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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 8025915" data-attributes="member: 6696971">[USER=16814]@Ovinomancer[/USER]That is a pretty sterling play example of Blades executed well.By "machinery of provocation" I just meant something like "describe what bothers you but in extreme detail."  Alright, let me break down the play excerpt from a GMing perspective.1)  He's framing the scene initially and notice how he "asks a provocative question (and uses/builds on the answer)"; "is the situation charged?"  The player responds "it is now."  This is a principle of PBtA games.  The GM frames the scenes, but you need to either be (a) soliciting players for input and using it (especially against them when you need to make a move) and/or (b) disclaiming decision-making to the dice with a lot of regularity.2)  The misdirect-principle guided move "Put Someone in a Spot" or "Tell The the Possible Consequences and Ask" as a result of the 7-9 result on "read a sitch" is straight-forward.  Its the same thing I've talked about in terms of running 4e Skill Challenges and Blades' Scores and Torchbearer Twists.  You need to Change the Situation (with either new obstacles or an escalation to an existing situation) when action resolution occurs, but the way the situation changes won't alway stem causally from the actual action taken within the fiction.  This actually hooks directly into my invocation of the Captain of the Guard earlier if the PC rolled a successful Intimidate check in the lead post's conflict.  Its a classic misdirect!  In the AW example, the Player Character Read(ing) a Sitch (and getting a 7-9 result required a complication) didn't actually make Isle's brother (a) a young boy and (b) non-violent.  Neither did the PC (through a successful Intimidate) make the Captain of the Guard a sympathetic ear in the parley with the Burgomeister.  In both cases, that is the fiction (that hasn't been pre-established) emerging organically as a result of proper GMing meeting the outcome of the resolution mechanics!  In the AW case:a)  The GM has to make a soft move to complicate things because of the 7-9 result.b)  Obviously, Mills (the brother) becomes a complication to this because he's both a child and at least non-violent (if not delicate). Serious violence will endanger the kid and we'll learn something about the character if she goes with that approach and her life is now complicated if she doesn't want to hurt a child.c)  The misdirect (again, as above) principle just means that the situation is changing adversely, but not as a direct causal byproduct (in the fiction of Apocalypse World) of Read(ing) a Sitch.  Its a byproduct of principled GMing (according to AW).  Yes, its meta.  Damn good meta.  That's the point.3)  I think you're not understanding the mechanical implications of the Brainer Move; Direct-brain whisper projection.  The GM has a choice to make; (i) go with it (in this case the "Charm" effect) or (ii) force your hand and take Harm.  There will be cases when the better call is (i) and cases when the better call is (ii).  Whichever one is better will depend upon the established fiction (Isles may very well be an established hard-ass and an important figure - I mean the PC is after her afterall), making the characters lives not boring, and the game's principles. He asks "loud or not" (as he must after he chooses option ii).  PC says no.  Alright, the NPC has taken harm by resisting a Brainer who has directly interfaced with the NPC's brain!  Something has to happen as an output.  The "loud" keyword here basically means the situation escalates NOW and the other two NPCs are aware of the problem.  However, the GM has to make a soft move to reframe the conflict but they can't do it in way that would dishonor the success and the PC's decision on "not loud" which means that the situation can't immediately escalate.  So, deftly, he makes a soft move (as you have to do constantly when you're framing and reframing conflict in the game); "Activate their stuff's downsides" and/or "Tell Them the Possible Consequences and Ask."  In this case, she's in a bit of a stupor with blood coming out of her ears.  The other two NPCs won't immediately notice (she's just in a a pondering stupor), react, and escalate the situation, but the PC is now face with a decision-point on how to proceed because that escalation is coming if she doesn't.With a diminished Isle (Harm 1), but a complicated situation, she decides to exit stage left and regroup with her Gang.[HR][/HR]That is enough for now. What about that either bothers you and/or doesn't make sense in your reading of AW?EDIT FOR CLARITY</blockquote>

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