Crafting in in Avoss is a two step process in which characters will first design their creations and second being when they gather the supplies and forge it together into a working objects.
In general it is important to see crafting as a method of producing ramshackle post-apocalyptic tools and supplies. These items are tenuous and rarely made using the intended parts. Before embarking on a crafting effort, the following questions are ones you should ask;
- Could this item have been made prior to 1900?
- Do I have a prop for this item?
- Would my character be willing to make the sacrifices required to make this item?
If the answer is yes to all of the above, move onto the designing step.
Angelique scanned the
plans. Her heart sank as she realised
just how poor they were and how much she would waste in following them. For a moment she considered redrawing them
but knowing the water pump was needed as soon as possible she instead set to
work, taking mental notes she hoped to convert into better plans when time
allowed. With a definite resignation she
knew it would never happen. There was
always too much to do, so good enough was going to have to be good enough.
Designing
Present at every game of Avoss is a large roll of brown paper and some drawing implements. Using these supplies your character can design their creating to their own specifications. In general, the better quality this design is, the easier it will be to create the final item in the second step. To design a project a single character must have the specialist skill or two characters must have the general skill.
The quality of your drawing is not the only aspect of this design, here are some ideas for increasing the quality of your design:
- Include a cutaway section, showing internal workings
- Include annotations
- Include annotations from other designers and from other specialties
- Colour
- Include comments from ‘field tests’.
Once you have completed your design give it to a storyteller. The storyteller will confer with others and decide upon the quality of the design and will write on the design three factors:
- The materials required to fulfill this design
- The minimum time required to fulfill this design
- The amount of times this design can be used before it fades away.
It is important to note that time and materials reduce in amount with quality of design whereas the amount of uses decreases with design quality. This reflects the minute detail of these designs that fades quicker and ensures that designing and moving forward is a constant aspects of the crafting process.
Once this is complete and you have your signed off design in hand you may move onto step two; production.
Production
With the information provided you are now ready to begin completing the design. With the minimum time required to fulfill the design you have two actions to perform;
- Gather the supplies listed and bring them to your crafting space
- Roleplay the act of crafting for at least the minimum time, divided by how many are participating in the production.
Avoss supplies a number of tools to assist with the roleplay of crafting. For mechanical engineers there are hand tools, sections of scrap wood, metal, leather and other supplies. For chemical engineers we supply mixtures for both solids and liquids.
Once you have gathered both the supplies and completed at least the time listed you may show both to a storyteller, who will take the expended material and sign off on your character retrieving the prop or beginning to use it. The Storyteller will then remove one of the uses from the design or perhaps destroy it altogether.
Crafting Tips
The intention for crafting roleplay is multi-faceted. But in general crafting is hoped to provide a method for players to address issues with their own plans, to provide the atmosphere of work being done, to enforce the theme of scarcity and to provide its own system of goal and achievement.
With these goals in mind hopefully many of our decisions make sense. During your roleplay there are a number of techniques you can adopt to make your crafting more enjoyable for yourself and those enjoying the ambience it creates. Such as;
-Your crafting time includes your gathering of supplies. Why not take this time to address other crafters or passers by, what do they think of this piece of steel? Does it look strong enough? Involve others in your roleplay.
-Avoss supplies a number of tools for crafting roleplay on site. Why not bring actual projects you need to complete? Or perhaps use this time to craft something to add to your costume? We won’t mind our supplies being used, especially if it goes back into the game. -There’s nothing wrong with putting your project on hold, pausing your clock and going to deal with whatever needs dealing with before returning and finishing up. And if you return and some of your supplies are missing, that’s something that has happened and your annoyance is also your characters annoyance, use it.