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The Hard Move is a Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) RPG discussion podcast. Each episode, host Sidney Icarus will chat with a guest about a single move, diving into how the move works mechanically, how players can use it narratively to drive the fiction, and how GMs can react to the move. Join us every other Wednesday as I welcome a new guest to name their move and play to find out what happens. Please subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, or wherever you find podcasts. Support this pod ...
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Fight, Item, Run is available to back now: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whimsymachine/fight-item-run-a-pixelated-ttrpg Taylor Curreysmith and I prepare for the worst as we discuss his Kickstarter based on the pixelated worlds of NES cartiges and limit breaks. In the Patreon episode, Tay and I also go off topic to talk about Taylor's love of…
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Kyle Thompson and I prepare for the worst as we discuss object-oriented design, separation of intent, and a really cool move that I didn't love going in. In the Patreon episode, Kyle and I also go off topic to discuss a wild amount of other moves that call on Pay the Price, and a bit of theory-crafting on how we'd like to see this design go forward…
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Literally one day left to get Apocalypse Keys 25% off for being a Hard Move listener! temporalhiccup.itch.io/hardmove25 John Harper and I prepare for the worst as we discuss the building tension, core loops, and how we both get spooked out real easy. The Hard Move was created by Matthew Gravelyn, and is hosted and produced by Sidney Icarus. You can…
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Reminder that you can get Apocalypse Keys 25% off for being a Hard Move patron! temporalhiccup.itch.io/hardmove25 Tomer Gurantz and I prepare for the worst as we discuss the nature of move engagement, what it means to be an audience, and how to best crush someone's lies beneath your high-heels. The Hard Move was created by Matthew Gravelyn, and is …
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Get Apocalypse Keys 25% off for being a Hard Move listener! temporalhiccup.itch.io/hardmove25 Jammi Nedjadi and I prepare for the worst as we unfold a developer's story about Apocalypse Keys and an amazing move that stole my heart. The Hard Move was created by Matthew Gravelyn, and is hosted and produced by Sidney Icarus. You can follow the show on…
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Proceeds from this month's patreon go to Color of Change, support them here: https://colorofchange.org/about/ Yoshi Creelman and I prepare for the worst as we move in herds, uhh find a way and, after careful consideration decide not endorse your park, as we Tell a Story. This episode was a joy to record after a long night at work, and I couldn't im…
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Misha B and I prepare for the worst as we fight against the shadow until we Surrender to Weariness. Misha is an absolute joy to listen to, and I think this episode brings a lot of that out. The Hard Move was created by Matthew Gravelyn, and is hosted and produced by Sidney Icarus. You can follow the show on Twitter @TheHardMove. Music is by Nick Gr…
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Aaron King and I prepare for the worst as we satiate an Object's Hunger with Thy Will Be Done. This episode unfolds a lot about what we want from the move that isn't present, which is kind of different for this format. The Hard Move was created by Matthew Gravelyn, and is hosted and produced by Sidney Icarus. You can follow the show on Twitter @The…
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Paddy Hutchinson and I prepare for the worst as we pull on some In-Brain Puppet Strings. An interesting move, we discuss a lot about the requirements for the move and how we make it sing at our table. This a fun ep, and it's stripped back from more of the deeply theoretical episodes we've had in the past. Some nice variety. The Hard Move was create…
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Rach Shelkey and I prepare for the worst as we take a look at At Any Cost from Urban Shadows. One of my favourite eps, when we discover that we both have a totally different understanding of this move. In the Patreon cut, Rach and I also talk about medicine and patient autonomy, consent in gaming, and art criticism. Available at patreon.com/thehard…
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https://itch.io/b/520/bundle-for-racial-justice-and-equality Spenser Starke and I prepare for the worst as we take a look at The Abyss Stares Back from The Veil. An interesting move, we discuss as much about how we love unpacking the poetry of the move as we do with how challenging it is to engage with fully. It really is like nothing else out ther…
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Jenn Martin and I prepare for the worst as we take a look at the Beacon's Drives from Masks. We go through how Drives offer players guidance, and how the smart design offers beats without defining an arc. In the Patreon cut, Jenn and I also talk about how to approach it from a design perspective, along with a bunch of extra goodies. Available at pa…
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Andrew Gillis and I prepare for the worst as we Gaze into the Abyss from Monsterhearts 2. In this episode we discuss inviting players in, generating stakes, and developing good dark stories. In our patreon release Andrew and I also talk about the ins and outs of Abyss Gazing, and bringing misses to bear against players. Available at patreon.com/the…
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Adrian Thoen and I prepare for the worst as we go OG and Go Aggro with Apocalypse World 1e and 2e. In this episode we discuss shifting agency of threats; bluffing and calling it; and how to do moves from "a distance". In our patreon release Adrian and I also talk about how Go Aggro can be played as an MC, and the evolution of PbtA moves over the ye…
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Spit In The Face Of Guidance Or Influence
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Ryan McNeil and I prepare for the worst as we step into the time-shifting Innocent, and look at a really hostile move. In this episode we discuss escalation in PbtA; what it means to have moves "on the table"; and how different triggers drive different play. A full length bonus version of this episode is available at patreon.com/thehardmove. The Ha…
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Matthew Gravelyn and I prepare for the worst as we explore Dungeon World's move for facing down the black gates of the death. In this episode we discuss the nature of RPG death; triggering and engaging with the move in new ways; and have a blast doing it every step of the way. A full length bonus version of this episode is available at patreon.com/…
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The Hard Move returns for Season 2... with a twist! New episodes start on April 1st. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehardmove/support
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Becky Annison and I dive into her upcoming game Bite Me! and explore the complicated dynamics of werewolf pack authority. The move Make A Challenge is used as a mechanical device whenever someone willingly, unwillingly, or even unknowingly challenges the leadership of the alpha. This move has some wild effects ranging from swapping playbooks to per…
