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« on: May 06, 2014, 06:55:48 AM »
When you read a situation or read a person, you should use the questions provided. There's an improvement that advances moves, and the advanced versions of those moves would be useless if you just allowed any question to be asked.
That being said, the questions can open up answers that the players might not have been looking for.
"where’s my best escape route / way in / way past?" is pretty direct but it allows you to frame some action. If the player is on a higher floor, the best way in might be through an air vent, the best escape route might be the window, the best way past might involve causing a distraction. The options are there for the player to choose how they frame the question, but then the answer is up to the MC.
"which enemy is most vulnerable to me?" and "which enemy is the biggest threat?" are direct questions that require honest answers. If you're players are going up against a gang, or even a small group of thugs, you will likely have an idea of who is the toughest, who is the leader, and who is the runt. This gives you details to share and it gives the players options.
"what should I be on the lookout for?" is an open-ended question that could have a complex answer. It is basically a way for you, as the MC, to barf forth apocalyptica or announce future badness. The answer to a question could be direct and plain ("You are being followed by Crank, he's waiting for you to be alone so he can attack you.") or you could be suggestive and obscure ("You're being followed by someone, you might be able to figure out who it is if you doubleback or try to find a secluded spot."). Even if the player shouldn't be on the lookout for anything, when a player asks the question it gives you an opportunity to introduce a threat or give the player information about the closest one.
"what’s my enemy’s true position?" is useful in two ways, the player might be looking for an ambush ("The shots are coming from behind the faded billboard.") or you might have an NPC who is bluffing ("She has no stake in your fight, she's just looking for a bribe."). You can interpret the question either way, but only if it's interesting and useful to the player asking.
"who’s in control here?" is my favorite question because it tells the player who has the upper hand, and if the fighting is going well for the players then a lot of times the answer is simply "You are!" But again, this is an information gathering question, and if an NPC has an ace up their sleeve then you owe it to the asking player to answer honestly ("Cousin has lost a lot of men to your guns but he's smiling about something, he is clearly in control here.").