Read on Twitter
OK, trying to articulate something I& #39;ve thought about lately re: PbtA and FitD.
The strength of PbtA lies in how the collection of Moves encourage/spotlight certain situations and outcomes. Each Move& #39;s triggers, outcomes, and who can use it, informs the fiction of the game (1/7)
The strength of PbtA lies in how the collection of Moves encourage/spotlight certain situations and outcomes. Each Move& #39;s triggers, outcomes, and who can use it, informs the fiction of the game (1/7)
Each Move tells you what& #39;s important, how you do stuff, and what happens when you do stuff. Things that aren& #39;t Moves aren& #39;t relevant or fall outside the scope of the game. (This isn& #39;t new in RPG design, but PbtA makes a point of it.) While PbtA aims for fiction-first... (2/7)
...the fiction encouraged is fiction that lets you use Moves to make more cool fiction happen. The Move says how to do something, so you do it. A (good) PbtA game tells you what happens next in a way that drives the story forward, usually introducing a concrete element. (3/7)
The core of FitD mechanics is one Move and variations. It has abstract results: on a 4-5, gain a Complication; fill up bits of clock; you succeed. They don& #39;t tell you anything about what you& #39;re doing: you have to come up with that by yourself. Nothing specific happens next. (4/7)
Where this actually works is when FitD provides the context that informs what the complications/successes/clocks should be. The overall score/downtime cycles do this well, because many words tell you what can/should happen. But it gives up with moment-to-moment action. (5/7)
FitD needs more mechanical support for the fiction that isn& #39;t the score/downtime cycle. If FitD had the same level of mechanical support for setting up and driving moment-to-moment actions as it does for logistical management, it& #39;d be a REALLY good system. (6/7)
PbtA Moves tell you what to do, what happens, and are a safety net for improvisation through specific prompts. In the moment-to-moment of robbing a house in FitD, there& #39;s no safety net and only vague prompts. More structure for handling that would make a stronger game. (7/7)
Like, my brain is broken so I struggle to deal with anything vague. It& #39;s like walking a tightrope over an abyss called "making mistakes". Indecision hits me hard. But in standard PbtA games I get a rough idea of what the game wants me to do. FitD just says "lol make it up urself"
