File: Playbook-Stock Clerk.pdf (219 KB, PDF)

219 KB PDF

Just ran this for the first time last night, everyone seemed to enjoy it as the station simultaneously froze and boiled.
I used the PbtA variation, but pulled together parts from the drafts and partial documents scattered around. Ended up making my own playbooks quickly to simplify things for my group.

>>55980184
What's up with the 'Weird' stat description? Is that purposely unreadable, or am I missing some grammar trick?

>>55980212
It's an old meme.

>>55980212
Deliberately unreadable, I pulled it from one of the Fudge variation's character sheets.

File: has anyone really been fa(...).jpg (388 KB, 1007x3343)

388 KB JPG

>>55980212

>>55980184
This is really nice, care to share the others?

>>55983390
Turns out I forgot to sync them between computers. I'll upload the set in ~12 hours if the thread survives.

I introduced this game to my old friends about 2 year ago, we only played it a few times before I had to move away. I'm back visiting, and they told me they still play it every week. I was thinking its time to play this with my new group so this thread was well timed. Ill be back in a bit with stories from my times playing.

>Night Shift video game
>Stranger Things meets Alien: Isolation
i need this

Storytime:
>alone on some saturday in winter
>snow piles up outside
>ready to get comfy once more
>music, hot tea, mp4 of a fireplace, electric room heater, sleeping bag, "the forgotten Soldier", and popcorn ready
>start reading
>suddenly: phone rings
>look at watch first
>7PM
>who_dares_disturb_the_mountain_king.webm
>pick up reluctantly
>a friend of mine, who has DMed a couple of times so far
>invites me over for a quick one shot he came up with
>really don't want to leave my room now, but this fag has a history of great one shots, and a real fucking fireplace on top
>if I go over now, the roads will be unsuable untill they are cleared tomorrow
>which isn't a problem, because no plans on Sunday anyways
>ask if I can bring my sleeping bag
>he is ok with it
>peel myself out of my comfythrone and pack some stuff
>get into car
>roads are already getting tricky to navigate
>around 30 kilometers of woods and nothing separate the two villages
>arrive an hour later, had to drive slow because of snow and darkness
>get inside
>warm and cozy, fireplace blazing, hot chocolate ready
>get back into my sleeping bag while DM sets up the story
>"So today I thought that we could run a game of 'Night shift'."
>fuck
>basically, I am a guy working at a gas station in the middle of Bumfuck-nowhere (Nevada)
>shift starts all right, not night time yet
(cont.)

>>55987460
Go on.

>>55987460
>watch the sun set over the desert landscape
>occasionally service a couple of customers
>some rednecks or whatever in their pickups hauling their game home before nightfall
>a trucker who wants to get to the next motel to rest
>some family fathers coming home from work
>all of them go home, continue my work
>we have a "service center" attached to the gas station, where employees look over your car and give you basic hints, maybe do emergency repairs to ensure you get out of the desert safely
>I am barely trained in mechanical shit, should be fine though
>nobody ever requests that service anyways
>and if they do, they just want their wiperwater refilled or whatever
>not sure what system the DM uses, he occasionally tells me to roll and tells me if I suceed or not
>he has a habit of making shit up as it goes, but it always turned out fun in the other games
>sun is already kissing the mountains on the horizon
>just finished an elderly couple on vacation in their mobile home
>a red pickup pulls up slowly
>some old indian dude gets out
>think nothing of it
>doesn't want a refuel, goes straight to the shop
>"Hello, welcome at In'n'outback, how may I help you?"
>Indian ignores me
>ok, rude customer, just let him continue
>mostly ignore him while I restock the shelves
>he seems to walk around the store aimlessly
>not looking at products, but at the floor, the ceiling, doors etc.
>creeped out, make a mental note to call the police as soon as I see him pull up again at night
>don't want to get robbed by some indian with a bow and arrow
>finish with the shelves and apporoach him again
>"Do you require assistance, sir?"
>doesn't even look at me
>insteead rambles something
>"No...no...the spirits..."
>ask him again if he needs any help
>he snaps out of it
>"No, young man. Stay safe tonight. The stars are angry tonight."
>turns around and leaves the shop
(cont.)

>>55987984
>drives off in the direction he came from
>try to peek at his license plate, but he is too far away already
>didn't notice that the sun had set while I was restocking
>warm orange and blue afterglow still shining in the sky
>it is getting colder though
>get back inside
>maybe I can rewind the security tape to look at the guys's license plate
>not sure why I decided to focus on him
>he seemed important
>anyways: check the security cameras
>we have a screen right next to the register and I can simply insert the tape into a compartment, while recording onto another one
>speed through the recording to the point where his red pickup pulls up
>too grainy to make out his plates
>decide to watch what he did inside the store too
>just aimless wandering as far as I can tell
>look out window
>sun is now completely down
>dark night surrounds the brightly lit gas station I am manning
>decide to grab a bag of chips and watch the tapes of the day again
>employees get 20% off on all products anyways
>DM actually bothers to describe what I am watching
>apparently two cute girls were inside the shop when I was servicing the old mobile home couple
>talked for a minute, then left just as I had finished
>where the fuck did those come from?!
>half concerned, half turnef on, I decide to look at the recordings of the entrance area
(cont.)

>>55988106
>the elderly couple pulls up
>gets out
>enters store
>I begin servicing their truck
>the two girls walk into the frame from a southerly direction
>one of them is wearing a white tanktop and hotpants
>other one a coloured dress
>the screen is black and white though, so I can't figure out it's actual colour
>the gas station is too far away to walk here
>my father had to drop me off on his way to work the nightshift in the hopital
>there is NO WAY these two girls could have walked here, especially not wearing sandals
>spooky, but they could have driven a car or scooter and parked it a couple of meters ahead
>"Yeah. That must be it." says the increasingly nervous teenager
>the girls didn't want to "box in" the mobile home while they were...doing what exactly?
>why stop at a gas station in bumfuck nowhere, just to wander around a store and leave without buying anything?
>check the recording again
>chicks enter store
>walk around while talking
>look at a couple of things...
>suddenly: "Bing!"
>doors slide open
(cont.)

>>55988285
>a family enters the shop
>middle aged man and woman with a sleepy little girl (looks like a 9 or 10 year old) and a baby on the female's arm
>jump up from seat, swallow the chips
>"Hello, welcome to in'n'outback! How may I help you?"
>the husband approaches me and says that they stopped to refuel and use the restroom
>show them the way to the shitters
>go out to refuel the car
>it's fucking cold now
>can see my breath in the air
>their tanks are almost empty
>they would not have made it to bumfuck-ville on what little fuel they had left
>vehicle is loaded with lots of luggage too
>they either planned their journey carefully ahead of time, or were very lucky to find a gas station in the the desert
>about to finish refueling when I hear the "bing" of the automated doors again
>turn around
>it's the two girls, entering the store again
>no vehicle to be seen anywhere
>hurry up with refueling
>get back inside
>see them talking to the little girl
(cont.)

>>55988480
keep going i'm reading

>>55988480
>"-en why are you out here all alone, little princess?"
>the one with the tanktop just finished talking to the girl
>they didn't notice me entering the store
>"I could ask you the same!" I say from behind them
>all three scared as fuck
>I didn't even try to be sneeki breeki, just came up with something witty to say
>little girl hides her face behind a teddy bear
>two others turn around to look at me
>the one wearing a (as I can now see it in live colour) green dress speaks first
>"Oh gee, we totally didn't notice you. That was scary...Anon."
>"HOW ON EARTH DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?!"
>she points at my chest
>I look down
>'Hello, my name is:' badge with my name
>"Oh."
>pasta on the floor
>emergency recovery mode!
>"Hello! Welcome to in'n'outback. How may I helo you?"
>"Actually, we were about to leave..." the tank top wearing blonde says and continues to chew on a bubblegum I hadn't noticed until now
>the two push past me and head for the door
>one more "bing" and they are gone
>alone with the little girl and her teddy
(cont.)

>>55988679
>stare after the two, but the reflections of the lights in the store windows make it impossible to see where they are going
>don't hear or see a car though
>turn around to the girl
>she is still hiding her face behind her teddy bear
>no clue what to do
>"Hey, don't be afraid of me."
>try to calm her down
>knee down to be at eyelevel
>"See, I am just a norma-"
>notice she is softly crying into the stuffed animal
>shitfuckshit
>no clue how to deal with children
>when her parents come back and see their girl crying they will blame me
>I need dem tips man
>hop behind the counter and grab a candy bar I was saving for myself
>hand it to her, hoping she would calm down
>won't stop
>"Hey, do you know something cool? We got a security camera system!"
>lead her to the counter and show her
>she stops crying but still hides her face behind the teddy, peeking past it at the screen
>show her some scenes of the day
>the rednecks, some buissnessmen etc.
>she never puts her teddy away, but at least she isn't shouting either
>time passes, the two of us watching the footage
>begin to wonder why her parents are taking so long
>"You wait here, while I go check if your parents need any help, ok?"
>she nods
(cont.)

>>55988918
>head outside
>the shitters are behind the main building to not have the smells attract animals or distract customers
>still cold as fuck outside
>head towards the toilets
>see a coyotee outside
>it growls at me, but I know these fucks are all talk and no do
>just walk up to him and shout
>he runs off into the darkness
>approach the shitters
>notice the door is ajar
>light from inside is pouring out
>get closer
>can now see what the coyotee was doing at the door
>a puddle of blood is slowly growing
>fuckfuckfuck
>reluctantly get closer
>slowly open door
>the toilet seat is covered in blood, blood on the floor, blood in the drain, the toilet itself is filled with blood as well
>FUCKFUCKFUCK
>hurry back to call police
>"bing"
>enter shop through main entrance
>"Why you seem like you are in a hurry, young man!"
>the family stands before me
>mother, father and the two children, all look fine
>the girl still hides her face
>stammer something about blood
>"Hahaha! Oh you kids these days. I left you the money on the counter. Don't spend your tips on drugs!"
>and with that they leave
>count the money
>100$ tip
>not even mad

>at this point it was getting very late IRL too
>memory is hazy and we may have been very drunk too
(cont.)

>decide to check the toilet again
>jep, that's blood alright
>head back inside
>it's the two girls again
>"Hello, welcome to blabla"
>ask them what they are doing here
>green dress says they are waiting for a friend to turn up
>ask them how they got here in the first place
>"Ugh... we have been here like all day."
>"Yeah, didn't you notice?"
>confused and aroused, I offer them a coffee from the 'employee only' coffee machine
>they decline
>"I told you she wouldn't show up! She never does." the blonde says to the brunette in green
>I want them to stay for some reason, so I tell them that maybe today is the day she does
>blobe throws me a look that actually hurts me
>DM specifically says that I loose a health point
>"bing!"
>doors open
(cont.)

>>55989340
>in walks a redhead
>a gorgeous one at that
>dressed in emo clothes, black lipstick, torn hoodie, bright as fuck naurally red hair with pale skin and freckles, black jeans and sneakers
>brunette is super happy, blonde seems more annoyed
>greet eachother accordingly
>emo redhead is not reacting at all, keeps a plain expression on her face at all time
>I am still standing next to the entrance
>completely forgot that I wanted to call the police, or should be freaked out about these girls apparently being able to teleport here
>offer the emo a coffee too
>she nods
>not surprized
>walk to the counter and pour two cups
>when I turn around to give her a cup the three girls are already gone
>this time the door didn't even make a sound
>suddenly remember that I wanted to call the cops
>dial 911 on the phone next to the register
>"911, what is yo--wait a second. Is this a joke?"
>a woman with thick ebonic accent on the other end
>"uh...no?"
>"So you are trying to tell me that your number is six-six-six?"
>"Wait, no this is ano-"
>"Do you know that it is a crime to abuse the emergency services in the state of Nevada?"
(cont.)

