tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43882012479370298152024-03-26T13:54:44.961-05:00Spouting LoreMostly about Dungeon World, Stonetop, and related RPGs.
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(If you're looking for the hilarious Spout Lore podcast, this isn't it; that's at spoutlore.com)Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-44401460241309370482023-02-24T19:21:00.018-06:002023-02-25T21:49:13.970-06:00Playing Stonetop (and Other PbtA Games)<p>Work continues on <i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/stonetop.html" target="_blank">Stonetop</a>, </i>my "hearth-fantasy" adaptation of <i>Dungeon World</i> set in an iron age that never was, in which you portray the local heroes of a small, isolated village near the edge of the known world. It's going more slowly than I'd like, but we just added the "Playing Stonetop" chapter to the main book, and I'm quite pleased with it. </p><p>This is a chapter that's addressed to the players, including:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>The Conversation</b></li><li><b>Your Agenda </b><i>(as a player)</i></li><li><b>The Flow of Play</b></li><li><b>Dice and Moves</b> </li><li><b>Your Principles </b><i>(as a player)</i> </li><li><b>Other Things to Do</b><i> (and not do)</i><i> </i></li></ul><p></p><p>A few of the <i>Stonetop </i>Kickstarter backers commented that the chapter is a good, overall introduction to and solid advice for playing PbtA games in general. Hence me reposting them here. </p><p>I'm not about to claim that this advice is universally applicable to all PbtA games. For example, I don't think that the "Flow of Play" is the same in <i>Stonetop </i>as it is in games like <i>Monsterhearts </i>or <i>Cartel </i>or even <i>Apocalypse World</i>, which feature a lot more PC-PC drama.<i> </i></p><p>But for PbtA games where the PCs mostly work together against adversity presented by the GM (like, <i>Monster of the Week </i>or <i>the Sprawl </i>or <i>Impulse Drive</i>, to name a few), I <i>do </i>think this stuff is largely relevant. </p><p>If you're a new player in a game like that, or a GM trying to help new players "get it," maybe this will help? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1u-7wYWCzh0MEXQ-LW0sD88ld1sSfY5hBGNCCtvUK2bvc6Dp_u5KZFBb2UnWo-Hf7flldvU7fUW-fQ8Hwr4YPYlpKlKhPp4yaqDdrIpA-cneQKc-KIw-Av9lXcTxHBPFRTSkjo3EaGabIRIMtRTM8b-dxXkWZSykIYqD4-AZkMSuR--Vs_dJZCTTJ/s753/playing_stonetop.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="playing Stonetop" border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="753" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1u-7wYWCzh0MEXQ-LW0sD88ld1sSfY5hBGNCCtvUK2bvc6Dp_u5KZFBb2UnWo-Hf7flldvU7fUW-fQ8Hwr4YPYlpKlKhPp4yaqDdrIpA-cneQKc-KIw-Av9lXcTxHBPFRTSkjo3EaGabIRIMtRTM8b-dxXkWZSykIYqD4-AZkMSuR--Vs_dJZCTTJ/w400-h269/playing_stonetop.png" title="(C) 2022 by Lucie Arnoux, used with permission (click here for more)" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>© 2022 Lucie Arnoux, used with permission (<a href="https://www.luciedraws.com/" target="_blank">click here for more</a>)</i></div><br /><p>Anyway, here's "Playing Stonetop".</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><h1 style="text-align: left;">The conversation</h1><p></p><p>You play <i>Stonetop</i> by talking to each other. The GM says something, you and the other players respond. You ask each other questions. You refer to the rules, roll some dice, and talk about what the results mean. You take turns talking, but it’s not, like, <i>taking turns</i>. As with any conversation, you’ll talk over each other, interrupt, offer suggestions, and so forth. </p><p>The goal of this conversation to create <b>the fiction</b>, the shared imaginary reality in which the characters exist and act. The specifics of the fiction are often fuzzy, with each of you picturing things differently. But when the details start to matter, you’ll talk it out, clarify the situation, and come to an agreement. </p><p>As a player, <b>you are responsible for your player character</b> (your PC). What they say and what they do. How they feel. Their background and their experiences prior to play. You speak in your PC’s voice. You say what your PC does.</p><p><b>The GM is responsible for everything else</b>, including:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The world, the terrain, the weather</li><li>Monsters and hazards</li><li>Non-player characters (NPCs), </li><li>What happened before the PCs got here</li><li>What happens after they leave</li></ul><p></p><p>The GM will ask for input and ideas. They’ll ask you to make up details about the world that your PC would know. But ultimately, the world beyond the PCs is the GM’s domain. The GM describes how the world reacts to the PCs’ actions, and they curate what is and isn’t true about the world at large.</p><h1 style="text-align: left;">Your agenda</h1><p>When you play Stonetop, these should be your goals:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Portray a compelling character</li><li>Engage with the fictional world</li><li>Play to find out what happens </li></ul><p></p><p>The game’s rules and structure assume that you are pursuing these three goals, and no others. This isn’t a game that you play to win. The game doesn’t expect you to optimize your character. It's not a game about testing your skill, and it’s not a game where you show up to be led through the GM’s story. </p><p>Your first and most important goal is to <b>portray a compelling character</b>. Your PC is one of the protagonists of the story. Make them worthy of that role. Don’t treat them as just a set of stats and abilities. Portray them as a <i>person</i>, with hopes and dreams, inner conflicts and relationships with others. Your playbook will help you to sketch out a compelling character, but it’s your job to bring that character to life, to portray a protagonist that you and your fellow players care about.</p><p>Your second goal is to <b>engage with the fictional world</b>. Don’t just react to the world that the GM presents, care about it. Explore it and be curious about it. Talk with NPCs like they’re real people, get invested in their stories. And don’t just allow the world to be revealed to you—contribute! Suggest details. Ponder out loud about what things might mean. Be a fan of the world that you and the GM and your fellow players are creating together. </p><p>Finally, <b>play to find out what happens</b>. The rules and the dice are there to introduce uncertainty and surprises, to tell us what happens when things could wrong. Your character won’t always get what they want. You often won’t get what you expect. </p><p>Have ideas for your character’s arc and story, sure, but hold those ideas lightly. We don’t yet know what your PCs’ story will be, whether it will be a comedy or a tragedy or a little bit of both. Play to find out what happens. </p><p></p><blockquote><p><i><b>The GM’s agenda</b><br />In case you’re wondering, the GM’s agenda is as follows:</i></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Portray a rich, mysterious world</i></li><li><i> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Punctuate the PC’s lives with adventure</i></li><li><i> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Play to find out what happens </i></li></ul><p></p><p><i>In other words, they’re supposed to present you with a world that’s worth engaging with. They’re meant to present opportunities and threats and challenges to your PCs and the things they care about. And then—just like you—they’re meant to let the game unfold and find out what happens as a result.</i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i>(Editorial note: the GM's agenda varies greatly between PbtA games, though "play to find out what happens" or something similar is almost always there.)</i> </p></blockquote><p> </p><h1 style="text-align: left;">The flow of play</h1><p><b>The GM establishes the situation</b>: where you are, what time it is, who’s there, what’s going on. They describe the environment, add details, portray NPCs. They ask questions about what you’re doing or what’s on your mind.</p><p><b>As a player</b>, you ask questions to clarify and understand the situation. You answer the GM’s questions. You offer up details or ideas of your own. Maybe you all act out a bit of dialogue. </p><p>Once the situation is established, the GM says something to <b>provoke action and/or increase tension</b>. Then they ask, “What do you do?” </p><p>If you…</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>need more information</b>, ask for it</li><li><b>trigger a move </b>(see below), follow the move’s procedures </li><li>do <b>anything else</b>, the GM says what happens</li></ul><p></p><p>If you <b>ignore an established danger</b>, or you <b>trigger a move and roll a 6 or less</b>, the GM says what bad thing happens. </p><p><b>The process then repeats</b>. The GM re-establishes the situation, gives it a nudge, and asks, “What do you do?” </p><p><b>When the current situation ends</b>, the GM frames the next one. If they’re unsure what situation should come next, they’ll ask you and your fellow players questions until it becomes clear. </p><p>The flow of play is conversational. <b>There are no formal turns</b>, not even during fights. The GM is responsible for moving the spotlight around, addressing one PC at a time and ensuring that you each have a chance to talk and act. But it’s okay to interject, make suggestions, or jump in and say what you’re doing before the GM asks. Just <b>be polite and respectful</b> and <b>share the spotlight </b>with your fellow players. </p><p>The conversation and the game will shift naturally between scenes and loose play. <b>Scenes</b> happen in a specific place at a specific time, with players speaking in their PC’s voices and saying what they’re doing moment-by-moment. <b>Loose play </b>is zoomed out, less specific, taking place over time and space. When you explore the clearing where Pryder went missing, looking for clues and discussing what you’ve found, that’s a scene. When you spend the rest of the day following his trail through the woods—discussing how long you want to keep going and what you’re each doing to get on each other’s nerves—that’s loose play. <br /><br /></p><h1 style="text-align: left;">Dice and moves</h1><p>As you all talk about what’s happening in the fiction, and what your PCs are doing, you’ll often trigger moves. A move is a little bit of rules that shapes the conversation and the fiction. </p><p>Here's an example: </p><div><div></div></div><blockquote><div><div><b>CLASH</b></div><div>When you <b><i>fight in melee or close quarters</i></b>, roll +STR: <b>on a 10+</b>, your maneuver works as expected (deal your damage) and pick 1:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Avoid, prevent, or counter your enemy’s attack</li><li>Strike hard and fast, for 1d6 extra damage, but suffer your enemy’s attack</li></ul></div><div><b>On a 7-9</b>, your maneuver works, mostly (deal your damage) but you suffer your enemy’s attack.</div></div><div></div></blockquote><div>Many moves are shared by all players (<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sik9d2a942s2h0l/AAAW8eCeWuJkuG16MddvMjgwa/Stonetop%20Preview%20Playkit/Play%20Reference%20-%20Moves%20%26%20Gear.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">you can see them here</a>). Other moves are specific to your character, or a magic item they possess. Other moves will be custom-made for specific situations. </div><div><br /></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Triggers</h2><p style="text-align: left;">Each move has a <b>trigger</b>, which says when the move kicks in. The trigger is almost always fictional; you say that your character does something that matches the trigger, and the rest of the move tells us how to resolve that action. </p><p style="text-align: left;">You might trigger a move intentionally, describing actions that you know match its trigger. Or you might say, “I Clash.” That’s fine, but expect the GM to ask you what that looks like, or what exactly you’re doing to meet the move’s trigger. <b>To do it, you have to do it</b>. </p><p style="text-align: left;">The opposite is also true: <b>if you do it, you have to do it</b>. If you elbow this guy in the face, and we all agree that you’re fighting in close quarters, then that’s Clash. You can back out (“Oh, no, I don’t elbow him after all”), but if you carry on, make with the dice. </p><p style="text-align: left;">It's everyone’s job to watch for moves. If you think you’ve triggered a move, say so. If another player triggers a move and no one notices, say something! “Hey, elbowing a guy in the face sounds like ‘<b><i>fighting in close quarters</i></b>,’ is this Clash?” </p><p style="text-align: left;">Everyone must agree that you’re doing something plausible and that the trigger is actually met. For example:</p><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>If the guy is 12 feet tall and holding you at arm’s length, then his face isn’t close enough to elbow! Do something else.</li><li>If the guy is literally made of iron, an elbow to his face won’t do squat and Clash doesn’t trigger. If you insist on trying, the GM says what happens.</li><li>If the guy is distracted and doesn’t see it coming, then you’re not really fighting and Clash doesn’t trigger. You just bash his face and the GM says what happens next. </li></ul></div><p style="text-align: left;">If it’s unclear whether you’re triggering a move, or which one you’re triggering, talk it out. Clarify your intent and the details until everyone agrees. <br /><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Rolling</h2><p>Many moves tell you to “roll +STAT” (usually with a specific stat, like STR or INT).</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>“Roll” means: roll two six-sided dice (2d6), and add them together.</li><li>“+STAT” means: find that stat from your PC’s playbook and add it to the roll; stats range from -1 to +3.</li></ul><p></p><p>For example: I say that I elbow this guy in the face. We agree that I’m fighting in close quarters, triggering Clash. I roll 2d6 and add my PC’s STR. If my STR is +1, my roll might look like this:</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdeStZEmBvA-6VzBPOUIQM7VmGKo4Y8aDjjC29iSZQHs8SPpxPmsHlDXGkSiB5MLYX2hYDdSejRqWBKBSX3owGhxYqtjo6QD7kHz6_lcUhGk1O7_gFJUnct1QH2BDD0P--xuE2oUCLufg-S1OMGN4HGjytf6GBZryHog_1JlcF9EzghxQZ-gYA7C3/s617/playing_stonetop_roll_normal.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="126" data-original-width="617" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdeStZEmBvA-6VzBPOUIQM7VmGKo4Y8aDjjC29iSZQHs8SPpxPmsHlDXGkSiB5MLYX2hYDdSejRqWBKBSX3owGhxYqtjo6QD7kHz6_lcUhGk1O7_gFJUnct1QH2BDD0P--xuE2oUCLufg-S1OMGN4HGjytf6GBZryHog_1JlcF9EzghxQZ-gYA7C3/w400-h81/playing_stonetop_roll_normal.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You’ll sometimes have <b>advantage</b>, meaning: roll an extra die and discard the lowest. With advantage, the roll above might look like this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0hOaBGlPF3oVfc16-kbryxphqLQAzvp9Tnpt0BplNllRV6qITqQxNu7QQe92i40cF9sF73D7IfqwtrQjKXgM-OSLlpqwXfiSzYbUNcepvp2mycSCqIaSMH6wE1Mo_Dlh1v7mbVJocPY0FL_YvrMMnm_Zc78Sj2wcQepFlg4N38jSaqwqgnL46vhf/s615/playing_stonetop_roll_advantage.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="131" data-original-width="615" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0hOaBGlPF3oVfc16-kbryxphqLQAzvp9Tnpt0BplNllRV6qITqQxNu7QQe92i40cF9sF73D7IfqwtrQjKXgM-OSLlpqwXfiSzYbUNcepvp2mycSCqIaSMH6wE1Mo_Dlh1v7mbVJocPY0FL_YvrMMnm_Zc78Sj2wcQepFlg4N38jSaqwqgnL46vhf/w400-h85/playing_stonetop_roll_advantage.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">And sometimes, you’ll have <b>disadvantage</b>: roll an extra die and discard the highest. With disadvantage, that roll might look like this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPm0Ggd8aWFIjjlEvi3XyCxm_jzCUfk8-IKECsMz8mg7jLOzmaClqK8-cf3_mxSI8n8PtS2uPrCHdrutYYE3S9JwQXfrNpN8vV0ViuG7Ow_VU8gzOK3i9n9caX8K9oUeNE68piGDV17fdai7_wuMmHkCxWUXElbUIxcMTsAXzoywr1C9sBWBOzrExB/s617/playing_stonetop_roll_disadvantage.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="131" data-original-width="617" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPm0Ggd8aWFIjjlEvi3XyCxm_jzCUfk8-IKECsMz8mg7jLOzmaClqK8-cf3_mxSI8n8PtS2uPrCHdrutYYE3S9JwQXfrNpN8vV0ViuG7Ow_VU8gzOK3i9n9caX8K9oUeNE68piGDV17fdai7_wuMmHkCxWUXElbUIxcMTsAXzoywr1C9sBWBOzrExB/w400-h85/playing_stonetop_roll_disadvantage.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">If you have advantage and disadvantage on the same roll, they cancel each other out. Roll normally (2d6, add them).</p><p style="text-align: left;">Advantage and disadvantage normally stem from a move or condition. The GM can apply them ad hoc if they deem a roll especially hard or easy, but they’re encouraged not to. See "Fictional Positioning," below.</p><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Editorial note: many PbtA games use terms like "+1 forward" or "-2 forward" or "+1 ongoing" instead of "advantage" or "disadvantage."</i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i><b>+ or - X forward</b> means "the next roll you make, add or subtract X to the total." </i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i>+ or - X ongoing means "add or subtract X to all relevant rolls." This will pretty much always come with some sort of condition, like "take +1 ongoing until the scene ends" or "take -1 ongoing to anything but hide or escape from the monster." </i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i>Stonetop does have a few moves that apply + or - modifiers instead of advantage or disadvantage, but those moves are the exception and they don't use the "forward" or "ongoing' terminology. I generally prefer advantage/disadvantage because:</i></p></blockquote><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><i>They don't "stack"</i></li><li><i>They have a bigger impact (closer to +2 than +1, though that changes based on your starting modifier)</i></li><li><i>Rolling an extra die always <b>feels</b> like it <b>could have</b> changed the result of the roll; with a straight +1 or -1 modifier, you can <i>clearly </i>tell whether it <b>did </b>affect the outcome (and about 3 out of 4 times, it does not).</i></li></ul></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></blockquote><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p></p><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Results</h2><p style="text-align: left;">When a move has you roll, it will also say what happens based on that roll. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>On a 10+</b> (meaning, a total roll of 10 or higher), you get a strong hit, the best you can hope for. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>On a 7-9</b> (meaning, a total roll of 7, 8, or 9), you get a weak hit. You get only some of what you wanted, or you get what you wanted but with a cost. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>On a 6-</b> (meaning, a total roll of 6 or lower), you get a miss, meaning:</p><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>You mark XP, unless the move says otherwise</li><li>The GM says what happens, and it will be bad </li></ul></div><p style="text-align: left;"><b>A 6- doesn’t always mean you screwed up</b>. It means something bad happens, something that your PC won’t like. Your foe gets the jump on you. The branch breaks before you can jump. You find the missing villager, but oh no, they’ve been dead for hours.</p><p style="text-align: left;">A few moves say what happens on a 6-, in which case the GM must abide by those results. But for most moves: <b>on a 6-, mark XP and prepare for the worst</b>. </p><p style="text-align: left;">If a move doesn’t have you roll, then it will just tell you what happens. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Whatever the results of a move, work together to <b>figure out what it looks like in the fiction</b>. The GM has final say on how the world reacts to and is affected by your actions, but they are constrained by the results of your move and they might very well ask you for input. </p></div><blockquote><div><i>Editorial note: "Mark XP" means that you gain an XP, a.k.a. an experience point. When you accumulate enough XP, you can <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbIIglpHhHL0gJgMizzVKiQ72LS1uMKx0n9saimFUhr1uUiFxzcev4ay614IDY9Zd_nx-Llwt6vlaE2Wdh_2UvRtTpPfBcTpc5LtvST79qAu9TcBw4SHxxPETEU80TI98AD2mQexoGZUuLFx38lTTIfrTOVtmyDlM7Ea5APnpKR8yxhosjsehQGzK/s539/stonetop_Level_Up.png">improve your character</a> or start <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4o7v35mwIJ9TJ0SYl8qj5JNHmKjEGHglDIDexTW9RiC6GMj3at1C5Ztaq8VsDPYOT20sS54xj5FBo5n-CCCFRvjT6lQuBhw4y6DElEEkLIobRQxGiOCne7a_pt1nNJNO7vG22cSxZdY_k1KjDaAsR2F5qVOjuJx_o6iMDF8ckE-4L6hQ0bfQ-cfMV/s539/stonetop_Burn_Brightly.png">spending that XP to boost your rolls</a>. </i></div></blockquote><blockquote><p><i>Not every PbtA game has you mark XP on a miss (a 6-). Heck, many PbtA games don't even have the concept of XP. </i> </p></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><b>An example:</b></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div>You and your fellow PCs have entered the cave bears’ den, hoping to harvest some much-needed meat during a long, hard winter. You’re playing Caradoc (the Would-be Hero). </div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>“Caradoc,” says the GM, “your eyes are adjusting to the gloom when you hear snuffling, and the sound of something moving, something big. At the edge of the light, a huge form rears up and ROARS. It’s a bear, what do you do?”</div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>“Here we go,” you say. “I yell and rush it, shield up, stabbing with my spear.”</div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>“That sure sounds like you’re fighting in melee with this 10-foot-tall bear. Roll +STR to Clash!”</div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>You get lucky and roll a 4 and a 5. With your STR +1, that’s a 10! You (perhaps unwisely) choose to strike hard for extra damage, but suffer its attack in turn. You deal 6 damage total, not bad! You and the GM agree that this means your strike landed and you bloodied the big beast. </div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>But you also suffer its attack. The GM says “As you connect, it just THWAPS you with its right paw. Take 1d10+4 damage. Roll it.” You take 9 damage (almost half your hit points). The GM says “I think you get your shield up but the force of the blow smacks it into your head, and sends you staggering back. Mark the <i>dazed</i> debility, as the world starts spinning.”</div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>If you had rolled a 6 or less, then the GM probably would have said that the bear thwacked you (as above) before you were able to stab it. But, hey, at least you would have gotten to mark XP.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p></blockquote><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Hold and spend</h2><div>Some moves will tell you to “hold X currency,” where the currency is something specific like “Preparation” or “Readiness.” Note how much you hold, and spend it as described by the move. </div><div><br /></div><div>For example:</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div></div></div><blockquote><div><div><b>DEFEND</b></div><div>When you <b><i>take up a defensive stance</i></b> or <b><i>jump in to protect others </i></b>roll +CON: on a 10+, hold 3 Readiness (or 4 if you bear a shield); on a 7-9, hold 1 Readiness (or 2 if you bear a shield). Spend your Readiness 1-for-1 to:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Suffer an attack’s damage/effects instead of your ward</li><li>Halve an attack’s effects/damage</li><li>Draw all attention from your ward to yourself</li><li>Strike back at an attacker (deal your damage, with disadvantage)</li></ul></div><div>When you go on the offense, cease to focus on defense, or the threat passes, lose any Readiness that you hold.</div></div><div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><div>Think of held currency as permission to do something awesome, now or later. <b>When you spend held currency to do something, you just do it</b>—even if it interrupts the flow of play, and even if doing it would normally trigger a move. If you spend 1 Readiness to strike back at an attacker and deal some damage, you just do that, even though fighting in melee would normally trigger Clash. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>When you spend currency, say what it looks like in the fiction. If you can't describe it, then don't spend the currency after all.</div><blockquote><div><i>Editorial note: "hold and spend" moves are common in PbtA games, but they often just say something like "on a 10+, hold 3; on a 7-9, hold 1. Spend your hold 1-for-1 to...." In other words, they treat "hold" as both a verb and a noun, in a way that's unique to these sorts of games. I've found that this confuses folks, so in Stonetop, you always "hold <currency>" and then spend that currency. </i></div></blockquote><p> </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">The GM, dice, and moves</h2><p style="text-align: left;">In <i>Stonetop</i>, the GM doesn’t normally roll dice and they don’t trigger moves. If you’re fighting a monster, the GM might declare, “It leaps at you, claws out and hissing.” But <b>they don’t trigger Clash and they don’t roll dice to see if the monster’s attack succeeds</b>. Instead, they ask, “What do you do?” </p><p style="text-align: left;">If you ignore the leaping monster, then the GM will confirm that you understand the situation and really want to do that. If you do, they’ll tell you what bad thing happens as a result.</p><p style="text-align: left;">More likely, you’ll do something about this monster leaping at your face: you duck and hope it flies over you, or twist away and stab it, or raise your shield to block it. This will probably trigger a move, and the result of that move will inform whether or not the monster’s attack lands. </p><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Editorial note: when the GM says "it leaps at you, claws out and hissing, what do you do?" that's called a <b>soft GM move</b>. They're saying something provocative, something to spur you to action or emotional response, and then giving you an opportunity to do something about it. If you ignore the leaping monster and the GM tells you "what bad thing happens as a result," that's a <b>hard GM move</b>. They are establishing badness, saying the (now unavoidable) consequences of your action or inaction. The GM also makes hard GM moves when you make a player move and roll a 6-. </i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i>This terminology ("soft GM move" and "hard GM move") is a little confusing, because as noted above, the GM moves don't involve the dice or even any particular rules. They're just the GM saying "this is happening" in the fiction. Some PbtA games go so far as to call these GM moves something else, like "reactions" or "cuts." But referring to "GM moves" is a common thing in PbtA games. </i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i>Regardless of what they're called, most (all?) PbtA games provide a list of potential GM moves to make, like "put them in a spot" or "reveal an unwelcome truth" or "use up their resources." They then provide a bunch of guidelines and principles for what GM moves to make, how to make them, and when to make them. Generally, the GM doesn't say the name of the GM move they're making, they just say what happens in the fiction. The move they make should flow from the established fiction or their prep. They shouldn't make a hard GM move unless the PC has knowingly ignored some source of trouble, or they've triggered a move and the result involved a bad thing happening. </i> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i>If you'd like to know more about the GM side of things, check out <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-framework-for-gming-dungeon-world.html" target="_blank">My Framework for Running Dungeon World</a> and <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/03/running-fights-in-dungeon-world-stonetop.html" target="_blank">Running Fights in Stonetop and Dungeon World</a>.</i> </p></blockquote><p> </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Die of Fate</h2><p style="text-align: left;">When the GM wants to let the fates decide an outcome, but there’s no move that would apply, they might ask you to roll the Die of Fate. That means: roll a d6 (straight, with no modifiers unless the GM says otherwise). High is good, low is bad. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Fictional positioning</h2><p>The actions that your character takes and the moves you trigger are informed by your <b>fictional positioning</b>—the sum of established fictional details about your character and the world around them. This includes (but is not limited to):</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Your established traits (age, height, weight, experiences, skills, habits, instincts, personality, etc.)</li><li>Your equipment, what you have in hand vs. stowed away, what’s on your person, what’s within reach</li><li>Your position, relative to your foes, your allies, hazards, cover, features of the environment</li><li>What you can realistically see or hear or otherwise sense, given the light, your position, the weather</li><li>What you’re doing, what you’re looking for, what you’re focused on</li><li>Your momentum, your footing, your balance, your emotional state</li><li>How exactly you describe doing something, how you approach the challenge at hand</li></ul></div><p>Your fictional positioning determines what actions are feasible, whether your action triggers a move, and which move that action triggers. It affects the range possible outcomes for a move, both good and bad. </p><p>In many role-playing games, your fictional positioning results in bonuses or penalties to your rolls, or changes the number you’re trying to roll over or under. It adjusts the probability of a roll succeeding or not. That’s not really a thing in <i>Stonetop</i>. You don’t get a +1 bonus or -1 penalty just because the GM deems a task to be “easy” or “hard.” </p><p>Instead, your fictional positioning might be reflected by… </p><p><b>…how much of a spot the GM puts you in before asking, “What do you do?”</b> <i>“The drake hisses and tenses, like it’s about to charge, what do you do?”</i> vs. <i>“There’s a rustling to your left and something big bursts out of the brush, coming right at you, what do you do?”</i></p><p><b>…whether your action is even feasible.</b> <i>“The cliff is pretty sheer, and wet, and your fingers are already numb from the cold. I don’t think you can just climb it.”</i></p><p><b>…whether a move is triggered, or if you just do what you wanted.</b> <i>“No, don’t roll to Clash, you’ve caught him flat-footed. Just deal your damage.”</i></p><p><b>…whether a move even can trigger.</b> <i>“You can stab it with your spear, but that won’t trigger Clash. It’s made of solid stone. You won’t hurt it, you’ll just put yourself in danger. You sure?”</i></p><p><b>…what’s required to attempt an action, and/or to trigger a move.</b> <i>“No way you can make that jump right now. You need to drop down to a light load first, and even then you’ll be <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTalHlIoczkGO65Twv2T0JpUMCUb3ihXJbewdFI-F9tjPTh_OgZ4ESWAOcSA7k7D1h4OBWybhoYEzFzF4afuoum9yGVj5od7EBLnH_Bii-3UFVHa5kyQwL6fVTJ91Iusu7P1OyqxEzLG0MEJzgR_srvBGpvXQjSOsezt5lv38CfYb6BrnZ6K6HuD3_/s543/stonetop_Defy_Danger.png">Defying Danger</a>.”</i></p><p><b>…which move is triggering.</b> <i>“No, I don’t think you’re <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPHE63kqyTL_djLF6mpRhsm4gT0NZxclFmPYR6ShdEUrZiaBKMv3M0BTVnWmvE3ms1onk0fWzCjBLsL66EXO0fmGgnd007WKo0h7SuPmrVcwEghpY030tE1UOXesWCuYNQgZrL7yoLLMIKsPIffsP8ZK3NsTIi7FoZoe7U2FuS9CRSxt3uqLugbtv/s533/stonetop_Seek_Insight.png">Seeking Insight</a>, I think you’re Defying Danger with WIS to spot them in time.”</i></p><p><b>…the risks being lesser or greater.</b> <i>“In this case, suffering his attack will mean he just gets inside your guard.” Or, “Just to be clear, if you roll a 6-, you’re gonna miss the jump and you’ll be rolling for <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hCdrOzi6cGdc5RwWe7gLpkbD2SeZERkxyWIFkrZxWe0C5iAztFizjFl-qYBueylChaciU48Euf9suHqXA0FFFo1Pkd9Kxjf-dwZlRJTi7Bt_boOX2Kw35BvNi3c8k-2a7jzRgGzOuCFoTz22EKhQh0ERhemZM5pyzlzZ8JOJJ4ldQMUjamqkeHNj/s539/stonetop_Deaths_Door.png">Death’s Door</a>.”</i></p><p><b>…the scope of what a single move can accomplish.</b> <i>“Cool, a 10+? Yeah, you get to Andras, arrows whizzing past you, and manage to drag him to cover.”</i> Or, <i>“Okay, cool, but I think that’s two moves—Defy Danger to duck inside its guard, and then Clash if you manage to pull that off. Do you still do that?”</i></p><p><b>…rarely, whether you make a roll with advantage or disadvantage.</b> <i>“Oof, with the gusting wind, I don’t think the shot is impossible but it’ll be particularly hard. You can <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pfqT8wUy3918DLQegOqKaE7dX2dITf7WdZA9bRRARDIrgp_tJMItTJbX5j44-a-JQ1HD7EQ3FBgazCoAvxdJFovL3ILFziY4AvmV2BkbN1iYsQaEweCqHEa27eFg1z3wGOHYt8cU3Ya_5Ff9yOlUhDV3mS1AT_BJCcU4EaFFu37jTvg-zZxjRPve/s545/stonetop_Let_Fly.png" target="_blank">Let Fly</a>, but you’ll have disadvantage on the roll.”</i> The GM should do this rarely, though, because it diminishes the impact of moves and other mechanics that specifically apply advantage or disadvantage. <br /><br /></p><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">PC vs. PC</h2><p style="text-align: left;">There will be times when you and other PCs come into conflict. You might <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeNiCf4QS5X9UA-69HmJPYpLXHojF-6TexkC4xwrfMIxv2Ng8PECq3opcw-OS69R6t5J2KTo3lu4sBqsZJoNRbNDMz_OqeTr-CgpezT3d3zzmqzchCkbM6dkNIJIYWrUlRAF7OHAjOnRLS0j_sd-rRQoftgGzjLAhIChuLIkegBTKDuwXWQVvKtNw/s539/stonetop_Persuade_PCs.png">Persuade another PC</a> to go along with your plan. They might <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPHE63kqyTL_djLF6mpRhsm4gT0NZxclFmPYR6ShdEUrZiaBKMv3M0BTVnWmvE3ms1onk0fWzCjBLsL66EXO0fmGgnd007WKo0h7SuPmrVcwEghpY030tE1UOXesWCuYNQgZrL7yoLLMIKsPIffsP8ZK3NsTIi7FoZoe7U2FuS9CRSxt3uqLugbtv/s533/stonetop_Seek_Insight.png">Seek Insight</a> to figure out what you’re up to. You might <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhU2ab1O83-5uT3Lu-MOtwe2q5SDt-Pp4jCHvl7ko3xRKsJ8opKg0zIqorL70PTnWmhdzSOmIcxAbBKKwDPwSCdmJwW54STPk2q9tn0BTagJqFj4iRSEtwiXbh7vKZ7pr9TFY7fnaPz7d4dRkCIwrrwdwnZw7ZMU2ClWJk2kQ8yR9XSi-VqVXTu_D/s539/stonetop_Interfere.png">Interfere</a> to keep them from doing something they’ll regret, or something you’ll regret.</p><p style="text-align: left;">When there’s conflict between PCs, slow down. If you’re making a move that targets another PC, or that you think another PC might object to, give them a chance to say what they’re doing, what move (if any) they make.</p><p style="text-align: left;">If another PC does something that you want to Interfere with, speak up! Raise your hand or interrupt. Say how you try to stop what they’re doing. </p><p style="text-align: left;">If it’s unclear who is triggering which moves, and in what order, talk it out. The GM has the final say.</p></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h1 style="text-align: left;">Your principles</h1><p style="text-align: left;">As a player, <i>Stonetop </i>works best if you…</p><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Begin and end with the fiction</li><li>Connect with the other PCs</li><li>Show us what’s important to you</li><li>Have goals and pursue them</li><li>Be bold, take risks</li><li>Embrace difficulty, setback, and failure</li><li>Participate in worldbuilding</li><li>Build on what others have said</li><li>Give others a chance to shine</li><li>Participate in the conversation</li></ul></div><p><br />Following these principles will lead you to achieving your agenda (see above). Strive to follow them, always. <br /><br /></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Begin and end with the fiction</h3>Tell us how you do what you do, what it looks like. Don’t just say “I’m Seeking Insight,” tell us how. “I cock my head, listening to the sounds of the forest for anything odd.” Don’t just say “I attack,” say what you do. “I rush in, shield up, stabbing into this thing’s gut."<p></p><p>When you resolve a move, make sure you’re clear about what has happened as a result. It’s the GMs job to describe the impact of your move on the world (or to defer to you). If they skimp, or think things are clear when they aren’t, then say so. If you can’t picture what happened, ask for more detail!</p><p>Beginning and ending with the fiction is one the main ways that you <b>engage with the fictional world</b>. But it’s also a great way to <b>portray a compelling character</b>. Anyone can trigger Clash, but show us how you, Brynfor of Stonetop, fight this particular fight.<br /><br /></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Connect with the other PCs</h3>Explore the relationships between your character and the other PCs. Play out scenes with each other, speaking in your character’s voices. Go out of your way to interact with each other, to care about each other, and to get involved in each other’s lives. <p></p><p>Your PCs don’t have to be friends. They don’t even have to like each other. But the game assumes that they’re allies at least, and that they’ll work together on behalf of the town when there’s trouble. Your PCs will spend a lot of on-screen time together. </p><p>When you develop nuanced relationships with your fellow PCs, and let those relationships change and grow, you are <b>portraying a compelling character</b>. When you let those relationships guide your actions and your decisions, even if it means bringing you into conflict with each other, you are <b>playing to find out what happens</b>. <br /><br /></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Show us what’s important to you</h3>Ask yourself, as your character: Who and what will you fight for? What do you prize? What do you aspire to, hope for, dream of? For whom would you lay down your life? <p></p><p>Make it clear what you value, through word and deed, and you’ll be <b>portraying a compelling character</b>. Show yourself caring about mundane things like your home and your garden and your goats, about NPCs and what they think of you, and you’ll be <b>engaging with the fictional world</b>. Let your values guide your actions and push you into conflict, and then <b>play to find out what happens</b>. <br /><br /></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Have goals and pursue them</h3>Identify things that your PC wants—a steading improvement, an NPC’s hand in marriage, the respect of the elders, maybe just a roof that doesn’t leak—and actively work towards those things in play. Don’t just react to the threats that the GM presents. Having goals and striving towards them is a great way to <b>portray a compelling character</b>, and it pretty much requires you to <b>engage with the fictional world</b>. <p></p><p>But also: have goals as a player. Share these goals to the GM and the other players. Have meta-game conversations about scenes that you want to have and conflicts you want to play towards. Just as important, be clear about what’s <i>not</i> important to you, what you’d be happy glossing over. Your play time is limited, so be clear about what you want to see the in the game. The <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tTypfD3sNy_U0w0-VX0B8qpoaBHrdN4gDeeA4RD_YcWK2HsCwZ_k1egfZMby14sOUUxsnv_2PquXhazcBA6BzwDBUdM4X9QgJPhfLz82NEVhFkopPyYOtpfx4yZnGhg3oEGxdg1pcuYE7S6x_sg5LcWnVhZzfFNjXlfxYmBSRGOgvybwfJwDqkFR/s618/stonetop_End_of_Session.png">End of Session</a> move gives you a formal chance to do this, but you can always step out of character and talk to each other, player-to-player. </p><p>To be clear: having goals and pursuing them doesn’t mean “always getting what you want.” It means having things that you work towards, things that will drive scenes and adventures. Whether you achieve your goals is up to the actions you take and the moves you trigger and the dice you roll, and how the fiction logically and plausibly reacts. <b>Play to find out what happens</b>.<br /> </p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Be bold, take risks</h3>Take decisive action that moves the game and situation forward. You’re the PCs, the folks that Stonetop looks to save them when danger looms. If you don’t act like a hero, who will?