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Culture Documents
Premise
Long ago, the world belonged to humans. Those days vanished, however, when the Titans
came.
The origins of the Titans remain shrouded in mystery. All we know is that their rise was sudden
and brutal, and soon, they were everywhere. Massive and all but indestructible, the Titans
sought nothing but to eat humans. And eat they did before long, humans had been pushed to
the brink of extinction.
Now this world belongs to the Titans. All that remains of humanity lives in a single nation,
surrounded by three enormous walls. The world beyond the walls is a dangerous one, full of
ravenous Titans that seek nothing more than to consume human flesh. Behind the walls,
humanity is safe but all it would take is a single breach to plunge humanity into chaos once
more. If the first wall were to break, half of humanity’s territory would be lost. If the second were
to break, what little remained would not be able to support even its own population, let alone the
refugees from outside. If the third wall broke, then every last human would surely be devoured.
You have just graduated from the military training corps, and been trained in the dangerous craft
of fighting Titans. People like you patrol the walls, keep the peace, and go on expeditions
beyond the walls to unearth resources and information. You do not yet know the true horror of
battle between man and Titan.
But you will.
Welcome to Titan World.
PbtA Terminology
PbtA: Powered by the Apocalypse. The name of the engine developed for the RPG Apocalypse
World, which was then modified for use in a number of other games, including this one.
roll+Stat: Roll 2d6 and add your stat to the result. A 10 or higher is a total success, a 79 is a
qualified success. Hope to avoid rolling 6 or below.
Forward: The next time you roll the thing you have Forward on, add or subtract the indicated
amount to the roll. So, “+1 Forward on Rage” means that the next time you roll+Rage, you add
one to the result.
Ongoing: Until the condition described ends, add or subtract the indicated amount to every roll
of the thing you have Ongoing on. So, “1 Ongoing on Agility until you stop and rest” means that
every Agility roll will be made at a 1 penalty until you stop and rest.
Playbook: Like character classes in other games. Your playbook establishes your character
archetype Natural, Warrior, Tactician, Leader, Survivor or Shifter.
PbtA Gameplay
A player coming here from D&D or similar games might find the flow of this game a little hard to
follow. There’s no initiative order, no hit points everything is total chaos.
Other people have written more eloquently than I on the philosophy of PbtA gameplay, so I’ll be
brief: Treat the game not like a board game with roleplaying, but like a conversation. Give
people a situation, ask what they do. Tell them what happens when they do that. Roll the dice
when necessary. If someone’s hogging the spotlight, say you’ll get back to them and move the
focus to someone else. Play it by ear. Keep the action moving.
The “Moves” that make up the abilities of each class shouldn’t be considered like abilities in
most RPGs. Ideally, they should never be named at all during play. As a player, you just do
what you want to do, and when the situation described by a Move you have comes up, the GM
will ask you to roll the appropriate dice, and that will determine the outcome. A Move cannot be
used without the fictional trigger happening, and the fictional trigger cannot happen without the
Move being used as a result.
Wrong:
Player: All right, I’m in position, so I use “Strike to Kill” on the Titan. I rolled an 11, so it dies.
Right:
Player: All right, I’m in position, so I leap down at the Titan, aiming to kill it in one pass.
GM: (silently notes that this is the situation for the Move ‘Strike to Kill’) Looks like you’ve got a
clear shot at its neck roll+Execution.
Player: I got an 11! That’s a success.
GM: Your blade cleaves through the Titan’s weakpoint, and it falls lifeless to the ground.
Most importantly, always remember that the fiction comes first. If one thing seems like it
should be true according to the rules of the game, and a different thing seems like it should be
true according to the story unfolding, the latter should always take precedence. If someone is
tied up and you slit their throat, they don’t necessarily get a chance to roll+Rage to escape it,
unless there’s some fictional way they could still survive the situation.
Stats
Agility is skill in moving quickly, evading Titans, and getting into advantageous positions. It is
rolled to avoid harm or get into position to strike. Agility is the most important stat for The
Natural.
Execution is both skill at dispatching enemies and the mental resolve to move in for the killing
blow. It is rolled to deliver crippling or fatal attacks against Titans, or for fighting humans.
