Star Wars Saturday

Coruscant Comrades (Session 2)
Rich Rogers runs for Mark (they/them), Sawyer Rankin, and Steven Watkins
The Voiceless Insurgency protect their fellow revolutionaries during a protest that the Stormtroopers try to squash with violence. A factory is destroyed and a comrade barely escapes with his life. Have they really drawn the notice of the New Republic, or is it an Imperial plot?

Double or Nothing (Session 1)
Rich Rogers runs for Donogh and Sabine V.
The A to Z Squad is sent on a "babe-sitting" mission (as in "a total babe"). They must keep Val Killian out of trouble OR ELSE! Oh those Imperial Entanglements!

Gauntlet Quarterly

Checkpoint Midnight: Waltz of Treachery - Season 3 (Session 2 of 4)
Alexi S. runs for Jesse A., Leandro Pondoc, Mark (they/them), and Puckett
Our operatives uncover answers and cross new lines in Cold War Vienna. Jack comes face-to-face with his origins in Dr. Thorne's lab. Emilie ignores her conscience to pursue a deadly mission. Joske finds old friends around every corner, but most of them want him dead. And Skye uses her doctorly instincts to stabilize a very mysterious patient.

Gauntlet Comics

Urban Shadows: Coven Prime Deja Vous (Issue #1)
Jim Likes Games runs for Alexi S., Jamila R. Nedjadi, Joel N., and Steven desJardins
The occult heroes of Coven Prime are cleaning up old messes, as well as making a few new ones.

Masks: Back to School (Session 2 of 4)
David Morrison runs for Maria Mison, Pawel S., Rich Rogers, and usnavi
We meet Sammi or "Saint" the Star, who challenges Nightbolt with a date as the prize. Things get wild at Randy Rabbit's Amusement Park, with Knockback struggling to protect those they care about, and Buggane struggling to keep control.

Hit the Streets: Defend the Block (Session 2 of 4)
Michael Mendoza runs for Bethany H., Brandon Brylawski, Jon Grim, Saribel P., and Shane
We meet the heroes of Riviera, a struggling neighborhood in New Gauntlet City. They cope with work at a drug treatment facility and confront powered punks who prey upon homeless persons on the street.

​Gauntlet Hangouts

Eotenweard: The Great Mire (Session 2 of 4)
Alun R. runs for Bodhi, Lowell Francis, Paul Rivers, and Pawel S.
'Black Russel' the Outlaw, Cunobacha the Pagan Mystic & Icenius the Frankish Sword of God catch up with Hoel the Monster Hunter, and together they discover what is in the casket they saved from the skinchanger at the end of session 1. Then they introduce themselves to Widuc, Eorl of Synhamm, and his advisors and there is a costly confession, an opportunity for gain, a difficult meeting with some marsh men, the power of Nodens...and then...a head...and some spine...

Haven: Buried Sins (Session 1)
Steven S. runs for David Morrison, David Schultz, and Ryan Windeknecht
The second session of our three-session run of C.M. Ruebsaat's Haven, a game of Belonging Outside Belong about a secret community of witches attempting to survive within a hostile world. In this, our first full session of play, the witches travel through the dark woods, where Maria discovers the history of her bloodline and we make good on the series title. Helena attempts to enforce Haven's oldest traditions while Macintosh rebels, Garland speaks with the woods, and an old power is released into the world. Shout-out to Sawyer Rankin, who designed the Neophyte playbook.

Plutonian Shore: Crew of Scoundrels (Session 1 of 2)
Alexi S. runs for Chris Newton, Jex Thomas, Joel N., and Leah Libresco Sargeant
We kick off our game of scoundrels in spaceships by creating characters and dropping them right into a spooky space freighter salvage mission. Bela Tarkar the Fallen captains her vessel while wrestling the Void. Ulysses Fielding Middleton the Scarred finds a powerful armament and places a dangerous call. Orana the Prodigal is just trying to enjoy her mid-life crisis, but reminders of her family's dark reach keep cropping up. And KCH-22 the Prototype steps up to pilot the ship into stranger and stranger territory.

Ultraviolet Grasslands - Season 7: Prismatic Fires on the Horizon (Session 2 of 3)
Horst Wurst runs for Abe Lincoln Jr., Brandon Brylawski, Puckett, and Steven S.

