37 episodes

The Hard Move is a Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) RPG discussion podcast. Each episode, host Sidney Icarus will chat with a guest about a single move, diving into how the move works mechanically, how players can use it narratively to drive the fiction, and how GMs can react to the move. Join us every other Wednesday as I welcome a new guest to name their move and play to find out what happens.

Please subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, or wherever you find podcasts. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehardmove/support

The Hard Move Matthew Gravelyn

    • Leisure
    • 5.0 • 20 Ratings

The Hard Move is a Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) RPG discussion podcast. Each episode, host Sidney Icarus will chat with a guest about a single move, diving into how the move works mechanically, how players can use it narratively to drive the fiction, and how GMs can react to the move. Join us every other Wednesday as I welcome a new guest to name their move and play to find out what happens.

Please subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, or wherever you find podcasts. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehardmove/support

    Reveal a Secret

    Reveal a Secret

    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 discuss his Kickstarter based on the pixelated worlds of NES cartiges and limit breaks.  In the Patreon episode, Tay and I also go off topic to talk about Taylor's love of Monster Rancher (even more than the release), my love of Metroid, and a lot of time spent enjoying each other's company.

    The Hard Move was created by Matthew Gravelyn, and is hosted and produced by Sidney Icarus. You can follow the show on Twitter @TheHardMove.

    Music is by Nick Gravelyn. You can find his work at nickgravelyn.com

    You can follow  Taylor @whimsymachine and @taylor_cs


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    Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehardmove/support

    • 34 min
    Pay the Price

    Pay the Price

    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 also go off topic to discuss a wild amount of other moves that call on Pay the Price, and a bit of theory-crafting on how we'd like to see this design go forward.

    The Hard Move was created by Matthew Gravelyn, and is hosted and produced by Sidney Icarus. You can follow the show on Twitter @TheHardMove.

    Music is by Nick Gravelyn. You can find his work at nickgravelyn.com

    You can follow  Kyle @wiegraf_ and check out Tools for Viable Organising over at https://vsru.org/articles/tools-for-viable-organizing.html

    Content featured in this episode is from Fellowship 2nd Edition, by Jacob Randolph, published by Liberi Gothica Games.


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    Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehardmove/support

    • 41 min
    Choose

    Choose

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

    John Harper and I prepare for the worst as we discuss the building tension, core loops, and how we both get spooked out real easy.

    The Hard Move was created by Matthew Gravelyn, and is hosted and produced by Sidney Icarus. You can follow the show on Twitter @TheHardMove.

    Music is by Nick Gravelyn. You can find his work at nickgravelyn.com

    You can follow John @john_harper, and johnharper.itch.io.

    Content featured in this episode is from Murderous Ghosts by Vincent Baker, published by Lumpley Games


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    Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehardmove/support

    • 48 min
    Accuse Someone of Lying

    Accuse Someone of Lying

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

    Tomer Gurantz and I prepare for the worst as we discuss the nature of move engagement, what it means to be an audience, and how to best crush someone's lies beneath your high-heels.

    The Hard Move was created by Matthew Gravelyn, and is hosted and produced by Sidney Icarus. You can follow the show on Twitter @TheHardMove.

    Music is by Nick Gravelyn. You can find his work at nickgravelyn.com

    You can follow Tomes @tgurantz, and @SGGlendale for his awesome community work.

    Content featured in this episode is from Pasión de las Pasiones by Brandon Leon-Gambetta, with future publishing by Magpie Games


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    Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehardmove/support

    • 39 min
    Holy Symbol Arsenal

    Holy Symbol Arsenal

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

    Jammi Nedjadi and I prepare for the worst as we unfold a developer's story about Apocalypse Keys and an amazing move that stole my heart.

    The Hard Move was created by Matthew Gravelyn, and is hosted and produced by Sidney Icarus. You can follow the show on Twitter @TheHardMove.

    Music is by Nick Gravelyn. You can find his work at nickgravelyn.com

    You can follow Jammi @temporalhiccup, and help us both out by getting the game at  temporalhiccup.itch.io/hardmove25


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    Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehardmove/support

    • 44 min
    Tell a Story

    Tell a Story

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

    Yoshi Creelman and I prepare for the worst as we move in herds, uhh find a way and, after careful consideration decide not endorse your park, as we Tell a Story.

    This episode was a joy to record after a long night at work, and I couldn't imagine a better person to record it with than Yoshi.

    The Hard Move was created by Matthew Gravelyn, and is hosted and produced by Sidney Icarus. You can follow the show on Twitter @TheHardMove.

    Music is by Nick Gravelyn. You can find his work at nickgravelyn.com

    You can follow Yoshi @yoshicreelman, and find his work on itch under Drawn Bear games. I highly recommend his Pillowfort blog post on playtesting.

    Content featured in this episode is from Escape from Dino Island, by Sam Tung and Sam Roberts. https://samnite.itch.io/escapefromdinoisland


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    Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thehardmove/support

    • 45 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
20 Ratings

20 Ratings

TheDarkFiddler ,

When you Write a Review, roll + mundane...

The Hard Move really zooms in on what, mechanically, is most important about PbtA games and in doing so touches on something much more. By taking a deep dive on a specific move, we really get to look at what works, and why, and just asking these questions reveals so much about how and why we game. Add to that a good way to just a sample of a number of PbtA games and of course I HAVE to recommend this podcast.

JoelWRuiz ,

Great Resource for Anyone Who Likes PbtA

I found out about this system in the last year or so and I love it! From the OG Apocalypse World down to the newer Masks and Monster of the Week, it is so fun. This podcast is great because it talks about specifics from each system. The actions and moves in these games can be very open, so it's nice to hear some informed opinions on these.

DM Lord Neptune ,

An excellent resource for learning about PbtA games!

This new podcast came to my attention when the host asked me to guest on one of the episodes, and it was such a phenomenal experience! Matthew is a very gracious and knowledgable host who you can tell has a passion for everything Powered by the Apocalypse, and even dives into some of the PbtA inspired systems like Blades in the Dark and Turn. The guests are all fantastic and knowledgable and they all have a sort of glee in their voice when talking about their favorite moves. This is a great podcast that lends itself well to the "interesting people geeking out about something they love" genre of podcasts, but it also has some great, teachable moments when it comes to both playing and running PbtA games. It's especially great for newer game designers who are writing a game for the Powered by the Apocalypse system and could use a bit of inspiration for their own ideas. All in all, this is a great show that I'll be adding to my normal rotation of listening. Definitely worthwhile to check out!

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