Dungeon World seems to assume that the PCs are already adventurers at the start of the game, but they carry no money. Did the PCs do their job badly? :p
Dungeon World seems to assume that the PCs are already adventurers at the start of the game, but they carry no money.
Dungeon World seems to assume that the PCs are already adventurers at the start of the game, but they carry no money.
Typically as a GM there are two ways of handling this (and this is true for any table top, not just DW) Either it’s their first adventure together (which is fairly typical), or they recently did something that cost them all their gold.
In dungeon world specifically you can just ask them why they don’t have money, or you can open up with a soft move that gives them a dilemma at the start.
An example could be the party came back from a successful raid, and in celebration threw an awesome party that night trashing the tavern, and now they owe the tavern owner a lot of gold for not only the beer they drank, but for all tables and the dragon bust they broke.
Don’t the Bard, the Fighter, and the Immolator have the option of starting with some coin?
Money in DW is as abstract as Ammunition. It’s not a shopping list game.
It’s for the same reason they start at the first level.
I don’t think it’s the same as starting at first level. Level is relative. A game can have characters with godlike powers at level one if that’s the starting point and they can become even more powerful later. Money is for trading. Zero coins mean you can’t buy anything unless you’re willing to be in debt and the seller is willing to let you owe him money.
When I run the game I just give PCs starting money and make the monsters in the first session give no money instead. Not by the book but I think more plausible.
Pakkaphon Sae-Chiew something you just said resonates with DW a lot: “unless you’re willing to be in debt and the seller is willing to let you owe him money.”
DW has a narrative focus and that exact situation can drive a LOT of narrative.
EDIT: Having said that, there are 2 or 3 things I don’t do by the book. So if that’s what works for you and your group then do it!
Opportunity for a question. “What happened to all the money from your previous adventures?”
It may be good to play with as a story motivator: Your Broke, time to go loot those old ruing, er Explore that is. But all in all, I agree with Andrew Raphael on this. The game is an abstract, meaning that, Yes the PCs have money, they have lives and they have debts, ect. Remember that in medevil society, a gold peice is much like a $100 bill was in the old west. A copper bought a meal and a night at an Inn. A few coppers more and you take care of a horse, ect. A whole small town’s wealth in monetary terms might not even add up to 100 gold pieces. So, treat it as a bit of an abstract. They have money for an inn, reasonable expenses. When it comes to game stuff that has actual mechanic effect they have “Gold” for it based on what is on their sheet. The Adventer’s kit for instance has x number of uses where you can bring out stuff. Each “use” would be different amounts of coin based on what you bring out when you need it. So the actual monetary amount would fluctuate. So just simply “hand wave” a lot of these little details in favor of getting to the story quicker.
As far as starting adventurers, I generally go straight from character creation to “you’re in a bad situation… better start doing something before it gets worse “. By the time they catch their breath,they’ve usually found some coin along the way.
Ummm This is not a problem about gameplay guys. It’s just that in the world where adventure usually pays well I think it’s strange for a group of adventurers to have no money (or a few coins, if you choose so). You can weave it into the story why the PCs are broke but I bet most campaigns don’t do that. If no one mentions that they have no money this would likely be ignored.
It’s up to the GM. As GM I always ask “why don’t you have any money? ” but as a player I’ve been in games where that wasn’t asked.
Yeah, it could be ignored, but I think it’s a piece of recent history
Money is basically useless in DW anyway. (That’s hyperbole, but it’s not that far from the truth.)
I’m terrible with treasure. I usually forget to give them any even when they defeat monsters. But then my players’ PCs are usually out in the world having adventures – going shopping is a very occasional activity.
1st Level PCs with no starting Coin could be assumed to have spent their Coin buying their starting equipment as chosen from the playbook.