PbtA game without structured basic moves?

#1

I’m writing a PbtA game and am looking at removing/rewording the Basic Moves to just be attribute checks. By that I mean, the player says what they’re doing, and we pick an appropriate attribute for the roll without having a list of things like Defy Danger or Hack n Slash. This looks to me like how Basic Moves more or less already operate (Defy Danger can be different attributes, etc), so I’m looking at abstracting the moves down a step to start at just the attributes instead of pick a move, then pick an attribute.

For context, this game is emulating some OSR style game design where attribute checks are how the majority of dice rolls are handled.

Is anyone familiar with some PbtA games that do something like I’m talking about?

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#2

I would certainly suggest taking a look at World of Dungeons since it does exactly what you are talking about and could be argued to be more “OSR” (vis-a-vis rules lite-ness) than most OSR systems.

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#3

As @shane said, WoDu does exactly that. However, it also cuts away character moves, which I am not sure if you want…

…but, the awesome thing about WoDu is that is easy to hack and/or expand if you need a little more oomph. Adding playbook moves to it would not be an issue.

If you want to see what’s already out there, check this awesome thread:

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#4

Awesome, thanks. I’ll check it out!

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#5

The latest VSCA games use the Soft Horizon system and while it diverges substantially from PbtA games, removing structured moves was an early design choice to get a more OSR feel from an ostensibly narrative game. I’m proud of it – it avoids many pain points I have with games and has me acting creatively exactly where I want to.

The SRD is on itch as is the first iteration, The King Machine. Hardcopy can be had at DTRPG or Lulu.

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#6

Thanks, checking it out. Have a coffee on me.

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#7

I can really use the coffee; thanks. :smiley:

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#8

Both The Veil and Hearts of Wulin, once you’ve triggered a move, have you choose the stat that is most relevant and then roll. This approach encourages the player to describe/depict why the stat is appropriate in that case.

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