this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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A Catch-All Move in PbtA Games (troypress.com)
submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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PbtA games, by design, are meant to accommodate imperfect play, where—in the heat of the moment—the right move escapes the table. A good catch-all move makes this even easier.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I liked that take (I think it was from the Gauntlet Podcast) that if a PbtA game didn't have a catch-all move, it was actually an statement.

Like, "this game doesn't want you to roll anything if it's not covered by the other Moves. Just solve it in the conversation. This game/genre/setting DOES NOT care for that thing you think you should be rolling for. Seriously, just decide if it works or not without a mechanic. You'll be fine." (paraphrasing, but you get the idea).

It made me think about why we roll or instinctively expect an action-resolution mechanic for everything, probably a leftover from trad games. Maybe in some PbtAs it's not necessary? I'm still undecided on the matter, though.