I wrote up this DW move in prep for my next session and was wondering if I could get some critiques of it:
Funeral Oratory
When you stand before a group of assembled mourners and speak of the grievously departed, roll +CHA. On a 10+ choose 2, on a 7-9 choose 1. On a miss you slight the memory of the departed and suffer the community’s wrath.
-You assuage your own guilt
-You help the community grieve
-You impress the community with your rhetorical skill
-You bring the spirits of the dead to rest
Take +1 forward acting on the results.
Interesting move! I don’t know if I would require a roll to see if a player chose to make their character continue to feel guilty or not. I like the rest of it a lot!
Interesting move! I don’t know if I would require a roll to see if a player chose to make their character continue to feel guilty or not. I like the rest of it a lot!
I like it. I don’t see the point of the +1 forward as it seems all the options are final. also do you get +1 forward on any roll (the 6- is the only one that seems to lead towards conflict.) or is it implied that the un-chosen options cause problems (you put the spirit to rest but now people suspect you) and you take +1 against that?
I like it. I don’t see the point of the +1 forward as it seems all the options are final. also do you get +1 forward on any roll (the 6- is the only one that seems to lead towards conflict.) or is it implied that the un-chosen options cause problems (you put the spirit to rest but now people suspect you) and you take +1 against that?
Thanks for the feedback!
Daniel Fowler Yes my idea was that the unchosen options cause problems and also that the player can parley the options they chose into situations where they could use the +1 forward. I’m also a bit on the fence about giving +1 forward so that’s good to know. Do you think I should make it explicit that the unchosen options have consequences?
David LaFreniere I was trying to highlight how personal feelings can differ from group feelings in this kind of situation with that. I hope it’s not too prescriptive of RP.
Thanks for the feedback!
Daniel Fowler Yes my idea was that the unchosen options cause problems and also that the player can parley the options they chose into situations where they could use the +1 forward. I’m also a bit on the fence about giving +1 forward so that’s good to know. Do you think I should make it explicit that the unchosen options have consequences?
David LaFreniere I was trying to highlight how personal feelings can differ from group feelings in this kind of situation with that. I hope it’s not too prescriptive of RP.
Interesting! You don’t need the +1 Forward. The fictional outcomes of the move seem fairly strong as-is, and you’re just inviting a weird conversation about what it means to “follow-up” on those results.
Interesting! You don’t need the +1 Forward. The fictional outcomes of the move seem fairly strong as-is, and you’re just inviting a weird conversation about what it means to “follow-up” on those results.
Jason Cordova Thanks! I’m still new at writing PbtA moves so that helps a lot!
Jason Cordova Thanks! I’m still new at writing PbtA moves so that helps a lot!
I think it is normally implied from these sort of moves that not picking an option is opening yourself up to consequences. though many times in that case you get to pick all of them on a 10+. That is not to say you have too. some moves are dangerous / difficult no mater how you roll. often there is one option that is explicitly bad unless you chose it like “you do not set off the trap”
I’m interested in the circumstances, speaking at a funeral is not something i see in a lot of DW games.
I think it is normally implied from these sort of moves that not picking an option is opening yourself up to consequences. though many times in that case you get to pick all of them on a 10+. That is not to say you have too. some moves are dangerous / difficult no mater how you roll. often there is one option that is explicitly bad unless you chose it like “you do not set off the trap”
I’m interested in the circumstances, speaking at a funeral is not something i see in a lot of DW games.
“Do you think I should make it explicit that the unchosen options have consequences?” Kyle Thompson​ Yes, as a general rule I don’t like secrets at the table. Also I think whenever possible a GM should let the players know the stakes before they roll.
“Do you think I should make it explicit that the unchosen options have consequences?” Kyle Thompson​ Yes, as a general rule I don’t like secrets at the table. Also I think whenever possible a GM should let the players know the stakes before they roll.
If you want to make it clear that the unchosen options have consequences (and I think that you should make it clear), then try something like this:
-You assuage your own guilt (otherwise, your guilt plagues you)
-You help the community grieve (otherwise, they fall to bickering and blaming)
-You bring the spirits of the dead to rest (otherwise, at least some of them linger and haunt the living)
-You impress the community with your rhetorical skill (???)
That last one (“impress the community”) strikes me as out of place. It’s the only one that’s just a positive, without a negative result when not taken. Can you rework that?
….
With all that said… what would happen if no PCs stood up and spoke of the dead? Would all the un-selected things happen? (The PCs’ guilt would plague them? The town would fail to grieve? The dead would be unquiet? The town would be unimpressed?).
On a miss, do we assume that all the negatives occur (guilt, recrimination, unquiet dead)? If so, do you need “the town turns against you?” as a stated result? Should you also say “pick none”?
If one PC triggers this move and other PCs don’t… do we assume that they are still plagued with guilt?
