At least once per FIST Ops Jam, someone releases a PDF that is going to save me a whole lot of trouble. This time around, it’s Christian Livinus, whose H.A.N.D.S (History Analysis and Narrative Direction System, natch) neatly handles (eh? see what I did there?) shared narrative worldbuilding with your players. This is something I was planning on doing, so it’s a real treat having everything waiting and ready to go.
First you establish the foundation: emerging technology, people being left behind, paranormal creeping in. Then on to the present: elements of modern society, a major superpower, and (my favorite) create an ominous headline from this era. Then it’s on to the foundation of FIST itself: legacy operatives, key figures, assets and locations.
Shared worldbuilding might seem like an alien concept to some, and as such it can seem a bit daunting. Through use of large headers, ample white space, and eye-catching, playful illustrations, the process seems simple to grasp, easy to understand, and downright do-able.
If I had to ask for one addition, it would be a bonus PDF with a sort of Actual Play example from the author’s own playtesting. Even though each world is going to be fine-tuned for that particular game’s players (as it should be), it’d be nice to see the results of a pre-game H.A.N.D.S. phase, if only to daydream about until you can use it for your own game.
H.A.N.D.S. is sure to get your players into the game world, hitting the ground running with maximum buy-in. Hats off for the included Zine spreads and printing instructions PDF.