So thinking of going old school and actually running a dungeon for DW, which is something Ive never done before.

So thinking of going old school and actually running a dungeon for DW, which is something Ive never done before.

So thinking of going old school and actually running a dungeon for DW, which is something Ive never done before.

So first what kind of questions could I ask them at the start to get them to create the gist of the dungeon?

Second what kind of action should I start with to show them we are doing a dungeon adventure.

Also thinking of using WOD levelling by coin machanic to give it that true old school feel.

11 thoughts on “So thinking of going old school and actually running a dungeon for DW, which is something Ive never done before.”

  1. I would ask the players questions about what legendary artifact they’re descending into the dungeon to retrieve. Or whan monstrous beast they’re hunting.

    Starting with the entrance tunnel collapsing, or the doors crashing closed is my preferred way of starting dungeon crawls. 🙂

  2. Another old option is to chase them into cover by something they are outclassed by, and then present them with the caves or labyrinth while they wait for the beast to give up and go away.

    The only danger is having players who assume everything you present them with is killable at their current level, and they don’t run to the shelter of the cave

  3. One of the best dw ganmes I’ve played started with:

    You are on a rope bridge spanning a chasm underground with a mob of angry goblins at either end.

    Thief -what did you take from them that pissed them off?

    Fighter – which of them do you hope you get to fight?

    Wizard – what’s the mystic significance of the goblin shamans angry chanting?

  4. You don’t need to start them in danger. If you ask questions like Chris Stone-Bush is suggesting, you can start at the entrance and assume that they’re motivated to check it out.

    I like to pick a blank map from Dyson’s Delves (etc), present them with what they see, and ask questions like that:

    1) establish what they’re looking for

    2) establish one or more threats

    3) add some color

    4) add a time crunch

    5) start building the world

    For example:

    Wizard, what wondrous treasure are you hoping to find here?

    Ranger, what creatures seem to have taken up residence?

    Rogue, what rumor did you hear about this place in town?

    Fighter, who else is seeking this place, and why? Why is it so important you get to it first?

    The nearest town is two day’s trek. What perilous terrain did you have to go through to get here?

  6. Do you have Perilous Wilds? There’s a pretty solid procedure in there for generating dungeons and dungeon content on the fly?

    Personally: I start with a blank map for structure. Ask questions like the ones above. Ask more questions as needed to fill in details, always asking the characters what they’ve heard or know from past experience. Use that to brainstorm up some initial details, an initial challenge or two

    Then, honestly, stuff usually just starts percolating and falling into place. If I’m stumped, or just want to change things up, I’ll roll on a table from Perilous Wilds for inspiration.

  8. Thanks all. Finally do you think going for the coin=xp would be a good idea or should i just stick with xp as is cause some of it does push a dungeon crawling mindset especially the session questions

  11. IMO, XP-for-coin works best with fragile, largely replaceable characters. It encourages more careful play that feels more like a heist than heroism.

    XP-on-a-miss encourages action, taking risks, giving it a go and seeing what happens. That combines really well with the standard DW classes, which are a bit sturdier and more capable than your typical retro clone PC.

    Both are great. if you want that fragile-PCs-on-a-heist feel, maybe check out Freebooters on the Frontier. It might be better fit than DW proper.

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