>>55989736
>Is it?
>I ask the DM OOC
>he shrugs
>"Uh...no. But I really need so--"
>*click*
>line is dead
>try again immediately
>"911, what is your emergency?" a more pleasant female voice responds this time
>"Yes, hi. This is anon, calling from the in'n'outback gas station on bumfuck-nowhere street, between bumfuck-ville and nowhere-town. I would like to report an incident. Could you send someone please? A cop or a ranger or whatever?"
>"We sure can do. What would you like to report?"
>"Well, there is a lot of blood in the outhouse. No clue where it came from."
>"Are you certain it is blood?"
>yes
>"How much blood?"
>"I don't know. Ten litres maybe."
>"That IS a lot. Are you OK?"
>"Yes."
>"Are you sure you don't know who'se blood it is?"
>"I have no idea."
>silly questions continue for some time, maybe ten minutes
>she finally says that a car has been dispatched to my location
>relieved I hang up
>look up at my now cold cup of coffee
>take a sip
>look arund for the other cup
>it's empty
>traces of black lipstick
>a dollar next to it with a smily face drawn on it
>cofused boner
(cont.)

>its already way past midnight IRL at that point
>slowly falling asleep in my comfy sleeping bag
>DM is having trouble reading his notes too
>say nothing and peacefully nod into the warm embrace of not having to work on Sundays
Originally we had plans to continue this "one shot" but as you all know it is hard to find a time when two adults have time.
So we delayed and delayed and procrastinated ans had other plans and eventually he moved away.
Still, he gave me a quick rundown of what would have happened:
>cop shows up
>toilet clean
>cop angry
>cop needs to take a shit
>wait inside while cop does his work
>option to watch security camera footage
>chance to revral some sort of tentacles coming from the baby go to the necks of the parents
>would reveal that the emo stood next to me and drunk her coffee, while I was on the phone
>she would just phase out of existence once I hung up
>eventually go check on cop
>find nothing but blood and his gun
>hear coyotee outside restroom
>option to take gun and shoot coyotee, if not coyotee attacks
>shot would attract other more "exotic" beasts
>very limited ammo, chance to find more in the cop car
>radio won't work
>phone won't work
>shadow beasts attack more frequently
>as I am probably about to die (or eventually set the place on fire with some stupid anti shadow beast gasoline trick) indian dude shows up
>performs some kind of ritual
>"I told you, the stars are angry tonight!"
>saves me
>sun rises
>store is trashed
>reads local news article about how a gang of bikers trashed a local gas station killing an officer in the process and leaving no trace
>teenage employee in psyciatric care
>in other news: three young women still missing after 30 years! The trio was last seen tramping on bumfuck-nowhere street.

>>55990041
Nice one

Planning to run some Night Shift on this Halloween for the first time. A few questions:
>How to make the players feel more attachment to the station?
>How to make sitting in the station more interesting, apart from throwing weird shit at the PCs?
>Any interesting ideas how could you lure the players outside?(assuming that they're thinking rationally as in "Why should we go to spooky woods when our job is running the station", not "Hey, something moved there in the darkness! I'll go investigate, what could possibly go wrong?")

>>55980184
Looks good anon, nice work.

>>55991128
I'm fairly new to this general but I'll give your questions a go

> attachment to station
NPCs might help, like maybe a dog or something, or other employees, max one or two depending on party size.
Interesting/friendly regulars might work too, but that's for regular sessions I suppose.
> sitting in station more interesting
Giving the place personality and/or history might work. Give it some interesting areas, or some old security tapes, or maybe some music you could play in the background. Maybe a spoopy out of date weather basement with weird stuff inside. Closets also work.
Giving them other 'chores' to do around the place might work as well, like cleaning, fixing things, fixing signs and such. Maybe multiple players might have different jobs?
> luring players outside
Aforementioned loved doggo could take off when spooked, NPCs might disappear. Something important could be stolen. Could be some kind of emergency and cell service might go out (and any resident phones might not work due to outdated wiring).

Now that I think about it, allowing players to customize or fix the run-down station over time might be neat. But that also won't work well for one-shots.

>>55991128
>How to make the players feel more attachment to the station?
maybe expand more on the paycheck system, the better the station is at the end of the night the more money you get. Let players use that money in game for something.
>How to make sitting in the station more interesting,
We've had a lot of reoccurring npcs that make the place feel more alive, like a profane talking rock and a sensitive and emotional skeleton living in the closet.
> luring players outside
Smoke breaks. The longer you go without smokes the worse things get for you, and you aren't allowed to smoke indoors.

>>55991873
> smoking at a gas station

>>55991965
Well that just means you need to go even further away

File: Night Shift Playbooks.pdf (321 KB, PDF)

321 KB PDF

Double sided playbooks for the Assistant Manager, Cashier, Stock Clerk, Pump Attendant, and Trainee.
I had one for the Drifter aswell, but couldn't decide on a Todo list for him.

>>55992304
Nice one mate, thanks

>>55992304

These look pretty good, but it says "+1 Paycheck if you have all items checked" for goals, and many of the goals are boolean, so you can't really ever have all of them.

Is that intentional?

>>55993257
Yeah my players pointed that out to me after, I was in a rush and pulled the lists from:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wku2x8PJoB0vMfAxHaEY0X06bkpLVmsDGnrWduBx7wc
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PodrbvA3lTD7ahtnnXAGZ2avUkdPqP_LLuIf7oZQZuE

The plan was to change the mutually exclusive goals to "X or Y" in a single item so 100% list completion is possible.

While we have a thread, anyone have any ideas for what the Drifter's todo list would be besides "Don't get caught"?

>>55993392
You could have a goal to steal a normal/unhaunted snack from the shelves without getting caught.
Bumming/begging for free stuff from the actual employees.
Perform a number of helpful actions or helping other employees complete their goals without them noticing.

>>55993392

To-Do List:
Select 4 tasks off of other employee's To-Do lists.

If you are able to successfully complete the task without the employee taking note of it, check it off for both employees and take +1 Management.

If you are caught attempting, or fail to complete the task, take -1 Management.
Goal List:
-You Gave unsolicited life advice to one of your "fellow" employees.
-You Successfully bummed change, cigarettes, food, or alcohol off somebody.
-You helped an employee or bystander at risk of your own well-being or mental health, whether or not you survived the attempt.
-You succeeded at a task for which you were unqualified and should not have attempted.
-You spent more than half of the shift on one or more forms of mind-altering substance.

>>55994282

Since he's not an employee, I had his tasks work differently with respect to Management.

Since he has less tasks, he could either be a big source of Management (potential +4), but if he fails the attempt (even if the employee actually in charge of that task completes the task later) he can lose up to 4.

I don't know, balance-wise, if that's super fair, but it seems to fit with the wild card theme of the Drifter.

So glad to see another Night Shift thread!

File: Nightshift - Drifter.pdf (194 KB, PDF)

194 KB PDF

>>55994318
I like the idea of him being a risky swing factor. Should add some decent conflict to things before the weirdness starts as well.

>>55994628

I'd probably not have it specifically be sexual, but instead "inappropriate, unnerving, or possibly illegal."

File: Night Shift Playbooks v1.1.pdf (323 KB, PDF)

323 KB PDF

>>55994715
That's probably a good idea.
Changed and combined with the other playbooks. I've also removed the conflicting goals preventing 100% task completion.

>>55995158
My job involves making forms pdf-editable.
I've saved individual copies of each form, but did notice a few typos.

If you want to clean up the typos (since I don't have the raws), come Monday, when I have access to my editors, I can make a fillable version of each form for you.

Of course, somebody else could make them faster. I could also use like, a free shitty online version, but it's mind-charringly slow compared to the tools I have at work.

File: Night Shift Playbooks v1.1.pdf (323 KB, PDF)

323 KB PDF

>>55996337
Sounds good! I did that for a sheet once and died inside for how tedious it was, I hope your tools are much nicer.
I've cleaned up what mistakes I could see so I'll reupload then stop spamming minor revisions.

>>55995158

If you're still around, do you have a clean of that Stop N Go logo? I wanted to make an Employee Application sheet that has some optional questions players can fill out for more background info.

File: Playbook-Gas-Attendant.png (122 KB, 1365x355)

122 KB PNG

>>55997122
here it is as .png, or would the vector be better?

File: Employee Application.pdf (232 KB, PDF)

232 KB PDF

>>55997413

Png works great.

Here's my attempt.

Let me know if anybody has any suggested changes.

>>55997413

That's a pretty nice logo.

>>55993392
>>55993257
>These look pretty good, but it says "+1 Paycheck if you have all items checked" for goals, and many of the goals are boolean, so you can't really ever have all of them.
>Is that intentional?

In the original document the list were pulled from, they worked that way :
>To-Do List - at the end of a shift, mark off one task completed (you may only mark off one task, even if you completed multiple tasks that shift). When you mark off a To-Do task, take +1 Paycheck.

The contrary goals were intentionnal because theyr were supposed to be completed indifferent shifts.

Just got done running my first session.

Our employees were:
Joe Mackey, Assistant Manager (Connections Background)
Jeff Gimbal, Cashier (Student Background)
and
Cassidy Jameson, Pump Attendant (Skeptic Background)

There was no player for the Stock Clerk, so I had them call in. Their tasks had to be done by the rest of the team.

The assistant manager filled out the paperwork to fire them as one of the first things he did.

They had to defend the station from a tribe of tiny elves living in the freezer, the Kingdom of Frigidaire.

They also had to contend with the Unleaded Basic pumps pumping blood, and the Four Horsemen arriving in the form of bikers, one at a time as they waited for the rest to arrive.

I'll storytime it tomorrow maybe.

A couple of ideas I've had:

The gas station's customers are exclusively Hollywood characters - Arnold, Marilyn Monroe, the Marlboro Man - getting progressively older references as time goes on. Once the players catch on they start getting weirder, like the entire Universal Monster stable arriving in one rickety hot rod, to the old cartoons like Betty Boop, Felix the Cat and that Peanut Vendor thing.

None are outright hostile; they're normal customers, although Dracula will want a bottle of crappy blood instead of crappy wine, the cartoons will wreck shit, etc.

Resolution: Dunno. Maybe nothing? Does "a bunch of weird shit happened with no heroics whatsoever" constitute an okay session?

-also-

Early in the shift, the power dies. There IS a backup generator in the stock room (a good notice roll will spot that it doesn't look much like a generator); but when activated it works fine.

Unbeknownst to the players, what it actually does is transport the gas station a century into the future.

There's a long wait until the next customers arrive, but when they do they're fucking stoked about the gas station and crawl all over it, marveling at how weird the toilets look and all the awesome candy and they're telling all their friends about it.

Said friends arrive before the first leave, and they invite their friends, and so on. Before you know it, the gas station's an overnight hipster sensation, as a neo-retro-kitsch-popup, with vintage everything and actual actors instead of robots, can you fucking believe this? I mean where did they even find half this shit? Only problem: card machines are down, so cash only, and no one in the future uses it.

Resolution: turn off the "generator." Anyone who thought to ask about sporting events in the near future gets +paycheck. If the generator is still running at the end of the shift, future!Management fires them all and replaces them with robots.

I personally like the idea of a society of ex-night shift workers making regulars meeting to help each other cope with the weird shit they've witnessed. They're also willing to help the rookies with some good advice, if they're contacted.

Instead of the dice system I use DREAD where the syatem is based on pulling jenga. You start by pulling one block for each player. Major actions require 1 pull or more depwnding on how difficult the task is. If the tower falls the rules say the player is removed from the game. I usually ignore that rule and give the player irl a handicap. Maybe pulling with one eye open or cant speak etc. Its a pretty fun system for a one shot.

>>56002143
Yeah, I was actually thinking about using Dread for this Halloween's Night Shift, haven't tried it before. How well do they work together? My main worry is that Night Shift setting usually rather doesn't offer many situations risky or uncertain enough to require a pull unless you're going full survival, so I'm kind of worried about whether the tower will even get thin enough to become dangerous.

>>55999936
Sounds interesting. The bikers were inspired by Good Omens, I'm guessing?

