I got sick of lugging my harcover copy of Dungeon World around.

I got sick of lugging my harcover copy of Dungeon World around.

I got sick of lugging my harcover copy of Dungeon World around. I thought it would be much easier to just have the GM section in a book and that’s it. All the PC stuff is on the character sheets, and I mostly run prepared dungeons (or Dungeon Planet stuff) so I have monsters in my prep already.

 

So I made Truncheon World, the truncated Dungeon World: a 128 page 6×9 book with just the GM sections and the rules I might want to reference when running the game. I mostly re-ordered things and put rules together in a way that makes sense to me, although I added the concept of dungeon fronts from Lair of the Unknown and a list of questions and situations for each of the character classes that GMs can use to get things going. I also did some nice-looking layout for it, complete with flowery dingbats around the edges and crap, and got a B&W version from Lulu. I thought it would be nice to have the dingbat stuff colour-coded by section, so it’s easier to find stuff, and I’m waiting to see what Lightning Source sends me based on that file. I also made a half-letter sized pdf without the flowery dingbats.

 

Anyway, I’m looking for input as to if and how I should make these available to other peoples.

 

Things I DO want:

— I wanted a small book version of the rules. Now I have that, rock on.

— I want to make this available to anybody else who wants one. A few people expressed interest when I first mentioend it in passing, so why shouldn’t they have one, too?

— It would also be nice to get paid a few bucks for the editing and layout work.

 

Things I DON’T want:

— I’m not looking to replace the DW rulebook. I don’t want anybody grabbing this version and the free character sheets and then using the Codex just because it’s cheaper than buying DW (I’m trying to ride some coat-tails here, not take the coat for myself, if you know what I mean). People should pick up Truncheon World if they already have DW and also want a slimmer reference volume.

 

So, if you are interested in this, what do you think I should do?

Should I even bother releasing a pdf? Or just a print version?

Should I make it cheap? Or should I price it so that it’s not an attractive alternative to buying DW in print? Which one do you think works best for Sage and Adam?

26 thoughts on “I got sick of lugging my harcover copy of Dungeon World around.”

  1. I really like the idea of this. Before my attempts at running DW were curtailed, I was trying to do something similar, though mostly as a workbook. I’m not really sure how best this should be handled, but an inexpensive option, maybe just as a PDF, would be best.

    And I usually prefer half-sheet (5.5×8.5) single-page spreads, since that makes for good viewing on an electronic device, or could be easily printed and saddle-stitched on a printer.

  2. I would say to check directly with Sage and Adam since their permission pretty much overrides any license issues.

    As for offered format, I would look into both pdf and print (maybe only by print on demand?), as some people may want print, but I think a higher percentage will want the pdf version. It also reduces the confusion to new players seeing two different printed rules books.

    When it comes to the thoughts of it being used to not buy DW… its rather pointless, since the entire game can be run for free through the various online rules sources. So its really no different to pick up your GM rules truncation or to go to the SRD or Gazeteer.  If people want to buy the book the core rules, they’re going to buy it one way or another. Anyone that doesn’t want to buy it, doesn’t need your release to play, as they can already get all the rules online anyway.

  3. You could just ask them! Though they made it CC, so it’s not like they have any reeeeal say, but just to be neighborly. Honestly, I’d say just make it print if it’s supposed to be a workbook for consulting at the table.

  4. I send all my DW stuff to Sage and Adam before anybody else sees it. They’re cool with whatever I end up doing, so I’m more interested in a discussion with the DW community about this kind of thing.

  5. It looks absolutely stunning. I think as long as it’s reasonably clear up-front that this isn’t the full DW book, you shouldn’t have any problems with replacing the main shebang.

  6. If I speak for me personally and absolutely nobody else, 128 pages still sounds a lot. And if you are afraid people will just grab this and the free character sheets, maybe this is still too “complete”. I don’t have a lot of experience running DW but from running other AW games, I’d probably try to parse the DM section down to 48 pages maximum.

  7. It looks absolutely stunning, but I agree with Gregor; if I was looking for a pared down rulebook I’d go for something significantly smaller. That said, I think as long as it’s reasonably clear up-front that this isn’t the full DW book, you shouldn’t have any problems with replacing the main shebang.

  8. Arggg stupid phone. I thought it hadn’t commented! Both my points summed up better are: this sounds good and shouldn’t replace anything, but I’d personally be interested in a much smaller product.

    Oddly enough, I think we’re thinking along similar lines! Part of Pirate World is Luncheon World, a quick version of DW streamlined to play over lunch.

  9. There is a free GM screen pdf floating about that contains everything I need when running a game. As far as pdfs are concerned most GMs I know have them on tablets. So the size dont really matter. As far as the IP is concerned: you have to decide how much in this work is original and how much is just a new layout of DW material. If it is mostly the latter I would definately give proportional royalties to Sage Kobold productions. Regardless of what the cc license says. It is fair.

  10. Thanks for the opinions, everybody. I am thinking about them.

    James Hawthorne This doesn’t streamline play at all though, it just cuts the stuff I don’t use from what I physically carry around. So I imagine Luncheon World is still pretty different (nice pun, btw).

  11. I’d be happy to pay some bux for this.

    Could you do the old PC game anti priacy method of “what is the fifth word in the second paragraph of page 152 in dungeon world?” purchase code?

  12. I would be interested, but I would really want the thing to mesh well with the minimal, well-spaced layout of the main text. Big margins for notes and such. I like your color coded sections idea, but I would want a small graphic, not a full page border.

    Also, The Dunchiridion would be an awesome name.

  14. This is cool but Truncheon World sounds like a British Bobby hack of Dungeon World.

    When you say Allo Allo Allo wotz goin on ere then? roll plus geezer. On a 10+…

    In all seriousness though, this really is a good idea.

  16. I love it.

    You wanted to get rid of the weight and you don’t even use the french version (which is a box, full of stuff… Real neat but I only cared for the book).

    I’d love to get my hands on that book.

  17. Since it’s come up: Adam and I are completely cool with this, Johnstone does come to us with all his stuff before he goes public, and even if we weren’t this is covered by the CC license so there’s nothing wrong with it.

  18. With regards to a shorter version, I don’t know what I’d cut, because this book is all the rules I think I personally need. But if you have a pdf editor, you could make your own short version from my pdf and get a staple-bound version printed by Lulu. I could post a cover image for that, too. Or somebody could decide which page numbers to keep and which to cut and I could make an edited version.

  19. I’d like a PDF version since shipping to Australia would make it prohibitively expensive. I don’t mind paying a bit more for a product if that money goes to the creators, but I balk a bit at giving the extra money to an international postal service.

  21. Okay, so my current thinking is I’ll do Pay What You Want for the pdf, and $12 for the print version (whether it’s B&W or colour). Both clearly marked as “not the full DW” of course.

  26. No, not anymore. I decided after a while I didn’t like it that much so I switched to a B&W version that doesn’t have all-black pages (because that much ink makes that version’s pages curl).

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