Another thread brought up a topic about players becoming upset against moves made against them and this got me thinking. Because there is so many ways to use moves against players, has anyone else had issues with players becoming upset when faced with adversity in the dungeon? My players seem to thrive on these challenges but the other post made me wonder if I’m just lucky with my group or is there a subset of gamers that feel the gamemaster is gunning for them due to the unlimited troubles the gm can throw at them?
Another thread brought up a topic about players becoming upset against moves made against them and this got me…
Another thread brought up a topic about players becoming upset against moves made against them and this got me…
I’ve had both. Some like to see crazy stuff happen and find a way for their character to grow in personality. Others do seem to feel like the world is ending and they don’t know what to do. I don’t know if it’s necessarily a personal thing that they think the GM is gunning for them, but it does make it difficult to keep the game fun and challenging at the same time.
When our group played Dragonquest in 80’s death was a fairly common occurrence. Most of the players just dealt with it and moved on to another character. Sometimes table dynamics can make one feel the GM is gunning for them, in that case it is better to have that person exit the group or find a different GM.
I’ve played a ton of one-shots of Dungeon World with total strangers at Games on Demand and elsewhere.
I don’t think I’ve gotten static for any hard moves I’ve made.
When I run a three-act con game I use softer moves in the first and second acts and bust out the really hard moves in the final boss monster act when it’s clear that the chips are down and shit is real. Those softer early acts seem to create trust and buy-in from the players.
I have one player I’d never run dungeon world for because he moans and rule lawyers any system. I think a narrative game would seem arbitrary in moves called against him no matter how close to the fiction. I’d be curious to hear from someone who dislikes the game for that reason.
Erik Buchanan I don’t think you’ll find that player in the DW Tavern.
Few people who get into DW and enjoy it are going to bristle at adversity. But I’ve definitely had people try it out for a session or two and dislike the fact that they felt “responsible” for their misfortunes (because they were the ones rolling the dice, not the GM) and because mixed results happen so often. The reported feeling like “schlubs doing the best they can” rather than heroes.
I’m with you… I think the adversity generated from bad moves makes triumph all the more awesome. But some folks get enough challenge and adversity in their day-to-day lives and want to play a game on “easy mode.” Or, like the player you describe, want to know what possible outcomes are before they commit to an action. I generally don’t keep playing DW with them.
I’d also imagine if you played dw with a group that you didn’t know well it could seem like the gamemaster wanted your head on a stick.
1) Don’t play with adults that get upset.
2) My youngest daughter still sometimes gets upset when bad things happen to her character but she’s is learning and growing up.
Having said that, rules heavy and gamist systems tend to make people more upset than narativist systems like DW. DW simply does not have enough rules to lawyer.
Tom Vasel made an excellent video called “Top 10 board games not to play with Angry Gamers”. The board gamers among us all know who they are…