Moves snowball – especially MC moves. In just about every PbtA game I’ve run, MC moves have done a great job at prompting me to keep the game moving. One thing I’ve had trouble with, though, is ending games. I’ve figured out ways to do this – ways to ignore rules as written, replace with my own sense of how to bring things to a satisfying conclusion – but my results have been mixed.
So I’m wondering: Has anybody tried making “endgame” MC moves or techniques, specifically designed to not lead seamlessly into the next move? Are there already common moves that are meant to be used like this, but I missed them? And if not, anybody feel like brainstorming some? (My players seemed to dig “announce a break followed by narrating your own character’s epilogue”; can confirm that “tell, but don’t show that they are heroes” is a crappy one, though.)
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I have not figured out how MC moves work yet. I am really struggling to run the sprawl.
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Oh that’s a cool idea! What fictional triggers do you use to set them off? Is it tied to threats/front resolution?
Oh, very interested in this. In my experience, the quality of the conclusion of a game rests very much on the players’ shoulders.
Endgame MC moves? In a way, whatever you write down at midnight of your threat clocks are the very specific to your game MC endgame moves.
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This reminds me, one of the things I look for fairly early when looking at a new PbtA game are the 12+ advances of the basic moves. They tell me how the game thinks a campaign escalates to a conclusion.
If those are weak, I find either the game meanders endlessly, peters out or the finale is really dictated by the hard moves the MC chooses to make and the threats they have set up.
Ideally though, I want the players to have strong agency in what conclusion they want to go for.
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Some ideas:
Make a problem disappear in a cataclysmic fashion. For when you have too many threats. Just find a reason why Dremmer’s Hellriders world go up in a big ball of flames in the middle of town.
Reveal a traitor. Ask a player to finally betray everyone. Failing that, turn a trusted NPC into an enemy.
Merge threats together. Enemies ally against PCs, or harness a supernatural problem.
Also:
Gloss over shit that doesn’t matter. Don’t feel like you need to resolve everything. Sometimes a couple of fronts have been in the background for a while and the players haven’t engaged with them much as of late. Answer questions of there are any, but otherwise let go of that stuff.
(I should note these are from my experience running Dungeon World. I’ve only finished one game of AW, and that was as a player.)
Another thought: even if some “plot” elements remain unsolved, just think about Seasons on a TV series. You can leave some unresolved “plot” elements to be solved in another subsequent campaign/season. My main criterium for ending games is if everyone at the table feels that that moment is a good place to end the game, a “natural” end, even if it leaves some minor loose ends. I wouldn’t bother with things like “end-game MC moves” nor would I want rules/mechanics to force that kind of thing.
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Interesting. AW has “rules/mechanics to force” most aspects of good GMing, so why not this one too? Why isn’t “Bring things to a satisfying conclusion” part of the agenda or principles? Does this idea to create “endgame GM moves” conflict with the notion of playing to find out what happens or making the world feel real? Or is there a way to write an endgame GM move that respects the agenda? Also, in a game that is so player-centric, are we sure that a GM move is best? Why not a player move instead?
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Good questions, James Ryan
Why isn’t “Bring things to a satisfying conclusion” part of the agenda or principles?
It could be. Two observations, though: First, Agendas and Principles don’t necessarily require mechanic enforcement. And second, isn’t it already implicit in any game that players want a satisfying conclusion? No real need to spell it out.
Does this idea to create “endgame GM moves” conflict with the notion of playing to find out what happens or making the world feel real? Or is there a way to write an endgame GM move that respects the agenda?
I don’t think it necessarily does. It can certainly work in some games. PTA, for example, does force a structure to the game sessions and season and still that doesn’t conflict with its implicit Story Now gaming. What I think is that it’s not something that we need for every game out there. I don’t think end-game mechanics is some requirement of RPGs that is missing from the hobby. Instead, it should be done on a case by case basis, if it fits the particular style of a game.
Also, in a game that is so player-centric, are we sure that a GM move is best? Why not a player move instead?
Could work. Depends on the game. Same answer as above.
Good questions.
If I’m allowed to talk about my own game, The Watch has a scripted sequence of moves for when the last mission is finished and it’s time for the final battle.
Of course, we borrowed having a mission list and campaign structure from Night Witches.
keep your eyes peeled for the sword, the crown and the unspeakable power that game has “end-of-season moves” that do exactly what you’re asking for
Yep, those are probably all good examples of “this works in my game given what I’m trying to achieve with its design”. My point is just that this isn’t an universal problem with RPGs that needs a solution.
By the way, “PTA” in my post above stands for Primetime Adventures, not Powered by the Apocalypse, just in case someone was confused.
Thanks all for the responses!
Eric Nieudan – These line up with some things that worked for me when I wrapped up a game of Urban Shadows. Other useful variants may include show an enemy eliminate someone known (even another enemy, if you need to simplify things and show just how scary the other is) and deliver thanks and rewards from an ally (depending on whether your game is a good fit for a Star Wars medal awarding ceremony).
Anna Kreider & Matthew Doughty – I’ll have to check out your games. Thanks for the tip!
Kirk Foote – I think of MC moves as prompts for “best practices” responses when players look to me to see what happens next. I like them because if I feel stuck, I can quickly glance down at a list of moves and get an idea of what to do next. I think if you’re used to GMing other games, a lot of what you do intuitively will happen to match a move, but glancing at or internalizing each game’s particular MC moves will help make sure every response you offer moves the story somewhere. They also help make sure you avoid worst practices in GMing: Since I started paying attention to these, I’ve avoided goofball GMing mistakes like lapsing into NPC exposition, then pausing as I realize the players are waiting for me to respond to myself with another NPC.