WIXLIB

Core GM ReferenceAgendas Make Halcyon City feel like a comicbook Make the player characters’ livessuperheroic Play to find out what changes Always say. What the principles demandWhat the rules demandWhat honesty demandsWhat your prep demandsPrinciples Describe like a comic book Address yourself to the heroes, not theplayers Make your move, but misdirect Make threats real Give up to fight another day Treat human life as meaningful Make supers seem outlandish, creative,and cool Give villains drives to feature theirhumanity Make adults seem childish and shortsighted Support people, but only conditionally Ask provocative questions and build onthe answers Be a fan of the PCs Treat your NPCs like hammers: squarepeg, round hole Remind them of the generations thatcame before Think in the gutters between panels Sometimes, disclaim decision-making MovesThe DelinquentThe Transformed Inflict a conditionTake Influence over someoneBring them togetherCapture someonePut innocents in dangerShow the costs of collateral damageReveal the future, subtly or directlyAnnounce between-panel threatsMake them pay a price for victoryTurn their move back on themTell them the possible consequencesand askTell them who they are or who theyshould beBring an NPC to rash decisions andhard conclusionsActivate the downsides of their abilitiesand relationshipsMake a playbook moveMake a villain moveAfter every move: “What do you do?”When you’re not busy Use splash panelsDraw mapsFill in the backstoryUse time jumpsShare the spotlightTake breaksPlaybook MovesThe Beacon Draw attention to their inadequaciesPraise their best traitsMake them pay for their audacityCompare them to the othersPlay to their drivesThe Bull Endanger their loveBolster their rivalReveal dark secrets of their pastAttack with someone just like themSwarm with mundane forcesPut them in chainsGive or take an audienceGive them conditional loveShow them the lineOffer a helping handReject themShow how they are feared or hatedAttack them with unthinking hordesRemind them of what they’ve lostSee their true selfThe Doomed1st Session Goals Help your players create theircharacters Prime Halcyon City with plenty of coolmaterial and events to build on Show off who these characters are Go through most of the mechanics ofthe game (and definitely all the basicmoves) Create an awesome first issue of yourcomicMark their doom trackOffer a chance to further their causeRemind them of what they could losePush them to the brinkOffer temporary relief with a costThe Janus Bring their obligations to bearEndanger someone from either lifeMake their lives cross overPut more obligations on themTake away their maskThe Legacy Remind them of their traditions Compare them to the past Make them answer their family’sconcerns Raise expectations on them Honor themThe Nova Remind them of past collateral damageReveal a terrible truth of their powersMake their powers flare out of controlStoke their conditionsIntroduce threats only they can tackleThe Outsider Draw attention to their differencesMake a request from homeIntroduce a monitor from homeAccept and support them in theirmoments of weakness Provoke their beliefs and practices intense situationsThe Protégé Convey their mistakesBestow wisdom, wanted or unwantedHold up a mirror to themGive them exactly what they need ata cost Endanger their mentorDo these Bring on the actionBuild on character creationAsk questions constantlyCall out moves when they happenOffer moves when the players flinchFrame scenes with multiple charactersShift their LabelsDisplay the adaptations to thesuperhuman Give them a chance to talkCharacter Creation Hand out the playbooks. Haveeach player take turns reading thedescription of each. Have each player pick a playbook. Ask questions during the process.Keep the players talking about theircharacters and their decisions. After they have chosen names, looks,abilities, starting labels, answers tobackstory questions, moves, and anyspecial pieces of their playbooks, goaround and ask them to introducetheir characters, one at a time. Askquestions all the while. Once all characters are introduced, askthem to read out loud their “When ourteam first came together.” section,without answering the questions. Thenhave them answer those questions oneat a time. The recommended order ofquestions is: Bull * Nova * Outsider *Janus * Delinquent * Doomed * Legacy* Transformed * Protégé * Beacon Ask questions of them the whole time.Weave together their answers to paint apicture of the incident. Afterward, do relationships andInfluence.“When Our Team FirstCame Together ”QuestionsBull: We defeated a dangerous enemy. Whoor what was it?Nova: We destroyed our surroundingsin the fight. Where was it? What did wedestroy?Outsider: We didn’t trust each other atfirst, but that changed. How? Why?Janus: We saved the life of someoneimportant, either to the city, or to us. Whowas it? Why are they important?Delinquent: We totally broke some majorrules to win the fight. What rules did webreak? Whose rules were they?Doomed: We paid a high cost for victory.What was it?Legacy: All things considered, we did welland impressed an established hero. Whowas it?Transformed: We drew attention andire from plenty during the fight. Oneimportant person in particular now hatesand fears us. Who is it?Protégé: We stuck together after all wassaid and done. Why? How’d we keep incontact?Beacon: We found signs that this incidentwas just the start of something bigger.What were the signs?

