The Narrative is the established story and current state of reality, within the story, that comes from playing Power World. The Narrative tells the Players about the world the Heroes inhabit and about what is happening around the Heroes right now. As you play The Narrative will change and grow.

Playing Power World means having a conversation; somebody says something, then you reply, maybe someone else chimes in. We talk about The Narrative. As we play, the rules will chime in, too. They have something to say about The Narrative. There are no rules to say whose turn it is to talk. Instead players take turns in the natural flow of the conversation, which always has some back-and-forth. The Narrator says something, the other Players respond. The Players ask questions or make statements, the Narrator tells them what happens next. Power World is never a monologue; it’s always a conversation.

The rules help shape this conversation. The results of following these rules also help shape The Narrative. These rules are called Moves. While the Narrator and the players are talking, Moves interject into this conversation, furthering The Narrative in potentially surprising ways. Every Move has an explicit Trigger that tells you when it is meant to be used.

Like any conversation, the time you spend listening is just as important as the time you spend talking. The details established by the other people at the table (the Narrator and the other Players) are important to you: they might change what action a Hero can take, set up an opportunity for your Hero, or create a challenge your Hero has to face. The conversation works best when we all listen, ask questions, and build on each other’s contributions.