This is a thing I put together a while back, but never found a solid use for. I was inspired by how “generic” yet effective the moves were in Ghost Lines, so I tried to make “generic” versions of the most flexible and interesting “basic moves” you can do in a PbtA game.
The “Cunning” move, for instance, is, I think, a nice rewrite of most games’ “read a sitch”-type moves, and adapts to the needs of the situation.
Have a look, and let me know if you have any thoughts or if it might be useful to you somewhere.
I really like the odds on the dice mechanics, too (although they’d work fine with 2d6+adds instead, if you prefer).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cjkj48s5r5qw35u/Elemental%20World%20Moves.pdf?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cjkj48s5r5qw35u/Elemental%20World%20Moves.pdf?dl=0
This looks SUPER cool. I think it fits perfectly an idea I’ve had for a long time of doing a concise Sword & Sorcery game. If I end up with anything, I’ll credit you for sure 😉
Thanks, Felipe Real!
Nicely done!
Hey this is neat
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Pinned for later reading.
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I get it, but the big poly dice pools are a personal turn-off and not because I only own 2d12 (don’t judge me!)
I can totally rock it in a Simple World kind of way. I’d go with straight PbtA 2d6 as noted, but the talk of pools makes me think of Rogue, Warrior, Sage.
Is it big poly dice pools? Looks to me like the big poly is a bonus die from the MC/GM. The rest are D6’s
I hold my hand up, I skimmed. I took the 2d notation to indicate various die types, but it is clear the main pool is d6s. So it works kinda like the Wild Die?
Looks like it. Better prepared equals more likely to score an extra 6 so
you can buy more options from the move.
Thanks for the comments! Yes, the dice are d6s, and you get one polyhedral from the MC, so it should be accessible.
It works just fine with 2d6+adds, but the dice pool creates some neat math, too. To a certain point, the MC’s die controls how likely you are to miss altogether, whereas your stat affects how likely you are to roll a 7-9 versus a 10+. A good stat score means you can be effective even under the worst conditions, but without making your rolls risk-free even when things are going well for you.
I’d imagine some people will love the MC input into the odds, while some (and some games) will not find it a natural fit.
It’d be a twist from classic AW where fictional positioning is core, but this lets the players choose to push for the move they want even when the odds are against them.
The way I would play it, I don’t think it would be a “twist” at all – the basic logic of lining up the fictional positioning to make a move possible in the first place is just as present.
What it does do is shift from a more cinematic style of play to one where preparation, situational thinking, and circumstances are more relevant.
For instance, in AW, a character who is Sharp is good at reading situations, regardless of the circumstances. That’s just what they are like.
With this approach, though, a character who is not as good at it can narrow that gap by moving to a better vantage point, or by buying themselves extra time, for example.