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Come, give us a hand!

(edit to add: put comments here or on the original post, as you choose)

Originally shared by Jeremy Strandberg

If you’re familiar with both Dungeon World and Apocalypse World, you might have noticed a difference in their “GM/MC” chapters: in Dungeon World, the GM moves are described but given no examples. In Apocalypse World, the GM moves are named, not really described, but instead they are demonstrated almost entirely with examples.

I think newer DW GMs sometimes struggle with visualizing how those GM moves might manifest at the table. So let’s collaborate on a list of 2-4 examples for each basic and dungeon GM move.

As a reminder, here are the GM’s moves in DW:

“*BASIC*” GM MOVES

● Use a monster, danger, or location move

● Reveal an unwelcome truth

● Show signs of an approaching threat

● Deal damage Hurt them (https://goo.gl/PS7wVN)

● Use up their resources

● Turn their move back on them

● Separate them

● Give an opportunity that fits a class’ abilities

● Show a downside to their class, race, or equipment

● Offer an opportunity, with or without cost

● Put someone in a spot

● Tell them the requirements or consequences and ask

DUNGEON MOVES

● Change the environment

● Point to a looming threat

● Introduce a new faction or type of creature

● Use a threat from an existing faction or type of creature

● Make them backtrack

● Present riches at a price

● Present a challenge to one of the characters

Put your examples in the comments, with both the name of the GM move and the example. Make the examples short and sweet, ideally 50 words or less, definitely no more than 100.

Let’s try to get a range of soft, medium, and hard moves for each. If we can get enough good ones, I’ll curate this into a nice formal doc.