3. Brainstorm results
Think about what happens when the move's trigger is met. What definitely happens? What might happen? If the move has multiple triggers, then think about what could happen as a result of each.
A move's results can be…
- ... fictional, where something happens or is avoided, someone reacts in a certain way, something becomes possible, facts are established, etc. For example, see Know Things, Persuade vs. NPCs, or Magpie.
- ... mechanical, involving a bonus/penalty to a roll, a change to another move, damage, debilities, HP, XP, hold-andspend, etc. For example, see Bolster or Perceptive.
- ... player-level, with questions asked and answered, feedback given, revelations made, etc. See Keep Company or All Is Illuminated.
- ... immediate, like how Clash says what happens here and now.
- ... ongoing, like how Defend gives a player Readiness to spend in a scene, or how a Muster (page 534) lasts until certain conditions are met.
- ... delayed, like how the Six Locks of Sajua can lead to a looming visit from the Pale Hunter.
- ... combinations of the above, like how Aid can grant advantage or a fictional change of scope, or how Seek Insight has the player ask the GM questions and roll with advantage to act on the answers.
If it helps you to think of these as 10+ or 7-9 results, or items that a player might pick from, then great. But hold your ideas lightly. The goal right now is to identify interesting, potential outcomes.
Don't force it. Sometimes there's really just one possible result, and that's fine! You can skip to step 6 and write your draft.
If you identify multiple possible results:
- Look for similarities and consolidate where you can
- Which results are mutually exclusive?
- Which could happen together?
- Which results definitely happen?
Revise your list, breaking it down into "definitely" and "maybe" results. Further split the "maybe" results into those that are good or desirable for the PC, and which are bad or unwanted. This helps clarify your thinking, and will help you pick an appropriate structure for the move.
Things that could happen when the PCs take shrooms near a waystone:
- Feel a profound connection to each other/the world/themselves
- Hallucinate stuff that isn't real
- See into the spirit world
- Need a bigger dose
- Get sick, nauseous, shaky
- Get confused, overwhelmed • Freak out, have a bad trip
- Draw attention from hostile spirits
- (maybe the shadowy presence!) • Access the Fae paths
The "get sick" and "get confused" options could be consolidated into "mark a debility."
The "feel a profound connection" result seems mutually exclusive with the "freak out, have a bad trip" result. It doesn't really fit with the "mark a debility" result, either.
The "hallucinate" result is basically a given. And I can probably combine that with "see into the spirit world." "Access the Fae" paths should also be a given—I don't want some of the PCs or followers to be left behind.
My revised list of results looks like this: