AW & PbtA pt 2

Main ideas and lessons

• PBTA (“Powered by the Apocalypse”) is best understood as “speaking back” to Apocalypse World, rather than simply being close to it.
• The video frames PBTA as a branching ecosystem:
  • A conventional branch that resembles core PBTA/Apocalypse World mechanics.
  • Several conceptual offshoot branches that alter important parts of the design.
  • A set of “outlying weirdos” that take one Apocalypse World component and build a whole game around it—sometimes moving far away from standard PBTA patterns.
• There is no single universally accepted definition of what counts as PBTA in community debates; the speaker’s working definition is based on creator/self-identification.
• When evaluating a new game labeled PBTA, the useful question is not “Is it really PBTA?” but:
  • “How is it like and unlike other PBTA games, and what does it change or contribute?”

---

The five PBTA branches (with the concepts emphasized)

1) Conventional PBTA branch (classic/recognizable PBTA)

• Origin: Games released around/after the publication of Apocalypse World (as it was arriving on the scene).
• Common shared traits (not necessarily all true at once for every game):
  • Playbooks
  • Basic moves and character moves
  • Resolution typically uses 2d6 + a stat
  • GM/MC generally does not roll dice
  • Uses agenda, principles, and moves structure
• Examples listed:
  • Monster Hearts
  • Monster of the Week
  • Dungeon World
  • Tremulus
  • (Also mentioned within this broader family)
• Key framing note by the speaker:
  • PBTA is defined by contradicting Apocalypse World in some crucial way; closeness to Apocalypse World alone isn’t the point.

---

2) “Act under fire” / “Hard move resolution” branch (resolution-system elaborations)

• Key idea:
  • Early analysis treated “Act Under Fire” as the secret true crucial move.
  • A design path emerged where other core mechanics are built as elaborations/variations of Act Under Fire.
• Lineage described:
  • Dungeon World (via John Harper’s “World of Dungeons” framing) → emphasizes Act Under Fire, then develops it into:
  • Defy Danger (as a more central resolution-system element)
  • Leads conceptually toward Blades in the Dark and Forged in the Dark
• Additional “Act under fire model” examples:
  • City of Mist / Legends of the Mist
    • Core resolution characterized as:
      • 10+ = strong hit
      • 7–9 = hit with complications/partial success
  • Brindlewood Bay
    • Day move and night move treated as variations of Act Under Fire
• Clarification: these are conceptual branches, not necessarily publishing categories.

---

3) Diceless branch (No Dice / player-move strength cycling)

• Key idea:
  • Replace dice rolling with a player-driven structure for choosing when outcomes are strong vs weak.
  • The concept is described as transferring “GM move thinking” into player move cadence.
• Example mechanics:
  • No Dice, No Masters (after Monster Hearts; speaker offers a conceptual interpretation)
    • You buy strong moves by making weak moves
    • Instead of rolling dice, the system sets a cycle/rhythm:
      • Sometimes you can make strong moves
      • Other times you can only make weak moves (setup rather than payoff)
• Publishing-direction follow-on:
  • Belonging Outside Belonging is named as a framework that takes that mechanical structure and adds content.
• Additional example recommended:
  • Dream Apart (and “Dream Ake” is mentioned—likely referring to a similarly named game in the same family)

---

4) Miniatures / “mini-games” branch (moves expanded into multi-step procedures)

• Key idea:
  • Start with a PBTA-like move, then expand it into a multi-step mini-game/procedure rather than a quick “roll → result” exchange.
• Example: Murderous Ghosts (speaker is connected to it)
  • Described as having three core loops
  • Each loop is a multi-page move (speaker gives an example of a “three-page move” per loop)
  • Each loop involves many branches and cycles to find an advantageous exit
• Example family: Fire Brands
  • On your turn, you choose a “mini game”
  • Each mini game is built from a move expanded to a larger procedure
  • Example mentioned: Stupot
• Ongoing work mentioned by speaker:
  • The speaker says they are working on a Fire Brands game (“choosing fonts stage”).

---

5) Outlying “weirdos” (build entire designs from a single Apocalypse World component)

These aren’t presented as a unified single system branch. Instead, they’re interesting departures that “take some other part of Apocalypse World” and build from it.

• Examples given:
  • Wolf Spell (by Epidia Ravishaw)
    • Builds around reading a situation while transformed into wolves
    • Wolf state yields wolf information/impulses
    • The end reveals whether the character remains a wolf or returns to human via an internal mechanical process
  • The Bloody-Handed Name of Bronze (by Joshua A. C. Newman)
    • Pushes Apocalypse World’s move principles almost all the way back to other kind
    • Presented as a Bronze Age Sword and Sorcery game
    • Focus: examines the underpinnings of Apocalypse World moves
  • The Wizards Grimmoire (speaker’s own game)
    • Pushes player empowerment further:
      • Player is responsible for knowing and applying their own rules
      • Player makes rule calls and decides when moves apply
      • Other players/GM don’t need character sheet details or moves; players guide the process
• Prediction/open question from the speaker:
  • Under Hollow Hills is said to be influencing a wave of PBTA design.
  • The speaker wonders whether that influence becomes a new branch or is absorbed into the conventional branch over time.

---

“Powered by the Apocalypse” definition: disputes and the speaker’s rule

• Working definition (speaker’s rule):
  • A game is PBTA if the creator says it is, inspired by Apocalypse World or other PBTA games.
• Common competing definitions described:
  • Some argue only games that match certain conventions “count,” sometimes excluding games like Blades in the Dark / Forged in the Dark even though John Harper says it counts—because others think it differs too much.
  • Others use minimum-mechanic definitions like:
    • “You only need playbooks and GM principles.”
  • Others emphasize creator intent but accept that creators might not label the game PBTA because labeling can cause misinterpretation.
• Final advice:
  • Be clear about which definition you’re using.

---

Evaluation methodology the speaker recommends (how to assess new PBTA-labeled games)

• Don’t ask:
  • “Is this game really PBTA?”
• Do ask:
  • How is the game like other PBTA games?
  • How is it unlike them?
  • What does it contribute to changing the genre?
• Genre metaphor:
  • Like genres in other media, PBTA has:
    • iconic games
    • conventional surrounding works
    • crossover/breakout/revisionist/breakthrough/outlier/countercultural dynamics
• Core philosophy repeated:
  • Inspiration usually means contradicting and answering back, not just repeating.

---

Speakers / sources featured (explicitly mentioned)

• Elliot (a person present on-screen/off-screen during the discussion)
• Vincent (the speaker; referenced toward the end)
• Meg (“Megs and my purposes”; referenced in context of the speaker’s working definition)
• John Harper (key figure in the Dungeon World / “World of Dungeons” → Act Under Fire → Defy Danger lineage)
• Joshua A. C. Newman (The Bloody-Handed Name of Bronze)
• Epidia Ravishaw (Wolf Spell)
• Apocalypse World (foundational game)

---

Games referenced (as sources/examples of branches)

Monster Hearts; Monster of the Week; Dungeon World; Tremulus; Blades in the Dark; Forged in the Dark; City of Mist; Legends of the Mist; Brindlewood Bay; World of Dungeons; No Dice, No Masters; Belonging Outside Belonging; Dream Apart (and “Dream Ake” mentioned); Murderous Ghosts; Fire Brands; Stupot; Wolf Spell; The Bloody-Handed Name of Bronze; The Wizards Grimmoire; Under Hollow Hills.