Execution is the most important stat for The Warrior.
Awareness is the ability to quickly understand the flow of a situation It is rolled to determine
probable sources of serious threat and the best ways to deal with them, as well as anticipate
unexpected attacks. Awareness is the most important stat for The Tactician.
Discipline is the ability to keep your head when things get seriously dire. It is rolled to avoid
panicking in truly horrible situations, and to inspire the same level of stability in others. Discipline
is the most important stat for The Leader.
Rage is sheer personal drive and hatred of the Titans that plague humanity. It is rolled to break
free from hopeless situations where your life is on the line. Rage is the most important stat for
The Survivor and The Shifter.
Character Creation
Rookie Character Creation
Assign +2, +1, +1, +0, 1 to your five stats, write down a first name, and go. You don’t get a last
name until you die or survive the mission. Your Luck begins at 0.
Personality and backstory can develop as you play, and you’ll pick a Playbook and last name
once you reach Level 1. Until then, you only have Basic Moves, and start every battle Marked
for death.
Names
First names (female): Alena, Amelia, Ayla, Beatrix, Carina, Christel, Dilara, Elisa, Emma,
Evelyn, Flora, Gisela, Gretel, Hannelore, Havva, Ida, Ilse, Jana, Juliana, Katarina, Lara,
Magdalene, Marina, Michaela, Nina, Olivia, Petra, Regula, Sara, Sonja, Teresa, Valeska, Zehra,
Ziska
First names (male): Adrian, Alexander, Altan, Bertram, Conrad, Dieter, Dirk, Eckhart, Erik, Felix,
Gervas, Gregor, Hans, Heinrich, Hugo, Joachim, Julian, Kilian, Lanzo, Leonhard, Levent, Lukas,
Markus, Matthias, Nico, Oswald, Reto, Siegfried, Simon, Tobias, Valentin, Walther
Last names: Abel, Achilles, Adler, Baumann, Beckert, Brandt, Dieter, Engel, Faust, Frost,
Gerhard, Hafner, Hermann, Jaeger, Kaspar, Kaya, Kneller, Krantz, Luther, Martin, Maus,
Mueller, Neuman, Peters, Richter, Rose, Samson, Schroeder, Stein, Vann, Voss, Wagner,
Waltz, Weiss, Winter
Leveling Up
Every time you survive a mission (what constitutes a “mission” is up to your GM), your level
increases by one, and you gain the following perks:
Your Luck is set to 2.
If your new Level is 1, pick a Playbook. You gain both Starting Moves for it.
If your new Level is at least 2, pick one of these. Each can only be picked once.
● +1 to Agility.
● +1 to Execution.
● +1 to Awareness.
● +1 to Discipline.
● +1 to Rage.
● Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook.
● Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook.
● Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook.
● Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook.
The following additional options are available once you reach Level 6:
● +1 to any stat (max +3).
● Luck is set to 3 each level (including this one) instead of 2.
● Gain one Starting Move from another Playbook.
● Gain one Advanced Move from any Playbook you have a Starting Move in.
Gear
Every character starts with the following equipment:
● Maneuvering Gear. This complex piece of equipment uses gaspowered grappling hooks
to allow you to move freely through the air, as long as there are surfaces for you to
attach to. You have been trained in its use.
● Two Titanslaying swords. Because Titans have extraordinarily tough skin, so only these
amazingly sharp special blades or similarly highpowered ordinance can harm them.
Unfortunately, the downside of these blades is that they’re only good for a few hits
before they are blunted. Accordingly, the swords’ blades are detachable, and you’ll be
carrying around several replacement blades with you.
Further equipment can be provided or found over the course of the game. However, due to the
nature of Maneuvering Gear combat, you’ll want to minimize excess weight in your equipment.
Other pieces of equipment:
● Spare blades. If someone is running low on blades, then you can give them some to
keep them in the fight.
● Spare gas. If someone is running low on gas, then you can refill them if you have a
couple of minutes of downtime.
● Rifle. Deadly for humans, won’t kill a Titan but you can shoot out the eyes on a smaller
one.
