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Wil (He/Him)
@rivetgeek.aggregatecognizance.com
-#GenX but the good kind - Commie fiction first storygamer #TTRPG swine - Elderly #rivethead - Senior #SQL Server DBA - #TribesInTheDark Lead Designer #CortexPrime | #FitD | #Tribe8RPG | #SpireRPG | #HeartRPG | #FateRPG linktr.ee/rivetgeek
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While I agree to the latter, to the former part of your statement it ignores both non-diegetic mechanics —plot points in Cortex, the hinder mechanic in Cortex not requiring a fictional trigger, plot points in Fate — and Vincent Baker himself saying moves in AW don't have to.

Q: “Fiction first” is for me a solid guideline when thinking of #PbtA moves. That means always having fictional content trigger the move. But what can we consider to break from this guideline in some cases? What do we lose and what do we gain?
    @jogadorsonhador

Look out! I have beef.

I don’t know where the idea of always having fictional content trigger the move came from. I’ve never espoused or recommended it as a guideline. It’s not in Apocalypse World — Apocalypse World just says that you can’t get the effects of taking action without actually taking the action, and you can’t actually take the action without getting the effects of it. And then Apocalypse World goes on to include like a million moves without any fictional triggers at all, and to explicitly talk about moves without fictional triggers in its chapter about how moves work.

Some other game must have done it that way. I don’t know which, honestly! It came as an idea into PbtA pretty early, so Dungeon World? Mons
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Kkhantalas.bsky.social

I can’t speak for Cortex, and FATE is definitely not fiction first, in my estimation, but in Apocalypse World, moves that don’t involve some sort of narrative I/O are usually those that *create* triggers (such as having a gang) or alter your stats, and are playbook moves, not core feedback moves.

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Wil (He/Him)
@rivetgeek.aggregatecognizance.com
-#GenX but the good kind - Commie fiction first storygamer #TTRPG swine - Elderly #rivethead - Senior #SQL Server DBA - #TribesInTheDark Lead Designer #CortexPrime | #FitD | #Tribe8RPG | #SpireRPG | #HeartRPG | #FateRPG linktr.ee/rivetgeek
472 followers346 following3.7k posts