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Rev Deschain and I check out the move Act Under Pressure from Monster of the Week. This seemingly generic move is used whenever there is risk or doubt about the success of an action and offers a wide assortment of both mechanical and narrative outcomes. We talk about how Rev uses this move to cover the success and failure of multiple moves into one…
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Lloyd Gyan and I expand on a Twitter conversation by discussing Take A Powerful Blow from Masks. In a game where super humans battle it out with fists and wits, the concept of harm is replaced with systems of conditions and narrative outcome. This move mechanically encapsulates what it’s like for a super teen to take a hit, physically or emotionall…
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Jonah M. Jackson and I launch into Uncharted Worlds to discuss Transform, a move from the Shaper playbook found in the Far Beyond Humanity expansion. This move is mechanically light, relying on another basic move for its trigger, but offers amazing flexibility in play. As you might expect when morphing into wild, alien beasts, the narrative impact …
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Marsie Vellan and I head back into Monsterhearts 2 to check out another pivotal move for any teen monster, Keep Your Cool. Mechanically it’s simple: you try to keep your wits about you in a tense situation and, if you’re cool enough, you could come out the other side with valuable insight about the situation. Narratively this move can drive virtual…
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Lauren McManamon and I talk about her game Girl Underground as we discuss the move Stand Strong in Your Convictions. At the heart of this game is a sense of empowerment and discovery by The Girl who is striving to turn imposed manners into personal beliefs. Mechanically this move calls on those beliefs to help The Girl overcome challenges she may f…
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Kyle Gould and I look into his first PbtA game, Blades in the Dark, and explore the move Mesmerism from the Slide playbook. Mechanically this move augments the Sway action, allowing the Slide to trick their victims into not remembering the experience. Narratively it sets up easy outs, but can also come back to haunt you if your victim catches up wi…
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Brandon Leon-Gambetta and I get steamy and talk about Express Your Love Passionately from his forthcoming game Pasión de las Pasiones. Mechanically we talk about modifying rolls by answering move and playbook questions as well as the outcome of such emotional expression. Narratively this move is chalk full of opportunities to fall in love, make an …
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Renee Rhodes and I stumble into the move Oops! from Monster of the Week. This move comes from the Mundane playbook and offers the player a mechanical way to luck into finding some crucial information for them to share with the other Hunters. Narratively, this gives the Mundane player a lot of control over the story and allows them to still influenc…
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Embrace Your Chimera & The Power of Friendship
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Ryan Boelter and I explore the genre-bending world of Chimera by looking at the basic move Embrace Your Chimera and the genre move The Power of Friendship. After an overview of the system, we talk about how the genre move gives more mechanical and narrative depth to the basic move, and how the basic move functions in the rules-light system. We also…
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Murphy and I gear up for another visit to Monster of the Week by analyzing the Expert Playbook move Preparedness. This move represents the Expert’s vast knowledge and stockpile of gear, trinkets, and artifacts and mechanically lets the player access them when it’s needed most. This move also can completely reroute the narrative if the one item the …
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Jesse Ross and I delve into the mysterious and dangerous forest of Trophy to discuss the Risk Roll, one of only three in the game. It mechanically encapsulates navigating tricky situations and the risk involved, both physical and mental. This move drives the bulk of the story forward and offers players nearly complete narrative control. The GM can …
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Ross Payton and I focus our minds on Scum and Villainy as we dive into the move Attune. From telekinetic powers to psychic visions to handling dangerous artifacts, this move offers a mechanical basis for a vast array of mental powers as well as narrative reward and consequence for opening your mind to the Way. We also discuss questions the GM can a…
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Meghan Dornbrock and I explore the shadow-filled world of The Watch and look at how the move Blow Off Steam gives deep meaning to downtime. This move mechanically helps you reduce Weary and gain Camaraderie, two tracks that determine how strung out or connected your character is. Narratively this move helps give guidance and importance to downtime …
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Adam West and I get hot and heavy as we discuss the move Turn Someone On from the game Monsterhearts 2. This move is at the core of Monsterhearts gameplay and mechanically powers Strings, the economy of relationships used to power other moves in the game. We also talk about how this move narratively opens up limitless doors to explore teenage sexua…
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Brie Sheldon and I struggle with our inner beasts as we take a look at both Mind Your Manners and Be Understood from their game Turn. These moves represent how characters handle the instincts of their beast and human selves as they attempt to navigate their everyday lives. Mechanically these moves can contribute to Exposure, leading characters clos…
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Jason Mills and I get into the move Burn from the Nova Playbook in the game Masks. We talk about the mechanical importance of this move as the only Playbook option for the Nova, how the choices made in this move are critical at driving the Nova’s narrative, and how the GM can grapple with the seemingly infinite possibilities of this move. You can f…
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Eric Lee and I break down the move Detachable Body Parts from the Constructed playbook in Monster of the Week. We talk about how deceptively simple the mechanics of this move are but how out of hand (or arm, or leg) this can get narratively. We also talk about how a GM can lean into the seemingly limitless power of this move to still create a tense…
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Aabria Iyengar and I discuss the move Unleash Your Powers from Masks. We explore what this move means mechanically as a barely controlled burst of superpowers, what it means narratively as teens find untapped power they didn’t know they had, and how it contrasts with the adult move Wield Your Powers. We also talk about how open-ended this move is a…
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Hello, I'm Matthew Gravelyn and I love Powered by the Apocalypse games! Join me every week as I welcome a new guest on to name their move and we’ll play to find out what happens. This is The Hard Move. Subscribe on anchor.fm/TheHardMove or wherever you find podcasts.--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehardmove/suppo…
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