● Torch. Titans are inactive during the night, so sources of light are important for journeys
beyond the walls.
● Flare gun. Can fire smoke flares of various colors, both to send simple messages over
long distances or to dazzle and confuse Titans. Comes with a complement of flares.
A person can carry one additional piece of equipment and still freely use Maneuvering Gear.
You can carry up to three, but if you have more than one, you take 1 Ongoing to Agility for each
additional piece of equipment. A horse with saddle bags can carry four additional pieces of
equipment.
Special Mechanics
Luck
Every time you advance to a new level, your Luck is set to 2. If you’re not starting as a Rookie,
then your Luck begins at 2 as well.
Any time you make a roll, after seeing the result, you can spend 1 Luck to increase the roll
result up to a 12.
Marks
Some player Moves allow them to Mark Titans. Some situations will result in the characters
being Marked instead. A Mark means that someone wants you dead, and is in a position to
make it happen.
Under most circumstances, a character won’t just instantly die from something, nor will a Titan.
If you want to harm a Titan, you need to use a Move to Mark it first. Similarly, under most
circumstances, if a Titan wants to kill you, it can’t do it until you’re Marked.
If you are a Rookie, then you start every battle Marked. It is possible to remove the Mark, but
not guaranteed.
Titans
Humanity’s greatest enemy. Titans are massive, humanoid creatures, usually ranging from 3 to
15 meters in height. They have little intelligence, and only one interest humans. A Titan will
ignore any other obstacles to rush towards humans, kill them, and eat them. They don’t get any
sustenance from this the act itself of killing and devouring humans seems to be their only
motivation.
Killing Titans
Killing a Titan is hard. You can’t just leap straight for the kill (unless you’re the Warrior or the
Shifter, depending on the circumstances). Titans are huge, tough, and fast, and only have one
weak point on the back of the neck. Striking them anywhere else may do damage, but they’ll
regenerate before too long.
Under normal circumstances, the only way to kill a Titan is to first injure it, then attack their weak
point while it’s injured. This requires two separate successful uses of Strike to Kill, each of which
requires that the target be Marked, and the Mark is lost on a hit.
Getting killed by a Titan, however, is all too easy. Make one mistake and your life will be on the
line.
Advanced Titans
Not all Titans were created equal. Some Titans are extra large, 15 meters or taller. Some have
thick armor or increased regeneration speed. Some are Aberrants, moving in bizarre and
unpredictable ways. Some even have humanlike intelligence.
To make these powerful Titans more threatening, have them attack more aggressively, react to
actively oppose attempts by the team to get into position, and easily Mark multiple characters at
once. For each special type you give a Titan, it can exploit that advantage once in a conflict to
remove a Mark placed on it.
Some types of advanced Titans:
● Aberrant: Most Titans simple walk towards humans and attack them. Some exhibit
stranger, hardertopredict behavior, such as running, leaping, or crawling quickly on all
fours. These Titans are a major destabilizing force on the battlefield, as it’s impossible to
predict what they’ll do next.
● Armored: Occasionally, a Titan will surface with extrathick skin, capable of ignoring
cannon fire and shattering swords. Attacking at vulnerable points such as joints can help
to bring it down, but it may take multiple successful attacks to render it vulnerable.
● Regenerative: All Titans regenerate damage done to anywhere other than their
vulnerable point, but some can do it so quickly that any injury only reveals a brief
moment of vulnerability before it recovers completely. After injuring it, you must follow up
as quickly as possible or your chance to kill it may disappear.
● Colossal: 3 to 15 meters is the typical range of Titan sizes. Rare larger Titans, upwards
of 2030 meters or even taller, are very difficult to take down, since even with
Maneuvering Gear it won’t be easy to reach high enough to attack the neck.
● Intelligent: The most dangerous of all Titans are those with humanlike intelligence.
Some extremely rare Titans can think, plan, react intelligently, fight with real technique,
and even talk. Fighting one without a clear plan is suicide. An intelligent Titan more than
likely has a human inside that’s controlling it.
Districts
Your District is the place you call home. Creating it is the first thing that happens in the game.