I feel like this must be intended for a very specific funeral, at a very specific place and after very specific events that the PCs were involved in… events that the PCs feel guilty about. Yes? If not… the trigger is way too broad and the options are far too specific.
If you want to make it clear that the unchosen options have consequences (and I think that you should make it clear), then try something like this:
-You assuage your own guilt (otherwise, your guilt plagues you)
-You help the community grieve (otherwise, they fall to bickering and blaming)
-You bring the spirits of the dead to rest (otherwise, at least some of them linger and haunt the living)
-You impress the community with your rhetorical skill (???)
That last one (“impress the community”) strikes me as out of place. It’s the only one that’s just a positive, without a negative result when not taken. Can you rework that?
….
With all that said… what would happen if no PCs stood up and spoke of the dead? Would all the un-selected things happen? (The PCs’ guilt would plague them? The town would fail to grieve? The dead would be unquiet? The town would be unimpressed?).
On a miss, do we assume that all the negatives occur (guilt, recrimination, unquiet dead)? If so, do you need “the town turns against you?” as a stated result? Should you also say “pick none”?
If one PC triggers this move and other PCs don’t… do we assume that they are still plagued with guilt?
I feel like this must be intended for a very specific funeral, at a very specific place and after very specific events that the PCs were involved in… events that the PCs feel guilty about. Yes? If not… the trigger is way too broad and the options are far too specific.
Jeremy Strandberg i think the general answer to all those questions is “the gm decides what happens based on the fiction. they should probably pick one of the un-chosen options. same thing if no player uses the move or maybe just ignore it since no one seems interested. 6-s are usually left up to the gm but picking one from the list or having the town turn on the party are good options. I wouldn’t force each player to use the move but i might include them in the danger if its appropriate. they could also aid or interfere with the move.
I agree that the 3rd option is a little different then the others but might be useful if a player was using this speech as to gain favor. i just wouldn’t address it if it wasn’t chosen or use in on a failure like “what did you say or do that proved you were and oaf? or simpleton?”
Jeremy Strandberg i think the general answer to all those questions is “the gm decides what happens based on the fiction. they should probably pick one of the un-chosen options. same thing if no player uses the move or maybe just ignore it since no one seems interested. 6-s are usually left up to the gm but picking one from the list or having the town turn on the party are good options. I wouldn’t force each player to use the move but i might include them in the danger if its appropriate. they could also aid or interfere with the move.
I agree that the 3rd option is a little different then the others but might be useful if a player was using this speech as to gain favor. i just wouldn’t address it if it wasn’t chosen or use in on a failure like “what did you say or do that proved you were and oaf? or simpleton?”
The situation for the move is that one of the players is a fallen paladin of civilization who was exiled to a totally uncivilized plane by her god for failing her quest (The result of black gates). The party is trying to civilize the plane because 1) The former paladin wants to regain the favour of her god and 2) Her secretly chaotic companion was told by Death that civilizing this plane will somehow corrupt the god of civilization.
In the last session the party ended up fighting and killing a band of hobgoblin hunters and in this session their leader is going to come and ask for recompense for their deaths. Depending on how the players handle the situation I figured they MIGHT (I’m not going to railroad them) end up doing a funeral oratory and having a move for it would be a cool touch. Ultimately if they play their cards right the party might end up with some followers they can use to build their city.
Of course I never intended to spring hidden consequences on the party, I just thought it was implied by the conventions of PbtA that player choices are given weight because they can’t get everything they want and was going to explain that verbally to the players if they were confused. I might try a rewrite to make that more clear. The reason I didn’t phrase it in terms of negative consequences was because I wanted to emphasize player agency in choosing what goods they sought out of the situation as opposed to being purely reactive to the danger presented.
The situation for the move is that one of the players is a fallen paladin of civilization who was exiled to a totally uncivilized plane by her god for failing her quest (The result of black gates). The party is trying to civilize the plane because 1) The former paladin wants to regain the favour of her god and 2) Her secretly chaotic companion was told by Death that civilizing this plane will somehow corrupt the god of civilization.
In the last session the party ended up fighting and killing a band of hobgoblin hunters and in this session their leader is going to come and ask for recompense for their deaths. Depending on how the players handle the situation I figured they MIGHT (I’m not going to railroad them) end up doing a funeral oratory and having a move for it would be a cool touch. Ultimately if they play their cards right the party might end up with some followers they can use to build their city.
Of course I never intended to spring hidden consequences on the party, I just thought it was implied by the conventions of PbtA that player choices are given weight because they can’t get everything they want and was going to explain that verbally to the players if they were confused. I might try a rewrite to make that more clear. The reason I didn’t phrase it in terms of negative consequences was because I wanted to emphasize player agency in choosing what goods they sought out of the situation as opposed to being purely reactive to the danger presented.
sounds awesome
sounds awesome