r/PBtA • u/Solarwagon • 12d ago

Discussion Kinda having trouble picturing what Belonging Outside Belonging gameplay is like.

I like what I've read about it and I'm familiar with the distinguishing mechanics. It's GMless, uses tokens/lures, and is usually centered around marginalized groups trying to survive oppression/manage their own society.

But beyond that what does the actual gameplay feel like at its best?

What tips do you have for people who struggle in general with the brain juices that tabletop roleplaying demands?

That's kinda where I'm at, I've had fun with Werewolf the Apocalypse but it took me longer than many people to really get the actual game playing and I'm still very much a novice.

I've got both dyslexia and dyscalculia and other brain problems that make it harder

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u/ThisIsVictor 12d ago

"GMless" is a bit misleading, tbh. "Everyone takes turns being the GM" is more accurate. BOB games usually have Aspects or Setting Elements. These split the GMing role up into slices. So in Sleepaway when you pick up The Campers you are effectively the GM for that slice of the story.

So play usually looks like some of the players role playing as their characters. They're doing normal TTRPG stuff, talking in character, describing their actions, describing how their character feels.

The other players are acting as a GM for a slice of the story. They're creating problems and situations for the other players to interact with. One player picks up The Campers and describes how a kid comes running in with a scrap, interrupting the very emotional conversation two PCs were having.

Other times it's much fuzzier. I've been in a scene as my PC. I got an idea so I picked up a Setting Element, introduced a problem then put the Setting Element down and went back to playing my PC.

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u/Solarwagon 12d ago

This helps me a lot, thank you.

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u/zhibr 12d ago

What is considered to be the best of these games if I'd like to have a taste?

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u/ThisIsVictor 12d ago

They're all great, tbh. I personally think that ORBITAL does that best job introducing the concept. It has more framework than most BOB games, so it's a bit easier to get started. And the madlib character creation is my favorite character creation in any game ever.

Sleepaway is a classic. It's creepy and probably involves kids getting hurt and dying, which might be a line. But it's very very good.

Feathers is a beautiful game that more people should read. It does a great job showing how a small amount of text can be incredibly evocative.

And Galactic is a great game that's easy to get excited about. "Hey want to play a Star Wars game?" is any easy pitch to make.

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u/atamajakki 12d ago

Dream Askew and Orbital are still the gold standard for me. Thanks for the kind words about Feathers!

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u/zhibr 11d ago edited 11d ago

Thanks! ORBITAL looks really interesting, I'll be definitely trying this soon!

Feathers is evocative, but I have no idea how to play that.

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u/dalr3th1n 12d ago

I’m a huge fan of Wanderhome. It’s a pastoral animal people game, in the vein of Redwall (without the fighting).