The flow of battle
Fighting foes is a big part of the game, but combat isn't a distinct mode of play. There's no moment where you say "roll for initiative" and different rules kick in. There's no orderly round-robin where everyone takes one action on their turn.
When a fight starts, you run the game: describe the situation, make a GM move, ask "what do you do?" Resolve their actions. Repeat. Fights in Stonetop are—like everything else in the game—a conversation.
Monsters don't Clash or Let Fly; you don't roll to see if their attacks succeed. Instead, you make a GM move. Usually, you describe the attack but stop short of it connecting. Ask the player(s) in the spotlight, "What do you do?" Whatever their response, it's likely to trigger a move. Resolve the move, and let the situation snowball from there.
Caradoc just got slammed face-first into a building and a second cutthroat is advancing on Blodwen, knife in hand (I'm announcing trouble). "What do you do?" I ask.
Blodwen left her staff back at the hostel; she's basically unarmed. "I'll give ground and back away," she says, "looking for a stick or a rock or something to defend myself with." That's Seeking Insight, and on a 6- the guy's probably gonna shank her. But she gets an 8.
"Yeah, sure, there's a broken broom up against the alley wall, you could use it as a club. And a few loose bricks." I then put her in a spot. "But as you see them, the guy comes at you, knife stabbing low like this. What do you do?"
Fights usually involve a lot of things happening at once. You need to manage the spotlight and keep everyone involved. When there's a pause in the action, address a different character (ideally one who hasn't talked in a bit). Describe the situation from their point of view, make a GM move, ask "What do you do?" Sometimes you'll move the spotlight after resolving a single PC action or move. Other times, you'll resolve a few moves that flow naturally together, and move the spotlight when they're done.
Blodwen Sought Insight and spotted some junk she could use as a weapon, but I kept the spotlight on her and had the cutthroat attack. She says, "I'll twist out of the way, then dive for that broom!" We agree she's Defying Danger with DEX (with advantage, for acting on Seek Insight).
She gets a 9, and I offer her a cost or a lesser success. "You can get the broom but you'll be cut for 1d8 damage, or you can dodge clear and not make it to the broom." She decides to get the broom, taking 5 damage in the process. "Okay, you've got it," I say, "but your shoulder is bleeding from that cut."
It's been a while, so I move the spotlight to Caradoc. First, I recap his situation: "So this guy has your right arm twisted behind you and he's pushing your face into the cold, rough brick wall." Then I make a soft GM move (one of my monster moves, fight dirty): "He grabs your hair and pulls back, and you just know he's about to smash your face back into that wall, what do you do?"
A character actually suffers a monster's attack when...
- ... you set up an attack with a soft move, and the PC ignores it;
- ... the results of a PC's move (like Clash) says that they do; or
- ... the PC rolls a 6- on pretty much any move, and you decide that they do.
Suffering a monster's attack doesn't (just) mean that they take damage. It means you use the monster to make an aggressive, hard move. You can, of course, hurt them. Or you can make any other hard GM move that makes sense. If your move involves the PC getting hurt, roughed up, or worn down, then deal damage as part of that move.
"So this guy's got my right arm twisted? But my left arm's free? When he pulls me back by my hair, I'll quick draw my new dagger like this and stab behind me." I wasn't expecting that, but it makes sense based on how we've described things. Clash it is!
He rolls a 4, and I start thinking about hurting him and breaking his nose on the wall. But Caradoc invokes Impetuous Youth, bumping his result up to a 7-9 (at the cost of losing his knife). He stabs the thug and deals damage (3 of the thug's 6 HP) but also suffers the thug's attack. I decide to turn his move back on him. "He yells and lets go of your right arm. But then he grabs your left arm, the one with the knife, and like twists it up and over like this, kicking your legs out and smashing you down. Take 1d8 damage, and oh yeah, your knife goes flying from your hand."
A PC's actions are informed by fictional positioning: where they are, what they're doing, where their enemies are and what they're doing, momentum, terrain, lighting, weapons, reach, room to maneuver, and everything else that we've established about this situation.
Fictional positioning affects whether a PC's actions trigger a move, and which move is triggered, and whether an action is even feasible. It also affects the range of possible results, both good and bad. A strong fictional position can mitigate the bad results of a roll, and a desperate fictional position can mean that a 6- is really, really bad.
Skillful players will look for ways to shape their fictional positioning, allowing them to trigger more advantageous moves, set themselves up for better results, or even skip needing to roll entirely.
