Discussion topic for all the GMs that are running Dungeon World:
How often do you advance the grim portents of your fronts? The are no concrete rules about it, so it makes me wonder about how everyone handles that part of the game.
In my case, I give my players two or three sessions of not interacting with a front before I advance it, and make that advancement clear and evident. I like this because it gives my players both the sensation of effecting the world and being just behind the bad guys and trying to catch up.
I generally try to keep big/ campaign Fronts running along in the background, and let players discover them when it makes sense! A lot of the time this works out at when the characters reconnect/ find out more about the world. They return to civilisation to see signs of the next Grim Portent affecting ordinary life. For smaller Fronts, I go with;
* when the players look to you
* when you’re given a golden opportunity
and another one I can’t remember!
Wow. Two to three sessions of not interacting with a Front before you advance it seems very generous to me. Your players are very lucky, Charles Persall.
I agree with James Hawthorne; how often you advance a Front really depends on how big in scope it is. As such, there can’t really be any concrete rules about when to do it. (Unless someone made a list of different categories, and that’d just get messy.) Each Grim Portent can vary in scope as well, from a tiny step that happens in a day to a huge event that takes a year (or longer!) to be completed.
I really don’t think there is a right answer here, which is probably not what you’re looking for. Sorry.
Enough to keep the pressure on, and force them to make hard choices.
You know when they are debating doing x or y for long periods of time? Then
Chris Moore: Nah, I think that’s correct too. Misses can accelerate the pace of Grim Portents.
We just played our 4th session of a DW campaign (online, short sessions so only about 10 hours of play) and they’ve really only begun to interact with the 2nd of the two campaign fronts. The first front is on the 2nd portent, really, though they may not realize it. And by the time they get back to their home town (one more session, I think), they will see clear evidence of it. The 2nd front may actually advance more quickly; they’re going to see the first stages of the 2nd portent playing out as they finish up an info-gathering trip and return home.
If they play all their cards right, they could stop the original front cold at the 2nd portent; if they fail, then it will automatically surge forward to the 3rd portent with bells on, and they’ll be in serious trouble as the Great Horned Wyrm begins to show clear signs of breaking down the world barrier.
At that point, the other front will probably also push forward somewhat; they may start seeing skeleton armies and hear about open battles between the two actively warring king’s sons.
All this could happen in as few as 2-3 more sessions, but I hope will take more like 4-6. I mean, they haven’t even reached 3rd level yet!
When I have to make a move, sometimes, I advance a grim portent. I do it like any other GM move : I show the characters it’s happening and I ask them what they do.
So yeah, basically on a 6-, when they’re asking for it or when they’re waiting for my to do something, and I want to advance a portent.
1) When it makes sense, fictionally. (Did the goblins steal the jewels of Amun-Tor? Check that box.)
2) When someone flubs a roll. (Oh, what’s this? “The Manor-House lights on fire”? Sounds great!)
OH!
Also 3) whenever the PCs focus on another thing to the exclusion of this one. Time passing means grim portents advance.