So we had our 3rd session tonight, and it was the best yet, but at the end we kinda muddled through some battle confusion.

We were using the optional moves for the first time, and from this gang-on-gang warfare a couple questions sprang:

1. In a Battle (with the optional countdown in play), can a gangleader use his gang as a weapon for one move and with the next move use his very favorite gun or whatever?

2. In a Battle (with the optional countdown in play), can you keep using the basic moves in addition to the Battle moves? I very much suspect the answer to this is yes, but I'm a little unsure.

3. How would you resolve this without going to the Battle moves: two gangs face off (seize by force roll), each does 1-harm to the other; people are injured, some serious. The fight ain't over, is it? I didn't know what to do in play, so I switched over to the optional battle moves and said they were at 9:00 and had two moves left. This worked great, but I'm wondering if there's something else I could have done. Hrm, I suppose I could've just used an MC move, like, "There's a momentary pause in the gunfire, and Lars levels a sawed-off at you and narrows his eyes. What do you do?" Makes sense.

Also: It's hard to stat up gangs on the fly and have the players feel the numbers are fair!

Since I posted this I've found it very helpful to go through the basic MC moves and jot down a little thought for every one--how might I use this one if they open their brain and miss? It was easy to come up with great stuff with time to think. I'm sure I'll use some of the things I wrote down, but really they're more for if I get stuck/ to springboard me into doing it extemporaneously.

After reading through the Hocus stuff again, I'm just gonna tell my guy that his surplus Barter doesn't roll over every session. I mean, the surplus Violence doesn't, so why should the Barter, right? It seems the most intuitive interpretation of the rules.

Sometimes people I play with could be a little hesitant to make their characters vulnerable- when I ask questions they arn´t in love with any one, they don´t depend on or believe in anything special- not that much anyway. They seem to want to stay in control of their characters. I´m not sure if I should adress this question or just think that they are playing their characters- who keep themselves safe in this fucking unsafe world.

I dunno, man. If I asked, "who do you depend on?" And they said "no one," I'd look at them like. Dude. Weak. To me dodging & shooting other players' ideas down like that sucks, and should be talked about. But you & your group may be different.

Another suggestion for your Hocus player: Have him read the brief Hocus intro (if he did already, ignore this suggestion) on page 98, and see if that's what he thought he was in for:

Hocuses have cult followers the way choppers have gangs. They're strange, social, public, and compelling. If you want to sway mobs, play a hocus. Warning: things are going to come looking for you. Being a cult leader means having to deal with your fucking cult.

Nathan, have you guys played again? How did it go with the Fronts?

In my game we always use the Harm move, and if it's Harm-0 or less we sometimes use it, dictated by if the situation seems to call for it (primarily as judged by me as MC).

Tell them the possible consequences, and ask.

"You sure you want to kill Dremmer's son? I mean, he's gonna be after you until the end of the end of days, if you do. And wouldn't that be just what you need, Mr. Operator Sir, yet another thing on your plate, if you catch my not so subtle 'this will be a new obligation gig' drift?"

Can it happen like this even if the PC's not an operator?

Cal's advice is good.

But please don't take 2 hours to set up. 15-30 minutes is plenty.

yeah, it's hard for me to understand how it could take 2 hours. Unless you're, like, playing Universalis before as world creation.