<p></p><p>Avoid being overly cautious, or spending hours on careful, elaborate plans that cover every contingency. Plan a little, sure. Be clever. Play to your strengths and your weaknesses, and consider what your character, specifically might do. But don’t let the game grind to a halt. If you find yourself deliberating for more than a few minutes, stop. Make a choice. Act. <b>Play to find out what happens.<br /></b> </p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Embrace difficulty, setback, and failure</h3>Not everything is going to go your way. Part of the GM’s job is present you with adversity and threaten the things you care about. Those challenges are meaningless unless the stakes are real, unless there’s a chance you’ll lose. Difficulty, setback, and failure are all key parts of <b>playing to find out what happens</b>. <p></p><p>Difficulty, setback, and failure are also an opportunity to <b>portray a compelling character</b>. Show us how you deal with adversity, how you rise to the challenge. Show us how loss affects you. Show us how you keep going anyway.</p><p>It’s not that heroes don’t fall down. It’s that they get back up. <br /><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Participate in worldbuilding</h3>The GM is responsible for the world at large. But as you create your character, your playbook will prompt you to define things about the world: about the god you serve, about the troubles you’ve seen, about the NPCs who live in Stonetop. Choose options and make up details that you find interesting and compelling. <p></p><p>As you introduce your character, the GM will ask you questions. Lots of questions. Some of these will be about your PC specifically (“Do you know how to read?”) but others will invite you to add details to the world (“Who, if anyone, did this job before you?”). Once play begins, the GM will continue to ask questions and build on the answers. They’ll ask your character questions that help shape the world, questions like:</p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>“Rhianna, who taught you how to hunt and track?”</i></li><li><i>“Blodwen, you live with your mother, right? Any siblings? What’s the place look like inside?”</i></li><li><i>“Vahid, you’ve met Brennan before, what’s his most distinctive feature?”</i></li><li><i>“Caradoc, what have you heard about the Quiet Twins and how they came to haunt the Stream?”</i></li><li><i>“Vahid, what have you noticed that all the missing children have in common?”</i></li><li><i>“What’s the most striking detail about the Flats in early spring?”</i></li><li><i>“Caradoc, when you got back to Stonetop, whose reaction surprised you the most?”</i></li></ul></div>Answer with enthusiasm, with color and life! Think about what you know about your character, what you know about the assumed setting, what other players have already established. Steal cool ideas from books or comics, from shows or movies, from other games, from real life. Add details that you want to see in the game, that you’re excited about! Give answers that you think are cool and interesting, and you’ll automatically be <b>engaging with fictional world</b>. <p></p><p>With that said: don’t overthink it. The best answer is often the obvious answer, the first thing that comes to mind. The first thing to come to your mind is often a surprise to the GM and other players, something they’d never have thought of, and thus you’re helping them <b>play to find out what happens</b>.</p><p>If you find these sorts of questions off-putting or even stressful, consider why that is. Talk to your GM about it. If you don’t like being put on the spot, the GM can ask you a question and then move the spotlight, giving you time to think. If you feel like you’re being asked to do the GM’s job (author the world) and that takes away from your fun, the GM can ask you fewer questions that involve worldbuilding and more questions about your PC’s current thoughts and feelings. </p><p>But also, it could be that you’re just not used to it. Many roleplaying games have a very strict line between the player’s job and the GM’s job, and <i>Stonetop</i> intentionally blurs that line. If worldbuilding isn’t something you’re used to doing, give it a try. Stretch yourself! The more you participate in worldbuilding, the easier it becomes. <br /><br /></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Build on what others have said</h3>Let yourself be inspired by your fellow players. Take elements that they introduce and use them yourself. Build on them, riff on them, tweak them. <p></p><p>Character creation is the most obvious time to build on what others have said. The Fox tells a tall tale about how she and her sister met a creepy old man in the woods? On your turn, reuse one of those elements! If you’re the Ranger, maybe what you’re worried about is that same creepy old man, spotted near the Ruined Tower. If you’re the Would-be Hero, maybe the Fox’s sister is the NPC whose heart you hope to win. </p><p>During play, when the GM asks questions, continue to build on each other’s answers. Let your own ideas grow from the what’s already established. Don’t make up something new when you can reuse and reincorporate. <b>Engage with the fictional world</b>, even as you create it!<br /><br /></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Give others a chance to shine</h3>Don’t hog the spotlight. Be aware of how much you talk, relative to the other players. If you’ve been talking a lot, suggest a spotlight change. If a quiet player is talking, don’t interrupt unless its timely and valuable—and even then, raise your hand or wait for a natural pause. <p></p><p>Be proactive, too. Set others up for greatness! Has the Fox been flirting with one of your followers? Arrange for them to have a scene together, alone. Has the Blessed’s player been quiet this session? Ask their PC to join yours on an errand, then strike up a conversation about something they care about. </p><p>This principle isn’t about pursuing your agenda—it’s about helping the other players to pursue theirs, to <b>portray compelling characters</b> and <b>engage with the fictional world</b>. But when you give each other a chance to shine, the results are often surprising, which means you’re all <b>playing to find out what happens</b>.<br /> <br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Participate in the conversation</h3>You play this game by talking to each other. The game is the conversation. Be an active, engaged part of that conversation. Otherwise, why are you here?<p></p><p>Pay attention, even when your PC isn’t involved. Try to avoid distractions, in whatever way works for you (maybe take notes, or doodle, or knit, or whatever). </p><p>Ask questions. Ask for clarification, for more detail. Be curious! Ask players about their PC’s, about their actions, thoughts, and feelings. </p><p>Offer suggestions. If there’s a pause in the conversation and you’ve got a good idea, offer it up. </p><p>Get excited! Ooh and ahh at the awesome stuff the other players say and do. Laugh at each other’s jokes. Groan at each other’s puns. Cheer when a clutch roll goes your way. Curse the fates when a roll comes up short. </p><p>You’re going to have off nights, sessions where you’re distracted or your energy is low. That’s fine. But do what you can to focus, to pay attention, to participate in the conversation and enjoy the company of your friends. Because ultimately, that’s what you’re here to do.<br /></p></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h1 style="text-align: left;">Other things to do</h1><p><b>Take notes.</b> Write stuff down! NPC names and traits. Who’s related to who. Bits of history and lore. Places. Things. The events of each session. If you think it’ll be helpful to reference later, write it down. Your future self will thank you.</p><p><b>Learn the rules.</b> You don’t have to be an expert, but learn the basics. Know that “roll +STR” means you roll 2d6 and add your STR. Familiarize yourself with the basic moves, especially their triggers. Understand how <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQ7z2TMN-9PkPAIFsyXniQRTPr9sh3P865gPTnPB0X0mb_YwT2WQ-iSdRo-ceSa8a6zTMGWzio7MXPq/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=5000" target="_blank">outfitting, gear, and possessions work</a>. </p><p><b>Know your character</b>. You’re the one with the playbook in front of you. Know what your stats are (or where to find them). Know what your damage die is. Know your moves, what triggers them and what they do. Double-check things, sure, and everyone makes mistakes. But you are responsible for your character. Don’t expect the GM or other players to tell you what your PC is capable of. </p><p><b>Watch for moves triggering. </b>It’s everyone’s job to call out when moves trigger, or to question it when someone calls for a move whose trigger hasn’t been met. “This feels like you’re enticing her… <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-3by4zEeVr0eK8iANPsSZ7G2g2YKYl2H2wRqrNNv3fbV11fLzq0qr_NC4fPX20Z4nYB_iS0d-2XFfj9IoxMzIODlyGEqZ55RlB0XD-LtWNzz2AxsAN53VVim9GAdx4xUwVm5ktFiMhjD39z2f5WFTsQP4IEAgRUZuy3u_ZB5E92fbwbcpToq1f5c/s538/stonetop_Persuade.png">Persuade</a>?” “Is this really Defy Danger? Like, what’s at stake?"</p><p><b>Work the fiction.</b> Describe your PC’s actions so that you trigger the moves you want to trigger, using the stats you want to roll with. Or, describe actions that avoid triggering moves that you don’t want to make. Exploit the details of the established fiction.</p><p><b>Advocate for yourself, for each other.</b> If you think the GM has interpreted a move wrongly, or missed a detail, or skipped someone who’s been waiting, say something! If you think another player is being a butt, ask them to knock it off. If you want to see something in the game, make that known. If someone else seems unhappy, ask them what’s up. Communication is key!</p><p><b>Mind the vibe.</b> Everyone is responsible for creating the game’s tone, mood, and themes. Pay attention to the vibe at the table. Build on it, riff on it, respect it. If you like how “hope” is becoming a theme, then look for ways to reinforce that or explore it. If everyone is playing things mud-spattered, serious, and gritty, don’t describe your character doing anime-style acrobatics like running up the rage drake’s back.</p><p><b>Share the load. </b>A lot of logistical tasks fall to the GM by default. But they don’t have to! The GM’s got plenty to do just running the game, so do what you can to help. Divvy up responsibilities for: </p><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Scheduling, hosting, ordering food</li><li>Printing materials</li><li>Taking notes</li><li>Updating the steading playbook </li><li>Recapping sessions</li><li>Explaining rules</li><li>Wrangling players between sessions (“hey everyone, did you level up?”) </li><li>Watching the clock, calling for breaks, nudging things along</li><li>Watching for discomfort, calling time out, checking in with others</li></ul></div><p>Even if you don’t take formal responsibility for these things, you can step in and help out as needed. </p><p><b>Ask questions! </b>When you’re unsure about some detail, ask for clarification. When you don’t know what to do or how to answer a question, ask for advice. </p><p><b>Respect boundaries and wishes. </b>Before you start play, you’ll talk about the content that you and your fellow players want to exclude from the game, or veil and handle “off screen,” or handle in particular ways. “No sexual violence,” or, “Veil harm to animals,” or, “Spiders are fine, but don’t talk about how their legs move.” Once play begins, you or other players can adjust these guidelines.</p><p>Respect these boundaries. If “torture” is excluded content, then don’t have your PC torture anyone. It doesn’t matter if “that’s what my character would do.” The boundaries and feelings of your fellow human beings are more important than your vision for your character, more important than your player agenda and principles. You and your friends are more important than the game. <br /><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">When in doubt…</h3><p>If the GM asks, “What do you do?” and you’re unsure, do the following:</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Visualize the situation</li><li>Ask the GM for clarification</li><li>Ask yourself, “What do I want? What’s my goal?”</li><li>Consider your strengths and weaknesses</li><li>Look to others for advice</li><li>Go with the obvious choice, the interesting choice, the meaningful choice, not necessarily the “right” choice (and remember, you get XP on a 6-)! <br /><br /></li></ul></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">What not to do</h3><div><b>Don’t roll until there’s agreement.</b> If you say “Ooh, I bet I <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRz1jeoKcXGfde-umFZv6qYwEz5pMoP7pvkvWl_m_GzM2Epc7Pgy68CVFFxUpk4OUjZTtGheSiRjc3vMuaqWVuUu9gjsdR9A5GlXf0A0lWWljYIeb2I0SfDK1vI_hnKmdLu4e_q-jNkXiczdr8AWRmUaF6Gb9o-QuOQasoLi4lgylkVpNPslNjD5u/s539/stonetop_Know_Things.png">Know Things</a> about Fae” don’t just pick up the dice and roll +INT. Wait for the GM and the rest of the players to acknowledge that, yeah, you’re triggering a move, this move. If you roll for a move before the others agree that you’ve triggered it, then it doesn’t count. Pick your dice back up. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Don’t cheat.</b> If you fudge your dice rolls to get the outcome you want, or you “forget” a rule or some detail established earlier, then you’re not really <b>playing to find out what happens</b>. Roll your dice in the open, respect the established fiction, and play by the rules. You’ll have more fun, and you won’t be a cheater. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Don’t keep secrets from other players.</b> It’s fine for your <i>character</i> to keep secrets from the other PCs. Heck, that’s great! But the other players should be in on it, able to enjoy the dramatic irony. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Don’t expect fights to be fair.</b> Just because the GM puts a monster in front of you doesn’t mean that they think you can defeat it. There’s no guarantee that fight will be “balanced” to your PCs. And even a fight with an “easy” foe can go sidewise if the dice are against you. Judge your chances carefully, avoid fights that you can’t handle, and be willing to flee if things go south. </div><div><br /></div><div>With that being said: <b>don’t overthink it</b>. Don’t waste your time deliberating every decision, or making elaborate plans that cover every contingency, or thinking of the perfect answer to the GM’s question. <b>Be bold, take risks</b> and <b>embrace difficulty, setback, and failure</b>. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Closing remarks</h2><div>The rest of the "Playing Stonetop" chapter goes over topics that are extremely specific to <i>Stonetop</i>, and not especially relevant to other PbtA games. Things like:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The anatomy of a <i>Stonetop</i> PC playbook</li><li><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/10/major-arcana-nhing-codex.html" target="_blank">Arcana</a> (the weird artifacts, sites, and lore that PCs can start with or acquire in play)</li><li>Followers (NPCs that follow the PC's lead and generally do as they're told)</li><li>The "<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sik9d2a942s2h0l/AACVvPmn5wxB54qErE2P3UH4a/Stonetop%20Preview%20Playkit/Playbook%20-%20Steading.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">steading playbook</a>" (for the PC's home village)</li><li><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sik9d2a942s2h0l/AAAW8eCeWuJkuG16MddvMjgwa/Stonetop%20Preview%20Playkit/Play%20Reference%20-%20Moves%20%26%20Gear.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">The PC moves</a> (basic, special, expedition, and homefront)</li><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQ7z2TMN-9PkPAIFsyXniQRTPr9sh3P865gPTnPB0X0mb_YwT2WQ-iSdRo-ceSa8a6zTMGWzio7MXPq/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=5000" target="_blank">Outfitting, gear, and possessions</a></li></ul></div><div>Stonetop is still in development, but it's a fully-playable game at this point. You can see our <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1h4IUgiaBW_9bbTWiJGSn_sOJH9XHbmuvxUFTSaV_OfY/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">current progress (including what's done and left to be done) here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://stonetop.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders/" target="_blank"><i>Stonetop </i>preorders are available here</a>. Folks who pre-order get access to the in-progress PDFs and the Stonetop Discord server. We have to send those links out manually, though, so we do it batches; expect a delay of up to a week or two between pre-ordering and receiving the links. If you're really itching to get your hands on the materials, reach out to me at "jack" underscore "blackfoot" at Yahoo. </div><div><br /></div>Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-50527470692359638912021-06-20T13:44:00.000-05:002021-06-20T13:44:02.054-05:00Stonetop Pre-Orders Available at Backerkit<p> So, uh, this happened:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFnCdm53yQVW1Uw3mIfRsSHdRFUR9FRoTqswgPc6E2SH_FIWjpCZAfUCYC58qbJNG03kGVEtqRdbCSF8p2wxx6nFaO6-zft5BctLFW6nd58OuDh_eECe0mifJIXQpTpZOlyzEBzHFlpY/s1167/stonetop_kickstarter_yeah.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="1167" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFnCdm53yQVW1Uw3mIfRsSHdRFUR9FRoTqswgPc6E2SH_FIWjpCZAfUCYC58qbJNG03kGVEtqRdbCSF8p2wxx6nFaO6-zft5BctLFW6nd58OuDh_eECe0mifJIXQpTpZOlyzEBzHFlpY/w400-h169/stonetop_kickstarter_yeah.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>As we mentioned a few times in the Kickstater updates, we've been absolutely blown away by the support and the enthusiasm. </p><p>I've been trying to focus on finishing the two books, and keeping on top of the (considerably enlarged) <i>Stonetop</i> community on Discord, and just haven't gotten around to posting any follow-ups here. I'll be aiming to more of that soon, as I've got a few things to talk about that might be relevant not just to Stonetop folks but to anyone who plays and tinkers with <i>Dungeon World</i> or <i>Homebrew World</i>. In particular, I plan to talk about:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>How and why I changed the names of many basic moves</li><li>How and why I'm changing Drives (<i>Stonetop's</i> take on <i>Dungeon World's</i> Alignment rules) into PC Instincts</li><li><i>Stonetop's </i>updated rules for Followers, which are iteration from those presented in <i><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/156979/The-Perilous-Wilds?term=Perilous+wilds" target="_blank">the Perilous Wilds</a></i>.</li></ul><p></p><p>In the meantime, if you missed the kickstarter and would like to <a href="https://stonetop.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders/" target="_blank">preorder the books or the PDF, you can do so here</a>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://stonetop.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="1128" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2s9Zn8XWbhf7JV6BCVvxRDd6Jj_fHhJcaziAfwyS6iSTe4bgtJiYrAlAHSALKGfwBEB6I9Y2Z7vnqf5zjJoPfMh9MzzheRFkp9sQ2LESLyDX0nDb_5b-WvCHGaMo1KkI2rO-KbnaLgYo/w400-h244/Stonetop_preorder.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://stonetop.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders/">Click to pre-order!</a></i></div><p><br />Pre-orders for the physical books will remain open until a few weeks before we go to press. If you pre-order either the physical book or the PDF, you'll get access to the current preview playkit and an invite to the Stonetop community on Discord. </p><p>Shipping costs will be added as you check out, but for the books, they are:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>US: $15</li><li>Canada/EU/UK: $22</li><li>Norway/Switzerland: $38</li><li>Australia: $25</li><li>New Zealand: $30</li><li>China, Macao, Hong Kong: $14</li><li>Rest of Asia: $29</li><li>All other countries: $70-100</li></ul><div>Shipping costs above include customs and VAT for international customers. </div><p></p>Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-90570387885066724682021-02-07T21:36:00.003-06:002021-02-25T20:18:23.253-06:00Stonetop Kickstarter: March 1st, 2021<p>We're finally doing it:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC2nBEb4-RG0xuvHTxQo3SLBueg5ddeMLScX8q5E2KCou-ou2P8U8Fp_dRKo0rBR2EMnzjXmoOSDQ9p6NRwHJO1nIx7EWz0A7Y1fU0Sd8Gi7uyXCghXQXjEFhDA6fETShtPfhjWJ68yQ/s1505/Kickstarter+preview.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="1505" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC2nBEb4-RG0xuvHTxQo3SLBueg5ddeMLScX8q5E2KCou-ou2P8U8Fp_dRKo0rBR2EMnzjXmoOSDQ9p6NRwHJO1nIx7EWz0A7Y1fU0Sd8Gi7uyXCghXQXjEFhDA6fETShtPfhjWJ68yQ/w400-h191/Kickstarter+preview.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1735046512/stonetop" target="_blank">click me for the prelaunch page</a><br /><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Here's the teaser text:</div><div><br /></div><div><div><i></i></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>The Stone has always been here, in the center of the village</b>. It’s larger than life, older than anything, etched with runes. When storms roll up from the south, as they often do, the Stone pulls lightning from the sky and the village shakes with thunder. Visitors cower. The locals? They barely even notice.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>You are one such local, someone who calls Stonetop home. You’re one of a handful of notables—admired, or respected, or maybe even reviled. When there’s trouble, people look to you for the solution. Or as the cause. Or both.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And right now, as the first wildflowers appear beyond the Old Wall? Trouble is brewing. The world itself is darkening, like the sky before a summer storm. Folks can feel it. They’re afraid.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>These are good people, here, in Stonetop. Your kith and kin.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>If you don’t step up to protect them, who will?</i></div></blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnley1T4EQSjrpwIem1fakv3hdls6BZIXciYwHNbofRP8gDC1gfyb5F1T5QlU0YBZqnJ2cmHNk4zGELJn-ijT17q8vM6v4SV4x2zNjwPhIUhyGsgIBhZ0_NSUELLou0jIDbgguJqY4Vxs/s2639/hobbling+back+to+stonetop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1191" data-original-width="2639" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnley1T4EQSjrpwIem1fakv3hdls6BZIXciYwHNbofRP8gDC1gfyb5F1T5QlU0YBZqnJ2cmHNk4zGELJn-ijT17q8vM6v4SV4x2zNjwPhIUhyGsgIBhZ0_NSUELLou0jIDbgguJqY4Vxs/w400-h180/hobbling+back+to+stonetop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>I've been working on <i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/stonetop.html" target="_blank">Stonetop</a></i> since, criminy, 2013? It started as a "playset" for <i>Dungeon World </i>with beefed up rules for managing the steading's prosperity. Then it became a whole slew of custom classes with a unique structure, and a bunch of creepy artifacts. And then I started tweaking basic moves, and eventually acknowledged that this was going to be a standalone game.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've run over 75 sessions with 5 different groups. I've played in over 30 sessions myself. We've had something like 60 different playtest groups. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>And now, finally, the end is in sight. <b>We'll be launching the Kickstarter on March 1, 2021, closing on March 31. Target fulfillment is October 2021. </b></div><div><br /></div></div>Jason Lutes of <a href="https://lampblack-and-brimstone.com/" target="_blank">Lampblack & Brimstone</a> will be running the Kickstarter and publishing the game. You might know Jason/L&B from <i><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/156979/The-Perilous-Wilds" target="_blank">The Perilous Wilds</a></i>, which is where we first collaborated. Jason is also doing layout, editing, and art direction.<div><br /></div><div>Illustrations will be done by <a href="https://willoe.carbonmade.com/" target="_blank">Lucie Arnoux</a>, a UK-based artist whose work includes reportage, children's books, set design, and comics. That's her work up above. Here's some more:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5iXLyY-dh_3b5d-k1kDQ-Xy3b-39csHNO2LifdyjveadjUEqS4mXnvh57Xce1prkH1ojjn57Ga6YPjbcwPXtUzQ5YmKpDTMLuPA1ppv6JchBJ8A8pF0nWRBUGbov9SGkYpg3k6yezraI/s2609/feathered+drake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="2609" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5iXLyY-dh_3b5d-k1kDQ-Xy3b-39csHNO2LifdyjveadjUEqS4mXnvh57Xce1prkH1ojjn57Ga6YPjbcwPXtUzQ5YmKpDTMLuPA1ppv6JchBJ8A8pF0nWRBUGbov9SGkYpg3k6yezraI/w400-h185/feathered+drake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>(details, including a sample chapter and a more art, after the break)</i></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><i><br /></i><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Product</h2><div><i>Stonetop</i> is going to be two books:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzW5TkvTV9tmKAy9ktfm648oM38R7EtmpNNG5xiqSjGKlVD6dACo_yQ0y6zT1ba7F5SfLvU-qWC2aGawB-oLUjk_q2Rc-30mcvegO6xI2g2W8HoOdASkmIRaNMLWooRSMbolDIwUPnWbc/s2048/stonetop_cover_mocks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzW5TkvTV9tmKAy9ktfm648oM38R7EtmpNNG5xiqSjGKlVD6dACo_yQ0y6zT1ba7F5SfLvU-qWC2aGawB-oLUjk_q2Rc-30mcvegO6xI2g2W8HoOdASkmIRaNMLWooRSMbolDIwUPnWbc/w400-h300/stonetop_cover_mocks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>mockups (subject to change)</i></div><br /><div><b>Book I: Stonetop</b> includes the rules, playbooks, player moves, and extensive (<i>extensive</i>) GM procedures, advice, and examples. I've posted early drafts of some of the GM content elsewhere on this blog (<a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/01/parley-in-stonetop-and-homebrew-world.html" target="_blank">Parley</a>, <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/02/discern-realities-in-stonetop-homebrew.html" target="_blank">Discern Realities</a>, and <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/03/running-fights-in-dungeon-world-stonetop.html" target="_blank">Running Fights</a>), but here's a complete chapter for you, to see an an example of what you can expect: </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/jjqsm9yxt29tqyp/GM02%20Running%20Stonetop.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">Sample Chapter: Running Stonetop</a> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Book II: The Wider World and Other Wonders</b> is the setting guide. It includes an almanac of the world, designed to be less of a "setting bible" and more a set of tools for GMs to exploit as they prep and run the game. Here are some example spreads (click to embiggen):</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZfrcRDFhkK4kSCMtk6eE-lHHzhxfWo5-Gr3_X-I_evmxpA8uLQbbJurFlCJyiODv60FGlq9A7XbJPLAc1dSeazH-gZjzfKBwdKP6tMzIamskGvvf8vENL4EuvcLxoL83gz8iRD51xSM/s2048/Great_Wood_almanac_Page_1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1583" data-original-width="2048" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZfrcRDFhkK4kSCMtk6eE-lHHzhxfWo5-Gr3_X-I_evmxpA8uLQbbJurFlCJyiODv60FGlq9A7XbJPLAc1dSeazH-gZjzfKBwdKP6tMzIamskGvvf8vENL4EuvcLxoL83gz8iRD51xSM/w400-h309/Great_Wood_almanac_Page_1.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5riufxqkeawbIZkrn3x2X5jFfrcX8Zf3tQgotimz0uGZo3zwhysa1yxHUwgPGnnYV95SlHW0I9sR16Js1X2UiL8gWMptaVO7Swn19SJRwRgqiY02l80aqTYNX1EnPEkkKT_FJe9y2Lo/s2048/Great_Wood_almanac_Page_2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1583" data-original-width="2048" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5riufxqkeawbIZkrn3x2X5jFfrcX8Zf3tQgotimz0uGZo3zwhysa1yxHUwgPGnnYV95SlHW0I9sR16Js1X2UiL8gWMptaVO7Swn19SJRwRgqiY02l80aqTYNX1EnPEkkKT_FJe9y2Lo/w400-h309/Great_Wood_almanac_Page_2.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdegONIq9Ji-Wk4WByyMDe3z-PNZbdFWFIXrDn3BtEVmC3tXi0LZF8tZb3paSMHNrpGXhHt3a0ql-7xAl3cWB6aPsvgOkC6jNQi3Q4tACQcv_EZGvvcyf0dsFVLetCcAYquIhjSB9viRQ/s2048/Great_Wood_almanac_Page_3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1583" data-original-width="2048" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdegONIq9Ji-Wk4WByyMDe3z-PNZbdFWFIXrDn3BtEVmC3tXi0LZF8tZb3paSMHNrpGXhHt3a0ql-7xAl3cWB6aPsvgOkC6jNQi3Q4tACQcv_EZGvvcyf0dsFVLetCcAYquIhjSB9viRQ/w400-h309/Great_Wood_almanac_Page_3.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRA0_TLSHBCO5o10m3MDvvx-HdFCPSKRFWM962j3PYNDkpjpx7_0WQqlINPLqa7s6pzYIJJ83J3IYF0F_wSQW2rhulR_aMYwynVLYtAoo-Gj9EKgm1rRu9mwHKMghhGBQ4i-WdBkcvfQ/s2048/Green_Lords_almanac_Page_1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1583" data-original-width="2048" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRA0_TLSHBCO5o10m3MDvvx-HdFCPSKRFWM962j3PYNDkpjpx7_0WQqlINPLqa7s6pzYIJJ83J3IYF0F_wSQW2rhulR_aMYwynVLYtAoo-Gj9EKgm1rRu9mwHKMghhGBQ4i-WdBkcvfQ/w400-h309/Green_Lords_almanac_Page_1.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTTGCVaq7Qtnc0y8YnCpWMOM04CNB0nxukT7Mhk80R27IGdGXQCKHA4rfqd1AY4pFsmcmIhCd_ksUEYz45bpI13_GplurCeGixjA-BeA7SaZvitl7X8JNO49bKUjvl_ZauFY0y9B8BuU/s2048/Green_Lords_almanac_Page_2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1583" data-original-width="2048" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTTGCVaq7Qtnc0y8YnCpWMOM04CNB0nxukT7Mhk80R27IGdGXQCKHA4rfqd1AY4pFsmcmIhCd_ksUEYz45bpI13_GplurCeGixjA-BeA7SaZvitl7X8JNO49bKUjvl_ZauFY0y9B8BuU/w400-h309/Green_Lords_almanac_Page_2.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>The setting guide also includes 18 <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/10/major-arcana-nhing-codex.html" target="_blank">major arcana</a> and over 50 minor arcana. Minor arcana look like these (they're designed to be printed as cards and given to players as handouts):</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNx_FadaORHhm9S-zxGeRP1Dd7zTTehh-JQdOO4uPC0HaMBKKfsUIVypH_4dlMpyymo2R5-FlI911Ow3Bnqlbt0L7qItAGkf7lvgfUCpCcFgOkhchvY6MyCEiTKwZ-nMARHNBPsjWIsMI/s2048/A_folktale.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1584" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNx_FadaORHhm9S-zxGeRP1Dd7zTTehh-JQdOO4uPC0HaMBKKfsUIVypH_4dlMpyymo2R5-FlI911Ow3Bnqlbt0L7qItAGkf7lvgfUCpCcFgOkhchvY6MyCEiTKwZ-nMARHNBPsjWIsMI/s320/A_folktale.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfAV37B7bi_Q5tKrbGgQ9S2hBN4Zqw0MLqfOP06nN7PIHDP9BpWOQ8dcu01VuxUce3YY7PMkFutGh_ieiDztIt8nijAgc8UhOereHDYGpF_U3pIoTwE4953-tohYrfzsrFdczRsBL18E/s2048/Carvings_in_a_Cave.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1584" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfAV37B7bi_Q5tKrbGgQ9S2hBN4Zqw0MLqfOP06nN7PIHDP9BpWOQ8dcu01VuxUce3YY7PMkFutGh_ieiDztIt8nijAgc8UhOereHDYGpF_U3pIoTwE4953-tohYrfzsrFdczRsBL18E/s320/Carvings_in_a_Cave.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkkh9-phGyBQJszdtCXtb8ao_cdT0MdeY6jt1XXTwULi6n7XVLpFdFwNLpXbqCIkzV279Raf8WbI1gpkD22nbG0XEtXyYOFQPe41-cOd3SdDtTTSLYVGxKZM5Dm1d4993VnYnOxu-kQo/s2048/Rune-etched_pillars.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1584" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkkh9-phGyBQJszdtCXtb8ao_cdT0MdeY6jt1XXTwULi6n7XVLpFdFwNLpXbqCIkzV279Raf8WbI1gpkD22nbG0XEtXyYOFQPe41-cOd3SdDtTTSLYVGxKZM5Dm1d4993VnYnOxu-kQo/s320/Rune-etched_pillars.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Each book will likely be quite thick (400+ pages). We will of course be making PDFs available (bookmarked and hyperlinked), along with printable PDFs for things like playbooks, moves sheets, arcana handouts, etc. </div><div><br /></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Art</h2><div>I'm thrilled with the artwork that <a href="https://willoe.carbonmade.com/" target="_blank">Lucie</a> is producing. Here are some of my favorite pieces so far (click to embiggen):</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGLQmKLMXTdYSV1a_5FcHWNNM1UlNMzgciyatw-zO8FGH6cxaCg__CTL8prtBt2gGIITI3AxG9fWhOq-wcOPF26F-H-mcy0A2jDWc7gRhfNsd5Xu1tWZB41e5RLu4NpZcMyUrKD7DH6w/s2942/alleyway.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="2942" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGLQmKLMXTdYSV1a_5FcHWNNM1UlNMzgciyatw-zO8FGH6cxaCg__CTL8prtBt2gGIITI3AxG9fWhOq-wcOPF26F-H-mcy0A2jDWc7gRhfNsd5Xu1tWZB41e5RLu4NpZcMyUrKD7DH6w/s320/alleyway.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZa_uPon7fsPTQ6SYyd3QyVACKhEEKqKYyF7oiBCVyenETOV5ANgUqbtadUDw9l36npby6STrEq4xxeSbhaYSKrLhQBK4Izvhy2EU7jpc0-uEXbfu8dJ6r1iGPbAUvZ9f7NtccnIui4c/s2640/exploring+ruins.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="2640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZa_uPon7fsPTQ6SYyd3QyVACKhEEKqKYyF7oiBCVyenETOV5ANgUqbtadUDw9l36npby6STrEq4xxeSbhaYSKrLhQBK4Izvhy2EU7jpc0-uEXbfu8dJ6r1iGPbAUvZ9f7NtccnIui4c/s320/exploring+ruins.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5TUp56loh9OdcCnH4mRqGTCZAx5Ew_5qfqmJtcUqLctGxNNNKl9MOlIYoub72oQuehB3sUIvTKF0xsflM5uByEanh0u3jPTXrhsV1UBF9IfFshbP6ToqjAykhtZIyLbVxNxpJt630Jg/s2048/Seren+and+Blodwen.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1421" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5TUp56loh9OdcCnH4mRqGTCZAx5Ew_5qfqmJtcUqLctGxNNNKl9MOlIYoub72oQuehB3sUIvTKF0xsflM5uByEanh0u3jPTXrhsV1UBF9IfFshbP6ToqjAykhtZIyLbVxNxpJt630Jg/s320/Seren+and+Blodwen.bmp" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5JguRu6qKz4qZaxipn8mGT5TXflLczrCMYyYDYpvgmV5TRiVWC27CUvHlP4lEQlu33v8rvMMMnA99Ok2h11K5Lub6ioCy57kfRCi6y-v3h0C5aD8OOj5_WViu7o5GJoqP5Cxj1Gy2mY/s2751/the+stream.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="2751" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5JguRu6qKz4qZaxipn8mGT5TXflLczrCMYyYDYpvgmV5TRiVWC27CUvHlP4lEQlu33v8rvMMMnA99Ok2h11K5Lub6ioCy57kfRCi6y-v3h0C5aD8OOj5_WViu7o5GJoqP5Cxj1Gy2mY/s320/the+stream.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">"What do you do?"</h2><div>You can find a bunch of current handouts (player moves, steading playbook, setting overview, and a couple playbooks and major arcana) linked from the original <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/stonetop.html" target="_blank">Stonetop blog post</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><strike>We're still finishing up the Kickstarter page and hammering out some of the details (like price points for the PDF-only and stretch goals), so you can't follow it just yet. In the meantime, I recommend <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/1735046512" target="_blank">following Penny Lantern on Kickstarter</a> so that you can get notified when the page launches</strike>. Click here for the prelaunch page, and then click <b>Notify me on launch</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Questions? Ask in the comments below, email me at "jack" underscore "blackfoot" at yahoo, or message me on Discord @<b>Jeremy Strandberg#1159</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-65961083199958509622020-12-26T15:23:00.007-06:002021-11-24T08:43:40.731-06:00Преодолеть опасность: Defying Danger, the RPG... in Russian!<p><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/02/defying-danger-rpg.html">Defying Danger the RPG</a> now has the dubious distinction of having been translated more times than I've actually played it!</p><p><b>Alexey Dikevich</b> recently translated the game into Russian. I don't speak Russian or read Cyrillic, so can't speak to the quality of the translation, but the layout seems solid and he's even included an translated example of play (taken from the comments on the original Defying Danger blog post). </p><p>Check it out here:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Mh2LXPlYLTgvt6FXvCJ_oOjeeoGtQdB/view?usp=sharing" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="1080" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-Svb4lMQqNJ7Nqwx5H4Q8l-G54VK2xLpnJG4DW2YkNrOg0A2UZG4Ye4q-YP4IQE5LNIWNvC63sJEg1LzSJWsGPRCPjkFqx9-2z4Fj8YIzpkjUhXozbTvgvuIWCOnuuHRSrCjPIJJz6Y/w400-h264/Defying_Danger_Russian.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Mh2LXPlYLTgvt6FXvCJ_oOjeeoGtQdB/view?usp=sharing">Click to download the PDF</a></i></div><br /><p>If you have comments on the translation, or want to send him your thanks, you can reach Alexey at "adikevich" at Gmail. </p><p>You can find the previous translations for Defying Danger here:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/05/desafiando-o-perigo.html">Portuguese</a></li><li><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/03/sfidando-il-pericolo.html">Italian</a></li></ul><div>If you're interested in doing your own translation, and want the original .PPTX files to work from <i>(yes, yes, I made this in frickin' PowerPoint, don't judge)</i>, then let me know in the comments or by emailing me at "jack" underscore "blackfoot" at Yahoo. </div><div><br /></div><div>Likewise, if you make your own translation and want me to post it here, let me know! </div><p></p>Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-85330468154223084202020-10-21T00:44:00.003-05:002020-10-21T15:40:06.781-05:00Major Arcana: The Nhing Codex<p>Over on the Dungeon World Discord, Razorkiss asked this interesting question:</p><p></p><blockquote>Imagine you're trying to model scary Mythos tomes in DungeonWorld. Y'know, we're talking about <i>The Necronomicon</i> here. You want to create a custom move that represents the dangers of reading it, the dangers of gaining knowledge at the expense of sanity. I feel like the first instinct would be that this is a +WIS move, because, y'know, the Will save and all of its attendant baggage. But... is that the way you'd really want to go? It's basically saying, "Y'know, Wizard, you'd think you'd be the person who would be all over this custom move, but it turns out your buddies the Ranger, Druid, and Cleric are better-suited for this job..."</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5ajO-VmNh_ZicATShuuUF7-hqdSnF5CC_vNEvJdzQnYildy9EWJclUvD8pOKXZ_lBDDbUo8xYmGfqOU4-Bj-vTpG2CQlRAvLd0zEbGAraDDvS8-K-SmbcUWgWk6A2nik2tuQ1KCj8hI/s800/evil_book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="800" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5ajO-VmNh_ZicATShuuUF7-hqdSnF5CC_vNEvJdzQnYildy9EWJclUvD8pOKXZ_lBDDbUo8xYmGfqOU4-Bj-vTpG2CQlRAvLd0zEbGAraDDvS8-K-SmbcUWgWk6A2nik2tuQ1KCj8hI/w400-h223/evil_book.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>When you read the obviously evil book, roll +???</i></div><p><br />Queue discussion about whether it'd be an INT roll or CHA roll or whatever.</p><p>And my first instinct was to treat it the way I treat major arcana in <i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/stonetop.html" target="_blank">Stonetop</a>.</i> </p><p>(discussion after the break)</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><h2 style="text-align: left;">Major Arcana</h2><p>In <i>Stonetop</i>, there are (to date) 18 "major arcana". They're potent magical items (or close enough) that the PCs can unlock over time. The details vary a lot from arcanum to arcanum, but the general structure is:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The arcanum provides a potentially useful move right away.</li><li>There's a path towards unlocking more and more of the arcanum's power. Often (but not always), that path involves using the initial move. </li><li>Unlocking the arcanum's mysteries gives you a potent new move (or moves), but using <i>those </i>moves runs the risk of accumulating Consequences.</li><li>Consequences are a limited list of Bad Things that the player picks from. There's usually 6-8 of them, and some are passing problems, others are mixed-blessings, and others are really bad. The player sees what the options are, and at first the options aren't <i>that bad</i>. But, about the time that they're really getting used to what this thing can really do, the "not that bad" options dry up and they're left looking at really unpleasant stuff.</li></ul><div>Basically, the major arcana end up being little player-controlled grim portents. It's a <i>delightful</i> experience in play.</div><div><br /></div><div>With that general structure, there's a lot of room to play. For example, here's the Azure Hand:<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNBQu4CGa-jc8XIVuM4sC-PDaSRItV11Pv_PUdC1qgA5Vr7r2lP9S-OPzfoXQQdjCEYWX64BIneLyafI7RdY2bxk2rzUV8YMTvgTXcGF4PO33zZ7ZFOgzOc2Jtw03e1HyDn16TWjx44c/s1049/azure_hand_front.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="639" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNBQu4CGa-jc8XIVuM4sC-PDaSRItV11Pv_PUdC1qgA5Vr7r2lP9S-OPzfoXQQdjCEYWX64BIneLyafI7RdY2bxk2rzUV8YMTvgTXcGF4PO33zZ7ZFOgzOc2Jtw03e1HyDn16TWjx44c/w244-h400/azure_hand_front.png" width="244" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>art by Jason Lutes</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-oav3aeHEnYcNg3fC6QA_-tv2ZY6UmoVKsA7SGgLrnC8McUU53GLMTkglrDqAAUO1S_j7ed7_XH16uquQkzf0a6PHBcMwMHVLa_dbXRlo-8j25OhMhVuD4nqmo5MsBY1yp3JPmi2zE4/s1050/azure_hand_back.