>>56003946
I am a huge Pratchett fan, so pretty much.

Will recap in another post

>>55997024

A few things I noticed:

Stock Clerk's Unique Move is right now objectively worse than the regular Check in the Back move, especially considering that "Pick 3" is worse in this instance than "Pick 2"

If you Pick 2, you can pick "There are enough" and "They are unbroken", but if you Pick 3, you also have to pick "It's not what you're looking for."


I would change the unique ability to something like:

"You search your locker or one of your private hidden stashes for something the Gas Station probably doesn't carry, using +Sharp.

10+: Pick 3
7-9: Pick 2, or Pick 3, but there's a complication.
6 or less: Pick 1

Pick from:
-There are enough of the item, it is complete, or it has plenty of fuel/battery/souls remaining.
-The item is not broken and works exactly as intended.
-The item is exactly what you were looking for, not just a similar replacement.
-The item is easy and safe to retrieve.
-GM'S Choice

Kind of iffy on the 7-9 choice, but I feel that they should have to make a choice even on a high roll.

I also added "The item is safe and easy to retrieve", which, if not picked, could be a good hook for the GM.

Maybe the item is in perfect working condition, but it's in the Stock Clerk's private stash in the crawl space above the store room. Maybe it's in the employee's lockers, but the Sphinx is parked in front of the lockers and you suck at riddles.

Also, given the work that goes into the Drifter's ability, it might be better to let them either just take +1 Forward or add the attribute AND Weird to the roll.

>>56002262
I play it more like an archies weird mysteries. Want to look for something specific or some general action that pertains to the story pull. Having pc keep their cool or trying to convince someone of something pull. The game becomes more narrative at this point. Generally up to you and play it by ear.

>>56006488
I also give people jobs as in 3 in real life things they have to do to get paid. Like tell 3 spooky jokes or have to jump 3 times or shake table once. Or even put a jenga piece back if they find something to heal themselves

>>56003988

Alright, so here's my first session of Night Shift.

>6 PM, Time for a new shift
>Jeff arrives first, is hassled by Chad Beefington, the Day Shift Stock Clerk.
>Joe and Cassidy arrive
>Valerie, the Day Shift Assistant Manager, tells Joe he had better make sure the coffee gets replaced, because she will, like, totally freak out if she doesn't get her morning coffee.
>Also, they need to restock the Freezy Pops.
>The Day Shift leaves, and their shift begins.

>Cassidy immediately lights up a cigarette and sits outside.
>A woman in a minivan pulls up, and demands he pump her gas.
>He does so, still smoking.

>Jeff goes to check on the coffee.
>It's full, but it's stale and watered down. They didn't change the grounds.
>He goes to the back to get more coffee grounds to refill it.

>Joe immediately goes into the office and shuts the door.
>Notices that it's colder than usual, and he sees that the "Hang In There" painting that normally hangs on the west wall is off its nail, sitting on the counter.
>Cranks the Thermostat (which is at 72) up, and blames Valerie.

>Jeff is in the storeroom, rolls a Check In The Back. He finds the coffee, but as he picks it up, it starts spilling out the bottom.
>There's a hole in the bag, but it looks like it was cut, not chewed or torn.
>Jeff blames that prick Chad Beefington for it, but also hears what sounds like little footsteps running in the roof.

>Mac, the (NPC) Stock Clerk calls up, calling in sick.
>Joe tells him not to drink the night before his shift, and Mac hangs up.
>Joe begins filling out the paperwork to fire Mac.

>Meanwhile, Cassidy notices something climbing on the Propane Tower, so he goes to get the broom, assuming it is raccoons.
>Can't find the good broom, grabs the crappy, feeble, indoor broom. Heads back out.
>A bald man is sniffing at the gas pump, looking irritated and confused.
>Cassidy goes out to meet him.
(cont)

>>55980212
I see you've never been to /b/

>>56008417

>The man says that something is wrong with the pumps. A drop of liquid falls from the pump and splotches on the ground, dark red.
>Cassidy does a "Well, There's Your Problem", and chooses "How to fix it", and "What is needed to fix it". He confirms that the problem is on all pumps, but only the Basic Unleaded, not on Premium or Supreme, or on Pump (6)6(6)'s Diabolical Unleaded.
>They don't know what is wrong with it, only that it seems like an issue with the supply. They'll need to call the distributor.
>The man is irritated that the Unleaded Basic isn't working, doesn't want to pay extra for the other varieties. He storms inside.

>Joe is in his office, when he hears some grinding coming from the wall, which he promptly ignores.
>Jeff reports the coffee situation to him, and both agree to leave the coffee for now and let the Day Shift handle it.
>Joe completes 1 of 3 sets of Paperwork needed.

>The bald man comes in to yell at Jeff.
>Jeff, being a textbook nerd, starts to explain how it's impossible to pump one type of gas at the price of the other type, and is shouted down by the man.
>Rolls a "Hostile Work Environment. Gets a 5.
>Customer is going apeshit, demands to see the manager.
>Jeff calls up the office, which is through the door immediately behind him.
>Joe picks up, and tries to skirt out of talking to the customer.

>Meanwhile, Cassidy is going back to the break room to find the distributor's number. He sees the fracas at the register.
>He finds the number, but the phone in the break room isn't working. He rolls and finds that the cord is cut.
>The end of the plug is still there, though, so he could probably rewind the cables together.
>It'll take 15 minutes, or he can rush it, but he elects to take his time.

>Joe opens the door and talks to the customer, remaining inside the office.
>Jeff sheepishly tries not to attract attention.
>Joe authorizes Jeff to discount him the difference and price, and recommends a coffee to the man.
(cont)

>>56008583

>Meanwhile, outside, a fat man rides into the station, on a sickly green and purple motorcycle. The motorcycle has a mane decoration.
>The man is enormous, greasy, with bloodshot eyes and a running nose. His skin is clammy, and he's stuffed into a leather jacket.
>He promptly vomits onto the ground, starts filling up with Unleaded Basic, then makes for the station.

>The bald man, smug in his discount, goes to fill up.
>Joe goes back to his work, and hears a "thunk".
>He turns to see a hole about the size of a half dollar in the wall, at about eye level.
>He swears and says "Not today you little shits, just let me have one day without this bullshit."
>He slams his hands on the wall, and hears tiny footsteps retreating.

>Cassidy finishes fixing the phone and calls the distributor.
>Distributor says they won't be able to come in until the morning, but could you get a sample so we can investigate it?
>He hangs up, and feels as if he is being watched.
>He ignores it and grabs the "Out of Order" signs and a bottle to put on the pumps.

>Meanwhile the fat man is making a damn mess in the station. He's cough and blowing his nose on his hand, getting phlegm and grease everywhere.
>He sneezes on the cooler door, getting snot and blood all over it.
>Notices there are no Freezy Pops in stock, asks for one.
>Jeff asks Cassidy, who is coming out, to grab some more.
>Cassidy sets down his out of order signs and tells Jeff to go put them on the pumps.
>Cassidy goes to the back to go to the Freezer.

>The man thanks him, and asks Jeff if it's alright if he hangs out, he's waiting for some friends.
>Jeff spaghettis a bit.

>Cassidy enters the freezer, and notices that it seems oddly silent.
>He grabs the box of Freezy Pops, and sees a small, bipedal shape dart behind another box.
>There's a sharp pain, and he looks down to see a french fry sticking out of his calf.
>He goes to leave, and a tiny humanoid figure pops up with a bow, french fry arrow at the ready.
(cont)

>>56008770

>Cassidy leaves the freezer, hearing a tiny victorious bellow, and writes it off as a hallucination, possibly from fumes.
>He stocks the Freezy Pops, and finds that a number of them are torn open, and eaten either partially or entirely. There is also what appears to be a tiny child-like humanoid in the box.
>He leaves the opened ones in the box with the child, then puts the box outside the freezer.
>He ignores the sound of the freezer opening and grabbing the box, and heads back out.

>Meanwhile, another motorcycle has pulled in. This one is a dusty brown, with a mane, and its rider is a very thin man with bristles and sunken eyes.
>He pumps Unleaded Basic, as Cassidy comes out and puts the signs up.
>Cassidy lets him know that Unleaded Basic is out of order, and the man tastes some and says it seems fine to him.
>Cassidy admits he's never tried that, and shrugs.
>As he gets closer to the Propane Tower, he sees that it is not a racoon, but a giant spider the size of a cat nesting on it. He'll need the bug spray.
>The fat man notices the thin man and greets him. The thin man comes in, then sees the food.
>The thin man's eyes go wide, and he drops to his knees, tearing open packet after packet of chips and ravenously consuming them.

>Joe puts a piece of paper over the hole, and it is ripped in. He gets some cardboard to put up, then hears a grinding sound about level with the table.
>He moves the painting and sees a tiny saw poking out of the wall, cutting a hole in it.
>He shouts and bangs on the wall. The sawing pauses, but then continues.
>Jeff calls Joe for help.
>Joe picks up the phone and opens the door to see the thin man ravenously consuming food. He's moved on from the chips to the peanuts now.

>Joe decides to use the Green Phone, and calls up Management.
>He explains the situation, as Jeff crawls into the office.
>Management authorizes him to unlock the bottom drawer in the desk.
>He opens it up and pulls out the Emergency Kit.
(cont)

>>56008942

>The Emergency Kit contains: A bottle of Holy Water, a Bottle of Unholy Water, a Derringer with 3 bullets, a wooden stake, a silver mirror, a small, unidentified device, and a candy bar with a skull on it. It also has some basic first aid supplies.
>Joe pulls out the candy bar and tosses it out the door, saying "This one's free."
>The thin man has already consumed the hostess treats and jerky, but now leaps onto it.
>He starts choking and sputtering after eating it.
>Meanwhile, a third motorcycle has pulled up, bright red.
>An enormous man on it, built like a brick house, takes off his viking-horned motorcycle helmet, crumples up the out of order sign, and starts pumping Unleaded Basic.

>Meanwhile, Cassidy is sweeping the gas station, veering around the pile of vomit.
>He finishes up, and goes to get the bug spray as the enormous man walks into the station.

>Joe is already back to paperwork, when a foot-wide section of the wall falls in.
>An army of tiny people, bearing banners, walking in formation with pikers and archers, drawing a tiny catapult laden with an ice cube behind them, marches onto the desk and claims the land in the name of Good King Amartus.
>Joe grabs a broom and lays into them. He swats the ice cube out of midair and routs the army, sending them screaming back into the wall.
>Inside, he sees a tiny bridge, that he destroys, leading to a 6 inch wide hole in the wall of the Freezer. Cold air is leaking out.
>He pushes the file cabinet up, mostly covering the hole.

>Cassidy gets the bug spray and attacks the spider with it, after the spider ignores his request to move.
>The spider bites him, but he whacks it and it runs off into the desert night.
>He proceeds to spray off the vomit.
>As he's spraying, some of the water hits one of the bikes.
>The enormous man booms out of the gas station and demands to know what the fuck he is doing.
(cont)

>>56009138

>The file cabinet in the office starts to rattle, and Joe ignores it to do more paperwork
>The thin man has regained his composure and apologizes to Jeff.
>Jeff tries to count the drawer and fill the cigarettes, but keeps getting distracted.
>An old lady comes in to do her lotto tickets.

>Cassidy and the enormous man discuss cars for a while, before the enormous man introduces himself as War.
>They shake hands, and Cassidy takes 1 wound as his hand is crushed.
>War goes back in to greet Pestilence (Fat Man) and Famine (Thin Man)
>They discuss their plans to ride out and end civilization, as soon as their friend gets here.

>The file cabinet is toppled over, and the army is back, with more troops, and cannons this time.
>They demand that "Ass Manager Joe" come with them to the Kingdom of Frigidaire.
>Joe tries to weasel out of it, then calls Management.