Labyrinth: The Adventure Game (Part 2, The Hedge Maze)
David Walker runs for Donogh, Maria Mison, Ozzy, and Sabine V.
This is part two of a 4 part actual play of Labyrinth: The Adventure Game, the RPG from Riverhorse games. Lily, Wanko, Squeek, and Scraggle are confronted by the Goblin King as they accuse Lily and Scraggle of trying to take the throne from them. Scraggle tries to win through democratic voting. Wanko learns never to eat fruit given to them by a fairy and Squeek steals a hot air balloon from a Goblin patrol.

Cartel: Welcome to Durango (Session 3 of 5)
David Morrison runs for Pawel S., Rich Rogers, Steven S., and Will H
The dead are buried as the drug war intensifies, but the past refuses to remain the same way. Abel faces threats both internal and external, Juan has a crisis of conscience, Elena works hard to come out on top, and Angelina the Sicaria returns to Durango after some time away, only to be caught up in the twisted world of the drug war again.

For the Honor! (Session 2 of 3)
Sam Zimmerman runs for Bethany H., Jex Thomas, Maria Mison, and Steven S.
In the magical world of Rathael, our four heroes Nosha, Nocturne, Solara, and Prince 003 are joined by the totally-not-a-spider Insecta and continue to fight over their newfound crystalline treasure. While they continue squabbling, a new danger emerges and threatens the very structure of Rathael itself.

Karanduun: Make God Bleed (Session 1)
Lowell Francis runs for Jane, Maria Mison, Puckett, and Will
The Unholy Trinity has killed the world. Meet the heroes who will kick back at the crushing weight of their dominion and climb the ladder of Gahum.

Karanduun: Make God Bleed (Session 2)
Lowell Francis runs for Jane, Maria Mison, Puckett, and Will
They rush to the top floor of the hollowed out god, caught between a drug dealer and furious lawgivers. but still take time to fanboy out about a trio of manananggal assassins.

Free from the Yoke: Rokugan (Session 6)
Lowell Francis runs for Patrick Knowles, Sherri, and Tyler Lominack
Pans within plans go awry and tragedy haunts the steps of two of our heroes as another shows how far they will go to purge Shadowlands taint.

Hearts of Wulin: Measure of the Soul - Season 2 (Session 6)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Darold Ross, Joel N., Maria M., and Sherri
Tenten struggles with the truth and pushes away all that could help them, Still Heart Bao can't quite reach through to his friends but perseveres, Horizon can't find the strength to believe in himself, while Jin completely grows into her own person. The battle between Mei and Crane rages on, forcing the city of hell to tremble in response. By the end of this session, several characters go into directions they can no longer walk away from... (ALSO WE END ON A TITLE DROP YEEEEES. Ahem.) Content Warning: Romance, veiled BDSM, veiled trauma

Eotenweard: The Great Mire (Session 3 of 4)
Alun R. runs for Bodhi, Lowell Francis, Paul Rivers, and Pawel S.
Hoel the Monster Hunter and 'Black Russel' the Outlaw implement a cunning plan to turn a prisoner into a guide. Later, Icenius, the Frankish Sword of God, allows pride to lead him to a fall and it is Cunobacha the Pagan Mystic who finds a way to do what they came for, and not get their heads torn off...and then...there's a giant serpentine fish, a vision of the past, silver bracelets, and a mosaic that shows the way...they hope...

Gauntlet Campaigns

Brinkwood: Refuge (Session 1)
Jamila R. Nedjadi facilitates for Joel N., Maria Mison, and Sherri
Brinkwood is a game of revolution, of using what remains of fae magic to fight back against vampiric oppressors. But Refuge is a game of the folks who keep the revolution running in the background, who care for each other as they heal through the trauma. It's a slice of life game that stands on its own but can be played between sessions of Brinkwood. In this playtest we create our characters and jump into play. Each player is a character and physical aspect of the Refuge: The First and The Hearth, The Changeling and the Sanctuary, The Healer and the Healing Tent, and The Warden and The Grove. Things get emotionally complicated in the healing tent, and a little god is tended to in the grove. We get a little too excited and immediately level up one aspect of the refuge that we're most excited about!

