I should have done this two weeks ago while the memory was fresh.

I should have done this two weeks ago while the memory was fresh. Maybe Jamie Sue or Bryan Wood can pipe up to fix any mistakes.

I ran a Single Session on Google Hangouts with two complete strangers, neither of which had played Dungeon World. One had played Apocalypse World but I couldn’t tell her what the differences were because I’ve never played AW.

We created character, a halfling thief named Rook and a Elven Wizard named Fenfaril. They began the session in front of the burnt-out remains of some farmer’s homestead. Fenfaril was looking for Stones of Power for his mentor while Rook was along purely for the adventure.

The home was completely demolished with only a chimney and a few corner walls standing. In one corner that was slightly less burnt than the rest was a trap door. Fenfaril opened it and peered down. Looking up at him, slightly startled, was a fire beetle. It shot a gob of fire which Fenfaril barely dodged by jumping backwards. The hem of his tattered robe caught fire but Rook beat it out.

She then skewered the beetle with an expertly thrown dagger.

Danger averted the two climbed down to the charred remains of a root cellar with an open wooden door leading into darkness. Fenfaril called up some light but lost grip on his power, sending a flash out which attracted some more fire beetles.

The ensuing battle went from calm competence to frantic stomping but eventually the two were victorious, if a little singed. Fenfaril scrounged some undamaged jars and harvested the thoraxes of the beetles for their valuable chemicals.

Down the freshly dug tunnel they explored, discovering that the tunnel they were in had been broken into by another tunnel which appeared hastily dug to intercept it. Following this new tunnel they come across a magic trap, a type of electric force-field across their path which Rook discovers will discharge itself on any object passing through it so she expends its charges with some carefully tossed rocks.

Next the arrive in a larger chamber which appears to have been used by an intelligent creature. There they find some potions but are surprised by the sound of someone coming from deeper within the cavern. They quickly hide as a grubby pyromancer unloads his stolen lunch and heads towards the homestead tunnel to feed his pet fire beetles. Quickly the sneak past, assuming, I guess, that there must be another exit.

They come across a pyromaniac goblins toasting his fingers on a candle and munching on his lunch and decide to sneak by as they hear the pyromancer coming in their direction, calling the names of his beloved pets.

Unfortunately a loose rock alerts the pyromancer and his goblin to their presence and a fight ensures. The thief douses her blade in the potion she identified as poison while the wizard drinks the potion they think is healing. The wizard feels really cold in his tummy and gains some resistance to fire damage as he has drunk what is essentially a potion of fire dousing while the thief narrowly avoids the danger of spilling any of the healing potion on her skin.

Despite these mistakes the fight goes smoothly and first the goblin then the pyromancer goes down in quick succession despite the healing effects of the dagger which caused the final blow.

On the body of the pyromancer is found a Stone of Power: Fire, which gives the Wizard’s spells the “Fire” tag while he possesses it.

It was a fun session and I think I handled it better than my previous attempts at Dungeon World. The only preparation was a map of the homestead and connecting tunnels. I hadn’t decided what burnt it before the session. The Stones of Power were invented by Bryan when I asked him why he was adventuring and I’m thinking that there are a number of minor stones spread throughout the land, plus a number of major stones.