>Jeff stocks the cigarettes, and hears a click behind him.
>Cassidy sees a man in a ski mask run into the gas station, so he mutters a word of sympathy for Jeff and goes to clean the bathrooms.
>Jeff fills the man's bag with the till, and the man starts demanding his phone and wallet before War's giant hand crushes his head like a grape.
>The lights dim, even the stars and moon, and in the bathroom, they go out entirely.
>Cassidy hears Bloody Mary scratching at the mirror, and elects to leave rather than deal with her.

>He is just in time to see a last motorcycle pull up
>It's bright white, and the rider on it is in a long black jacket, with a white helmet. He seems to emanate a sort of Realness, and he walks past Cassidy, giving him a look that makes him feel hollow inside.
>Cassidy decides he's definitely hallucinating, and should go check the break room for a Mental Health contact number.
(cont)

>>56005274
I like that a lot more than the current one, I'll update the sheets when I get a chance.

>>56009297

>Joe tells the Frigidairians that he can't fit through the hole in the freezer. They say they will enlarge it, and will be back in an hour.
>Joe immediately shoves the filing cabinet back over the hole, and shoves the desk up against it.

>Jeff is catatonic at this point, staring emotionlessly ahead as the Four Horsemen discuss their plans to end all life.
>Cassidy peers at the mental health poster. It's hard to read from all the runes scrawled over it, but he makes out the number and goes to the register to call it (The break room phone is missing entirely now)
>He calls up and "Crazy Asylum" answers.
>He informs them of what he's seen, and informs them that no, he is not drinking.
>No, he has not injected any marijuanas.
>The attendant is out of ideas, but suggests that if he is seeing stuff when he isn't on drugs or alcohol, he should try doing drugs or alcohol, and see if he stops seeing stuff.
>Cassidy can't find any flaws in that logic.
>Gets a bottle of their cheapest, strongest booze, Fighting Hobo, and buys it, then starts drinking it.

>The file cabinet starts melting, and explodes. The frigidairians have made a stolen drill into a ray gun, and demand Joe to follow them.
>Meanwhile, Joe tells Management that he is being forced to Parley with the Frigidairians.
>Management tells him to either go or send somebody as emissary.
>Joe tells Cassidy to go as emissary.
>No, this isn't a promotion
>This is in your job description.
>Read the fine print.
>He finally leaves the office to go fill the change machine.
>Cassidy warns that he's very drunk, but Joe assures him it's not an issue.
>Cassidy goes to meet the King.

>The Four Horsemen are ready to ride.
>Famine asks Jeff if he has any regrets.
>Jeff considers it and says "Working here."
>The riders go out to their motorcycles.

>The King tells Cassidy that he demands the station bend the knee. His words are backed by all-consuming fire, as he indicates a miniature nuclear warhead.
(cont)

>>56009498
>Cassidy nods, and says that his own words aren't even backed by management.
>The king is curious and asks what "Management" is.
>Cassidy tells him it's his boss's boss, and it's in another town (about 50 miles away or so)
>The king asks how far that is, how many feet it is.
>Cassidy estimates it at about 500,000 or so.
>The king demands he ceases his lies.
>He will reward each of them graciously if they bend the knee, bequeathing unto them 5 square feet of land each.
>Cassidy claims he doesn't really have the authority to make that decision.

>Meanwhile, the riders are coming back into the station, irate.
>Their motorcycles won't start.
>That blood wasn't O-negative!
>They demand to see the manager.

>Joe and Jeff try to calm them down, War starts going apeshit, runs out to get his sword.
>The Horsemen are going to blame Jeff if they can't start the Apocalypse and end civilization.
>War demands to know how Joe is going to make it up to them.
>Joe says it's not his fault that they pumped gas from pumps that say "Out of Order."
>War attacks him
>Joe narrowly makes his Fate of All Life roll, and gets his hand lopped off.
>Starts berating War, telling him to fuck off.
>Another roll
>Joe rolls a 4, is bisected vertically.

>War is losing his shit, the other horsemen ask Jeff to calm him down. Suggest a Freezy Pop.
>Famine's already eaten all of the ones stocked.
>Jeff goes to the freezer to get more.
>Jeff enters and Cassidy asks what's going on.
>"Joe got killed."
>"Oh, why?" Cassidy asks
>The king wonders at who is in charge now, if the Ass Manager is dead.
>Cassidy, thinking fast, says "That big guy outside. the biggest one."
>The king nods, and Cassidy and Jeff head out.
>It's about 5 AM now, and almost end of shift.
>Jeff gives War the Freezy Pop, while the King sends a rider out demand an audience with War.
>The Horsemen realize there's a perfectly good civilization in the freezer, and head into it.
(cont)

>>56009763

>Cassidy manages to break the propane tower with the hose, then fix it and turn it off before his shift ends.
>Jeff locks up, as a tiny nuclear blast goes off in the freezer amidst the sound of screams and combat.
>The Horsemen come out of the back, laughing, and ask Jeff to call them a cab.
>Jeff calls them a cab, they wait outside, and he successfully locks up.
>Cassidy and Jeff clock out, while Valerie arrives
>She is shocked and horrified at the scene.
>"YOU DIDN'T FILL UP THE COFFEE??"

And that was the end of the shift.

They wound up with like -3 Management. Cassidy got all of his To-Do done, and all but one of his Goals done, while Jeff got about half of each done.

The Stock Clerk's tasks were not done.

They rolled the "Glad that's over", and got the worst condition. They set Joe up to be the fall guy, and as he was dead and unable to defend himself, he was summarily fired.

Mac wound up never being fired, as Joe was too dead to submit his paperwork.

Overall, a fun session.

>>55979433
What’s the crunch? How’s it all work? What kind of dice are used? At work myself so don’t have time to dig through the wiki.

>>56010418
It's pretty much the standard Apocalypse World fare, 2d6+attribute succeed on a 10+, succeed with a consequence on 7-9, failure on 6 or lower.

File: Night Shift Playbooks v1.15.pdf (323 KB, PDF)

323 KB PDF

>>56005274
>>56009323
Stock Clerk ability replaced with "Personal Stash"
Drifter buffed to Roll+Attribute+Weird

File: Night Shift - Stock Clerk(...).pdf (1.3 MB, PDF)

1.3 MB PDF

>>56011431

Here's a fillable version of the Stock Clerk form.

>>56011431
I just realized something. There's no good reason to take the Day Shift background, since it only gives a negative effect. Sure it opens up some role play, but most people probably won't want to weaken their characters for it.

>>56010566
How does the timing of things work? Is there a structure or is it pretty loose. Like how long does it take to stock a shelf and do paperwork and whatnot?

>>56012795
I had that exact point brought up during character creation, turned to the player next to me and he had picked it anyway because the roleplay opportunity.

>>56012869

The Apocalypse Engine is meant to be used cinematically, so that roll can cover whatever length of time is appropriate for whatever you're doing.

>>56012795
Okay, let's brainstorm (Management discourages employees from engaging in neurological precipitation without adequate protection. In case of thoughts in excess of 65 mph, physical attachment to the structure is required).
If you're Day Shift, you're not supposed to be here. This means you're covering someone else's shift. THe following is wordy.
Day Crew working the Night Shift receive -1 to their roll when helping a team member or when receiving help from one. They suffer -1 to their Weird, but they cannot be fired unless the Assistant Manager is also Day Shift. Day Shift Assistant Managers must roll +Management to fire a Night Shift Team Member (7-9 means they suffer -1 Management). Additionally, Day Shift receives +1 Paycheck automatically for covering the additional shift.
If the Day Shift Team Member survives 3 shifts on the Night Shift, they are permanently transferred and lose the Day Shift background, retaining no abilities from it.

File: Night Shift - Assistant M(...).pdf (1.31 MB, PDF)

1.31 MB PDF

>>56013177

I'll post the rest of what I have. If we change the Day Shift or Dealer etc, I can update the fillable forms once we get those done.

File: Night Shift - Pump Attend(...).pdf (1.31 MB, PDF)

1.31 MB PDF

>>56013452

>>56012976
Any way an Employee Handbook can be whipped up for a bare-bones explanation of the rules? I’d love to run this next week but I’m a bit cautious just because my players aren’t the best at responding to new systems without a cheat sheet.

File: Night Shift - Cashier Cha(...).pdf (1.31 MB, PDF)

1.31 MB PDF

>>56013452

Whoops, I only meant to delete the file, not the entire post.

Day Shift: Everybody hates you, and you're just trying to do your job. -1 When you attempt to Lend a Hand to others, or others Lend a Hand to you. +1 Forward any time you complete a task on your To-Do list.


Also, the Dealer one is a bit off, since it has no restriction on use. It's also a little weird that a full-time dealer would still be working at the gas station.

Would it be better to focus on "drug user/dealer" or "Money earning/usage"?

Or should we just leave it be?

>>56013606

I could give it a shot, although the guy who designed the character sheets would probably do a better job. It's mostly a matter of content and filler and such.

File: 1445380878897.pdf (363 KB, PDF)

363 KB PDF

>>56013606
>>56013789
I could give it a go but can't promise I'll have the time. Anyone else wanting to give it a go would be welcome

I'll dump a couple of the handouts I dug out of the archives that helped me, can't promise all the rules meld happily.

File: Night shift - All the Thr(...).pdf (388 KB, PDF)

388 KB PDF

Some scenario ideas someone compiled

File: Night Shift - Drifter Cha(...).pdf (1.39 MB, PDF)

1.39 MB PDF

>>56013651
Realized I forgot to post the rest.

File: Night Shift - Trainee Cha(...).pdf (1.3 MB, PDF)

1.3 MB PDF

>>56014914

File: Employee Application.pdf (232 KB, PDF)

232 KB PDF

>>56015018
Here also is a fillable version of the Employee Application I made.

Just ran a session of this.

Only a 2-man skeleton crew.

They had to contend with a machine uprising caused by a Pacman machine that a goth kid did a demonic ritual on, and a Plague of Kevins.

Kevin was some kid, and there were a handful, then dozens, then hundreds of him.

Was pretty fun.

>>55979433
Awww yeah, the Night Shift. Just in time for Halloween. Such a classic

What are some good events to have happen for the crew?

Night Shift could be made into a cooperatve board game I think.

Every turn you have work to do at the gas station, by doing so you get something like victory points. But at the end of a turn you draw a "weird" card, with a scenario that everyone has to solve, or else the weirdness piles up and everyone loses.

I'm thinking of something in the lines of Betrayal at House on the Hill, because I think its a great mix with horror and comedy that works great with something like Night Shift.

bump

Someone took my incomplete *World hack and made it awesome. Huh.

I love it.

>>56022534
It would definitely work, I would do it with a mixture of weird and mundane tasks to keep the gas station setting in focus. "Yes, you did repel the cowboy ghost invasion, however no one refilled the slushy machine, so I'm docking pay."

>>56026229
I was wondering if the writer of the rules I borrowed would still be around. Cheers for doing the hard work.

>>56013651
+1 Forward for task completion seems like a fair buff for Day Shift
For the dealer, I felt it was balanced between the potential wrath of management and the limited number of opportunities it presents, but that latter may just be my players not committing.

>>56028977
Well, -management is kind of a problem in and of itself. Why punish everybody else?

This is assuming that Management is a shared stat, because otherwise Management is useless for everybody but the Assistant Manager

>>56029312
Good point, I ran it as a shared pool. I felt it "encouraged" co-workers to self-police the Stop 'N Gas standards

In my game that resulted in the Cashier being fired (Assistant. Manager rolled a 4 on Glad That's Over) after the group voted them most responsible.

>>56029312

It bears mentioning that I’ve never considered Night Shift a “fair” game— my attitude is that it is supposed to disempower rather than empower. And be funny while doing so; the latest version has an arbitrary metric which ensures at least one worker is fired per session.

That said, my notion of Night Shift is neither comprehensive nor authoritative.

>>56009829
>Get the big problems to resolve each other.
Seems like the best way to get out in one piece. Well unless you're Joe.