Apocalypse Keys: The Ouroboros (Session 1)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Lowell Francis, Matthew Arcilla, Patrick Knowles, and Sherri
Our monster agents arrive in Manila to assist the Sisters of the Broken Crucifix and the Mananaggal community. Who is stalking the Mananaggal, what twisted ritual terrorizes these monsters? The agents scour the apartments to find the keys to the apocalypse, and soon they will open doom's door to find the truth...

Brinkwood: Refuge (Session 2)
Jamila R. Nedjadi facilitates for Joel N. and Sherri
(Session split into two videos.) In this session Ashtarae finds themselves entertaining children in a surprising way, we discover Mother Myrtyle's dark secret in the sanctuary, and Rayith reflects on her painful past in an intimate moment.

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Hangouts games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Hangouts games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

On the most recent episode of The Gauntlet Podcast Jammi spoke about their experience running the Supernatural/ Fantastic add-on for Hearts of Wulin. I'm previewing some of the new rules and ideas for that. These try to bring elements from movies and shows like The Untamed, Painted Skin, Bride with White Hair, Magical Nights of the Glorious Tang, and A Chinese Ghost Story. If you want to see our earlier previews of the new Courtly add-on see this post and this one. You can see last week's post on Playing Fantastic Wuxia here. 

Playbook Adjustments 
To play a more supernatural and fantastic game, the following suggested changes should be made to the playbooks. Each playbook has a new optional Role for players to choose, and each playbook has moves that should be removed and new moves that should be swapped in their place. 

The Aware Playbook
New Role: Sorcerer
There is a lot of symbology and association of Taoism with magic in these stories. Some of that comes from an effort by historical Taoists to present themselves as possessing such powers. It might be better to use a more neutral name for this role. In any case, think Yin Chik-ha from A Chinese Ghost Story or Priest Tsui from Encounters of a Spooky Kind.

When you Duel with supernatural forces, take +1 Ongoing.

Changes to Aware Playbook Moves
Remove the following moves from the Aware playbook: Clans of Intrigue, Hidden Dragon, and A Touch of Zen. Add the following moves:

Furious Sword, Mad Flowers
When you Deal with Troops, on a Hit you may choose one of the following additional options: force the group into another location, bind them to prevent their movement, disarm them of arms or equipment, or dispatch them quietly so as not to raise alarms or attention. 

God of Gamblers
When you compete in a game of chance, roll. On a Hit, you win. On a 10+ you cause financial distress or obligation to someone playing. On a 6-, you still win but you are cut off, kicked out, or accused of cheating. However, if you roll two 1’s with this move, you lose the game and this move until you complete a quest or task of the GM’s discretion.

Phoenix Flying in the Sky 
You can communicate across vast distances via some supernatural medium (messenger familiar, dreams, visions, voices, etc.). You must know the person you're talking with. If you have a Bond with your target, they can speak back.

The Bravo Playbook
New Role: Monster Hunter
You have dedicated your life to tracking down monsters. In your time on the road you have learned their tricks and ways. Think Xia Bing from Painted Skin or Xiaolan from Monster Hunt.

Your experience allows you to use the Study Move on supernatural creatures without access to experts or records. When you try to see through the illusions and disguises of monsters and supernatural creatures, roll Study. Without spending hold you may ask: What is this creature called? If the target is above your Scale, your Study questions may offer impressions rather than specifics. You begin with an additional Entanglement to either a ghost who loves you, a monster you protect, or a creature seeking revenge tied to someone they care for.

Changes to Bravo Playbook Moves
Remove the following moves from the Bravo playbook: Golden Knight, Laughing in the Wind, and Legend of the Fox . Add the following moves:

Along Came a Tiger
When you stalk someone quietly, roll. On a Hit, they have no sense of your presence before you appear. Take +1 Forward against them. On a 10+, you may also choose one: change the environment in a subtle way, remove something from their person, substitute something for an item of the same relative size and weight, or have a hidden path of escape. On a Miss, you’ve played into their hands. 

Legend of the Wolf 
Take +1 Ongoing to orchestrate an act of revenge against someone who has harmed a person named in one of your Entanglements. 

