Hey!
Hey! So, I recently rediscovered my World of Dungeons Western hack from some months back. I was partway through creating a revise character sheet but got distracted.
So, with John Harper’s permission, here is the link to the google doc of my World of Dusters for everybody. Hope you enjoy!
[edit: try below and see if the download works]
“Ok, you’re a Halfling again, crouching in the bushes, coddling an unconscious badger.”
“Ok, you’re a Halfling again, crouching in the bushes, coddling an unconscious badger.”
Wild nights in Dungeon World.
Working on a Front today for my game tonight.
Working on a Front today for my game tonight. It’s been weeks since we’ve played, sadly, since everyone has been busy.
Elsewhere you can find my Front titled “The Scouring of the Spirit Wood.” Today I’m ironing out the companion Front “Trespasses in the Deep,” about the Kobold defenders protecting their army’s secret escape tunnels — and disturbing Orc burial grounds in the process.
It’s dungeon crawl-y, and I’m injecting a bit of real character into it by making one of the dangers a group of mundane NPC grave-keepers who want the Kobolds out, but don’t want their ancestors disturbed by the PCs either.
It’s occurring to me, as I work, that the kobolds in the barrows are a threat but they aren’t a Danger. That is: they won’t get worse if the PCs don’t intervene — they’re going to leave as soon as they know their army succeeded or failed. They’re an incidental threat; a bit of conversation to throw in if someone fails a roll.
That could change, and probably will, but for now they’re just color.
Just a cool observation, and a solid example of how sometimes monsters and such aren’t Dangers, but just present when Dangers are happening.
I just wrapped up a Front now that my first game of Dungeon World has been played.
I just wrapped up a Front now that my first game of Dungeon World has been played.
Last we left our protagonists, they were fleeing into the Spirit Wood on druid-elkback to escape the Kobold/Lizard-folk legion that had taken Fort Ironwood on the Orc/Halfling border.
Front
The Scouring of the Spirit Wood
Cast
>Tanner, Thistle, Rose, Bardor, et al. – Halfling militia who fled the Fort, seeking refuge in the Spirit Wood, abandoning the PCs
>Felix, and five others – Halfling militia who stayed behind and were evacuated into the Wood by the PCs
>Grudge Cinderskin, Kobold holy warrior
>Stitchwing, Kobold blood wizard
>Siskis the Hooded, Lizard-folk lieutenant
>Lord High Lord of the Animals
>Various spirits & animals
Stakes
>What is the one Great Forest animal that forbids the Druid from sharing in its power?
>Who will control the Spirit Tree when all is said and done?
>Will the Lord High Lord of the animals be punished for its treasonous acts? How?
>What will happen to the Halfling clan-counsel?
Danger
The Kobold Legion (Barbarians)
Impulse: To grow strong, drive their enemies before them
Grim Portents…
>Kobolds & Lizard-folk discover Halflings hiding in the Spirit Wood and take them prisoner at their camp
>Siskis the Hooded interrogates his Halfling prisoners to learn the details of the Grove of the Spirit Tree
>Siskis and his clutch-brothers enter the Grove at night to raze the Tree and steal away with its seeds
Impending Doom
Pestilence
Danger
Lord High Lord of the Animals (Thieves Guild)
Impulse: To take by subterfuge
Grim Portents…
>The Lord’s animal servants lead the Kobolds to the secret Halfling trails that criss-cross the Wood.
>The Lord convinces the Halfling clan-council to seek refuge outside the capitol while the Kobolds are attacking
>Outside the capitol, the clan-council is ambushed; meanwhile, the Lord High Lord enters the Grove of the Spirit Tree to claim the woods as his own.
Impending Doom
Usurpation
Custom Moves
When you stand beneath the branches of the Spirit Tree, you may commune directly with the spirits. A successful Parley check with leverage or gifts allows one to Contact Spirits like the Level 1 Wizard’s spell but only for animals and plants of the Halflings’ home.
When you look into water gathered around the roots of the Spirit Tree, you may parley with leverage or gifts to be granted Visions Through Time like the Level 3 Wizard’s spell.
During our game of Dungeon World, the Druid explained to me what being THE Druid means.
