Here’s why DW is awesome:
The ranger runs around the corner and is met by the ratling swarm boss pointing a magic wand at him blasting with force. The ranger says, “I dash back around the corner.” I say, “Easy enough. You dodge the blast.”
The ranger could have tried to dive forward and dodge the magic while advancing on the baddie, and that would have triggered defy danger. He could have returned fire with his bow, taking damage but also getting a volley off.
If this was D&D, all that could have happened is a reflex save with half or full damage, and even then the whole setup would only have occurred if the bad guy was “readying an action”.
This game is just awesome.
DND would have had rounds enter the picture after whatever the resolution to the run around the corner was ( which would have been a roll to defy danger for my game because he didn’t peek, check or even walk around the corner – so the randomness of an attack scenario was not present in the above scenario ).
The person in DND could also have seen the enemy and charged, loosed a volley, etc. The story is exactly what the DM and player let it be, in near any game. The pacing totally changes when there’s no rounds – that’s the major difference. There’s a narrative, and a dialogue; some people don’t like playing in that style because they’re shy, or just quiet compared to someone else playing. Of course, then it’s up to the DM to get that player involved.
Regarding that first dash back, everything without dice is a ball hit to the player, but the DM can always decide if its a pea, a baseball, a beach ball or a cannonball. Thats one of the places where all RPGs tend to meet.