This move is most useful when you have something happening behind the scenes that you're waiting to reveal. You might start a new countdown or tick down a current one, add more damage dice to an enemy's upcoming damage roll, adjust a narrative situation the PCs have yet to encounter, or create another consequence the players can't foresee. When you do this, don't tell them the move, but do create fun tension at the table by letting them know your machinations have changed: "Everything is fine… for now." Depending on your style of play, you might instead tick down a countdown timer the players can see but don't fully understand. You could also cut away to a scene that the players see but the characters don't.

Description

This move is most useful when you have something happening behind the scenes that you're waiting to reveal. You might start a new countdown or tick down a current one, add more damage dice to an enemy's upcoming damage roll, adjust a narrative situation the PCs have yet to encounter, or create another consequence the players can't foresee. When you do this, don't tell them the move, but do create fun tension at the table by letting them know your machinations have changed: "Everything is fine… for now." Depending on your style of play, you might instead tick down a countdown timer the players can see but don't fully understand. You could also cut away to a scene that the players see but the characters don't.