I’m new to DW, and ran a fairly successful first session (at least the party members were geeking out about it the next day).
Anyway, I’m working on developing an adventure front, and having some problems.
The first session’s action was driven by a debt one of the players owes to a crime family. They were sent on a retrieval mission, and promised forgiveness of the debt for the recovered item (several kegs of explosives).
I’ve decided that this front should be the ascension of this crime family to run the government openly (though tyranically). My problem is coming up with dangers. I included them as one of the dangers (similar to how the Portal example in the book is both the front and danger), but also the current government (corrupt).
My problem is that both the crime family and the corrupt govt have been working together so far. Now the family wants to take power in full. How to I write dangers that reflect this competition? Additionally, I’m confused by the impending doom attached to Corrupt Government-type dangers, whose impulse is the maintain status quo. Is the impending doom that things change the same (though maybe a new crime family (ies) come to replace the current one)? That seems anticlimactic….
Any advice you have would be welcomed.
Don’t confuse impulse with impending doom. The corrupt government’s impulse to maintain the status quo could easily lead to destruction, famine, etc.
Absolutely what Jeremy Strandberg said. If a crime syndicate begins to want greater power, I’m sure that their efforts to bribe officials and begin to try to run the city the way that they want will cause turmoil in the streets both physically and financially.
Ask yourself: how does the crime family take over? Are they going to co-opt members of the family to rule as puppet figures? Are they going to get someone onto the throne by falsifying records of the bloodline? Are they going to rouse public outrage to force a change in authority? You need to decide what their plan looks like, and that will help you sort out the Dangers and Grim Portents.
Thanks guys. I was thinking that The Family would start taking over establishments first – either directly or indirectly. Perhaps the govt would move to start persecuting/prosecuting Family supporters/contractors. This could include the party (they’re doing a job for them, after all) and other citizens.