I think, short of “Play to find out,” that “Make maps but leave blanks” is the best advice in Dungeon World. I’ve run it with and without maps, and the maps make the story much deeper and also much easier to move forward. Any time I’m stuck for a response a look at the map and let it inspire me. “Hm… oh, that’s where the previous group found the mysterious sigil in the belly of a panther. Wait a minute, that sigil could be the very thing they’re looking for now! And here we go!”
Maps are really powerful!
Almost every campaign I’ve run over the past few decades began as a cool map with a few interesting labels on it for inspiration. For me putting notes right on a map about what the PC’s did really helps organize me and makes an interesting visual “journal” of the campaign.
Indeed I do love the Dungeon World method of building up a map, i’m planning to run a game soon and am looking forward to seeing how the players build the world around them.
I’ve had maps backfire pretty badly. Maybe because the map gave players space to put stupid juvenile jokes on the map, and I, for one, wasn’t all that interested in gming for “Penisland.”
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Stephanie Bryant : I think that might be more of a problem with the players than maps persé
Yes, but I don’t always get to choose my players (convention games, public games at the FLGS, game days, etc.)
Question regarding off-theme player contributions: would an x-card or rewind meta mechanism be helpful to curtail behavior that isn’t precisely offensive or triggering but rather breaks immersion or table buy-in? Does that run counter to the intent of those mechanisms?
I’d go for a whack upside the head. With a chair.
I don’t know, Matthew Aaron. I usually roll with it unless it’s genuinely offensive or harassing to me or other players, because if several people at the table want the stupid juvenile humor, then that’s what we should play. It’s just when there’s that One Guy that you really have problems– and I think the solution to that is to gently prod the other players and say something like “that’s a bit juvenile– are you guys okay going in that direction, here?” If most of the players want to go super-silly… then go there. Why not?
In my weekly game (Fate, not DW), we embraced the ridiculous, juvenile, raunchy humor to a point beyond absurdity, and we laugh and have a great time. But we acknowledge that we are making light of issues that would be serious in another context, or would be inappropriate with people we haven’t known for a while.
I would play ‘Penisland’ as actual graffiti on the map the characters have.
I might run with it, but they probably wouldn’t be fond of the wandering monster encounters I’d throw at them.
Tim Franzke Your table must run like clockwork!
I mostly play with Auramatons nowadays. Talk about railroading…
Keith Stetson, Chris McGee (or anyone else)… I don’t suppose you’d be willing to share/post images of any of your “campaign maps” from longer-running games?
Jeremy Strandberg My only campaign is ported from D&D 4e and my map was already fully created using the old TSR Core Rules software. Future campaigns won’t start that way, so I’m kinda curious to see how it comes together myself!
I don’t know how to politely say this, BlackRazor54, but that is utterly terrible and I hope I never sit at the same table with you. Honestly, I really hope you’re just a troll.
BlackRazor54 Rape = never funny.
Yeah, I’m going to go ahead and delete your posts, BlackRazor54. That shit doesn’t fly, here.
I think he really is a troll 🙂 Blocking him nonetheless.
Did the same