I’m excited that the Friday night group has requested that my next GM slot be Uncharted Worlds. I’m looking forward to seeing how I fare with a really elegant PbtA designed game.
I’ve only run Dungeon World a couple of times, so I’m still finding my feet with the approach. So, some questions if I may? I’ll start with one bit that I don’t get so well
If a group of adventurers get into a firefight, say with a couple of ‘threats’. I get that the fiction leads the telling of events, but when it comes to moves, how do I keep all the players engaged in the action and who gets to roll ‘Open Fire’? Is that by using ‘Get Involved’?
Thanks
My impression is open fire is not required to have another move to set it up if the narrative allows. Basically, don’t worry about the moves, have the player narrate what they want to do and you decide what move that is. Then roll dice.
typically Moves shouldn’t require another Move:- they are supposed to be stand alone rule blocks, called on by a question presented by the fiction, and point right back to the fiction with an answer… or The Conversation, as VB expresses it.
As such; Open Fire is a little more aggressive in it’s wording, than Go Aggro or Seize by Force… and with reason; VB has said on a few occasions, that you don’t really want your players to explicitly say;
“I am going to use [insert move] on [insert target] because, i have that ability.”
like they are superpowers… but, then conversely he has said that the moves are worded such that they can be phrased in a sentence, appropriately, and at times should be.
AW players might say something ambiguous, like;
“I am going to Seize, my safety in the corridor, from the shock troopers, By Force, even if it kills me…”;- -rolls, and hands the conversation back to the MC, with the desired conditions by which the MC is to respond.
UW seems to be a little more direct, and expect comments like;
“I am going to step ’round the corner and Open Fire on the shock troopers, in a surprise maneuver, as I roll into the next room for cover…”;- -then rolls, calls the die result, and waits for the MC to decide what conditions are applicable, and respond accordingly.
of course, the results is mechanically and fictionally similar in both cases, and a roll of 10+ still means a simple;
“…and you do! and… here is what happens next…”
Never (strong word that, lets consider it a stern guideline rather than a strict demand) let a Move interrupt The Conversation… or call another Move… is my simple advice.
Ask who is “on point” — that person rolls Open Fire. Everyone is following that person’s lead.
If there are multiple Threats, the PCs can divide and conquer, Opening Fire (or otherwise coping with) against multiple Threats.
If the situation warrants, players can use Get Involved to assist one another as you suggest — one person firing, another person leaping in for the assist.
There is no wrong way so rest easy. Just resist the trap of usin PbtA Moves as action menus. You don’t want it front loaded. The easiest way to think it through is to be telling the story at the table. If the story can’t be credibly continued I.e. There is uncertainty as to who/what/when/why and especially HOW the bust out the dice … You know your looking for the break points in the roll < , 7-9, 10+ And you know the moves ...more or less ... So then you use your knowledge of the move to aid you in moving the story on. There are recorded sessions you can watch of Vincent Baker and co playing here I'm sure that will help http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NcanVthL8A&sns=em
So there are a couple of ways things can shake out in a multi-character firefight.
One is that you provide enough targets for each character directly involved. If there are three characters in the situation against a dozen guards, split the guards into three groups. Preferably, each guard group will have its own agenda (ex: flanking, calling reinforcements, stealing the Quest Item, starting up the hover-tank) so the characters will have to choose between going after their own targets, or Getting Involved with each other to help out. This scenario will likely end up with someone getting hurt; it’s a complicated, hectic firefight with threats coming in from all sides.
The other situation is to have a very tough single threat, like a heavily fortified check point in a space station. The first character to declare their hostile shooty action is called to make an Open Fire. The others are free to assist through Get Involved, approach the problem from a different angle should this one fail, or do something else. This scenario is more akin to most Space Opera movies, where several characters are each tackling their own objectives simultaneously (Luke duels his father while Leia is chased on a speeder. Later Leia Accesses the shield while Han keeps watch while Chewie Launches Assault on the guards, etc))
One player will Open Fire on the advancing ground guards with a WidePulse DeckClearer Pistol, another in an elevated position will Open Fire on some air targets with a RaptorAutoGyro ElectromagneticRifle… a third player makes an Assessment of strategic safe evac routes and optimal tactical fallback positions, of all engaged groups, using a MiliAppSec CombatOps MobileProcessor… next to a fourth who will Open Fire on… some suspicious looking vending machines, with a shotgun… ‘sorry, gut reaction… they looked like tasty targets…’
Thanks all for consistent illumination. I’ll rest easy as advised and see how we flow.
For me when I’ve been running con games I’ve had everybody roll and then have them pass narration around the table, maybe saying things like “don’t forget to narrate how you slip before passing it on”
I’ve had some amazing battle sequences play out, round the table, even with one player getting a 6- and them narrating a real blooper (shooting fuel cells in a major star port in the hanger they were fighting in, blowing himself out onto the landing strip is one that comes to mind)