Moves Q&A

Questions about Moves. There may be some overlap with the Rules questions, but this is a big enough topic to warrant a thread of its own.

Yeah, that whole cycle can take a while to get smooth. It seems like it should be more complicated than it really is, so people overthink it. :)
Fortunately this is a part that is (mostly) the same across most PbtA games, so once you get it down, you don't need to think about it too much anymore.

I think this is big enough that I will assemble a document on the topic, but in brief.

While keeping the game's specific Agenda and Principles in mind, you basically make a GM Move whenever:
• The Player rolls a 6-
• The players hand you a golden opportunity
• The Players look to you to see what happens next


The 6- is fairly simple, only the players roll dice, and when they roll less than a 7 total something bad * happens. Every time they roll a 6-. Nothing Never Happens.


A Golden Opportunity should normally be clear when it happens. Often the player has their character do something monumentally stupid, makes a bad choice, or chooses to sacrifice something (including themself), so you look to your Moves. But remember 'Be a Fan of the Players' Characters', before delivering judgement, ask the player if they meant to do something stupid, their character knows a lot more about the world than they do, and their character can see a lot more about the situation than they can. If the player forgot about something their character deals with every day, don't punish them. **


The one I see messed up the most is the last, 'when the player looks to you to see what happens'. This is not them asking for clarification, this is not them investigating something, this them going "... OK, and now what happens?" with baited breath.
This means that everything you say or do is a Move. The book does say so, but sometimes that does not sink in. The GM is technically limited to only doing and saying the things on the Moves *** list, and needs to make a Custom Move if they want to go off-book.
This is not as limiting as it sounds. This sets the tone and style of the game. This is really how various PbtA games are different from each other (that and the Playbook selections (and Moves)).


* For both the 6- and Golden Opportunity most games say "Make as hard a move as you like". This does not mean "make the hardest move you can", you might like to make a Soft Move ****, and that is completely legit.
A 6- also does not mean they fail. (I dislike the term 'miss' but in Vincent's mind it is sufficiently different and does not mean 'fail'. I will most say '6-'.) Something they don't want to have happen will happen, but they may still get what they were going for and succeed at what they were doing. They may wish they hadn't, but such is life. :)

** PbtA GMs are not the players' adversaries (I don't believe they should be in other games either, but explicitly not in PbtA). The players only have what the GM says (or writes) by which to judge the world, so be generous. One of the GM's Agenda items is to "Make the World seem real" or "Play the World as though it were a Real Place", so the players should be able to work out what is happening with minimal descriptions. But often a player will need more detail than they were given. If they ask for more, give them more.
But also remember to "Make the players' characters' lives not boring"

*** I seldom actually look at the Move list during a game. I tend to read though it before the game starts --to refresh myself and get into the spirit of the specific game-- and then I just do whatever seems right in the moment. 99% of the time I can go back and fit what I did to a Move, but, if I am channelling the tone and feel of the game, the sorts of things I would choose to do are what the Moves would have done for me anyway.
This comes with practice. *****

***** I am leery of the rule to "not speak the Move's name". I translate that as "don't just speak the Moves name". I prefer to describe the Move's outcome in in-game terms, but have often mentioned the name afterwards. Maybe, as here, we are trying to learn GMing, so we will do it all the time, but maybe a player is looking uncomfortable and reminding them that "take away their stuff" is a Move makes it all alright again (true story:).

**** Hard and Soft Moves are way too mysticised. They are really easier than many (games and people) make them out to be.
A Soft Move is one that the character can still prevent before it gets bad. (GM: "the tree starts to fall towards you", "they start to mutter angrily and reach for their weapons", etc) (Player: "I dodge out the way", "I talk them down", etc)
A Hard Move is one that has happened, now the character needs to deal with the consequences. (GM: "The tree falls and pins you to the ground, take 2 Harm", "they shout angrily, draw their guns and start shooting", etc) (Player: "Ouch! I make the Harm Move and then try to crawl out from underneath. Roll + Strength?", "I guess we fight/flee", etc).


So much for 'brief'. :)