Hey all, we are having our very first dungeon world session tonight and I will be doing the GMing.

Hey all, we are having our very first dungeon world session tonight and I will be doing the GMing.

Hey all, we are having our very first dungeon world session tonight and I will be doing the GMing. Im pretty nervous about it as I have never done any GMing ever before. Is there any tips and tricks you guys can share with me? is there any good cheat sheets that I can have open on the side?

Thank you in advance

22 thoughts on “Hey all, we are having our very first dungeon world session tonight and I will be doing the GMing.”

  1. The manual is well written and complete , follow it.

    Don’t take everything on your shoulders, don’t be a narrator, but just another player. Ask your folks about their expectations and ideas, ask a lot. Ask how your Elves are different, if it’s the first time they are fighting aI dragon, how they feel for the betrayal of the Duke and use their answers to further develop the game.

    Don’t write anything before, build the world and the game together. Break the schemes and use your fantasy to do so.

    Take your time and spaces, if you need a moment say so.

    Don’t try to live up to some fantastic expectation, be yourself and find your fun.

    Relax, have fun, play with your friends.

    You will be great. Inexperienced player made the best DW GM ^^

  3. Simone Micucci Hey I dont really have any doubts per say. I have read the book once already and im reading it a second time right now before the session tonight. My concern is that I would have to look throu the book a lot during the session to remember what did what. Im looking for a nice cheat sheet that I can open and have most stuff in one page and quickly see whats going on 😛 I have never been a GM before so im kinda nervous about it.

  6. Just relax and see what happens.  Try to imagine you are watching the movie of the game and when you get an opportunity to make a move think “what would be the cool twist that would happen in the movie right now”  And listen to your players, half the time they will have told you something cooler than what you were going to do.

  12. A secret. I’ve been running for 30 years and I’ve known almost everyone in my current group for over 10 years and I /still/ get a little nervy before running some times. Just remember that the players are your friends and you are all there to have a good time. 

  13. Steven Markley is right.

    I’ve run games for twenty years, I’ve played the *World engine back and forth, I helped bringing Apocalypse World, Monsterhearts and Dungeon World itself in Italy, I routinely run games at cons for strangers and still, when I sit down with my closest friends to play I have cold sweats.

    Don’t worry, it’s all normal, it will be good ^^

  18. As pointed out, The Dungeon World Guide (http://goo.gl/54Pyxj) is going to be your best friend. You really only need to read to page 27 as the second half refers to more advanced topics you’ll cover after your first session.

    The official Basic Moves and The GM sheets can be found here (http://goo.gl/rP6lJz), pages 1, 2, and 25 respectively. One of the best GM cheat sheets I’ve found is this one (http://goo.gl/MjaA3G). It sums up everything you could possibly need for reference at the table.

    For your first session you do not need a lot of traditional prep. You won’t need an adventure or any concrete plans for what should happen during the session. However, many folks find they are more at ease if they have some starting information already laid out. I would consider two approaches if you want to have some prep done up front.

    1. You can use an Adventure or Dungeon/Adventure Starter. Here is a list of free products (http://goo.gl/7DgIku) that will serve this purpose. While any of these is suitable, the two I see used the most around here are The Slave-Pit of Drazhu (http://goo.gl/OxEAma) and The Indigo Galleon (http://goo.gl/gLb6ZB).

    2. You can create a basic adventure outline, grab a few monsters, and try to be loose and open. I had my first session not to long ago. I started an adventure with my family (http://goo.gl/9QQCPp) and one with just my wife (http://goo.gl/AwKwrg). This format and these adventures in particular, have both worked extremely well for us.

    If you need a map for a random dungeon I highly recommend DavesMapper (http://goo.gl/QeLrSm). How about the premise for a dungeon adventure (http://goo.gl/bjMW3P)?

    The most common advice for any new game is to begin by asking questions. This is a great way to get players invested, connected, interested, and interacting with the world. Some people ask two or three basic questions to get started, others (like myself) have a five minute interview where I ask them about their PC’s history, personality, motivations, goals, and desires.

    Johnstone Metzger wrote two articles full of questions and alternate bonds which I personally found useful in my pre-game interviews; Setup-Up Material (http://goo.gl/Ra93f8) & Setup Questions for Non-Humans (http://goo.gl/WXN3Ti). He also created a slimmed down and reorganized version of the Dungeon World rulebook called Truncheon World (http://goo.gl/30wHXA). I personally recommend it for personal reference.

    It is a common practice to begin your game in media res. This means start in the middle of the action. Several great examples can be found over at Reddit in this thread (http://goo.gl/wkhc6N). The idea is to start in a situation that demands immediate decision making on the players part. This makes it extremely easy to “Begin and end with the fiction”, “Ask questions and use the answers”, “Fill the characters’ lives with adventure” and “Play to find out what happens”.

    Following combat in your head can be a little confusing if you are not used to the Theater of the Mind gaming style. In our games we try our best to simply describe what is going on. Though, when there are a lot of people involved or a combat is particular complex, I tend to have a notebook and some mini’s nearby to make things clear. Different people enjoy different styles, no single style is “the correct way to play.”

    This should cover all of your bases for your first session. I recommend having a Basic Moves sheet for each one of your players as well as yourself. Print out the GM Screen if you think the information on it will be helpful to have as a reference. I always have a notebook that I draw maps on. These are simple but extremely helpful and often it adds to the fun.

    Many people use Index Cards for notes or to keep certain information on hand (like ready to go monsters). Pencils, erasers, dice, and character sheets. Each player will need 2D6. Non-NPC/Player caused damage (pg. 21) is rolled on a D4, D6, D8, and D10. You can have one set for the whole table (since it wont be all that common) or each player can have these on hand as well.

    Once you get your first game out of the way there is an entire world of possibility for Dungeon World. I highly recommend you take a look at this post (http://goo.gl/sBFfke) to learn of the major DW resources. Also don’t miss the pinocle of DW narration, A 16 HP Dragon (http://goo.gl/XHBke9). I wish you the very best of luck tonight! Happy Gaming ^_^

  19. Thought I would let you guys know, we had our first session yesterday and it went suprisingly well. There were a few times I had to look up a few things here and there but, my god, the amount of stuff you have to come up with! My brain was working 200% the whole time haha. But it was definitly fun, the more we play the smoother it will go. Thank you all once again for your awesome replies!

  22. I continue to be surprised as how taxing it can be. I look forward to the day when I can do it without feeling the slightest bit of fatigue. At least I hope that is possible =P

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