The Hard Move

The Hard Move

By Matthew GravelynLeisureGames
Download on the App Store

The Hard Move episodes

  • 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

    35 min
  • 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.

    42 min
  • 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

    49 min
  • 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

    40 min
  • 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

    45 min
  • 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

    46 min
  • Surrender to Weariness

    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.

    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 Misha on twitter @bggameworks.

    Content featured in this episode is from The Watch, written by Ash Kreider and Andrew Medeiros

    46 min
  • Thy Will Be Done

    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 different for this format.

    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 Aaron on twitter @aaronmfking, and at erinking.itch.io

    Content featured in this episode is from The Veil, 2nd Printing written by Fraser Simons and published by Samjoko Games.

    42 min
  • In-Brain Puppet Strings

    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 table. This a fun ep, and it's stripped back from more of the deeply theoretical episodes we've had in the past. Some nice variety.

    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 Paddy on twitter @paddyhutcho, and at liberationindustries.net

    Content featured in this episode is from Apocalypse World 2nd Edition, written by Vincent and Meguey Baker, and produced by lumpley games.

    40 min
  • At Any Cost

    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 this move.

    In the Patreon cut, Rach and I also talk about medicine and patient autonomy, consent in gaming, and art criticism. Available at patreon.com/thehardmove

    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 Rach on twitter @teddog, and listen to Plus One Forward.

    Content featured in this episode is from Urban Shadows. With writing by Andrew Medeiros and Mark Diaz Truman, and published by Magpie Games

    37 min

About The Hard Move

From the publisher's feed

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.