What changes or new moves would you folks write (if anything at all) to better equip DW to handle the anime trope of people being trapped in a MMORPG?
Example Shows: Dot Hack, Sword Art Online, Log Horizon
I’m considering the possibility that DW might not be the appropriate baseline for this but it seems like it would be worth talking about anyways.
While I’m not familiar with any of the source material, if people are trapped in a fantasy MMORPG, I think Dungeon World would be a fine starting point. It would probably be fine as is, without any custom moves needed.
Though that depends on whether the characters are able to affect the programing of the game at all. If they must follow the “rules of reality” for the MMORPG, then DW is fine as is. But if they can affect the programming (like Neo in The Matrix), then you’ll need some custom moves.
Great shows BTW, I think this setting could be entertaining. Add some custom moves that allows character to communicate and simulate the aspects of being trapped in a MMORPG. Perhaps change the process of dying to one of character regeneration and some sort of debility. Of course if death is not a real danger, what is? I think playing in this type of world allows greater use of the lore and discern realities moves. I’ll post some other ideas as they come to mind.
I’ve watched the entireity of .hack, and recently started Log Horizon. As is, I think DW can handle that feel pretty well.
As the characters adventure, though, I’d listen in on how they were trying to exploit the software, and write custom moves based on that. For example, say one of the characters damages some code – you could write up a move about how, when that character interacts with a particular item, they need to roll, say, +current XP or else cause the item to become corrupted.
You’d also want to decide if in-game death equals “player” death (like Sword Art) or if they come back to life, where, and why (such as in Log Horizon).
I’d like to see rules to people trapped inside otherworlds, not necessarily a game or MMO. In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, for example, they are trapped inside an imaginary world, wich is a close concept. Idk, but I really think this “trapped in a fantasy world” thing would be great to play.
Hmmmm, how about this:
When you exploit a glitch in the world, roll +Int, on a 10+ choose three, on a 7-9 choose two:
• the exploit turns out exactly as planned
• you don’t draw unwanted attention to yourself
• you don’t corrupt part of the world/yourself
• you can use the exploit again
I made this up in like five minutes, but something like this would probably work pretty well. Also I feel the stat added to rolling could be something different too.
If all else fails just make it a defy danger roll and work with that.
I’m not sure how I feel about altering game code. Well, it could be really cool for certain games and I would probably just do Defy Danger for it unless I was thinking of some rather specific outcomes. Being able to god mode for a bit or creating a door where the wasn’t one before cuz you messed with the code holds a certain amount of appeal to me, I have to say!
Christopher Stone-Bush One of the things I like about Log Horizon is that the game’s UI remains. They can voice chat privately with other players, combine ingredients in their backpacks to make food, use combat techniques… but doing similar things without the UI gives sometimes different/better results.
I’d probably change Race to Sub-Class (scribe, chef, armor crafter, etc) and allow every playbook the opportunity to pick one. Each would have a one or two custom moves and their own level (1-30=0, 31=50=+1, 51-80=+2, 81+=+3). I haven’t thought this one to far out but I’d like to bring some of the MMO-ness to the game in some small way.
Fr. Tom Miller My initial reaction to making death scary is to slowly kill the character’s memories. Mechanically, this could be the loss of a level. Fictionally, that might be harder to work in properly.
It may be worth looking at Johnstone Metzger’s Earthling playbook from Dungeon Planet for the one move that allows you to replicate technology from the world you come from. (You see this already happening in Log Horizon.) I’d likely also handle the additional layer of the real-world player behind the MMO character by hacking a kind of Backgrounds option in the way Pirate World seems to be doing. Who you are in the real world could definitely replace/determine the Motivations/Alignment section of the playbook.
For Log Horizon at least,there’s the twist that Adventurers are effectively immortal, being teleported back to the Cathedral upon death. Although unless you do a run to get your stuff you can lose it.
Another interesting thing is that thee’s quite a few people at level 90, the maximum level for the game. However, like a black belt in karate, that seems to be the start point for REAL mastery of the character. Someone whose been playing the game for a long time can blow away a fellow level 90 character. The same applies to experienced groups- they are far more effective than groups who haven’t worked out coordination.
For all the “altering the code” stuff, you can simply modify a bit the Wizard’s Ritual Magic move 🙂
I would change a few of the principles, rewrite the end of session move, add some new items, change the end of session move to involve QUESTS! in some way and then adjust the fiction.
The problem mostly is that CRPG monsters etc. don’t really act like normal living and breathing monsters. With things like spawn points etc.
What this would allow you to do however would be to have recharge powers where they link into your progess in a QUEST! somehow. Like a superüberattack that on a 7-9 gets put on a cooldown that gets refreshed when you hit a quest milestone or something.
Just a few ideas.
The great opportunity you have in a situation like this is that the characters and the players are aware of the mechanisms. You can say, you a character – you have 4 hp left! and it’ll make sense. It’s a really fun way to change the way mechanisms and narrative interface. Characters become motivated by their own stats. It’s neat.
I’m not sure how to implement it in mechanics, but one or the major subplots of the spurs is the discovery that the “People of the Land” are no longer mindless NPCs selling stuff and handing out quests, but have developed personalities and lives…As well as a history that extends well before the arrival of the Adventurers.
Ask the player! Say this, “so mr. Fighter, when did you notice the peasant NPC was an actual person?” Not only will this surprise the heck out your players, they will come up with an idea that you can roll with!
There HAS to be a move where you roll to determine if someone is an NPC or a real person.
Pretty easy to do, since Adventurers can see basic stats.