Category: The Dungeon World Tavern: Actual Play

James Harrison, a DW fan, recently shared this amusingly formatted email with me about his trials and victories playing Dungeon World for the first time with some folks in Uganda!  I thought the Tavernites would appreciate it.

Campaign Front: Dungeon world Uganda

Cast

James Harrison (English volunteer & lone geek. Impulse: GM an awesome game. Knack: D.W. PDF) & 5 First time Role-players working for an NGO… oh yes… name everyone;

Hannah Harrison (E. volunteer. I: Change into animals K: Smoke pipeleaf)

Tom (Ugandan social worker. I: Steal everything not nailed down. K:

ignore everything & go steal)

David (U. Children’s co-ordinate. I: Defend the weak with his

ancestral blade K: Rolling 6-)

Michael (U. Welfare & Estate Manager. I: Call down the power of god K: Rolling 10+)

Fred (U. Accountant. I: Be well liked, traveled & versed in lore K: Wings!)

Stakes

Will people enjoy themselves?

Will people understand the rules?

Will people want to play again?

Danger: Ugandan Electricity Company

Type: Thieves guild (I: to be paid, without providing electricity)

Impending Doom: Impoverishment of eyesight & spirit

Grim Portents:

The power goes off

The room slowly darkens

Character creation occurs by lantern light

Danger: First time Role-players

Type: Wandering Barbarians* (I: to make characters & play the

muzungu’s game)

Impending Doom: Rampant Chaos

Grim Portents:

Manic chuckling at looks and bonds

A player decides to wield a Bible

A players opening move is to spread their wings and fly

A serious discussion occurs as to which Ugandan forest contains dwarves

Danger: Darkness & Storm

Type: Elemental Vortex (I: to reduce roads to rivers of mud &

curtail travel)

Impending Doom: Usurping the RPG

Grim Portents:

Region wide power cut promises dangerous trip home

Rumbling thunder heard

Distant Lightning seen

Promise of storm brings First session come to an abrupt close.

(*Actually they are sitting… but they don’t speak any Latin. Muzungu = white man. Oh, just thinking of the dwarf conversation brings tears of laughter to my eyes)

Stake resolutions:

People really enjoyed themselves! We had a blast and our evening was filled with lots of laughter, fun, never-before-tasted Pringles &

squinting at small text in poor light. Everyone simply accepted the

game as a fun evening to be had. I’ve been really stoked (& surprised) by just how much fun everyone had.

The darkness made it difficult to read, so after character creation I

skipped going over the moves and jumped straight into the action. The conversation basis of the game is beautiful and flowed nicely. Dice rolls are straightforward and everyone got them. I think after we have looked over the basic moves the trigger system will help player’s descriptions improve. I was taken aback when the Bard suddenly had wings; but it’s frankly too awesome not to have not – I think the pitch (starting on a flying island) signposted more than I intended.

We only had about 35 minutes of play time and ended the session in

the opening moments of the first fight – a cliff-hanger ending, and a

tense intro to more of the game basics next time. The session ended

with a player statement of “so we’ll play again tomorrow.” No higher

praise for a game eh? However, not everyone was free so Front: “The

1st real adventure: Complete with moves!”  will be hitting an screen

near you NGO quite-a-long-way-away-from you soon!

I’ve had fun writing this font, feel free to share it wherever & with

whomever you want. I hope it might inspire some people to do likewise: Take a risk and start a game with people you’d assume wouldn’t be interested. Roleplaying is fun and people enjoy it world over!