Ok tavern-goers, I’ve run about a dozen one-shots in Dungeon World but this Saturday I’m actually going to run the first session in what is supposed to be a long-running campaign. I’m writing up a campaign starter but I want to poll the hivemind for suggestions because I haven’t done a lot of creation in DW. To start off with I’m going to post up my ideas for adventure-specific custom moves and I’d love feedback and suggestions. The basic idea of the adventure is that they start in a city on the edge of the desert where the royal princess was kidnapped, but there is some kind of intrigue going on because they get tapped to rescue her instead of the palace guard. The rescue mission may or may not lead them to something called the Black Pyramid, which is a big scary ruin filled with lots of fun dangers.
Ok tavern-goers, I’ve run about a dozen one-shots in Dungeon World but this Saturday I’m actually going to run the…
Ok tavern-goers, I’ve run about a dozen one-shots in Dungeon World but this Saturday I’m actually going to run the…
Custom Move 1: When you first interact with a particular untouchable, roll+cha.
On a 10+ chose 2, on a 7-9 choose 1:
· They recognize you as a social superior
· They answer your questions truthfully
· They genuinely wish to help you
Custom Move 2: When you attempt to shop at the Night Markets roll+cha
On a 10+ you find whatever you were looking for at an outrageous price. On a 7-9 you think you found it, but there might be trouble.
Custom Move 3: When you call upon magic within the Black Pyramid roll+nothing.
On a 10+ your magic appears to be more effective, add +1 to any numerical effects for this casting, if this is not possible take +1 forward to casting.
On a 7-9 choose 1:
· You feel a presence stirring, take -1 ongoing to this move until you exit the Black Pyramid
· Your magic is less effective, reduce any numerical effects by 1, if this is not possible take -1 forward to casting.
· It knows you are here
Custom Move 4: When you attempt to decipher an Obsidian Run, roll+wis.
On a 10+ you may ask 2 questions from the list below, on a 7-9 you may ask 1:
· How could this rune be a danger to us?
· How could this rune be of help to us?
· What is the history of this rune?
Maybe a custom move for navigating the desert would be cool? Like a variant on Undertake a Perilous Journey? Like rolling well you may find a hidden Oasis with useful loot for the later parts of the adventure such as the Black Pyramid you mentioned. Rolling Intermediately you find the place but there are strings attached like albino crocodile spirits that guard the oasis. On a 6- maybe a sandstorm hinders the journey providing the party with a number of setbacks.
Not sure about the first move. If they genuinely want to help you wouldn’t that imply they will answer truthfully. Seems like that would be the default choice unless there’s context I am missing
Well, the idea behind that is that they are used to being abused and hiding their thoughts. So an untouchable might desperately want to help me, but be too scared or cynical to answer me truthfully. SO this is a double-edged sword no matter what, either they want to help me and recognize me as a superior; in which case they won’t risk revealing anything that goes against the “party-line”. Or they want to help me, they answer me truthfully, but now anyone that sees an untouchable chatting with me assumes I’m also an untouchable, which makes dealing with other castes much more difficult. Or they see me as a superior, answer me truthfully, but don’t care if I actually get what I need.
Okay
When you travel through the desert to a place you know the location of, use the Undertake a Perilous Journey move.
When you enter the desert seeking something you only vaguely know the location of, or a place no one in your group has ever been, choose one member of the party to act as the Navigator, one as the Watcher, and one as the Water Warden. Each party member with a job to do rolls +WIS.
The Navigator, on a 10+, finds the place sought after and clearly remember the way back. On a 7-9 the Navigator chooses whether to find their destination or be able to find their way back. On a miss the party is completely lost.
The Watcher, on a 10+, detects any dangers along the route in time to ambush them or evade them. On a 7-9 the party is aware of any dangers before they are overtaken. On a miss the party is likely to be ambushed…. or worse.
The Water Warden, on a 10+, keeps the party from using more rations than expected (roughly twice as many as when traveling elsewhere) On a 7-9 the party arrives at their destination with all their rations expended. On a miss, by the time the party arrives at their destination they have been traveling without food or water for some time.
I think if you are starting a campaign I would play it by the book, meaning do not have anything really planned other than a map and a few questions and some monsters. I like the dungeon starters that are out there, but the joy of that important chapter in the book (I think the most important chapter of the book besides the GM goals) is that you will have 100% player engagement and investment.
just started a new game with 5 new players (new to rpgs!) and started the session with a big sheet of A3 in the middle of the table, and as we made characters, you also added your home town to the map
Then when we decided that the group were a group of friends that are meeting back up after a year away from each other, asked them all to add a location they have been to on the map
it was great, we now have a world map they all know, as we made places we discussed the routes between them, such as the mountain elves have a bridge that is heavily guarded over some raging rapids to defend their town
and the town of hyrule (our fighter couldn’t resist) is in a giant plains area, that WAS once lush, but they stripped it bare to gain better visibility against incoming attacks