>The tv is stuck on the only channel available in the area, Local 58, a news channel that reports on strange, creepy, and unsettling things in the area
>One day, during a pitch-black night, the weather report starts warning people not to go outside and to avoid looking at the moon
>The power goes out, leaving only the silvery glow of the moon above the station

>>56029312
I'm trying to set up a Night Shift game and the management stat is one I haven't been able to find any solid or definite information on. How do players start with it?

Maybe it's just the autism kicking in but I can't for the life of me find out what it actually is used for.

>>56035528
I had the group start with Management equal to the number of players, and used it as a shared stat for the group. During gameplay:
- It can be spent as a resource for the Assistant manager to call for help
- Players earn or lose it based on their task Todo list
- Unhappy customers call management to complain, further burning it
- It could be earnt by resolving problems before the store was damage, etc.
Then at the end its acts as the modifier for the "Glad Thats Over" roll, encouraging players to keep it high to avoid losing their job.

I was running Night Shift as a one shot however, so you would need to tweak this for more long term play. Probably make it an individual pool and have each player roll "Glad that's Over" separately at the end of the week, losing their job on <=6

>>56031851
test

>>56035670

Here's my take on it. I'll post it here before I put it in an actual page:

Some notes before I begin to anybody who wants to contribute:
Players - Always refer to as Employees
GM - General Manager, is the GM, I.e. the one running the game.
The Management - The in-game general manager, district manager, corporate, etc.
District Policy - Optional Campaign Quality.
Shift - Session
I plan on writing out a comprehensive guide, and leaving it vague. Employees will have the Employee Handbook, GMs will have the "General Manager's Handbook: Company Policies and Guidelines."

My intended style that I plan on writing this in (collaboratively with everybody else, of course), is to leave it vague, and leave demonstrations or guidelines on how to flush it out.

For example, I won't list the Gray Man or "lock the doors at 3AM every night."
Instead, I'll lay out the concept of "Priority To-Do tasks" that are given in a list by the GM and not assigned to any specific person, and "Recurring Characters", that would include examples of the Gray Man who always buys a specific candy bar and a soda at 3:15 AM preciesly. I also have a Ghost Bride haunting the station, who periodically shows up in the bathrooms.

There will be a list of District Policies that will include various campaign qualities such as higher lethality, a "hard reset" each shift, and an assortment of other fancy things you might think of. The idea is to outline things without giving anything concrete, so that GMs who aren't super imaginative have something to aim them, but GMs who want to take things in way different directions don't have to say "Ignore all of this."

Let me know what you guys think about that, though. If you think it should be more vague and not even have those categories.

>>56036356

On the actual stat itself:

Management:
"The Management reminds all employees to work hard and avoid engaging in any behavior that may put yourself or the station in harm's way. Stop 'N Gas holds itself to the highest standards, and you are expected to abide with all laid out schedules, assigned tasks, rituals, and ceremonies. Don't forget that we always have the best interests of our employees at heart, so long as you remain obedient."

Management is an attribute shared between all employees. It is a measure of how well the employees are abiding by company policies, as well as the state of the station. It represents the favor curried by the enigmatic Management. This attribute affects certain rolls, such as the Assistant Manager's "The Green Phone" move, or the "Glad That's Over" move which is used at the end of each session.

Management may increase or decrease during the course of the session, due to the use of employee abilities. In addition, the GM may decide to award extra Management if the employees successfully divert a crisis or otherwise perform exemplary work. Likewise, if the employees perform exceptionally poorly at their appointed tasks or otherwise damage the station, the GM may see fit to penalize them.

>>56036413
Management starts out at +0 on the initial shift, and any subsequent shifts that occur in the same timeline and causality (See: "A Fresh Start" District Policy), retain the Management bonus at the end of the prior shift. Management cannot fall below -5 or rise above +5.

If Management is at -5 and would decrease again, Management resets to +0, and the Management immediately takes notice. (The Green Phone begins to ring [Was thinking of making "Answer The Green Phone" a move that uses Charm to smooth things over, or take some bad, GM-decided event.]). If the Management is at +5 and would increase again, it remains at +5. Brown-nosing will only get you so far.

If you start a shift with positive Management, you can call in a favor from Management. Consult with your GM about what options may be available to you.

Bump

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>>56036356
>Let me know what you guys think about that, though.

I think recurring characters in a "weird random shit" setting get retarded really quickly.

Think about those SCP pages that constantly refer to other SCP pages, and how obvious it is that someone's just jerking themselves off to their "creativity." Now go look at all the Gray Man references. Same thing.

Leave it as a generic gas station between Bumfuck and Nowhere at which a pile of weird shit happens every night with no specific mythological elements whose shtick you just have to know already and see them coming.

>>56038922
I think that recurring characters in Night Shift are a subjective thing. I like them, you dislike them, and that's fine. Part of what makes Night Shift work so well is that it's so adaptable to different moods and preferences.

File: 1261029879867.png (270 KB, 640x360)

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>>56039159
>Ask for peoples' opinion
>Yeah well you know, that's just your opinion

No shit.

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>>56039319
You're right. My response was rather unnecessary.

>>55979433
damn those thread had disappeared for a while
i love those weird synopsis to some world of darkness scénarii

>>56033129
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw_HKzo9Ync

>>56038922
>Think about those SCP pages that constantly refer to other SCP pages, and how obvious it is that someone's just jerking themselves off to their "creativity." Now go look at all the Gray Man references. Same thing.

Dude, I'm the anon who's probably the most responsible for the Gray Man's design, and I wanna say I'm not responsible for all those references. It's not "jerking off to their own creativity," people just like him for whatever reason.

>>56038922
It's in the execution. It's not like, to use an example and not specifically to defend it, the gray man shows up to save the day or is super powerful or even particularly noteworthy. They just show up to buy a candy bar, and if that criteria isn't met, something spooky happens.

Other examples of "Regulars" could be a chupacabra that comes around midnight tears the trash apart for scraps if it's not been disposed of in the dumpster already. Or a man in a long coat and bleeding ears, and the employees should not speak while he's in the station buying some coffee.

They aren't there to say "these are so cool, don't you want to do these every night?" and they're not even meant to have the players interact significantly with them.

They allow the GM to make something that is essentially a task or handicap the employees know and are familiar with, that the random events could potentially play off of.

I get what you're saying and agree about the SCP shit, (although some of the crosstests like the refining machine and things like that are interesting).

In this case, the "Regulars" should be less characters and more set pieces.

>go to take out the trash
>hear scraping and rummaging inside an old metal garbage can
>was that always there next to the dumpster?
>carefully lift the lid and peek inside
>see a man with nasty-ass matted hair, green from mold and lord knows what
>hair is all over his body
>glares from within the can
>OH GREAT, MORE DAY OLD FUCKING HOTDOGS
>CANT BE USEFUL FOR ONCE IN YOUR DAMN LIFE AND BRING ME SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T TASTE LIKE OVERCOOKED ASSHOLE
>snatches the trash
>gross overgrown nails and nasty hair all over his hands even
>GUESS I CAN'T EXPECT MUCH MORE FROM A WORTHLESS FUCKING WAGESLAVE HUH
>you're kind of a dick, dude
>anyway, I can't have a homeless guy livin-
>OH SURE, JUST THROW ME AWAY LIKE THE REST OF THIS FILTH TOO YOU CUNT
>YOU KNOW, MAYBE I WOULDN'T BE SUCH A DICK IF I DIDN'T LIVE
>IN A GOD
>DAMN
>GARBAGE CAN!
>slams lid down over his head and starts devouring old hotdogs
>I don't really like you, Mr Hobo
>YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO FAGGOT

Post some comfy/ creepy music as background for NS games.

>>56044687
Would like to know some as well. Grab this for now, since it's the only semi-fitting thing I can think of. Better for the urban unease apartment though
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1cekAOKH5E

Does anybody have a set map for the Gas N' Go? I was planning on using a custom map but I'm curious as to what others are using.

>>55989763
>>55990041
thank you
it's raining here, I think that's the perfect time to read spooky stories, even when they're not even pretending to be real

>>56044355
Holy shit im definitely having my employees visited by the sesame street gang now

>>56000000

Any ideas for irl decorations and things you could do to reinforce Night Shift game's atmosphere? For example when I ran the infamous Mars horror game I made my players wear actual helmets to imitate spacesuits, switched the lightbulbs in the room to red ones and fucked with the temperature. When I was running a horror game set in a lighthouse I switched the lights off leaving only a small, slowly rotating construction light in the middle of the room, imitating the lightouse's light. Candles fit also fit very well to many horror scenarios. Stuff like that does wonders for immersion and atmosphere. Any ideas what could work for a gas station setting?

>>56045653
Turn off all the lights except for the fluorescent ones, bonus points if they flicker or hum. If you don't have fluorescent lights in the ceiling, just get a bunch of lamps and put them on chairs.

Failing that, make sure there's a big window that you can look out at the darkness through.

>>56012976
But how do you manage how long the actual shift lasts? If each roll covers an entire task, then where does urgency for solving tasks or weird stuff happen? Is there a time limit to the whole thing?

>>56044687

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSqVbywt9kw

The only problem is that it'll probably get boring after few hundred loops.

>>56046229
>Failing that, make sure there's a big window that you can look out at the darkness through
That one won't be a problem. 2 of my living room's walls are huge windows, and I live in a spooky bumfuck nowhere.
Shame that neither of them is on the same side of the house as the burial ground though....
I figured I would at least give the players some nametags,like the ones actual retail employees would have.

>>56009763
>get hand cut off
>tell guy to fuck off
the balls on that guy

>>56009829
that story was absolutely spectacular

>>56046489
Don't forget tinny quality canned country and old rock and roll playing on a cheap radio. Nothing too loud, exciting, or catchy.

Bonus points if you insert a single, disturbing track and don't seem to notice when it switches over.

>>56046339
In my game, the shift ran from 6 PM to 6AM. I periodically announced whenever it was a new hour, although it didn't necessarily mesh with the amount of things that had actually happened.

I'd probably rule that each task takes an appropriate amount of time. Restocking all the shelves might take a good hour, while turning off the propane tower takes like 5 minutes.

The key isn't to try to micromanage time, the key is to have the weird things potentially make it difficult to compllete the tasks. You can't stock the cooler until you deal with the Sphinx blocking the stockroom door.

>>56047352
Sounds good, I'm also considering buying coloured lightbulbs to imitate the neon sign outside the station.

>>56047391
Check Thrift stores, usually sell actual product neon signs. Might stick one of those in your window.

>>56047546
Not sure if I'll find one with them where I live, but I will look around. Perhaps they will have them in one of those Chinese Shops, I usually go to those before sessions I want to prepare for more since they have tonnes of surprising and interesting, but dirt cheap junk which serves great as props.

>>56033129
good idea

>>56044972
There is a map in >>56014059
Care to post your map? Alternatives are great if only for players returning for the second shift to fine the store has rearranged itself.

>>56036422
Looks great to me. I definitely support capping it at +/- 5

>>55991802
I was also thinking of adding some kind of upgrade/improvement mechanic, possibly based on the types of weird stuff or threats that occur during a shift. I feel like there should be some way to spend Paychecks without doing so on normal items.

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>>56009829

>>56048869
I know one of the Fudge based drafts for Night shift had rules for spending paychecks. No idea where I saw that though.

>>56048869
My take on paycheck is effectively, you can spend paycheck on items for the next shift, which you work with the GM to identify cost and use, but generally give you +1 ongoing for certain checks. Alternatively, you could get things with specific uses, or something to maybe restore Wellbeing or the like.

If you fill a full row (which IIRC, was 9), you can spend it between sessions to boost an attribute by 1 (attributes cap out at +3)

If you save up a full 2 rows, you can retire your character, they've earned enough to look for a better job. This gives you no benefit except bragging rights.

