So I have a bunch of work to do and a *World hack to write for a contest and other stuff I need to write. So, of course, I’m thinking about moves for the “Expedition to the Barrier Peaks”-style DW module I’m never going to write. Because I can never work on what I’m supposed to be working on at any given moment.
When you try to figure out how a piece of alien technology works, roll +Int. On a 10+ you gain a Step towards understanding what it does and how it works. On a 7-9, you still gain a Step but the device activates in an unpredictable (and probably dangerous) way. On a 6-, it’s possible that the device breaks, which means you can’t figure out any more Step for it until it’s fixed or you find another one.
Alien objects require a number of Steps to be figured out before you can use them, and you can’t use them effectivly until you’ve figured them all out. Using the device before you’ve figured out all the Steps may be unable to perform actions relevent to that step.
Laser Pistol
Far, 2 piercing, 3-ammo
Initial Impression: It looks kind of like a small crossbow, but without the bow part; I guess it’s a weapon maybe?
Step 1: ZAP Yup, it’s a weapon. Although it seems to work more like a magic wand.
Step 2: Oh, I see, this is the magic power source, because when it slides out the thing stops working. I hope there’s more of these power things around.
3-D Printer
This device creates objects sort of out of thin air!
Initial impression: It’s an open box. There’s a lot of little arms and things in there, and a switch on the front.
Step 1: Hey, when you press the switch, the arms move around and make something out of thin air! Neat, it’s a mug!
Step 2: Oh, I see, there are these tube things leading to this other container of goop. I guess that’s what it’s making the item from? I guess if we find more goop we can pour it in there when it runs out.
Step 3: Look at this, there’s this little flat disc thing that fits into a slot on the front. When I take it out, the box doesn’t work. And there’s a small container full of other discs right here…
I like the idea of having to Defy Danger whenever you use an item you haven’t fully figured out, too. The Danger is that it does something you don’t anticipate or like.
When you try to use an alien device you haven’t fully figured out yet, roll +WIS. On a 10+ you think you’ve got this and the device works to your understanding. On a 7-9, it works but there’s a weird side-effect based on its abilities outside your understanding.
I dorked with something like this:
https://plus.google.com/113677679278469240206/posts/GsfDF11Fu3b
John Aegard That’s pretty cool. I was going for something closer to the original module, where you had a “procedural” figure-stuff-out system. The only problem with the original system was that the procedure wasn’t really anything beyond just rolling dice until you got a certain number of successes.
That’s why I did the Step idea; I wanted it to be a thing where you’re slowly figuring out what the device does in a piecemeal fashion, where you can still use it and get a rough idea of what the device does, but can still be surprised or get a better understanding later.