Thirsty Sword Lesbians

This game has some very interesting ideas for gaming, not just the game itself, but also ideas for understanding other PbtA games, and even beyond.

The things I really liked:

1) Defining Full Success, Partial Success, and Failures as Up Beats, Mixed Beats, and Down Beats.

I already feel I had a pretty good grasp on adjudicating results in PbtA games, but this mental shorthand really appeals to the way my brain works. Especially after having read Robin D. Laws [b: Hamlet's Hit Points|8704682|Hamlet's Hit Points|Robin D. Laws|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327961491l/8704682.SY75.jpg|13577487] and [b: Beating the Story|39992212|Beating the Story How to Map, Understand, and Elevate Any Narrative|Robin D. Laws|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525034568l/39992212.SX50.jpg|61930129].

2) Countdowns instead of Clocks.

I don't have a problem with Clocks, but the idea of doing a Countdown with a noticeable effect after each tick is, I feel, a stronger option in many cases.

3) The addition of the Check-In card to the Safety Toolbox.

This is something I plan to add to my games in the future, and is applicable to any game, not just TSL or PbtL games in general.

4) Giving XP to the party for using safety tools.

I think this will go a long way to overcoming the stigma that's attached to using safety tools at the table, and making people more comfortable with them. I am considering incorporating this into other PbtA games I run.

5) The discussion of safety tools in general, both the benefits and potential problems, is probably the best I've seen yet in any game.

The rest of the game looks interesting to me, and I hope to try it out either as a player or a GM, but I do have some concerns about whether or not the game is focused enough. PbtA games are at their best when hyper-focused, and the broader the focus gets, the more they tend to lose their appeal. The focus here is on relationships between people who have relationship issues, and that's awesome, but with literally everything else in the game being optional or variable (including all three words in the title), will it hold up in play?

The fact that this is published by Evil Hat, and has a development consultant credit, and numerous playtester credits, is promising. The fact that it's based on Masks, possibly my favorite PbtA game, is also a good sign. Until I actually get the chance to sit down and play it for myself though, I remain concerned.