So in my next session our berserker is going to be taking part in the duels section and the free for all section of the Grand Tournament in a city ran by a council of mages.
Our cleric is going into the spell casting competition. This will be a contest where thee higher roll means the judges mark the spell better. ( I’ll do secret rolls for NPC’s)
So. Anyone got any ideas how I can make this more interesting?
By including some behind-the-scenes plot that somehow overshadows the whole series of competitions?
That would give my paladin player something to do. He’s a paldin of justice and is all about the Law…Think Judge Dredd in plate. He could uncover a magical bomb by the death cult that’s serving the big bad
I’d recommend against secret rolls for NPCs. One of the things i like best when running DW is that i don’t touch dice, and i’m open and honest with players.
I never have secrets. At best, i have ideas i haven’t shared yet. When pressed to tip my hand, such as through Spout Lore or Discern Realities, i gladly make one of my ideas firm, solicit player feedback, and it’s on the table. Until i need to reveal an idea, they remain malleable in the interests of becoming AWESOME.
Instead of inventing a new system that requires secret rolls, write a custom move; my hasty suggestion follows:
When you compete in a spell casting competition, name your spell and roll +WIS or +INT. On a hit, you pull your spell off. On a 7-9, chose one, on a 10, choose two:
impress one of five (##?) judges into declaring for you.
impress an opponent into deferring to your greatness.
impress the audience (+1 forward to compete another round).
On a miss, describe how that spell goes wrong, and how you offend a judge, an opponent, and/or the audience….
Contests carry on as long as there are two or more opponents and until a majority of the judges declare for a participant. You may forfeit at any time.
Well, this needs to happen at some point…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XEhUjRWdNE
Do not not not roll for NPCs; write a custom move instead. Something like:
When you take part in a Round of the spell tourney, describe your flashy spellmanship and roll+WIS. On a 10+, hold 2-Judge and choose 2.
•Don’t advance the Competition Clock!
•Don’t lose access to a spell until you next prepare!
•You find your groove – take +1-forward in the next round.
On a 7-9, add the following to the above list and choose 2:
•Hold 1-Judge!
On a miss, you’re accused of cheating, you dirty cheater, and the Competition Clock advances by 2!
When you hold 3-(or 5 or whatever) Judge, you win! Whatever spoils there are are yours for the taking! Bask in the glory of how cool you are and attract the attention of a powerful, important, or notable patron (your choice).
When you advance the Competition Clock, make one scratch on a note sheet. Whenever there are 3 (or 5 or whatever) scratches, you’re eliminated from the match! You’re out, you’re no good, leave to the jeers and condemnation of the crowd and hopefully no one scary was counting on you to win!
In between rounds, there’s plenty of time to kill (as long as you don’t get too distracted), so keep in mind how you could use that to your advantage… And how others might use it against you.
Something sort of like that, maybe. Just something that puts all the power in the players hands.
Thanks. That’s super helpful!
Just an idea, you could have one of the competitions where cheating is part of the competition and everyone knows it. The judges will turn their heads to cheating unless it is especially obvious. Your player then needs to decide how to get their advantage or counter their competitors.
Oh you could also make the consequences more distopian, such as losers have to serve for 6 months in the mines (the players could probably get out but would be marked as criminals), or the losers have to give up one possession chosen by the winner. If your player wins, they get a bucketload of money then are led to the lord of the city where they find out they have been chosen as champions by the law of the land for some ancient quest.
I guess I’m saying, put larger consequences to it.