Encourage players to focus on the fiction and let you handle the rules. The more narratively important something is, the more mechanical weight you should give it.
Get creative applying the rules, mixing them up in ways not explicitly laid out. Don’t be afraid to tinker. Moxie is modular and you’re not going to break it. Graft on rules from other systems you like, or hack Moxie and make it your own.
If the rules clash with what makes sense in the fiction, the fiction wins. Engage with the rules quickly, resolve them, and return to the story.
The rules are a flexible framework and designed not to cover every detail. When things fall through the cracks, try to interpret the rules’ intent and make a ruling that fits the moment. If it’s a judgment call, tell the players. If you’re unsure of a rule, make a quick call now and check later. When in doubt, everything can collapse down to a single story roll — ask the players what they want to happen, then roll to see if that’s how it goes down.
Keep the game flowing like a well-paced movie. Don’t let scenes drag, Wrap It Up to move on to something more interesting. If players don’t seem keen on an upcoming situation, suggest a montage. Skip long planning phases by cutting to the action with a Set the Scene move. Reward players buying into these techniques by giving them good odds.
Keep tabs on story arcs and present drama, dilemmas, and opportunities related to them. Follow where the characters want to go. Present interesting situations related to it. When players hesitate or hit an impasse, spur them into action with danger timers, quarrels, Entangles, or Bridge and move on.
The GM moves can be explicit rules, merely guidelines, or somewhere in between. Some GMs will call them out by name, while others never bring them up at all. Either way, as long as your GMing aligns with their intent, you’re doing it right.
Don’t pull your punches — impact moves are called that for a reason. They shove the story forward. Players have a lot of tools at their disposal, so give the world teeth. It makes victory even sweeter.
A single impact move is flexible. You can split it up into a few lesser effects, hit multiple PCs at once, or have a PC’s action affect a totally different PC, though they do get a defense roll in that case.
When an impact move doesn’t naturally flow from what’s happening on-screen (common with messy rolls), think off-screen instead and complicate their lives elsewhere or take suspense and hit later with better dramatic timing.
After a roll, make sure the players narrate how things play out — even, or especially, on a grim. Describing failure is a great way to express their character. Collaborate, but keep them narrating their actions.
Encourage them to play off of each other as well, especially with assists and montages. Ask for reaction shots as other PCs’ scenes play out to gauge how they feel about it, or how their bond affects their reaction.
Most importantly, after the rules come into play, get right back to narration. Make sure that the flow remains fiction, to rules, to fiction.
Ask provocative questions about the PCs and their motivations to give players a chance to expand on their characters.