Hey guys, friendly neighbourhood newbie here.
I’ve been thinking up some ideas for this week session, where my group are advancing into some mountains. Having read through the Dungeon World book and the Dungeon World Guide, I’m coming up a bit stumped with one section.
Draw Maps Leave Blanks, Ask Questions and Use Answers and Play to Find Out. I know I kinda do this stuff anyway, but I’m just trying to think about asking my group questions and whether or not I should.
To clarify: The party are travelling to a Temple at the summit of The Humbled Mountains, along the way I thought I would chuck in a few Points of Interest. Taking some advice from the DW Guide I’m not filling them with creatures or traps and am looking to play to find out what happens.
It does mention coming up with 2-3 questions about each place, but not answering them, instead playing to find out what happens.
Am I supposed to be writing these questions (my example below) and asking the players? Or letting these come about when players Discern Realities or Spout Lore?
I suppose I’m asking, how much should I prepare and how much should I ask my players to put in?
Example: Humbled Mountains
Points of Interest: Abandoned Mine/Camp
Why was the mine abandoned?
What was being mined?
What unusual discovery was made?
They sound great Christopher Patterson ! If you have a dwarf say in your group, you could prod them a little,
‘So, Dwalin, you have heard about these mines from your kinsfolk yeah? They say they have been abandoned…. Do you think that’s true?’ (player answers).
‘Huh, sounds like you are spouting lore my friend, roll + Int’
Stake questions are all about what YOU the GM are interested in answering in play and rolling with the answers that the group come up with. I like to resolve the question with a discussion that pushes toward a roll, cause that’s where the game mechanics ply the fiction with a multitude of directional possibilities.
I like to drive deep down with the questions too, establishing some hooks and details in the question itself, re-incorporating existing setting NPCs and details within the question.
So not just ‘What was being mined?’ but;
‘What precious substance being torn from these mines has been the greedlust of many a fallen king?’
Think also as a GM about the holy trinity of scene setting as you ask these stake questions: Who? What? Where?
Add NPCs/Monsters to your stake questions, they make the game sing as antagonists to your players. Not only do they give you instincts to ply into the setting and obstacles to the PCs bonds and alignment goals, but also grist as you establish details on the fly.
If you are comfortable completely improvising, you could start like that, and build from the answers. You don’t need to ask all the questions and figure out all the details immediately. IMO, asking one question to each player can lead to really surprising resulgs.
I am pretty good at improvising, been doing it for a long time now and it’s often my preferred style. We actually did some questions last week that lead to some interesting results, if you look for my other posts in Fronts you can see what was asked. I actually realised some of these questions were answered already in from previous session notes.
I’ve now made some new places and questions, but with the mines I’ve added in that great question from Nathan Roberts so thanks for that!
It should be interesting to see what happens in the game today. Should be a perilous journey up this mountain side!
Thanks guys, any more tips please let me know.
Don’t forger these little side adventures are also great places to “Give an opportunity that fits a class’ ability.”.
Maybe the druid can talk to some bats? The ranger can send his companion in to scout. The dwarf can speak to the stones, etc.
Christopher Patterson will you share the places and related questions?
You could go with those questions or just leave it a little more open & ask: you’ve all heard some wild rumors about the mountains to the west, what were those rumors?
Let them through out ideas then pick & choose or mix them together (or go with the Brotherhood of the Wolf kind of move & have some rumors be faked for something else). Just get some ideas from everyone which gives the GM a little more flexibility than just asking one person if you missed doing a general world building session first to just get the major things on the world set.
Christopher Patterson I think those questions are great. One piece of advice is to have a backup ready in case the players can’t think of anything. Sometimes it happens.
I love the idea of having the various interest points and a set of questions for each. Makes me want to create an old hexmap with a bunch of these…
Paride Papadia Here’s the points and the questions. You can see how I changed them because of the questions my players already answered.
Abandoned Mine/Camp
Why have the Iron Fist orcs abandoned the mine?
What was being mined?
What unusual discovery was made?
Ruined Tower
What was the tower’s original use?
what superstitions and rumours surround the tower?
Giant Chasm
What creature/s resides in the cavern?
How much of the chasm has been discovered?