DungeonWorld – First Session

DungeonWorld – First Session

So I finally ran my first session of #dungeonworld  this past Monday. Been meaning to shout about it. The group is traditional Pathfinder RPG players, but glad they were open to trying something new. 

Email the night before from player, cc’ing everyone in group. “Do we need anything?”

Just dice and pencil.

Cast:

Lily the Strange – Male Human Bard 

Yoru Sulphur – female Human Wizard

Janos – Male Dwarf Fighter

Johann Klein  – Male Human Cleric

Mouse – Male Halfling Thief

Once they started getting hot on character creation, basically after they chose a name, race and class I started to ask questions and noted the following, leaving out the question(s)…

Yoru

Teacher was ancient wizards named Jaeger. Jaeger sensed Yoru was gifted and sought out Yoru for his talents. He’s suspicious of Lily the bard and has never met Mouse before. He sees Janos as being ‘great’ and noble.

Janos

Defended his clan against goblins and orcs, he was born to do this job. Uncle Surtur, a true fighter, raised him. His father had died and was a craftsman. Uncle showed him the ways of fighting. There’s about 40 members of his clan – located in north in the mountains where things are peaceful. He feels compelled to protect Yoru and is concerned about Lily. Johann, he says, needs some toughening up while Mouse owes him.

Johann

Chosen in his sleep to follow Orosis the Eversleeping who came to him in a dream at 10 years old. He fled ‘home’ to join the Cult of the Eversleeping. A secret cult unknown to much of the world dedicated to Orosis. If you know about the cult you’re either an enemy or very scholarly. Gospel/tenant of Orosis: leave trappings of life behind to join the dreamworld. Johann is always on the look out for followers. He doesn’t trust Jonas. Yoru looks like a dork with his pointy hat and drag robes. Lily may be cult member, which is ok with Johann and he’s trying to bring Mouse into the flock.

Mouse

Certainly hit with the wonderlust and had very little in his pocket when he set out on his own. He ventured through Badis and Frontier while eventually settling in Apex. He stole what he could to survive. He eventually got caught by the local Guild, infringing upon their ‘business’. They realized his skills and gave him the choice to join them which he did. Black Fang is the leader of the  guild. The guild uses pseudonyms for everyone, nobody knowing each other’s real names, Mouse was named such because of his size, con work and, on occasion, acts like a child. He stole something from Yoru while Lily has some dirt on him. He knows Janos has his back and he plays along with Johanns plights to bring him to his religion, which Mouse believes is just one con.

Lily

Spoken word and warhorn are the tools of her trade. . She sees good fortune but others still think she’s cursed. The wild hair does not help. Seems to lose her voice if she stays in one location for more than a few days and must always be on the move, often a visitor to any town than a long-time resident. She’s a member of the Bath merchant family though she does not flaunt her privilege. The phrase “Someone’s just taken a bath” stems from how the family interacts with their contacts. She wrote the song about Yoru entitled Speaker of the Dead. She’s more than enthusiastic about writing a balad about Mouse. 

The opening of the adventure

The party finds themselves in individual jail cells in a dark, dank, dungeon. They escape the confines of the dungeon and make their way up a small set of stairs. Down a corridor they find a room with a window with their things laid out on a wooden table. They are then attacked, with Janos heading up the fight on what appears to be a large winged feline, 3 of them in all. Mouse heads down a hall and opens another door where he finds himself in a large room filled with 10 soldiers, all in armor, brandishing scimitars. The room is brightly lit with two pulpits on each side, high up along both side walls. In one stands a lone man, finely dressed, overlooking the whole room. 

Eventually the battle subsides and the group finds themselves in the same room as Mouse where they meet Baron Steuben Von Offerdahl IV. He’s a recluse  but known in the region. He subdued the group in order to keep the proposition a secret. He offers them gold in exchange for their services. A prized possession was stolen from him by the dark wizard Magdor. Magdor’s keep lies just outside Frontier. It sounds as though Steuben and Magdor are rivals. Steuben tends to influence things for good behind the scenes where Magdor tends to lust for outright power via the use of those that have passed and risen to serve him. Steuben does not divulge the nature of the object, just that it will give Magdor an upper hand. One of the party members realizes that the object lies in a small chest 3 levels down within the Keep of Magdor where guardians stand. 

Upon departing Von Offerdahl’s company, they find 500 gold separated in coin and jewels in pouches outside the large room. Outside his keep, over the drawbridge stands 5 horses, saddled and ready to ride…..

Nobody leveled up, but are close. 

The guys seemed to enjoy it, but like most first times,we need to get out of 3.5 land and think about the story and not the tactics. Geesh, can’t believe how ingrained they are.

All of the above was off the cuff. No prep was done at all. None. It was a bit clunky in the beginning but it actually went smoother than many other games when rules have to confirmed and looked up because they will make a difference in how things are handled by GM or player. 

Now it’s on to the front side and getting to know that better.

#roleplayinggames