So, in the phenomenal book Muster¹, there is a fair amount of discussion monologue on the nature of systems, rules, and especially how rules ought to be organically grown for a campaign... not for some fallacious reason that that is how it was done in the good old days but actually for a pretty simple reason:

Everybody has different experiences, and therefore a very different model of reality in their heads! One person is going to have a whole different idea of how grappling works than another, and in a game of make believe that's okay. This idea of "rules cruft" (the author's term, not mine) is a pretty good one.

Many games expect you to grow into them, even some systems will insist you play their game, adopt their assumptions. On the other hand, Wolves Upon the Coast gives you a *very* trimmed down set of rules. You've basically got only the big questions answered: "what damage? how much health? armor? combat rounds? boats?" A trend with the associated Grand Campaign as well is found here: the BIG points are addressed, there are a few little middling details, but the vast majority of it is actually for you to fill in the blanks. Shit, after all, you already know what weapon ranges should be.

Why try to come up with a set of weapon ranges that are unique? Realistic? It's all been done before, just copy one of the other systems out there. Hell, you can slot in your own rules whenever you damn well please. The system can take it because there is no system. There is no framework. There are merely some suggestions that have been distilled down into pure aqua vitae: boasts improve the character stats, no mental attributes, saving throws are fixed.

This leaves a "fruitful void" as some might call it, or as the uncharitable might say a "massive oversight" or something else even meaner... a character being prone means they are hit automatically (if you spend your round striking someone no roll to hit is required you just damage them) and daggers deal Heavy damage (i.e. the same as a big sword or giant axe) if the target is prone. There's no actual way to knock someone prone in these rules.

Well, that's a lie by omission. There's a thousand ways to knock someone prone: take them off their horse, stick a leg out and trip them, sweep their leg with a polearm, crouch behind them while an ally pushes them, just fucking hit them hard enough... The lie is that you can't knock them prone because the game decides to not let you... but the reality of it is that this isn't a game of Magic the Gathering, it's a game where the characters actions come first and the rules are merely a reference for best practices resolving those actions.

Thus, a new practice needed to be invented because we had more than once instance of trying to do something in combat that wasn't hitting someone with a sword but that wasn't guaranteed to succeed... LADIES, THINGS, FELLOWS, GENTLEMEN! I give you

well, basically just the "turn undead" mechanic of previous editions but slightly different.

You roll 2d6, factoring in the difference between the two party's attack bonus so the aggressor takes a penalty if they have less or a bonus if they have more. If you get at least 7 the special move either partially succeeds or the enemy gets a save/you have to make an attack roll to complicate it. If you get at least 12 the special move just succeeds. Or there's an attack roll but it has double effect. No saving throw. Unlike the usual attack roll, this quickly becomes unlikely or near certain just depending on the difference in skill/attack bonus. It is also based on attack bonus, which increases quite slowly for monsters unlike hit dice, which will usually be higher.

It's not exactly hard and fast but that's the thing, it's not supposed to be. It's just the way we will try to handle special moves going forward, by comparing both party's attack bonuses and rolling some bones. This can theoretically cover just about any stunt, but I wouldn't say it's a universal thing just yet, a few examples of use:

-Grappling. Roll to hit unarmored, then roll special move. Partial success indicates you've got the target in such a position that they must pass a reflex save to even attempt to attack you with a light weapon, total success indicates they are held and prone or something... failure indicates you do nothing; wasting your time was the penalty.

-Feinting a shield. Special move followed by attack roll. Roll special move first off. If you fail, you blow the attack entirely and lose it. That's the penalty. Partial success indicates the attack will ignore a shield. Total success offers no additional degree.

These aren't meant to be the best possible options, they're some off the top rulings you could make. In reality, we had three maneuvers happen:

-Vic tried to disarm a gnome who had just stabbed her with a spear, by moving up it to attack them. That was a physique save to not take autodamage for trying this stunt, and a special move roll to actually disarm.

-Vic was disarmed by an enemy who just made a special move roll.

-Vic then struck that enemy with a sucker punch, rolling a partial success; they took 1 damage and had to make a physique save or be stunned as per the club.

1. https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/413382/Muster↩