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="637" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-oav3aeHEnYcNg3fC6QA_-tv2ZY6UmoVKsA7SGgLrnC8McUU53GLMTkglrDqAAUO1S_j7ed7_XH16uquQkzf0a6PHBcMwMHVLa_dbXRlo-8j25OhMhVuD4nqmo5MsBY1yp3JPmi2zE4/w242-h400/azure_hand_back.png" width="242" /></a></div><i><br /></i></div>The starting move is potentially quite useful, though also quite dangerous. You unlock the mysteries by using it and screwing up. Using it and screwing up means that the power goes out of control, making Eye of the Storm a <i>very</i> appealing initial power to unlock, and it then starts generating Consequences. But you have to keep using (and screwing up with) the staff to unlock the other two powers.<p></p><p>But here's a very different sort of major arcana, the Blood-Quenched Sword:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkRmyvvblf8QaUGwdBXR63q_ElJx6NpMHuRVqSdfwROfdEBrDApfwOonNvNSmpxuXAP0pTH6mrfCIMCrIwJB346C79-k1OIrTne1OdI6HlGyn7ehmgjq_P5876FwbTJXJONRFXK2lHTI/s1057/blood-quenched_sword_front.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="644" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkRmyvvblf8QaUGwdBXR63q_ElJx6NpMHuRVqSdfwROfdEBrDApfwOonNvNSmpxuXAP0pTH6mrfCIMCrIwJB346C79-k1OIrTne1OdI6HlGyn7ehmgjq_P5876FwbTJXJONRFXK2lHTI/w244-h400/blood-quenched_sword_front.png" width="244" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>art by Jason Lutes (again)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0L6SKOQcQfjdd5FeWkAmc-8nrq8VICx7SSepdIy_zefm6Hhy9Ab1qEuPtzzPpI3oOuN9nqJ7yVZbfw_YrGWsBKPd7CZtNHCTnDv0hAjqlngN_hwzkGP2RK2C2n6_zjqQO6IrzahE9yM/s1057/blood-quenched_sword_back.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="644" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0L6SKOQcQfjdd5FeWkAmc-8nrq8VICx7SSepdIy_zefm6Hhy9Ab1qEuPtzzPpI3oOuN9nqJ7yVZbfw_YrGWsBKPd7CZtNHCTnDv0hAjqlngN_hwzkGP2RK2C2n6_zjqQO6IrzahE9yM/w244-h400/blood-quenched_sword_back.png" width="244" /></a></div><i><br /></i></div>Again, you unlock the mysteries by using this arcana, but with this one, it's generally by doing it successfully (albeit bloodily). But that gets you just the first advanced move (Unquenched), which requires marking Consequences to use. And to get the second move (A Flickering Flame), you have to accumulate 3 Consequences.<p></p><p>Point being: it's a flexible structure, and a great way to reflect the slow (or not-so-slow) corruption that potent magical items can inflict on a PC. So if you're looking for a way to model "the dangers of gaining knowledge at the expense of sanity," this seems like a great fit.</p><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Nhing Codex</h2><p>Going back to Razorkiss's initial question, I'm picturing a "basic" power that involves that reading through the book and getting flashes of insight and deeper understanding. That seems like an INT check to me, not WIS. Meanwhile, the growing insight itself should start messing with the character right away. And it seems like, in the literature that spawns these types of books, there's always a risk of unleashing terrible, uncontrolled power. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsaHYDNXFcvJElb1N3bZwyhu74O9K4Uw-aAhIQs9Piuob3-SXS54eOLQUr8xjZjzYTjyQS2pBovmfYvdSlCtSpdU4p0_t1xspK03uZcAvYof8gZufHQHaTjONxmlD3cGRwaIZ0eIHKkw/s640/evil_book_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="640" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsaHYDNXFcvJElb1N3bZwyhu74O9K4Uw-aAhIQs9Piuob3-SXS54eOLQUr8xjZjzYTjyQS2pBovmfYvdSlCtSpdU4p0_t1xspK03uZcAvYof8gZufHQHaTjONxmlD3cGRwaIZ0eIHKkw/w400-h290/evil_book_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>So, here's our starting set of moves:</p><p></p><p></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><b>The Nhing Codex</b> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p>When you <b><i>spend hours and hours pouring through the cryptic text and perusing the unsettling engravings</i></b>, roll +INT. <b>On a 10+</b>, both. <b>On a 7-9</b>, pick 1: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Ask the GM a question about the Things that Dwell in Outer Darkness, or the Priest-Kings of Ancient Nhing, and get an honest answer. </li><li>Gain 1 Gnosis.</li></ul><p></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><b>On a 6-</b>, mark XP and tell the GM one of the following:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The name/title of the Thing that you've accidentally called into the world (e.g. <i>Dyakon Many-Winged</i>, <i>Iiliaphaz Whose Tongue is Fire</i>, <i>Zzykiliost the Thief of Warmth</i>)</li><li>The shape or visage of the Thing that has started peering at you out of the shadows, and why it terrifies you so</li><li>The nature of the curse that you've unwittingly unleashed on someone else <i>(the GM decides on who)</i></li></ul><p></p></blockquote><blockquote><p style="text-align: center;">Gnosis: O O O O</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>When you <b><i>hold any Gnosis and you Make Camp</i></b>, roll +Gnosis. <b>On a a 12+</b>, pick 1, but also gain great insight--lose all your Gnosis and learn a Nhing Codex Spell of your choice. <b>On a 10-11</b>, pick 2. <b>On a 7-9</b>, pick 1. <b>On a 6-</b>, don't mark XP; your dreams are merely disquieting.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>You get little sleep, and what you manage is not restful; regain no HP.</li><li>You dreams are insightful yet disturbing; ask the GM a question about the Things that Dwell in Outer Darkness or the inhabitants of Priest-Kings of Ancient Nhing, but mark a debility. </li><li>You do... strange things... in your sleep. The GM will say what. </li></ul><p></p></blockquote><blockquote><p>When you <b><i>cast a spell learned from the Nhing Codex</i></b>, roll +INT. <b>On a 10+</b>, the spell works as described. <b>On a 7-9</b>, the spell works, but choose 1 from the list below. <b>On a 6-</b>, mark a consequence in addition to whatever the GM says.</p><p></p><ul><li>You draw unwelcome attention or put yourself in a spot (ask the GM how)</li><li>Something shifts in your mind; take a -1 penalty (cumulative) to cast a codex spell. When you would gain Gnosis, you can instead remove this penalty. </li></ul></blockquote><p><br />So we've got a general move that can prompt a GM info dump and/or get you closer to unlocking some spells, while also making you less likely to have a pleasant sleep. Oh, and you can accidentally unleash evil on the world. </p><p>In order to make this something people actually want to use, we need to make the spells that it provides pretty darn powerful. And the Consequences should be all about the corruption (mental and physical) that comes from trucking with these powers.</p><p>So:</p><blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Mysteries of the Nhing Codex</b></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><b>NHING CODEX SPELLS</b></p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] <i>Twist the Senses:</i> Name someone and hold 3 Sway over them. Spend 1 Sway to twist their senses, making them perceive something that is not true.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] <i>Grasping Darkness: </i>Start chanting and point at a place of shadows; a mass of inky black tentacles (15 HP, 2 armor) bursts forth. They deal d8+1 damage (<i>reach, area, grabby</i>, <i>forceful</i>) to anything they can grasp, but they last only as long as you keep chanting. </p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] <i>Baleful Utterance:</i> Speak a foul word. One object in your presence shatters, and the ears of all who hear the word bleed (1d4 damage, ignores armor, temporarily deafened).</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] <i>Vox Umbra:</i> Grasp the voice of someone who is speaking with an inky tendril. The tendril slithers down their throat. While this spell persists, they cannot speak of their own accord, and instead say whatever you wish, black bile pouring from their mouth as they do so. The spell ends if you cast another spell.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] <i>Night Falls: </i>Snap your fingers. All light sources in <i>near </i>range are snuffed out. </p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] <i>Pour Forth: </i>Name someone. They spend the next few minutes vomiting vile black fluid, incapable of doing much more than staggering about or crawling. </p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] <i>Flow Through Me: </i>The Outer Darkness twists your body in a useful, impossible way (describe it). You lose 1d6 hit points, and the effect ends as soon as you roll a miss.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] <i>Darksome Servant: </i>Call up a lesser being of the Outer Darkness. Name one ability that you wish it to possess, and one task you wish it to perform. The GM will tell you want it wants. Pay its cost and it will perform you task. Refuse, and it runs free.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] <i>Dismissal: </i>Name a thing of the Outer Darkness in your presence. It is banished back from whence it came. </p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] <i>No Hiding from the Darkness: </i>Look into someone's eyes and ask them a question. They must answer you, wholly and truthfully. They will forever after suffer from nightmares.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] <i>Night Puppet: </i>A black tendril of your power crawls from your mouth and into a dead thing, animating it. Spend 1 to 10 HP; your puppet has as many HP as you spend. </p></blockquote><blockquote><p><b>CONSEQUENCES</b> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] Your drive/alignment becomes "Upset another with your compulsive behaviors."</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] Henceforth, anyone who Makes Camp in your presence suffers from disturbing dreams. Ask them to tell you about them. </p></blockquote><blockquote><p>[ ] Your eyes become inky orbs of darkness; you can see in even absolute darkness, but nearly blinded by full daylight. </p><p>[ ] One of your limbs becomes... wrong. Tell us how.</p><p>[ ] Your blood is black and foul-smelling; you are immune to poisons, but heal only half the usual amount of HP. </p><p>[ ] When you look into someone's eyes, you can ask their player/the GM "What fills you with fear or disgust?" and get an honest answer.</p>[ ] [ ] [ ] One of the Priest-Kings of Ancient Nhing demands a task of you. Until you complete it, you have disadvantage to cast a codex spell. <p>[ ] You hear the whispers of the Outer Dark. When they compel you to act, mark XP if you do as bidden. If you resist, roll +WIS; on a 10+, your will is your own; on a 7-9, it takes time or aid from a friend to shake off the compulsion; on a 6-, do as they wish or do something drastic, right now, to drown out the whispers. </p></blockquote><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-CbWODe12K-9qw6Si3nO4KHCWZXQDO0yTFrhI1zuh7FOb4kHYTeUe51PU8LTOwDcMzSnjHtjSmgfT9t4faOcmT4wawS8oSq-XQOXc4ku1usnVqHhyO-Bp1vMw-oGyCMfQiqeDc6quL4/s640/evil_book_3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="640" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-CbWODe12K-9qw6Si3nO4KHCWZXQDO0yTFrhI1zuh7FOb4kHYTeUe51PU8LTOwDcMzSnjHtjSmgfT9t4faOcmT4wawS8oSq-XQOXc4ku1usnVqHhyO-Bp1vMw-oGyCMfQiqeDc6quL4/w400-h286/evil_book_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Self-Critique</h2><div>The biggest critique I have is that I couldn't get this to fit on the 2-sided half-sheets that I use for the other Stonetop major arcana. I'd have to prune the spell list quite a bit and probably crunch up the language on the "front" page as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second critique is that the Consequences feel more about corrupting the individual PC with the power they're using and less about the cost this has on their sanity--which is what originally prompted me to start this whole exercise. I'm not <i>sure</i> that it's actually a problem, as the initial moves for studying the book and Making Camp with Gnosis gets at a lot of the mental toll of digging into the book. </div><div><br /></div><div>The final critique, then, is that the Consequences are sufficiently <i>bad</i>. Like, it feels like there should be ~2 of them that are, like, "oh, you've opened a portal to the Outer Darkness and let All The Bad Things in." But, again, maybe that doesn't need to be part of the arcana itself. The Things in the Outer Darkness and the Priest-Kings of Ancient Nhing sure seem like they'd be a set of fronts/dangers with an impending doom and grim portents all their own, and the Consequences would then probably rope the PC into helping those grim portents along. </div><div> </div><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p></p>Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-70662008212295717472020-09-26T23:03:00.000-05:002020-09-26T23:03:07.327-05:00Take Watch is a bad move and you're a bad person if you like it <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaqncO7OA_w842stjIDw9NcS91iQSBfNq8bf-ZM-TnjusNzCs38pT-dikXOE4BdBJYoV8dvYzgtSO4l4ts0iaSORuf524bpSCWk4IparkGAbpP_mz3IxXdiMPNz9TQg5eqBkthZBllaM/s620/take_watch_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="620" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaqncO7OA_w842stjIDw9NcS91iQSBfNq8bf-ZM-TnjusNzCs38pT-dikXOE4BdBJYoV8dvYzgtSO4l4ts0iaSORuf524bpSCWk4IparkGAbpP_mz3IxXdiMPNz9TQg5eqBkthZBllaM/w400-h239/take_watch_1.jpg" title=""Did you hear that? Sounded like... click bait!"" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>"Did you hear that? It sounds like... click bait!"</i></div><br /><p>Strong personal opinion: <b>Take Watch is a bad move</b>. You don't need it. <i>Dungeon World</i> doesn't need it. I'd even go so far as to say that it is antithetical to the rest of the game. </p><p>Just to be clear, I'm talking about <a href="https://acodispo.github.io/Dungeon-World-HTML-SRD/moves/#title11" target="_blank">the bog-standard version </a>in the original Dungeon World text. This one:</p><p></p><blockquote>When <b><i>you’re on watch and something approaches the camp </i></b>roll+Wis. * <b>On a 10+</b> you’re able to wake the camp and prepare a response, the camp takes +1 forward. * <b>On a 7–9</b> you react just a moment too late; the camp is awake but hasn’t had time to prepare. You have weapons and armor but little else. * <b>On a miss </b>whatever lurks outside the campfire’s light has the drop on you.</blockquote><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">It breaks the usual flow of the game. It doesn't add much of anything to the fiction, and what it <i>does </i>add presumes more than it should about how any given PC will react in every situation. (A full explanation, and what to do instead, after the break.)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Why it's a bad move</h2><p>Look at how the move is triggered, and then what the move does.</p><p>The trigger is:</p><blockquote><p>When <b><i>you’re on watch and something approaches the camp </i></b>...</p></blockquote><p>So... it's triggered by the GM making a decision, not by a player character taking action. It's one of the only times in the game that a move works like that. It completely bypasses the usual flow of game play (establish the situation >> make a soft move >> what do you do? >> resolve). </p><p>The move doesn't help you decide <i>whether</i> something approaches the camp. It triggers only <i>if you decide</i> that something approaches the camp. Like, it assumes that you're perfectly capable of making that decision based on your prep, your sense of the situation, the precautions that the PCs have made, and the rest of the fiction-as-established. Great! You <i>are</i> perfectly capable of making that decision.</p><p>But then, the move resolves like so: </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">* <b>On a 10+</b> you’re able to wake the camp and prepare a response, the camp takes +1 forward. * <b>On a 7–9</b> you react just a moment too late; the camp is awake but hasn’t had time to prepare. You have weapons and armor but little else. * <b>On a miss </b>whatever lurks outside the campfire’s light has the drop on you.</p></blockquote><p>It's... it's a damn dirty Perception check! It's a Perception check that...</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>doesn't account for the behavior and stealthiness (or lack thereof) of the thing that's approaching the camp, and... </li><li>presumes an awful lot about how the PC on watch will react to anything approaching the camp at night. </li></ol><p></p><p>I guess there's something to be said for declaring that everyone in the party gets to participate in the nighttime encounter. But there's also a lot to be said for, I dunno, <i>letting a player decide how their character reacts to something.</i></p><p>(Oh, also: "weapons and armor but little else." Really? <i>Really? </i>If the Fighter's got time to get his damn full plate on, then I think the Ranger can probably saddle up the horses or whatever. Sorry, pet peeve.)<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXklyXjMQ0_W11tW6x7S0VvuQ2ePxAzd0THAWEMcqybBHBQXeHsZsHEynHBjjskm9XaA9Hk8WkcrlAP4HEpQOUjnm5gsqvB9s0kRvqpee6QBn8LuMUoQXSDsdVIlYnpPhfyFGrnX8xLRo/s881/take_watch_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXklyXjMQ0_W11tW6x7S0VvuQ2ePxAzd0THAWEMcqybBHBQXeHsZsHEynHBjjskm9XaA9Hk8WkcrlAP4HEpQOUjnm5gsqvB9s0kRvqpee6QBn8LuMUoQXSDsdVIlYnpPhfyFGrnX8xLRo/w256-h400/take_watch_2.jpg" title="solitary, huge, magical, stealthy" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>solitary, huge, magical, stealth</i></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">What to do instead</h2><p>"But how do I decide whether the PC on watch is taken by surprise?" </p><p>The same way that you decide whether they're taken by surprise when everyone is awake and exploring a dungeon. The same way you decide <i>everything else</i>. </p><p><b>1) Establish the situation: </b><i>"Who's got 3rd watch? Hal? Cool. Hal, what are you doing to keep awake? Are you staying close to the fire, or what? What's on your mind? Cool, cool. The others are all asleep, the forest is teeming with night noises. Moths are flickering around the campsite. It's not raining, but the air is damp and very cool."</i></p><p><b>2) Make a soft GM move,</b> according to your principles and your agenda. Make a move that follows. Begin and end with the fiction. Be a fan of the characters. Give every monster life. </p><p>You decided that something is approaching the campsite. Well, <i>what is it?</i> How is it approaching? Is it <i>stealthy</i>? Is it <i>intelligent</i>? Is it curious and just checking out the campsite? Is it hungry and looking for food? Is it a dangerous predator, a territorial brute, or group of locals on patrol? What does it want? What is it up to? Once you know what is approaching the camp, and how, and why... well, make a move that follows. </p><p>If it's a big loud hungry beast foraging for food at night, attracted by the PC's cooking, then you can <b>show signs of an approaching threat</b>. <i>"Hal, a couple hours into your watch, you hear something moving through the brush, something... big. Snuffling and grunting, snapping twigs. It's getting closer. What do you do?"</i></p><p>If it's a group of, say, kuo-toa who have slipped out onto shore to steal the PCs' boats while they sleep, then you might <b>hint at more than meets the eye</b> (not a standard DW GM move, but one I use in <i>Stonetop</i>, and it's super useful). <i>"Hal, a couple hours into your watch, you hear a... clunk? And maybe a soft scraping noise. A little ways a way, down by the lake, maybe? What do you do?"</i></p><p>If it's a <i>stealthy </i>choker creeping up on the PC, attempting to snag them and drag them off into the night, then you might gauge how cautious the PC is being. If they're sitting near the fire a sharpening their ax, you might jump straight to <b>putting them in a spot</b>. <i>"Hal, a couple hours into your watch, and you've sharpened your ax, both your knives, you arrow heads, and you're starting on you sword. There's like, this moment where all the night noises in woods go silent, just the pop and hiss of campfire, and like CRAP something snakes out of the darkness behind you and clamps over your face. You've barely manage to get a hand up in front of your throat before something like a thick rubbery rope twists around it, trying to choke you, what do you do?" </i>(If the PC had described being a bit more alert, then maybe I would have just <b>hinted at more than meets the eye</b> and asked what they did after the forest went silent.)</p><p><b>3) Resolve the PC's action</b>. Now you're just playing the game, right? </p><p>If you <b>showed signs of an approaching threat</b>, then maybe they rouse the whole party and make a lot of noise. Maybe they quietly wake the Ranger, finger over their lips in a <i>shh</i> noise, and the two of them go out to investigate. Maybe they lay an ambush for whatever's coming. Maybe they Spout Lore about the beasts that roam these woods. Whatever.</p><p>If you <b>hinted at more than meets the eye</b>, then maybe they ask questions--answer them, or tell them what they need to do to learn more. Maybe they Discern Realities (they probably Discern Realities). Or maybe they wake another PC, or the rest of the party, or whatever.</p><p>If you <b>put them in a spot</b>, then they're likely to end up Defying Danger no matter what they do, or maybe Hacking & Slashing, or using some other move. </p><p>Whatever they do: if it triggers a move, resolve the move. If they ignored a threat or danger that you warned them about, make a hard move. If they do something else, say what happens, and go back to step 1. Repeat. </p><p>See? No need for Take Watch.</p><h2>"But I <i>like</i> Take Watch"</h2><p>Okay, fine, you're not a bad person. But I challenge you to run a few sessions without the move, and see if you really miss it.</p><p>Also, ask yourself whether you're actually using the move as it's written. I suspect that a lot of GMs use it to determine <i>what</i> approaches the camp at night. Like, if the PC on watch gets a 10+, then whatever is approaching must be noisy and/or not approaching very quickly. On a 7-9, maybe it's something noisy but moving quickly, like raiders or some charging wisents. On a 6-, it's something stealthy. If that's how you use it, then I'd <i>really</i> challenge you try a few sessions without the move. </p><p>If you're looking a way to disclaim decision-making about what happens at night, try using the Die of Fate (have a PC roll a d6, low is bad, high is good). Maybe come up with some preset results as part of your prep, like those random encounter tables the OSR is all hype about. Here's the general advice I give in <i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/stonetop.html" target="_blank">Stonetop</a> </i>(along with an example, and a bonus take on dealing with deprivation). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2HclEDbnl3Rh0rV-2vkf2LHDorD9pVObYuQpEoCuPUUNZbuJFMuwrwxA0ZeHXXYE0P-TaDtPSPV57n5QPS8PWjSIGEjpx0A_3oprBmC-RpcBlmqXJfJf2O_IYGuhyphenhyphen6OEB8W_6hvhQXU/s744/making_camp_stonetop.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="521" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2HclEDbnl3Rh0rV-2vkf2LHDorD9pVObYuQpEoCuPUUNZbuJFMuwrwxA0ZeHXXYE0P-TaDtPSPV57n5QPS8PWjSIGEjpx0A_3oprBmC-RpcBlmqXJfJf2O_IYGuhyphenhyphen6OEB8W_6hvhQXU/w280-h400/making_camp_stonetop.png" width="280" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-62842666368275331892020-07-04T19:33:00.003-05:002022-05-24T10:10:21.095-05:00My recipe for starting adventures<div>I've got a little process that I use whenever I start a game of <i>Dungeon World</i> or <i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/homebrew-world.html" target="_blank">Homebrew World</a></i>. It's similar to the first session procedure that's described in the book, but different in some key ways. I've found that this approach reliably kicks off a new game quickly and with a lot of energy, in a way that makes it pretty darn easy to run and improvise. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the recipe:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Establish the adventure's premise with the group<br /></b> > Premise = a <i>fantastic location + </i>a <i>grabby activity</i><br /> > Do this <i>before </i>anyone picks playbooks or makes characters<br /><br /></li><li><b>Players create characters, GM writes/updates hook questions, which should establish:<br /></b> > Motive: <i>why are they here, doing this?<br /></i> > Stakes: <i>what's on the line, why is this important?</i><br /> > Urgency: <i>why shouldn't they dawdle?</i><br /> > Dangers: <i>what do they expect to face? what do they know about them?</i><br /> > Detail: <i>what specifically are they hunting/seeking/fleeing/fighting/etc.?<br /> > </i>Complications: <i>what's getting in the way? making it harder? constraining them?</i><br /><br /></li><li><b>Do introductions (by name, pronouns, class, and look). <br /></b> > Do <i>not </i>do bonds (or in Homebrew World, background questions) just yet. <br /> > You're just establishing who the characters are. <br /> > Yes, you can ask questions, but keep it light for now.<br /><br /></li><li><b>Ask a few of your hook questions<br /></b> > Usually 1-3<br /> > Pick questions that elaborate on or clarify the premise<br /> > Address specific PCs, not the group at large<br /> > Ask follow-up questions; encourage the players to do so, too!<br /><br /></li><li><b>Do bonds </b>(or in <i>Homebrew World</i>, <b>background questions</b>)<br /> > Ask follow-up questions; encourage the players to do so, too!<br /> > Use this to establish how they know each other, why they're working together<br /><br /></li><li><b>Finish asking your hook questions<br /></b> > Doing bonds/background questions often rolls naturally into this<br /> > Ask follow-up questions; encourage the players to do so, too!<br /> > Ask additional questions as they occur to you<br /><br /></li><li><b>Frame the initial scene, tightly <br /></b> > Start <i>in media res</i> or at least right on the verge of action<br /> > Who, where, when, doing what? <br /> > Give up to 3 strong impressions, ideally from different senses<br /> > Make a soft GM move<br /> > "What do you do?"</li></ol></div>
<div><br /></div>That's the recipe! More about the background, details, and suggested prep after the jump break.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJ2CeLs39YtvdmV59rj14BMtTZROF4mLFTMtVMS1lzcYo4ULYSvApm-fSLAAcYC1O4R0sgQtiGzM4gza0EtTB94rddIFxVHNcS3qxm7o8gRZx5w8MNKM_yOsoGyiYstP3P0k9Kq_TaDU/s1348/delicious+in+dungeon+food+chain.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="1348" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJ2CeLs39YtvdmV59rj14BMtTZROF4mLFTMtVMS1lzcYo4ULYSvApm-fSLAAcYC1O4R0sgQtiGzM4gza0EtTB94rddIFxVHNcS3qxm7o8gRZx5w8MNKM_yOsoGyiYstP3P0k9Kq_TaDU/w400-h195/delicious+in+dungeon+food+chain.jpeg" title="I keep hearing good things about Delicious in Dungeon, but I can't say that I've read it" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><font size="2">I keep hearing good things about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delicious_in_Dungeon" target="_blank">Delicious in Dungeon</a>, <br />but haven't read it; just seemed appropriate, y'know? Cuz recipes.</font></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><h2>The "standard" Dungeon World approach</h2>As I said before, the process I use is similar to the standard <i>Dungeon World</i> approach, but different in some key ways. In the <a href="http://acodispo.github.io/Dungeon-World-HTML-SRD/gm/first_session/">first session</a> section, the <i>Dungeon World </i>text tells you (as the GM) to...<br />
<ol>
<li>Bring <i>something </i>to the table, even it's just a head full of ideas. <br /> > It's <b>okay to bring a situation, or a mapped out location</b>, as long as you leave blanks!<br /><i> > "The one thing you absolutely can't bring to the table is a planned storyline or plot."<br /><br /></i></li>
<li>Have them make and introduce characters, then ask questions like crazy during character creation—especially while the PCs establish bonds. <br /> > Use those questions to help build the world together with the players. <br /> > The examples given are largely world-building type questions.<br /><br /></li>
<li>Start play already on the adventure: at the door to the dungeon, in the king's audience chamber being sentenced for a crime, with the lizardfolk attacking you, etc.<br /> </li>
<li>Continue asking questions, and turning questions back on the players, and using those questions to build the world and the adventure.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Then, throughout play, you're told to <a href="http://acodispo.github.io/Dungeon-World-HTML-SRD/gm/basics/#title2">continue asking questions</a>. "If you don’t know something, or you don’t have an idea, ask the players and use what they say."</div>
<div>
<br /></div><div>The benefits of this approach include:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Low prep</b>. As the GM, you don't have to bring a lot to the table. </li>
<li><b>Creative collaboration</b>. More brains working together will (usually) come up with more interesting, unexpected ideas than what you would have come up with by yourself. </li>
<li><b>Instant action</b>. You should be able to get character creation done pretty quickly, then start the adventure in media res, and get some actual play in, all within a couple hours. </li>
<li><b>Inherent buy-in</b>. If you do this right, you don't have to present a hook to the PCs and convince the players to go on your adventure. You start them on the adventure, and then ask them why they're there. Boom. They've hooked themselves. <br /><br /></li></ul><ul>
</ul>
<h2>
What can go wrong with the standard approach?</h2>
</div>
<div>
Honestly? A fair bit. The biggest problems, in my experience, stems from a lack of structure, inputs, and constraints. </div>
<div>
<br />
There's a pattern that I've seen, both in my own games and when folks ask for help online. They did the first session, and asked a lot of questions about the characters and the world, but they run into these problems:<br />
<ul>
<li>One or more players were uncomfortable contributing, or just not good at it</li>
<li>The details established were big, world-defining issues, high on concept but short on specifics</li>
<li>The details established were contradictory, or at least jarring in theme in and tone</li><li>It wasn't entirely clear why the PCs were together</li>
<li>The group spent most (if not all) of the first session creating characters and talking about the world, and very little (if any) time actually playing the game</li>
</ul>
As a result, the GM is looking at this gooey mass of ideas and trying to make sense of them, trying to figure out what to <i>do</i> in the next session, how to make everything come together into an actual adventure, or how to make the details that were established early on actually matter.<br />
<ul>
</ul>
This doesn't happen to everyone, or even happen to specific GMs every time. I think it's more common with large groups, and with less confident/assertive players. A "good" GM can typically salvage the situation when this happens, but it'd be better if we can just prevent it from happening in the first place, yeah?<br /><br />
<h2>
Creative Crystallization & Hard Edges</h2>
<i>(I swear that I got this concept from <a href="https://twitter.com/DanMaruschak">Dan Maruschak</a> back in the days of Google+, but if I did, it must not have been in any of the <a href="https://gplusarchive.online/">archived communities</a>.) </i><br />
<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadzrlfupLhorrJwp5iCmqsn6e9e3uKGA5oEWUJGcU-t0I4jHsBsCXnW7R1OpdWbADSetgFZJImaQs0m7IWTM9xyyIcpkTitDfUTSvI9Nu0qZG1xo1hC149q1nFl2mhEnYnyfzVSN0Idc/s1885/crystalization.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="1885" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadzrlfupLhorrJwp5iCmqsn6e9e3uKGA5oEWUJGcU-t0I4jHsBsCXnW7R1OpdWbADSetgFZJImaQs0m7IWTM9xyyIcpkTitDfUTSvI9Nu0qZG1xo1hC149q1nFl2mhEnYnyfzVSN0Idc/w400-h300/crystalization.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2"><i>more cooking metaphors, coming right up!</i><br /></font></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br />
Creativity, especially improvised creativity, benefits from hard edges to crystallize on.<br />
<br />
If you're making caramel from scratch, you need to make sure that the pan you're cooking it in is extremely clean. Any impurity provides an "edge" for the heated sugar to glom onto, and then it crystallizes from there, the crystalline lattice building on itself and getting bigger and bigger, and now you've got a big chunk of burnt sugar instead of a soft, creamy, delicious caramel.<br />
<br />
This is, like, the opposite of that. You <i>want</i> creativity to crystallize and start to grow and grow and grow on itself. And in order for that to happen, you need hard edges for the creativity to latch onto. Without those hard edges, the creativity is likely to be soft, amorphous... creamy. Not what you're after. <br />
<br />
For example, let's say that you pick a human wizard as your class & race. Now I ask "what's magic like in this world?" I'm not giving you much to work with. No hard edges for you to crystallize on. I shouldn't be surprised if you stare at me blankly or give me something very bland and high-level like "um, it's really common?"<br />
<br />
(Now, maybe you're the kind of player who wouldn't have any problem with this at all. Maybe you glom on to some detail in the playbook, or who just have a head buzzing with ideas, and your brain shoots out something specific and interesting like "I think all magic is demonic and corrupting and there's like an order of witch-hunters dedicated to stomping out spellcasters!" But unless we've played together a bunch before, I can't really count on that, can I?)<br />
<br />
By comparison, let's say that we've already established that you're standing at the bottom of a ruined amphitheater, carved out of a mesa. There are tunnels and passages carved into the mesa, entrances visible at the upper levels of the amphitheater's seating. Ruins dot the scrubland all around you. The wind is ceaseless. You and the other PCs are here, trying to stop something bad from happening. You're playing a druid from the whispering plains. I ask you "What sort of destructive spirit do you think dwells in this mesa?" </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't know what you'll say, but I bet you'll have an easier time coming up with something than if you were the wizard in that first example. Your creativity has so much more to build on: the amphitheater, the mesa, the ruins, the scrubland, the wind, the fact that you're here trying to stop something, the fact that you're a druid of the plains, the fact that it's <i>destructive</i> and a <i>spirit</i>... everyone one of those details is something that you can use, riff on, extrapolate from. </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Maybe your creativity catches on <i>the wind </i>and the <i>ruins </i>and the <i>scrublands</i>, and you think that it must be a demon of dust and drought, responsible for laying this civilization low. </li><li>Or maybe maybe your creativity catches on <i>the theater itself</i>, and you think that this whole place is haunted or cursed by the spirit of a mad playwright. </li><li>Or maybe you're picturing this amphitheater as more like <i>an arena</i>, and the destructive spirit is some sort of extraplanar entity that this civilization used to summon and bind for gladatorial combat. </li><li>Or maybe you think about <i>the scrublands</i> and <i>the whispering plains</i> and think that maybe it's a locust spirit that's taken up residence here, one that you need to put down before it brings famine to the whole region.</li></ul>
The more details that have been established, the more patterns that are already in place, the easier it is for your brain to add new patterns, new details. You don't want things to be so packed with details that there's no room for creativity to grow (draw maps, <b>leave blanks</b>, right?) But it's easier for your creativity to crystallize if you've got a bunch of hard edges to grow on.<br />
