New to Dungeon World here, so I have a quick question. As a GM I favor the “Open Table” style of gaming where the members of the group (and/or the party) shift from week to week.
In practice I have 2 players that are there almost every week, the 2-3 more that float in when they have the chance, and the occassional one-session player just trying out the game or whatever.
How do/would you handle Bonds in this style of gaming? The rules seem to be based on the assumption that the group is stable and unchanging.
Thanks!
The recent stuff on Flags (over Bonds), expressed in the Discern Realities podcast, is a good way to go, I think. I actually think Bonds are fine, but they have to be crafted well, paid attention to, and – as you observed – they rely on a relatively consistent group of players. It seems to me that Flags turns the Bonds relationship around. Instead of focusing on getting another player’s character to do something, you are focusing on getting other players to help, in character or not, set up your character to do something. That means anyone at the table could “hit” your flag, whereas you would need a specific other player character around to “hit” a bond.
Ever since playing Saga of the Icelanders, I’m very much liking that style of bonds. Here’s the rough run down:
* Instead of rolling Aid or Interfere, you can just spend one point of bond for a +1 or -1 (you still need to justify how you’re helping or hindering)
* Relationships are informal and all you need to record is “Jorgel +2”. though you can still use the specifics from the character sheets.
* You need to define a way in play to add bonds. In Sagas this is giving a gift to someone – they decide if it is a true gift or not. You can play with what gives people bonds here, or let your players define it based on the gameplay they want. Risking yourself for someone else? Healing someone else? I dunno
I use this style in my own heartbreaker and I think it works far better than rolling to aid/interfere and encourages people to help each other as it’s a simple spend.
I’m also toying with a move like: When you share a moment of downtime with another character and ask them a question about their past, gain +1 bond with them if they answer truthfully.
If dealing with a Con game, standardize it to a +2. “Resolve” the bonds for extra XP on creating a new one. Especially during game. I am having the problem of players not wanting to “resolve” bonds and gain the XP. They see the bonds as a form of permanent character ties.
I do like having the Bond be a spendable resource that Aaron Griffin suggests. I haven’t heard the podcast.
Here’s a link to the original Flags blog post by Rob Donoghue, which he came up with for precisely that reason (an open table): http://walkingmind.evilhat.com/2015/09/07/from-bonds-to-flags/
I also came up with an (as yet un-playtested) suggestion for using bonds with a changing cast of characters: https://plus.google.com/u/0/109791996665503926061/posts/VRUpJQAA6jP
Ok, Read the original Bonds to Flags and the information from the other link. Some thoughts: Yes, I like the Flags Idea. But it makes it harder for a quick character creation and does take a bit of the narrative flexibility away from the player. As a mechanic it is great in that it is clear and easier to implement than full Bonds. Now, that said, I wouldn’t use it at a Convention or a One-Shot because it will take more time to create for character creation. Simply put, it takes longer to use. This is why when I had a floating player base in an Adventure of the Night set up, I simply gave everyone a +2 bonds and ignored them for the sake of speed. The players could take a moment to discuss how they knew each other while they are doing character creation or while I was helping someone. In a One-Shot or Con setting you want to be able to get started quickly.