This requires three things: Details, Anchors, and Threats
Details
Where is your District? Is it along the outer wall, or somewhere further inside humanity's
territory? Is it large or small? What features stand out on its skyline? What is it known for?
As much of the above information as possible should be provided by the players, but the GM
can fill in the gaps as necessary.
Anchors
For each of you: What is one thing in this District that you absolutely won't allow to come to
harm? This can be a thing, a place, or even a person. A small garden, maintained with care and
love. An elderly grandfather living out his days in peace. An old church, abandoned save for
childhood memories. Whatever it is, keep it personal.
If you're starting as Rookies, hold off on creating Anchors until you reach level 1.
Threats
Humanity is never safe. No matter how careful and diligent the people have been, there is
always danger around the corner. A Threat is anything that threatens the safety of the District. It
doesn't have to be from the Titans (although it often is) humans are just as cruel to each other
as the Titans are to them.
When defining a Threat, start with the nature of the problem. Titans have broken through the
wall near your District, cutting you off from the rest of humanity. A mysterious group infiltrating
command has dark plans for the future. A splinter cell has broken off from the military corps,
planning a rebellion. A massive group of Titans is heading towards the wall, capable of breaking
through the gates.
Once you've determined what the Threat is, outline what the worst case scenario is that you are
trying to avoid. The isolation of the district leads to food shortages, then open riots. The
corruption of command leads to a coup, with those who were once loyal now being the
government's enemies. The rebellion grows into an open civil war for control of the District. The
Titans force the gates, breaking into the city.
A good number of initial Threats is three. The GM will provide the first, then let the party suggest
the other two.
Missions
In order to combat the threats facing the District, our heroes will have to go on dangerous
missions. Before setting out on a mission, determine the objective and what stands in your way
both should be related to the Threats facing your District. Depending on the mission's
outcome, one Threat may be mitigated, reducing its impact, or fully resolved, removing it from
the District completely. Depending on extra action beyond the call of duty, a mission may end
up mitigating more than one Threat, as well but if it ends in failure, it may end with nothing
accomplished at all.
When you return from your mission, success or failure, the District's problems continue to grow.
Under normal circumstances, advance two Threats. If things are relatively quiet, advance one; if
things are more dire than usual, advance three. Instead of advancing a Threat, particularly if
there aren't enough, you can introduce a new one. When a Threat is advanced, some new
complication arises based on the growing danger. If a Threat advances twice without being
checked by mission work, then the worst case scenario outlined when the Threat was created
comes true. Your next mission must now be dealing with the new disaster, keeping damage to a
minimum.
Every surviving soldier levels up upon completion of the mission, and Luck is restored to 2.
Basic Moves
Every character has access to all of these.
Avoid Harm
When you move out of the way of incoming danger, roll+Agility.
On a 10+, you escape the threat without harm, and are no longer Marked.
On a 79, you escape immediate harm, but pick one:
● You are still in danger nothing bad happened to you, but you are still Marked.
● You overexert yourself on the way to safety. Take 1 ongoing to Agility until you
can rest in a safe place for a few minutes.
● You're running low on gas if you don’t find safe ground soon, your Maneuvering
Gear will leave you dead in the water.
Strike to Kill
When you move in for a devastating strike against a Titan, roll+Execution. Your target must
be Marked for you to use this move.
On a 10+, you damage the Titan. If it was already damaged and you had a clear shot at
the neck, it is destroyed.
On a 79 you damage and possibly destroy the Titan as per 10+, but pick one:
● You expose yourself to a dangerous and vulnerable situation you are now
Marked.
● You have a brush with death, and it shakes your resolve. Take 1 ongoing to
Execution until you can collect yourself in a safe place for a few minutes.
● That was your last blade you’ll need to get a new supply of them before you can
attack again.
Hand to Hand
When you aim to kill or disable a fellow human, roll+Execution.
On a 10+, you overcome your opponent.
On a 79, you gain the upper hand, but pick one:
● Your opponent is injured or has to compromise what they were trying to do, but
manages to get away.
● Your victory is hardearned. Take 1 ongoing to Execution until you have a few
minutes to collect yourself.
● Someone you needed alive could only be stopped by killing them.
