Originally shared by Mark Knights
Dungeon World: My first game
I have been aware of Dungeon World (DW) for around a year now. I first found out about it through my discussions with +Desiree Kaleopaa as it was the game that she cut her teeth on. Due to this I bought a PDF copy a long time ago and started to read it …
Nice article. I’m always pleased when someone else experiences an AW-based game. 🙂
I will politely disagree about DW only doing intense action games. The GM does indeed have to push the players/characters to make decisions, but they don’t always have to be as obvious as a giant troll bearing down on you. You don’t even have to be in a dungeon to play Dungeon World. ;^)
Also, the dice mechanics for Apocalyse World and Dungeon World are exactly the same. The only difference is the stats (AW’s 5 to DW’s 6).
I feel that you are missing a lot of what Dungeon World aims to accomplish. I think it is great for long term play, though maybe not in the traditional old school sense (one PC for months or a year plus of play). I think the game supports non-action play just as much as pathfinder or any version of D&D.
The true power of DW lies in the hands of the GM, to create and guide. Custom moves and monsters allow you to re-theme or re-imagine the game in any way you desire. I like to think of DW as a lite narration based fantasy genre toolkit. You are given just enough guidance and examples to spark the imagination and get those creative juices flowing. I feel the game strongly encourages you to experiment, make changes, and to generally make the gaming experience your flavor of happy.
I hope your next session expands on the good experiences you have had so far. There is a lot to love =]
Thanks Marques Jordan . That is a really interesting point of view. As you can see, it is all still very new to me and the idea of custom moves is one that I am yet to further explore. In fact you reminded me why I picked it up again and that was because I had an inkling to run a Shadowrun game and someone pointed me at a hack of Dungeon World so I will rethink it from that perspective soon.
Thanks for the feedback!
Philip Burge , it may have been long but it was definitely worth it. I can see DW working really well in this way. It goes from being just the DM’s idea of a world to a complex environment contributed to by many characters. It is the perfect system for the style of game that you suggest and I think when I am talking short term I am talking with character stories.
I love the new point of view, thanks for sharing!
The play books you use, questions you ask, and conversations you have can shape your campaign from action to slapstick to gritty survival to political intrigue.
The default classes focus a lot on action and high fantasy archetypes, so the stories you get will often follow that path. It is the default style of play for DW, and it is how games play out if you just go with the flow.
With a few custom moves about intrigue, political power and social responsibilities, I could see a very different style being added to the fantasy action genre that DW inhabits.
Mark Knights your session sounds just like my game groups sessions. We are just having a blast playing DW, doing epic things, and just laughing our heads off. There is just so much energy that afterwards when I get home, I’m dead tired and my body actually aches.