<br /><table border="1" bordercolor="#888" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-width: 1px;"><tbody><tr><td style="min-width: 60px;"><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><b>Side</b> <b>note: </b>some classes/playbooks come with more "hard edges" than others. For example, playing an Artificer says a lot more about the world and the things in it than playing the Thief. The more specific and niche the class, the more of an edge it brings.</blockquote><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">Likewise, I've found that classes with backgrounds tend to have harder edges than classes with "racial" moves. I first noticed this with <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B12bB1b9dQX8M1dLY1h0UG5wckk">Brady Lang's "humans only" mini-hack of the original DW playbooks</a>. Mechanically, the Path moves are almost identical to the Race moves in the DW books, but simply changing "Elf" to "Weaponmaster" makes the Fighter a much more specific, much more <i>interesting</i> character.</blockquote><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">That's a big part of why <i>Homebrew World</i> uses backgrounds instead of race. You can still choose between human, elf, dwarf, etc. but it's just a part of your look and the fiction, with no inherent mechanical impact) HBW also replaces bonds with a series of a "Which one of you..." questions that are tailored to the background, which provide even more hard edges to crystallize on.</blockquote><div> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The differences between my approach for starting adventures and the standard approach in the <i>Dungeon World</i> text is pretty much all about providing hard edges––about giving players stuff for their creativity to crystalize on. This keeps the benefits of DW's "official" approach (low prep, creative collaboration, instant buy-in, instant action), but makes it less likely that you'll end up with a gooey mass of ideas that you don't know what to do with. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let's take a look at the specific steps.<br /><br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">1. Establish the premise with the group</h2><div>Establish a premise for the adventure with your group <i>before they make characters</i>. That means you should bring something with you, or a choice of somethings. You should show up with a premise in mind, or a way to come up with one, plus whatever additional prep you feel will be helpful (more on that later). </div><div><br /></div><div>By <i style="font-weight: bold;">premise</i>, I mean: a <i>specific, immediate, and evocative situation</i> for the players to get excited about and interested in. Something that their creativity can crystallize on. I'm not talking about sub-genre or tone or even big-picture world-building ideas. I'm talking about <b>where we are</b> and <b>what we're doing</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>For example, these are NOT good adventure premises (at least, not by the themselves):</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>D&D in spaaaace!</li><li>Medieval fantasy Western</li><li>PCs as special forces in a fantasy World War</li><li>Everyone works for the Library </li><li>Sea dogs! </li></ul></div><div>These are all good <i>campaign concepts</i> and I'd potentially enjoy playing a game using any of them. They tell us some cool stuff about the world, or what the PCs might be doing in general. But they're insufficient for the purposes of kick-starting an adventure. They don't establish enough of a <i>situation</i>, and that's the hard edge that we really need and want.</div><div><br /></div><div>In my experience, the right level of detail for your adventure's premise is: <b>a fantastic location + a grabby activity</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>The location should be mysterious, exciting, strange, and/or dangerous! A sprawling necropolis, a city filled with thieves and cultists, an ancient temple, a floating city, a mysterious island, and vine-choked ruin, a storm-tossed ship, a great city under siege. It doesn't necessarily have be <i>magical</i> or <i>fantasti</i><u style="font-style: italic;">cal, </u>just <i>fantastic</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLzvDUMvoaNwVTCxWKQmKQhG4oP60403nxW6AlFDIKAaeI6TDOWNsUPMBM59PZkXfNc72DZQVuWmS2mXQxSeE6pgR0hYPOlBAL8S995AkExZvz0HhnnvMC-d_GxNjWAlh_FjEhnm_j8A/s768/Son+Doong+Caves.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLzvDUMvoaNwVTCxWKQmKQhG4oP60403nxW6AlFDIKAaeI6TDOWNsUPMBM59PZkXfNc72DZQVuWmS2mXQxSeE6pgR0hYPOlBAL8S995AkExZvz0HhnnvMC-d_GxNjWAlh_FjEhnm_j8A/w400-h225/Son+Doong+Caves.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><font size="2"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_S%C6%A1n_%C4%90o%C3%B2ng">Hang Sơn Đoòng</a>--a perfectly real, perfectly <br />natural, and utterly fantastic location<br /></font></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br />Your premise should also establish that the PCs are <b>doing something</b>, something that implies adventure, conflict, tension, excitement! They aren't just hanging out. At the very least, they're <i>exploring</i> this fantastic location. But you can do so much better! They could be <i>fleeing from something</i>, or <i>chasing someone </i>or <i>protecting someone</i>.<i> </i>They could be<i> </i><i>defending the place </i>or <i>assaulting the place</i>. They might be here to <i>kill someone</i> or to <i>rescue someone</i> or to <i>hunt and kill a monster </i>or to <i>put down a threat</i>. They might be <i>seeking </i>an <i>artifact </i>or <i>a hermit </i>or a <i>the location of a lost city/temple/vault. </i>Etc. etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, going back to those concepts above, if we were going to come up with a good adventure premise for each one, it might look like:</div><ul><li>Smuggling precious cargo through a githyanki blockade</li><li>Chasing fugitives into a haunted, abandoned pueblo city </li><li>Hunting an enemy commando unit through the ruin-dotted swamps outside of town</li><li>Retrieving a dangerous book from a noble's fortified and sumptuous estate</li><li>Desperately seeking food and fresh water on an uncharted jungle island </li></ul><div>Notice how all of those premises <i>imply</i> their underlying concepts (D&D in space, fantasy western, etc.) without directly stating them. I don't think that there's much harm in directly stating the concept with the group up front—if you want to play D&D in space, you should tell everyone that up front and get their buy-in. But if you're not dead-set on the concept, I find that it can be quite rewarding to present the <i>premise of the adventure </i>(only) and then see what world-building concepts arise organically. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is one place where <i>Homebrew World</i> differs significantly from other hacks/drifts of Dungeon World. <a href="https://yochaigal.itch.io/oneshotworld">One Shot World</a> in particular tells you to make characters (with a personal goal), then collaboratively create a map and world <i>first</i> (and the playbooks include questions to encourage and help with that worldbuilding). Yochai <a href="https://newschoolrevolution.com/2020/02/19/build-your-world">expounds on his method for communal worldbuilding here</a>. The tools he presents are great, and I know they work well for him. He's run like over 100 one-shots with his approach successfully, and says that he's usually able to spin up a game from scratch to the first "what do you do?" in about 30-45 minutes. Personally, I feel like you could easily fill 2-3 hours with all that world-building, and still not end up with a concrete, specific adventure.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, in my experience and opinion: it's better to start with a tight little adventure premise—a grabby activity in a fantastic location—and build the world out around that. </div><div><br /></div><div><table border="1" bordercolor="#888" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-width: 1px;"><tbody><tr><td style="min-width: 60px;"><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"> <b>Example</b>: A while ago, I got together with three friends to play an impromptu game of <i>Homebrew World</i>. I didn't really have anything prepped, except for an idea that'd been rattling around in my head for a while: they'd be seeking something in the ghoul-infested crypts beneath Kravenghast Manor. </blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>That's all I had, really. I had some ideas of what might be down there, sure (lots of ghouls, an ancient Ghoul King, maybe an ancient artifact?). I think I had originally conceived the idea as a sort of "Indiana-Jones-beat-the-Nazis-to-the-artifact" sort of adventure, but I that's more detail than I needed. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I said: <i>"For tonight's adventure, you'll be trying to get something out of the ghoul-infested crypts beneath Kravenghast Manor. Go ahead and make your characters."</i></div></blockquote><div> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">2. Make characters, write hook questions </h2><div>Have the players pick their playbooks and start making characters. Do all the logistical stuff: answer their questions, clarify the rules, "there might be other wizards out there but you're The Wizard," etc. </div><div><br /></div><div>If they ask questions about the world, or start making grandiose statements (like <i>"I think the gods all died in a cosmic war"</i>), respond enthusiastically but try to rein it in a little. Encourage them to hold these things as <i>ideas</i> and not as <i>truths</i> just yet. <i>"That's cool, but let's wait to establish stuff like that until we're all ready to do so together, yeah?"</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, you should be writing <b>hook questions</b>. Or, if you brought some with you, you should start thinking about who you're going to ask each one to. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hook questions are leading questions that help you flesh out the adventure, the world, and the characters all at once. You want questions that will establish all the following: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Motive</b>: <i>why are they here, doing this?<br /></i></li><li><b>Stakes</b>: <i>what's on the line, why is this important?</i></li><li><b>Urgency</b>: <i>why shouldn't they dawdle?</i></li><li><b>Dangers</b>: <i>what do they expect to face? what do they know about them?</i></li><li><b>Detail</b>: <i>what specifically are they hunting/seeking/fleeing/fighting/etc. </i></li><li><b>Complications</b>: <i>what's getting in the way? making it harder? constraining them?</i></li></ul></div><div>If you ask those questions, framed the right way, you'll immediately have buy-in for your adventure. You won't have to meet in a tavern, present rumors, or have a mysterious stranger offer them a job. Instead, you get to start the adventure at the point where it gets interesting. It's <i>automatically interesting </i>to the players care because they made it up, and its automatically meaningful to the characters because the players just told you why they care!</div><div><br /></div>The trick is, you don't want to just straight-up ask the players "hey Bob, why are you trying to smuggle something through the githyanki blockade?" You want to craft the questions a bit. I could write a whole blog post about the art of asking questions, but here's the "quick" version:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Address the characters, not the players:</b> <i>"Krikor, what sort of beasts are you worried about encountering in these badlands?"</i> is better than <i>"John, what monsters inhabit these badlands?"<br /><br /></i></li><li><b>Assert as much as you ask:</b> If the premise is "we're seeking something in a ruined manor," then don't just ask <i>"what are you seeking?"</i> Make an assertion with your question. For example: <i>"What treasure is rumored to be buried in the caves beneath this ruined manor?"</i> asserts that there are <i>caves</i> and <i>buried treasure</i>. Each assertion gives the player another hard edge for their creativity to grow on. <br /><br /></li><li><b>Assert things that you want/need to be true:</b> Frame your questions so that they assert any details or ideas that your prep relies on, or that you just really want to be true. (You might want it to be true because you just think its awesome, or want to head off certain shenanigans, or whatever. You're allowed to have an opinion, too!) <br /><br />For example, if you've prepared some moves and dangers and maybe a map for exploring a cramped, chaotic, twisting sewer system, then don't just ask <i>"Vigo, what makes these sewers so dangerous?" </i>Vigo's player might tell you about the huge chambers with caustic chemicals and implacable machines that relentlessly process waste, creating a very different place (organized, big open chambers, magic-tech vibe, etc.) than the crumbling horror-show you prepped for.<br /><br />Instead, ask something like <i>"Vigo, so... you and your previous crew were hired to map the city's beehive of a sewer system a few months back... who hired you, and what horrible fate befell the rest of your crew?"</i> This asserts that the sewers need mapping, and establishes that they are vast, unknown, labyrinthine, probably kind of cramped. The assertion that they met a horrible fate establishes the danger, with a tinge of horror. The fact that someone hired them establishes some interesting NPCs and likely leads to follow-up questions like, <i>"Oh, who are they? What do you suspect their interest was?"</i><br /><br /></li><li><b>Ask for meaningful contribution:</b> Asking <i>"What's the name of the merchant you know in Hightown?"</i> is kind of weak-sauce. You're not asking them to contribute anything that <i>matters</i>. It's just a name. <br /><br />Better, ask <i>"Who's the merchant you know in Hightown, and why do you trust them so much?" </i>That prompts the player to create some backstory, and gives them a large amount of say over the merchant NPC's personality. (And maybe you really wanted/needed them to trust this NPC—and now the player is telling you why they do!)<br /><br /></li><li><b>Be specific, but not too specific: </b>Even better, ask: "<i>Who's the silk merchant in Hightown that you're planning to visit, and why do they treat you like family?" </i>This still invites meaningful contribution, and it establishes something you want/need (a close connection to an NPC merchant), but it gives them more specific details—hard edges!—to crystallize on (a <i>silk</i> merchant, going to <i>visit</i>, treats them <i>like family</i>). <br /><br />Careful not to go too far, though. If you ask "<i>...and how did you save their life, so that they treat you like family?" </i>then you're kind of painting them into a corner. Unless it's really, really important that they saved the NPC's life and that the NPC is grateful for it, leave the <i>why</i> up to the player!<br /><br />The line between "too specific" and "not specific enough" is blurry. It's mostly a matter of taste, and/or judging how a particular player might react. Play around with the level of detail you assert, and try to develop your own feel for it. <br /><i><br /></i></li><li><b>Get personal:</b> ask questions (and make assertions) about the PCs' past, their feelings, and their relationships. This is actually a bit more powerful after you've gotten to know the characters a bit, but a little dash of intensely personal Q&A right up front can really help define a character. <i>"Who exactly are you here to murder, and why are you so sure that they deserve it?" </i>That establishes that this isn't, like, an impersonal political assassination, or justice, but a rather a <i>murder</i>, and it raises the possibility that the PC's motivations aren't exactly sound. <br /><br />Or <i>"What treasure is rumored to be buried in the caves beneath this ruined manor, and how would finding it change your family's fate?"</i> That asserts that the PC actually has family, that they're doing this for them, and that their fate is somehow in question. Juicy stuff, no?</li></ol></div><div><div><br /></div><div>As you can imagine, your hook questions benefit from a taking time to write them in advance. But with experience, you can create some workable questions in the time it takes the players to make their characters.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you <i>did</i> prep your hook questions in advance, then take the time during character creation to think about who you're going to ask which question, and what order you'll ask in. You don't have to commit to anything just yet; heck, I often write down a choice, like "Fighter/Ranger" and then pick one of them to ask once we get into it and I see who hasn't had a lot of input. Or maybe I just figure out who I'm going to ask the first couple questions to, and feel my way through the rest. </div><div><br /></div><div><table border="1" bordercolor="#888" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-width: 1px;"><tbody><tr><td style="min-width: 60px;"><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">Back in that game of <i>Homebrew World: </i>the players choose the Wizard, the Thief, and the Paladin and start making characters. I start thinking about hook questions.</blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>I wanted to start with a combo of motive, stakes, and detail, and for whatever reason, I wanted to ask the Wizard. So I jotted down: <i>"Wizard, who or what are you seeking in the crypts below Kravenghast Manor, and why is it so important that you get them/it out?"</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>To add a complication and a sense of urgency, I also jot down <i>"Who else is looking for __, and why?"</i> (A rival 3rd party is always a good complication!)</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">"Ghoul-infested crypts" already implies plenty of danger, but I think I'll ask the Paladin about something that's changed. I jot down <i>"Paladin, why are you/your order watching this manor so closely?"</i></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>So there we go: motive, stakes and detail for the Wizard. Complication and urgency (probably for the Thief). Extra danger and some details from the Paladin. </div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div> </div></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table> </div><h2 style="text-align: left;">3. Introductions (by name, pronouns, class, and look)</h2><div>Not too much to say here. When everyone is ready, go around and I have each player introduce themselves. If you're playing <i>Homebrew World</i>, have them include their backgrounds as part of their class. You want something like:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"I am Hawke the Fighter, a veteran of the wars! I'm a grizzled human with a thousand-yard stare, a giant frame, and an oft-broken nose. My pronouns are he/him."</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>It's cool if the players get a little more involved here, but try to keep anyone from hogging the spotlight. Ask for clarification (<i>"you're grizzled? like how old are you, actually?"</i>) and maybe ask some obvious follow-up questions (<i>"how long ago were the wars you fought in?"</i>). Keep it simple, though! Show interest, be enthusiastic. But don't spend more than a few minutes on each character.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, encourage the other players to ask questions. <i>"Anyone have any questions for Hawke?"</i> Again, try to keep things moving and don't spend too long an any give character. But if you set the precedence <i>now </i>that everyone can and should ask questions, it'll go a long way towards creating a collaborative spirit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't do bonds (in DW) or background questions (in HBW) just yet. I mean, it's okay if it happens, but hold off on doing them formally. You're just figuring out who the PCs are, not necessarily how they know each other. You want to flesh the premise out a bit before you get into that! (See next step.)</div><div><br /></div><div><table border="1" bordercolor="#888" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-width: 1px;"><tbody><tr><td style="min-width: 60px;"><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">Continuing that game of <i>Homebrew World: </i>the players introduce their characters. We've got: </blockquote><div><ul><ul><li><b>Roberta </b>(she/her), a fae-touched Wizard of indeterminate age and bloodline (maybe human? maybe elf?), crazed eyes, boney-limbed, draped in amulets and talismans.</li><li><b>Thadeus </b>(he/him), a paladin and paragon of virtue, young & innocent human with eager eyes, all shine & polish, lit with an inner fire. Incredibly earnest. </li><li><b>Peter </b>(he/him), an operative (Thief), older human but he's still got it. Thin as a whippin' stick and moves with no wasted movement. A bit of a silver fox. </li></ul></ul></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>I remember asking Roberta's player if she was half-human and half-elf, or had some elven ancestry, and she was like "eh? who can tell?" Okay!</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">I recall that Thadeus's player volunteered that he was a <i>"a paladin of the Light, not really a god, but more like a non-personal source of all life and all hope."</i> </blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><i>"So is this an established religion?"</i> I ask. </blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><i>"Oh, totally. Pretty big, fairly old, kind of corrupt in the way established religions get."</i> </blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">Huh, okay. <i>"And do you hold like an official role or position in the church?"</i></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><i>"Oh, yeah, I'm part of an ordained order of paladins. But I'm, like, the only true believer in my order, certainly the only one with any powers. I weird the others out."</i> </blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">Well <b>that's</b> cool.</blockquote><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div>I think I must have also asked Thadeus about his vows (from the HBW Paladin's "Bound by a Higher Law" move). He can't cheat/utter falsehood/deceive with words, he'll always offer mercy, and he'll protect the weak and give aid to any innocent. </div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>I think, when Peter's player introduced his character, he might have jumped ahead and asked one of his background questions. "Which of us has a... <i>complicated</i>... past?" Roberta's player chimed in with "oh, definitely me." No harm done, but I asked them to hold off on asking any more questions.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"> </blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">4. Ask a few of your hook questions</h2><div>Once you've established who your PCs are, ask 2-3 of your hook questions. Your goal here is to flesh out the premise. Elaborate and clarify it, until the situation really starts to snap into focus. </div><div><br /></div><div>Often, this means asking whatever hook questions you have that establish motive and details, plus maybe one other element. For example, if the premise has them chasing fugitives into the haunted pueblos, I'd start with hook questions that establish what these fugitives did (details) and why the PCs are chasing them (motive). I could also ask about the haunted pueblo (danger), or about the other NPCs who are part the PCs' posse (complication), or why it's so important that they catch these guys here and now, before sunset (urgency). But I'd probably only do one of those, and leave the rest for later.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Address each question you ask to a particular character</b> (and thus a particular player), rather than posing the question to the group as a whole. This prevents confident, assertive players from hogging the spotlight, and tends to draw out less confident, less spontaneous players. It also helps prevent that sort of "dead space" that can happen when no one wants to answer, for fear of stepping on someone else's toes. (Yes, I'm from the midwestern U.S.—this is a <i>thing</i> here.) </div><div><br /></div><div>Addressing your questions to a specific character (and thus player) is particularly important when playing online. Audio/visual lag often results in people talking over each other, and this approach cuts that off. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Jot down the answers they give you, to whatever level of detail you find useful. <b>Ask follow-up questions</b>. Be curious about the answers they give you and what those answers imply! Encourage other players to ask questions as well. </div><div><br /></div></div><div>If a player seems to be flailing or unsure how to answer, you can:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Try rephrasing the question, to help clarify <i>("Sorry, let me rephrase that... I'm wondering what your personal stake in this is, Krikor... like, why are YOU part of this posse?")</i></li><li>Try adding some direction or options to choose from <i>("...like, did they hurt someone close to you? steal something from you? were you hired for this? something else?")</i></li><li>Tell them to think about it, and ask the next question to a different player, coming back to the other player later</li><li>Ask them what they're considering; invite them to think out-loud. Probably address this invitation to the player, not the character. <i>("What are you considering, Bob? You want to talk it through?"</i>)<i> </i></li></ul><div>If they give you an answer that just doesn't make sense, then ask them to elaborate and/or rephrase and clarify your question. Try to identify the disconnect, and get on the same page. For example:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>GM</b><i>: "Krikor, who are these outlaws that you're chasing, and what did they do that you're so hell-bent on bringing them to justice?" </i></div><div><b>Player</b>: "<i>Oh, these assholes betrayed us during the last robbery and made off with the loot!"</i> </div><div><b>GM: </b>(thinks to self: "what the hell?", but says:) <i>"Wait, what? What do you mean by 'betrayed you?'"</i></div><div><b>Player:</b> <i>"Like, we were doing the robbery together, and we pulled it off, but these jerks grabbed the loot and ran and left us to deal with the Law.." </i></div><div><b>GM </b>(lightbulb clicks) <i>"Oh. OH! So you're not trying to bring them to justice, you're out to get REVENGE." </i></div><div><b>Player: </b><i>"Yup. Well, and to get that sweet loot." </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes (like in the example above), a player's answer will turn the whole premise on its ear, or at least take things in a direction that you didn't expect. When that happens, you've basically got two choices: run with it, or try to rein them in.</div><div><br /></div><div>In general, I recommend <b>running with it</b> when an answer throws you for a loop. Like, in the example above, the GM clearly expected the PCs to be the good guys here, part of a posse trying to bring the outlaws to justice. But when the GM realizes what Krikor's saying—that the PCs (or at least Krikor) was in cahoots with these outlaws, and they're out for revenge and money—well, the GM just accepts it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Running with it usually means asking follow-up questions, or might require you to adjust your prep on the fly. Maybe that GM's next question was going to be <i>"Who else from town insisted on joining this posse, and why are you so sure they're gonna cause you grief?"</i> Well, now that they know the PCs are outlaws themselves, that doesn't make sense. So maybe they switch the question to <i>"Aside from the other PCs, who else from the job is with you, and why are you so sure they're gonna cause you grief?"</i> But they might also drop that question entirely and ask something different, to take advantage of the new details. <i>"How did you give the Law the slip, and just how close are they to catching up with you?"</i> or <i>"Who are the famous bounty-hunters on your trail, and why does the thought of facing them make your blood run cold?"</i> <i> </i> </div><div><br /></div><div>So, yeah, you might have think on your feet when the players give you an unexpected answer, but... that's kind of the point. You're <b>playing to find out what happens</b>, right?</div><div><br /></div><div>So, when should you <b>rein them in</b>? I'd try to limit it cases where their answer...</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>...violates the other players' (or your) expectations or boundaries, or...</li><li>...contradicts or invalidates details/choices that have already been established by others</li><li>...undermines your prep, in a way that you can't adapt</li></ul></div><div>So, like, if Krikor's player says these outlaws raped and murdered a bunch of villagers, when you've already established that sexual violence is behind a Line (as in <a href="https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/30906/what-do-the-terms-lines-and-veils-mean">Lines & Veils</a>), or if you just noticed that another player feels uncomfortable with that detail, or you realize that <i>you</i> feel uncomfortable with that detail... then you should rein Krikor's player in. <i>"Uh, we yeah, I'm not comfortable with sexual violence being a thing in the game, even in the background. Sorry, I'll add that as a Line. Can you come up with something else?"</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Likewise, if Krikor's player says something that's counter to the tone you've all agreed on, like "<i>these guys stole a bunch of prize gerbils from the local gerbil ranch</i>," and everyone was expecting some gritty fantasy-western stuff, then... yeah, rein that in. <i>"That's hilarious, but I think gerbil thieves is a bit gonzo. I'd prefer to play this straight, yeah?"</i> </div><div><br /></div><div>If Krikor's answer contradicts an established detail, point out the detail they're contradicting. Often, the player self-corrects with something like "<i>oh, crap, yeah, sorry... how about instead __." </i>But sometimes, the new detail they added will be good enough that everyone wants to change the previously-established details to accommodate it. Or, maybe you can figure out a way to make both details work. <i>"That's really cool, yeah, but... Jin is playing a Paladin... That might not work with y'all being part of the same outlaw crew that you're pursuing." "Oh, sure... well, let's say that <b>I'm</b> part of this posse because they betrayed me on the last job. But maybe no one else knows that?" "OOOH, yeah, cool!"</i></div><div><br /></div><div>If you think that a player's answer undermines your prep, stop and think before you rein them in: does it <i>really</i> invalidate your prep? Can you maybe just adjust it a little bit and still use it? Do you really <i>need</i> this now-invalidated prep, or can you go off-script and run without it? If you really, really can't—or just don't want to—then, yeah, rein them in. <i>"Ugh, I'm sorry, but that actually undermines a lot of my prep. I'm sort of expecting that you guys are here with a posse from town..."</i> But also: maybe next time, make your prep a little looser or your questions a little tighter! With experience and foresight, this is a problem you can avoid. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyhow: remember that your goal right now isn't to ask <i>all</i> of the hook questions, but just a few. Ask enough to flesh out the premise into a full-fledged situation. Once the situation starts to become clear, do the next step. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><table border="1" bordercolor="#888" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-width: 1px;"><tbody><tr><td style="min-width: 60px;"><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">Continuing that game of <i>Homebrew World: </i>we've got Roberta the fae-touched Wizard, Thadeus the young-and-eager paladin of the Light, and Peter the operative Thief (who has a complicated past with Roberta). </blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>My first hook question is the most obvious one: <i>"Roberta, who or what are you seeking in the crypts below Kravenghast Manor, and why is it so important that you get them/it out?"</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><i>"Ugh,"</i> she says in this gravelly, entirely put-out voice, <i>"my TA. You know, my teaching assistant. He stole something from my office and disappeared down into the crypts."</i> I don't know what I was expecting, but I was not expecting <b>that</b>. I'm briefly tempted to rein it in, or challenge her ("wouldn't that be more appropriate for the Formally Trained or Steeped in Lore backgrounds?") but screw it, let's see where this goes. </div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><i>"So, you're a professor? At, what a university?" </i>Yup. <i>"And what did this TA steal?"</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><i>"Oh, it was some weird hunk of starmetal. It's been in my office for ages, in the back, collecting dust.</i>" Of course it has, her fae-touched background says that starmetal it anathema to her magic, so this is already all sorts of interesting. <i> </i> </div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div> </div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>Roberta's player didn't really answer the question of why retrieving them was so important, so I shift to the Thief and get him involved. <i>"Peter, why is rescuing this kid so important to you, specifically?" </i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>He grabs Roberta's idea of the university and builds on it. <i>"I'm like a fixer and troubleshooter for the University. Technically part of the campus security staff. And when students go missing, its bad PR and there is <b>so much</b> paperwork. It's way, way easier to go into the ghoul-infested crypts and rescue him than to deal with that. Or, at least recover the body. Then it's only like a J55 form. But when they disappear, it's, like, UGHH." </i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>And, boom, there we go. We've got a pair of extremely cynical university employees delving into ghoul-haunted crypts in search of a TA they don't really care about and an artifact that the Wizard can't really use, mostly because it's easier than dealing with the bureaucratic headaches involved if this stuff goes missing. </div></blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>A few follow-up questions reveal that it's not just <i>a</i> university, but The University, preeminent place of learning in all the civilized worlds. There are others, sure, but this is like the <i>big</i> one. </div></blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>I would <i>never </i>have come up with this on my own, and I am loving it. </div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">I feel like we should get to the background questions, but I kinda want to know a little more about the paladin's involvement. <i>"Thadeus, why did these two come to your order for assistance on this mission?" </i>(This isn't a question I had prepared, just one that seemed obvious to ask. Also, notice how I'm asserting that they came to his order, and implying that they're working together, but inviting him to answer the question of <i>why</i>.)</blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><i>"My chapter is charged with monitoring and containing the darkness of Kravenghast Manor. It's like, shrouded in a pillar of perpetual darkness. Our chapter house is right on the edge of the property."</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>WHAT?!? Awesome. <i>"So where is Kravenghast Manor, exactly? How far away from the University is it?"</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><i>"Oh? It's on campus."</i> </div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div>Yaaaaasss. </div></div></blockquote><div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"> </blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1h7vE1BF1WhY80gngzwaqH553K36-RtxmMfNWdiyGaRWj8lu7qxLvjmHBbviVoxTe8AOr-pC8bZaU5yv2jIhbP0w0edOGlEschGtY0-VIUy5wXYUdNnR2z1654YcCwnIt5O1tgDCj9gk/s3264/pillar+of+eternal+darkness+%2528on+campus%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2399" data-original-width="3264" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1h7vE1BF1WhY80gngzwaqH553K36-RtxmMfNWdiyGaRWj8lu7qxLvjmHBbviVoxTe8AOr-pC8bZaU5yv2jIhbP0w0edOGlEschGtY0-VIUy5wXYUdNnR2z1654YcCwnIt5O1tgDCj9gk/w400-h294/pillar+of+eternal+darkness+%2528on+campus%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><font size="2">Honestly, I pictured something more on a hill, but good enough!</font></i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">5. Do Bonds/Background Questions</h2><div>You've established your premise and your characters, and you've fleshed out the the situation. Time to figure out the PC's relationships with each other. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you're using standard <i>Dungeon World</i>, now is the time to <a href="https://acodispo.github.io/Dungeon-World-HTML-SRD/character_creation/#title11">choose bonds</a>. It's been a while since I've used these, but I seem to recall it working best when one player would read out a bond, filling in another PC's name. Then another player (often the one mentioned in the previous bond) would read and assign one of their bonds, and so on. It's all pretty organic and messy, really—in a good way. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Bonds should be done in a spirit of collaboration</b>. The players are establishing bonds <i>together</i>, in conversation with each other, rather than writing in names in their bond slots and then revealing them to each other after the fact. Sometimes, the conversational aspect means that they "declare" bonds by asking questions. "Hey, Krikor, I think that maybe you owe me your life, whether you admit or not. Does that sound good?" Or "Hey, which of y'all do you think I've sworn to protect?"</div><div><br /></div><div>If you're playing <i>Homebrew World</i>, you don't establish bonds. Instead, you go around asking questions associated with your backgrounds. For example, here are the questions associated with the Ranger:<br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUiTTTgjsa-0c23jlRZidHuBJ-bWjaES_H-UtLutJG2ofgE5r-k2OXuvT99ZgGfuh6vIQn2WsM79WGUyJQ-GXBNBAp6fb3ujVjfx0I_Ool190LO1jhKrDrjV4g5wHyxmLQXv_89cGQ-5o/s1072/Ranger+Background+Questions.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1016" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUiTTTgjsa-0c23jlRZidHuBJ-bWjaES_H-UtLutJG2ofgE5r-k2OXuvT99ZgGfuh6vIQn2WsM79WGUyJQ-GXBNBAp6fb3ujVjfx0I_Ool190LO1jhKrDrjV4g5wHyxmLQXv_89cGQ-5o/w379-h400/Ranger+Background+Questions.png" width="379" /></a></div> </div><div>Pick someone to start (or ask for a volunteer). They choose one of their questions, read it off, and one of the other players says something like "yeah, I think that's me!" Then have the next player go, and then the next, until everyone has asked (and gotten an answer to) at least one question from their list. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's possible that one player will ask a question and no one will want to answer. That's fine. Talk it out. Maybe you (as a group) can come up with an angle that makes it interesting. But if, seriously, no one wants to answer "me," then just ask the player to ask a different one of their questions. </div><div><br /></div><div>Once everyone has asked their first question, check if anyone wants to ask another from their list. Make sure that folks don't think that they're <i>supposed</i> to ask all 4 questions. They're not! They're meant to pick and choose the ones that seem most applicable or interesting. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you're tight on time (like, it's a convention game or a one-shot), then encourage folks to stick to just one question. Obviously, play this by ear. If the tomb-raider Thief asks "which of you put this job together" and that was basically already answered as part of the hook questions, then, sure, let them ask another one!</div><div><br /></div><div>Regardless of whether you're using bonds or background questions: <b>take notes</b>, <b>ask follow-up questions</b>, <b>clarify</b>, and <b>be curious </b>about the PCs and their relationships to each other. <b>Encourage the other players to do so as well</b>. Think about what these questions and answers <i>mean, </i>and what they suggest about the PCs' pasts. Try to make connections to the current situation as already established. </div><div><br /></div><div>With that said, <b>leave some questions unanswered</b>, at least for now. Maybe write a little list for yourself: <i>"I wonder... what does Jin actually think about Krikor? What did Jin do to get shipped off to this frontier? What was the first tomb that Felix raided?" </i>Leaving some questions to answer in play can be a powerful tool. It gives you a hanging thread to pull on later, often in a very rewarding way! <i> </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Before we move on, I like to try and <b>summarize the web of relationships</b> that we've just established and how they fit into the adventure.</div><div><br /></div><div><table border="1" bordercolor="#888" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-width: 1px;"><tbody><tr><td style="min-width: 60px;"> <blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">Continuing that game of <i>Homebrew World: </i>we know that Roberta and Peter are searching for Roberta's missing TA, who stole a starmetal artifact and disappeared into the crypts of Kravenghast Manor. They're searching for him because it's easier than doing the "missing student" paperwork. They've gotten Thadeus's help because his order, the Paladins of the Light, watch over the manor, and the manor is shrouded in eternal night. </blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>That's a solid situation, so it's time to ask the background questions. </div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>Peter has already asked "which of us have a... <i>complicated</i>... past?" and Roberta said it was her. I go back to that and ask about it. <i>"Like, were you two lovers?"</i> The two players look at each other and Peter's player says <i>"Eh, probably not? I think its just that we've both worked for the University for a long time, and that we've had plenty of other screwed-up situations like this where we've had to work together." </i>Roberta's player adds that they don't really <i>like</i> each other, but she at least respects Peter's competence. Peter is... <i>less forthcoming</i> about his opinion of Roberta, but I can already tell that there's sort of a weary camaraderie between them. </div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>Roberta asks <i>"Which of you has the most beautiful soul?"</i> and Thadeus's player jumps in with <i>"I think that's obviously me."</i> I ask Roberta's player what she finds so beautiful about it and she says "<i>He's so naive. It's precious.</i>"</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>Thadeus then asks "<i>Which of you is a better soul than you let on?"</i> There's a little discussion, but Roberta eventually decides that, no, she is <i>not</i> actually a good soul. So Peter it is. <i>"How so?"</i> I ask. Peter says that, as curmudgeonly as he pretends to be, he really does try to do the right thing. Just... not <i>that</i> hard. </div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">They've each asked one question from the background, and I ask if anyone wants to ask another. They do not! </blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"> </blockquote></div><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">I quickly recap: <i>"So, Peter and Roberta know each other from a bunch of similar shit-show situations like this. Thadeus, you've joined them because your order told you to, I guess, and your order watches over Kravenghast Manor. And you know that Peter really is a better soul than he lets on. But not much. That sound right?</i>" It does. We move one! </blockquote></div><div> </div><div><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">6. Finish asking your hook questions</h2><div>Go back to your hook questions and ask whatever's left, and whatever new questions occur to you.</div><div><br /></div><div>You might find that some of the hook questions you had prepared no longer make sense. That's fine, you're not, like, committed to them. Drop them, change them, or replace them. </div><div><br /></div><div>Remember, your hook questions are meant to establish at least the following:</div><div><ul><li><b>Motive</b>: <i>why are they here, doing this?