Shadowless Sword
When you reveal you know a second combat style after rolling for a Duel, raise your level of success (6- becomes a 7-9, 7-9 becomes a 10+). Write in the name and Element of this style. If the new style’s Element differs from your starting Style Element, it replaces that one and is used for both styles going forward. Then erase this move. Choose another move at the end of session, but keep the second style (and Style Element, if different) as part of your character’s backstory. 

The Loyal Playbook
New Role: Alchemist
This can represent a fantastical version of Chinese medicine or acupuncture. Think Egg Shen from Big Trouble in Little China or Hu Qingniu from The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.

When you Duel someone equal to your Scale, you may enflame one of their Elements. Say which Element you wish to target. If the Duel roll is a hit, in addition to the normal results, they are driven by one of the negative impulses associated with the Element until treated. On a 10+ they will be completely unaware of the source. On a Miss in the duel you enflame yourself in addition to other results.

Changes to Loyal Playbook Moves
Remove the following moves from the Loyal playbook: Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Paladins in Troubled Times, and Rage of the Tiger. Add the following moves:

Hell's Wild Staff
When you Duel or Deal with Troops, you may always choose to move the conflict to a nearby location, even against foes of superior Scale. Take +1 Forward when you Deal with Troops from a secure point (bridge, gate, doorway, etc.).

In the Hand of Buddha
When you search for mystical locations or fonts of power, roll. On a Hit, you find one. On a 10+, clear an Element and you may utilize the location’s power immediately. On a 7-9 there's a seal, obstruction, or guardian. On a Miss, the source is corrupted and unleashes new dangers.  

Once Upon a Time
When you use your techniques to read the world, you may Study to uncover events and details from even the distant past related to a scene or object. 

The Outsider Playbook
New Role: Cursed
You are bound by the forces of fate and destiny. This may have a concrete form, such as a mystical person who has control over you. Think Nip Siu-sin from A Chinese Ghost Story or Lian Nichang from The Bride with White Hair.

You have a four segment count-down clock. In play, you may add a tick to the clock to give yourself +1 to your roll. Additionally, you may add a tick as a cost or consequence. When your countdown clock fills, a future scene will showcase a terrible event involving a close NPC. They might be injured, haunted, or seek revenge. You reset this clock when you deal with their issue.

Changes to Outsider Playbook Moves
Remove the following moves from the Outsider playbook: All Men Are Brothers, A Deadly Secret, and The Imposter. Add the following moves:

Eerie Moon and Evil Star
You have been hurt by otherworldly forces in the past, leaving you marked. When you enter a place clearly tainted by a supernatural presence, now or in the recent past, roll. On a Hit, you perceive the hidden energies and may ask a Study question about it. On a 10+ take +1 Forward in dealing with it and learn the manifestation’s purpose. Additionally you may always mark an Element (choice) to have a supernatural foe engage you before other targets. 

Ghost Villa
When you flee to your private refuge, describe it and roll. On a Hit, you reach your sanctuary. On a 10+ choose one: bring someone with you, clear an Element, or discover an omen suggesting your next course of action. On a Miss, choose: the way is blocked and you find yourself in immediate peril or you reach it but reveal the location to someone dangerous. 

Secret Rivals
When you conceal a small object (knife, gem, message, etc.) on your person, it cannot be found. Anytime someone tries to take a small object away from you, roll. On a 10+, you may hide or hand the object off without anyone noticing. On a Miss, you fumble the object, or the other person get the item, GM's choice.

The Student Playbook
New Role: Exorcist
Through study or experience, you have learned how to protect yourself and others from malign forces. Think Ning Choi-san from A Chinese Ghost Story or Abbot Fahai from The Sorcerer and the White Snake.

When you create a barrier to expel or bar a supernatural spirit, roll. If the spirit is of a higher Scale, mark an Element (choice). On a 10+ you do so, forcing the spirit away for a time. You may ask one question about the spirit. On a 7-9 you do drive them away, but there’s a complication. Choose: mark Element (choice), someone is left out, something breaks, someone becomes vulnerable, or the effect is fleeting. On a Miss, your efforts make things worse for you and others.

Changes to Student Playbook Moves
Remove the following moves from the Student playbook: Rage and Passion, Savior of the Soul, and Smiling, Proud Wanderer. Add the following moves:

Book of Heroes
When a nearby ally would mark an Element, you may mark one instead. If you do so, gain a Bond with them. 