Desperate Rescue
When you pull an ally from the jaws of death, roll+Discipline.
On a 10+, you save your ally and escape unharmed.
On a 79, you save your ally’s life, but now your own life is in peril in their place.
On a 6, you and your ally are both left in mortal peril.
Uncover Secrets
When you look into a matter that powerful people would prefer you leave alone,
roll+Awareness.
On a 10+, you learn a dark secret about the world you thought you knew.
On a 79, pick two:
● You learn what you came here to learn.
● What you learn doesn’t require immediate action to prevent disaster.
● Your investigation doesn’t draw the attention of your enemies.
Appease Command
When you act in open defiance of your superiors, roll+Discipline.
On a 10+, they allow your transgression to slide.
On a 79, pick one:
● You make a powerful enemy who may cause trouble for you in the future.
● You are put under close supervision due to suspicions of treason, and will have
to tread carefully moving forward.
● You are put on the list to be assigned more dangerous, reckless missions in the
future, as someone who they can afford to lose.
Defy Death
When you try to escape from mortal peril, roll+Rage.
On a 10+, you force your way through and escape from harm, and are no longer
Marked.
On a 79, pick one:
● Despite defying death, the danger is far from over you are still Marked.
● You escape, but your will to fight is worn down. Take 1 Ongoing to Rage until
you can collect yourself in a safe place for a few minutes.
● You die, but not before accomplishing one more critical task.
On a 6, you die.
Playbooks
THE NATURAL
One of the hardest parts of this business is learning your way around Maneuvering Gear. Most
trainees need weeks to get from keeping their balance to flying. Not you, though. You're a
natural. The moment you put the harness on, you knew that you were made for this. You take to
the air like a fish in water. Others maneuver, you dance.
Even if every Titan died, even if a new weapon was created that made it obsolete, you wouldn't
go back. You may never be truly at home on solid ground the sky is calling.
Look:
Light body, athletic body, muscular body or gaunt body
Joyful face, young face, naive face or arrogant face
Starting Moves:
When you take this Playbook, you gain both of these moves.
Acrobatic Stunt
When you perform a reckless and difficult stunt during battle, roll+Agility.
Regardless of the result, Mark one Titan.
On a 10+, choose two.
On a 79, choose one, but you also draw the attention of your enemies, and are
Marked yourself.
● You wind up in a place safely out of reach of any enemies.
● One Titan is disoriented by your movements, and stops attacking for a
moment.
● The rush of exhilaration gives you +1 Forward to any roll exploiting or
burning the Mark gained from this Move.
Scout Ahead
When you use your Maneuver Gear to scout deep into enemy territory, roll+Agility.
On a 10+, you gain information on the number of titans ahead, along with their
positions.
On a 79, you're spotted, and must head back with incomplete information or
draw their aggression.
Advanced Moves:
When you level up, you can pick one of these as your perk.
Break Through
When you use your Maneuver Gear to slip through a large group of enemies,
roll+Agility.
On a 10+, you come through unharmed on the other side.
On a 79, pick one:
● You misjudge one shot, and hit the ground just short of safety.
● You overexert yourself moving into position. Take 1 ongoing to Agility
until you can get some rest in a safe place.
● You're running low on gas if you don’t find safe ground within the next
few seconds, you’ll be dead in the water.
Opportunist
When you roll a 12+ on Avoid Harm while fighting a Titan, you can evade into a
position to counterattack, Marking the Titan.
Parkour
As long as there are climbable surfaces leading to high enough ground nearby,
you can Get Into Position or Strike to Kill even if you don’t have working Maneuver Gear.
Lightning Dispatch
When you Strike to Kill, you can roll+Agility instead of +Execution.
THE WARRIOR
Most trainees, when it comes down to it, have no idea what they're getting into until their first
deployment. You can have every technical skill in the world, but in the heat of the moment it can
all come to nothing if you're lacking one thing: The resolve to kill.
The war against the Titans is a business, and humanity's primary export is murder. You
understand this better than anyone. You're not here for the chance to uncover the secrets of the
world, or for the chance for fame, or anything else. You're here to kill Titans, and you're going to
kill as many as you can. Even your fellow soldiers may be intimidated by you, but that doesn't
matter. Your enemy is in front of you, and you're here to make sure it doesn't stay there for long.
