Can someone please post an example or a link to an example on how to use Fronts and GM Moves for Fronts in game play? Not how to make them, but how to use them. I think I can almost understand it, but it just hasn’t fully clicked yet. I so desperately want to rub my hands and cackle evilly to myself.
Can someone please post an example or a link to an example on how to use Fronts and GM Moves for Fronts in game play?
Can someone please post an example or a link to an example on how to use Fronts and GM Moves for Fronts in game play?
http://www.dungeon-world.com/dungeon-world-guide/ if you haven’t read it already.
I think they’re often best suited to “time passes” situations, when your players have spent a while either perusing one front or facing about, it’s a golden opportunity for you to say “you notice that xxxxxx has changed,” and create some kind of clue that the grim portent has happened.
You can also scan your danger’ smokes when it’s time for you to make a hard move and see if anything fits. Also don’t be afraid to make a move that’s related to a danger in your front but not on the list.
Peter Johansen I probably should have mentioned that I have read that guide, it has helped get me to the point where I’m at now, but it just hasn’t clicked yet. I’m hoping an example of them being used in play would help.
Adrian Thoen You may have just pushed me a little closer to understanding. Hmm…letting this ferment for a moment.
The two ways I see to use grim portents is as the ticks of a countdown to disaster, and as a clue for a new adventure or scene.
The first way, it’s more like a series of hard moves showing the impending threat as it approaches. “you see a dot on the horizon” “the dots bigger, it’s a huge warship!” “The warship is powering towards the shore, causing large waves to crash on the beach.” “Giant ballista are firing huge flaming projectiles at the village, starting fires.” “The massive ship smashes into the sandy shallows, and disgorges dozens of smaller craft crammed with well trained soldiers.” “The soldiers hit the beach running, slaughtering the villagers. War has come to Edda!” Each grim portent shows impending doom getting closer, while a few cause danger themselves! the real threat doesn’t hit until the impending doom comes to pass.
The second way, it’s softer, events that can be stopped, and may even turn aside the impending doom. “A guarded carriage is attacked on the way to Dunwick.” “The prince is taken captive by bandits and a ransom is demanded” “the queen wants to pay, but there isn’t enough money in the treasury” “the queen levies a new tax to pay the ransom, peasants revolt” “a deadline for the ransom is issued, along with one of the prince’s hands. If the ransom’s not paid, he’ll be dead within the week.” “The prince is left in the city square, eviscerated. The kingdom descends into depression” each grim portent moves the conclusion closer, but at any point the players’ intervention could lead to a small adventure that diverts the impending doom.
Alright, so let’s say I am running a campaign with both of your fronts you listed (I like them both by the way). I’m guessing the second one is the campaign front and the first one is an adventure front? If my players decide to ignore the dot on the horizon and ignore the prince being kidnapped so they can track down a kobold lair for spell components or something, this gives me a golden opportunity to advance the grim portent for both the campaign front and the adventure front. In addition, I’ll have to improv a kobold adventure front since I wasn’t expecting my players to suddenly head in that direction?
Or if they do decide to look into the prince’s kidnapping, I now have a golden opportunity to advance the dot on the horizon? Then depending on the outcome of the character’s adventure looking into the prince’s kidnapping the queen will either raise taxes or not. And if the character’s successfully rescue the prince, the whole front is solved? Before anything else happens?
Now that I’m thinking about it, at the speed this warship seems to be coming, if the player’s ignore the dot and travel somewhere to rescue the prince, it would seem as if I could advance the front for the warship more than just one spot?
I wouldn’t bother making a front for the kobolds – though if you wanted, you could roll it into the kidnapping one – the Kobolds kidnapped the prince! While the players are off faffing about in a kobold lair, you can think offscreen, and advance through grim portents as you see fit. They may come out of the lair and see smoke coming up from where the village is – the flaming ballista have been launched, but the town isn’t being sacked yet.
If the players avert an impending doom, think about the consequences of their actions – is everything fine now or are there problems that could arise from the new status quo?
During the session use fronts where it makes sense and improvise everything else. After the session, look at your fronts, change them where it makes sense, resolve them where it makes sense, and write new ones where you need. Treat fronts as dynamically as the conversation of the game to get the most mileage out of them.
By George, I think I might have it. I can feel a little bit of excitement creeping inside me, which can only mean that things are clicking into place. I’ll have to run a game to be sure, but I suddenly feel very confident that I can make it work. Thanks Adrian Thoen BTW I recently purchased the Giant and the Fool, good stuff. Hope to see more stuff from you.
I have struggled a little with the fronts as well, so thanks for the great examples.
Very useful info Adrian Thoen !
This thread is gold 🙂
http://story-games.com/forums/discussion/15757/dungeon-world-beta-confused-by-fronts-and-dangers/p1
I’m going to add a bit on to this question. What is the point of Campaign vs Adventure fronts? How do you differentiate between the two? Does that difference help you use your fronts? If so, how?
Thanks in advance.
Matt Smith my interpretation is that adventure fronts are like “monster of the week” episodes on a tv show, and a campaign front is the main theme or central event the entire show, or that season of the show revolve around. Mostly it’s a matter of scale or persistence.
If the problem is too big to wrap up in a few sessions, or it’s a slow burn where the grim portents show their effects during breaks between adventures, it’s a campaign front.
Gotcha Adrian Thoen, and since the players can do what they want, they may aviod, ignore, or otherwise evade my “monster of the week” which could give that monster the time to become something a little more dangerous.
I think that makes sense. Thanks for the help.
Also (and this may not be proper use), I’ve been using adventure fronts as “pieces” of the campaign front sometimes. For instance, a couple of the dangers from the campaign front may become a focal point of a couple of sessions, causing them to become adventure fronts for awhile. If the adventure front is resolved, then those dangers in the campaign front get resolved, though new dangers (if epic enough) may replace them…