>>56049362
That was my thoughts, the end goal of paychecks is to quit and get out of the gas station. However the 18 boxes is purely because that's what fit on the sheet. I was thinking of having players set a retirement/quitting goal at character creation and decide the required paycheck amount, e.g.
- Drink yourself into a coma: 4 boxes
- Get Uber out of town: 6 boxes
- Pay for car repairs: 10 boxes
- Go to college: 18 boxes

>>56044687
>Post some comfy/ creepy music as background for NS games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeFYH03GIvc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkQbdNzlbKI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B4tG3RMQu0

>>56049362

Now that I'm home, I'll do it up more properly:

Paycheck
"At Stop 'N Gas, we value our employees, and the work they commit to keeping our stations glistening and running full-time. This value is calculated, tabulated, and can be reflected in the paychecks you take home."

The Paycheck attribute represents how much money the employee currently has. Each box on the character sheet represents 1 unit of Paycheck. Paycheck is used as a reward for completing your Goals, and surviving through to the end of the shift. Some employee abilities may also reward you with additional Paycheck, or consume Paycheck to grant you a useful bonus.

Paycheck can be used to:
-Purchase Boons from the GM
-Improve your Employee's Attributes
-Get Out of Dodge
(cont)

>>56052656

Boons:
Your GM may decide that you may spend 1 or more Paycheck on a useful item, service, or favor between shifts. This bonus is entirely arbitrated and decided upon between you and the GM. As is the case in most things, the General Manager has the final say. This bonus may take the form of a bonus, such as a +1 forward (or even ongoing) to certain checks (For instance, a religious icon made of silver, that grants a +1 Ongoing in checks against demonic craetures), may be something with a specific use (For instance, a Zeta-Centaurian to English dictionary, that could help you communicate with alien tourists), or be anything that may otherwise be of use. (For instance, a favor from your cousin Larry, who specializes in couple's therapy for talking animals).

The General Manager's manual has more information regarding creating and balancing Boons.

Improve your Employee's Attributes:
Between shifts, you may spend a total of 9 units of Paycheck (1 full row) to boost any of your Attributes (Cool, Tough, Charm, Sharp, or Weird) by 1. You may do this multiple times for each score, but you may not raise any Attribute above +3 in this way.

Get Out of Dodge:
If you manage to save up a full 18 Paycheck (2 full rows), you may spend all of it to Get Out of Dodge. Your employee successfully finds a new job, somewhere much safer, much less weird, and that probably pays better. You have also forever earned bragging rights among your fellow employees, assuming you stay in contact. At any time during your shift, or between shifts, roll the Get Out of Dodge move, as described below:

(cont)

>>56052795


Get Out of Dodge:
You decide you've had enough, and flee the Stop 'N Gas, never to return. When you retire your employee, roll+ A single Attribute of your Choice.
10+: You leave, but the rest of your fellow employees feel they learned a little something from the time they spent with you. Select one Attribute. All Employees who you have spent at least 1 full shift with gain +1 in that Attribute (No Attribute may be raised above +3 in this way. If the attribute chosen is already at +3, they instead gain +1 in their lowest stat.)
7-9: You leave, never to be seen again. But you've left something behind to remember you by. All other Employees who have spent at least 1 full shift with you gain +1 Paycheck.
6 or less: You leave, never to be seen again. But you've left something behind to remember you by. The next shift starts with -1 Management due to repair expenses.


What do you guys think? I am happy with most of the Paycheck stuff, and just came up with an actual Get Out of Dodge move on the spur of the moment. I'm not sure if the 10+ move is too powerful or not. It wouldn't be super common to have a character survive all the way up to 18 Paycheck, and it's not as if you could stack the move, because it wouldn't apply to that player's next character.

Let me know if you think I should tweak anything, grammar errors, etc.

Bump

>>55979433

Splinter is a good movie for that. Basically a zombie movie with super unkillable blood parasite that actively gets drawn to warm. Should watch it for inspiration.

>>55993392

That could be a thing tho. Like if you added a hobby system for character generation but it was ineffectual.

>make character
>take firearms hobbyist
>it's a fucking gas station not in a black neighborhood
>no firearms on site
>never will be

Rinse and repeat. Good flavour builders for a setting.

>college football player
>-1 to evade rolls in the aisles
>+1 to seducing thots

Rinse repeat.

>>56012795

That's the point. The entire system is pure RP with fun rolling for random effect.

People need to learn what roleplay is and what rollplay isn't. You are a bunch of gas station attendants who are just dealing with random stuff. From the sounds of it, it's entirely narrative written so if you DID minmax your character, it'd be fitting for the GM to just outright kill your guy in some manner and everyone else go 'well there goes another guy. better call head office for a replacement.'

>>56052825
Does it need to be a move with a roll? I'd rather give employee the choice to either give some help or fuck with the remaining employees.

>>56039159

It should be like Courage the Cowardly Dog.

The recurring characters are just characters who are tropes but not literally the same character.

Mr Katz generally is a psychopath.
Foxy is generally a human eating fox.
Rinse and repeat across the board. Could just explain it as the gas station attendants are so used to it that they shrug it off but make a 'newbie' chart that functions sort of like an insanity thing where they have to do a weird check or decide to go stick their fingers in all the donuts.

>>56055576
The idea of a move seemed appropriate, but I'm open to ideas. Something that occurs to me now might be to have it work like the "pick X" moves

Get Out of Dodge v2:
Roll +your attribute of choice.
10+: Pick 3
7-9: Pick 2
6+: Pick 1
-You left having taught a valuable lesson. An employee of your choice gains +1 in an attribute of your choice.
-You left a parting gift for your fellow employees. +1 Paycheck to all Employees who you have worked with for at least 1 full shift.
-You quit gracefully and did not leave any messes or nasty surprises.
-???

Looking at it also, I'm wondering if I should even dictate a specific function for it, or leave it vague in a mechanical sense, like just "you taught a lesson", and "you left a gift", etc.

>>56055487
That's more or less what the Background is for, isn't it?

This could work great for a fiasco playset. When I get time I may start working on it.

>>56036413
>>56036422
>>56052656
>>56052795
>>56052825
>>56056383

I plan on starting to compile base rules. Any feedback to these posts before I do so?

How should I handle the Get Out of Dodge move?

An incredibly small red car pulls up to the gas station and an obnoxiously colorful clown gets out and asks if he and his brothers can use the restroom. When you give him the key he goes back to the car and opens the passenger door and more clowns start pouring out, forming a line from the restroom out back all the way into the car where more and more clowns just keep coming. Other customers are getting irritated about the long line to the restroom and theres balloons and confetti everywhere

>>56061114
Personally I think it works best as a paycheck goal instead of a roll to get out. Maybe after reaching the goal there's the roll for consequences for everyone else?

>>56062307

You can only use the roll when you have two full rows of Paycheck.

The roll is to see what kind of bonuses you leave behind.

>>56063107
Ah, I originally misread. Disregard

File: images.duckduckgo.com.jpg (190 KB, 962x642)

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Some photos from the gas station used in the film 2006 version of `The Hills Have Eyes`
Fitting for these setting types

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4345316/Photos-reveal-gas-station-Hills-Eyes.html
pic related

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>>56059991
Someone made one once before, it does have some good event ideas.

>>56045653
Uniform shirts and name tags. More than most people would invest, but it is honestly a great way to set a mood.

>>56049245
One comfy ass station if I do say so myself.

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>>56067669
I like that Night Shift exists in this sort of confluence of crappy, creepy and comfy.

>>56067800
Bump-an for interest...

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>>56071398
If you play a more serious Night Shift campaign, the attendants are all people at the ends of their ropes, working at the Gas Station because that's the only place that will employ them, and even then they only work there until they can make enough money to quit and leave the horror behind.

However, you can also run a weirder, campier, less serious game in the Night Shift setting that plays more like a supernatural, slice-of-life workplace comedy that downplays the terror and plays up the attendants happy slacker, "no fucks given" attitudes.

Crappy, creepy and comfy.

>>56067366
I will definitely try to implement name tags, but I don't really have access to anything resembling a uniform shirt.

>>56074460
Name tags seem like a relatively easy thing to do. Make sure to find a good logo to use for the station, and maybe misspell one of the names.

You could also play some tinny convenience store music quietly in the background, mixing in some strange and unexplained sounds or screams wherever appropriate.

>>56075025
Theres a very easily found video of background noise for a desert gas station on YouTube that could also be played for ambiance.

>>56075062
Was:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIMXW50acqU

The one you were talking about? It's pretty good.

>>56044687
How about
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMNQJ5r8Wb8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gefH1wcfjgw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-ungKddeWY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b906hdRy-c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaKN5nvMe2U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEQqal_xYwM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PTGO9TaSlQ

>>56075147
Yep that's the one.

To the anon that made the playbooks, is there and empty or editable version? I want to translate it into my language and try to lure my friends to play it next week.

>>56075062
>desert gas station

It seems like the most common setting for the Night Shift's Station is along a lonely stretch of highway in the American Southwest. Has anyone ever set the Station in another location? Are there other places that would work just as well? I was considering an abandoned, pine-choked stretch of coast road in the Pacific Northwest myself.

>>56077319
I've personally always seen it rather somewhere in the north-west, in states like Maine, sitting next to a highway right at the edge of a forest.
That might be because most of gas stations next to main roads in my country look like that though

>>56077380
I can see why people imagine the Station in the Southwest. Many of America's most iconic stretches of highway run through it, and a desert setting is good for conveying feelings of isolation, abandonment and emptiness.

There is nothing but the Station for miles and miles around.

so is this system still run with 4d6 with the + 0 - system, or are their new dice being rolled so +10 can happen?

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>>56078075
also an explanation of the wellbeing system would be cool, the rules as provided on the googledoc dont seem to match the sheets. Either that or I'm just VERY lost

>>56078164

The google docs are for the FUDGE system, I think.

Wellbeing is health /sanity. I can do a wrteup in a bit.

>>56078209
ty man

>>56077814
Makes sense, but north west setting always seemed more natural for horror to me, also more suitable for threats from outside the station: you never know what can lurk in the woods, while desert is mostly an open plain.
And like I said, it's also probably a personal experience thing, I'm an Euro, there aren't any proper deserts on my entire fucking continent, while woods are everywhere

>>56078395
I see what you mean, and I was thinking along the same lines that you were, in wanting to set a Night Shift game in America's Pacific Northwest. Dense, thick woodlands are great for horror as you can never be completely certain you are alone or that something isn't out there watching you.

>>56078075
You can still use whatever system you want, but in general, we're working off of the Apocalypse World derived system now, that uses 2d6+Attribute primarily. The character sheets contain all the information you /really/ need to run it, but I've been typing up stuff for other rules that are more vague, such as Paycheck and Management and such.

>>56078164
Here's Wellbeing:

Wellbeing
"The Management assures all employees that parts of our health plan are comprehensive. As the parts in question are the "non-covered events", we therefore encourage all employees to follow workplace safety and sanity codes to their fullest."
Wellbeing is a score from 0 to 6, which represents an employee's general health and mental state. While most scrapes and bruises are just a complimentary bonus in your job, certain interactions or accidents may cause more significant damage.

As indicated in the expansive contracts you signed in your new hire documents, your wellbeing is entirely in the hands of the General Manager. You may take 1 or more points of Wellbeing (otherwise known as "taking Wounds) when failing certain moves, or when otherwise being on the wrong side of an event that is either physically or psychically dangerous.
(cont)

>>56079276

When you take one or more Wounds, fill in the Wellbeing boxes on your Employee Handout, starting from the left. If your total Wellbeing is 3 or less, after taking the damage, you suffer -1 Forward on your next move. The GM may determine that the -1 Forward only applies to certain moves, depending on the nature of the wound (For instance, a laser burn on your leg may not (necessarily) affect your ability to calm down an angry customer.)

If you have 4 to 5 Wellbeing, you take -1 Ongoing to all checks as decided by the GM.

In both cases, these penalties do not stack. If you take Wounds twice before making your next check, only the most recent penalty applies.