<br /></i></li><li><b>Stakes</b>: <i>what's on the line, why is this important?</i></li><li><b>Urgency</b>: <i>why shouldn't they dawdle?</i></li><li><b>Dangers</b>: <i>what do they expect to face? what do they know about them?</i></li><li><b>Detail</b>: <i>what specifically are they hunting/seeking/fleeing/fighting/etc. </i></li><li><b>Complications</b>: <i>what's getting in the way? making it harder? constraining them?</i></li></ul><div>I find it helpful to <b>look over the list again and consider whether we've established all of them</b>, or if any of these elements feel "murky" still. If any haven't been established to my satisfaction, I'll ask questions until they we're done!</div><div><br /></div><div>It's also somewhat inevitable that your players will have introduced some ideas that need fleshing out. Ask questions about these, too, until you've got a clear enough picture to use it in the game. (Remember, though, that it's sometimes good to leave yourself things to wonder about and answer in play.) </div><div><br /></div><div>As always: ask follow-up questions, be curious, look for connections, and encourage the other players to ask questions of each other. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Once you've got the elements above established to your (and your players') satisfaction, then move on!</div><div><br /></div><div><table border="1" bordercolor="#888" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-width: 1px;"><tbody><tr><td style="min-width: 60px;"> <blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">While everyone was making characters, I wrote three hook questions:</blockquote><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><ul><li><i>"Wizard, who or what are you seeking in the crypts below Kravenghast Manor, and why is it so important that you get them/it out?" </i>(motive, detail, stakes)<i> </i> </li></ul></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><ul><li><i>"Who else is looking for __, and why?"</i> (complication, urgency)</li></ul></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><ul><li><i>"Paladin, why are you/your order watching this manor so closely?" </i>(danger)</li></ul></blockquote></div><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">I've already asked the first question (that's how we learned about the TA and the missing starmetal artifact). That has established motive (<i>avoid paperwork</i>) and stakes (<i>paperwork, the TA's life, the missing artifact</i>), and some details (<i>TA, starmetal artifact</i>). We've also established that Thadeus is here because his order is watching Kravenghast Manor (<i>shrouded in eternal darkness, on campus, ghoul-infested crypts</i>). </blockquote></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>The second question is still valid, but given Roberta and Peter's rather cynical motives, I decide to crank up the urgency and stakes a bit. I ask the Thief: <i>"Peter, who else is looking for this starmetal artifact, and why is it important that you find them first?"</i> Peter's player tells about an agent/troubleshooter from a rival college (I think he named him "Sparrow") who was just... unprofessional. <i>"Kind of guy that doesn't care who gets hurt. Never hesitates to put lives in danger. He's just... not okay."</i> I consider asking more probing questions, but it's clear that Peter really dislikes this guy and I've got a good handle on how to portray him (ruthless, wreckless, selfish). I do ask Peter how he knows Sparrow is here, and looking for the starmetal artifact, and Peter says (mysteriously) <i>"I got people. They told me."</i> </div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>The third question, about why Thadeus's order watches the manor so closely, has basically already been answered. They're Paladins of the Light, and the manor is shrouded in a pillar of eternal night. Seems pretty obvious why they'd watch it so closely. So instead of asking that, I ask <i>"Thadeus, w</i><i>hy has your order been so worried about the Manor recently? What’s changed?”</i> (Asserting that they’re worried, there’s something wrong, but I don’t know what.) <i>“Oh, the pillar of darkness that enshrouds the place? It’s been growing. Quickly.” </i>Ooh, nice. I think he also tossed in a prophecy re: a force of primordial darkness breaking loose. </div></blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>I've got motive, stakes, urgency, details, dangers, and complications all tied up. There are just a few things left I want to know. </div></blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>I ask Thadeus why his order picked him (specifically) to help Roberta and Peter (<i>"Oh, I’m the only true believer here, and everyone else is like HAVE AT IT, KID.”)</i>.</div></blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>I asked Roberta what her academic studies focus on (<i>"portals, mostly"</i>) and how the startmetal artifact was related to those studies (<i>"well, I think it's some sort of key, but I can't make use of it because it's anathema to my magic, right? so it's just been collecting dust")</i>. I also ask Roberta for the TA's name (<i>"pfft, I dunno, Simon I think")</i> and why she thinks he stole the artifact and brought it here (<i>"oh, I think I found some of his notes about some cosmic portal beneath the manor? I think he was trying to get a good paper out of it this, cut me out of his research"</i>). </div></blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>Okay, so we've got:</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><ul><li>An ambitious (maybe bitter?) TA named Simon who stole a starmetal key and disappeared into the ghoul-haunted crypts beneath Kravenghast Manor, possibly to use said key to open a "cosmic portal.' </li></ul></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><ul><li>A pillar of eternal night enshrouding said manor, growing rather quickly of late. </li></ul></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><ul><li>An order of Paladins of the Light that are supposed to be watching over this place, and who have some sort of prophecy about a force of primordial darkness arising from within, but who can't really be bothered to do anything about it and are like "eh, kid, go check it out." </li></ul></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><ul><li>A professor of portal-magic (Roberta) and an agent from the University's security department (Peter) who are honestly more worried about paperwork than they are about getting Simon the TA back. </li></ul></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><ul><li>A rival of Peter's, Sparrow, who's also on campus and looking for this starmetal artifact, and isn't above letting some folks get killed in order to get his hands on it</li></ul></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div>I'm loving it. I feel like this is almost going to run itself. </div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><h2>7. Frame the initial scene, tightly</h2><div>Maybe take a quick break. But then: time to start playing. </div><div><br /></div></div><div>Pick a specific place and situation to zoom in on. They aren't <i>on their way</i> to the adventure, they're <i>already there</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>If I'm NOT worried about real-world time constraints</i></b>, I'll typically start things at the threshold of the adventure. Like, in that "pursuing outlaws into a a haunted, abandoned pueblo city" scenario, I'd start with them riding their horses into the ravine and seeing the first of the cliff-dwellings. For a more traditional dungeon delve, they'd start at the entrance, or at least overlooking it. I might ask some more questions—about the journey, the weather, the NPCs who are with them (if any), what they're planning to do, etc. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes, I'll have them Undertake a Perilous Journey (in standard Dungeon World) or Venture Forth (in Homebrew World) to inform exactly how close they've gotten and what, if anything, it's cost them. (For UPJ, we'll talk about the danger they encountered on the way, and figure out what happened based on the scout's roll. On a 10+, they got the better of it, a 7-9, maybe someone's down a few HP or bandages, and on a 6-, maybe they all are!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Alternately, I might throw together a quick custom move, like: </div><div><i><br /></i></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>"Fighter, tell us how you got past the lizardfolk who inhabit the swamps around this ruin. I'll tell you what STAT to roll. On a 10+, cool, it worked. On a 7-9, it worked for now, but they're either actively looking for you or they're working themselves up to follow you; on a 6-, they're in hot pursuit!"</i></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">If I AM worried about real-world time constraints</i>, I'll push things even further along and start them out in media res, in the middle of a dangerous situation: a fight, fleeing something, a tense standoff, fording a raging river, scaling a sheer wall, etc. Basically, jump straight into the action, and then fill in the details later (asking questions and using their answers). </div><div><br /></div><div>Either way: I'll describe the environment, the weather, the time of day. I'll try to give three impressions from different senses. We'll establish where everyone is and what they're doing. I'll answer any questions that folks have, and ask questions as appropriate (<i>"What are you using for a light source?" "What's going through your mind?" "What here tells you that this place once teemed with life but was suddenly abandoned?"). </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Then, I'll make a soft GM move, something that prompts a action (either by giving them an opportunity or by forcing them to react). I'll ask "What do you do?" They'll respond. We'll play <i>Dungeon World</i>!</div><div><br /></div><div><table border="1" bordercolor="#888" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-width: 1px;"><tbody><tr><td style="min-width: 60px;"> <blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div>Time to get this game of Homebrew World started! </div></div></blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div>This is a one-shot, so honestly, I probably <i>should </i>have started them in the middle of a dangerous situation, maybe already in the crypts and fighting off some ghouls. But I was more interested in building up tension, so I framed the first scene on the threshold of the adventure, with them entering the pillar of eternal night surrounding Kravenghast Keep and trying to find Simon the TA's trail. </div></div></blockquote><div><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><i>"Okay, so it's mid-morning when you pass into the pillar of darkness, a disquieting experience to be sure. The manor house, once a grand edifice, now slumps on the hilltop and a massive cemetery spills out around it. Everything is white and grey and pitch black in the moonlight. It's quieter in here, too, stiller. The sounds of the daytime world outside are muffled, and even the wind seems to avoid this place. As you make your way, what's something that you each notice that tells you this place hasn't been touched by daylight for dozens if not hundreds of years?"</i> </blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">We get some good details (<i>dead, cracking trunks of once-mighty trees that long ago lost their branches; thick, pale lichen growing on every stone; mud and gravel everywhere instead of grass</i>). They're not carrying a light source yet, and they're trying to be quiet (at least for now). </blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">The scene is set! I <b>offer them an opportunity, with a</b> <b>cost </b>(danger, time): "<i>Roberta, Simon's notes indicated a particular mausoleum, or maybe like the markings and carvings on one. Seems likely that he'd go there. But there are well over a dozen mausoleums in the place, and it's dark, and there are ghouls sniffing all about. What do you do?" </i></blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">And we're off! </blockquote></div><div><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Using This Stuff in Play</h2><div>Okay, so you've followed this recipe and now you've got all this stuff established: a grabby activity in a fantastic location, personalized motives and stakes for the PCs, a sense of urgency, details and dangers and complications and relationships between the PCs. You've framed a scene and made a move, and you're playing. </div><div><br /></div><div>What do you <i>do</i> with all of that stuff you've established? Mostly: you <b>let your creativity crystallize on it</b>. When it's your turn to say something, say something that builds on one or more of these established elements. Look for connections. Ask yourself (or the players) questions about them. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>But also: <b>drive play towards answering the adventure's implied questions</b>. The adventure you just set up asks questions about what <i>will</i> happen. You also probably still have some questions about what <i>has happened</i> or <i>what is true about the world. </i>For example: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Will the PCs bring the outlaws to justice?</li><li>Will Krikor get away with the loot?</li><li>Will the others (especially Jin) find out about Krikor's past?</li><li>Will Constance and the other NPCs in the posse survive?</li></ul></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Who <i>were </i>the pueblo's original inhabitants, and what happened to them?</li><li>What <i>is </i>the Tear of Heaven, really?</li><li>What exactly <i>is </i>the thing the dwelling in the High Cave? </li></ul></div><div>Basically, now that you've started the adventure, <b>what are you playing to find out? </b>These are the <b>implied questions</b> posed by the adventure's setup, and you want to drive play towards answering them. </div><div><br /></div><div>Not sure what scene to frame next? Frame a scene that gets the PCs closer to catching up with the outlaws, or that puts Constance in danger, or that reveals something about the pueblo's original inhabitants. </div><div><br /></div><div>Someone just Spouted Lore about the pueblo's inhabitants? On a 10+, make a decision (or ask the players to) and answer the question. On a 6-, answer the question but make the answer <i>bad</i>, something that indicates the PCs (or the NPCs, or the world) are in serious danger (probably related to the thing in the High Cave). </div><div><br /></div><div>You're well into the adventure, someone rolls yet another 6-, and you're thinking "ugh, what do I do <i>this time</i>?" Well, look at the outstanding questions and answer one of them—firmly, absolutely, and to the PC's dismay. <i>"Well, as you're approaching the High Cave, thinking about traps and ambushes, THUNK, there's suddenly an arrow in Constance's chest. It's weirdly quiet. She just sort of stumbles, then sits down, red seeping into her shirt, eyes glassy. Another arrow flits by you, what do you do?" </i> </div><div><br /></div><div>The more of these implied questions you answer in play, the more satisfying the adventure will feel. In a one-shot, you'll rarely be able to answer them all, but try to answer the big ones. In an ongoing game, the adventure is done when the implied questions are answered or are no longer relevant. At that point, switch from "normal" play to denouement and epilogue. Wrap things up and start thinking about the next adventure. </div><div><br /></div><div>I can't say that I actually write out these implied questions; they tend to be pretty self-evident to me, and I just keep them in the back of my mind and maybe think about them a little during breaks or when I'm stumped for something to do. But if it helps you to actually write them out, then do so! </div><div><br /></div><div><table border="1" bordercolor="#888" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgb(136, 136, 136); border-width: 1px;"><tbody><tr><td style="min-width: 60px;"> <blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>As we start playing this Kravenghast Manor adventure, I obviously use a lot of the elements that they've given me. We already made the pillar of eternal night an important detail. When Peter uses his Operative background move to declare that he's got a student on work-study monitoring the manor grounds for the Security Department, I run with it, because it makes perfect sense based on what they've already established. When they biff a Discern Realities, I reveal that Sparrow is already here, in the crypts ahead of them. When they finally encounter some ghouls, the tone we've already established leads me to make them "talky ghouls" (scavengers that absorb the memories and personalities of the corpses they consume) rather than ravenous predatory ghouls. </div></blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">There are a number of implied questions: </blockquote><div><ul><ul><li>Will they rescue Simon? Or at least recover his body?</li><li>Will they recover the starmetal key?</li><li>Will they escape with their lives?</li><li>What the hell is Simon up to, anyhow?</li><li>What is Sparrow's interest in all of this?</li><li>Will the primordial darkness be released? </li></ul></ul></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">As the one-shot progresses, the PCs naturally try to rescue Simon and escape with their lives, and at first my hard moves introduce challenges and obstacles to make that harder, like revealing that Simon was captured by the ghouls and taken to see the Ghoul King. As things progress, I push play towards answering some of the other questions, revealing that the Ghoul King is using the starmetal key (and Simon's life-force) to open the portal and unleash primordial darkness on the world. </blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">In the climactic scene, a number of the implied questions get answered. Roberta manages to open a fae-portal back to her office (while Peter distracts the Ghoul King by fighting him). Roberta drags Simon through, and Peter follows close behind, but they have to leave the key because it's starmetal and won't go through Roberta's portal. The entity of primordial darkness starts to make it through the portal, but Thadeus draws its attention, holds it at bay with his righteousness, and engages it in philosophical debate. He ends up binding it to himself, creating a perpetual diode of Light and Darkness deep in the crypts below Kravenghast Manor, turning the pillar of eternal night into a yin-yang like pillar of light and darkness, slowly swirling over the manor. </blockquote><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div>We never did find out what Sparrow's interest was in all of this, though. Peter got him captured by the ghouls before we could find out. But as we wrapped up the session, I did one last "post-credits scene" where I described the Ghoul King on his throne, the eternal diode of Thadeus and the Darkness still swirling about, the starmetal key laying in the middle of the chamber. Some ghouls drag Sparrow before him. "So," he says to the Ghoul King, glancing at the starmetal. "Looks like you won't be needing <i>that</i> anymore." And we end play there! </div></blockquote><div> </div><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">What to Prep</h2></div><div>I was going to write up a bunch of stuff about what to actually prep when you use this approach, but this is getting long enough. I'll probably turn that into its own blog post.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>The short version is, I recommend prepping the following, in this order:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>At a bare minimum, <b>prepare an adventure premise</b>, or a choice of premises, or find a procedure you like to generate the premise with the players. <br /><br /></li><li>If you've decided on a specific adventure premise, and you still have time, then <b>prepare your hook questions</b>. If you've <i>still</i> got time, arrange them in the order you intend to ask them, maybe indicate where you plan to break for doing bonds/background questions.<br /><br /></li><li>From there, <b>prep as many of the following as time allows </b>(and by "prep" I mean: create, find, steal, re-purpose, recycle, etc.). <a href="https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/blog/the-7-3-1-technique" target="_blank">The 7-3-1 method is pretty good for this!</a></li><ul><li>Map(s) of the location (probably un-keyed)</li><li>Picture(s) of the location</li><li>Key areas (descriptions, contents, questions you might ask the players) </li><li>Monsters (stats, descriptions, behaviors)</li><li>NPCs (descriptions, "voice," motives)</li><li>Treasure (nature, value, placement)</li><li>Custom moves</li><li>Countdowns (impending dooms, grim portents)</li></ul></ol><div>Whatever elements you <i>do</i> prep, consider it and your hook questions in light of each other. If you prep something that you really want to use, make sure that your hook questions are phrased to assert that your prep is true. Like, if you've prepared a particularly awesome monster (like the glass-eating Jabali boars), then don't ask <i>"What do you know about the dreaded Jabali boars?"</i> Rewrite that question to something like: <i>"How did you manage to escape from that first encounter with the glass-eating Jabali boars, and who or what did you lose in the process?"</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Remember: your prep is for you. <b>Only prep things that will benefit <u>you</u> at the table</b>. Don't waste time on stuff that's obvious to you, or that you can improvise easily, or that's unlikely to be relevant. Better to spend your time accumulating tools to help with improvisation (like random tables or a <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/monster-creation-cheatsheet.html">monster-generating cheat sheet</a>)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Addendum May 2022: </b></div><div>Here are some different scenarios that I've prepped that largely use this format and approach:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1agIfSYsFVDmlLIkvE-sdQ8TZH0_RH9tWUhWBTcApElk/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">The Fallen Sky-City of Kitasa</a>: pretty bare-bones prep... an adventure premise, a series of setup questions, and a rough unkeyed map of the adventure locale. </li><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q81nDHhnxNjv9YT5FCSmfViTpx-1-ApyEGl32tnVI8U/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">The Obsidian Forests of Yend</a>: a bit more elaborate... a premise, a series of setup questions (with some flavor text), a starting scene, some impressions, =some dangers, some discoveries. </li><li><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0lFq3ECDQDQeTkxMjd5WnVxMWc/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-KMgmlU8QwP1CL8CpXwpBzA" target="_blank">Under the Dark of the New Moon</a>: the first adventure I ever wrote or ran for Dungeon World, actually! It doesn't explicitly state the premise, but it's there: you're in a cesspool of a city, searching for "Valleois, that dog," shortly before the new moon when all locals stay locked up at night. </li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>
</div>Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-88780905074884325862020-05-07T16:24:00.000-05:002020-05-07T16:24:54.671-05:00Desafiando o PerigoThe coolness continues!<br />
<br />
Frederico Fiori (a.k.a. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/pidin">/u/pidin</a> on Reddit) translated <i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/02/defying-danger-rpg.html">Defying Danger</a></i> into Brazilian Portuguese. As I speak no Portuguese, I can hardly comment on the quality of the translation, but the layout is slick!<br />
<br />
I'm rather shocked that both this translation and <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/03/sfidando-il-pericolo.html">Francesco's Italian one</a> managed to make everything fit in basically the same space. I tend to fill my projects' layout to bursting, with lots of thought given to cutting words and making each line "fit." That's hard enough to do in English (<i>o scavenger of words! o lexicographic bone-picker!</i>), which often has a dozen ways to phrase any thought, many punchy and short. The romance languages always struck me as having longer, more flowing words and phrasing, so it impresses me to see translations of this game squeezed into the limited space.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, here's the goods:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1g3sO1zcqfmWenDM9rRfUvLVB91ec2KP9" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="1263" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXb1ErTKafb9sHXyytL73ogAOJTY9hZrLBMRlsVtIfm1_HFnaGVLs0Kg2JAWdHVOr1NT5YA-Zf2nHPO0nid_LkVI5BgpCWKMjdh7UL9SFSvxU-2i8ZIDOhkn6fATZyo2CBeeq2Xot9Mmg/s400/Defying+Danger+Portuguese+snippet.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1g3sO1zcqfmWenDM9rRfUvLVB91ec2KP9">click for PDF</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Frederico actually sent me this almost a month ago, so I feel bad for just now posting it. I'd like to blame the pandemic, but, really, I'm just sometimes a bit of flake.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, I'm sure Frederico would love to hear about it if you use his translation. You can contact him <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/pidin">on Reddit</a> or via email at "hayako" at protonmail dot com.Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-80425846799015432172020-03-27T09:52:00.001-05:002020-03-27T13:49:42.005-05:00Sfidando il Pericolo<br />
Well this is all sorts of cool.<br />
<br />
I got an email out of the blue from Francesco "Checco" Catenacci, who stumbled on my game <i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/02/defying-danger-rpg.html">Defying Danger</a></i> and translated it into Italian.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aMw5J_s-J23I_Y_IVv_NWZCAo5nGYQMG/view?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="743" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWuSA9QI4T3ja9mrtMEpHbJa6lUS-A3tBHKEdRZo5Sbug1Zx5W3JgPgNDweBZv0A98yfnhUrk4WC4PFf1TBNV1497m2ArKmAaF2yy6_I2U1ORHHiKf2LNl7YbYbUQfIJAJ9vNd4NV-6i0/s400/Defying+Danger+Italian+snippet.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aMw5J_s-J23I_Y_IVv_NWZCAo5nGYQMG/view?usp=sharing">Click to see it!</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Francesco also pointed out a few typos and whatnot in my original draft, prompting me to update it. Nothing major, but the current version is now just a little better. <i>Grazie Francesco!</i><br />
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If you use Francesco's work, I'm sure he'd love to hear about it. You can contact him at <b><i>checco </i></b>at <b><i>tutanota</i></b> dot <b><i>com</i></b>.<br />
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<i>Divertitevi!</i>Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-23038851345528126822020-03-22T00:43:00.002-05:002021-02-23T20:19:00.521-06:00Running Fights in Dungeon World & Stonetop <blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I've been working on the GMing chapters for </i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/stonetop.html">Stonetop</a><i>, and recently finished the "Dangers" chapter. Part of that chapter is a section on "Using Monsters and Running Fights." It's a distillation of procedures, advice, and wisdom that you'll find floating around the Dungeon World community, but that isn't really specifically laid out in the DW text.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i></i><i>If you've been GMing Dungeon World (or any of its hacks) for a while, you probably know all of this already. I'm mostly posting this for newer GMs, or those who've been running the game but still feel uncertain when fights break out. </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Some caveats:</i><br />
<ul>
<li><i>It assumes that you're using my changes to <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/09/hack-slash-part-ii.html">Hack & Slash</a>, <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/12/defend.html">Defend</a>, <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/05/defy-danger-restated.html">Defy Danger</a>, <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/01/parley-in-stonetop-and-homebrew-world.html">Parley</a>, and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cS8-8JZD3CGW59VAjrlA6w7eI4E_xSNOWofg3kY-fOolx7Wv6t3XzZF84f5VsT_zM2MQPyD29x-F93hMYwJJGVXtQML3idq48HqupgyD4CmO3NHXTC3rGJTGnpME6niuk7UhiOvTfgc/s411/Aid.png">Aid</a>--but most of what follows applies with the original moves, too.</i> </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li> <i>The Multiple Combatants and Abstracting Groups sections assume that you're using an updated version of the Follower rules originally presented in the Perilous Wilds. In </i>Stonetop<i>, Followers can make the same moves that PCs do (like Defy Danger or H&S), but the roll either +0, +1, or +2 depending on their tags and you might have to Order Followers to get them to do things. Expect a future blog post on that!</i></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>You'll see references to GM principles, moves, and agenda items that are slightly different from those of core </i>Dungeon World<i>. I trust you can see the parallels. </i><i>It definitely assumes that the GM move <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/01/deal-damage-is-crap-gm-move.html">"Deal Damage" has been replaced with "Hurt Them"</a></i> </li>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul></ul>
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</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Okay, let's do this. As always, questions and feedback are appreciated!</i></blockquote>
<h2>
Introducing Monsters</h2>
Whenever it’s time to make a GM move, you can <b>introduce a danger</b> and put a monster in the scene.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Don’t worry about your monsters being “fair fights” or “balanced encounters” or something that the PCs can even defeat. Worry about your monsters making sense. <b>Portray a rich and mysterious world</b>, right? If it makes sense for the PCs to stumble across a pair of (extremely dangerous) thunder drakes, go for it. Then <b>play to find out what happens</b>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Exactly how you introduce a monster will depend on the situation, the monster’s tags and qualities and moves, and the actions of the PCs. “Obvious” monsters encountered in a wide-open space will give the PCs plenty of opportunity to plan and react. <i>Stealthy </i>monsters in a dark, cluttered space while the PCs stumble around in torchlight? Not so much.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
------------------ </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-style: italic;">The PCs are up in Gordin’s Delve trying to trade off some valuables they found in the Green Lord’s tomb. Rhianna’s off talking to a contact. Vahid, Caradoc, and Blodwen are at a pub. Caradoc and Blodwen get up to leave, and Vahid sees a couple of unsavory types get up and follow.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-style: italic;">
Now, if these guys are just a pair of local miners that Caradoc managed to tick off, then I’ll <b>introduce a danger</b> and let the PCs see them coming. “About halfway back to your hostel, you realize that you’re being followed. It’s those guys from the pub and they look pissed. What do you do?” The PCs have all sorts of options—they might try to lose them, or set an ambush, or talk, or whatever. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-style: italic;">
<i>But if these bad guys are </i>stealthy<i> cutthroats who regularly murder unwary travelers in alleys and loot their corpses, then I’ll be much more aggressive about it. I’ll start by <b>hinting at more than meets the eye</b>. “You find yourselves in a dark, empty little trash-strewn square, and everything’s quiet. Too quiet. You feel like you’re being watched. What do you do?”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-style: italic;">
Let’s say they Discern Realities, roll a 7-9, and ask, “What should I be on the lookout for?” I’d say “You’re pretty sure someone’s following you, or maybe circling ahead. And these alleys are a filled with good spots for an ambush. What do you do?” Whatever it is, they’ll be on guard. My next move will probably be to <b>introduce a danger</b>, but softly and with a chance to react. “As you pass a dark side-alley, two thugs rush out towards you, what do you do?” </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-style: italic;">
But suppose they Discern Realities and get a 6-, or just ignore my veiled threat and blunder on. In that case, I’ll <b>introduce a danger</b> hard and painfully. “Caradoc, this guy comes out of a dark side-alley and snags your right arm, twists, and shoves you face-first into a wall. Take 1d8 damage. Blodwen, you see a second guy step forward, sneering, a glint of metal in his hand. What do you do?”</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">------------------</span></blockquote>
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<div style="font-style: italic;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXyJFG9GhhJR_uYticHSPhk7MftL6K0hzytvDNTQk3QJ8AmeZsJGq-PLMxIZQ7oo0hXZRyDsF4FwgTaYNb6zgFjycupUDHey3AZXFzYUnFzLE7_GlQZFCOJYha0qEhCO431HXgq6XjCA/s1600/two+muggers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="600" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXyJFG9GhhJR_uYticHSPhk7MftL6K0hzytvDNTQk3QJ8AmeZsJGq-PLMxIZQ7oo0hXZRyDsF4FwgTaYNb6zgFjycupUDHey3AZXFzYUnFzLE7_GlQZFCOJYha0qEhCO431HXgq6XjCA/s400/two+muggers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>These two guys follow you into an alley...<br />(more after the jump-break)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span><a name='more'></a></span><h2>The Flow of Battle</h2>
<div>
<div>
Fighting foes is a big part of the game, but combat isn’t a distinct mode of play. There’s no moment where you say “roll for initiative” and different rules kick in. There’s no orderly round-robin where everyone takes one action on their turn.</div>
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When a fight starts, <b>you run the game</b>: describe the situation, make a GM move, ask “what do you do?” Resolve their actions. Repeat. Fights are—like everything else in the game—a conversation.</div>
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Monsters don’t Hack and Slash or Volley; you don’t roll to see if their attacks succeed. Instead, you make a GM move. Usually, you <b>describe the attack but stop short of it connecting</b>. Ask the player(s) in the spotlight, “What do you do?” Whatever their response, it’s likely to trigger a move. Resolve the move, and let the situation snowball from there.</div>
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<i>Caradoc just got slammed face-first into a building and a second cutthroat is advancing on Blodwen, knife in hand (I’m <b>announcing trouble</b>). “What do you?” I ask.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-style: italic;">
<i>Blodwen left her staff back at the hostel; she’s basically unarmed. “I’ll give ground and back away,” she says, “looking for a stick or a rock or something to defend myself with.” That’s Discerning Realities, and on a 6- the guy’s probably gonna shank her. But she gets an 8.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-style: italic;">
<i>“Yeah, sure, there’s a broken broom up against the alley wall, you could use it as a club. And a few loose bricks.” I then <b>put her in a spot</b>. “But as you see them, the guy comes at you, knife stabbing low like this. What do you do?”</i> </blockquote>
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Fights usually involve a lot of things happening at once. You need to <b>manage the spotlight and keep everyone involved</b>. When there’s a pause in the action, address a different character (ideally one who hasn’t talked in a bit). Describe the situation from their point of view, make a GM move, ask “What do you do?” Sometimes you’ll move the spotlight after resolving a single PC action or move. Other times, you’ll resolve a few moves that flow naturally together, and move the spotlight when they’re done.</div>
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Blodwen Discerned Realities and spotted some junk she could use as a weapon, but I kept the spotlight on her and had the cutthroat attack. She says “I’ll twist out of the way, then dive for that broom!” We agree she’s Defying Danger with DEX (with advantage, for acting on Discern Realities). </blockquote>
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She gets a 9, and I offer her a cost or a lesser success. “You can get the broom but you’ll be cut for 1d8 damage, or you can dodge clear and not make it to the broom.” She decides to get the broom, taking 5 damage in the process. “Okay, you’ve got it,” I say, “but your shoulder is bleeding from that cut.” </blockquote>
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It’s been a while, so I move the spotlight to Caradoc. First, I recap his situation: “So this guy has your right arm twisted behind you and he’s pushing your face into the cold, rough brick wall.” Then I make a soft GM move (one of my monster moves, <b>fight dirty</b>): “He grabs your hair and pulls back, and you just know he’s about to smash your face back into that wall, what do you do?”</blockquote>
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A character actually suffers a monster’s attack when: </div>
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<ul>
<li>You set up an attack with a soft move, and the PC ignores it </li>
<li>The results of a PC’s move (like Hack and Slash) says that they do </li>
<li>The PC rolls a 6- on pretty much any move, and you decide that they do</li>
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Suffering a monster’s attack doesn’t (just) mean that they take damage. It means you use the monster to make an aggressive, hard move. You can, of course, <b>hurt them</b>. Or you can make any other hard GM move that makes sense. If your move involves the PC getting hurt, roughed up, or worn down, then deal damage as part of that move.</div>
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“So this guy’s got my right arm twisted? But my left arm’s free? When he pulls me back by my hair, I’ll quick draw my new dagger like this and stab behind me.” I wasn’t expecting that, but it makes sense based on how we’ve described things. Hack <i>and Slash it is!</i></blockquote>
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<i>He rolls a 4, and I start thinking about <b>hurting him</b> and breaking his nose on the wall. But Caradoc invokes <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL04vkF80VW2ZOizicIjHQZPBfp7EW2EKfB04kgalIqWhtXu07_5Wb-wMOGQdcE5Btk6aHVN6oOHURVvqvpP_xjryBtu-xCfopFFVvHb4kEJXCJvp6BS16-Wn51RQOnK21XaGtW9UHQ9o/s1600/impetuous+youth.png">Impetuous Youth</a>, bumping his result up to a 7-9 (at the cost of losing his knife). He stabs the thug and deals damage (3 of the thug’s 6 HP) but also suffers the thug’s attack. I decide to <b>turn his move back on him</b>. “He yells and lets go of your right arm. But then he grabs your left arm, the one with the knife, and like twists it up and over like this, kicking your legs out and smashing you down. Take 1d8 damage, and oh yeah, your knife goes flying from your hand.”</i></blockquote>
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A PC’s actions are informed by their <b>fictional positioning</b>—where they are, what they’re doing, where their enemies are and what <i>they’re</i> doing, weapons, momentum, terrain, lighting, and everything else that we’ve established about this situation.<br />
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Fictional positioning affects whether a PC’s actions trigger a move, and which move is triggered, and whether an action is even feasible. It also affects the range of possible results, both good and bad. A strong fictional position can mitigate the bad results of a roll, and a desperate fictional position can mean that a 6- is really, really bad.<br />
