Story Cubes are a fantastic tool for your DW games! I saw them in a local drugstore and bought them on a lark. Used them for the first time last night.
The group walked into a tavern in the KOTB and I said there was a local guy telling tales. Having no good idea for what he was saying, I rolled the story cubes (the photo shows what I rolled) in front of the players and then invited everyone to help create the story. They loved it!
I asked if this was a current event, recent, or a legend, and they decided legend. Then everyone brainstormed what the icons represented, arranged the cubes in various groupings, and suggested narratives. After about 10 minutes it we settled on the following legend:
The keep [house] was built to protect the border, but it has a dark legend: 200 years ago a great evil [alien] arose and threatened to overrun the land – a devil or fiend of some sort. The keep was at the nexus of the conflict, and the evil was defeated by heroes and forgotten… but there is also a prophecy that it would return! 15 years ago a comet [star] appeared in the heavens signifying that it will be soon. That was also the very night the party Wizard was born [smiley face] in the keep-town and her destiny may be linked to it. The forest has grown dark and twisted; animals are mutating into monsters such as a fire-breathing turtle, giant killer bees, and fish men. When the evil returns it will triumph, the keep will be destroyed, and the land laid waste. The rainbow is the key to defeating it, although there are conflicting opinions as to just what that means. What is known, or at least rumored, is that this is a conflict between demons and angels and involves abominations of the natural order.
Boom. Instant campaign front, lots of questions to answer, new dangers, and an epic quest. The best part is that the PCs are woven into it and the players are invested, since they created it.
hey! I got these accidentally. I put “game dice” on my wishlist, and got them. I haven’t used them yet, but it’s not a bad idea!
These dice are the best. I recommend them to anyone wanting to improvise RPG games.
I’ve got all three current sets. They’re great for kicking off a free-association idea when you’re sitting there drawing a blank.
Dain Lybarger they made three expansion, each made by three dice. Enchanted, Clues, and Dinosaurs.
There’re actually 3 more “mix in” sets now, too which have good stuff (especially “enchanted” and “clues”, which, along with “voyages” have a lot of RPG sides). There is also a large version of the original dice, as well as a phone app to use them.
Awesome idea. I’ll have to get some of these.
I had no idea the Mix-In sets were already out. Thanks for the tip!
I’ve wanted to pick these up for a while. I love seeing them in actual use! Thank you for sharing Mike Harvey =D
Lauren Smith, I may take those dice back now. See if I can use them 🙂