So, just to see if I understand something correctly… Several Gimmicks have Moves that key off stats that start low for that gimmick… the Monster’s Shoot Kill, the Golden Boy’s Special Snowflake, etc.. Is that meant to…
A.) Incentivize moving to that gimmick from a different gimmick where that stat starts higher (for instance, an Anti-Hero > Monster taking Shoot Kill)
B.) Provide a high-risk, high-reward option for a character starting from that gimmick (for instance, a Golden Boy gambling on high rolls or burning momentum for Special Snowflake)
C.) Provide more options for characters in a different gimmick trying to mix in some of the flavor of that gimmick when selecting new moves (for instance, a veteran Jobber grabbing the Gatekeeper’s Loyal Worker to emphasize the booker’s legit respect for their experience and insight)
D.) Reward someone willing to spend the time and resources necessary to raise a -2 stat to respectable levels
…or maybe a little of all of the above? Or some other reason that didn’t occur to me?
Or encourage the move when the PC has gathered some momentum?
I recall one of the design considerations was every gimmick having a +Real move.
Ah. I did notice that every Move I mentioned up there was a +Real move on a -2 Real Gimmick. Other negative stats don’t seem to see the same sort of use.
Yeah, every Gimmick has a +Real Move. I don’t expect them all to see use, but having the door open is important to longer-term play where backstage stuff starts to matter more.
Past that, I value the asymmetry in character design – in other Powered by the Apocalypse games, you’ll sometimes see playbooks where there’s one high stat and then every Move rolls on that stat, so there’s no real choice to make there. That’s boring to me!
Each Gimmick kind of has an “optimal” build that focuses on one (or two) stat-Move combination(s), but by providing some choices it makes it more interesting for players who want the challenge or just aren’t attracted to that option for the character they want to play.
The emergent effect of sniping Moves from other Gimmicks that fit your good stats is pretty cool, actually. In my experience it means characters diversify and become more unique over time.
tl:dr: Mostly B, some C, and then A became apparent pretty quickly once people started playing longer games and it’s something I think is good as well!
Thanks for the response! It’s always great to get some insight into developer intent, and I’m seriously impressed with how engaged you are with this community. Really looking forward to getting a chance to play the game, too.
If there weren’t so many rad people who were part of it I wouldn’t be here!