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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Helpful NPC Thom" data-source="post: 8418076" data-attributes="member: 7031378">[USER=6915329]@Faolyn[/USER]:Betwixt you and [USER=16814]@Ovinomancer[/USER], there is a fundamental miscommunication about the terminology. Prime example is the disconnect between your conception of GM authority and his conception. Even in your examples where the players are "leading the story" and you're improvising, you, as GM, maintain all narrative authority. In Apocalypse World, the GM's authority is constrained, and the players share authorship over the story. When a character goes aggro (intimdate) in Apocalypse World, the NPC must react in a way prescribed by the mechanics. The player can say, "I'm going to shoot this fella if he doesn't give me all his gold," and if he rolls a 10+, the NPC must either give the PC the gold or let the PC do what he's threatened, which might include shooting him and doing damage without involving the fight mechanics. The GM can't say, "No, you can't shoot him, he ducks out of the way" if the PC rolls a 10+. It's off the table. By using the go aggro mechanic, the player is taking partial ownership over the narrative and saying, "This scene is going to play out this way."If you're really interested in knowing more about Apocalypse World, shoot me questions and I'll answer them. But I'll give you the long and short of Apocalypse World play:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The GM has a list of threats and moves at his disposal.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The players roleplay as you would in a typical RPG, though there may be more narrative distance between what "I" would do as my character and what my character would do in a story.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">In response to those actions, the GM uses his threats and moves to escalate tension. It is job to "push" the players into acting by bringing danger to their doorstep.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The players respond to escalating tension through conversation (roleplay) until the climax of a scene is reached.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Moves are utilized.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Conflict is resolved. Tension falls back to baseline.</li> </ol>Repeat. It's basic story structure but mechanized.In the Apocalypse World lexicon, soft moves are distinguished from hard moves. Soft moves are things the players can react to, whereas hard moves are things that the GM does and can't be negated. Typically, hard moves are in response to a bad roll (rolling a 6 or less) whereas soft moves are used to escalate a scene. Example using D&D tropes:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">GM: The orc charges at you, swinging his mighty orc axe. What do you do? (Soft move.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Player: I duck under the attack to get in close and gut him with my sword. (Player acts.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">GM: Opts to invoke mechanics, at his option there may not be a roll involved. Dice come out. Player rolls and scores a 6-.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">GM: The axe thunks into your shield, splintering it and knocking you to the ground. (Hard move.)</li> </ul>Couple of notes: A hard move doesn't mean do damage, and Apocalypse World typically resolves a scene in one or two rolls, and there are special mechanics for getting hurt, so everything spirals differently than in D&D. Getting into a fight in Apocalypse World is very different than in D&D because (a) even taking a tiny bit of damage has the potential to take you out of a scene entirely, and (b) allow a threat to advance. In response to a failed roll, the orc gang might slaughter the town's garrison, kill or endanger a loved one, etc.</blockquote>

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