Podcasts by The Hard Move

Reveal a Secret from 2020-11-18T08:34:11

Fight, Item, Run is available to back now: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whimsymachine/fight-item-run-a-pixelated-ttrpg

Taylor Curreysmith and I prepare for the worst as we disc...

Pay the Price from 2020-10-28T09:47:25

Kyle Thompson and I prepare for the worst as we discuss object-oriented design, separation of intent, and a really cool move that I didn't love going in.  In the Patreon episode, Kyle and I...

Choose from 2020-10-14T05:20:47

Literally one day left to get Apocalypse Keys 25% off for being a Hard Move listener! temporalhiccup.itch.io/hardmove25<...

Accuse Someone of Lying from 2020-09-30T07:24:33

Reminder that you can get Apocalypse Keys 25% off for being a Hard Move patron! temporalhiccup.itch.io/hardmove25

Holy Symbol Arsenal from 2020-09-16T08:00

Get Apocalypse Keys 25% off for being a Hard Move listener! temporalhiccup.itch.io/hardmove25

Jammi Nedjadi and I prepare for the worst a...

Tell a Story from 2020-09-02T08:00

Proceeds from this month's patreon go to Color of Change, support them here: https://colorofchange.org/ab...

Surrender to Weariness from 2020-08-05T08:04:30

Misha B and I prepare for the worst as we fight against the shadow until we Surrender to Weariness. Misha is an absolute joy to listen to, and I think this episode brings a lot of that out.

Thy Will Be Done from 2020-07-22T08:00

Aaron King and I prepare for the worst as we satiate an Object's Hunger with Thy Will Be Done. This episode unfolds a lot about what we want from the move that isn't present, which is kind of di...

In-Brain Puppet Strings from 2020-07-08T08:00

Paddy Hutchinson and I prepare for the worst as we pull on some In-Brain Puppet Strings. An interesting move, we discuss a lot about the requirements for the move and how we make it sing at our ...

At Any Cost from 2020-06-25T00:40:21

Rach Shelkey and I prepare for the worst as we take a look at At Any Cost from Urban Shadows. One of my favourite eps, when we discover that we both have a totally different understanding of thi...

The Abyss Stares Back from 2020-06-10T08:00

https://itch.io/b/520/bundle-for-racial-justice-and-equality   

Spenser Starke and I prepare for the w...

Drives from 2020-05-27T08:00

Jenn Martin and I prepare for the worst as we take a look at the Beacon's Drives from Masks. We go through how Drives offer players guidance, and how the smart design offers beats without defini...

Gaze Into The Abyss from 2020-05-13T08:00

Andrew Gillis and I prepare for the worst as we Gaze into the Abyss from Monsterhearts 2. In this episode we discuss inviting players in, generating stakes, and developing good dark stories...

Go Aggro from 2020-04-29T08:00

Adrian Thoen and I prepare for the worst as we go OG and Go Aggro with Apocalypse World 1e and 2e. In this episode we discuss shifting agency of threats; bluffing and calling it; and how to do m...

Spit In The Face Of Guidance Or Influence from 2020-04-15T08:00

Ryan McNeil and I prepare for the worst as we step into the time-shifting Innocent, and look at a really hostile move. In this episode we discuss escalation in PbtA; what it means to have moves ...

Last Breath from 2020-04-01T08:00

Matthew Gravelyn and I prepare for the worst as we explore Dungeon World's move for facing down the black gates of the death. In this episode we discuss the nature of RPG death; triggering and e...

Hard Move Season 2 Announcement from 2020-03-31T02:19:35

The Hard Move returns for Season 2... with a twist! New episodes start on April 1st.

Make A Challenge from 2019-03-14T03:27:31

Becky Annison and I dive into her upcoming game Bite Me! and explore the complicated dynamics of werewolf pack authority. The move Make A Challenge is used as a mechanical device whenever someon...

Act Under Pressure from 2019-03-06T19:31:49

Rev Deschain and I check out the move Act Under Pressure from Monster of the Week. This seemingly generic move is used whenever there is risk or doubt about the success of an action and offers a...

