The Dungeoneers Podcast – Episode 38 – Dying to Death
The Dungeoneers Podcast – Episode 38 – Dying to Death
The Dungeoneers Podcast – Episode 38 – Dying to Death
Category: The Dungeon World Tavern: Actual Play
Intrigues of Parsantium 15
Intrigues of Parsantium 15
Intrigues of Parsantium 15
Long hiatus is over! Giant flying manta rays! Mass genocide! Long forgotten jungle temples! Really bad fantasy names!
Update: Only One Spot left, on the illuminati, Super DW Home brew Hack.
Update: Only One Spot left, on the illuminati, Super DW Home brew Hack.
Update: Only One Spot left, on the illuminati, Super DW Home brew Hack.
1) Be a member of an Order in Semi-Modern Times.
2)Hunt Monsters in Manhattan and travel to the demon world for resources and research.
3)Save the mother F*** World
So this may be an encouragement to GM’s who may have felt they do lackluster, player-disappointing things.
So this may be an encouragement to GM’s who may have felt they do lackluster, player-disappointing things.
So this may be an encouragement to GM’s who may have felt they do lackluster, player-disappointing things.
I ran a game, where there were statues of people with animal heads. When the players walked by, the Statues’ eyes lit up and began to speak to the players. After an exchange and a failed charisma roll, magic was activated and a bunch of the flora in the surrounding area came to life and began to stalk/attack the players.
Post-game, a player reported “That’s too convoluted and involved, why not just attack with the statues and keep it simple”
Taking this into consideration, in another game, I had players walk by some statues, and since no one triggered a DR or SL move, I had the statues come to life and attack the players.
A player responded disappointedly “Really? You’re going to make the statues attack us?” as if they’d seen this trope a million times before.
The Morals:
1. Maybe don’t use statues, unless as a red herring or setpiece.
2. Sometimes, GM’s, it’s not your fault. Player preferences can actually be polar opposites of one another.
3. If you predominantly play, and don’t DM, consider how hard it is for a DM to create truly original content in this age of internet information and media overload, and just try to enjoy the game/free entertainment.
After having only 3 sessions and already having two characters roll Last Breath (although the first one did make a…
After having only 3 sessions and already having two characters roll Last Breath (although the first one did make a…
After having only 3 sessions and already having two characters roll Last Breath (although the first one did make a rather stupid decision) i’m starting to worry that i’m making the world too tough for my players.
The first “Death” (Even though he rolled a 7-9) came about when the Ranger, during a lull in the fighting against an overwhelming number of cultists, decided to take advantage of the quiet by launching an arrow at one particular Sorcerer-Shaman-guy. This was responded with a Fireball, which the ranger promptly failed a DD to avoid, removing his last remaining hitpoint.
The second death, however, i take most of the blame for. She rolled an 11 on Last Breath, so it all worked out in the end, but afterwards she said she was frustrated out how things played out. Her (Cleric) and the Thief were fighting some Specters in the Priesthold underneath the temple (the same temple of the cultists from earlier) and she rolled a 7-9 a hack-n-slash. Not wanting to just keep hitting her for damage, i decided to Use the environment against them and use an effect of the Cult. The “divine” being Globner, Demigod of Blood, i had the Specter’s final act create an effect where she felt a certain bloodlust and wanted to attack the nearest thing. Then the Thief charged at the Specter, failed the attack, received the same effect, and tumbled into her. I told her that she felt the urge to try to murder him, and so she asked if she could supress it. “Finally” i thought to myself “I can have someone defy danger with WIS!” and so she did. She rolled an 8. I gave her a worse outcome, which is that the effect was slow to leave her, so she still must attack the thief this once. She failed. The thief dealt his damage back (being under the same bloodlust effect, we felt it made sense) and it was enough to drop her.