Coiling Dragon
When you protect a group of innocents or bystanders, roll. On a Hit, you provide them safety from whatever threatens them. On a 10+, choose one: relocate them a distance away, gain a Bond with them, push someone reluctant to action, or inspire an ally who may take +1 Forward or clear an Element. On a Miss, the most vulnerable are caught outside of safety and suffer the full effect of the threat. 

Eternal Love
When you remember a past-life connection to someone, describe it and take +1 Forward in dealing with them. When you reveal that connection to them, roll. On a Hit, choose one: halt their current action, clear an Element (you or them), make them answer a question, or drive them off. On a 7-9, roll Inner Conflict over what you're not telling them. On a 6-, your past-life story connection tragically and you turn them against you fully. 

The Unorthodox Playbook
New Role: In Human Guise
You are secretly a monster, drawn to the human world through desire and love. Think Susu or Qingqing from The Sorcerer and the White Snake or Xiaowei from Painted Skin.

You hide your true face from others, including fellow PCs. Decide what your tell is (birthmark, fear of jade, obsession with jewels, etc.). You have +1 when you use Hearts & Minds to create or enhance misunderstandings between people. At the end of a game session, if you have created complications with another PC’s Entanglement, clear an Element.

Changes to Unorthodox Playbook Moves
Remove the following moves from the Unorthodox playbook: Everlasting Chivalry, His Name is Nobody, and Kid with the Golden Arm. Add the following moves:

Emperor of the Underworld
When you strip away your mask to reveal your baleful visage, roll. On a Hit, any gathering of people below your Scale will flee. On a 10+ choose two; on a 7-9, choose one: no one is injured, you direct their flight, or their memories of this will be incomplete. On a Miss, the gathering turns upon you.  

Painted Skin
You can change your physical appearance and dress instantly. You need only a moment out of view to appear as someone completely different.

Pursuit of Vengeance
When you try to evade pursuit, roll. On a Hit, you do so successfully. On a 10+ choose two; on a 7-9 choose one: humiliate your pursuers, bring others along, they all follow you, double back on them, or trap them for a time. On a Miss, you fall into their clutches.

If you missed the Kickstarter, you can pre-order Hearts of Wulin here. ​

On the most recent episode of The Gauntlet Podcast Jammi spoke about their experience running the Supernatural/ Fantastic add-on for Hearts of Wulin. I thought today I'd preview some new rules and ideas for that. These try to bring elements from movies and shows like The Untamed, Painted Skin, Bride with White Hair, Magical Nights of the Glorious Tang, and A Chinese Ghost Story. If you want to see our earlier previews of the new Courtly add-on see this post and this one. 

Playing Fantastic Wuxia
The wuxia genre contains many fantastic elements. Within wuxia stories, some skills and talents appear superhuman but actually come from specific training and knowledge. By default, Hearts of Wulin and the classic forms of wuxia accept things like:

• Incredible forms of movement, often called Lightness, allowing heroes to run up walls, perform great leaps, balance on thin branches.
• Vulnerable parts of the body which can be attacked to weaken an opponent’s powers or make them vulnerable.
• Medicine which can perform miracles of restoration and healing.

More exists beyond this short list in wuxia stories. Groups are encouraged to define the level of fantastic within their setting—what typical martial skills can do.

Other wuxia media exist which include more elements of the supernatural: sorcerers, ghosts, shape-shifters, monsters, etc. These elements can be divided into two groups: Supernatural Wuxia, which adds these elements, and Xianxia, which takes that and turns it up to 11.

Supernatural Wuxia
Because Hearts of Wulin abstracts mechanics significantly, most of the supernatural elements can be handled by reframing and recoloring characters and ideas. Players can easily change the scale of what’s possible. Groups can play without distinct mechanics for a higher scale sorcerer. It simply changes how the players have to approach the problem.

That being said, this section provides many options to enhance playing a supernatural game. These  are divided into base mechanics—meaning those players will always likely use—and optional mechanics, which the GM and table will want to decide on together.

New Moves & Mechanics
New Move: Facing the Supernatural
In this genre, the mere act of facing the supernatural can break even the most solid of heroes. 