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Skillful players will look for ways to shape their fictional positioning, allowing them to trigger more advantageous moves, set themselves up for better results, or even skip needing to roll entirely.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">------------------ </span> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I jump back to Blodwen, who just dove past her assailant and grabbed a broken broom to use as a weapon. She got cut, but now has some distance between her and her attacker. I describe the situation: “You grip the broom and he turns to face you, a little more respect in his eyes.” Then I <b>offer an opportunity</b> for Blodwen to seize the initiative. “He crouches down like this, knife at the ready—you can tell he’s waiting for his moment. What do you do?” </span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">“Just like old Seren taught me. I’ll pretend to be scared and present and opening. When he attacks, I’ll sidestep and smack his wrist, then swing up and smack his face.” </span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I could say “no, he doesn’t buy your act” or maybe even tell her the requirements and say she’ll have to Parley to lure him in. But I think this guy is a big bully, not expecting much of a fight, and he gets suckered in. “Cool, roll Hack and Slash!” </span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">She gets a 7-9, so her maneuver mostly works but she suffers his attack. She rolls only a 1 for damage (vs. this guy’s 6 HP), so I say that she smacks the knife out of his hand but doesn’t get the follow-up swing at his face. Because he no longer has his knife, I make his attack softer than I would have and <b>put her in a spot</b>. “Before you can swing up, his left hand grabs the shaft. Then he grabs on with his right hand, and you find yourself struggling over this broken broom handle.” </span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I jump back to Caradoc, who’s in a spot of his own—on the ground, no knife, angry bad guy above him. “He’s still got your left arm twisted out behind you, and he’s like kneeling on your back.” I <b>announce trouble</b>. “He keeps adding pressure. It feels like your arm is going break or something. What do you do?” </span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">“I’ll, like, reach back with my right hand and grab his face, try to gouge an eye or tear his cheek or something.” </span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">That’s just not reasonable given the position this guy has him in. I clarify the situation, then <b>tell him the requirements and ask</b>. “You’re gonna need to get free of his hold before you attack him. And if you want to force yourself free, that’s going to be Defy Danger with STR. You do it?” </span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">“Wait, wait. I think this counts as a threat to my loved ones, right? These guys are trying to kill Blodwen, not just me. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBBKORY1MD_TPrMprqgeRI-xpMYgwj37tvWEQPgtM0tYhGGgE_CV5llY3SqYbpO1Z2HYzkoW0TdzIAEykuiUhVrxMkLABAMqxySyNffOfdwogD_olhSb7o4wxQHOrlP8bDQaQzuVfbHg/s1600/anger+is+a+gift.png">Anger is a Gift</a>?” It’s a bit of a stretch, but sure. “Cool, I spend 1 Resolve to act suddenly and catch him off-guard. Do I still need to roll?” </span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">“You’re still in a really bad position here. But I tell you what--I think catching him off guard means you can twist free and attack him at the same time. So a Hack and Slash instead of Defy Danger. Cool?” He agrees, rolls a 10+, and manages to wrench free with a yell and punch the thug out.</span></i> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">You’ll generally focus the spotlight on one or two specific characters at a time. </span><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Other players can interrupt and interject</b><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">, within the bounds of what the fiction, the rules, and politeness allow. Don’t be afraid to shut down (politely yet firmly) a player who keeps stealing the spotlight, or whose character is preoccupied, or who wants to do something implausible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">------------------ </span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Caradoc finishes off his foe and I jump back to Blodwen, who’s struggling with the other cutthroat over the broken broom handle. I show a downside and tell her “He’s a lot stronger than you, you can barely hold on. What do you do?” </span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Before she says anything, Caradoc jumps in. “I spend my last Resolve and act suddenly. I come out of nowhere and bowl this guy over. Hack and Slash?” </span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I’m tempted to say “No, this is happening while you’re fighting with your guy.” But his move does let him spend Resolve to “act suddenly, catching them off-guard.” </span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">“Huh. Yeah, I guess. Roll it!”</span></i> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> ------------------ </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span><br />
As a fight goes on, avoid anything that feels like “trading blows” or just a grinding away at each other’s HP. Use your GM moves and the results of PC moves to <b>constantly shift the momentum of the fight and the fictional positioning</b>. Even when one side rolls low damage (or no damage), look for a way to make the situation change.<br />
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Regularly ask yourself, “<b>Would this monster keep fighting?</b>” Use its instinct as a guide, as well as what you know about its personality and why it’s fighting in the first place. <i>Cautious </i>foes in particular will look to escape violence as soon as a fight goes south.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> ------------------ </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><i>Caradoc gets a 12 on his Hack and Slash and does indeed tackle the cutthroat. He rolls only 1 damage, but his maneuver still works. “You shove him up against the far wall and he grunts a little.” </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><i>I shift the focus back to Blodwen and offer her an opportunity. “Whew, you’re free. You notice this guy’s dagger at your feet. What do you do?” </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><i>“I pick up the dagger and calmly walk up to them. Caradoc has him pinned?” </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><i>“Eh, he's still struggling, but mostly, yeah.” </i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><i>“I put his knife to his throat. ‘Stop. Piss off right now and you live. Keep struggling and I’ll bleed you like a spring lamb.” </i></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><i>I’m thinking that’s a Parley, but really, he’s got no reason to resist. They’ve clearly won, and this guys’ more of a knife-in-the-dark type than a fight-to-the-death type. “He stops struggling,” I say, “and his eyes bug out at you, Blodwen. He nods a little. Caradoc, do you let him go?” </i></span> </blockquote>
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<h2>
Foes They Can't Hurt</h2>
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<div>
Sometimes, the PCs can’t feasibly attack their foe. The monster might have a special quality (like “made of stone”) or tag (like <i>huge</i>) that makes them effectively invulnerable to the PC’s weapons. It might have a move (like “swat arrows from the air”) that counters attacks. Fictional positioning might make an attack extra dangerous or impossible (it’s got a <i>reach </i>weapon and the PC has a <i>hand </i>weapon).</div>
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When you first present such a monster, convey how hard it’ll be to hurt. <i>“It’s got this lashing, whip-like tail, at least 10 feet long.” </i>Or, <i>“It’s like literally a moving tree, 30 feet tall and made of wood.”</i> Or, <i>“She moves with the calm confidence of a master fighter.”</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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If the players say that they attack in a way that just wouldn’t work, then they don’t trigger Hack and Slash or Volley. Instead, <b>tell them the requirements</b> (<i>“you’ll have to get past that tail first”</i>) or <b>reveal an unwelcome truth</b> (<i>“you chop into it full-strength, and it just, like, takes a chip out of it”</i>) or <b>put them in a spot</b> (<i>“she side-steps like its nothing and her own spear flashes at your throat”</i>) and ask, “What do you do?”</div>
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Make the PCs work for it. They might have to figure out a way to actually hurt this foe. They might need to Defy Danger to get close enough, or <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cS8-8JZD3CGW59VAjrlA6w7eI4E_xSNOWofg3kY-fOolx7Wv6t3XzZF84f5VsT_zM2MQPyD29x-F93hMYwJJGVXtQML3idq48HqupgyD4CmO3NHXTC3rGJTGnpME6niuk7UhiOvTfgc/s411/Aid.png">Aid</a> each other to have any chance of overcoming its defenses. They might need to use the environment to their advantage. They might have to retreat or flee because they just can’t hurt it. They might need to wait for their moment. They might need to do something drastic.</div>
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Reward creativity and effort. If they have an idea or a move that would work—even one you never expected—then run with it. Be a fan of the player characters. But also, respect your prep and the fiction. If your notes say that this monster is hurt only by bronze, and they don’t have any bronze, don’t let them steamroll you into agreeing that it’s also vulnerable to, oh, silver.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> ------------------ </span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="font-family: "times new roman";">They’re exploring the ruins near Three-Coven Lake. The room gets suddenly colder and the lanterns flicker, and (after a 6- to Discern Realities) a long, hand-like shadow reaches out and grabs Vahid. He drops his lantern and starts shaking in a fit. I address the others: “What do you do?” </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="font-family: "times new roman";">Caradoc doesn’t hesitate. “I draw my knife and slash into that shadowy limb, trying to cut Vahid free. Hack and Slash?” </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="font-family: "times new roman";">“No, don’t roll.” I <b>reveal an unwelcome truth</b>. “Your knife goes right through the shadow, like there’s nothing even there, but your hand goes numb and there’s frost on the blade. Rhianna, Blodwen, you see this happen, what do you do?” </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="font-family: "times new roman";">Blodwen looks at her possessions and says “Bendis root! I’ve got some from my herb garden.” She drops her staff, sets down her lantern, and Has What She Needs to produce some. </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="font-family: "times new roman";">“It’ll take a few moments to get it out and light it. You still do that?” (<b>Tell the requirements and ask</b>). Yup, she’s doing it. “Rhianna, what are you doing?”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="font-family: "times new roman";">“This is like a ghost, right? So what hurts ghosts? Iron? Silver?”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="font-family: "times new roman";">That’s Spouting Lore, for sure, and she rolls a 10+. “Silver. In fact, you’re pretty sure that’s why Vahid got that silver dagger last summer.”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="font-family: "times new roman";">“Oh. Oh! I’ll step in and pull it off of him, then attack this thing.”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="font-family: "times new roman";">“Cool, roll Hack and Slash!”</i> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> ------------------ </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </i></blockquote>
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<h2>
Multiple Combatants</h2>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>NOTE: Some of this is significantly different from what's presented in the </i>Dungeon World<i> book. In particular, the DW text has you roll damage once and apply that same roll to each enemy you hurt with a single attack. I don't do that, because it means that you either drop EVERY foe you hit or your drop NONE of the foes you hit. </i></blockquote>
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When the PCs face multiple foes (and they often will), break up the action into multiple smaller engagements—the Ranger fights one crinwin, the Fox fights another, the Marshal and his crew deal with the rest of them. This isn’t anything formal. It’s just a natural way to manage the scene.<br />
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Unengaged foes—those that aren’t pinned down in combat—are all sorts of potential trouble. Incorporate them into your moves whenever you have the chance. <b>Announce trouble </b>and have them move to flank the PCs. <b>Show a downside</b> of being outnumbered and have them block a PC’s path. <b>Reveal an unwelcome truth</b> and have one come out of nowhere and smack a PC when they roll a 6-. Bad guys don’t just sit around waiting to be attacked.<br />
<br />
When <b><i>a PC or follower engages multiple foes</i></b>, make more aggressive moves than when they face a single foe. If they ignore the threat posed by multiple foes, <b>tell them the consequences and ask</b>. If they carry on and give you a golden opportunity, or roll a 6-, or otherwise suffer the enemy’s attack, then make your move extra hard.<br />
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When <b><i>a PC or follower’s attack could feasibly hurt multiple foes</i></b>—because of the <i>area </i>tag, because they describe it in a way that makes sense, etc.—then they roll Hack and Slash or Volley just once for the whole group, but they roll damage separately for each individual foe.<br />
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When <b><i>multiple PCs and/or followers attack a foe at once</i></b>, one of them rolls Hack and Slash or Volley and the others <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cS8-8JZD3CGW59VAjrlA6w7eI4E_xSNOWofg3kY-fOolx7Wv6t3XzZF84f5VsT_zM2MQPyD29x-F93hMYwJJGVXtQML3idq48HqupgyD4CmO3NHXTC3rGJTGnpME6niuk7UhiOvTfgc/s411/Aid.png">Aid</a>. If a group of followers attacks a single foe (or a significantly smaller group), they effectively <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cS8-8JZD3CGW59VAjrlA6w7eI4E_xSNOWofg3kY-fOolx7Wv6t3XzZF84f5VsT_zM2MQPyD29x-F93hMYwJJGVXtQML3idq48HqupgyD4CmO3NHXTC3rGJTGnpME6niuk7UhiOvTfgc/s411/Aid.png">Aid</a> themselves.<br />
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When <b><i>multiple combatants deal damage to a single foe</i></b>, roll one combatant’s damage (usually the best one) and add +1 extra damage for each capable attacker after the first. Apply tags from all the attackers as they make sense. For example, if a PC fights two Hillfolk warriors (d8 damage, <i>1 piercing</i>) riding horses (d6+2 damage, <i>forceful</i>) and suffers their attack, you’d probably roll damage from one horse and add +3; that’s d6+5 damage (<i>1 piercing, forceful</i>). Ouch.<br />
<br />
Clever tactics can make a huge difference when dealing with multiple combatants. Holding a chokepoint reduces the number of foes they have to fight at once. Focusing fire on a tough opponent can help drop it more quickly. Attacking a group’s flank and dropping some of them before they can react? Golden.<br />
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">------------------</span> </b></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Rhianna, Garet, and Eira (two of her crew) find Caradoc barely holding a doorway against six crinwin. Some turn and hiss. Rhianna says “We draw hatchets and wade in!” Her crew are archers but not warriors, so she has to <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrf6OAaAHShuKqu7tQ_l5Cg_HRh1gjpfifcRZWlAIuYzWrbP-s4wlW8HHK-avQYwZGNrWHbn4f9bmhZM41bh28gLKHwuewHh25qclnHnHb7wY75GomWQsZpMj-EJDRkyl89-pYhHlU5oA/s1600/Order+Follower.png">Order Followers</a>. She gets a 10 and they follow her lead.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Caradoc’s got two crinwin occupied, so I tell Rhianna she’ll be dealing with the other four. “How are you doing this?”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“I’ll take point, chopping the first one and plowing past him to get at the next. Garet’s on my left, Eira’s on my right, a step behind, each hacking at one of their own.”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“Sounds like Hack and Slash with Aid from your crew,” I say. “But they’re not providing advantage—they’re letting you fight multiple foes at once.” Rhianna rolls an 8. She and her crew deal their damage but suffer the enemy’s attack.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Rhianna rolls her 1d8 damage twice (once per crinwin she engaged), getting a 7 and a 2. Crinwin have 1 Armor and 3 HP, so the first one goes down and the second is up but injured. She also rolls her crew’s 1d6 damage against each of the other two crinwin, getting a 4 and a 3. Garet drops his, Eira’s is badly wounded but still up. </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>They also suffered the crinwin’s attack. I don’t have a particular move in mind, but I know it’ll deal damage, so I start with that. “Rhianna, each of you takes 1d6 damage from the crinwin you’re fighting. Actually, you take 1d6+1, because you fought two of them.”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“Really? Didn’t I cut the first one down before it could hurt me?”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I could tell her that it got a lick in before it went down, but whatever. “Good point. 1d6 damage to each of you.” She takes 4 damage herself. Garet takes 1 and Eira takes 5. They’re all still up, but Eira’s in trouble. I let that inform my move and I <b>put her in a spot</b>. “Okay, so Eira got tripped by hers and it’s on her chest, smashing her head against the wall. She looks out of it and, Rhianna, you’ve still got a crinwin in your face. Meanwhile, Caradoc…” </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">------------------</span> </b></i></blockquote>
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<h3>
Abstracting Groups (Optional)</h3>
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<div>
If the PCs have a <i>group </i>of followers, then you’ll often want to abstract their actions in combat. Resolve the group’s actions with as few individual moves as possible. For example, if the Marshal’s crew of six opens fire on a horde of 20 crinwin, have the Marshal make a single Volley roll to see how it goes.</div>
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If the group deals damage to another group, or takes damage from another group, then you can roll damage once per side and abstract the results. A group deals damage and has HP and Armor as though it was one individual member of the group. For example, the marshal’s crew of six would deal 1d6 damage, have 8 HP, and 1 Armor from the thick furs & hides they wear. The horde of crinwin would deal 1d6 damage, have 3 HP, and have 1 Armor from their agility and reflexes.</div>
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If one group outnumbers the other, they get a +1 bonus to damage and Armor for every multiplier past 1. For example, the 20 crinwin outnumber the crew of six by about 3:1, so they’d get a +2 bonus to damage and Armor.</div>
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Damage represents casualties. If one group loses half its HP, then about half that group’s numbers are out the action. Adjust the bonuses to damage and Armor accordingly! So if the crew of six dealt 4 damage to the crinwin with their Volley, that’d do 1 damage after Armor and reduce the crinwin from 3 HP to 2 HP. One third of the crinwin (let’s say seven of them) would be out of the action, reducing their advantage to only about 2:1. Their bonus to damage and Armor is now only +1.</div>
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Shift the spotlight between the group and individual PCs. Switch the scale and “zoom” of the action accordingly. Foes that are engaged by individual PCs aren’t really part of a group. So if one PC ran in and attacked two crinwin while another PC Defended and drew the attention of another three, the Marshal’s crew of six would be left contending with only eight crinwin (20 to start, less 7 dead from the Volley, less 5 occupied by PCs). That’s basically even numbers, so the crinwin have lost their bonus to Armor and damage.</div>
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A group reduced to 0 HP is routed, massacred, or otherwise defeated. The fate of individuals within each group is up to you.</div>
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<h2>
Keeping Fights Interesting</h2>
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Fights should be exciting, dynamic, and tense. The players should never feel like they’re just "trading blows" or trying to deplete a foe’s HP. Players shouldn’t get bored waiting for “their turn,” and the outcome should never be entirely certain.</div>
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<b>Make soft GM moves all the damn time</b>. After every player move, describe the situation and make a soft move: say something that provokes action or raises the tension. Then ask someone, “What do you do?” Sometimes, your soft move will be <b>offering an opportunity</b> for a PC to act freely, or to follow up on a previous move’s success. It’s easy to do this accidentally, though, which results in the monsters seeming to just stand there and not do anything. Be intentional!</div>
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<b>Make your moves—especially your monster attacks—colorful, descriptive, and specific.</b> Don’t just say, <i>“It attacks you,”</i> say <i>“It swoops down at you, talons out like this, coming right at your face! What do you do?”</i></div>
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<b>Demand the same of the players.</b> If they say <i>“I stab it with my spear,”</i> then reply with <i>“Okay, cool, what’s that look like?”</i> If the player seems uncertain, or hesitant to commit, then offer them choices. <i>“Are you, like, running at it? Bracing yourself? Are you going for its gut or its wings or its face, or what?”</i> If you can’t visualize the action, ask for more detail.</div>
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Consider the <b>momentum of the action </b>and other elements of fictional positioning. Incorporate them into your descriptions and your GM moves. So if your soft move was <i>“it swoops at your face, talons out”</i> and their response was <i>“I brace myself and drive my long spear into its gut!”</i> and they get a 7-9 to Hack and Slash, then the results should take all that into account. <i>“Yeah, you impale it and but its momentum yanks the spear out of your hands and they both tumble over here, next to the edge. Roll your damage!”</i></div>
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Vary your GM moves, especially when a monster’s attack lands. Don’t always <b>hurt them</b> or <b>put them in a spot</b>. Lean on your monster moves to add variety. Sometimes, look at your list of GM moves and pick something you haven’t done in a while, just to keep things fresh. No matter what move you choose: if it involves roughing up the PCs, or it could maybe take them out of the fight, then deal damage along with the move.</div>
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When a PC “whiffs” a damage roll, <b>respect the fiction of their attack</b> and the fact that they (probably) got a 7+ on whatever move allowed them to deal damage in the first place. The low damage roll means that it wasn’t a telling blow, but it should still change the fiction. <i>“Only 2 damage? Yikes, you don’t pierce its hide. But it’s still disoriented a bit, and struggling for breath—looks like you knocked the wind out of it.”</i></div>
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<b>Keep in mind what other enemies are up to</b>. The PC stabbed the monster that was swooping at him, but what are its friends doing? Use your next soft move to bring them into the action. <i>“…looks like you knocked the wind out of it. Meanwhile, the next one is swooping down at you while you’re unarmed, what do you do?”</i></div>
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<b>Keep the spotlight moving</b>. When one PC isn’t actively engaged, make a soft move at the current PC, then move the spotlight to the idle PC and ask what they do about it. <i>“…the next one is swooping down at you while you’re unarmed. Rhianna, you see this happening, what do you do?”</i></div>
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<b>Give less-combat oriented characters opportunities to shine.</b> Encourage the Seeker to Spout Lore about the foe’s vulnerabilities. Include spirits or beasts that the Blessed can interact with. Include victims to rescue, fragile treasures to protect, and puzzles to solve. Not always, and not every fight, but often enough to keep everyone engaged.</div>
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<b>Incorporate the environment </b>into your description and your moves: lighting, terrain, visibility, and the fog of war. They’re on a massive staircase? Use a monster’s attack to <b>put them in a spot</b> and bowl them half-over the edge. It’s pitch black except for their sphere of torchlight? Have the monsters retreat and then <b>announce trouble</b>, <i>“You can’t see them, but you hear their calls as they circle for another attack, what do you do?”</i></div>
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<div>
<b>Populate your battlefields with potential energy</b>—heavy things to knock over, high places to fall off of, kindling to set aflame. Throw in some active hazards, too: raging fires, crumbling ceilings, sucking mire. Present these elements as opportunities to the PCs. Use them to answer “What here is useful or valuable to me?” Incorporate them into your GM moves, soft and hard.</div>
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<b>Recap and summarize the situation regularly</b>, especially as you move the spotlight around. <i>“Okay, so: Vahid’s, on the upper part of the stairs. His spear and the creature he wounded are over here, near the edge. Caradoc, you’re hanging off that same ledge. Blodwen, Rhianna, and Andras on the other side of the gap, with Blodwen holding the torch aloft and Rhianna and Andras scanning the skies. Caradoc, you feel your grip starting slip. What do you do all do?”</i></div>
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<b>End fights earlier rather than later</b>. If it’s clear that the PCs will win, have the bad guys flee or surrender. If things start to drag and someone rolls a 6-, use your hard move to drastically change the situation—a new monster shows up, a PC gets captured and dragged off, a follower sacrifices themselves to save the PC and finishes off the monster. If the PCs want to flee, let them Struggle as One to escape instead of playing out individual actions.</div>
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Finally, remember that this isn’t easy. <b>GMing is a practice, not something you master</b>. You’ll likely start out forgetting to do all of this stuff, and that’s fine. Reflect a little bit after each session on what was fun and exciting about your fights, and what seemed to drag. Ask yourself what you could have done differently, and try to do that next time. Keep pushing yourself to improve!</div>
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<span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-3009537569476931702020-02-27T17:31:00.002-06:002021-03-05T16:07:04.937-06:00"Discern Realities" in Stonetop & Homebrew World<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Discern Realities is a move that is near and dear to my heart. It's one of my favorite moves, and I've written about it at length:</i><ul>
<li><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/08/in-defense-of-discern-realities.html"><i>In Defense of Discern Realities</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/08/discern-realities-v-spout-lore-v-just.html"><i>Discern Realities vs. Spout Lore vs. Just Describing Stuff</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/09/discern-realities-make-question-part-of.html"><i>Discern Realities: make the question part of the trigger?</i></a></li>
<li><i><a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/?s=strandberg+discern+realities">Many, many discussions on G+</a> (have fun)</i></li>
</ul>
<i>I tried using that "make the question part of the trigger" approach to the move a couple times, but didn't really like how it worked in practice. Either the players had to keep the questions constantly in mind and intentionally ask them, or as the GM I had to keep them constantly in mind and watch for the players asking them. Also, a lot of my playbook moves add questions you can ask to Discern Realities "for free, even on a miss" and those don't jive well with the "ask first" approach. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>So, for </i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/stonetop.html">Stonetop</a><i> and </i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/homebrew-world.html">Homebrew World</a><i>, I use Discern Realities as follows. It's quite similar to the original, the key differences being:</i><br /><ul>
<li><i>the trigger specifically includes "looking to the GM for insight"</i></li>
<li><i>both games use advantage/disadvantage instead of +1/-1 forward</i></li>
<li><i>"Who is control here?" has become "Who <span style="font-weight: bold;">or what</span> is in control here?" (with "their fear" or the like being legit answers)</i></li>
</ul>
<i>The accompanying text is the first draft of what I plan to put in the Stonetop book. It'll probably get cut down a little to fit on one spread, but this is the text that I wish I had when I first started learning to run Dungeon World. I hope you find it useful, too. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
----------------------------------- </blockquote>
<h2>
Discern Realities </h2>
<div>
When you <b style="font-style: italic;">study a situation or person</b>, looking to the GM for insight, roll +WIS: <b>on a 10+</b>, ask the GM 3 questions from the list below; <b>on a 7-9</b>, ask 1; <b>either way</b>, take advantage on your next move that acts on the answers.</div>
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<div>
<ul>
<li> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What happened here recently?</li>
<li> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What is about to happen?</li>
<li> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What should I be on the lookout for?</li>
<li> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What here is useful or valuable to me?</li>
<li> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Who or what is really in control here?</li>
<li> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What here is not what it appears to be?</li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOrlD0mflm-nhu-emVmrMqXbwId-5UkTgtGW4qA-z9_B6KSCETA7KUEcegT0vu_lvC46nJZ_wUnYDO2Bo3X4UWNitZYM3_nBn76-TBRq3REDbZt84sIjiKnPdycQwuyDhMFpWJF1cNCo/s1600/and+here+comes+mama+bear.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOrlD0mflm-nhu-emVmrMqXbwId-5UkTgtGW4qA-z9_B6KSCETA7KUEcegT0vu_lvC46nJZ_wUnYDO2Bo3X4UWNitZYM3_nBn76-TBRq3REDbZt84sIjiKnPdycQwuyDhMFpWJF1cNCo/s400/and+here+comes+mama+bear.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Player: "Uh... what should I be on the lookout for?"<br />GM: "Well, funny you should ask..."<br />(<a href="https://jakubrozalski.artstation.com/">image by Jakub Rozalski</a>)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
<span><a name='more'></a></span><div>There are two parts to triggering this move: <i>closely studying a person or situation</i> and <i>looking to you for insight</i>. You ask “what do you do?” and they say that they’re doing something to get insight into the situation or the person, and look to you to fill in that insight. </div>
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<div>
Discern Realities doesn’t trigger just because a player asks you what they perceive—that’s just them asking you to establish the fictional situation (a core part of your job, right?). It doesn’t even trigger every time they take action to get more information. If they toss a torch down a stairway, tell them what the torch illuminates. If they drop a coin down a well, tell them what they hear. </div>
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No, Discern Realities happens when they ask a question that requires interpreting what they perceive, or when they do something to study the situation or a person, but look to you (and this move) to try and figure out something that isn’t obvious. In practice, it often looks like this:</div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“What’s on the bookshelf?”</i><i><br /></i><i>“Oh, some old leather-bound tomes. They’re old and unlabeled. The upper shelve also has some crude clay pots. It’s all covered in dust.”</i><i><br /></i><i>“Huh. Does anything look like its been handled recently? Or out of place?”</i><i><br /></i><i>“Sounds like you’re Discerning Realities, yeah?”</i></blockquote>
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<div>
Because part of the trigger is a player-to-GM action (looking to you for insight), the player can pretty much always back down and not make the move. But if so, you don’t owe them any information beyond what their character could perceive and their actions would obviously reveal. </div>
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Remember, though, that they have to do something in the fiction to <i>closely study a situation or person</i>. If they just ask you for insight or say they want to Discern Realities, ask what they do, what that looks like in the fiction. It’ll often be subtle (<i>“I scan his desk and his office while he and Vahid talk”</i>) but it could also be quite overt (<i>“I toss the room… taking the books off the shelves, looking in those clay pots, tapping the walls”</i>). </div>
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The trigger for the move (and the questions they can ask) scales nicely between immediate, here-and-now situations and broader, bigger-picture situations. It’s just as viable to listen closely to the strange noises heard from a campfire as it is to spend a few hours chatting folks up in the streets of Marshedge, getting a feel for the political situation. </div>
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<div>
On a 7+, the player gets to ask one or more questions from the list. You’ll find that players often chafe against the questions, wanting to ask something else. The list of questions is there to ensure that players ask something meaningful, that they get actual <i>insight</i> into the situation or person rather than just <i>detail</i>. You don’t need to be a stickler about it, though. If they ask a good question, but not one from the list, you can ask choose to answer it or direct them back to the list. Alternately, you can accept the question they ask but <i>answer</i> a question from the list.</div>
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<div>
Answer their questions honestly, generously, and helpfully. Rely on your prep and sense of the fictional space to guide you. Sometimes (often), you’ll need to make up details on the fly in order to provide them with a good, useful answer. These details then become true parts of the fiction! If you aren’t sure how to answer the question, ask the player for guidance. “Well, the old coins are obviously valuable, but what sort of thing were you looking for?”</div>
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Remember to <b>begin and end with the fiction</b>. Don’t just tell them that Siowan is about to betray them; describe how Siowan is acting nervous and keeps glancing at the door, like he’s expecting someone to burst in any second. Alternatively: answer their question directly and simply, and ask them what details lead them to that conclusion. </div>
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Adjust the detail and usefulness of your answers to reflect the fiction. The move isn’t magic; it doesn’t let the characters know things they’d have no way of knowing. Scanning the area while holding still should give less-specific and less-useful information than getting in there and interacting with the situation or person that they're studying. </div>
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<div>
Sometimes the honest, generous, helpful answer is the obvious answer. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“What here is valuable or useful to me?”</i><br /><i>“Those gold coins that I described earlier. Everything else is basically junk.”</i> </blockquote>
<div>
The answer might even be basically “nothing.” </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“What should I be on the lookout for?”</i><br /><i>“Honestly, not much. This place seems quite safe.”</i><br />...or...<br /><i>“Who or what is in control here?”</i><br /><i>“No one. It’s a damn free-for-all.”</i> </blockquote>
<div>
Such answers might seem like cop-outs, but they confirm the obvious and give the player good, actionable information. And remember—they get advantage on their first roll to act on the answer.</div>
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<div>
On a 10+, they get to ask multiple questions. Sometimes a player will ask their questions all at once, but it’s best if you answer one, and then ask them for the next question. The answer to one question might influence the question that they ask next. You can even let the player “hold” their additional questions, playing out the scene a little between each question.</div>
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If they do ask multiple questions, they only get advantage on their first roll to act on any of the answers; if they get a 10+ and ask three questions, they get advantage once, not thrice. </div>
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<div>
When players Discern Realities and get a 6- during a tense, active situation (like a fight, an argument, or when something bad is lurking just out of sight), your move will often involve the character getting interrupted or surprised as they take time to study the situation and figure things out. </div>
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<div>
But during a less-tense, seemingly-safe situation (like investigating the scene of a struggle, or searching a “safe” room in a ruin), you might find yourself struggling to come up with a good, meaningful GM move. Good options include:</div>
</div>
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<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Revealing an unwelcome truth</b>: <i>“You find Bethan. Oh gods, someone slashed his throat!”</i></li>
<li><b>Using up their resources</b>: <i>“You really don’t find anything else of interest, but by the time you’re sure, your torch has started to sputter; it’s going to out soon.”</i></li>
<li><b>Telling them the requirements and asking</b>: <i>“You just can’t tell from here whether the passageway is safe; you’ll need someone to walk down there to be sure, do you go?”</i></li>
<li><b>Introducing a danger </b>(often aggressively so): <i>“As you investigate the carcass, you realize the birdsong has stopped and you’re hearing these quiet trilling sounds from the grass, all around. You look up into the eyes of a hunting drake, and you know that means you’re surrounded.”</i></li>
<li><b>Advancing a grim portent</b> (from one of your threats): <i>“You spend time asking around town but no one has anything to useful to tell you, just ill-founded rumors and speculation. But a few people mention how this is clearly all the fault of Annick and the other Hillfolk refugees. In fact, that night, as you’re heading toward the public house, a group comes staggering out, well into their cups and shouting about they’re going to teach Annick a lesson. What do you do?”</i> </li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>
