So, I’m not super experienced with PbtA, but I am super experienced with laziness. I seat-of-my-pants, hand-wave created a custom move for setting up an ambush because I wasn’t sure how to give my players some mechanical benefit for the planning they were starting to do fictionally… and to tell the truth, I didn’t want to sit through them debating ambush minutia all night that might end up going out the window once $#!+ hit the fan when I could start the combat right away and back load the ambush.
I had them decide who was the lynch pin of the plan and had that person roll+INT. The others could roll to aid if they committed to a stratagem that they would implement in the ambush. It mimicked Defend, except I let them spend the hold to do something cool/useful in the combat.
So I feel like I should actually formalize it. I have this so far, but would love some help to improve it:
When you spend time setting up plans for an ambush, roll+INT: on a 10+, Hold 3; on a 7-9, Hold 1. During the ambush, spend Hold 1 for 1 to pick one
**interrupt the fiction to tell how your plan mitigates a tight spot
**set up a ploy to automatically Defy Danger that takes advantage of the current situation
**retcon the fiction to allow you to trigger a move
Those were essentially the three things they did in general.
For the first, the Ranger was faux-tied up to the back of the Druid shape-shifted into a donkey. The ruse went sideways, and the Ranger who had just been stabbed and was about to get thrown to the side as the Druid took bear form spent a Hold to avoid the damage and neatly roll to her feet armed with her bow because they had practiced the dismount.
For the second, a group of brigands was marching into the trading post the party had agreed to defend, so their concealed pit trap at the fort’s entrance automatically worked instead of them needing to roll Defy Danger.
For the third, the Ranger wanted to Call a Shot instead of just Volley but the brigands had already noticed their companions in trouble and were looking around warily as they advanced, so she spent Hold to say that she timed some rapid, precise shots to go off as the bandits’ horses and wagon collapsed into the pit so she would have had surprise.
Thoughts on wording? On if I let them get away with too much?
Well my first thought is those are extremely powerful options you are giving them there. Second thought is there is a move in dungeon world for preparation if I recall. A certain amount of times grant you preparation which can be spent to give any roll +1. I think any party member can spend it as well.
Well my first thought is those are extremely powerful options you are giving them there. Second thought is there is a move in dungeon world for preparation if I recall. A certain amount of times grant you preparation which can be spent to give any roll +1. I think any party member can spend it as well.
I wouldn’t say that I’d use it anytime there is an ambush, e.g. Fraser Simons makes some good point about prep. However, it’s a really cool one off in a session (or even a special move for a con or one-shot game). And even though Fraser says “powerful”, I’d say the consequences of a 6- can be brutal, as they aren’t just one persons failed roll… they kind of inform the entire party’s failure in the ambush.
I wouldn’t say that I’d use it anytime there is an ambush, e.g. Fraser Simons makes some good point about prep. However, it’s a really cool one off in a session (or even a special move for a con or one-shot game). And even though Fraser says “powerful”, I’d say the consequences of a 6- can be brutal, as they aren’t just one persons failed roll… they kind of inform the entire party’s failure in the ambush.
Well, you all know DW far more than me, that’s for sure. So you would know, but from my perception, retconning something when to do it you do it feels strange. Also, automatically defying danger is bypassing the dice.. I don’t like that. Are you playing to find out what happens when they’re aware they can bypass and retcon things, the fiction shouldn’t be fluid after moves should have been triggered and fiction followed imho.
If you don’t want to take away from the whole party with a 6- for an ambush, why not build up what everyone is doing and when each move triggers for them, cut to the next member doing their thing and then have the last person to roll and trigger a move crescendo down into each scene as such with people spending hold from their prep as needed.
Well, you all know DW far more than me, that’s for sure. So you would know, but from my perception, retconning something when to do it you do it feels strange. Also, automatically defying danger is bypassing the dice.. I don’t like that. Are you playing to find out what happens when they’re aware they can bypass and retcon things, the fiction shouldn’t be fluid after moves should have been triggered and fiction followed imho.