When you face a new supernatural manifestation alongside the unready, roll. On a 10+ your calm and determination hold them steady. On a 7-9, choose one: bear the brunt and mark an Element (choice), someone panics and spreads chaos, someone panics and causes injuries, or the manifestation claims a victim. On a Miss, the situation goes out of your control and the power of the supernatural foe increases. 

Once the unready have faced such a foe, they’re considered ready. If a PC declares themselves unready, they may mark XP. 

The Study Move & the Supernatural
If players want to enhance the distinctiveness of the supernatural, restrict the Study move.  Only allow characters with an appropriate background or role to ask questions regarding a supernatural manifestation. In this case, or if the GM determines the PC need further help, use this move: 

New Optional Move: Seek Expert
When you ask an expert about a supernatural manifestation you’ve witnessed or seen evidence of, roll. On a 10+ they provide you with answers. You may ask two questions about the manifestation or make one declaration. On a 7-9 they’re cranky or recalcitrant, choose one: ask one question before they drive you away or take the 10+ result if you provide them something idiosyncratic they want (declare their superiority, provide a legendary wine, carry them across a river, etc.). On a Miss, choose: they provide you with misleading information or they’re secretly associated with or responsible for the manifestation.

Scale & the Supernatural
Like more conventional foes, supernatural villains can be of a higher Scale. Unlike conventional foes, supernatural villains don’t fight the heroes the same way. To represent this, GMs should consider their Scale Superior. Heroes cannot deal with a Superior supernatural threat within a scene the first time they face it. They may drive it off or escape. But to gain Scale, the player characters must find a Bane. This is a variation on the New Technique move. 

New Move: Uncover Bane
When you seek out a Bane by study, practice, or consultation, roll. On a 10+ you discover a Bane. It doesn’t claim another victim in the meantime. Choose one: it can only be used once, it is costly/rare, it is forbidden, a rival controls access, it harms you, or it damages something important. Describe what it is. On a 7-9, choose two and it claims another victim while you work. On a Miss, despite your belief in it, the Bane fails. Alternatively, the GM may decide it succeeds but there’s a horrific cost. 

New Variant: Options for Monsters/Supernatural Foes
Corrupting: This foe is dangerous to engage. You must mark an Element (choice) when Dueling them. Nastier versions require you to mark a specific Element associated with the being (or Wounded if that’s already marked).
Insidious: When you Duel this creature, roll +Bonds spent instead of an Element. If you cannot or will not spend Bonds, roll +0 and as if the foe is a higher Scale. 
Undying: The foe is the same Scale, but when defeated it dissipates or vanishes. The “show mercy” option is removed for Duel. The “at a cost” choice for the 7-9 result is changed to “Mark an Element, reveal a secret, or embarrass yourself.” This foe can return in a later scene. This cycle can be broken by discovering a Bane to remove this power.
Venomous: If you mark an Element as a result of a Duel, it cannot be cleared without expert knowledge about the supernatural.
Vindictive: This foe hurts innocents nearby. When facing a Superior Scale foe, this happens on all but a 10+ result. For a Same Scale foe, a 7-9 result only has two options: lose and mark XP or win at a cost (innocents or allies harmed).
Vital Points: As a cost or GM move in a Duel, this foe can lock down one your moves, your choice. You cannot use that ability until you have a scene with someone who has supernatural expertise who can assist you. A particularly powerful foe might have this as a cost to even engage them. (Note: this ability is meta and so choices don’t have to logically sync up).

New Move: Use Found Magic
If your characters come across magical talismans, wands, supernatural scrolls, or the like, they may want to use them. The first step is to Study an item. They can then use the move Use Found Magic. If a character cannot or chooses not to Study, they roll Use Found Magic at +0. 

Use Found Magic
When you attempt to use an item of supernatural power which you have found, roll. On a Hit, it works. Choose one: it must be recharged to use it again; mark an Element, while you bear the item, you can only use that Element to roll to use the item; it vanishes back whence it came after use. On a 7-9, choose one: the item does not do what you thought or there is a significant cost to using the item (harm someone dear, alienate one of the NPCs named in your Entanglements, destroy something of value, or gain a permanent mark upon your body). On a Miss, you lose control of the powers in the worst way. 