During our game of Dungeon World, the Druid explained to me what being THE Druid means.
There are actually dozens of Druids in the Halfling clans — they’re spiritual leaders, they commune with the animals and the spirits. They’re a secretive sect, with secret rituals to usher then through the ranks. Being THE Druid means that when he underwent the final ritual, the spirits answered back and flooded into him to mark him.
He is not just the Halflings’ Druid — he is the Spirits’ Druid as well, and he helps bridge both worlds.
I asked if that made him important, like the Druid-pope or whatever. He said no, he’s just a special servant.
So, we have the Avatar, except he belongs to his people wholly, rather than having any individual power or authority of his own.
It feels like an awesome train wreck waiting to happen.
Had my inaugural game of Dungeon World. It was pretty great, I think.
Had my inaugural game of Dungeon World. It was pretty great, I think.
We settled on a framework after some conversation: a game about a fellowship of peacekeepers serving the treaty of several kingdoms in control of powerful artifacts.
The party included…
•Puck (formerly of Clan Shakesberry) the good halfling Druid
•Mouse Shakesberry the chaotic halfling Thief
•Takola the Mirthful the neutral outsider Barbarian
Things discovered through play:
•The Halflings of the southern forests are spiritualists, worshipping the nature spirits of their home.
•Puck is a sign they are favored by the spirits — his Druid powers mean they are blessed.
•The Halflings are the fourth member of the alliance also consisting of the Elf dominion, Human kingdoms, and Orc city-states.
•The most recent addition to the alliance are the Stone Elves from the eastern mountain tops.
•The Stone Elves (called “gnomes”) are elves created through a forgotten pact with earth spirits — their bodies are marble-esque and their eyes are gemstones.
•The gnomes are hated by the dwarves deep in the mountains because they “stole” their earth spirits.
•The Eocene used to inhabit the mainland before being cast out. They’ve begun to return in small numbers, searching for something.
•The Eocene are seen as good fortune and welcomed in most places.
•Kobolds and Lizard-folk are not part of the treaty — apparently, dragons in the desert beyond the mountains drive the Kobolds to raid and pillage cities for their artifacts.
•The artifact possessed by the Halfling High Council is a spirit tree. Its seeds, when planted, connect the Halfling’s land to the spirit world and give trees life. It also allows direct communication to the spirits while in its presence.
So, yeah, we had a long session with a lot of questions asked about the world… And still more to ask.
The players chose for their bonds:
Takola the barbarian…
•Mouse is puny and foolish, but amusing to me.
•Mouse is always getting into trouble — I must protect her from herself.
•Puck’s ways are strange and confusing.
Mouse the thief…
•Puck has my back when things go wrong.
Puck the druid…
•Tak smells more like prey than hunter.
•I have showed Mouse a secret rite of the Land.
•Mouse has tasted my blood and I theirs. We are bound by it.
We also played through some stuff, but that’s probably a separate post. Everybody said they had a blast, everyone seemed excited to get together and play again!
My group made plans to kick off Dungeon World this Monday evening.
My group made plans to kick off Dungeon World this Monday evening. I’ve been reading my copy of the book, and I’m reviewing my GM principles. I’m percolating some fantastical imagery, and thinking about cool things and listening to good music. So excited!
Inspired by some comments in the recent thread about paying for Dungeon World supplementary materials, I thought I’d…
Inspired by some comments in the recent thread about paying for Dungeon World supplementary materials, I thought I’d take people up on the advice offered: making available an earlier draft of a work for feedback.
So, I have an Adventure Primer I’ve been writing. It’s a bunch of notes about a place, some NPCs, some monsters, a possible plot, and a Front. It is mostly done as far as I can tell — but hey, I could be wrong! I’d like to make it available to interested parties who:
•Will take my Primer and run a game with it.
•Come back to me with their thoughts and feedback.
•Want to read some cool setting stuff about a dwarven city, a prison, a couple rituals, and an item or two.
If you’re interested, please let me know! I want to fine-tune this thing so I can really focus on polishing my presentation!
Hey, look what cool thing I got in the mail today!
Hey, look what cool thing I got in the mail today!
