Started running Dungeon World last week. I printed out the Barbarian to cater for a couple of players who appreciated it, but I’ve got a query re. some of the moves:
The basic move ‘Musclebound’ seems like it’s duplicated by the advanced move ‘Smash!’, which reads to me like it’s just a restriction of the ‘messy’ tag.
Am I reading it wrong?
Thanks
There is an important, if subtle, difference between a weapon with the messy tag and Smash!: basically, with a messy weapon it’s the GM who decides what the messy effects are: you tell them if they gouge an eye, or break a bone, or what. With Smash! it’s their choice… Also, because you do it, messy is a sort of passive effect: when they damage an enemy, you weave that in your narration. Smash! is something they do, actively, so it’s fun!
Also, with Smash! they can also grab something the target wears or owns: the sigil ring (maybe with a bit of finger attached, but, well, you know…), the necklace with the Lich’s phylactery, the guardsman’s set of keys to the city prison, etc…
Alberto Muti Thanks for the clarification. That makes sense now (& very cool)
Happy it helped!