Author: Dawit Thepchatree

It’s been 8 sessions, but I think it’s time for my group to quit Dungeon World. The reason is quite simple: not everyone is having fun. I think I’ve complained about this time and time again: there is one D&D player in my group (out of 3 players who played D&D before) who not only refuses to learn the rules properly, but actively challenges them to the point of completely disrupting the game session today.

Me: “Hey, trust me. I’ve done a lot of research into this game. You didn’t even take the time to read the rules, at all. I asked you so many times.”

Him: “Then show me, where does it say that you can make me forget a spell on a 6-. You fail on a 6-. There’s nothing written on the move. Nothing happens.”

And then the argument goes on and on and on.

Ultimately, he thinks DW is stupid and assumes so without reading the book or giving the game a fair chance. He wants to play D&D, and only begrudgingly goes along with DW only because everyone else wants to play DW.

I tried really, really hard to be a good GM for my group. Made a lot of PDFs as quick prompts for myself. We had some really good sessions, but when this sort of thing happens repeatedly, it’s not fun anymore.

In the end, I have to follow the golden rule of tabletop gaming. There’s no point unless everyone at the table is having fun.

So we’re just going to just play Munchkins.

As for me, I’m going to have to satisfy my RPG thirst with single-player. Tides of Numenera is fun so far.

Also, is there a digital table I can join?

Oh boy, here we go. As a follow-up to my absolutely disastrous excuse for a Dungeon World Primer, I’ve written a 5-page commentary that highlights what I consider to be the most important GM rules that separate DW from other RPGs. Since it focuses on GM rules, it’s not really a primer for the players, but I think it is an interesting read nonetheless for those that are passionate (or very curious) about the game.

This version is still a draft, and I fully expect it to be torn apart, ripped to shreds and burned to ashes by the community. I have a tendency towards unnecessarily hyperbolic language, so don’t be afraid to point the worst of them out too.

I wrote this commentary/guide for many reasons. I wanted to put more thought into some of the rules that I initially glazed over, then blew me away when I really analyzed their implications. There are also frequent questions and mistakes resulting from a lack of understanding of DW’s GM rules, or even what DW is really about to begin with. A lot of other primers focus on dice rolls, character sheets and other nit-picky details, while completely missing the big picture of how DW is supposed to be played.

I don’t claim to be an expert. On the contrary, this is a way for me to learn more about the game. Part of the guide is from experience, especially what happens when the rules are not followed. Basically, what I learned from our group’s mistakes. The other part is a thought-experiment: what might happen if I ignore those rules? And finally, I’ve incorporated a lot of criticism from my doomed primer.

I’m not sure if I would keep calling this piece a primer, even. It’s definitely long-winded.

Anyway, tell me what you guys think. Like it? Suggestions? Burn it with fire? I’m ready to mark XP.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_JdH0Si6SYca1k1WjhYNU5JaGs

In the official digital package for Dungeon World, there is a compendium class that already deals with issues that arise from one-on-one play. It is the Bearer class, and I cannot stress enough how severely, astoundingly underrated it is for enhancing that form of play.

There’s a recent discussion on Reddit about one-on-one DW play (one GM, one player). Typically in these discussions, there’re a lot of speculation and theory-crafting, with two common threads:

• DW cannot be played one-on-one

• Try The Legacy Weapon Playbook

I ran several one-on-one sessions myself and did a lot of research into one-on-one play. It works, and without any tweaks to the official materials. It is true that DW is not designed for one-on-one play, but its rules are robust enough to support it. I’ve learned a lot about DW from doing one-on-one sessions, and one of my best experiences was actually from a one-on-one session.

I bought and tried The Legacy Weapon Playbook, and in actual play, I found that its rules interfere too much with the pacing of the game. There’s too much setup and its mechanics are clunky and cumbersome. However, the true value of this playbook is that it attempts to solve problems that arise from extended one-on-one DW play. The reasonings behind its designs are very insightful.

What’s amazing is that, whether by design or accidentally, the official Bearer compendium class already combats these one-on-one issues.

• The most obvious problem is Bonds. As there are no other players to make bonds with, you have to instead do it with Hirelings or NPCs. A favorite alternative is to add bonds with a talking weapon, and that is exactly what the Bearer class is about. In fact, it’s actually written (Whosoever Holdeth) that you have to make bonds with your talking weapon.

• The second problem is death. Because there are no other characters, death is especially troublesome for one-on-one play. One of the moves (Bound For Life) for the Bearer class has a solution: when you take Last Breath, you can instead take a permanent debility of the weapon’s choice. This allows the player’s character to avoid dying, but still suffer a potentially serious consequence, all using official material.

• The third problem is the lack of move variety. Now, this is where the Bearer class is still lacking, but it does provide a lot of healing and alternative ways of gaining information about a situation. This is really where Hirelings come in because their purpose is already to fill gaps in party roles.

Having said all that, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t buy The Legacy Weapon Playbook. It worked pretty well for some people. However, people shouldn’t be ignoring the Bearer compendium class either, as it deals with many of the same problems. I’ve had some awesome one-on-one DW sessions, and it is definitely a viable way to play DW if you know what you’re doing.

By the way, has anyone ever run a campaign where the characters are at ridiculous, god-like levels? For example…

GM: Your nemesis finally appears before you, his dragon tattoo glowing red on his chest.

Paladin: I spread my wings and dive at him with my holy lance!

GM: Roll Hack and Slash.

Paladin: 7

GM: Okay, roll D10.

Paladin: 6

GM: Your strike skewers him in the heart. The shockwave of your attack explodes outwards, blasting through the entire city and flattening all buildings in a cone behind your target. Your nemesis grimaces, then grins. He grabs your lance and flings you at the nearby bell tower! What do you do?

Paladin: I try spread my wings to stop my momentum!

GM: Looks like you’re Defying Danger. Roll plus Strength.

Paladin: Ugh! 4

GM: Roll D10.

Paladin: 8

GM: You smash through the bell tower, instantly shattering the solid iron bell into ashes, and you fly right through to crash into a nearby mountain, completely destroying it. As the dust clears, you see your nemesis hovering in the sky, his wound already regenerating itself. What do you do?

Paladin: Do I still have my lance?

GM: Yes, you’re still holding on to it.

Paladin: I aim it at him and fire a ray of wrath from its tip!

GM: Roll for Volley.

Paladin: 9

GM: Pick a choice.

Paladin: I’ll expose myself to danger.

GM: Roll D10.

Paladin: 3

GM: With a flash of golden lightning, the ray bursts from your lance and shoots into the sky. It hits the moon! The moon cracks apart and begins falling. The next thing you know, your nemesis is flying towards you. His left arm is gone! What do you do?

Paladin: I dodge!

GM: Okay, roll.

Paladin: 8

GM: He is going hypersonic! The shockwaves are fracturing the ground beneath you! You can either take the blow, or dodge and let the entire region be leveled by his next attack! What do you do!?

Ahem. Okay, I had a little too much fun there, but you get the idea. 😛