In hindsight, i suppose everything i did was in my moves and made sense from a rules perspective, but I worry that i have made the world too tough on a party that consists of a Ranger (Who is about to multiclass into Cleric, worshiping Death himself so cool!), a Thief, and a Cleric.
Any suggestions?
My last two session reports are up: both the face-to-face and online games.
My last two session reports are up: both the face-to-face and online games.
My last two session reports are up: both the face-to-face and online games. I’m running both games simultaneously in the same setting, with each group affecting the play of the other, even though the characters may never meet.
Watching two groups (nearly) simultaneously interact very differently with the same scenario has been really eye-opening as a GM. Both groups know about the other group, which makes it even more interesting. I’m wondering how long before they start leaving clues or things for each other actively … or if that happens at all.
Also, the “recovering memories” mechanic is working out really well. Characters are coming alive through play and the recovered memories are making back stories interesting and related to the play (rather than the play being developed around the back stories). The game gets a bit gonzo from time to time, but the back stories, almost without fail, are really dark. I mean REALLY dark. The 7-9 result of having another player answer for your character has also proved to be much more interesting than my previous exploration of this idea (Damn True Facts, which you can find notes on earlier in the blog if inclined).
Read up if you like. Comments and feedback are welcome. At some point in the near future I may open up the Tuesday night online game to another player or two from the community, or possibly start another “pickup” session all together.
Played my first DW session where five players were delving into a pre-written module.
Played my first DW session where five players were delving into a pre-written module.
Played my first DW session where five players were delving into a pre-written module. They got through four combats, two traps and a puzzle in three hours of real time! I knew DW team fast, but I never expected them to fly through the dungeon THAT fast…
After 3 Successful Seasons of my Ghoul World campaign, the next great adventure is here.
After 3 Successful Seasons of my Ghoul World campaign, the next great adventure is here.
After 3 Successful Seasons of my Ghoul World campaign, the next great adventure is here. This the the illuminati:1907. A game set in a more modern time, where a secret order with super advanced technology combat demons and monsters who escape into the real world.
(Game Information)
1- Home brewed, to maximize the ability to use a grid in roll 20.
2- Demon Realm is more open world, modern world is a bit streamed lined.
3- Custom Classes, called Occupations.
On Murder and Regret: Developing Moral Ambiguity
On Murder and Regret: Developing Moral Ambiguity
On Murder and Regret: Developing Moral Ambiguity
My characters are beginning to question some of the moral qualities of their decisions. See, it all started when they accidentally offered up a human sacrifice and thereby opened a portal to the demonic plane. They eventually discovered they needed the heart of someone who had committed an act of violence (among other things) in order to close the portal, so they eventually killed a bandit and carved the heart out of his chest (rather messily) and made it into a potion to drink and thereby get attuned to demonic energy in order to close the portal. And of course they killed a bunch of monsters along the way.
So my characters, one of whom is at least nominally Good, aren’t quite sure how to feel about their actions. They very much chose this path (so I’m not too worried about a lack of player agency), but now I sense they’re wanting to find some way to redeem themselves and I’m struggling to find a good way to tell that kind of story. DW draws on the traditional dungeon crawl experience of killing monsters to get their treasure and thereby foil evil plots that abound in the world. And, in the tradition of the genre, this largely gets resolved using violence. At some point, though, it gets hard to reconcile fighting evil with drinking a potion made from a man’s heart, even if he was a ‘bad guy’.
Have you explored this kind of moral ambiguity in your own campaigns? If so, have you had any particularly good moments where you found ways to allow the characters to find a sort of redemption for morally dubious actions? Alternately, have you had particularly good moments of descent into grim acceptance?
Dungeoneers Podcast – Episode 36 – Drowning in the Madalay Bay
Dungeoneers Podcast – Episode 36 – Drowning in the Madalay Bay
Dungeoneers Podcast – Episode 36 – Drowning in the Madalay Bay
http://dungeoneerspodcast.libsyn.com/36-drowning-in-the-mandalay-bay