If you don’t want to take away from the whole party with a 6- for an ambush, why not build up what everyone is doing and when each move triggers for them, cut to the next member doing their thing and then have the last person to roll and trigger a move crescendo down into each scene as such with people spending hold from their prep as needed.
I really like the concept of spending hold to help an ambush go your way during the fight. It’s got that mad swashbuckling element to it that is perfect for epic fantasy.
I’ll admit i’m also a little nervous about the auto succeeding defy danger and the retconing fiction, I think for my game I would tweak it to:
When you lay an ambush for your foes, declare for how long you prepare for and roll+WIS: on a 12+, Hold 3; 10+, Hold 2; on a 7-9, Hold 1.
Spend Hold [1 for 1] any time during the fight to describe to the GM how your earlier preparations were spent and what it is you have readied for your unsuspecting foes.
But in all honesty I really like your move, it’s very much in the spirit of playing to find out what happens.
I really like the concept of spending hold to help an ambush go your way during the fight. It’s got that mad swashbuckling element to it that is perfect for epic fantasy.
I’ll admit i’m also a little nervous about the auto succeeding defy danger and the retconing fiction, I think for my game I would tweak it to:
When you lay an ambush for your foes, declare for how long you prepare for and roll+WIS: on a 12+, Hold 3; 10+, Hold 2; on a 7-9, Hold 1.
Spend Hold [1 for 1] any time during the fight to describe to the GM how your earlier preparations were spent and what it is you have readied for your unsuspecting foes.
But in all honesty I really like your move, it’s very much in the spirit of playing to find out what happens.
Maybe retcon is the wrong word, which is why I gave the example and was asking for a way to polish the wording.
What I was trying to evoke was that thing from the show Leverage (which they implemented nicely in the Cortex+ game adaptation as a resource expenditure) where they are faced with some crazy obstacle, but then there is a blue-tinted flash back that shows how they had already planned something which compensated for it, and they overcome the thing. In my game, their ruse went sideways, and the Druid needed to shape-shift from donkey to bear to deal with bad guys, so I was going to say that the Ranger gets bucked off and would take some damage. They interrupted to ask if they could spend Hold to say they had practiced for that moment because the Ranger was always going to need to get down at some point. I said sure, it used up a valuable resource, the players got to narrate some cool imagery, but ultimately it saved her from a d6 damage and bring prone.
Is that too powerful? Maybe the wording can be changed to scale back the potential power while still allowing that circumstance to work.
Maybe retcon is the wrong word, which is why I gave the example and was asking for a way to polish the wording.
What I was trying to evoke was that thing from the show Leverage (which they implemented nicely in the Cortex+ game adaptation as a resource expenditure) where they are faced with some crazy obstacle, but then there is a blue-tinted flash back that shows how they had already planned something which compensated for it, and they overcome the thing. In my game, their ruse went sideways, and the Druid needed to shape-shift from donkey to bear to deal with bad guys, so I was going to say that the Ranger gets bucked off and would take some damage. They interrupted to ask if they could spend Hold to say they had practiced for that moment because the Ranger was always going to need to get down at some point. I said sure, it used up a valuable resource, the players got to narrate some cool imagery, but ultimately it saved her from a d6 damage and bring prone.
Is that too powerful? Maybe the wording can be changed to scale back the potential power while still allowing that circumstance to work.
So it wasn’t retconning a roll, but a potential roll. Same thing with the Defy Danger. Prior to the roll, I basically said they could roll and save their hold, or use up the resource they had generated with a roll to not require one.
So I guess you could say that my goal was to create a resource where they have to evaluate the value of spending a limited, non replenishable resource vs. leaving things to the potential consequences of luck.
So it wasn’t retconning a roll, but a potential roll. Same thing with the Defy Danger. Prior to the roll, I basically said they could roll and save their hold, or use up the resource they had generated with a roll to not require one.
So I guess you could say that my goal was to create a resource where they have to evaluate the value of spending a limited, non replenishable resource vs. leaving things to the potential consequences of luck.