PBTA games are bagged on by the OSR elite here and elsewhere (most of whom were still sucking on mommas tit in 1977), so I rarely bring it up around these parts to avoid the youngsters getting upset about "how it was/supposed to be".

Dungeon World is my favorite game these days. I love it. Franky it captures a lot of the magic of how we played OD&D back in 1977 in my group as well as at afterschool and library club games. Most of us then in my area didn't use minis and grids (nowhere to be found locally) and megadungeons, nor did we count torches, build kingdoms and do hexcrawls. We weren't wargamers or wanna be thespians.  We played high action adventure games where the DM presented story elements/locations, and everyone rolled with it (literally and figuratively). DW does this well, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I've run Apocalypse World and The Sprawl and played in Dungeon World.  The biggest thing I've seen as a hurdle, is understanding the Moves.

Some players look at the Moves like a list of the things they can do in the game.  Instead, they should be seen as specific rules for when you do those things in the game.  It's a subtle, but important distinction.

Quote from: jhkim on July 12, 2021, 03:51:53 AM
... I'd say the elements that are most non-traditional are:

1) Player-only rolls -- with GM hard moves instead of monster attacks or random encounter rolls

2) Variable meaning of success instead of GM-assigned difficulty

3) Unique PC moves instead of skills

While all of these have been done before in other RPG's; I agree that trying to absorb all three at once with some of the playstyle assumptions can throw people off.

Quote from: JeffB on July 12, 2021, 11:40:23 AM
PBTA games are bagged on by the OSR elite here and elsewhere (most of whom were still sucking on mommas tit in 1977), so I rarely bring it up around these parts to avoid the youngsters getting upset about "how it was/supposed to be".

Dungeon World is my favorite game these days. I love it. Franky it captures a lot of the magic of how we played OD&D back in 1977 in my group as well as at afterschool and library club games.

This is one thing that I think the good versions of PbTA games have shown is that it does not take and equal level of rules complexity to capture 80-90% of the same feel of play  for certain genre's that one would get from crunchier RPG's.

For my weekly home brew starwars campaign, I ripped off how PbTA games do their 'basic moves' for how I do force powers and it has worked really well at my table for replicating the feel of what the jedi can do in the films.

Quote from: JeffB on July 12, 2021, 11:40:23 AM
Most of us then in my area didn't use minis and grids (nowhere to be found locally) and megadungeons, nor did we count torches, build kingdoms and do hexcrawls. We weren't wargamers or wanna be thespians.  We played high action adventure games where the DM presented story elements/locations, and everyone rolled with it (literally and figuratively). DW does this well, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I agree. If DW hits your 'genre preference' it is a good game for a group to jump in and just 'get on with it' in play so to speak.

The good PbTA games are the same.

Quote from: rgalex on July 12, 2021, 12:17:46 PM
I've run Apocalypse World and The Sprawl and played in Dungeon World.  The biggest thing I've seen as a hurdle, is understanding the Moves.

Some players look at the Moves like a list of the things they can do in the game.  Instead, they should be seen as specific rules for when you do those things in the game.  It's a subtle, but important distinction.

Also there is the divide between the moves/ abilities on a playbook and the basic moves sheet.

On the PC playbook, they need to be thought of as 'class abilities'.

For the 'basic moves',  yes they can be used as specific rules. But I would look at them more as guidelines not guiderails. The PC tells the GM what they want to do, and then the GM adjudicates it to the type of move that fits best. With the brave danger move being a kind of catch-all.

All great advice so far. I would just reinforce that you approach it with an empty cup. Read it as you would a new boardgame. Most cases of frustration I see is from people playing them like they were your typical Gurps or D&D.

Quote from: JaegerThis is one thing that I think the good versions of PbTA games have shown is that it does not take and equal level of rules complexity to capture 80-90% of the same feel of play  for certain genre's that one would get from crunchier RPG's.

Good point.

You may find this discussion interesting.
<b>Let's talk about PbtA.</b>
https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/lets-talk-about-pbta.876857/

As was early suggested, focus on the genre of the game and only roll dice when Required.
It is really helpful if everyone has watched or read the same movie/show/book before play.
The goal is to emulate that movie/show/book with your own Characters, not roll a bunch of dice.