Author: Daniel Powell

Quick clarification: when folks are discussing Dungeon World RAW or, playing DW RAW, what exactly does this mean? Is that simply playing the game “as originally written” without any home-brew/house rules?

My apologies if this is obvious; I haven’t been active for a bit and I’m seeing the term pop-up quite a lot recently!

Just a little curious how some others schedule in-person games. Pick a day once a month and stick to it? Twice a month? A different day every time and just scheduling when you feel like it?

For a little while, we were doing once a month, but that feels like a huge amount of time in between sessions (to the point where players sometimes don’t really remember what they were doing). We also tended to bail and play something else if one or more party members couldn’t make it. This style has caused both my groups to fall into remission and it’s been more than a few months since the last game.

How do you guys work around busy schedules? I’m thinking I might reboot a group if people are into it, then continue with the game even if we’re missing someone (of course, checking if that’s cool with everyone first).

I have a question about “multiclassing” with the Artificer class. I have a character concept of an Assassin who uses his own improvised gadgets and tools to get the job done. What I’m thinking is using the Grim World Human racial move to give up an Assassin starter move for an Artificer one.

The question is, the “gadget belt” starter move on it’s own is a kind of useless, and needs the “field test” starter move to gain half it’s functionality. Is it safe to assume that you’d get both when taking it as a multiclass move? The precedent I’m looking at is I read somewhere that when you multiclass as a wizard, you get a spell book along with the ability to prepare and cast spells (although I can’t find where I first read this).

I know we could just house rule it as we see fit but I’m wondering if anyone’s run into this before with multiclassing specifically.

Any ideas for reigning in the Mage class? Thinking about offering it to some new players in a new group but the sentiment I get online is that it’s almost too powerful.

I really love the idea of the class (especially the foci/look part), and I know there have been some separate classes made of the different foci archetypes but those seem to play quite differently.

Overwhelming versatility is one of the fears of the class being too strong, and as-written the mage can do pretty much anything except “opposed” magic. Would restricting them to operating within (or at least only close to) aligned elements help with that or be too harsh?

Have there been any mages in your games and how did they function? Did they completely take over the game, or were there cool moments to be had? Maybe offer the class with some caveats about what their magic can do? There are some super cool ideas in here but after reading a bunch about it, a lot of people seem wary! (even the creator! From what I understand he started working on the “foci specific” mages classes as an alternative to the Mage?)

Looking for an older post about a DW inventory system that was picture based (I’m pretty sure it was here on the tavern). The template had drawings of packs and pouches and the PCs would draw in the items they have. I was thinking I wanted to try this out but now I can’t find it!

 Anyone know where I can find this?

Hello folks,

I wanted to open up a discussion about how to make the game more “exciting” as a GM. In my group’s game, I’ve come away from the past few sessions feeling like we didn’t get very “far” into whatever dungeon/environment we’re in because we get bogged down by lots of “details”. We DO do some cool things, but moves like “speak to stones” or “what here is evil” or the players being indecisive at which direction to try at a fork has them turning to me to come up with little things for a dungeon I probably made up 10 minutes earlier. By nature of “play to find out what happens” I’m not going to have an answer right away because this stuff isn’t pre-planned. I don’t want to say “forget about it and keep moving” because that’s passing over moves their characters rightfully have. I try to purposefully give lots of options because I don’t want anyone to feel railroaded (eg. “you can go this way or this way, OR you can just turn around and LEAVE this place to chase the yeti who stole some of your equipment, if you want”) but maybe that’s working against us?

I always endeavor to get down to business next session, but then get caught up in the details all over again because of the stuff that’s being asked!

I dunno, I just want to fill lives with adventure here! I don’t have a story I’m looking to selfishly “get to”, (I have a half finished front and the rest is by ear, results have been pretty good so far). One of the things I don’t miss from 4E was slogging through combat encounters that felt like they didn’t matter, and when they slowly pick their way through a dungeon or town it can kind of feel the same way. I haven’t had any complaints from them or anything like that, but there always a nagging feeling of “well, I could have made that more exciting” when we end off (we only get to play once a month too, which might be amplifying my feelings here).

Any tips for more active play? Punish indecisiveness with more GM moves? Maybe ask one player at a time for navigational decisions instead of waiting for a consensus? Carry on, because maybe they like this way of playing and I am imagining things? Throw more ogres at them? Thanks for any input, guys!

Last breath partial successes: what have you guys used for these death rolls? I know they are often very specific to each game and character, but I am having some trouble coming up with one for a Thief in the party.

I have tentative ones for our Wizard, Paladin, and Druid, but I can’t think of anything to impose on the Thief that would be interesting enough to take (and not just say “no” and die :P). No one has had to roll for it yet but I’d like to have a Pact with Death for each PC just in case I’m caught on the spot.

Would you ask the players for their own “hard choice” like this?