Welcome to Weaverdice!

Pinned

###Introduction

Weaverdice is a roleplaying game based on the setting of Worm. Both game and story were created by Wildbow, the former created with some help from fans and playtesters. It is very much a fluid work in progress (WIP), with revisions being made on the regular.

Akin to D&D or other pen and paper roleplaying games, Weaverdice has a game master ('GM') handle setting, story, and non-player characters while a solo player or group of players navigate the role of a hero or villain. All of this takes place in what is commonly known as the Wormverse, known to inhabitants of that 'verse as 'Earth Bet'. Starting in 1982, when a golden man was found floating over a spot on the ocean, superheroes started appearing with increasing frequency, and society changed to adapt to them.

Worm is a work with an underground following and still-growing popularity, arguably owing to creative superpowers, a world where much attention was paid to the details and history, and where there is a great deal of room for creative flexibility. One of the primary goals in making Weaverdice what it is is to replicate those elements, as well as Worm's characteristically dark and dangerous background.

Unlike D&D and many other roleplaying games, Weaverdice doesn't have players decide their character. Where a player of D&D might decide to play an elf pyromancer and write up their sheet before presenting it to the person running the game and to the other players, Weaverdice is a system where the player does not have control over the powers they get nor the circumstances in which they get them. The group collaborates and works with the setting's logic to devise a superpower or set of superpowers for the character, and the player of that character then works with what they have. This is not a fair setting, and the system of perks and flaws can be similarly unfair. Once they roll a trigger, the group decides on a power, and they've rolled their perks and flaws, the player can fill in the remainder of the blanks and decide the particulars of the character. Players are thus challenged to make the best of what they're given.

###Getting Into Weaverdice

The easiest and most common place to find an opportunity to play Weaverdice is in the Weaverdice chatroom. A proper link will find its way to the sidebar at some point, but for now, the astute can find it via. IRC:

Server: irc.parahumans.net
Channel: #Weaverdice

Play in the chatroom first involves finding a game to join - read the links provided as you first enter the room (including the 'Welcome to Weaverdice' doc that is very similar to this one), and ask around for advice. There are a lot of players who want to play and relatively few GMs, so be prepared to wait. Participating and hanging out while making your name and metaphorical 'face' known will increase your odds of finding a game.

###Resources

######Old Rulebook
The original rulebook was created between 2013 and 2015, and while somewhat rough, is about 90% complete, missing melee weapons and some general rules. Has character creation rules, bullet points on most basic principles of the powers, and a section at the end with stats, skills and some equipment.

Even players who only intend to use the old rulebook for convenience are encouraged to look to the character creation section of the new rulebook below, as it is far clearer and more comprehensive.

######New Rulebook, WIP There were a lot of issues with the rulebook, including clarity, balance, and the nature of the rules and how dice rolls were handled. To top it off, the old rulebook was taking considerable amounts of time to load unless loaded in formatting-unfriendly mobile mode. With this in mind, Wildbow has been working on a revision. This is a slow process with many bases to cover. Even more WIP than the existing rulebook. It is broken up into four sections (with the % completion of those sections noted after the link):

In the #Weaverdice chatroom, where the vast majority of playtesting and games happen, the general approach is to use the new rulebook where possible, and default to the old one when and where the rules haven't yet been translated.

######Trigger Sheet

The Trigger Sheet is used in the chatroom for the purposes of generating random 'trigger events', the horrible events that lead to people getting superpowers. A good source for inspiration. Best not to muck around with it - if and when one feels the urge to make suggestions, the 'unvetted' tab at the bottom is best.

######Classification Documents

In Worm, the US organization known as the 'PRT' classifies powers into twelve general categories. The handbooks were started when certain classifications proved difficult to make unique powers for. The documents are not meant to be heavily leaned on, but provide a varied assortment of explanations for what kind of circumstance might lead to certain powers, within that classification. The Tinker handbook is the most comprehensive, and details sample tinker builds and tinker specialties, with starting build lists toward the end of the document. In an ideal world, that document will be completed, and each other classification will have similar, equally comprehensive documents.

######Detail List

This is a side project by Wildbow; a spreadsheet listing a variety of powers for each classification and (on the LUCK tab at the bottom) WIP perks and flaws for a revamped Advantage/Disadvantage system.
When the power sections are complete it will be a random power generator, a touchstone for the new Cauldron Vial list and an NPC generator. The final tab has some sample Cauldron vials. Those New to WD shouldn't stress to much about it, and should only dwell on the list insofar as they need to generate perks and flaws for the new rulebook.

Posted Apr 8, 2016, 8:14 PM UTC · edited

216