Look:
Scarred body, compact body, overbearing body or intimidating body
Hard face, severe face, grim face or warweary face
Starting Moves:
When you take this Playbook, you gain both of these moves.
Combat Momentum
When you deal the killing blow to a Titan, you Mark another nearby Titan.
Advanced Moves:
When you level up, you can pick one of these as your perk.
Intimidate
When you threaten someone to get them to cooperate with your immediate
goals, roll+Execution.
On a 10+, they submit to the pressure of your dangerous presence and comply.
On a 79, the GM picks one:
● They don’t help, but they don’t actively oppose you, either.
● They help for now, but will want payback for their humiliation later.
● They snap and attack recklessly. You can overpower them, but there may
be consequences.
Critical Strike
When you roll a 12+ on Strike to Kill, you can instantly kill the Titan.
THE TACTICIAN
Not everybody shines brightest on the front lines. There's much more to this war than how fast
you can move or how many Titans you've killed. Attacking the Titans headon is eventually
going to be suicide, no matter how good you might be.
You know better than anyone that this war is going to be won or lost by the flow of information.
You've been tasked with coming up with The Plan. No matter how large or small the scale of a
conflict, there always has to be a plan, or you're all just running to your deaths. Which
encounters to avoid, how to approach the ones you can't, how to make sure everyone's talents
are being used to their full extent it's all on your shoulders. Your burden is heavy and your
responsibilities are great, but few soldiers have more trust and support from their allies than a
damn good tactician.
Look:
Small body, fragile body, awkward body or lean body
Calculating face, nervous face, serious face, disinterested face
Starting Moves:
When you take this Playbook, you gain both of these moves.
Spot an Opening
When you watch for the right moment to strike, roll+Awareness.
On a 10+, one nearby Titan is Marked, but you can’t use that Mark yourself the
attack has to be carried out by an ally.
On a 79, they are Marked, but it’s only temporary your ally will have to
recklessly strike right away to exploit it or the chance will disappear.
Advanced Moves:
When you level up, you can pick one of these as your perk.
Battlefield Intuition
When you Assess the Situation, you can ask one additional question on a 7+.
Appeal to Command
When you explain your plan to a commander, roll+Awareness.
On a 10+, you can ask for whatever resources you require for the operation, and
you’ll get them.
On a 79, Command will either want some proof of the validity of your plan or add
some additional objective before they’ll approve your resources.
THE LEADER
The war against the Titans is brutal and unforgiving. Surrounded by death and chaos, it's easy
for a soldier to forget what it is they're fighting to protect. That's why every team needs someone
like you to remind them.
When all hope is lost, you become a beacon of hope. When panic sets in, you become a pillar
of support. You're the heart of the team, a ray of light reminding your allies that there's always
something to fight for, and a dedicated ally to all, dead set on getting everybody home alive, no
matter what it takes.
Look:
Tall body, beautiful body, handsome body or weathered body
Kind face, inspiring face, open face or confident face
Starting Moves:
When you take this Playbook, you gain both of these moves.
Heroic Rescue
When you perform a Desperate Rescue, the ally is always saved, and the usual results
are replaced with the following:
On a 10+, you rescue your ally and escape unharmed..
On a 79, you don’t escape unharmed, but you at least survive. You are now
Marked.
On a 6, you fall into mortal peril just as you get them out of it.
We Stand as One
When you deliver an inspiring speech to a group before an operation, each
person who listens to you gains +1 Forward to their first roll during the operation.
Advanced Moves:
When you level up, you can pick one of these as your perk.
Match My Timing
When you attack alongside an ally with perfect timing, roll+Discipline.
On a 10+, The Titan is Marked, and the ally gets +1 Forward to their next attack
against it.
On a 79, as above, but choose one:
● Your attack exposes you to danger either you or your ally are Marked.
You decide.
● Your mental endurance is wavering. Take 1 Ongoing to Discipline until
you can stop and clear your head in safety.