I jump back to Blodwen, who just dove past her assailant and grabbed a broken broom to use as a weapon. She got cut, but now has some distance between her and her attacker. I describe the situation: "You grip the broom and he turns to face you, a little more respect in his eyes." Then I offer an opportunity for Blodwen to seize the initiative. "He crouches down like this, knife at the ready you can tell he's waiting for his moment. What do you do?"
"Just like old Seren taught me. I'll pretend to be scared and present an opening. When he attacks, I'll sidestep and smack his wrist, then swing up and smack his face."
I could say "no, he doesn't buy your act" or maybe even tell her the requirements and say she'll have to Persuade to lure him in. But I think this guy is a big bully, not expecting much of a fight, and he gets suckered in. "Cool, roll to Clash!"
She gets a 7-9, so her maneuver mostly works but she suffers his attack. She rolls only a 1 for damage (vs. this guy's 6 HP), so I say that she smacks the knife out of his hand but doesn't get the follow-up swing at his face. Because he no longer has his knife, I make his attack softer than I would have and put her in a spot. "Before you can swing up, his left hand grabs the shaft. Then he grabs on with his right hand, and you find yourself struggling over this broken broom handle."
I jump back to Caradoc, who's in a spot of his own—on the ground, no knife, angry bad guy above him. "He's still got your left arm twisted out behind you, and he's like kneeling on your back." I announce trouble. "He keeps adding pressure. It feels like your arm is going break or something. What do you do?"
"I'll, like, reach back with my right hand and grab his face, try to gouge an eye or tear his cheek or something."
That's just not reasonable given the position this guy has him in. I clarify the situation, then tell him the requirements and ask. "You're gonna need to get free of his hold before you attack him. And if you want to force yourself free, that's going to be Defy Danger with STR. You do it?"
"Wait, wait. I think this counts as a threat to my loved ones, right? These guys are trying to kill Blodwen, not just me. Anger is a Gift?" It's a bit of a stretch, but sure. "Cool, I spend 1 Resolve to act suddenly and catch him off-guard. Do I still need to roll?"
"You're still in a really bad position here. But I tell you what--I think catching him off guard means you can twist free and attack him at the same time. So a Clash instead of Defy Danger. Cool?" He agrees, rolls a 10+, and manages to wrench free with a yell and punch the thug out.
You'll generally focus the spotlight on one or two specific characters at a time. Other players can interrupt and interject, within the bounds of what the fiction, the rules, and politeness allow. Don't be afraid to shut down (politely yet firmly) a player who keeps stealing the spotlight, or whose character is preoccupied, or who wants to do something implausible.
Caradoc finishes off his foe and I jump back to Blodwen, who's struggling with the other cutthroat over the broken broom handle. I show a downside and tell her "He's a lot stronger than you, you can barely hold on. What do you do?"
Before she says anything, Caradoc jumps in. "I spend my last Resolve and act suddenly. I come out of nowhere and bowl this guy over. Clash?"
I'm tempted to say "No, this is happening while you're fighting with your guy." But his move does let him spend Resolve to "act suddenly, catching them off-guard."
"Huh. Yeah, I guess. Roll it!"
As a fight goes on, avoid anything that feels like "trading blows" or just a grinding away at each other's HP. Use your GM moves and the results of player moves to constantly shift the momentum of the fight and the fictional positioning. Even when one side rolls low damage (or no damage), look for a way to make the situation change.
Regularly ask yourself, "Would this monster keep fighting?" Use its instinct as a guide, as well as what you know about its personality and why it's fighting in the first place. Cautious foes in particular will look to escape violence as soon as a fight goes south.
Caradoc gets a 12 on his Clash and does indeed tackle the cutthroat. He rolls only 1 damage, but his maneuver still works. "You shove him up against the far wall and he grunts a little."
I shift the focus back to Blodwen and offer her an opportunity. "Whew, you're free. You notice this guy's dagger at your feet. What do you do?"
"I pick up the dagger and calmly walk up to them. Caradoc has him pinned?"
"Eh, they're still struggling, but mostly, yeah."
"I put his knife to his throat. 'Stop. Piss off right now and you live. Keep struggling and I'll bleed you like a spring lamb."
I'm thinking that's Persuade, but really, he's got no reason to resist. They've clearly won, and this guy's more of a knife-inthe-dark type than a fight-to-the-death type. "He stops struggling," I say, "and his eyes bug out at you, Blodwen. He nods a little. Caradoc, do you let him go?"