How do you reflect in the language of Adventure Fronts a situation where the main reason the adventurers are doing stuff is “because it is there”?
Here is a specific example to illustrate the point. “The Sky Chain” dungeon starter from Fine Mess Games (available on the link). A primary reason adventurers might choose to climb the Sky Chain is simply because it is there. The starter indicates this is a motivation; there are several precious commodities listed only found up the chain, and the flag planting move shows there is competition for who can climb the highest.
However, this doesn’t fit well with concept of a Front. There are not really any grim portents or impeding dooms, per se, at least not as initial motivation; they could appear later. There will be dangers on the way up, of course, but it is not necessarily so that they will be capital “D” Dangers.
Maybe the rules are suggesting that adventure “because it’s there” is not what Dungeon World is all about, and that’s fine with me. Also, I know I can run things without an explicit Front. I’m just wondering if other people have noticed this, if they have done something differently to account for it, and any general thoughts people might have about it.
(Name check Marshall Miller since I am using one of his starters as an example)
Make new language? Competition? Glory? Symbolic achievement for your people?
Maybe tie patronage or access to oppression and tyranny?
Just going out and exploring is totally something the game is about; it’s one of the things you get XP for.
Fronts/dangers/grim portents/dooms aren’t great for representing passive, reactive challenges. The Sky Chain itself doesn’t strike me as a danger; it’s scenery. Same thing with a dungeon or a cave complex.
The dangers and fronts come from the things living there, exploring there, digging there against all good sense, lying there in wait to be released, guarding the area so that nothing gets released.
Of course, some cursed places are dangers on their own, but that implies agency and/or escalation. The White Gates aren’t a danger because they are there; they’re a danger because of what happens if & when they are opened!
What David Guyll says.
To expand, the fronts should come from the gameplay after the primer is already being explored. The Sky Chain is a primer to start a campaign, and if the adventurers decide to climb it because it is there (and well they should), they might discover that badness is already happening (the sky rocks are losing altitude, could fall on the city, if something isn’t repaired, yadda yadda).
Personally? I’d start the campaign with the climb already in progress. “You’re ascending a giant chain, already about fifty meters above the ground. What’s going on? Why are you compelled to climb?”
Regarding The Sky Chain, the wording of the questions was meant to imply that you start play already climbing. For example, “As you climb the massive chain…” and “Can you see your village from here.”. Why they’re climbing is a good question to ask the players.
I knew I would get good advice by asking this question. Thanks to all who have replied.
Danger? How about a bunch of upset villagers who are worried about something coming down from the sky chain. The grim portents could completely be about the villagers freaking out, and trying to defend themselves against something they haven’t seen – such to the point that children/livestock/crops are being neglected. Or the village spends the little money it has to hire guards to watch the chain. It could literally cause a decline of prosperity (see steadings) as the locals prepare for the worst.