Combat Medic
When you apply medical care to an injured ally during a moment of downtime,
roll+Discipline.
On a 10+, any ongoing penalties a character is suffering to Agility or Execution
due to physical injury are removed.
On a 79, the fix is only a temporary one the penalties is gone, but may
resurface later.
Command’s Favorite
When you complete a mission, the next time you ask Command for a favor or
additional information or resources, and they will provide it.
THE SURVIVOR
Countless soldiers have died in the war against the Titans, but some live through battle after
battle. Some survive by speed, some by skill, some by intelligence. And some, like you, simply
refuse to die.
You’ve looked death in the face so many times that it doesn’t scare you any more. It’s just
another part of the job, and it’s the part that you’re the best at. As the world falls apart around
you, no matter how bleak the situation and no matter how many injuries you rack up, there’s one
thing you’re absolutely sure of: Nothing is ever going to kill you, and if anything tries, you’re
going to make them regret it.
Look:
Huge body, scarcovered body, wiry body or thick body
Haunted face, emotionless face, intense face or cold face
Starting Moves:
When you take this Playbook, you gain both of these moves.
Draw Hostility
When you willfully act to draw the attention of a deadly enemy, roll+Rage.
On a 10+, you draw the attention of your enemies. Transfer a Mark from an ally
to yourself, while also Marking the enemy who was targeting them.
On a 79, pick one:
● You fail to lessen the threat to your allies, but do get a bit closer to
dealing with your enemies. You and the enemy Mark each other.
● You draw the attention of your enemies, but not in a way that lets you
strike back at them. Transfer a Mark from an ally to yourself, but don't
Mark the enemy.
Strike Back
When you strike desperately at a Titan while staring death in the face,
roll+Rage.
On a 10+, you escape, are no longer Marked, and the Titan is injured, or slain if it
was already injured.
On a 79, you escape, and choose one:
● You are no longer Marked.
● The Titan is now Marked.
Advanced Moves:
When you level up, you can pick one of these as your perk.
Refuse to Die
You can Avoid Harm using Rage instead of Agility.
No Plan Survives
When you listen to a dangerous plan being presented, you may ask the GM
one of these questions:
● What outside threat does this plan overlook?
● What step of this plan is most likely to go wrong?
● Who will be at the greatest risk?
Indomitable
When you are seriously injured, roll+Rage.
On a 10+, you can ignore your injuries and their mechanical effects until the
current crisis is over.
On a 79, you can ignore your injuries, but only temporarily they may still
overwhelm you at an inopportune moment.
THE SHIFTER
You never quite felt like you were the same as the people around you, and now you finally know
why. After all, they're only human.
Nobody knows what shifters truly are. Their origins are shrouded in mystery, and they're too
rare to be easily studied. All that is certain is their abilities: You can change between human and
Titan at will.
Titan shifters are the most powerful and dangerous weapons of humanity. The only force we
have that can truly fight the Titans on their own terms. With fists that can topple buildings and a
body that can stop cannon fire, you are a manifestation of humanity's hatred of their eternal foe.
Your only impulse is to kill. Just hope, for all our sakes, that you can hold on to enough of your
humanity to only kill your enemies.
Look:
Towering body, strong body, unassuming body or angular body
Suspicious face, hatefilled face, unreadable face or bleak face
Skinless titan, hideous titan, sleek titan or steamcovered titan
Starting Moves:
You cannot take this playbook at game start. Some event in the game must happen to cause
your character to become a Shifter when you do, you must take the following Move at your
next level up:
Titan Transformation
When you focus on your goal and draw your own blood, roll+Rage.
On a 10+, You become a Titan, and gain 3 Hold. While you are transformed, you
are many times larger and stronger than normal. Most events that would kill you will instead
revert you back to your human form. This transformation lasts until you dismiss it, but using it for
extended periods or multiple times in a row is exhausting.
On a 79, You become a Titan and gain 2 Hold, but choose one:
■ You go berserk, temporarily losing your human intelligence and lashing
out at everything around you. Your allies will have to help you recover
your mind.
■ Your body only partially forms, leaving you with less than the usual
number of limbs to work with.
■ Your overthetop transformation draws the attention of every Titan in the
area.
