Edited a second time, for clarity.

8 thoughts on “Edited a second time, for clarity.”

1. > The GM in Dungeon World should really be careful to allow a single player to dominate the world creation

   I’m not exactly sure where this idea comes from that the players get a say in world creation at all. They definitely get more leeway, especially when it comes to their character’s backgrounds and their history, but shouldn’t get much of a say in the world as it is right now.

   mightyatom.blogspot.com – The Mighty Atom

2. I control a lot of the gonzo with the way I ask questions re: world building. You don’t just throw it wide open. 1) you address the character. So it’s limited to something the character might know or have heard. And if it’s hearsay the character is just creating a rumor in the world, not reality. 2) you frame the question so that it has boundaries that you are comfortable with.

   Examples.

   Bad: “Criark the Barbarian, what do you know about the races of this world?”

   You just asked one player to add any/all races he wants to, including warforged style mechanical men and gray aliens and samurai and intelligent bunny-men. …. Oooh. Cool world. 🙂

   Better: “Criark, your tribe often fought with another species from the frozen race. They were savage and feral. What species was it and what tribal custom made them so bloodthirsty?”

   You just asked Criark to add a race to your world but it gave the player some direction, made it personal, and kind of put some implied boundaries around it.

   But yeah, DW is the “perfect” game – if there is such a thing. You have some of the same problems as always.

   BTW, your rules lawyer is right about the Druid’s move. It’s in the book too (see the little sidebar text). 🙂

3. My caveat that avoids a lot of this is that world building is up to the TABLE to agree on… not just me as the GM or that one dominate personality that is a player…. I do have one player who doesn’t dominate the spotlight, but LOVES world building… and he does come up with a ton of good ideas…. and some not-so-good ideas. Instead of shooting them down, I allow the other players to course correct the so-so idea by prompting them with “what does the table think?”… and often, the so-so idea is a springboard to a GREAT idea.. sometimes from my lil’ world builder, sometimes from me, sometimes from the other players.

   I have a very cooperative group at the moment. I am very grateful of that.

   But I find DW is a real good antidote to GM Fatigue because I don’t have to do anywhere near as much work as other games. When I get stuck during a session or trying to come up with a cost for a 7-9, I often ask the players what would be cool to have happen… to the point were they are pretty well trained and often suggest costs to failed rolls or partial successes.

4. Aaron Griffin that’s a great link! Thanks for posting it!

5. Storn Cook I also find DW a relief. I was running DCC for months, and it’s not that crunchy. But the minute I switched to DW I felt really free again. I LIKE not being responsible for creating the whole world.

6. Thanks for the link Aaron Griffin

   While I agree with the sentiments of the Mighty Atom, and have read it in my Apocalypse World days, I’ve only experienced this in DW. Maybe it’s the Scope? Maybe it’s the fact that I’m not that certain about the Fantasy Genré, and like my Post-Apocalypse Weird and horrible, but my Fantasy Dark.

   Maybe it’s the players more than the game: I know that me myself likes to state truths about the gaming world/setting as well.

   I am not adverse to the idea that I am not familiar enough with Fantasy as a genré to be comfortable GMing it, but it’s strange to see.

7. I’m simply saying: if your problem is domineering players or taking advantage of narration rights, perhaps you should trying playing the game by the rules. Because DW does not afford players these abilities.

8. Edited a second time, for clarity.

   On GM-fatigue:

   I play mostly PbtA-games (BW, BitD are my other favorites + Fabula, a indie game that is 15+ years in the making of it’s second edition.)

   I do find Dungeon World to be quite heavy to run, though, compared to other PbtA-games. Why that is I clearly have no idea. Maybe Fantasy is such a beloved genré, but I lack the knowhow to stay on top*? Maybe some players aren’t suited to my favored playstyle with danger and adventure, and vice versa? Is there som granular stuff about the conversation I am missing?

   So, my silly examples that made my question drown aside: Is there a reason why Dungeon World is so difficult (for me) to run (compared to other PbtA-games)?

   EDITED x2

   *) I am afraid to run The Veil because I feel I don’t have enough experience and knowledge about the Cyberpunk genré a well, though I am not so frightened about The Sprawl.

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