Whatever you do, don’t lie and don’t take away player agency. For example, if they say they peer down the dim hallway, waving their torch around and looking for traps, you could<b> tell them the requirements</b> (<i>“You can’t tell anything from here, you’ll have to further down the tunnel if you want to learn more”</i>) but you shouldn’t tell them that it’s safe when it isn’t, and you certainly shouldn’t tell them that they step forward and trigger a trap! An NPC might step forward and trigger the trap, but if you tell the player that their character does something that they didn’t declare, without their permission, you’re cheating.</div>
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<h3>
Examples</h3>
<blockquote>
<i>They’re in the Great Wood, staring up at what looks to be an enormous wasp nest, a good eighty feet up in the air—a crinwin nest. They ask questions about its size (“at least as big as a house back in Stonetop”) and the tree it’s in (“like a redwood sequoia, with a 20-foot diameter trunk and the lowest bough maybe 60 feet up”) and whether they see anything moving about the nest (“nope”). Then Rhianna asks “Can I tell if there’s been activity recently? Tracks or whatnot?” That’s looking for insight, not just data, so I say “Sounds like you’re Discerning Realities, yeah?” </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>She agrees and rolls +WIS (with advantage as her crew Aids her by poking around a looking for tracks) and gets a 10+. “Is the nest still active? Like, are there any signs of recent activity?” she asks. That’s two questions, neither of which are on the list. “So you’re asking ‘what happened here recently?’ Or ‘what should I be on the lookout for?’” </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>“Oh, yeah. What should I be on the lookout for? Specifically, should we be on the lookout for crinwin right now?” I say no, nothing to be on the lookout for. The nest doesn’t appear to be occupied and actually seems to be damaged. Geralt (from her crew) calls her over and shows her the crinwin bodies he found, rotting away in the brush. </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>“Whoa. Okay… what happened her recently?” Not much has happened here recently (except for crinwin corpses rotting), but that’s a crap answer and not helpful at all. So I tell her that they find more crinwin corpses, and even find one or two crinwin that appear to have killed each other. “A few weeks old, at least. But, like, there aren’t enough corpses for a full a nest. And you find some signs of crinwin dragging off other crinwin, heading the same general direction they carried off Pryder.”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>“What the hell?” spits Rhianna. “Crap. Um… who or what is really in control here? Like… who or what is behind this?” I know that Sethra the swyn (a hypnotic, monkey-headed giant snake) is behind the attack, having entranced some of the crinwin and ordered them to bring her the rest. But I don’t see how Rhianna could possibly deduce that. So I give her as useful of an answer as I think the evidence would allow: “Well, after searching all over the place and maybe heading down the path a little, you spot a… scale? Like a drake scale, but bigger. Flatter. More like a snake, maybe? And it’s got a golden shimmer to it.” </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>“Do I recognize it?” Rhianna asks, and I say “I don’t know, sounds like you’re Spouting Lore?” And she agrees, and rolls with advantage for following up on an answer. </i></blockquote>
<div>
----------------------------</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Blodwen finishes tending to Pryder’s wounds while Caradoc fends off crinwin at the door. He’s holding them off for now, but there are more and more coming. “Is there like another exit or anything?” she asks. I prepared a map, and I know that, yeah, there’s a hidden entrance near the top of the chamber that the swyn uses to get in and out of the barrow mound, but it’s not obvious at all. “Nothing obvious,” I say. “But it sounds like you’re closely studying the situation? Want to Discern Realities?” </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>She agrees and rolls and gets a 7-9, and asks “what here is useful or valuable to me?” I know from my notes that there’s some treasure hidden in this room, but that’s clearly not what she had in mind. “You realize there’s another entrance, up near the ceiling, hidden by an edge protruding from the walls. How do you figure out that it’s there?” </i></blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<div>
----------------------------</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Rhianna is interrogating a strange creature, like a man made of vines and thorns. They caught him trying to steal from Vahid in the night. He bemoaned how a swyn showed up and kicked him out of his lair and stole his treasure, and Rhianna just convinced him (in exchange for some trinkets from Vahid’s pack) to tell them more about the swyn, its crinwin minions, and the lair itself. </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>He’s giving them the details in his high-pitched, whiny voice, but I also mention how his eyes keep darting back to Vahid’s pack (where Vahid has the Mindgem, of course). Vahid doesn’t trust this thing. “I’m sizing it up while Rhianna talks to him, trying to figure out what he’s up to.” That’s Discerning Realities for sure, but he gets a 6-.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I’m thinking that I’ll <b>turn their move back on them</b> and reveal something valuable to the spriggan. “Okay, so I think you like, notice that there’s a lose strap on your pack and go to tighten it, but the pack like, um, spills out and the Mindgem falls out.”</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Vahid’s player gets indignant. “Uh, like hell I do. I wouldn’t touch my pack while talking to this thing, and besides, the Mindgem is like packed away at the very bottom.”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I’m taken aback, but he’s right. He said he was sizing the spriggan up, not poking around in his pack. “Shoot, yeah… you’re right, I’m sorry. How about this? He keeps staring at your pack, and licking his lips, and losing his train of thought as he stares at, finally shaking his head and finishing his tale to Rhianna. ‘Take youse to it, old Tomas can! Show youse the way in, secret and safe!’ But its eyes dart back to your pack, and Vahid, you just get this feeling like it knows there’s something in there. He probably doesn’t know what it is, but he wants to find out. What do you do?”</i></blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-1269023092989356202020-02-13T23:19:00.002-06:002020-12-26T16:12:15.779-06:00Defying Danger, the RPGHere's a thing I made, as a bit of a distraction from working on <i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/stonetop.html">Stonetop</a></i>. It's a light-weight RPG, in the vein of <i><a href="http://mightyatom.blogspot.com/2012/06/world-of-dungeons.html">World of Dungeons</a></i>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DRViIjeLUv86DSfeTyxQbk6yisB6JOyj" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixca9GUEQ1UbuRpftZmmvu6fQ_MAfFw8cxzzxsmD9sCiMShJh7_4ymvZnBKRfhTufcrinvFM19auoY4ihedjk7c88pp5UVrVk7xRPr-IJw41RDnYOKbjdnriJiNSf7kk-R-RWL7xKjomg/s400/Defying+Danger+RPG_Page_1.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DRViIjeLUv86DSfeTyxQbk6yisB6JOyj">click for current version</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The highlights:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>There's only one "basic" move, Defying Danger. The usual 10+, 7-9, 6- framework. </li>
<li>No stats (like, no STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA). Instead, you choose 2-3 ways of Defying Danger where you roll 3d6 and keep the best 2 dice. Any other time, you roll straight 2d6. </li>
<li>Each class has an additional move, that indicates a thing they're generally better at.</li>
<ul>
<li>A <b>warrior</b> gets Hack & Slash</li>
<li>A <b>rogue</b> gets Manipulate</li>
<li>The <b>wizard </b>can Get Answers </li>
</ul>
<li>Each class has a spendable resource (Mettle, Cunning, or Power) that lets them boost rolls or do cool stuff. Wizards, in particular, use this to cast spells. </li>
<li>PCs don't have HP, per se. Harm is closer to Apocalypse World, but the players have a little more control over how, exactly, they get messed up. </li>
<li>Gear is very similar to the system in <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/homebrew-world.html">Homebrew World</a>, but even more simplified. </li>
</ul>
As of this posting, <i>Defying Danger </i>is a completely un-playtested game. I don't know if any of this actually works! It's basically an idea that spawned from a conversation on the DW Discord--an idea that got lodged in my brain and now, a week later, here's a game. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
If you play this, please let me know how it goes. In the comments below, over in the <a href="https://discord.me/dungeonworld">DW Discord</a>, or at jack underscore blackfoot at yahoo.<br />
<br />
<b>EDIT to add</b>: <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Francesco Catenacci <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/03/sfidando-il-pericolo.html">translated this into Italian</a>!</li>
<li>Frederico Fiori <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/05/desafiando-o-perigo.html">translated it into Brazilian Portuguese!</a></li><li>Alexey Dikevich <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2020/12/defying-danger-rpg-in-russian.html">translated it into Russian!</a></li>
</ul>
Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-16083576391356214042020-01-26T23:56:00.002-06:002020-07-05T19:18:50.824-05:00"Parley" in Stonetop and Homebrew World<div class="tr_bq">
<i>In both <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/stonetop.html">Stonetop</a> and <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/homebrew-world.html">Homebrew World</a>, I've rewritten the Parley move to be at least as much of a "gather info" move as a "convince them" move. What follows is the text of the revised move and a draft of the "discussion" write-up for Stonetop. </i></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>The evolution of this move was... involved. It started with a post from <a href="https://redboxvancouver.wordpress.com/author/redboxvancouver/">Johnstone Metzger</a> (a very sharp dude <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?author=Johnstone%20Metzger">whose stuff I strongly recommend</a>), which was sadly lost to the Google+ vortex. If you're interested, you can read through the various drafts (and surrounding discussion) here:</i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i><a href="https://goo.gl/1gFU2u">Initial draft</a> (discussion <a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/2017/04/23/draft-parley-rewritten/">here</a> and <a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/2017/04/23/kicking-around-a-rewrite-of-parley-for-stonetop-feedback-appreciated/">here</a>)</i></li>
<li><i><a href="https://goo.gl/oyof9n">Second draft</a> (discussion <a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/2017/04/29/second-draft-parley-revised/">here</a> and <a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/2017/04/29/a-second-draft-a-revised-parley-for-stonetop-comments-and-questions-appreciated/">here</a>)</i></li>
<li><i><a href="https://goo.gl/jM2iVc">Third draft</a> (discussion <a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/2017/05/22/third-draft-parley-revised/">here</a> and <a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/2017/05/22/draft-3-of-my-parley-rewrite-feedback-welcome-and-appreciated/">here</a>)</i></li>
<li><i><a href="https://goo.gl/dWDtqP">Fourth draft</a> (discussion <a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/2017/06/03/fourth-draft-parley-again/">here</a>), leading <a href="https://goo.gl/0csgBP">version 4.5</a></i></li>
<li><i>More-or-less final version discussed <a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/2017/12/15/because-i-cant-stop-fiddling-with-the-parley-move-how-about-this/">here</a></i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<i>My gripes with the <a href="http://acodispo.github.io/Dungeon-World-HTML-SRD/moves_discussion/#title6">standard version of Parley</a> boil down to:</i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>The trigger ("When you have leverage on an NPC and manipulate them...") requires too much processing and too many decisions. By the time we've figured out whether or not the PC's action counts as leverage, the roll feels superfluous or (worse) contradictory.</i></li>
<li><i>The 10+ result and the 7-9 result often just don't work in the kinds of situations that adventurers find themselves. At least, not without elaborate mental gymnastics.</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<i>Ultimately, what I like about the Stonetop/HBW version is that:</i><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><i>It's easy to recognize when a PC is <b>pressing or enticing</b> someone, and from there whether a roll is necessary. You don't have to consider "is this leverage?" You just consider "are they resisting?" </i></li>
<li><i>The question posed by the move isn't usually "will they do what you want?" but rather "what will it take to convince them?" The move is basically an opportunity for you to </i><i><b>tell them the requirements</b>, and in so doing, reveal the NPC's personality and motivations. </i></li>
<li><i>The 7-9 results are quite easy to work with. I'm particularly fond of the "distasteful" option.</i></li>
<li><i>It's very flexible, and works in a wide variety of situations. </i></li>
</ol>
<br />
<i>Also, these revisions led to a PC-v-PC approach that I think works pretty well. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VekhUdBGQmrZia5hlRLFD3xtWnHPR6VsWdI740rup6Ruxjm3MGFR9KlMHjprfuNSzGbd6NKqyP-TAZ_sfOZTgRBB-MDDmINQ7LQzTSGwXFFWkVfi1gpX60yCHKP_PSqIkwQ7BTMtTVY/s1600/Parley.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="591" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VekhUdBGQmrZia5hlRLFD3xtWnHPR6VsWdI740rup6Ruxjm3MGFR9KlMHjprfuNSzGbd6NKqyP-TAZ_sfOZTgRBB-MDDmINQ7LQzTSGwXFFWkVfi1gpX60yCHKP_PSqIkwQ7BTMtTVY/s400/Parley.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<h2>
Parley (vs. NPCs)</h2>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When you <b><i>press or entice an NPC</i></b>, say what you want them to do (or not do). If they have reason to resist, roll +CHA: <b>on a 10+</b>, they either do as you want or reveal the easiest way to convince them; <b>on a 7-9</b>, they reveal something you can do to convince them, though it’ll likely be costly, tricky, or distasteful.</blockquote><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div>
This version of Parley triggers when a PC tries to convince an NPC to do something. If you, as the NPC, put up resistance and the PC persists, it’s Parley. Clarify what they want the NPC to do/not do, and challenge their approach if it doesn’t make sense. <i>“How would she know you wanted her to do that? I think you might need to actually ask.”</i><br />
<br />
Once the goal is set, decide if the NPC has reason to resist. Consider their instinct, personality, background, wants, needs, fears, etc. If they’ve no reason to resist, they do it. But if the NPC has a reason (even an irrational one), then call for the roll.<br />
<br />
On a 10+, weigh the PC’s approach against the NPC’s resistance. If the resistance was weak or the PC’s approach is strong, just have the NPC do it. But if you don’t think the PC’s approach would cut it, reveal the easiest way the PC could convince them.<br />
<br />
On a 7-9, the NPC isn’t convinced yet but they’ll reveal a way they could be. You don’t have to make the requirement tricky, costly, or distasteful, but its more fun if you do.<br />
<br />
Things that might convince an NPC include:<br /><ul>
<li>A promise/an oath/a vow</li>
<li>A chance to do it safely/freely/discretely</li>
<li>Appeasing or appealing to their ego/honor/conscience/fears</li>
<li>A convincing deception</li>
<li>A better/fair/excessive offer</li>
<li>Helping them/doing it with them</li>
<li>Violence (or a credible threat thereof)</li>
<li>Something they want or need (coin/food/booze/etc.)</li>
<li>Concrete assurance/proof/collaboration</li>
<li>Pressure/permission/ help from ____</li>
<li>Or anything else that makes sense to you</li>
</ul>
<br />
Reveal how the NPC can be convinced via their words or reactions, and/or as insights that occur to the PC. It doesn’t have to be easy, or even plausible, but the revelation has to be true.<br />
It’s okay to offer two or more alternatives on how the NPC could be convinced. <i>“He’s waiting for a bribe; a few coppers would do it. Or you could rough him up a bit, you’re pretty sure that’d work, too.”</i><br />
<br />
On a 6-, make it clear that the NPC won’t be swayed, interrupt the conversation, and/or end the scene. Alternately, have the NPC comply but with complications (treachery, overzealousness, misunderstanding, etc.). Or, the whole interaction could offend someone else, upset the social order, or otherwise generate chaos. Your threat (page XX) and homefront moves (page XX) will be golden here.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>------------------------------------</i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>The PCs just killed a band of crinwin, only to see another set of pale, unblinking eyes staring down at them. “Ugh,” says Rhianna, “we barely took care of this lot. I try to scare them off. Parley?”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>“Cool. What do you do, exactly?”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>“I hoist nearest crinwin corpse by its head. Glare out at the other crinwin. Then I’ll saw its head off, start yelling, and chuck the head into the woods. And keep yelling.”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Yikes! Grim stuff, but the crinwin outnumber them and the PCs are pretty beaten-up, so I think they have reason to resist. Rhianna rolls +CHA and gets a 10+. I think that little display was plenty, so I say “They scamper right off and you’re left standing there, covered in black blood. Caradoc, how are you feeling about Rhianna right now?”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>------------------------------------</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Caradoc is keeping watch with Geralt, and he pries a bit. “So, you’ve been with Rhianna’s crew for a long time, right? You ever seen anything like… like that? I’m trying to get him talking, maybe learn something about Rhianna’s past. Parley?”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I consider making him roll, but I realize that Geralt’s got no real reason to resist. “Sure, but don’t bother rolling, he’s happy to talk. Rhianna, what’s a good story for him to tell Caradoc? Like, a time you did something particularly bloody and ruthless?”</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>------------------------------------</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Blodwen crouches down to eye-level with the girl, keeping her distance and holding out some flatbread. “Hey. Hey, are you hungry?”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I’m sure she’s enticing the girl to do something, but I’m not sure what. “Are you, like, trying to get her to come out from the corner?” </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“More like I’m trying to get her to trust me and start talking.” The girl is terrified, and definitely has cause to resist, so Blodwen rolls. She gets a 10+, and I think about this girl and look at the list of things that could convince her. I think appeasing her fears would do it. </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“Her eyes lock on the flatbread, and she swallows, but then her eyes dart to Caradoc, then Rhianna, then her crew. She’s clearly terrified of the warriors. You think she’d come out and talk if they were gone.” Blodwen asks the others to step outside, and they agree.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> “Cool. As soon as they leave, the girl snatches the bread and wolfs it down, staring at you. Then she gulps, and whispers ‘More?’ What do you do?”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>------------------------------------</i> </blockquote>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Vahid is up in Gordin’s Delve, selling a sphere of silver filigree. Mutra the Yellow has offered two handfuls of silver for it. “Why, this is worth four handfuls of silver at least,” says Vahid. “I could get two handfuls if I took it to Foundry and had them melt it down for metal.” </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“Sounds like you’re pressing him into giving you more coin for it, yeah? He’s definitely got reason to resist, so roll to Parley.” On a 10+, I think I’d have Mutra ask for some more info about the sphere’s provenance, and give up the silver for the truth or a convincing lie. And on a miss, I think I’d <b>tell the consequences and ask</b>, saying that Mutra stonewalls at two handfuls and silver and Vahid can tell that he’ll send thugs to try and steal the sphere if he refuses.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But Vahid gets a 7-9, and so I go for something distasteful. “Fah! You’d barely get a single handful if you melted thhhis down. But I tell you what… I’ll pay two handfffuls now, and if you show my man Gunther where you found thhhis beauty, I’ll thhhrow in two more handfffuls of silver on his safffe return.” He smiles with his too-sharp teeth. “Do we havvve a deal?”</i></blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<h2>
Parley (vs. PCs)</h2>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When you <b><i>press or entice a PC and they resist</i></b>, you can roll +CHA: on a 10+, both; on a 7-9, pick 1:</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>They mark XP if they do what you want </li>
<li>They must do what you want, or reveal how you could convince them to do so.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<br />
When one PC wants another PC to do something, and the other PC clearly doesn’t want to, invoke Parley. Make sure the second PC (the one being pressed or enticed) is resisting, and ask if the first PC (the one doing the pressing/enticing) wants to roll. If they roll, use the move. If they don’t roll, tell them to let it drop (and use a GM move to push things along if they don’t).<br />
<br />
On a 7-9, the rolling player chooses between offering a reward (1 XP if the other PC does it) or forcing the other PC to either acquiesce or provide a way they could be convinced. On a 10+, both: the other PC gets XP if they do it, and they have to reveal a way to convince them if they don’t do it. The player being pressed/enticed ultimately decides what their character does.<br />
<br />
When a player reveals how another character could convince them, it doesn’t have to be easy or even plausible, just honest. The revelation can be explicitly stated (<i>“I’ll do this, Rhianna, but only if you promise that no one gets killed”</i>) or described through insight (<i>“My eyes dart to Vahid, and I think you’d realize that I won’t answer with him in the room”</i>) or discussed player-to-player (<i>“I think I’d agree to stay home, but only if you promise to bring back that thing’s corpse for me to study”</i>).<br />
<br />
On a 6-, you might <b>turn their move back on them</b> and let the targeted player ask how they could get the Parleying playing to do something, or <b>offer an opportunity</b> to the targeted player. Or you could interrupt the conversation with some other move, like <b>introducing a threat</b> or <b>changing the environment</b>. Don’t presume actions or reactions from either player, and don’t tell them how they feel. If you’re stumped, query the table (particularly the targeted player) for ideas.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>------------------------------------</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>The swyn is dead, the children rescued, and they’re getting ready to head back towards Stonetop. But Vahid is refusing to go. “There’s so much here to learn, so much to discover!” </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Rhianna loses it. “Dammit it, Vahid. We’re going and that’s final!” That certainly sounds like pressing him to do something (shut up and leave) but Vahid isn’t ready to cave. “You’re going to have roll,” he says. He even goes so far as to Interfere with WIS (by being stubborn as hell) and getting a 10+. Rhianna decides to act anyway, rolling Parley with disadvantage. She gets a 7-9.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Rhianna’s player is sure that Vahid won’t give this up for just 1 XP, so she picks the other option. “You’ve got to come with us, or tell me how I could convince you.”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Vahid’s player thinks for a moment, then says “Okay, okay…I’ll come. But give me a few minutes to put sanctifying marks on the entrances. And promise me that we’ll come back to explore it, and not tell anyone else. Deal?”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>“Fine. Go make your marks. Eira, keep an eye on him.” </i></blockquote>
</div>
Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-67289748640090825462020-01-18T10:48:00.000-06:002020-01-18T16:49:53.434-06:0042 Minor Magical Items, Thief EditionI had just downed a coffee stout and a bunch of cookies last night, so I was feeling both wired and unfocused. That's my perfect state for brainstorming, so I challenged the <a href="https://discord.me/dungeonworld">DW Discord</a> to help come up with 40 minor magical items for thieves. We got 41 in 39 minutes. (#42 came to me while I was compiling this list.)<br />
<br />
Here are the fruits of our tipsy labor. Attribution given for each; if there's no attribution, it was mine.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>A vial of ink. When you write something with the ink, say someone’s name. Only they can see the writing.</li>
<li>A worn leather purse. No one ever notices it or pays attention to it unless they see you open it.</li>
<li>Sticky gloves. When you touch something smaller and lighter than your palm, wrap your hand around it and cross your fingers - it sticks until you cross your fingers the other way. <i>(Caiphon)</i></li>
<li>A pair of gloves. Whenever you touch something magical while wearing them, the magic thinks you’re whoever you last shook hands with while wearing the gloves.</li>
<li>Whisper powder. Spread it around in a circle. Noise made inside the circle is never louder than a whisper to anyone outside the circle.</li>
<li>Letter-opener. First, spread it over a piece of writing like you're spreading butter. Then, open a letter - the opened letter becomes a copy of the original piece of writing. <i>(Caiphon)</i></li>
<li>Incongruous Hat. While you wear this hat, any stranger who sees you will remember the hat (and your features) differently.</li>
<li>Dagger of Silent Death. This stiletto completely silences anyone's whose flesh it pierces. No more screaming guards! <i>(Marcus)</i></li>
<li>Sculpting putty. Shape this soft putty however you like, then tap a special tuning fork and touch it (still vibrating) to the clay. The clay sets hard in exactly its current shape, as tough as strong ceramic. Another touch from the tuning fork shatters it.</li>
<li>Thorn rope. Twist one end of this rope, and the fibers become razor sharp, making it deadly to climb up or slide down. <i>(Caiphon)</i></li>
<li>Second Story Shoes. These comfortable loafers let you jump great vertical distances, perfect for getting to those second story balconies. Warning: they provide no protection from falls, nor do they make it easier to jump down from great heights. <i>(Marcus, w/edits)</i></li>
<li>Affinity box. Anything you place in the box will be considered extremely valuable and desirable by anyone other than you.</li>
<li>Chewie Manacles. Normal manacles, but they pop open with a guttural command word.</li>
<li>Nightlight. This small lantern glows with a dim purplish light which is only visible to the one holding the lantern. <i>(Marcus)</i></li>
<li>Sleepytime Flute. Playing a soft tune on this instrument for a few minutes will lull everyone nearby into a light slumber. They're easily awoken, and you feature prominently in their dreams. <i>(Marcus, w/edits)</i></li>
<li>Fire moth. A little jar holding a tiny, mostly tame fire elemental. Will flit around you and generally go where you please. Doesn’t usually set very much on fire. Usually.</li>
<li>Dominoes Mask. While you wear the mask, you can always ask the GM "How can I get out of here?" and get an honest (though perhaps convoluted) answer. Gain advantage on your next roll (or take +1 forward) to act on the answer, but only if you do so in an audacious or spectacular manner. <i>(Caiphon, w/edits)</i></li>
<li>Bug shoes - shoes that allow you to stick to the ceiling, if you can get up there... <i>(Mangofeet)</i></li>
<li>Deck of useless items. Shuffle the deck, draw a card. Its face displays some unlikely, generally worthless mundane item. Tear the card in two and the item appears in your hand. A replacement card magically appears in the deck, but it will never show the same item twice.</li>
<li>Talk-pick. Place this lock pick in a lock, and spend a minute whispering words of encouragement - it will pick a non-magical lock hands-free. <i>(Caiphon)</i></li>
<li>Taster Demon. A very small demon, like a grumpy slug with teeth. Lives in a vial. A connoisseur of poisons, it knows them all by taste or scent and will happily tell you all about them. Much louder voice than you'd expect.</li>
<li>Catching mitt. Throw this glove at anything flying towards you, and it will catch it and fall gently to the ground. <i>(Caiphon)</i></li>
<li>Hand of glory, lesser. A candle made of a hanged criminal’s hand. Carry it while lit, and no one will notice you as long as you move slowly, make little noise, and don't touch anything. <i>(Dialas the Spellbreaker, with edits)</i></li>
<li>Hand of glory, greater. Carry it while lit, and everyone in its light except you is paralyzed.</li>
<li>Weighted Dice/Rigged Deck. This normal-looking gaming accessory returns whatever result the owner wills. <i>(Marcus)</i></li>
<li>Trick pockets. Whatever you put in one pocket can be pulled out of the other. Yes, you can remove them and sew them onto different articles of clothing.</li>
<li>Signal whistle. A whistle and earring set. Only someone wearing the earring can hear the whistle. <i>(Toasters)</i></li>
<li>Listening wire. A spool of enchanted copper wire. Wrap one piece around your ear, and then around your midsection. When you speak the command word, it records the next few minutes of conversation. Each strand can store only one conversation. <i>(Caiphon)</i></li>
<li>Gem of thought-storing. A semi-precious stone that you can whisper thoughts or memories into. You forget them until you hold the stone and ask for them back.</li>
<li>A deck of playing cards. Playing games of chance with them reveals players' secret plans (via interpreting the cards they are dealt). <i>(Caiphon)</i></li>
<li>Stubborn twine. Animated, unbreakable, uncuttable. Smart as a three-year-old. Can talk, has many absurd or backwards opinions.</li>
<li>Doorvish Ale. Break this bottle on a door, then drink as much as you can from the spill. You'll cough up a key to the door. <i>(Caiphon)</i></li>
<li>Purple lipstick, made of powdered oblivion moss. Kiss someone while wearing it and they forget something they were just thinking about. You learn it.</li>
<li>Ear Worm. You put this worm in your ear and it sings a super catchy tune that you can't help but dance to. The benefit comes from the fact that this dance makes you uncannily good at dodging traps and attacks as you bob and weave to the beat. <i>(Marcus)</i></li>
<li>A pair of corks, each with a different rune. Anything in a bottle sealed by the first cork will seep into the bottle sealed by the other.</li>
<li>Dupli-dice. Anything you place as a bet with these dice is duplicated after the roll. Weighting the dice breaks the spell. <i>(Caiphon)</i></li>
<li>Shadow gossamer. A small bundle of fine gauzy black silk. Unfurl it and it becomes an area of extra dark shadows.</li>
<li>Ring of 1001 keys. Fits in a pocket, only seems to have like 10ish keys at once, but there are many, many more.</li>
<li>Spy shell. Say one magic word and this conch shell starts to record what it hears. Say another, put your eat to it, and it plays it back.</li>
<li>Passwall Chalk. Drawing a portal (circle, doorway, etc) on a wall creates an opening that persists just long enough for one person to jump through. <i>(Marcus)</i></li>
<li>Distraction in a box. A little music box. Crank it and leave it somewhere. After awhile, it starts making noises that sound like (roll 1d6): 1. a riot starting; 2. insults; 3. guards calling alarms; 4. a woman shrieking for help. 5. A large animal roaring. 6. GM makes something up. <i>(Dialas the Spellbreaker, with edits)</i></li>
<li>Swindler's Purse. Finely embroidered with silken thread, in patterns that are never the same. Put something in the purse. When you pull it out, it will appear to be something else of similar size and weight, something of considerable value. You have no control over what it will be. The illusion lasts until you tell a lie.<br /><br />-BONUS late addition-</li>
<li>Sleeve Snake. A small magical serpent-construct that hides in your coat or under your shirt. Swallows small objects (coins, gems, etc.) that are slipped up your sleeve. Can spit them back out on command, in reverse order (last item in, first item out). <i>(Jimmeh, w/edits)</i></li>
</ol>
Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-23514606224983177612020-01-11T11:56:00.002-06:002020-07-05T19:20:02.718-05:00My Framework for GMing Dungeon World<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I've been working on the GMing chapters for </i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/stonetop.html">Stonetop</a><i>, and it's made me think about how the conversation really flows. I've also been thinking about GM moves, and Principles and Agenda, and how they all work together. I thought I'd talk about them a little here.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I don't think that what follows is fundamentally different than what the game text tells you to do. Like, if you read the DW text and the <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8_Fz4m5hcoiTXpTbklDOF9iUHc">DW Guide</a>, and GM the game enough, I think you end up doing what I describe below. <b>This is just how I conceptualize it</b>, with 8+ years of experience running, playing, and talking about DW and similar games. (This is also pretty similar to <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/02/on-learning-to-run-dungeon-world.html">what I describe here</a>.)</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Maybe you'll find it useful? Maybe a new GM will find this and something will click for them. Regardless, I'm going to be posting some excerpts from the Stonetop GMing chapters over the next couple weeks, and I think this will help set the stage.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>As always, feedback and questions are appreciated!</i></blockquote>
<br />
<h2>
The Game is a Conversation</h2>
<div>
You say something. The players say something. You say something in response. You ask questions of each other, clarify, interrupt, talk over each other. To quote Vincent Baker: "you take turns, but it’s not like <i>taking turns</i>, right?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The whole point of this conversation is to create <b>the fiction</b>, the shared imaginary space that we're all talking about, where the PCs and NPCs and monsters all exist and act. The game's rules mediate the conversation, and help us figure out what happens when there's uncertainty, and help introduce unexpected and challenging elements into the game. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Dungeon World</i> is (despite what some folks will tell you) a rather traditional RPG. It structures the conversation and assigns responsibilities and authority in a very familiar way: </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>The players are responsible for portraying their characters (who they are, their actions, their thoughts and opinions, their experiences and backstory). </li>
<li>The GM is responsible for portraying everything else: the world, the NPCs, the monsters, etc. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<i>Dungeon World </i>is different than a lot of RPGs because it explicitly encourages (and arguably requires) the GM to ask the players for input on the world, particularly during the first session and about areas where their characters have experience or expertise. But that's not <i>that</i> different than how lots of folks play D&D. (Ever done a session 0 where you make characters, talk about backstory and the kind of setting you want to play in? It's like that, but it's done during play.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Different groups take this collaborative spirit to different degrees. Some DW GMs are very cognizant of <a href="http://mightyatom.blogspot.com/2010/10/apocalypse-world-crossing-line.html">The Line</a> (I know I am) and avoid asking the players to make up details about what their characters are experiencing on the spot. Other GMs will actively ask the players to make up details about the room they've just entered, or the NPC they've just met, or what happens next. Some groups collaborate on where the story should go, and what kinds of scenes they want to have. None of these are wrong. They're just a matter of taste.<br /><br /></div><div>
<span><a name='more'></a></span><h2>The Structure of the Conversation</h2>
<div>
Here's how the conversation generally goes. Stuff with black outline is stuff you say (or at least facilitate), as the GM. Stuff with a purple outline is stuff the players are saying/doing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApwOSkn1Vq7WTK7DBxei0jN6cxZZno2-qn3PGIhO-UFJOwjjSyxldSj0JHbfWLQOZ0mCw9raFd0wF2jReXRiqwJ9eM68ysDoc0KcbzqtpnIQqtb5kC9ii72NZB5tK6QUHqG2roX6YyR4/s1600/PbtA_GMing_flowchart.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApwOSkn1Vq7WTK7DBxei0jN6cxZZno2-qn3PGIhO-UFJOwjjSyxldSj0JHbfWLQOZ0mCw9raFd0wF2jReXRiqwJ9eM68ysDoc0KcbzqtpnIQqtb5kC9ii72NZB5tK6QUHqG2roX6YyR4/s640/PbtA_GMing_flowchart.png" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click and zoom for details!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Side note: this is similar to Adam Koebel's <a href="https://imgur.com/YXrw1Zq">"how to play DW" flowchart</a>, but I think this represents more of the conversation that happens during play.</i> </blockquote>
<br />
<div>
First: <b>frame a scene. </b>Say (or ask) who's present. Say (or ask) where are they. Say (or ask) when is the scene happening. Say (or ask) what they'e doing. Give some impressions. If you're not sure what scene to frame, or how to frame it, then ask questions until you are. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Once the scene is framed, you <b>establish the situation</b>. Give (or ask for) details and specifics, enough to visualize what's going on but not so much that player's eyes gloss over. In an action scene, establish momentum and relative positions. Tell the characters what they see/hear/sense. Ask questions. Answer questions from the players and clarify what's going on.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, <b>make a "soft" move</b>. In my opinion, a <i>soft </i>GM move is when you say something in order to:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Provoke action/reaction from the PCs<br />and/or</li>
<li>Raise the stakes/tension in the scene</li>
</ul>
