Anyone gritted up DW? I’m not sure ‘gritted’ is a word but that won’t stop me. The system is generally set up for fairly epic or high fantasy play, but our group is considering a darker and grittier world with few magic items, high deadliness, etc.
Anyone done a Warhammer-grit level game with DW? Obviously the system is flexible but curious about actual play lessons.
Definitely. All the time. It’s my default mode.
I’d actually argue that AW as-written is less gritty than Warhammer. In AW you can be an ass-kicking badass. In WHFRP you’re almost always a piece of human garbage. Or elven garbage, I guess.
Unless your Elf survives long enough to reach the Assassin career =)
Also well worth checking out, is stupidgremlin’s Streets of Marienburg play set for World of Dungeons:
http://story-games.com/forums/discussion/16688/world-of-dungeons-anyone-playing/p4
Ah! I was just about to say that I played a fair share of games with world of dungeons in a very gritty atmosphere (actually, there was more diablo than warhammer, but still).
Not super familiar with WH or AW; what exactly do you mean by ‘grit’?
Streets of Marienburg is what you want. Soooooo gooooood.
Marienburg is cool and all, but it’s still WoD based, so be ready to do a lot of on-the-fly work as the GM.
By gritty I mean that combat is quite dangerous, the world is dark, oppressive, and grim, and the characters are underpowered compared to many threats. Running away is often very wise, unless you’re strategic, sneaky and smart. Not to say characters can’t grow and become mighty, but it’s a long road.
In DW characters are pretty impressive compared to the average person from the start- a fighter can wallop half a dozen goblins no problem. In my head, gritty means a level 1 fighter can wallop 2 goblins, no problem. 4 goblins is getting nasty, and you may lose a limb. 6 goblins means run, or have lots of oil and a torch. Using harder moves is definitely part of the answer I think.
Also, I should have said not quite as desperate a setting as Warhammer. I don’t want a party of cobblers and stable hand heading into the wilderness… or wait, maybe I do but not in this instance.
Lots of good advice, many thanks! Not looking specifically for a skin of WH but will definitely check out Marienburg for some inspiration.
If/when it comes out, tremulus might be something you could look into. Write up a dark fantasy playset, maybe re-skin a playbook or two and bam!
The few games I have been in has been both gritty and heroic at the same time.
I think a gritty level could just be achieved by doing more hard moves more often, and also giving the Messy tag to most weapons and monsters. Nobody will go happily into a fight against two goblins if they know that a lucky blow will result in a severed hand or their guts spilled in the dirt…
Burning wheel might serve you better.
Eric Nieudan definitely. You just have to tweak the way you see the world. Kick dirt in their faces when they’re down.
In my games, “a handful of goblins” can be a life-or-death scenario. It’s all about working together with the players to create a well-understood fictional positioning for everyone that says they aren’t superheroes, but just some mere mortals with a sliver of power. As the GM, describe a 10+ as a lucky break or a moment of surety, and describe a 6- as the inevitable, awful reality coming to pass. Position every monster as though you were emulating the 16hp dragon, and the message you’re looking for will come through.
Just make sure your players are on-board, first.