Finished our first session today. I’m playing with 3 guys who have never played Dungeon World or Freebooters before, and my wife (whose played everything I’ve played). We have one of each class. That wasn’t deliberate, it just worked out that way!
Orcs hadn’t been seen in 200 years but there were rumors that there were orcs coming down from this mountain, same mountain as Dwimmermount – an OSR megadungeon. Our first encounter, the PCs found a room full of orcs and proceeded to brace for a fight.
The halfling magic-user cast Memory of Smoking Mud, not to slow the orcs down but to nauseate and confuse them into thinking they had somehow trod through a swamp.
The thief separated from the group in order to backstab an orc as they rushed the party from their encampment.
The cleric of Lieutenant Columbo (tenet: Dominate the corrupt; domain: Intelligence and Torment) cursed them, striking fear into their hearts as the party met them blade to blade.
The fighter went last and charged into the middle of the orcs.
Only a few rolls and half the orcs were dead, the rest turned to flee.
We ended the session with them hearing chittering sounds from behind, as the sound of their battle had awoken something else in the darkness.
So they’re dipping their toes in Dwimmermount? Fingers crossed for the team.
Jason Lutes I’ve GMed it before using 5th edition but that party lost steam once they reached the prison level.
And I’ve always wanted to go back!
Fun! Inspires me to run Rappan Athuk in FotF.
Chris Shorb it gets tricky because conventional initiative doesn’t work, it definitely brings a more cinematic feeling and an immediacy to the fights! a single roll could determine the course of the battle!
Patrick Mallah Oh yes, I love Dungeon World – what you describe is one of my favorite aspects of it. I haven’t dipped my toe into the Freebooters tweak of DW yet. I’m interested in how you feel it works with a huge setting like that.
Chris Shorb well, its certainly deadlier! we had two orcs get lucky hits in and the fighter took 6 damage to his 9 HP total, the thief got lucky and only took 1 damage but he only has 6 HP total.
to clarify, the orc’s attacks came from partial success results on the Fight move