You may spend 1 Hold to:
■ Perform an incredible feat of physical strength.
■ Strike to Kill without requiring a Mark, automatically killing the Titan on a
successful hit.
Advanced Moves:
When you level up, if you have the Titan Transformation Move, you can pick one of these as
your perk.
Regeneration
When you take a couple minutes to rest as a human, in safety or otherwise,
remove all penalties to Agility or Execution related to mental or physical trauma.
Titan’s Strength
When you’re transformed, you can spend 1 Hold to ignore any damage from an
incoming attack.
Burning Cloud
When you revert back from a Titan into a human, you may emit a huge cloud
of scalding steam. This won’t harm you, but any other humans and smaller Titans will be
repelled, and the steam provides enough visual cover for you to escape.
Deafening Roar
When you let out a titanic roar at an incoming Titan, roll+Rage.
On a 10+, the Titan turns and runs, and is now Marked.
On a 79, the Titan attacks you above all other threats. It is Marked, but you are
Marked as well.
Aberrant Form
Pick one of the following:
○ Your Titan body is covered in thick armor.
○ Your Titan body is abnormally huge.
○ Your Titan body regenerates at an incredible speed.
○ Your Titan body can move with a speed and grace rivaling a human.
Whatever your choice, when you use Titan Transformation, you gain this ability, and can
spend 1 Hold to invoke it and remove a Mark placed on you.
First they usually must be Marked. The Mark acts as a red flag, warning the player that their
character is in danger of being killed at any moment. Never throw someone into a completely
lethal situation without Marking them first. Marks can come from enemy action, poor rolls on
Moves, or foolish or reckless choices by the heroes.
Second a chance to escape. If the character is fighting to survive, then go for the soft move
before the hard one. Tell them about the impending threat, and let them take action to mitigate
it, via Avoid Harm, Desperate Rescue, or some other move. Only in a particularly dire situation,
or from a failed roll on an alreadyMarked character, should you ever consider moving straight
to the jaws of death.
Finally, Defy Death. Once a player’s options have been exhausted and the Titans are upon
them, give them a chance to use this move. Once they fail here, that’s it no further action can
save them, and it’s time to roll up a new character.
As a final note, feel free to be more cruel to Rookies than you would be to other characters.
Mark them easily, and throw them repeatedly into the Titan meatgrinder. Also, always follow the
fiction if someone dies, they die, whether it was from a Move or not.
GM Agenda
● Show the best and the worst of the world.
● Raise the stakes constantly.
● Play to find out what happens.
GM Principles
● Begin and end with the fiction.
● Follow every glimpse of despair with a glimpse of hope.
● Follow every glimpse of hope with a glimpse of despair.
● Let nothing worthwhile be easy.
● Reward desperate plans with a chance at great success.
● Show that nothing is guaranteed.
● Make every Titan memorable.
Player Agenda
● Risk everything for victory.
● Value your allies above yourself.
● Uncover the secrets of the world.
GM Moves
Reveal an unwelcome truth
The party’s actions are causing enough commotion to draw more Titans to the scene of the
action. One of the Titans you’re fighting turns out to be an Aberrant wild and unpredictable
instead of focused and singleminded. A nearby group of allies signal that they need your help.
You’ve run out of gas before you could escape the swarm of Titans. And so on.
Mark a Character
If a failure or partial success creates an unfortunate situation for a specific character, Mark
them. This doesn’t have any immediate effect, but it adds pressure and opens up the option to
use harder Moves on them later.
Advance a Threat
The greatest danger that failure on a mission can bring is that the Threats facing the District
may advance unduly, bringing the countdown to disaster closer to the present. This may
drastically change the party’s priorities for their next mission.
Inspirations
The setting and core concept is lifted wholesale from the ongoing manga Attack on Titan, by
Hajime Isayama.
The core engine is, of course, taken from Apocalypse World and its spinoffs.
The Advancement system is very similar to Apocalypse World, with a bit of modification.
The Luck mechanic is approximately lifted from the PbtA game Monster of the Week.
The third GM Agenda and first GM Principle were taken from Apocalypse World, as they
seemed essential.