Hi people!
Rules question time for me! As an MC can I make the other players roll without specifying the (custom) move they’re using?
In AW, the Inside Hatchet City example front contains custom moves and a countdown. In that hyphotethical game, do you think the MC shows their personal parasite countdown and the custom moves associated with it to the other players? The first time they come into play? Ever?
tl;dr: can you make ’em roll secretly as an MC like in some versions of D&D (e. g. trapfinding and perception rolls)?
Wow. I never thought of that. That’s interesting.
Personally, I don’t think there is much hidden information in AW-based games. As moves trigger from fictional situations, I the reason players are rolling dice will have been stated or at least implied (though they may not realize exactly what is happening). Also, as the mechanical results are narrated, they players (and their characters) will probably have some idea of what happened.
Christopher Stone-Bush When the said situation is manyfold OR not fully understood by the characters, you won’t know what is the trigger of a custom move unknown to you (and what is not).
And you don’t neccessarily hear about the result of your roll, either: eg. if you roll a 10+ on the waders custom move, the mudfish parasite won’t exclaim “Lucky bastard!” or anything, so you won’t know that your character indeed is a lucky bastard.
When I’ve run Hatchet City (or any AW game really), I always have the countdowns visible, it ratchets the tension oh so nicely. The characters may not know, but the players do.
I rarely have the players roll without them fictionally instigating the move, it makes little sense to do so.
If they read a sitch and fail, well maybe there is a trap, or maybe the mud fish parasite countdown just clicks over to 11…
I always tell the players what they’re rolling for and why.
Patrick Henry Downs, yes, but do you always tell them that something they are about to do might trigger a move/roll?
Nathan Black Yes, since “Tell them the consequences and ask” is one of the moves. I might not share details of what the custom move might be until they’ve committed to the action, but the players will never be able to say they didn’t look before they leaped.
Yep. Patrick Henry Downs said what I was trying to say.
Putting the moves out there can also be an invitation/dare to make the move. If the players know about moves, they can play toward them. I’m not saying you have to put everything in front of them but it’s a tool in the toolbox, right?
With me and the other MCs I’ve played with, the MC says “you’ve triggered a custom move just now, by doing X.” Usually they read off the whole trigger once it has been discovered. Then you roll for it, and they tell you the result of your roll. Usually the MC doesn’t read off the whole move, just says what part has been discovered, so the players need to get both results to know the whole move (or all three if there’s something special on a miss). I don’t think we’ve ever had countdown out in the open.
I always tell them to roll, but not always tell them for what. That is case mainly for the sickness related issues, but also when going through dangerous terrain and stuff like that,