Last night I started my first Dungeon World campaign and it went over really well.
However the player of our paladin, who took “Lawful” as alignment, noted, that his alignment was much harder get the opportunity to do, than for example the “Good” of our bard, or the “Chaotic” of our druid.
I am inclined to agree… how do you guys see this?
Be a fan. What about your all’s world lends itself to them using their alignment? What people do the characters interact with? Is there a faith-based or organized crime front? It’s also on them to see all the criminals and non-believers in the world. When you want XP, people have a way of turning out to be criminals and non-believers.
Look to your GM principles and moves.
“Ask questions and use the answers”
What faith does the paladin follow? Are there tenets that guide right and wrong behavior? Play up the unbeliever part of the Lawful alignment if there’s no immediate criminal activity involved.
“Give an opportunity that fits a class’ abilities”
What’s that you say? That creepy hedge wizard following you just happens to have a warrant out for his arrest? The gnoll bandit leader has a dead-or-alive bounty on his head? Look for opportunities to paint antagonists as criminals or unbelievers so the paladin will have chances to play up his alignment.
Keep in mind that it doesn’t matter if you do it once or 10 times per session, you always get just 1 xp. Also: it’s not about difficulty, it’s about, does the paladin feel that he finds too few criminals or unbelievers? If yes, then put more of them behind every corner.
And, what the others said. If the paladin is sort of a mad inquisitor, then everyone looks like an unbeliever to his eyes, so be clear about what a “criminal or unbeliever” is (in other words: both the character and the player decide when a npc falls into these categories).
Don’t forget the other Lawful Alignments can be used too.
Uphold the letter of the law over the spirit
Fulfill a promise of import
Bring someone to justice
Choose honor over personal gain
Return treasure to its rightful owner
In addition to the in game options already suggested, you could just let the character change alignment to good, if that seems better for him.