Can someone give me advice on how to overcome a stumbling block? I have this issue as a MC with coming up with the results of moves, especially on a -6. It took me some time blankly staring at the MC and Threat moves before I did anything. What can be done to remedy this? I’m guessing that it would help to familiarise the various MC moves more thoroughly and learn to improv better (which I’d probably do by playing more as things currently stand). Does anyone have any other advice?
Can someone give me advice on how to overcome a stumbling block?
Can someone give me advice on how to overcome a stumbling block?
Whenever I found myself stumped about what move to make on a 6- as MC, it was because I didn’t have a decent grasp of the fictional situation. Ask clarifying questions about the situation to get a better idea of what is going on and what the characters want. Once you know that, you should have a better idea of what bad things can happen or what monkey wrenches to throw into the characters plans.
You can always say “something goes horribly wrong… What?”
You can also say “something goes exactly as planned…How does that make you nervous?”
The books won’t tell you what happens because they don’t know the exact fiction. You need to look at what soft and hard moves have been put in play before the terrible roll. Then decide what the likely consequence of fucking up is. If the PC is trying to persuade a frat boy to go gay for a day there might be serious consequences or not, depends on who he is as established. Trying to chat up the shelf stacker at Wallmart, the worst that is likely to happen is being escorted off premises (or the shelf stacker is a psycho with a thing for human skin).
a 6- is a chance to put a charcacter on the spot and force them to decide on something. Do they abandon a useful resource? Do they betray a npc that trusts them? Do they take an advantage that harms or hinders anothe pc? If you forcing a character into a snap decision isn’t the only way to go with a miss, but it sure is fun.
Take your time 🙂 Sometimes you’ll know the right move to make right away, and sometimes you won’t.
There’s really no problem with stalling a few seconds. Ask clarifying questions if you want, turn questions back on the players, but more than that? Just get comfortable with taking your time.
Do you have maps? Do you know where your threats are on the maps? Do you have a relationship map so you know who might be impacted by the PCs actions or who might use them as cover to advance their own goals? Finally, are you looking at everyone through crosshairs hard enough? These are the things I’d suggest to better support yourself as the MC. Also, the occasional stall happens, don’t sweat it.
Meguey Baker probing question for you – do any PbtA games actually recommend or explain relationship maps? The only recent RPG I’ve seen then actually in is TechNoir
I agree with Adam McConnaughey that’s it’s fine to take a little time and toss questions back at the players. Sometimes I even give them something to think about while I process my own thing to think about. As for the move itself, I think my process goes like this, in descending order…
– If there’s an active Front, advance it
– If not, consider whether there’s anything else happening offscreen that needs to be moved forward because reasons
– If not, look at the move list and just choose one that sounds right
Many gratitudes for the various advices, I’ll go towards the next session more prepared then the last. On a related note does anyone have advice on how to handle the psychic maelstrom? And what do you do on a 6- with Brain Opening?
The psychic maelstrom is a blessing. When players are stumped they turn to the psychic maelstrom. You then ask them what it looks like, how it works, who and what else is also floating around in there, how it often mangles the answers and how they look into it. Once they have told you all that you turn it back to them.
On a miss you can feel free to ask them some more questions. Who’s dead but might want to have a few words? Who’s dead but might hold a grudge? What’s the worst thing you ever did to someone and how would it make you feel to be on the receiving end? What’s the most traumatic thing that ever happened to you? How does it feel being cut off from the Maelstrom completely. Wow, so this is what everything looked like before the apocalypse, everyone is looking at you funny as you stand outside Starbucks.
My favorite thing to do with the maelstrom is have it be different for each PC. For the one who always wants everything to be a black and white choice, maybe the PM is shifting shades of gray, or all geometric shapes. For the PC who is always in control, maybe the PM is all in cartoons with cartoon physics. I did one once that was a perfect 1980s sitcom house, with the sitcom parents and everything. It weirded the player right out.