Help me with Countdowns - how to handle them well

I am running a textbased AW game, and I want to introduce some countdowns. But how? We post in a forum thread for in Character and one for Out.

Do I announce to the players that a countdown has started, or do I simply make a move that pertains to the first count?

I do countdowns like they do in DungeonWorld, because it's much better. Each count has a line describing what happens. But how much should the players know?

Thanks!

Don't show them to the players.  Just make your Fronts' moves and advance to the next phase when it feels right as a Hard Move.  The players do not need to know "a countdown has started" - that's a metagame issue.  What they should *experience* is simply that the tension is increasing and things are getting worse because (insert MC/Front moves here).

Hey :)

Yeah, I shouldn't announce the countdowns directly. However, since this is textbased, I was hoping I could somehow indicate that a row of actions have begun, and that the players need to do something to stop it - without doing it mechanically.

Maybe I could Announce Future Badness to indicate what could happen? Does that seem like a good idea?

and As If, take a look at the thread - people are posting like crazy!

Announcing future and/or off-screen badness is probably the easiest way to clue the player in that something is going on.  After all, the countdown represents change in the world, and that change has ramifications.  Show the PCs those ramifications and they'll act according to their natures.

Yes, agreed. That's why I also use the portents from DungeonWorld, because each step describes the MC move.

I think I'll go with Announcing more than I use to, so the players get that feeling of "holy shit, we gotta do something quick!"

PS) how many of you actually use clocks drawn on paper? It seems so messy to me.

No clocks for me, thanks.  For one thing it assumes that all threats come with 6 phases.  Egh.
I use portents from DW, like you do. 

ETA - I just read the game page.  Yeah this is a great time for some offscreen or future badness.