If you have 6 Wellbeing at any time, you die. Certain exceptions, as dictated by specific rules or by the GM, may render this instantly or eventually invalid.

Maiming and Instant Death:
"The Management reminds the employee that their contracts are not voided on death, and resurrection is not an acceptable explanation for leaving your shift. Here at Stop 'N Gas, we are a family, but as adoption agencies show us, family is replaceable."

Certain occasions may prompt the GM to have you make a The Secret Fate of All Life check. This check represents you attempting to escape certain death. With less than ideal results of this check, the GM may determine that you suffer some horrendous fate, up to and beyond death. Merciful General Managers may decide to simply maim you horribly, causing multiple Wounds at once, as opposed to killing you on a failed check. Others may not place as high a value on mercy, and may kill your character instantly.

I want to type something about recovery, which will be continued in the next post.

>>56079528

Healing and Recovery:
"The Management highly encourages all employees to maintain their health, including proper hygiene, nutrition, exercise, First Aid, and grief counseling. It is your responsibility and obligation to be in prime working condition."

During your shift, at the permission of the Assistant Manager, you may use the "Take a Lunch Break" move. Note that this move counts as a break for the purposes of the Goal and To-Do tasks, but it is also possible to take a break from work without using this move. Management highly discourages taking unnecessary breaks.

Take A Lunch Break:
"The Management reminds all employees that they are permitted one (1) 30 minute break during their shift. This time may be used for taking a meal, bandaging wounds, continuing to work, or calling a therapist."
No more than once during any given shift, you may spend 30 minutes in a safe place and roll 2d6+Cool:
10+: You relax and enjoy your break. You feel ready to head back into the fray. Your Wellbeing score restores by up to 2. If you have not taken any wounds, instead gain +1 Forward.
7-9: You manage to get your bearings a bit. Your Wellbeing score restores by up to 1. If you have not taken any wounds, instead gain +1 Forward.
Less than 6: Something keeps distracting you or otherwise preventing you from taking your break. You gain no benefit.

Besides taking a lunch break, the GM may provide other ways for you to restore your Wellbeing, such as an in-store First Aid kit, special properties of various entities or products, certain Boons, or other events as determine by the GM.


What do you guys think? I don't want to tie it down too hard, but it occurred to me that a move might be useful.

>>56079774
I like the look of it. Thanks for that!

>>56079774
Nicely done!

I was thinking about an OOC mechanic for break times.
>A character takes a break by getting into the Break Room and sitting in front of the TV.
>The TV, as always, is stuck on a local news channel.
>Only one character may be on a break at any moment.
>Break time cannot be interrupted, whetever destruction, or menace will leave the TV, the Break Room couch and the PC taking a break untouched and undisturbed.
>This can be exploited by the players to get out of a situation, within the limit of one free use per shift (further breaks resulting in loss of management).
>When a PC takes a break, their player is given headphones playing a local news radio loud enough so that they cannot hear the rest of the game.
>They keep the headphones on for 15 to 20 minutes.
>After that time, they take the headphones off, and go back to play.

>>56074460
Generic cheap polo shirts or short sleeve button up work shirts do wonders, but obviously have a cost. Especially if it is not normal attire for your players, though, it will set them off from their regular. especially if they aren't necessarily sized right.

I do know that my budget is more than most folks, but you can normally get a few shirts online at reasonable cheap quality and prices.

>>56081133
I guess, but I don't really have much funds right now and there is not that much time left really. I'm considering asking players to all come in t-shirts/blouses of same colour to at least kind of imitate uniforms

>>56077319
I plan to run it in Ontario this weekend.
Loooong stretches of empty ass highway on the way to Saskadelphia. Hell, even Barrie to Parry Sound has minimal stops.

>>56081133
When they shown up, they can be chastised for not being in uniform before being given shirts and name tags.

>>56081222
That's cool. I think that no matter where you set it, Night Shift thrives in an atmosphere of isolation and neglect.

>>56077319
Stretches oh Trans-Canada highway. The farther north the better. Or sections on the way to Alaska.

>>56077380
Fuck, just noticed the dumb mistake, meant north-east obviously

>>55989169
Dammit, Anon. Finish the fucking story.

>>56081270
Absolutely. There's plenty of half-dead towns all through Canada, particularly around the Trans-Can, as >>56081297 kinda points out.
Another good one would be in a Inuit/Eskimo town or on the Great Plains. So remote, even three customers in a night might be crazy, but then, during busy seasons, when folk need to pick up this, that an the other, you serve more as Ye Olyden Tiems General Store, which mean there's even more of a chance for just about anything to be found.

>>56078395
>>56078395
The important thing to remember about a desert is that it is defined by annual precipitation. Not necessarily sand dunes like the Sahara. Most American deserts are rocky shrublands, where every crag or cliff can lead to a cave. Or where abandoned gold or silver mines were dug too deep.

Even the tundra north in Alaska, Canada, or Russia is often a desert. Just a cold barren wasteland of permafrost.

>>56081220
That's a solid compromise. And probably fits well enough with a Tiny gas station probably being more lax on uniform requirments.

>>56045653
If I had the time to pick these up, this is a quick list I came up with:
Name Tags (probably the only thing I can manage, gonna use some whiteboard paper and bullnose/binder clips because I'm lazy and short on time.

Some form of neon lighting, even those cheap ass beer signs you can find in the dollar store would be ok.

Maybe a little gas can/jerrycan for the aroma (note: do not spill all over floor. Fumes not healthy. May make you feel funny).

Matching cheap ass shirts, hats, and/or vests.

Tacky little trinkets. I like to have at least one npc collect something a little weird. Easy way to grant illusion of depth.

Maybe one of those worklights, I can't remember what they're called. Use them when you need light on a construction site. Small version.

Crap food, off-brand sodas. Better if you could make your own labels. Same for fake cigarette packets (at least labels) if your players smoke - whether the tobacco be wacky or not. If they vape/e-cig, then ask them to put it in the packet for the session

Audio. In addition to some background music, maybe a "Breaking News" sound you queue up on your phone or something. Also sound effects, animal and machine sounds. Footsteps, laughter. That sorta thing.

Probably more but I'm running outta room and am lazy.

>>56082031
For now I managed the name tags and I bought a coloured lightbulb to simulate the station's sign. Will also ask the players for same colour t-shirts. Good audio is obviously a must.

>>56083340
Nice! I realize this is a long shot, but depending on the game you have in mind/your players, you can steal a bit of a dick move I pulled a while ago:
I had a cupboard where we stashed snacks and stuff for a department store game. Inside, behind the chips, I had one of those remote-controlled dinosaur toys. Moves real weird, makes a lot of noise. Had a player who was checking a door and asked them to grab a bag of chips. As soon as they opened the cupboard BOOM DINOSAUR ATTACK BITCH.
Good thing I got that fucking robot at the dollar store. It flew, almost hit the ceiling, then scattered into several dinobot pieces.

>>56083340
You should get them into it by printing out the employee application, character sheet, and an ominous disclaimer, and having them fill it out when they arrive.

>>56083719
Kek, good one
>>56083720
I will probably be running it on dread, so yeah, if time and my questionable graphic skills allow it I will definitely try to make the questionnaires(PC creation method in dread) look like job applications. Great idea!

>>56076580
It currently exists at illustrator .ai files. I could share one of those?

>>56079774
Absolutely loving these write-ups.
Are you formatting these in a document? If not, I'll try to this weekend. Make a single all-in-one pdf for running PbtA Night Shift.

>>56083798
Please share if you do, I think that brings us to having rules for PbtA, Fudge, Fiasco and Dread.

>>56084404

I was planning on it, but if you were the guy who did the character sheets, you would probably do a better job.

What should I write up next?

>>56067800
>>56040323

I love this thread but I really wish artists would pay attention to real life examples. These price spreads really trigger my freaking autism. Price Spreads are always even, otherwise Management has a meltdown.

>>55979433
How well would some of this port into Delta Green? The NPCs and Events more so, but the gas station itself could be interesting to throw in.

>>56084668
I sure am, I'll give it a go tonight/tomorrow.

The "Customer Service" and "Glad that's Over" rolls could use some flavour text if you're feeling creative.

>>56085067
I feel that Delta Green is too combat oriented, and I feel like the characters would be too capable.

The theme might be too grim as well, but I don't know how tied that is to mechanics.

>>56085067
I feel like you could run a Delta Green game set in the tragic aftermath of a high-lethality Night Shift game.

>>56085129
Sure, I'll whip something up when I get home. I'll also do a writeup on attributes and character Gen.

My ultimate goal is to write up a full Employee's Handbook, full General Manager's Guidebook, and a Franchise Supplement as a pre-built semi-module with possible Boons, encounters, District Regulations and characters to start you off with a base, as a separate book for newbie GMs.

File: don't forget to fill up t(...).jpg (100 KB, 800x600)

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I love these threads.

A slightly-inconvenient walk away from the station is a swimming hole that everyone recalls from when they were children. Even those who grew up nowhere around here.

>>56086234
This actually gets me wondering: how much detail and weirdness should you allow outside the Station itself? It could be fun to add to the surreality of the setting, but add too much and it draws the game away from the original premise.

>>56085626
>I feel like you could run a Delta Green game set in the tragic aftermath of a high-lethality Night Shift game.
Holy shit yes

>>56086301
>This actually gets me wondering: how much detail and weirdness should you allow outside the Station itself? It could be fun to add to the surreality of the setting, but add too much and it draws the game away from the original premise.

Just past the far edge of the pond, there seems to be a brand-new gas pump sticking partway out of the ground. If they come back the next day, it's a little higher.

After a few days, there's another gas station next to the swimming hole, which is just a shallow water trap at this point.

When the employees go back to their gas station, there's just an empty lot they all remember from childhood.

If they go back to the new gas station, their manager chides them for taking an unauthorized break.

>>56086303
>Something terrible has happened at a remote gas station on a highway out in the Southwest.

>A Green team is assembled to investigate the scene and determine what happened there.

>There's evidence of the paranormal all over and the attendants are all either dead or missing.

>The authorities can only keep that stretch of highway closed until morning. It's up to you now.

>>56086301
As the guy who came up with the swimming hole: I agree.
I mainly intended it as a plot device and either a lure or goal to obtain a gewgaw, but to create too much weirdness beyond the station would probably result in Todd and the Book of Pure Evil meets Nightvale. Which would be awesome, but that's a looot of worldbuilding and, in my opinion, what makes for good storytelling is depth rather than breadth.
Of course, I think that >>56086369 is an excellent way to go.

Some other ideas for the swimming hole:
>Deep one hybrids/merfolk walk back towards it.
>Bunch of kids run in, either freaking out about some monster or buy up a ton of candy and loiter around making a mess. Possibly both.
>>Later, if the monster thing, the kids bike back. If you talk to them, you might see they have a slingshot, fireworks, and one has a baseball bat. They head off back toward the swimming hole.
>>>Even later in the night, a bunch of adults in far too small clothing, with awful teeth and terrible manners come into the station. One of them cries and asks for his mommy.

>>56086467
There's no reason you can't have a watering hole just appear right next to the station.

It's always been there, of course, the gas station was built here to capitalize on the attraction. Duh. What do you mean it wasn't there yesterday?

One of the events that gets thrown around a lot is the gas station suddenly appearing somewhere else.

>>56086509
Absolutely. I just like it being out of sight. A destination for the NPCs more than the PCs. If the players go there, they're either dead or running from death. And since they left the gas station, they're probably dead.

>>56086467
I think that most things might be permissible, so long as they're within line-of-sight of the station and subordinate or directly associated with it. For example:

>A mirror-image recreation of the station that appears right across the road one night, complete with reversed duplicates of everything and everyone inside.

>>56086532
I would like to addend what I said: whatever works for you is the way to go.
Like that mirror-station would be fun as hell. Especially if a player happens to -bump- something off a shelf or a table and KRRSSSHH. Now it's a funhouse mirror-station.