If you missed the Kickstarter, you can pre-order Hearts of Wulin here. ​

This month coincides with two Twitter initiatives: #MoveMonth and #RPGaDay2020. Both have interesting sets of prompts and I've been posting those daily on the Gauntlet Twitter feed. These kinds of things used to get a stronger response back when we had G+ (god rest its soul). But why no try to carry on the tradition. 

With August finished, I'm sharing the second half of these lists. You can find the earlier half here. #MoveMonth (from @stophackandroll) gives a word or phrase and asks you to write a PbtA-style move for it. #RPGaDay2020 (from Autocratik) OOH invites small meditations on roleplaying. Here's days 17-31.

17 Copy Mouse
When you attempt to preserve a volume against vermin and the ravages of time, roll. On a 10+ you keep it safe and intact. On a 7-9 you only lose a portion of it—the cover, illustrations, a chapter, etc. On a miss, your efforts backfire and the pages become a nest for a hungry something.

18 Spinner
When you double down on a lie with an elaborate fabulist tale, roll. On a hit they either buy in completely or are overwhelmed at your audacity. On a 7-9 choose: one important person disbelieves or the construct falls apart soon. On a miss, there’s an embarrassed silence and a GM hard move.

19 Movable Objects
When you move the goalposts in your argument, roll. On a 10+ you realize you’re a terrible, gaslighting person. On 7-9 you realize but can’t apologize. On a miss, you succeed but kill a little bit of everyone’s soul.

20 Bones in There
You find an armored giant in the wasteland. When you scavenge a fallen mecha for parts, roll. On a hit, can strip out the pieces and resources you need. On a 10+ several systems share compatibility and your time jury-rigging your repairs is halved.

On a 7-9 there’s something familiar in the wreckage. Say something about your connection to the fallen pilot, AI, or mecha itself and mark stress. On a miss, the skeleton’s a trap: rigged to blow, ready to collapse, filled with corrupted circuits, laced with a mnemonic virus. (from @auzumel)

21 Capital! Ship Combat
When you take to the seas to give those louts a good thrashing, roll. On a hit, you seize the day and teach them a lesson they won’t soon forget. On a 7-9 you lose some ships, but you can’t make an omelette, eh? On a miss, who knew those fellows could fight so well? (for the P.G. Wodehouse Adventure RPG)

22 Dice in Pools
When you roll doubles, record the value of one of those doubles on a separate sheet which carries between sessions. If you gain a small straight, gain a minor boon from your good; on a large straight, a major boon. On a five of a kind, take a major boon and gain an advance.

23 Friends in Space
A move from my Scoundrels in Spaceships WIP, Plutonian Shore @Alexi Sarge
When you patch something up (a device, a person, a relationship) roll +Warm. On a hit, you’ve stabilized the target. You and anyone you’re patching up can regain an Edge or unmark a stat. On a 7–9, it takes a sacrifice to complete the work—perhaps parts scavenged from some other device, or a question answered totally honestly.

24 Prepare for the Future
For the Academy of the Blade playset from Hearts of Wulin
When you try to get dressed to the nines, roll. On a 10+ you’re breathtaking—catching the eye of everyone wherever you go. On a 7-9, choose: you look good or you look great but you had to buy, beg, borrow, or steal to get there. On a miss, you overdress for the event, wear the same thing as someone else, or have a wardrobe malfunction at the worst moment.

25 Rethink Fantasy
GM Move: During safety tools discussion establish a hard line against racial essentialism. Talk about culture & peoples as shaping personality. Even then avoid easy tropes like "the culture of Orcs is violence"

F*ck biological essentialism.

26 A Television Show
At session start, one player should present a B-Plot hook from their character’s background or lifepath. If the B-Plot story significantly intersects (or even solves) the A-Plot mission, all players may mark an XP at session end. The B-Plot player marks an extra XP.

27 Initialize Initiative
When the group first encounters a shady organization with an acronym name, go around the table in turn with each player suggesting what a letter stands for. They gain +1 Forward to taunt members of the organization when they call it this.

28 Consequences
When the arch villain attempts to redeem themselves with a single heroic sacrifice, roll. On a 10+ people see through the tissue of evasions and misrepresentations. On a 7-9 the villain’s condemned, but a few noisy apologists remain. On a miss, all the lies, murders, and betrayals are forgiven because of being bullied, “good” family, or just a single selfless action, regardless of the bodycount.

