▸ Use up their resources

Something happens that whittles away at their stuff, or that takes it away from them entirely. "Resources" here can be...

• ... concrete and specific (their shield, their torch, their lamp oil);
• ... concrete but abstract (supplies, ammo);
• ... intangible (their reputation, some one's trust); and/or
• ... entirely mechanical abstractions (HP, Fortunes, Loyalty, etc.).

When they lose something abstract, intangible, or purely mechanical, you should always bring that back to the fiction and show how it manifests. "He glares a little, then shakes his head, disillusioned. If he held any Loyalty, he's got 1 less now."

As a soft move, use this move to ratchet up the tension. Those 4 HP might not mean much now, but after a couple more blows the player is going to start getting nervous.

When you use up a specific resource, the loss can be temporary ("he swats the knife out of your hand, it goes flying across the room") or permanent ("the blow shatters your shield").

You'll often find yourself making this move along with other moves, and that's okay. HP, in particular, get used up part and parcel with other moves (see the Dealing Damage and Inflicting Debilities sidebar, Dealing damage and.) "It's been like an hour since you came down here. I think your torch is getting low. Like, you've got maybe ten minutes of light left? What do you do?"

"Yeah, so your grip slips and down you tumble, smacking against branches all the way, WAM WACK WHOOMP. You land flat on your back, and you're pretty sure you felt something break in your pack. Lose 2 uses of supplies and take 1d6 of damage, ignoring armor. What do you do?"

"Yup, he was totally standing right behind you as you said that last bit. You look back and he's just beet red, on the verge of crying or yelling, you're not sure. But he just turns and stomps off into the fields. I think he just lost any Loyalty he was holding. What do you do?"