>>56085129

Customer Service:
"Here at Stop 'N Gas, we strive to be a leader in customer satisfaction. We believe that the customer is always right, and remind all employees that discriminating against non-euclidean entities is against company policy."


"Glad That's Over":
"The Management reminds all employees to do a final check before clocking out. Examine how your team did today and ask yourself how your actions benefited your Stop 'N Gas Family. What did you do right? How could you have performed better? How can you get blood stains out of a uniform? The answer to all of these questions is hard work and Hydrogen Peroxide."

Not sure how well these will fit on the character sheet, though.

>>56086655
Right. Ultimately, the setting has to serve the people playing with it and not the other way around. Whatever you and your group feel is most fun, go with it!

>>56086703
Yeah I've been thinking about that. I'm either going to move the alt text or "Glad thats over" (since it's at the end of the game only) to the rule book.

Just thought I'd add this thread to Sup/tg/'s Night Shift archive. Vote it up if you want to keep it around:

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?searchall=Night+Shift

>>56086767

I added my email in the top, if you needed to contact me directly or anything. Yes, it's a real email address.

I've got a writeup started for abilities, will post it when I get back from the gym.

>>56087143
Huh, they changed things around I guess.

>>56087143
It's pretty cool to see that even after three years, Night Shift is still being worked on and played.

The early question about locale got me thinking, have any of you ever ran Night Shift at a different building?
I was thinking of either a hospital or out-of-the-way hotel, but there are so damn many that might work. Bar, convenience store, anywhere that attracts weirdos or might conceivably be remote or at least feel remote.

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>>56009763
>>Meanwhile, the riders are coming back into the station, irate.
>>Their motorcycles won't start.
>>That blood wasn't O-negative!
>>They demand to see the manager.

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Always nice to see this thread. All I got to contribute is my old random encounter list. These were all the notes I used when I had to run a one-shot on short notice.

The Albino in the grey suit who buys a pack of peach rings
Rednecks
Hunters
Cultists
LARPers (in character)
A pack of Shoplifters
A Poet, seeking inspiration
Bank Robbers that tip well
an ultramarathoner
a stoner party
Drama students going to KCACTF
A FedEx driver with a broken GPS
"What's your return policy?"
"do you sell cake decorating tips?"
Guy looking for Dave who used to work here
a biker who won't let anyone touch his bike
Mob Wife in a limo with goons
Cops looking for someone
next night a detective looking for the cops
guy with a zombie bite
A globe-trotting biplane pilot
a herd of goats
quilters
punk rock fans
redneck who needs a 5 gauge triple over-under reciprocating spring cylinder
Astronaut
Psychic Homeless guy "You like salamanders? Hey man. I like you. You got a fire in your soul."
Thor
the guy who tells you the story of his life
guy with a coat made out of dead birds and a motorized bicycle
Prius driver who wants diesel
A pickup with a horse trailer. You can't see inside, but you think you hear a human voice from inside
A really depressed businessman going to a confrence.
"Salamat Pagi!"
An angry german
A nice couple with a screaming baby.
a neckbeard wearing a "No Moe Chicks" t-shirt

>>56086098
Bless you anon. If you need help with anything, shoot.

>>56086098
yeh, if you need any extra assistance, I'd be down to participate. This is a really cool thing.

>>56089400
>"Salamat Pagi!"
I think I know this Nichijou gag, but it's spelt "Selamat".
Selamat pagi! = Good morning! = Ohayou!

That said, imagine if there's suddenly ten schoolgirls all wearing different uniforms and all speaking a different language entering the convenience store area of the gas station in the middle of the night. And each and every one of them greets with their language's good morning.
Bonus points if they all look the same - only their uniforms differentiate them.

>>56087143

Attributes:
"Here at Gas 'N Stop, we know each employee has their own strengths and weaknesses. We encourage all employees to be themselves, especially if they are capable of changing shape."

Attributes shape your employee, dictating the sort of things your employee performs well, and those which they may find challenging. Each Attribute is listed below:

Cool:
"How likely are you to keep calm while speaking with an irate/undead customer?"
Cool is a measure of your willpower and grace under pressure. This will be used to remain calm during stressful situations, and retain focus despite distractions such as annoying customers or air raid sirens.

Basic Moves which use Cool:
Hostile Work Environment, Take a Lunch Break

Other example uses:
-Trying to throw a can of beans at the "Emergency Purge" button.
-Resisting a mind-reader's probing thoughts.
-Keeping awake when stocking the cigarettes or doing paperwork.


Tough:
"How physically healthy are you and how durable is your flesh under duress?"
Tough is a measure of your character's endurance, strength, and resilience. When the going gets tough, this is how likely you are to get going.

Basic Moves which use Tough:
Do The Stupid Thing, The Secret Fate of All Life

Other example uses:
-Carrying boxes back and forth to stock the shelves.
-Pushing the lid of an iron sarcophagus closed.
-Winning an arm wrestling contest against a werewolf biker.

>>56090993
Charm:
"How likely are customers/entities to be persuaded by your words/invocations?
Charm is a measure of how savvy, canny, and persuasive you are. This gauges your likeability and general social knowhow, but does not guarantee that people will like you. Only money will do that.

Basic Moves which use Charm:
Customer Service

Other example uses:
-Figuring out what the man in the mask and trenchcoat wants.
-Feigning sickness to go home early.
-Convincing the police to send a tank out to the store.

Sharp:
"How FNORD perceptive FNORD are your FNORD faculties of observation?"
Sharp is a measure of of how likely you are to spot things, act precisely, and notice mistakes such as the one in this sentence. Sharp encompasses mental prowess, intellect, and attentiveness.

Basic Moves which use Sharp:
Check in the Back

Other example uses:
-Notice the fortuneteller hiding next to the dumpster.
-Checking the meters for the gas tanks.
-Firing a rifle to tranquilize a Sasquatch


Weird:
"Have you really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?"
Weird is a measure of how odd you are, how attuned you are to the strange, and how likely you are to respond neutrally to a coworker bursting into a pile of ants.

Basic Moves which use Weird:
Is it Over?

Other example uses:
-Restocking the "Spare Limb" machine.
-Acting as translator between your Assistant Manager and the viking chief.
-Telling a story about past exploits.

>>56091006
When creating an employee, assign to the above attributes the following scores:

+2, +1, -1, 0, 0

You may assign each of these values to an attribute of your choice. Your employee will have bonus modifiers to their attributes based on their Position. These modifiers are applied after you assign your attributes, but you may of course take them into consideration when assigning.

Example:
Joe is a cashier, thinks he's pretty hip, hits the gym every so often, but is honestly pretty dull and not very interesting. Joe assigns himself the following stats:
Cool: +2
Tough: +1
Charm: +0
Sharp: -1
Weird: 0

As a Cashier, he then gets +1 Charm and -1 Tough, for the following attributes:
Cool: +2
Tough: +0
Charm: +1
Sharp: -1
Weird: 0

(End example block)

Increasing Attributes:
"Here at Stop 'N Gas, we promote many opportunities for growth, be it personal, occupational, or unchecked organic."

Between sessions, you may increase your attributes by using Paycheck. If you have at least one full row (9 units) of Paycheck, you may spend 9 units to increase one of your attributes by 1. This may be done multiple times for multiple attributes, but you cannot raise any of your attributes above a +3 in this way.

>>56090993
>>56091006
>>56091015
Makes sense to me, and I'm loving the flavor you've added.

File: Night Shift Employee Handbook.pdf (2.12 MB, PDF)

2.12 MB PDF

>>56091015
Here is what I've put together so far.
The footer is oddly large because the word-to-pdf functionality was written by a ape.

>>56091529

Looks pretty good. A few notes:

-Attributes note that "Your employee will have bonus modifiers to their attributes.", but does not state where this bonus comes from. I would add something like "depending on their chosen position" or something.

Which reminds me, I'll have to do a writeup on the positions as well.

-You removed the intentional extra "of" in Sharp's description, which messes up the joke of the first sentence.

The "Assigning Attributes Example" had a specific note of (end example block) because it seemed an appropriate choice to go into a sidebar. For sidebars, I was thinking something like the sticky note used for the Special Moves would work well.

Management still needs "something" for what happens when it reaches beyond -5 and resets, but that would probably go in the GM's Guidebook anyways.

Extra "Can" in the "Starting the shift with positive management..." sentence.

-"This boon is entirely arbitrary" made me kek, but "arbitrated" was exactly what I had intended. The word "negotation" works well, though, so I would change the sentence to "This bonus is negotiated between you and the GM." Also, it may seem superfluous, but it is essential to say that the GM has the final say, otherwise this passage WILL cause arguments.

-"This bonus may take the form of a bonus". Mea culpa, but I would probably change that to "This Boon may take the form of a bonus..."

Consider separating the example Boons out of the description and making a sidebar. If you want to do this, let me know and I can write it up.


First instance of "taking wounds" (The one in parentheses) missing the closing quotation mark.

Last sentence in health recovery "as determine" should be "as determined."

"Get Out of Dodge" has no flavor text, so I'll try to think of some. It also should probably note that you need 18 Paycheck.

>>56091906


It looks like I'll still need to do writeups for:
-Introduction
-Positions
-Moves (In general, what they are, as well as improvising moves)
-Example Boons (?)
-To-Do Tasks
-District Policies (These are optional Campaign Qualities. For instance, the first one that comes to mind would be the "A Fresh Start" District Policy, that fully resets the store, resets Management to +0, and fully heals all wounds/dead employees at the start of each shift.)
-Events (from a player perspective), which includes two categories:
-Encounters
-Disasters
-For the above, discuss Signs, Portents, and Doom in a general sense. Crafting them will come for the GM guidebook.

Which of these should I do first, and is there anything else you think I should add?

The above is all for the Player's Handbook.

Also, one more note, I can tell it's a basic draft without decoration so far besides the background, but I had a fun idea for the header, footer, or margins:

Either here or in one of the Drawthreads, we should ask drawfags or even just regular people to do a doodle or write a tip/message within X dimensions, in color/brush styles such that it looks like a pencil or ink doodle. We can then intersperse them in the margins or footer. (I'm thinking the header would probably be an official Stop 'N Gas header. Probably something similar to those paintings they have hanging up in In n Out)

I don't know shit about Apocalypse World but I wanted to contribute. Here are some random encounters I wrote up. If you like these, I might write up a few more later on:

>>56092706
>A handful of frightfully pale folks in what looks to be worn miner's attire and armed with pickaxes, hammers, and shovels enter the store acting unhinged. Their leader hisses through his gas mask that they want to know which candidate the store supports. The names he gives don't sound like any candidate running for office here, or anywhere else you've ever heard of.
>An ornate stagecoach pulled by a mastiff the size of a horse arrives and two tall men in crimson witch hunter's garb step out, their faces obscured by high collars and low-brimmed hats. They don't say much, but attempt to purchase a few bags of teriyaki jerky with silver coins stamped with the face of an imperious-looking woman. They settle for Slim Jims if you're out of jerky. Inside the stagecoach, a beautiful woman sits tied up and gagged under the watchful eye of another inquisitor.
>A vagrant starts approaches, but then a frog hops out of his coat and he runs off to chase it until both are out of sight. As the night wears on, several frogs are found in a variety unusual places, though they seem normal enough, current location aside.
>A mousy, harried-looking woman enters, seemingly have walked to the store, and demands all of your marble stone. Judging by the tools at her belt, she's a sculptor of some sort. She can be talked down into a relatively calm state, and will explain that she has used all of hers and that if she doesn't make it just right, HE will be angry.
>Several men and women in revealing, almost psychadelic tribal clothes (purple furs, oversized crimson feathers, etc.) and monstrous ritual masks enter and begin gathering snacks, sodas, and bic lighters in their leather satchels. When pushed for payment, one hands you a chicken, and though they don't speak, they grow quite agitated if any further inquiries about payment are made. If left to their own devices, they'll simply place the chicken on the countertop and take the goods.