Unstated moves

Unstated moves

Unstated moves

Something (maybe) interesting to ponder. Jason Morningstar was working on a custom move and some conversation came out that this kind of thing is a completely valid move;

When you eat the black berries from the tree in the Druid’s Woods you die.

Which led me to think there are actually a ton of moves at play in DW that aren’t written into the game but that reflect the causal reality of the universe. Things like “when you don’t eat for a long time, you die.” or “when you drop an object, it falls”.  Things that are only illustrated by custom moves that negate them.

Hmmm.

I got my copy of Johnstone Metzger’s “Truncheon World: The Truncated Dungeon World” today.

I got my copy of Johnstone Metzger’s “Truncheon World: The Truncated Dungeon World” today.

I got my copy of Johnstone Metzger’s “Truncheon World: The Truncated Dungeon World” today. I absolutely love it. It’s a work of tightly-focused awesome. Great layout, too. Boiled-down excellence.

Fantastic stuff, Johnstone.

James Harrison, a DW fan, recently shared this amusingly formatted email with me about his trials and victories…

James Harrison, a DW fan, recently shared this amusingly formatted email with me about his trials and victories…

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!

Languages, via reddit.

Languages, via reddit.

Languages, via reddit.  A pair of examples to show the difference between narrative language-knowledge and triggering a move.

GM: The deep dwarf comes running up from the mine, shouting to you in a strange dialect, his eyes wide, what do you do?

Avon: Oh! Good thing I spent so much time among the dvergar as an apprentice. What does he say?

GM: “It’s a dragon, my lord! We’ve awakened a dragon in the deeps!”

or:

GM: The deep dwarf comes running up from the mine, shouting to you in a strange dialect, his eyes wide, what do you do?

Avon: Crap, I don’t speak dvergari. Is it the same as dwarven? GM: Not quite, it’s a dialect, though, roll Spout Lore.

Avon: I got a 7. Something interesting?

GM: Well, he’s panicky, and obviously worried. You catch the words “serpent” and “greedy” and something about a treasure horde.

Avon: Hmm, sounds like he’s just being a scaredy-dwarf. Let’s press on!

random snippet of a hangout conversation re: “Strip Dungeon World”

random snippet of a hangout conversation re: “Strip Dungeon World”

random snippet of a hangout conversation re: “Strip Dungeon World”

Sexual Healing

When you take damage you may remove an article of clothing. If you do, take 0 damage instead.

On Reddit (http://www.reddit.com/r/DungeonWorld/comments/1mif55/how_did_you_start_your_campaign/), someone asked how…

On Reddit (http://www.reddit.com/r/DungeonWorld/comments/1mif55/how_did_you_start_your_campaign/), someone asked how…

On Reddit (http://www.reddit.com/r/DungeonWorld/comments/1mif55/how_did_you_start_your_campaign/), someone asked how we’ve started our campaigns, so I shared a favourite of mine.  (I used the same setup with slightly less fantastical elements for a game of Sixth World, too.)

“You’re in the middle of the street. There’s a carriage overturned nearby and two dead horses. Someone is bleeding to death nearby. It is very important that this person does not die. There are people around you, shooting arrows at you. It is obvious they want you to be dead, yourself. Only the ruined carriage is protecting you. It is on fire.”

Who is trying to kill you?

Who is the dying person?

Who paid you to keep them alive?

Where are you?

and, as always, what are you going to do?

I wish we could have found some way to force every game of DW every played to report back on the names chosen for…

I wish we could have found some way to force every game of DW every played to report back on the names chosen for…

I wish we could have found some way to force every game of DW every played to report back on the names chosen for the characters.  I have some sneaking suspicions about what classes / race / name combinations are being used most, but I would love to have hard data.