Gauntlet Con Panel: GMing PbtA questions needed

#1


The Gauntlet community plays tons of RPGs that are Powered by the Apocalypse (Apocalypse World, Dungeon World, Monsterhearts, and Masks A New Generation, to name a few). While each game has its own distinct rules and approaches, there are enough commonalities within the Apocalypse Engine to develop a toolbox to cover the core assumptions in PbtA RPGs. This panel will cover techniques for GMing PbtA games (or MCing them, if you prefer).

Our Panelists:

  • Marissa “MK” Kelly from Magpie Games, renowned con GM and award-winning designer of Epyllion and Bluebeard’s Bride, and more
  • Phil Vecchione from Encoded Designs, one of the original Gnome Stew authors, co-host of the Misdirected Mark and She’s a Super Geek podcasts, and designer of Hydro Hackers along with other RPGs
  • Rach Shelkey, con organizer, MCing pro and co-host of the lauded +1 Forward, a podcast powered by the apocalypse

This panel will air LIVE on YouTube on Friday, October 25th at 8 PM Eastern.

Gauntlet Community, what questions do YOU have about GMing PbtA games? Let us know here and I’ll stick them in our planning document.

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#2

When running Epyllion or PBTA games like it that don’t actually have the possibility of PC death, how do you build that same tension and sense of danger that you get in more lethal games like D&D or CoC?

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#3

How do you decide when to swing hard with a GM/MC move?

How often do you rely on NPCs’ unique moves, e.g. a Villain’s moves in Masks or a monster move in Dungeon World?

How can I learn to work more positive-outcome moves into my GMing/MCing?

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#4

Moves are designed to snowball, which can make it feel like the players never have a moment to catch their breath. How do you create times with less tension without ignoring moves entirely?

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#5

What advice do you have for incorporating PbtA Moves and Principals into more traditional RPGs like D&D?

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#6

I’m discovering the utility (at least in short run games) of using montages and leading questions to “fast forward” action to near a point of climax. How legit is that as a go-to PbtA technique, and how can I make it work best for players and characters?

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#7

I’ve got the same question, especially when your players are rolling 6- one after the other. I’ve been MCing a recent action game (Daylight Robbery) and they rolled miss after miss (something like 10-12 rolls).
At some point, it was hard to come up with new moves to complicate their lives, and since in this game you should not kill the PCs before the Heist clock expires (no harm, wounds are just flavor if the clock is still running), I could not come up with something that hard.

Actually, I’m wondering: since you’re not forced to make the hardest move you can think of, can you somehow help the PCs even though they rolled a miss? I’m thinking help with a later cost (betrayal or something) or something like that? Any other ideas?

Will this panel also land in the +1 Forward podcast (that I love so much)?

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#8

Great questions, I hope the panel explores them!

My own two cents: Most PbtA games have a move of the format “offer an opportunity, with or without cost” and I think that’s totally legit to use in response to a miss—dangle a big chance for the characters, with a mental note to have them pay big for it sooner or later as appropriate.

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#9

Not sure if it’s too late or if I’m double-dipping, but:

A common criticism I’ve heard regarding PbtA games vs. trad games is that they’re less suited towards long-term campaigns. What’s the longest running PbtA game you have run, and do you have suggestions for those who want to run a long-term campaign?

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