VillainsHow to Make a VillainConditionsCondition MovesSuper NamesSample DrivesFollow these steps to set up a villain,whether making one from scratch orwriting up an existing character as avillain:Choose one to five conditions for thevillain. You choose from the PC’s regularconditions list: Afraid, Angry, Guilty,Hopeless, and Insecure. The moreconditions you give a villain, the greatertheir capacity to stay in the fight, and themore dangerous they’ll be.These are GM moves for villains to makeimmediately after they’ve marked acondition, and any time you’d make a GMmove after that.Anarch, The Antediluvian, The August, TheDuke of Bone, Captain Shadow, Cygnus,Doctor Infinity, Dread Queen, Dream Tiger,Emerald Lance, Gehenna, Ghostheart,Glacier, Gravestone, Handyman, Hashtag,Hourglass, Kingfisher, Knuckleduster,The Lawman, Mirror Beast, Mr.Everywhere, Myrmidon, Mystic Mistress,Panthalassa the Sea-Sovereign, Quill,Superbia, Photovore, Rime, Rockhammer,Scarlet Songbird, Silent Storm, TheSpider, Starlyte, Steel Mask, Vixxis theTimebreaker, Warpstar, Vortex, Zero Hour Real NamesChoose a name and generationChoose a driveChoose one to five villain movesChoose one to five conditionsVillain NamesChoose a name that’s fun and exciting toyou, and that signals the generation ofthe villain.Gold: Goofy, fun, light-hearted namesSilver: Grandiose, cosmic, epic namesBronze: Down-to-earth, simple, catchynamesModern: Meme-worthy, “unique,” clevernamesWhen it’s appropriate, pick a real name forthe villain, too.Villain DrivesGive your villain a drive, a purpose or goalthat leads them to action, in the form of astatement:“To .” Make yourdrives point at the villain’s underlyinghumanity. Make the drives comprehensibleand empathetic whenever possible.Villain MovesCreate three or so villain moves, thingsthe villain does, both in and out of fights.Make them descriptive and interesting,active and direct. 1 condition: Barely a threat2 conditions: A bit of a fight3 conditions: A threatening villain4 conditions: A dangerous villain5 conditions: A true arch-villainYou can always adjust a villain’s dangerand longevity by giving them moreconditions or taking away conditions.Villains in a FightHere are the core guidelines that villainsfollow in fights: When a villain gets hit hard, by tradingblows or in other situations, they marka condition as appropriate. When a villain marks a condition, theymake a move from the condition moveslist immediately, before the PCs actagain. When you need to say what the villaindoes next, look to your GM moves, theirvillain moves, and the condition moves. When a villain needs to mark acondition but can’t, they are definitivelydefeated. Villains can flee or give up long beforeall their conditions are filled—don’tthink they have to fight to the bitterend. Villains, and NPCs in general, alwaystry to clear conditions—they alwayschoose to open up after a PC’ssuccessful comfort or support move.AFRAID Hide out of harm’s way Flee from danger or difficulty Lash out without thought at a threat Plead for mercy Throw up blocks and wallsANGRY Vent through unthinking violence Break the environment Shut down conversation Lash out at any vulnerability Escalate the situation dangerouslyGUILTY Seek forgiveness Sacrifice anything or everything forredemption Turn to the unthinkable Implicate others in guilt Reveal the nature of their driveHOPELESS Give up without a fight Burn down the world around them Seek any light in the dark Undermine others’ beliefs Veer toward drastic and terrible actionINSECURE Double down on broken plans or ideas Follow the lead of someone else Doubt and question their own alliesand plans Admit wrongful action Recede into the backgroundAlexander, Amrit, Betty, Brandon,Chadwick, Chun, Damon, Dipali, Dustin,Faith, Hayley, Ida, Imran, Ismael, Josefina,Joy, Juanita, Julius, Jun, King, Kyo, Leticia,Lina, Luz, Marcos, Nadine, Orlando,Patricia, Paul, Prasad, Ren, Rochelle,Salman, Salvador, Sita, Sushila, Santiago,Tyler, Vicky, Yi, YukiAmjad, Ash, Bass, Benitez, El-Amin,Fernandez, Chan, Corbitt, Dumas,Gallagher, Hartwell, Espinoza, Kane, Li,Locklear, McCloud, Mireles, Murray, Parr,Pasternak, Rayburn, Reaves, Serrano,Starling, Treadwell, Trujillo, Tyson, Wong,Woodcomb, ZhengTo bring justice to the guiltyTo create and enforce orderTo defend those like themTo defeat a hated archenemyTo demand attention and focusTo destroy threats to peaceTo free those in chainsTo obtain massive wealthTo overturn an unjust systemTo protect their home and loved onesTo prove the failures of corrupt heroesTo rally and inspire others to actionTo seize control of threats and dangersTo take vengeance for past wrongsTo uncover the secrets of the worldSample Villain Moves Summon robotic minions Open a gate to another dimension/thefuture Create a weapon or bomb Hide behind a lieutenant Threaten innocents Explain their true purpose Implicate or tarnish heroes Steal away something valuable Transform into a more dangerous form Reveal the nature of a trap

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