PBTA Wind of Change GM Move

#1

To be used

  1. When the environment around the players is changing
  2. They have little ability to direct its outcome
  3. You want to play to find out.

Some examples might be a clash between armies, civil unrest within a city, or even an oncoming hurricane.

Before the players’ actions, pick three different outcomes for the environment, one for each result: 6-, 7-9 and 10+.

During play, tally the results of every 2d6 die roll as 6-, 7-9 and 10+. Record the direct results, before any modifiers are applied.

After the scene has come to an end, look at the tally to guide you in describing the environment’s outcome.

When assigning outcomes to die rolls, it’s helpful to remember the base probabilities

2d6 Percentage
6- 41.7%
7-9 41.7%
10+ 16.6%

An example: Pleasure and Pain in the City

Two cults have pervaded the city and are often at each other’s throats. Tonight, the tensions have boiled over into a full-scale riot.

During the chaos, the characters are attempting to find and rescue a captured secret agent. Despite what the characters accomplish, what happens to the city?

Tally Outcome
6- Pain cult overruns the city
7-9 Pleasure cult overruns the city
10+ The city returns to order

The move is named after Wind of Change by The Scorpions, and it’s association with the Revolutions of 1989.

2 Likes
#2

A cute concept… but you need to consider what happens on a tie (which will be common).

A very promising idea, nevertheless - worth following up on.

An obvious alternative is just using one roll (e.g. the last roll in the scene) on a 2-12 scale, as a randomizer.

#3

You know, I bet I have encountered a tie, but just had the players continue the fiction until I had a result. Not necessarily the best answer.

Another aspect to further flesh out, is the clock-like mechanism. In the past, the players know I’m tracking the results. They know something is coming, and that has elevated the tension for them–even though they didn’t know what it pertained to.