Take A Powerful Blow from 2019-02-27T09:00

Lloyd Gyan and I expand on a Twitter conversation by discussing Take A Powerful Blow from Masks. In a game where super humans battle it out with fists and wits, the concept of harm is replaced w...

Transform from 2019-02-13T09:00

Jonah M. Jackson and I launch into Uncharted Worlds to discuss Transform, a move from the Shaper playbook found in the Far Beyond Humanity expansion. This move is mechanically light, relying on ...

Keep Your Cool from 2019-02-06T09:00

Marsie Vellan and I head back into Monsterhearts 2 to check out another pivotal move for any teen monster, Keep Your Cool. Mechanically it’s simple: you try to keep your wits about you in a tens...

Stand Strong in Your Convictions from 2019-01-30T09:00

Lauren McManamon and I talk about her game Girl Underground as we discuss the move Stand Strong in Your Convictions. At the heart of this game is a sense of empowerment and discovery by The Girl...

Mesmerism from 2019-01-23T09:00

Kyle Gould and I look into his first PbtA game, Blades in the Dark, and explore the move Mesmerism from the Slide playbook. Mechanically this move augments the Sway action, allowing the Slide to...

Express Your Love Passionately from 2019-01-16T09:00

Brandon Leon-Gambetta and I get steamy and talk about Express Your Love Passionately from his forthcoming game Pasión de las Pasiones. Mechanically we talk about modifying rolls by answering mov...

Oops! from 2019-01-02T09:00

Renee Rhodes and I stumble into the move Oops! from Monster of the Week. This move comes from the Mundane playbook and offers the player a mechanical way to luck into finding some crucial inform...

Embrace Your Chimera & The Power of Friendship from 2018-12-26T09:00

Ryan Boelter and I explore the genre-bending world of Chimera by looking at the basic move Embrace Your Chimera and the genre move The Power of Friendship. After an overview of the system, we ta...

Preparedness from 2018-12-19T09:00

Murphy and I gear up for another visit to Monster of the Week by analyzing the Expert Playbook move Preparedness. This move represents the Expert’s vast knowledge and stockpile of gear, trinkets...

Risk Roll from 2018-12-12T09:00

Jesse Ross and I delve into the mysterious and dangerous forest of Trophy to discuss the Risk Roll, one of only three in the game. It mechanically encapsulates navigating tricky situations and t...

Attune from 2018-12-05T09:00

Ross Payton and I focus our minds on Scum and Villainy as we dive into the move Attune. From telekinetic powers to psychic visions to handling dangerous artifacts, this move offers a mechanical ...

Blow Off Steam from 2018-11-28T09:00

Meghan Dornbrock and I explore the shadow-filled world of The Watch and look at how the move Blow Off Steam gives deep meaning to downtime. This move mechanically helps you reduce Weary and gain...

Turn Someone On from 2018-11-21T09:00

Adam West and I get hot and heavy as we discuss the move Turn Someone On from the game Monsterhearts 2. This move is at the core of Monsterhearts gameplay and mechanically powers Strings, the ec...

Mind Your Manners & Be Understood from 2018-11-14T17:30:09

Brie Sheldon and I struggle with our inner beasts as we take a look at both Mind Your Manners and Be Understood from their game Turn. These moves represent how characters handle the instincts of...

Burn from 2018-11-07T09:00

Jason Mills and I get into the move Burn from the Nova Playbook in the game Masks. We talk about the mechanical importance of this move as the only Playbook option for the Nova, how the choices ...

Detachable Body Parts from 2018-10-31T07:28:51

Eric Lee and I break down the move Detachable Body Parts from the Constructed playbook in Monster of the Week. We talk about how deceptively simple the mechanics of this move are but how out of ...

Unleash Your Powers from 2018-10-24T03:20:14

Aabria Iyengar and I discuss the move Unleash Your Powers from Masks. We explore what this move means mechanically as a barely controlled burst of superpowers, what it means narratively as teens...

Trailer from 2018-10-09T22:50:56

Hello, I'm Matthew Gravelyn and I love Powered by the Apocalypse games! Join me every week as I welcome a new guest on to name their move and we’ll play to find out what happens. This is The Hard M...