Custom moves and lists

  • 7 Replies
  • 4506 Views
Custom moves and lists
« on: May 06, 2014, 03:30:08 AM »
Hi,

I would like to know if it is generally a better idea to have several custom moves instead of one "catch-all" custom move with many outcomes?

In general, is having more custom moves less confusing that having fewer custom moves that you have to look up every time you do it?

And lastly, when you read a situation, you get a list of questions - but it seems like they are guide lines only, meaning you can ask something that falls within those guidelines. How strictly do you have to follow the result lists - can you pick something new if it makes sense within the fiction and the context is appropriate?

Thanks.

Re: Custom moves and lists
« Reply #1 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.").
Looking for a playbook? Check out my page!
http://nerdwerds.blogspot.com/2012/12/all-of-playbooks.html

Re: Custom moves and lists
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2014, 07:07:08 AM »
Oh yeah, and custom moves?
I think this is a MC preference thing. I rarely make a custom move for anything unless I want to highlight something for the players, or I have a "boss" NPC who I think should require a little effort to take out. When one of my friends MCs she writes at least one custom move for every threat, and another friend of mine writes 2 to 3 custom moves for every location, major NPC, and session.
Looking for a playbook? Check out my page!
http://nerdwerds.blogspot.com/2012/12/all-of-playbooks.html

*

As If

  • 142
Re: Custom moves and lists
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2014, 08:07:56 AM »
Totally up to your style.  Myself I tend to create custom moves for dangerous and "climactic" locations (kinda leaning on DW there).  But my favorite place to use them is in Love Letters.  This ties the last session to the coming one in a firm but flexible way, and helps announce that the game is commencing - look, you already have dice in your hand!
« Last Edit: May 06, 2014, 10:48:34 AM by As If »

Re: Custom moves and lists
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2014, 08:51:16 AM »
Thank you for your extensive reply - I gotta say, this forum is excellent! People are willing to help, beyond what is expected elsewhere. I don't think I have seen a forum with so much support.

Re: Custom moves and lists
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2014, 08:52:48 AM »
Thank you for your extensive reply - I gotta say, this forum is excellent! People are willing to help, beyond what is expected elsewhere. I don't think I have seen a forum with so much support.

Re: Custom moves and lists
« Reply #6 on: May 07, 2014, 10:03:19 AM »
I would like to know if it is generally a better idea to have several custom moves instead of one "catch-all" custom move with many outcomes?

My guideline is to do custom moves only for things I am personally really interested in. And then have enough and sufficiently varying outcomes so that I really cannot guess in advance what the players are going to pick.

*

Munin

  • 417
Re: Custom moves and lists
« Reply #7 on: May 07, 2014, 03:25:46 PM »
For custom moves, I tend to use them for elements of the environment or setting with which the PCs are likely to interact in a way that is dangerous, interesting, or advances the story.  They should be cleanly applied, easy to interpret, have well-defined triggers, and have concrete mechanical or fictional effects.
There's no point making a custom move for something that's never going to happen, and custom moves shouldn't be created as an excuse to punish the PCs.

I find that in a lot of cases, the easiest and most useful baseline is to simply make use of act under fire.  So for instance, your custom move could be, "any time you travel in the Ash Wastes after dark, you are doing so under fire."  So if my character is caught out in the Ash Wastes and trying to get back to the hardhold after nightfall, I'll have to roll+Cool.  On a 10+, I make it back, no worries.  On a 7-9, something has gone wrong, and the MC is going to offer me a worse outcome, a hard bargain, or an ugly choice.  On a miss, something bad is going to happen and the MC is going to make the appropriate hard move.

This act under fire mechanic is beautifully open-ended, covers a staggering array of cases, and is probably one of the easiest ways to implement a custom move, especially one where the characters are interacting with a dangerous environment.  It also saves you the trouble of having to come up with lists if there are umpty-bajillion things that could go wrong.

When it comes to custom moves in which lists are involved, a good rule of thumb is that the options are all positive, and from them you pick 3 for a hit or 1 (maybe 2) for a partial.  Try not to make people pick more than three things, because it gets onerous and time consuming - remember, you want to keep the story moving.  Depending on the flexibility of the move, figure those picks come from 3 to 5 total options.

This is the general structure of many of the basic and playbook moves in AW, and there's a reason for that.  Things ranging from read a sitch to seize by force to pack alpha work this way.

On thing to consider (and it's something that tripped me up a little bit early on when doing custom moves) is the idea of complication versus opportunity.  By that I mean you should be asking yourself, "is this move intended to complicate the PCs' lives, or offer them an opportunity?"  Essentially, it's a question of whether 10+ is simply a success without complications (as it is when acting under fire) or whether a 10+ has some additional bonus.  Much of this is going to have to do with the overall level of difficulty or danger posed by the trigger for the custom move.  If something is really difficult or dangerous, then maybe limiting uncomplicated success to a 10+ is OK.  But if something is less difficult or dangerous, maybe you use the 10+ option to throw in an opportunity for the player, something extra they get for rolling well.

So for instance, if you want to keep the structure of act under fire but still offer an opportunity maybe your custom move becomes, "any time you travel in the Ash Wastes after dark, you are doing so under fire.  Additionally, on a 10+, you find some mature Night Blossom during your travels (+1 barter)."  Now there's a reason to travel in the Ash Wastes after dark, which will encourage players to do it, which will in turn increase your chances of being able to complicate their lives.

Just remember that the best custom moves are simple and straightforward.