I’m a traditional DM and I’m going to do my first Dungeon World game this weekend, I read most of the articles but obviously I’m still on the fence in how to pace combat scenes.
Does anyone know an AP or podcast episode with a really well done combat sequence for me to listen? Thanks!
Get a copy of the dungeon world guide. It’s free. It’s been so long that I don’t remember where it is, but probably a simple Google away. It’s really helpful for thinking about combat.
In DW, combats do NOT last long so resist the inclination to stretch them out.
Nicholas Hopkins I don’t necessarily agree with this. Combat in DW lasts…as long as it lasts. No initiative keeps things ticking over, but that’s not the same as being short.
Ricardo Esteves Alves listen to the Dungeon World Basics episodes of Discern Realities, and checkout the YouTube videos of games from The Gauntlet. I can personally vouch for Spencer Paskett handling combat well.
youtube.com – Erasmus Gaming
Check this podcast out for sure. They have several podcasts on DW basics.
rpg.com/discern-realities/dungeon-world-basics-02-combat
Haha. We posted 6 seconds apart
The Guide is great. Also watch Raiders of the Lost Ark to get a good feel for 7-9s in combat situations, and game pacing overall.
Thanks for all the ideas and support! I’ll check all those things out! Appreciated! 🤜
Combat in DW is no different than any other mode of play. You present things for the players to react to and ask what they do. Instead of “you see a man steal a horse” or whatever, it’s “here’s some orcs with swords” – either way, “what do you do?”.
Then you telegraph what’s coming – instead of “the long hallway with holes in the wall is littered with corpses” it’s “the orcs smile and charge”.
The players react and do things, and dice are rolled. If they fail, use what you telegraphed to make something happen, but make sure to look at the monster moves. Just dealing damage is boring. Instead maybe “the orc grabs you in a bear hug, pinning your arms, and smiles a bloody smile, what do you do?” and then more dice are rolled “escaping like that’d be Defy Danger with STR… Oh no, a 5? The orc bites into your neck hard. Take… 6 damage, and he’s still got you pinned. The rest of you see this happening, is anyone gonna help?”
The Dungeon World Guide is on the official DW site’s Downloads section: http://www.dungeon-world.com/downloads/
How many players are you running your first game for?
I’ve only GMed a handful of DW games, but in my experience the “no initiative” element of DW combat is easier to run the fewer players you have to manage. You need to keep track of what’s happening to each player in their own little vignette, and jump the spotlight around when something brings a particular character into the fore, or you feel that some situation you left them dangling in has percolated for long enough and something must have happened over there by now.
And if you have more players than you can easily keep track of, there’s nothing wrong with going around the table as a sort of your-turn-your-turn manner as a default if you find that it helps. You just need to remember, and make sure the players understand, that it’s not a strict turn rotation, people can jump in and act (or be thrust into the spotlight by you, the GM) in whatever order the fiction and spotlight demands.
Going around the table as a default can also help if you have some players who are less proactive about verbally jumping in than others, and you want to ensure they get their share of spotlight and danger as well.
Robert Rendell It will be 5 players, I think using turns to actually shift the spotlight will help players have a chance to chime in. In my table I fear that some players are more talkative than the others, so managing and suiting the challenges to their skills will be the hardest hurdle – especially in a combat scene. Thanks for the idea!
Aaron Griffin That was a pretty complete and good narration! Thanks, it definitely gave me some thought in how to run!
5 is do-able, although quite a bit of work. Going around the table will definitely be helpful to start with.
Do also read that fan-written Dungeon World Guide from the DW Downloads page – it has a detailed discussion of combat (and many other elements of the game), particularly focussing on the things that often confuse new players, especially those coming from other games.