Hi all
I have to run a three hour session of DW so I’m trying with this Dungeon Starter
It is the dawn of a decisive battle on the plain
Questions
who fight this battle?
you enlisted?
-if you enlisted
which of you insisted to enlist as mercenaries?
with whom?
what are the rumors about the ruins east of the battlefield?
Who is to blame for the fact that you are losing?
In what regiment are you?
what is the suicide mission for which you volunteered?
Which reward they promised you?
What do you think will happen to the loser army ?
-if you did not enlist
how come you came out from the ruins through a secondary exit?
What were you looking for?
who prevented you from getting it?
which of you triggered the trap that brought down the exit tunnel as you went out?
What do you do now that you are facing a cavalry charge?
Impression
-the armies lined up at dawn, with banners waving
-the tortured bodies after a massacre
-the smell of the blood, carried by the wind, even at the entrance of these ruins
-abominable beings awakened by this smell
-forgotten ancient ruins beneath the vegetation
-ragged vagabonds frightened by fog
-the darkness in the subsoil
-the camp buzzing with activity
-the general who gives orders to the officers, concerned about the trend of battle
-wounded people who complain, devoid of hope
-the rumble of the charging chivalry
-distant sounds in these tunnels otherwise uninhabited
-a race against time, other adventurers in search
-the last bastion of resistance
-crypts of ancient heroes
-the official arrogant and incompetent
-the leader bloodthirsty and ruthless
-prisoners dragged in the mud and / or sacrificed
-havoc in the night in the field
-the dawn of a victory
I will think also some custom move, like
When you are in the heat of the battle…
Critics or suggestions?
/sub
The questions to me take away from the sandbox. Is this a first session or not?
Spout Lore is a wonderful move a player can make, and you can world build with it.
Most of the questions can be summed up with Discern Realities.
To me, the questions just seem like “chose your adventure” the outcome is decided already, it’s just up to the players to decide which one.
But that’s just me.
it will be a three hour session at a convention, so just something a bit more than a first session.
The idea is to have something in place so we can start off with action. The questions should give the starting situation
Maybe there are too much starting questions…
I tried something like the dungeon starter of
Marshall Miller
Andrea Mognon I think that’s the problem. It really should have stripped down.
– What is the general public’s belief for the conflict?
– Why are you part of it (this let’s them chose enlisted vs not)?
– What motivates you beyond survival?
With these you can answer several questions, maybe they were told the opposing army was the aggressors there to take their land, and they weren’t enlisted but they came to fight, their motivation their family.
The next question has to always be, “What about your past, in relation to your answers, helps you now?”
Thanks Paul, I like your three questions. This way there is more room for players backstory. Only I don’t understand why you think the question on the past is so important.
However still both as a player and GM I don’t know where the PC are now and what are they doing. I still need a couple of questions more specific, don’t you think?
Well asking about the past gives them an extra hook. It explains why they have a skill. The years of farming and harvesting grain made fighter deadly with his sword. He found it buried in the fields, it was untarnished and incredibly sharp.
I, personally, like a character who starts fleshing out as he meets his party. They learn about him as his player does.