29 Stop
When play gets to a strong dramatic scene or cliffhanger, anyone may nominate it as the cutoff point of the session. Poll the table. If they agree, go to end of session moves. If not, run suggested capper scenes or continue play generally.

30 Hack
If a move has specific questions you spend hold to ask, you may adjust and modify the wording & phrasing of those questions to fit the present circumstance or events so long as they keep with the spirit and fictional methodology of the original move.

31 Roll
 When you consider tweeting your theory of GM dice fudging, roll. On a 10+ you think better of it. On a 7-9, choose: it's a flash in the pan of awful or a more dire piece of ttrpg discourse emerges. On a miss, god help us all.

17 Comfort Comfort, Cold. Things have changed in the rpg community for the better in the last decades. Despite a ton of problems, representation and inclusivity have improved. But there’s a mass of folks who felt alienated and got excluded in those early days. Where could we be if that didn’t happen?

18 Meet
Last year a bunch of Gauntlet folks managed to meet in person and hang out f2f in Columbus for Origins. There's both a joy and weirdness to meeting online players irl, not least of which is to see how much their play style bleeds into their everyday life.

19 Tower
It has been 16 years since Dread was published…which should make many people feel old. OOH it’s only been a year since Starcrossed came out, and that’s about as joyful a gaming thing as you could want.

20 Investigate
GUMSHOE reinforced a basic idea in investigation games: checks for clues should move you forward. When it came out, some players who already grokked fail forward as a concept critiqued it for being obvious. But for lots of people it wasn’t.

I’ve played (and run) games where a failed perception check had stalled things until the player thought of another thing to check out. Then they risked stalling again until they finally rolled well. Or the GM got frustrated and pushed things forward regardless of the roll.

But removing investigate rolls cuts out some design space. That roll can measure the cost of investigating. Learn what you need but it: takes time, costs resources, alienates someone, alerts a foe, draws attention, hurts you, harms rep, destroys evidence in the process, etc.

21 Push
Collaboration at the game table's great, but before you jump in with suggestions for someone else's scene, take a breath and a 10 count. Give them a chance to consider their own response.Learn your fellow player's styles. Some folks respond more deliberately.

22 Rare
Inspired by a discussion about gestures to designate "at-table OOC" talk (@Dm_LSP's thread), did your group have a gesture? From @edige23: we put a hand flat on our head like a hat. We used it rarely-- to make absolutely clear it was OOC so the GM didn't gotcha us.

23 Edge
You can only intuit where edgy is for you. For everyone you have to ask. That’s why we have at-table safety tools.

24 Humour
The toughest place to balance humour is in a horror game. On the one hand cracking a joke can absolutely destroy a GM’s attempt at creating immersion. On the other you need a release valve for the tension. Good players wait until a breath-catching moment to crack wise.

25 Lever
Be the lever to help move other players into scenes. Ask fellow players to come along for your solo scenes. Offer to work on their plot threads. Be boosters for the cool things they do. Talk their PCs up to NPCs. Be generous with your play.

26 Strange
It ought to be strange that when a Kickstarter-published rpg corebook which deals with people from a marginalized community and comes from a smaller publisher doesn’t have any discussion of tabletop safety or cultural considerations.

27 Favour
There's a particularly condescending GM response where, when you ask if you can do something, they say yes, but then elaborate about how it shouldn't be possible and they're only doing you a favor, really. Yes/no/but. Don't make people feel bad for asking.

28 Close Rectangular or square tables are better than round ones at f2f conventions. They lower the distance between speakers and make it easier for folks to lean in to say something or listen closer. That means an overall drop in the noise level of the room.

29 Ride
25 Years Ago Me: "Cool, you have to buy different skills for different animal types. Makes sense."

Today Me: "wtf?"

30 Portal
Ease of and access to transport is one of the most impactful decisions you can make about a fantasy world- both for civilizations and your players ability to feel connected to a place and see the world. There's a reason you get airships so late in FF games.

31 Experience
Sharing your experience can be great-- you can help folks over the bumpy parts of the hobby or a game. But experience can also gatekeep hobbies. It can cut off explorations and discourage players. Listen to what someone asks before you advise & explain.