Anyone that’s played a fair bit of DW have a sense of about how often characters level, on average? I know that the amount of XP to level is one of the easiest hacks.
I’ll be starting a game with my group soon, and we don’t expect it to go on for super long (games lately have averaged 6-8 sessions). I want to make sure that’s enough for everyone to get a sense of advancement and such. I wasn’t sure how much leveling I could expect as-is, or if I just hack it right off the bat and say leveling takes level+5 xp or something.
1, 5 levels per session I’d say
Oh. A bit more than I was expecting, then. In that case I may stick with 7 at first and see how quickly they seem to accrue xp.
My PCs have leveled up about once per session, maybe.
Session 1, Session 3, Session 5 or 6, Session 9, Session 12.
Depending on the GM and the way the game is paced.
It will vary. Some characters will level almost every session while others might level every 3 or 4.
Yeah, I expect the variation. Just curious about usual trends so I know what to expect.
Usually 1-2 levels per session. But we play it like we stole it.
In the beginning of my campaign, once a session or once every other session. Though, as the game goes on and they get higher level, it is turning into once every other session or once every third session.
Right, when you reach higher levels you should probably end up failing less due to additional ability points. Further you require additional XP to gain a level, so things can certainly slow down.
Well you could still try to get a lot of rolls with low modifiers to potentially level faster.
And hopefully your GM will punish you soundly for that play-style.
Tim Franzke Pete French
It’s not a thing to punish! I mean, you end with a spectrum of behaviour. On one end, the expert. The Thief with +3 DEX who tries to solve every problem with dexterity. That’s okay! You’ll never get better, but you’ll get what you want. On the other end, the dude trying to use his other stats to get XP. That’s cool, too! They’ll level up, branch out fail a lot in the effort. Which is fun for everyone.
I can’t imagine a player in my game leveling 5 times a session and not being absolutely killed by the insanely snowballed results of those failures… it is, literally, unfathomable to me.
Punish? No it rewards with painfully sweet fiction escalating the dangers to epic proportion.
My games have some characters leveling every session and one char leveling twice, another leveling slightly slower, guess which one’s character name is now a verb for screwing things up?
Seems to be once a session for me. More often if they’re unlucky, or specifically made an important stat really low to get XP (and horrible consequences).
One of my players lost a foot while “failing upwards” when they were investigating a huge unstable boulder in a “safe” part of their adventure.
“Safe” times quickly turn into “unsafe” times in dungeon world when that 6- rolls up.
I spoil my players. Three sessions in and I’ve allowed them to level up thrice. I wanted them to have access to more moves.
But beyond 5th level, the path to 10 will be slower, and filled with more dramatic cliffhangers and danger.
I don’t get that. How have you “allowed” them that?
Tim Franzke Generous xp rewards for role-playing. Gave extra rewards for player initiated information /setting ideas which they introduced “in game” (such as one player coming up with religious practices of the deity on the spot and talkin about them in character). Oh and I also allow them to have a huge list of Bonds to accomplish, and reward doing so very frequently.
But then again, I’ve never been one to worry too much about “game balance” so long as I know the players can be trusted with it. And I’ve been lucky enough to have a group that is.