After reading a converstation on the DW subreddit, i thought id have a go at designing a pacifist CC.

After reading a converstation on the DW subreddit, i thought id have a go at designing a pacifist CC.

After reading a converstation on the DW subreddit, i thought id have a go at designing a pacifist CC. Here’s the first draft.

Originally shared by Adrian Thoen

When the horror of fighting has become too much, and you swear to lay down your arms and do no violence again in your life, gain the following moves immediately.

In the name of Peace

You have a new stat: Peace. Peace starts at 0, but can be raised to +3 or lowered to -3. Each time you roll +Peace, reduce the Peace stat after you have resolved the move.

Suffering Paragon

When you suffer harm without violently resisting, gain 1 Peace.

The Vow

When you choose to stand by and not intervene with violence to stop another’s suffering, gain 2 Peace.

Open Palm

When you peacefully stand firm to defend a place, person, or ideal in the face of violence or opposition, roll+Peace. On a 10+, your resolve causes the aggressor to back off. On a 7-9, they hesitate, or look for support from subordinates or superiors, the GM will tell you how.

Voice of Reason

When you speak passionately for finding a peaceful resolution to a tense, charged situation, roll+Peace. On a 10+, your words move hearts and minds, and the situation calms down. On a 7-9, Your words need some action or sacrifice to give them enough meaning – the GM will tell you what.

Breaking Point

When you forgo your vow of nonviolence and attack someone, roll+Peace. On a 10+, your soul is stained by your disregard of your vow, lose all Pacifist moves and never take them again. In addition, you are now known as an oathbreaker wherever you go. On a 7-9, your actions are understandable, but shake your belief in your cause, set your Peace to 3. On a 6, you justify your actions as necessary and right in this circumstance at least. 

8 thoughts on “After reading a converstation on the DW subreddit, i thought id have a go at designing a pacifist CC.”

  4. The last move seems like a reversal of the normal mechanic for DW in general. Seems like I have to hope I roll low, and/or that my peace stat is incredibly low at the time. You get the worst consequences if you’re successful, less if you’ve failed.

    I think I get the feeling behind that – if you have a -3 peace because you’ve already been using your moves all combat and there’s nothing else you can do, then there’s a good chance you’ll fail, but it’s still an awkward reversal of expectations.

    Maybe a better suggestion would be to have it set your peace stat to -3 and then you roll with the peace you’ve lost as a penalty to your roll, and flip the consequences, so rolling low is failing.

  5. It’s very much a case of wanting to roll the move when you’ve reduced your peace by trying everything in your power to avoid conflict or resolve the situation peacefully, and violence is your last, desperate effort. I really want the mechanics of the flow of peace to reflect that journey.

    using the Breaking Point move is definitely a bad thing, no matter how necessary or justified, you’ve broken your oath and compromised your core values.

    Setting Peace to -3 before the roll equalizes the results every time, I still want to reward players who use up their Peace before they resort to violence.

    There has been precedent for reversing the results on a roll in Apocalypse World with Harm. when you are delt harm, you roll +harm dealt. higher results will mean you suffer worse effects.

  7. Like, fictionally speaking, you can totally see the pacifist standing there and the soldiers, confused, turning and looking at their boss.

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