1. What is Urban Shadows?

Urban Shadows ("US") is a game of 'political urban fantasy.' It posits a modern urban setting populated by organized Factions of supernatural creatures locked into continual conflict beneath the surface of the mundane world.

The mechanics and design of Urban Shadows support complex, conflicted characters with both personal and political goals and works best as a fast-paced, intense, story-driven game where the characters' conflicts and motivations play a major role and where their actions twist and bend the narrative around them.

Urban Shadows is said to be "Powered by the Apocalypse" (PtbA).

2. What does 'Powered by the Apocalypse' mean?

A "Powered by the Apocalypse" (or PtbA) game is one whose core mechanic and narrative engine are based off of Apocalypse Word, a game created in 2010 by Vincent and Meguey Baker. That game centered around exploration and conflict in a post-apocalyptic setting, and emphasized narrative, story and player agency in a way other games didn't or couldn't. Instead of lists of attributes and skills used to generate binary pass/fail conditions in game, players instead have access to "Moves" which are triggered by events within the fiction and then, in turn, bend the fiction around them.

The core mechanic of Apocalypse World proved to be extremely adaptable. And in the years since its release, a large number of 'Apocalypse Hacks' have been created to cover everything from superheroes (Masks) to D&D-style sword-and-sorcery (Dungeon World) to squadrons of female fighter pilots in WWII (Night Witches) to emotionally fraught monsters in high school (Monsterhearts). And politically charged urban fantasy (Urban Shadows).

Gameplay is described as a conversation between the players and the Master of Ceremonies (the GM, or "MC"). Instead of planned adventures, the game encourages everyone to 'Play to find out what happens' by using the Moves as a means of guided improvisation.

Collectively, these games are known as "Powered by the Apocalypse" (or 'PtbA').
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:42, Wed 21 Apr 2021.