determine that they have 3 conversation points, and they can spend those points 1-for-1 to get answers about the character’s motivations and goals during the conversation. Resource points are always given a name and function at the time they are awarded. In most cases, resource points should be temporary, lasting until the end of a scene or situation.</p>
+<p>When someone succeeds (with a 10+ or a 7-9) on a Taking Action <!-- make sure this is the phrase --> roll, it’ll sometimes make sense to represent their success with a number of resource points. For example, if someone tries to read a person’s facial expressions and determine their true intent in a conversation, they might make a roll. If they get a 10+, the MC might determine that they have 3 conversation points, and they can spend those points 1-for-1 to get answers about the character’s motivations and goals during the conversation. Resource points are always given a name and function at the time they are awarded. In most cases, resource points should be temporary, lasting until the end of a scene or situation.</p>
 <p>Sometimes, succeeding on a Taking Action roll means that the PC is set up for future successes. In these cases, the MC can award a +1 bonus that the PC can apply to their next roll. The player should mark that bonus on their character sheet.</p>
 <h4 id="helping-and-hindering">Helping and hindering</h4>
 <p>When you help someone or hinder a player character, roll your relationship stat with that person. On a 10+, add or subtract 2 from their roll. On a 7-9, the MC will name a cost; if you accept the cost, add or subtract 2 from their roll.</p>