Michael Prescott Oh, you’re totally right as far as “urban,” but I see it in games that aren’t urban/modern as well, when you present the PCs as specialists. This is as old as the hobby itself: If my rogue is super sneaky, and your fighter is Leeroy Jenkins, then we are going to split up a lot. PbtA games create specialized PCs by default, and they often come with big piles of “lonely fun” moves and advantages (like workshops, gangs, etc.).

Like, in Apocalypse World, I cringe when someone plays the Savvyhead. For some reason, that playbook (in my experience) tends to result in a PC who just sits in his workshop tinkering and all of the other players have to come petition him for help. It should come with a big warning label that says “only take this book if you’re OK with sitting back and watching play, or else working extra-hard to justify getting involved in the action!”

I do dig the idea of a group of players that is having just as much fun watching each other as they are “actively” playing. That’s great!