I need a more standard scenero. I have a tendency of getting exotic or unusual situations for the PCs to overcome. I need a more classic scene for the group to send them through. A bit of background:
I have 6 players (might be 5), A Paladin, 2 Clerics, a Wizard, a Bard, and a Fighter that may drop. The group has had some adventures together and I plan on running a sort of flashback encounter where I want them to try out different things and really get a feel for the system and a feel for the way things should go. The group are good roleplayers but more used to games like Savage Worlds, D&D, Star Wars d6 and other classic but tactical based games. One player really wants a sort of inititiave system so that he doesn’t dominate the game and so that each person gets an equal time in the spotlight. With so many people it is easy to miss people and occasionally skip people due to trying to follow the action. Also, I have one or two players that are a bit shy. Combine this with nearly all the players have been taught to be polite and not jump in when they really want to, but to give other people the spot light. So I have developed a spot light system. But that is beside the point. I need a scene, a situation, where players can try out anything, anything can happen, and a set up to encourage them to try anything, with out reguard to playing to their strong suits and playing toward their stat advantages.
Any Ideas?
I was thinking maybe a bandit attack that could lead to hunting down some bandits. But I want it short enough to have in one session of a few hours.
One possibility is use hard moves against your most assertive players to put them in a spot where they need assistance in order to be able to continue acting at all, perhaps by giving an opportunity that fits a class’ abilities for one of your quieter players. Pin them against walls or have them dangle perilously on a cliff’s edge. Charm them or make them fall into a magical sleep. Poison them or tear off limbs. Maybe even kill them if they stubbornly try not to retreat in the face of overwhelming odds that they can’t face alone. Separating the party can also lead to interesting situations. You don’t have a Thief, so traps are a great way to do that.
Ultimately, though, I think running a group of 6 players in Dungeon World is just really hard, especially if some of them are more shy. There’s a lot to keep track of to keep a coherent fiction going and it’s easy to lose track of who has been quiet for a while. I have enough trouble with just 2 due to one being more assertive than the other.
Well, I will also be trying out my Spotlight system. It is not a true Init system but a way of keeping visual track of who has had their time in the spotlight. I think that it will work well. I was toying with the ideas that have been mentioned on eliminating Hit Points and going with a Narrative system for damage. This to encourage them to think in lines of the story and action, not along the lines of “I need to do x hit points to take it down. So I better start swinging.” I need to have a situation that encompasses all you have said and at the same time not be your murder-hobo type of dungeon. I need the over-all situation that can cover all you have posted, not the specifics.
Here is my current thought: The players described as one of their binding encounters that they went to retrieve some jewels (royal jewels) from the frozen north. The Jewels were actually found in a ravine in the glaciers in a “Goldbug nest”. Bugs that ate their gold and made more bugs. This was all provided by the players as I went round robin adding to the tale, asking them questions about it and allowing them to add lib it all, no rolls. It was after all back ground.
So based on that: A group of bandits ambush them in between the glaciers coming back and these Eskimo-like bandits are going to come at them in large numbers. They will have a Wizard and a summoned Ice Elemental to “Separate Them” and make it into a couple of discrete smaller battles. Should I make this a full adventure at this point? Now, I am assuming that the players will overcome the initial attack and they will likely trail the bandits back to their lair. As the group has 2 clerics and a paladin and a bard. Epic tales.
But I am having a bit of trouble putting it together. How many Bandits, how powerful should the wizard be, How should I proceed. ect. Oh, did I mention that they are 4th level? About to be 5th.
I honestly don’t think any specially created scene, scenario, or adventure is going to get players to try out more things. That’s something they have to do on their own. You can encourage then to do that sure, but ultimately it’s up to them how much they engage with the system.
Some players just don’t like DW or have trouble getting into a mindset that meshes well with the game. That’s fine. All you can do is encourage them to try.