That’s what you are. Moves are what you do.
Basic Moves
- Traverse
- Take a Risk
- Struggle
- Encamp
- Contact
Traverse
When you Traverse, you’re crossing unknown areas, like a thorny wilderness or a city district. You might want movement or knowledge, but it’s both.
One person rolls +Traverse, they are leading the group. If another person rolls they’re moving separately from the group, with all the dangers that entails.
On a hit ask 3, on a weak hit ask 1:
- How is this place changing?
- What are the cycles of this place when it’s in equilibrium?
- What will help me survive here?
- What’s my best route past/through?
- What’s interesting but off the path?
- What’s the most dangerous thing here?
The MC will tell you how far you’ve traveled.
on a miss, ask the MC “Did we attract unwanted attention, or go the wrong way? Did we miss something?” and the MC makes a move.
Take a risk
When you take a risk you’re defying danger or digging in to endure danger.
10+ you do it, avoiding the danger or cost. In addition, ask one of these, as appropriate:
- What’s my true opponent here?
- How was this made? / What’s the source of this?
- what is the weak spot or best position to take here?
- What have we been overlooking about this?
7-9 you slip, hesitate or stall. The MC will offer you a worse outcome, a hard bargain, or an ugly choice.
On a miss, you’ve exposed yourself to additional risk or cost, so prepare for the worst. The MC makes a move.
Struggle
When you Struggle, you’re wrestling with a creature, trying to get above a landslide, or fending off a stinging swarm. It’s not pretty.
On a strong hit, you can choose 2:
- deal harm as established
- avoid harm
- get in a better position
- Ask a question
- What does it intend to do?
- how can I get it to…?
- ?
On a weak hit, choose 1 and ask what else happens. The MC may ask you about the options you wished you could choose. The MC makes a move.
On a miss, prepare for the worst. The MC makes a move.
Camp
When you camp, you’re resting together as a group, letting people recuperate. This can be done in any environment so long as the group is reasonably safe.
Like traverse, one person rolls for the group. This is whoever is handling the most watches, or who is tending to the others. If only one person takes watch, they take 1 stress (or 2 on the second night, or 3 on the third).
On a strong hit, we’ve recovered. Players who weren’t on watch can turn a damage into a stress. Everyone can then eliminate 1 stress. Ask the MC if the rest was uneventful (it probably was).
On a weak hit, it’s as a strong hit except each player has to roll a die before improving damage or eliminating stress. If they roll 1-3 then there is no effect. Ask the MC if the rest was uneventful (it might have been).
On a miss, prepare for the worst. The MC makes a move and your rest will probably be interrupted.
Communicate
When you Communicate you’re trying to get your ideas across to someone who has different culture, language, and biology. You may not feel like it, but you are incredibly good at this.
On a strong hit, you get your idea across and create good conditions for their response. You can converse, sort of, and you can build on this later. Ask the MC 1 question about how to communicate with them.
On a weak hit, the main point gets through, more or less. They misinterpret you in some aspect and their response is confused or garbled.
On a miss, you’ve been significantly misunderstood, or caused unintentional offence. Prepare for the worst. The MC makes a move.
