58. Mc the game. bring it.

Just because it’s the first session, whatever, you’re still actually playing the game.

MC the game. Bring it.

But especially do these:
Describe. Barf forth apocalyptica.
Springboard off character creation.
Ask questions all the time.
Leave yourself things to wonder about.
Look for where they’re not in control.
Push there.
Nudge the players to have their characters make moves.
Give every character good screen time with other characters.
Leap forward with named, human NPCs.
Hell, have a fight.
Work on your threat map and essential threats. (98)

I like the special place that the first session has in Apocalypse World, and that first sentence puts it in perspective. You’re still actually playing the game, so MC it. Just because the text is drawing attention to everything you want to be accomplishing in the first session doesn’t mean you get to ignore the last chapter. All of rules of MCing still stand, so achieve your agenda items, follow your principles, and make your moves. But at the same time, you are trying to “create a fractured, tilting landscape of inequalities, incompatible interests, PC-NPC-PC triangles, untenable arrangements” (97), so there are things you need to do above and beyond those usual rules to fracture and tilt that landscape of inequalities. And that’s where this extra list comes in.

These aren’t rules, but they’re not mere take-it-or-leave-it advice either. This is firm-handed guidance, things you need to do to let the game do what it is designed to do.

The recurring theme of these bullet points is this: curious exploration. We have talked about the MC assuming the position of interactive audience, an engaged fan with the ability to move the characters and world around to see what happens. Well the first session plays a critical role in equipping the MC with the information they need to play their part successfully. Springboarding off character creations, asking questions, leaving yourself things to wonder about, looking for where the characters are not in control, and pushing on those weak spots are all ways to identify and play with the fractured tilting landscape the game’s systems have put in place.

When the authors say “you get a whole session to get to know them” (96) they are placing the MC’s needs front and center. The players may have fun stretching their characters’ muscles, but the first session isn’t really about that. It’s a playground for the MC to poke around and see what they want to see more of. Sure, you have “nudge the players to have their characters make moves,” but that is one item in a list of 11. Even giving “characters good screen time” has the important tag “with other characters,” because the item is less concerned with spotlight equality than it is with you getting to see how the characters react to and mix with one another.

It’s easy to overlook the first session as simply “begin playing the game,” but it is much more than that. It is an important design element in the way the game plays. Next, we’ll look in detail at some of the bullet points.