Special Moves
Special moves are also moves that all PCs can make. Like basic moves, they are central to rabbits' existence; however, these are moves that PCs will only occasionally make. The three moves with a red asterisk (
*) following the move name are significant relationships. You can have a Best Friend, a Littermate, or a Mate, but not more than one at any given time.
Relax
When you play, groom, or rest in relative safety, subtract 1 from your Panic. Occasionally rabbits will find time to rest and recover, time to enjoy the wonder of nature and joy of companionship. Be it hours or days, Relax is always marked by the passage of time. A safe, quiet space can be a comfort when preparing to Birth A Litter.
Struggle
When you struggle to free yourself, roll+Strong. You may then take Panic, 1 for 1, to increase your roll. On a 10+, you manage to wriggle free. On a 7-9, you can wriggle free if you are willing to take a scar. On a 6-, you can’t escape and you take a scar anyway. Occasionally rabbits will become trapped, pinned, or snatched up by a predator. This move offers a chance to escape if you are desperate enough.
Compete
When you compete with another PC rabbit, both of you choose a value on a die and then reveal it. If one rabbit's die shows a higher face, they get their way and choose a value from one of the dice — both of you take that much Panic. If neither is higher, no one gets their way and you both take Panic equal to the die value. When similar situations arise between a PC and an NPC, always fall back to the question: What do you do? By describing your character's actions, you enable the GM to determine their consequences, be they obvious success or failure, a GM move or triggering a player move. Competing with other rabbits is stressful, even for the victor, and when competition gets heated, you can't rely on the victor to win graciously. Competition can take many forms but it always comes down to who comes out on top or who gets their way. When you Compete, others may still Help/Hinder either rabbit.
Dig
When you dig in the earth, roll+Strong. On a 10+, you scratch out a simple burrow or otherwise quickly shift some dirt. On a 7-9, choose one:
- You can only dig enough space to squeeze yourself into.
- Your excavation is unstable and temporary at best.
- You take significantly longer than expected.
Rabbits build warrens as permanent places of safety as well as smaller burrows as temporary shelters. In the real world, female rabbits do much of the excavation in preparation for birthing litters, but in
The Warren, rabbits are free to divide the labor as they see fit. When you dig, it's also a good time to make a map of the resulting tunnels and/or add them to a larger map of the area surrounding the warren.
Best Friend*
When you have a best friend, tell them so and take +1 ongoing to Help/Hinder that rabbit until another relationship becomes more important.
Littermate*
When you are born to the same litter, share your earliest memories and take +1 ongoing to Help/Hinder that rabbit until another relationship becomes more important.
Mate*
When you mate with another rabbit, take +1 ongoing to Help/Hinder that rabbit until you mate with someone else. If you are different genders, both of you hide zero or one die in your fist. On the count of three, open your hands — two dice means the doe is pregnant and she may give birth whenever it feels right. Mating is a crucial part of rabbit life and any rabbits may mate. Mating intensifies rabbits' relationships and provides insight into each other’s disposition. Mating can also result in pregnancy. In the wild, rabbits can birth many litters over the course of their lives but if being pregnant slowed them down, there wouldn't be nearly so many rabbits today. Of course, every litter is different — the experience of pregnancy and its aftermath is largely up to that rabbit's player.
Birth A Litter
When you birth a litter, roll and subtract your current Panic to determine the number of kits that are born. On a 10+, it's an unusually sizable litter — increase your Panic to maximum. On a 7-9, a normal-sized litter is by no means easy — take +2 Panic. On a 6-, it's all just too much and few if any survive. The GM still gets to make a hard move but this is a good time to check in and make sure other players are comfortable with the fiction. Other PCs can Help/Hinder a doe, modifying her roll or Panic to achieve a desired outcome. Birthing litters is one outcome of mating and important for the health and growth of a warren. A doe may Birth A Litter when the time feels right — the process takes about fifteen minutes in the fiction. Of course, sometimes the best times are precisely the worst times! When the birth is finished, name the kits. They are hairless and fragile now but by the next chapter, they will be out on their own. If you know you don’t want to play out the actual birthing at the table, trigger it at the end of the chapter — you'll still birth some new rabbits but it can all happen off-screen, between chapters.
Innovate
When you do something unheard of, imagine what your actions would look like as a move. Say what triggers the move and roll. On a 7+, work with the GM to write the move — it is now a Special move for the remainder of the game and your roll stands. On a miss, it's not something rabbits can ever do and there will certainly be consequences. Intelligent creatures will often discover new behaviors or capabilities that were, theretofore, unheard of. When creating a new move, write a trigger that characters can initiate by taking decisive action (e.g. "when you do a thing", not "when you try to do a thing") and write the move’s results from the perspective of that character rather than saying what an NPC or part of the world does (e.g. "you suffer a thing", not "they do a thing to you"). Move triggers are like wishes — the wording matters! The more narrowly you specify the trigger for your innovated move, the less likely you are to duplicate Character moves, which should be avoided, or to encounter other unintended effects later on. Most innovated moves will involve rolling and adding a stat and will follow the
success (10+),
success but… (7-9),
failure (6-) structure; however, they don't have to — don't be afraid to get creative and use other move structures if it fits the setting and fiction! Innovate is a powerful move, to be used intentionally. It can be used to allow rabbits to manipulate objects or adopt new behaviors. It could also be used to permanently change the setting by introducing supernatural, mythical, or spiritual elements. It could even be used to adjust the degree of anthropomorphism on which the game is centered. Use it wisely, probably after some discussion with the other players.
Time Goes By
When weeks or months go by, roll. As a group, decide which die represents births and which represents deaths. Add one rabbit to the warren for each birth and subtract one rabbit from the warren for each death. This is a useful move for when you want to play a game of
The Warren with children or when players do not wish to incorporate the Mate and Birth A Litter moves into the game. It allows the warren's population to grow and change without the PCs' direct contribution. This is also a useful move for connecting one chapter to the next. It necessarily changes life in the warren and can help set the stage for the coming chapter.
Retire
When you give up the ghost or the spotlight, hold 1 and describe how your rabbit retires from play, then make a new rabbit. The hold may be spent to give any rabbit an additional Character move. Retiring a rabbit means allowing their story to come to an end. This is a normal part of a rabbit’s life in
The Warren — embrace it. This could mean letting them die or it could mean having them take on a more static role in the fiction. Whatever you choose, this is your chance to write your character's fate into the warren's history and leave your mark on the rabbits that survive you. The retiring rabbit's player retains the hold — they may opt to spend it immediately to aid another PC, spend it to introduce their new rabbit with an additional Character move, or save it for a rainy day.
Advance
During play, each PC may take one additional Character move each chapter as they learn, grow, or change. The move cannot be one already claimed by another character. When you claim this move, mark it on your rabbit playbook. If you haven't claimed it by the end of the chapter, do it at that time.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:11, Wed 18 Sept 2019.