Author: Ish Stabosz

Here’s why DW is awesome:

The ranger runs around the corner and is met by the ratling swarm boss pointing a magic wand at him blasting with force. The ranger says, “I dash back around the corner.” I say, “Easy enough. You dodge the blast.”

The ranger could have tried to dive forward and dodge the magic while advancing on the baddie, and that would have triggered defy danger. He could have returned fire with his bow, taking damage but also getting a volley off.

If this was D&D, all that could have happened is a reflex save with half or full damage, and even then the whole setup would only have occurred if the bad guy was “readying an action”.

This game is just awesome.

I ran a one-shot a while ago and it went really well, so I’m gonna be starting my first DW campaign sometime soon. I came up with the following questions to get things rolling. I was thinking of asking them after creating characters but before doing bonds, because these will help give people some groundwork for bonds. Beyond these questions and a first battle, I’m not prepping anything else. Any thoughts?

1. The party is currently in possession of something of great power. What is it?

2. Which one of you is the bearer of this item? The previous owner is trying to retrieve it. Who is the previous owner and how did you acquire it from him?

3. Which one of you was intimately acquainted with the previous owner? What was your relationship and how has it changed?

4. Which one of you has already unlocked one of the item’s secret powers? What was the power, how did you unlock it, and what did it cost?

5. Which one of you is in possession of a map? What does it lead to and how did you acquire it?

6. Which one of you knows a secret about how to read the map? Write down the secret as well as an explanation of why you have not yet shared it with the party.

7. Two of you are close allies to each other, but until very recently, you were enemies to the rest of the party. Why were you enemies and what happened to change things?

How would you handle this?

So, I ran my first game last night. (It was a blast, but I’ll post a report later).  During character creation, the Druid decided that he had an animal companion, and he came up with a pretty cool story for it. His companion, a large arctic wolf, is actually the avatar of the Druid’s totem spirit, who has been imprisoned by a White Dragon somewhere (we’ll play to find out where). The wolf is leading the Druid on a quest to free the trapped spirit.

I said, yes, of course, because you always find a way to say yes. But my conflict is this: how much should I let this wolf companion get away with? how much should it influence the game? There is also a Ranger in the group, and the Ranger has a specific class move devoted to his animal companion. I don’t want to step on the Ranger’s toes, but I also want to make the wolf a part of the fiction.

Any thoughts?

When you GM, do you roll damage dice? Come on, tell the truth now.

I just can’t imagine not rolling ANY dice.

Just sent this out to my friends to get them psyched for our first DW game tonight. Thought it might be inspirational:

“There is something you guys can do to prepare for tonight, but don’t worry; it’s nothing big:

Think of your favorite action scenes from fantasy movies or books. Harken back to your days as an eight-year-old, when the only thing standing between you and adventure was your imagination. Fill your mind with as many exciting encounters as you can. Recall the villains that you love to hate, and brainstorm about the beasts of legend that you have always wanted to slay. Envision musty tombs, dank dungeons, and epic avenues of adventure. Finally, imagine the untold riches, the secret knowledge, and the heroic glory that await you in the deep places of the earth.

Do that, and you’re prepared to play Dungeon World.”

We’re mostly used to DnD, so I’m really trying to sell DW to them.

What wizards spells would you like to see in DW?

Hey, folks. I’m new to Dungeon World and planning on running a game in a couple of weeks–just a one-shot, but if it goes well I might make a campaign out of it. I’m looking for advice on how much prep I should come to the table with. I had been elaborately detailing a dungeon and coming up with motives and plans for all of the inhabitants when I suddenly realized that I was ignoring the principle to “leave blanks”.

I want to sell my friends on the game, so I want to capture the DW feel, but I also don’t want to bumble my way through a four hour session. So, how much prep is too much? How much is enough? Any tips in general for an experienced GM trying to break out of the D&D rut?