Author: Charles Persall

GM discussion topic!

The bard has multiclassed into wizard spell casting at level 2, enabling her to become a semi-decent spell caster with lots of spells. Now she is at level 10, and she wants to change class to the wizard.  

How do you handle all the spells? Do you let her keep them? Do you wipe the slate clean and have her start over?  Maybe somewhere in the middle?

Discussion topic for all the GMs that are running Dungeon World:

How often do you advance the grim portents of your fronts? The are no concrete rules about it, so it makes me wonder about how everyone handles that part of the game.

In my case, I give my players two or three sessions of not interacting with a front before I advance it, and make that advancement clear and evident. I like this because it gives my players both the sensation of effecting the world and being just behind the bad guys and trying to catch up.

Had to share this great part from my session tonight, we had a lot of fun!

Cast: A Bard, Paladin, Druid, and Mesmer

Druid and Paladin or new into the group, Bard and Mesmer have been playing for a bit, enough to get into some interesting situations around the town.

The group returns from exploring an old temple to find that the Town Council wants to meet them.  Since this is their first meeting, I decided that everyone gets to create what one council member looks like (five council members total, I get to create the last one :D).  

Me: Ok bard, your first

Bard: Umm, he’s a dwarf, with a fancy hammer and an epic beard that braids into his normal hair!

Me: Done! Let’s call him Moonhammer, he was a silver smith before being a town councilor 

Bard: Sweet, he has silver accessories all over his body

Me: Done deal! Let’s move on, who want’s to go next?

Paladin: Ooh! My guy is tall, like 6’6″ with white long hair and an awesome beard too.  He has nice ceremonial robes as well.

Me: Are these merchant robes, or more of a magical-like robes?

Paladin: Definitely a dabbler in magical arts

Me: (righting down notes) What’s his name?

Paladin: Peter!

(laughs around the table)

Me: Peter what? (No answer) Let’s go Arcanum, maybe he had changed his name or something weird.

(Head nods)

Druid: I’m next! This one is a woman, but FAT. Like super fat and has to have a special chair to sit in or it breaks.

Me: Like that last level of fluffy from Gabriel Iglesias?

Everyone in unison: DAAAAAAMMMN

Druid: (laughing) Exactly! and she wears waaaay to risque clothing, like showing too much skin. (everyone laughs in disgust)

Bard: She’s going to like me, huh?

Me: Oh, her eyes haven’t left you at all (smiles at bard’s groan)

Mesmer: Ok, my guy is old, and short, like 4’5″

Me: You sure he isn’t a halfling?

Mesmer: No, just small and wrinkled, plus he is bald across the top of his head and has long white hair.  Oh, and he is wearing nothing but a loincloth.

Bard: …he’s a pygmy?

Mesmer: An albino pygmy!

Me: (groans) and his name?

Mesmer: Picscacoru!

Me: Allright, but everyone calls him Pic, why is this dude on the council?

Mesmer: Cause he is a friend of the forest

Me: Like a shaman? cool!

Me: My turn! (Pull out a drawing of a suave, 40ish man with a scar on his face) This is Councilor Dunham (turns to Mesmer) and you recognize him.

Mesmer: S***, I do?

Me: Yes, he’s the husband to that one wife you got caught in bed with, you know the one who gave you that health potion.

(everyone laughs and calls the Mesmer on his shenanigans) 

Paladin: I take it that Dunham hates our friend Mesmer?

Me: Oh, he hasn’t stopped staring daggers into the Mesmer’s face since he walked in.

Mesmer: (Laughing and cursing at his situation) Oh man, I knew that was going to bite me in the ass.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have a hard time with the questions with ‘discern realities.’  In particular, my players avoid it because they don’t understand how to use the questions to ask what they want.  Has anyone found a way to explain the questions better? Or have some of you house ruled different questions in?  I’m all ears.