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Message: <blockquote data-quote="loverdrive" data-source="post: 8176579" data-attributes="member: 7027139">Well, the GM needs to make a soft move first and only then they can hit the bastard where it hurts. As of how it works, see below.I'm talking about guidelines on, well, invoking rule zero, if we count making judgement calls as such (though I disagree with it, but that's beside the point).D&Desque rule zero boils down to "figure it out", and in newer editions (well, since AD&D 2E at least, lol) presumes undoing existing rules and replacing them, instead of filling the blanks.Compare it with PbtA games, where the GM has Agenda, Principles and Moves, which provide solid framework for making good judgement calls. I'm gonna use Dungeon World as an example, since it's in the same genre as D&D, and also kinda cosplays it.In Dungeon World, the GM has agenda:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Portray a fantastic world</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Fill the characters’ lives with adventure</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Play to find out what happens</li> </ul>And they have principles:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Draw maps, leave blanks</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Address the characters, not the players</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Embrace the fantastic</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Make a move that follows</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Never speak the name of your move</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Give every monster life</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Name every person</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ask questions and use the answers</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Be a fan of the characters</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Think dangerous</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Begin and end with the fiction</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Think offscreen, too</li> </ul>So whenever the game master needs to open their mouth, they have a solid framework to evaluate what they're gonna say. Does it push forward my agenda? Does it follow principles?Agenda and principles vary from game to game, as the specific genre demands. So, in Monsterhearts, principles look like this:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Embrace melodrama.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Address yourself to the characters, not the players.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Make monsters seem human, and vice versa.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Make labels matter.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Give everyone a messy life.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Find the catch.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ask provocative questions and build on the answers.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Be a fan of the main characters.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Treat side characters like stolen cars.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Give side characters simple, divisive motivations.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sometimes, disclaim decision making.</li> </ul>Also, there're GM moves, which are ready to use prompts. I'm not gonna list all of them, as this post is already full of lists, but I'll give a couple of examples (again, from Dungeon World):<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Show signs of an approaching threat: This is one of your most versatile moves. “Threat” means anything bad that’s on the way. With this move, you just show them that something’s going to happen unless they do something about it.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Separate Them: There are few things worse than being in the middle of a raging battle with blood-thirsty owlbears on all sides—one of those things is being in the middle of that battle with no one at your back. Separating the characters can mean anything from being pushed apart in the heat of battle to being teleported to the far end of the dungeon. Whatever way it occurs, it’s bound to cause problems.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Put someone in a spot: A spot is someplace where a character needs to make tough choices. Put them, or something they care about, in the path of destruction. The harder the choice, the tougher the spot.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Tell them the requirements or consequences and ask: This move is particularly good when they want something that’s not covered by a move, or they’ve failed a move. They can do it, sure, but they’ll have to pay the price. Or, they can do it, but there will be consequences. Maybe they can swim through the shark-infested moat before being devoured, but they’ll need a distraction. Of course, this is made clear to the characters, not just the players: the sharks are in a starved frenzy, for example.</li> </ul>These already are pretty actionable guidelines, but then, as a cherry on top, there're rules for when to make a move.Soft moves (those that aren't bad, or don't have longterm consequences, or give a moment to react) can be made whenever you feel like it. But hard moves can only be made when a player rolls a miss or when they ignore a soft move for whatever reason (probably because they've decided to address another threat).So, they can't just say to a two-lanced knight that he got himself killed without a proper warning. No, they need to establish the fact that it's gonna be very risky, and only then they get to make a hard move -- they have to give the character (and the player) time to react.And it applies to all situations, not only to theoretical Ronald the Madman. When a dragon unleashes its stone-melting fire breath, in D&D the DM asks for save vs. breath (or Reflex save, or Dex save, doesn't matter), but in Dungeon World the GM says "The beast inhales air into its massive lungs and its about to turn you into a well done steak. What ya gonna do?".Yeah, both in D&D and in DW a wizard can say "I'm gonna teleport away with my magic!", but in D&D you need to break the rules to allow it. In DW it's a normal, natural action, just like dodging out of the harms way.</blockquote>

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