That often means saying that something bad is <i>about</i> to happen, or is in the <i>process of happening</i>, but the PCs have a chance to do something about it. But it also could mean that you're presenting them with the obvious choices and prompting them to pick. Or that things were previously calm and peaceful and now there's trouble. Or that you're giving them an opportunity to act and seize the initiative. Or or or.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It could also just be the slow turning of screws: their torch is getting lower, their food is getting used up, the storm is getting closer, the fire is spreading. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>SIDE NOTE: <a href="http://acodispo.github.io/Dungeon-World-HTML-SRD/gm/basics/#title3">Dungeon World's text</a> defines a soft move as "one without immediate, irrevocable consequences.... [Either] something not all that bad... [or] something bad, but they have time to avoid it." And it defines a "hard" move as having "immediate consequences." </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I've never found those definitions satisfactory. The difference between them ends up being differences of degrees. You can almost always find an "immediate consequence" in whatever soft move is presented, and supposedly "hard" moves like deal damage aren't all that bad if the damage die is low and the PC's HP are high. </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I think it's much more useful to think of a soft move as "provoke action or raise the stakes" and a hard move as "establish badness." </i> <i>There's still overlap between soft and hard moves with these definitions, but they're more <b>actionable</b>. It's much easier to look at the scene and think "how can I provoke action or crank up tension?" than it is to look at the scene at think "how I can say something bad-but-not-too-bad or something that threatens badness but gives them a chance to escape it? </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I'm sure that my definition isn't perfect, either. But it makes more sense to me!</i></blockquote>
<br />
My list of GM moves are similar to those in Dungeon World but slightly different. They are:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Announce trouble (future or off-screen)</li>
<li>Reveal an unwelcome truth</li>
<li>Ask a provocative question</li>
<li>Put someone in a spot</li>
<li>Use up their resources</li>
<li><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/01/deal-damage-is-crap-gm-move.html">Hurt someone</a></li>
<li>Separate them</li>
<li>Capture someone</li>
<li>Turn their move back on them</li>
<li>Demonstrate a downside</li>
<li>Offer an opportunity (with or without a cost)</li>
<li>Tell them the consequences/requirements (then ask)</li>
<li>Advance a countdown or grim portent</li>
</ul>
<br />
And the "Exploration" GM moves (which replace the "Dungeon" GM moves) are:<br />
<ul>
<li>Change the environment</li>
<li>Provide a choice of paths</li>
<li>Bar the way; make them backtrack</li>
<li>Hint at more than meets the eye</li>
<li>Present a discovery</li>
<li>Point to a looming danger</li>
<li>Introduce a danger, person, or faction</li>
<li>Offer riches at a price</li>
</ul>
I do NOT think it's important to intentionally pick a move off these lists. I think the point of having a list of GM move is to give you inspiration when you're stuck, or to inspire you to say something different than what you'd say naturally. When you make any given GM move in an actual game, you can often retroactively match it to more than one of these moves. That's fine. It doesn't really matter which of these moves you're making, as long as you're <i style="font-weight: bold;">provoking action/reaction</i> and/or <i style="font-weight: bold;">raising the stakes/tension</i>.<br />
<br />
Your moves should follow your principles. They should <b>begin and end with the fiction</b>, and you should <b>address the characters, not the players</b> and you <b>shouldn't say the name's move</b>. Etc. etc. (More on that below.)<br />
<br />
After you make a soft GM move, ask the player(s) <b>"What do you do?" </b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"What do you do?"</i> is a ritual phrase. Like, you know how when you're playing traditional D&D and the GM says "roll for initiative," and everyone sits up and starts paying attention? It's like that, but way more frequent. It's the GM's way of saying "your turn." This question drives the back-and-forth between GM and player, and it's a touchstone of good PbtA GMing.<br />
<b><br /></b>
Okay, the conversational ball is in their court. Now what?<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>If they ask questions</b>--about the fiction, about the rules, about what you just said--then answer them, honestly, generously, and enthusiastically. Then put the ball back in their court: "So, what do you do?" If they ask something that wouldn't be immediately obvious, tell them so and what they'd need to do in order to get the answer. Then: "What do you do?" (or "Do you?")<br />
<br />
If they do something that <b>triggers a player move</b>, like Spout Lore or Discern Realities or Hack and Slash or Defy Danger or whatever, then resolve the move. Begin and end with the fiction. <br />
<br />
<b>On a 7+</b>, do what the move says and establish how the situation has changed. If the move prompts you to add some detail or action to the fictional situation, you can use the list of GM moves for inspiration. For example, if they trigger Hack and Slash and get a 7-9 and "suffer the enemy's attack," then their attack succeeds but they also suffer the enemy's attack. That attack can be any GM move, from <i>using up their resources </i>to <i>hurting them</i> to <i>capturing someone</i> to <i>whatever</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>On a 6-</b>, then they mark XP and you <b>make a hard move.</b><br />
<br />
If they do something that <b>does NOT trigger a player move</b>, then they're looking to you to see what happens.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>If they ignored a threat, did something stupid, or did something with obvious bad consequences, then you <b>make a hard move</b>.| </li>
<li>Otherwise, you just say what happens as a result. </li>
</ul>
<br />
Making a <b>hard GM move </b>means: establish badness. Say that something bad happens, or make us aware of something bad that happened in the past. Use the list of GM moves for guidance and inspiration, but, again, you don't need to intentionally pick from the list.<br />
<br />
Regardless of what they did and how it resolved: ask yourself, <b>is the scene still going?</b> If so, say how the situation has changed (and recap the situation if appropriate), then go back to making a soft GM, asking "what do you do?" and resolving their action. Keep doing this until the scene ends.<br />
<br />
When the scene is over: wrap it up. <b>Take care of any bookkeeping</b> (using bandages/poultices or the Recover move in Homebrew World/Stonetop; erasing "hold," figuring out how much time has passed, etc.). Have any <b>meta-discussions </b>you need to have as a group, like:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Do we want to keep playing? Or wrap up for the night?</li>
<li>What should we do next? </li>
<li>What are we trying to accomplish, again?</li>
<li>How far is it back to __?</li>
<li>Etc. etc.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Figure that stuff out, then <b>frame the next scene</b>. If you're not sure where or how to frame the next scene, ask questions until you are.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To summarize:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Frame a scene, if you haven't already</li>
<li>Describe the situation</li>
<li>Make a soft GM move (provoke action, raise tension/stakes)</li>
<li>"What do you do?"</li>
<ol>
<li><i>If they ask questions: </i>Answer, clarify the situation, back to "What do you do?"</li>
<li><i>If they trigger a move: </i></li>
<ol>
<li><i>On a 6-, </i>make a hard GM move (establish badness)</li>
<li><i>On a 7+, </i>do what the move says to do!</li>
</ol>
<li><i>If they don't trigger a move:</i></li>
<ol>
<li><i>Did they ignore a threat? </i>make a hard GM move (establish badness)</li>
<li><i>Otherwise:</i> say what happens</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<li>Scene still going? Return to #2.</li>
<li>Scene over? Wrap it up, take care of bookkeeping & meta-talk. Return to #1.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<h2>
The Spotlight</h2>
<br />
<div>
As you have this conversation, you'll change who you're addressing, moment to moment. This is often called "moving the spotlight" or "pointing the spotlight." Whoever you're talking to right now is in the spotlight. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sometimes you'll keep the spotlight unfocused and address the group as a whole. Sometimes you'll focus it on just one character. When lots of action is happening simultaneously, you swing it back and forth between individuals and groups.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There's no formal process for managing the spotlight, just like there aren't formal rules for most conversations. <b>The most obvious time to move the spotlight is after you resolve a character's action.</b> Before you describe/summarize the situation, address a different character and describe the situation <i>to them. </i>Make a move <i>at them. </i>Ask <i>them, </i>"What do you do?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But you can technically move the spotlight at almost any point in the conversation. For example:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>You ask "What do you do?" and they freeze or stall; shift to someone else, give them time to think, then come back to them. </li>
<li>You ask "What do you do?" and they say that they're going to do something that takes time; shift to someone else and come back to them as they finish their action (or as something interrupts it).</li>
<li>You ask "What do you do?" and they describe an action, and it triggers a player move, and they roll. You're not sure how to resolve the results, so you stall for time by shifting to someone else for a bit, then come back and resolve the first player's move.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Regardless of how and when you move the spotlight,<b> be a good facilitator. </b>Try to keep everyone involved. Make sure everyone gets some good screen time and has a chance to contribute. It's generally okay if players jump and interrupt each other, or kibitz, or have their characters act "out of order." Heck, sometimes a move (like Defend) explicitly gives them permission to do so. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With that said: don't be afraid to shut down an overly eager or aggressive player with a polite-yet-firm reprimand. <i>“Andrew, you’re being rude. I’m talking to Jamie right now.” </i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Principles and Agenda</h2>
<br />
<div>
The Dungeon World text (and almost every PbtA text that I've read) actually leads off with a GM's agenda and principles, before talking about GM moves and how to make them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I get it. The principles and agenda are <i>important</i>. They inform what you're saying and doing during the conversation. But without understanding the structure of the conversation, they're just like a bunch of Zen-koans that can make the whole processes of GMing really intimidating. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's the thing: your agenda is just what you're working towards. Your principles are "best practices" for getting there.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For Dungeon World (and <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/homebrew-world.html">Homebrew World</a>), your agenda items are:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Portray a fantastic world</li>
<li>Fill the characters’ lives with adventure</li>
<li>Play to find out what happens</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Basically: it's your job and responsibility to portray the world, and it should be a <i>fantastic</i> world, filled with magic and monsters and all that jazz. It's also your job to keep things exciting, and give the players interesting, dangerous, exciting stuff to do. And finally, it's <b>not</b> your job to decide what happens in advance. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That last agenda item--<b>play to find out what happens--</b>is, I think, the most important one. It's the one that shows up unchanged in almost every PbtA game that I can think of. It covers a huge range of approaches. Some GMs take it to mean: "do almost no prep, ask a bunch of questions, and improvise everything with the players." Other GMs take it to mean "prepare interesting situations--tenuous and unstable, dynamic and fraught--and see what happens when the PCs interact with them, following the dice and the PC's decisions, respecting your prep and the integrity of the fiction." <b>Both approaches are valid and great</b>. So is just about everything between them. What's truly important is that you avoid forcing the game into your pre-established storyline or your expectations of how things are "supposed" to go. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Side note: the agenda items for Stonetop are...</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><i>Portray a rich and mysterious world</i></li>
<li><i>Punctuate the PC's lives with adventure</i></li>
<li><i>Play to find out what happens </i></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The differences are subtle, but important for Stonetop. It's much more grounded setting, and while there are fantastic elements, the mundane elements are equally important. And while the bulk of play focuses on the PCs' adventures, those adventures are interruptions to their day-to-day lives. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Play to find out what happens" is, notably, unchanged.</i> </blockquote>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, what about the principles? The principles are just your guidelines, your best practices, the things you should strive for. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some of them are really quite easy to do. Like, these principles are just establishing protocols for your part of the conversation. They're pretty easy to do:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Address the characters, not the players</li>
<li>Make a move that follows</li>
<li>Never speak the name of your move</li>
</ul>
Basically: talk <i>to the characters </i>in second person, rather than talking <i>about the characters</i> in the third person. Don't make wacky shit happen just because you can. Don't announce the name of your move when you make it, because that's dumb and sounds weird and doesn't add any value. Once you've internalized them, these principles are easy easy to follow. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another set of principles is basically just "things that will help you portray a fantastic world:"</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Draw maps, leave blanks</li>
<li>Embrace the fantastic</li>
<li>Give every monster life</li>
<li>Name every person</li>
<li>Think offscreen, too</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
These take a little effort, and represent a mindset, but they're basically just good advice. Draw maps, and prep a bit, but don't go nuts--leave yourself space to improvise and be surprised. Be cool with fantasy tropes, make your monsters more than just numbers, and try to make your PCs's interesting and memorable and actual <i>people</i>. Think about what's going on offscreen, and how that might come into play <i>on</i>screen, because this is supposed to be a whole <i>world</i> that we're playing around in and not just a little bubble around the PCs. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you fail at any one of these principles, the game won't, like crumble. It'll just be a little flat.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then there's the last set, the ones that I think are critical for running an excellent game of DW. They're also the hardest to do consistently and well. They sometimes conflict with each other.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Ask questions and use the answers</li>
<li>Be a fan of the characters</li>
<li>Think dangerous</li>
<li>Begin and end with the fiction</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Like, thinking back over the years of DW-related conversations, these four points are the core of most GM's struggles. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Ask questions and use the answers</b> is one of the most radical things about DW (and PbtA games in general), because it pushes you to collaborate with the players in a way that D&D and other more-traditional RPGs don't. There's a real art to this: knowing where to ask questions and what questions to ask; how to phrase the questions to get interesting results without letting the players stomp all over your prep; recognizing which players enjoy this sort of thing and which ones don't; changing the nature of the questions based on the player or the amount of prep you've done or how much the world is established. It's not easy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Be a fan of the characters</b> is fucking crucial, but it also bumps up against all sorts of GM instincts. Like, here's my favorite recent example (from reddit/r/dungeonworld):</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/DungeonWorld/comments/cqpozv/my_players_bard_has_a_dinner_date_with_the_bad/">My player's bard has a dinner date with the bad guy. How do I not reveal who he's secretly working for if the bard decides to be Charming and Open? </a></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The scenario: This is my first time running a game and I'm running an intrigue-based campaign. One of the party's contacts/quest-givers is a demon, disguised as an affable & handsome gentleman, whose goal is to further the designs of the city's overlords. He's trying to get the party involved in a scheme he's running. The rest of the party is interested in the money/items he's offering to get them involved, but the bard said he was only interested in dinner with quest-giver/demon. Since the demon is a bit of a flirt and is happy not to part with his items, he, of course, agreed to this. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>As the DM, now I'm realizing that my player may be thinking of using their dinner as a time to be Charming and Open and ask the demon who he's working for. I should have seen this coming, but I am not a smart man, so I didn't. Is there any way I can keep the intrigue going if the bard decides to ask who he's serving after being charming and open on a lovely dinner date?</i></blockquote>
</div>
<div>
The answer (which pretty much everyone gave) is "be a fan of the character" and let them enjoy the benefits of their move. Don't be precious with your secrets and your storylines, and play to find out what happens. This GM took the community's advice to heart and ran with it and <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/DungeonWorld/comments/ctxif3/update_my_players_bard_has_a_dinner_date_with_the/">was delighted with the results</a>, but the whole episode speaks to how difficult it can be let go and let the PCs be the badasses that the game wants them to be.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At the same time, "be a fan of the characters" can also be used to justify just giving the PCs everything they want, or letting them walk over the opposition, or act without consequences. It is, I think, the principle that most often conflicts with other principles--especially the next two. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Think dangerous</b> is the DW version of my favorite principle from <i>Apocalypse World</i>: "Look through crosshairs." Basically: don't protect your NPCs, your monsters, your institutions, or the status quo. In <i>Stonetop</i>, I call this <b>"let things burn</b>." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Regardless of how you word it, I think this concept is crucial to making the world wonderous (or rich and mysterious), filling/punctuating their lives with adventure, and playing to find out. It's a mindset that requires effort and intention to develop. It's basically a discipline of non-attachment, applied to the fictional world you're creating. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's <i>hard</i>. Pretty much everyone has an instinct, a very natural instinct, to preserve their darlings, and preserve the player's darlings (because you want to be a fan of them, right?). But you have to threaten the things the PCs care about, and then be willing to follow through on your threats. You have to let the PC's wreck your shit and upend the status quo. You have to let them one-shot the dragon, if the fiction and their moves and the dice all say that should happen.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Anyone who's done serious fiction writing will tell you that you have to "kill your darlings." But if they're honest, they'll also tell you that this requires an act of will. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Okay, finally, we've got this guy: <b>begin and end with the fiction</b>. There's a ton say about this, but this principle is basically what turns this...</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“You attack the ogre? Cool, roll Hack and Slash. A 10? Do you evade its attack or deal extra damage? Okay, roll your damage +1d6. 7 damage? It’s still up, and it hits you back for 1d10+3 forceful, knocking you down. It's going to attack you again. What do you do?” </i> </blockquote>
<div>
...into this:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“You attack the ogre? Cool, what’s that look like? Stabbing upward into its gut? Yeah, sure, roll Hack and Slash. A 10+? Do you evade its attack or deal extra damage? Okay, roll your damage +1d6. 7 damage? Okay, so like you said, you like stab up into its gut and it goes in but not all the way, and the ogre like doubles over, howling in pain, but before you can get away it just uncoils and backhands you across the face. Take 1d10+3 damage as you go flying and land in a heap, head spinning. You hear it lumbering towards you, grunting in pain and anger. What do you do?” </i></blockquote>
<div>
This isn't just an issue of style or fancy language. Without establishing specific fictional details, the game starts to break down. A player says they do something that doesn't make sense based on what you're picturing. Or they do something that they thought was simple and safe but you think is Defying Danger, and now they're salty about it. Or you invoke a player move, and they roll, and you aren't sure how to resolve it because the details aren't there. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Beginning and ending with the fiction</b> is how you decide what to do when the rules aren't clear. It's how you determine which PC actions are possible, and what moves they trigger (if any). It's how you decide on a GM move to make. It's how you keep everyone on the same page. <b>It's arguably the single most important thing to do as the GM</b>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And <i>it is hard</i>. You have to juggle dozens of inputs, from the players, the dice, the moves, your prep. You have be able to visualize a fictional world and think through how it would react to different inputs. You have to communicate that in a way that is clear and accessible and evocative to your players, without overwhelming them or boring them, usually with only your words and your gestures and maybe some crude drawings or props. You have to be able to inhabit NPCs and monsters and portray them, making them do things that make sense based on their instincts, wants, needs, knowledge, perceptions. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh, and you have to decide when to ignore (or change) previously established fiction in order to support other principles (like be a <b>fan of the characters</b> or <b>ask questions and build on the answers</b>). You have to learn what sorts of things to prep and what to improvise, based on your own skills and abilities and weaknesses. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some GMs are naturally gifted at working with the fiction. Others really struggle with it. Some are gifted in one area but weak in other (I myself can run action scenes pretty effortlessly, but struggle with compelling NPCs). I maintain that this is a skill that can be developed, worked on, improved. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Which brings me to...<br />
<br /></div>
<h2>
GMing is a Practice</h2>
<div>
I'm <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/02/on-learning-to-run-dungeon-world.html">quoting myself</a>, but:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>After each game</b>, think back on the decisions you made, the things you decided to say. Run those things against the game's proscribed agenda. Did you say or do anything that violated the agenda? Try to avoid that next time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Look at the principles. Did you say or do anything that violated them? Think about what you could have done instead. Think about what adhering to that principle might have looked like.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Look at the GM moves. Think about your major decisions, the things you said to prompt action from the PCs or to raise stakes/tension. Can you match each of those things to one or more of the GM moves? Were there any decisions you made, where you could have done one of these <i>other </i>GM moves instead? Keep that all in mind for next time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The GM's agenda, principles, and moves are just ways to codify and describe good GMing. Some GMs adhere to them closely and intentionally make their moves from the lists. Some GMs keep the principles constantly in mind.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But the core loop of the game is this: <b>Describe the situation. Give the players something to respond to. "What do you do?" Resolve a player move or say what happens. Repeat.</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And then look back on your work and see how you could have done better.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
GMing is a practice, like yoga or martial arts or meditation or painting or whatever. You get better at it by doing it, by reflecting on it, by constantly trying to do better. No one starts off as a maestro. Don't be afraid of being bad or mediocre or less than excellent. Do the work. Show up. Get better. Get good. Get great.</div>
</div>
</div><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>
Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-24201042599135247392019-10-18T17:12:00.002-05:002020-07-05T19:21:04.039-05:00Step-by-step: how to write up a front<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This post was <a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/2016/11/08/lets-talk-about-front-and-dangers-and-grim-portents-and-all-things-creating-adventurescampaigns/">originally a conversation on the Dungeon World Tavern</a> back in Google+. Bryan Alexander said "Let's talk about Fronts and Dangers and Grim Portents... you start!" </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Later in the conversation, Bryan said "Honestly, I'm struggling a bit with understanding it myself. I've reread the chapter three times now and it isn't really clicking. We are three sessions in and while I have several ideas and things that tie into each other--I’m not quite sure how it is supposed to come together in terms of how the book says to do it."</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>And, yeah... Fronts are one of the chapters that folks in the DW community regularly point to and say "this could be easier to understand." So here's my answer to Bryan, regarding how to proceduralize it. Maybe you'll find it useful, too?</i> </blockquote>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GloMeM8JQPFWlq7yui5MlJw52wuglesd77mkK14yUJGAGhXP8RSpd7CJbQDM5-5teeYr05n5H3vb_Y8DHwC97nI0vUcXiOB4PsT9a1qgQWwg4O9U2Cv287b59-ueAifNd4-Ocycrews/s1600/dungeon+starters+%2526+fronts.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="823" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GloMeM8JQPFWlq7yui5MlJw52wuglesd77mkK14yUJGAGhXP8RSpd7CJbQDM5-5teeYr05n5H3vb_Y8DHwC97nI0vUcXiOB4PsT9a1qgQWwg4O9U2Cv287b59-ueAifNd4-Ocycrews/s400/dungeon+starters+%2526+fronts.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <i><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/194173/20-Dungeon-Starters">20 Dungeon Starters</a></i> (Marhsall Miller, Mark Tygart)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After your first session (or maybe two):<br />
<br />
<h2>
Dangers</h2>
1) Look at the fiction already established, and identify <b>the dynamic actors</b>, the people or things that will move forward and adapt and pursue an agenda: the rival adventurers pillaging the dungeon; the abusive lord looking to increase his power; the goblins trying to defend their home. <b><i>Each is a Danger</i></b>.<br />
<br />
2) Look for <b>fragile, untenable, unstable circumstances</b>. Like a crumbling dungeon holding a slumbering terror, a village simmering with resentment at its abusive lord, a disease or curse poised to sweep through the land. <b><i>Each is a Danger</i></b>, though maybe not yet active. Consider putting a “face” to each of these dangers, like the rabble-rousing matron who’s had enough or the spirit of the restless priest-king buried in the tomb.<br />
<br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><h2>Impending Doom & Grim Portents</h2>
3) For each Danger, ask yourself: what’s its trajectory? If it gets going and runs unchecked, <b>what’s the irrevocable bad thing that will happen</b>? That’s you <b><i>impending doom</i></b>. (If the list of dooms in the book help, great! If they feel confining, forget them!)<br />
<br />
<br />
4) For each Danger, <b>plot out 2-4 “steps” along the way</b> to that impending doom, your <b><i>grim portents</i></b>.<br />
<br />
Don’t go into a lot of detail, but these should be observable, concrete things. Things that the PCs can see, or get word of, of otherwise be affected by, and (this is crucial) react to and possibly prevent.<br />
<br />
“Lord Douchebag doubles the taxes,” then “Lord Douchebag’s goons start ransacking homes for ‘hidden wealth'” and then “Lord Douchebag’s goons burn down a few houses and kill a few holdouts” and then “Lord Douchebag’s reign of terror: killing anyone who question him or try to flee.” All leading up to the doom of: “the villagers are brutally enslaved, famished, hopeless and forlorn.”<br />
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Tip: if you aren’t sure about 3 or 4, pick the danger type that best matches and look at the GM moves for those. That’ll give you ideas for how that type of danger can act, the types of things they can do! Use those to write your Grim Portents and Impending Dooms.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Cast</h2>
5) Optional: <b>Add names and personalities to the dangers</b>. Who is Lord Douchebag’s right hand? Which of the goons is having second thoughts? Which of the townsfolk is colluding with the Lord? Which ones will stand up to him and take the brunt of his fury? (This is the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cast</i>.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
Stakes</h2>
6) Optional: <b>Ask yourself some questions, things you aren’t sure about but would like to find out in play.</b> Will Balfur's conscience get the better of him? Will any of the Stouthearts survive? Don’t answer them yet, leave them out there as open questions! These are your <b><i>Stakes Questions</i></b>. They aren’t critical to making the whole thing work, but I find that they add a lot of depth.<br />
<br />
Tip: avoid making your stakes questions the equivalent of “will the impending doom come to pass?” You already answered that. The impending doom will come to pass if no one does anything about it. Stakes questions should (IMO) be smaller, more personal. How will this affect this individual? That sort of thing.<br />
<br />
In play, put your stakes questions on screen! Frame a scene that puts the question front and center, where the PCs can witness it and maybe do something about it. Then do one or more of the following:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Let the PCs decide. <i>"You can see Balfur's not happy about how this is going. You might be able to sway him. What do you do?"</i></li>
<li>Let the dice decide. <i>"Sounds like Parley, using his conscience as leverage against him. Roll it!" (and follow where the dice lead)</i></li>
<li>Let the NPC decide, based on their instinct and established fiction and so forth. (Yeah, you're still deciding, but you're doing so with integrity rather than whim.) <i>"Look," Balfur says after the player rolls a 7-9, "I hear what you're saying, but I'm Lord Douchebag's sworn man, and his father was always a righteous ruler. You give me some proof that he's behind his father's demise and we'll talk. But until then," he swallows hard and sets his shoulders, "I've got taxes to collect." (this based on Balfur's instinct of "to do his duty").</i></li>
<li>Let things simmer. If a scene fails to resolve the question, or doesn't resolve it definitively, that's fine. Move on to something else and loop back to these stakes later. </li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Using Fronts in Play (by Alfred Rudzki)</h2>
<div>
Once you've got your fronts prepared, how do you actually use them? Here's a comment from Alfred Rudzki that I think is spot on:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
So the thing about Fronts is that <i><b>they don’t provide mechanics</b></i> and I think that’s where some people get tripped up. They look at the Fronts and the Dangers and go ‘but what does it do?’ and the answer is nothing.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Remember how early in the book, you’re told role-playing is a conversation? Take that literally, and consider that <b><i>Fronts are note-taking</i></b>. You’ve done your reading — some Tolkien, some Salvatore, some Martin, your own game — and now you’re scribbling on notecards, organizing your ideas, bullet pointing what you think, scrawling out your own educated guesses and conclusions, and then you’re getting in front of your audience and you’re going to invest your ideas in the discussion. And if your audience is grooving or has something else they want to talk about, you go off notecard, and you address what they want to talk about — but you’ve got the cards ready so that if the crowd is happy to follow along, you’re not unprepared.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That’s what Fronts are. You use them by talking about them, nothing more. The players show up, you all sit down… none of them say anything, they’re waiting for you to start. Where do you start? Look at that Front. Okay, you’re thinking something with a menace in the woods and a key and some mines would be rad. How do you get from A to B? Okay, better talk about that thing in the woods. And then you go, “After many days walking, you pass through the deep, dark woods…” or whatever. You take your notes, and you make them into conversation. They’ll say stuff back to you, and you’ll ad lib. You’ll respond, you’ll have fun, they’ll respond… and then you’ll freeze up… <b><i>oh man what should you do now? Bam, look at your Fronts.</i></b> Tell the players something else relevant to your notes, or ask them to fill in the blank for you, and keep going. This is how Fronts work. Fronts are just “I think this thing would be cool, and I think it might do X Y Z, and maybe here’s a custom move I should use.” That’s all they are.</div>
<div>
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<div>
They don’t have mechanics, because you already know all the mechanics: players trigger a move and roll, you make moves when they miss or look to you for an answer. Those moves you’re making — the hard ones, the soft ones, the ones because they fail, and the ones because they did something you have to respond to — are often going to come from your Fronts, and they’re not going to come about because of any special device that catapults them form your notes onto the stage, but because you will be expected to speak and y<b><i>ou will have done your homework to keep things moving quickly and cleanly</i></b>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Have you ever worked in theatre? Between scenes, when the lights are out, we move the setpieces and the props and change the costumes. Nothing on the stage does any of that, we have to do it by hand but we have a plan for how it all has to be moved around. <b><i>Your Front is your plan for how you would move pieces around if left to your own devices</i></b>. When left to your own devices, go ahead and follow your plan. When the players do something wild, when you have a sudden inspiration that is killer, go with that instead… the Front is just notes, just ideas, just suggestions for when you freeze up or are put on the spot.</div>
<div>
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<div>
That is what all the Dangers and Grim Portents and all of that are about: <b><i>they’re about having something to say</i></b>, and never being at a loss when the players are engaging with your content. If they decide they want to do their own things… well, that’s fine because your prep is just some ideas and you’re willing to ignore it/cannibalize it/repurpose it/approach it differently, and because your prep comes from your perspective. It doesn’t presume anything the players will choose to do, right? That’s how the Moves and Grim Portents and all of that works. Its what the people you control will do.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, like you know — based on your ideas, from your notes — that you want the PCs to get on the trail of these keys. So, you need to remember to talk about these keys or reveal some instance of these keys. So maybe when you stat up your Dark Elves, you give them a move “announce the vengeance they’ll rain down on their enemies once they have the Key.” Then, during play, if things get heated, and you’re distracted, you have a note right there: Oh, hey! I almost forgot to announce that, yeah, that’s what I’ll weave in right now. And maybe the player’s don’t bite and they go off and do something else. That’s fine! You haven’t forced them into a course of action.</div>
<div>
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<div>
Similarly, Grim Potents, which are bad events that will come to pass without PC involvement, and you use those to update your status quo and illustrate what is coming to pass, to let your players know that “bad stuff is going down.” You narrate a Grim Portent coming to pass, but its something your bad guys are doing, and it doesn’t rely on forcing or assuming the PCs to do X Y Z. The fact that all of your prep is focused on your guys is how you can use your Fronts/notes to run the game and still let the players do whatever they’re going to do.</div>
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<span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-32370233773456997442019-07-24T18:33:00.002-05:002020-07-05T19:22:18.673-05:00More noodling on Stonetop's gear & inventory systemWe've now gone through about a dozen sessions with the <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/01/new-inventory-system-for-stonetop.html">current version of <i>Stonetop's </i>inventory system</a>, and I'm... dissatisfied.<br />
<br />
I'm leaning strongly towards something more like <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/05/homebrew-world-v15-gear-inventory.html">what I'm using in Homebrew World</a>, something like this:<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7LP8uhGoldW50k3XAvrnN8qs8-PSSQv6y-7fxbD85Klc2ui7DqCnu8TorCpBObxBzOqwlj8l1V6kGz-Z8P3JsBfvD8LM17gRVx8x-cKgI0pp4hBgjMgYsW3pmRzR-V4EJOHW8Xlukfg/s1600/Stonetop+playbook+-+Inventory+Revamp+v46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="992" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7LP8uhGoldW50k3XAvrnN8qs8-PSSQv6y-7fxbD85Klc2ui7DqCnu8TorCpBObxBzOqwlj8l1V6kGz-Z8P3JsBfvD8LM17gRVx8x-cKgI0pp4hBgjMgYsW3pmRzR-V4EJOHW8Xlukfg/s640/Stonetop+playbook+-+Inventory+Revamp+v46.png" width="395" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Some background... how'd we get here?</h2>
<div>
The gear lists (and how PCs acquire gear) have always been an important part of the game. The core conceit of <i>Stonetop </i>is that you're the heroes of a small, isolated, fantasy iron-age village. "Adventures" usually mean going out into the world to do something on the town's behalf. </div>
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As such, I've always had three important goals for Stonetop's gear (and related systems):</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><ol><li>Tie the quality of the PC's gear to the prosperity and fortunes of their village. In other words: the PCs don't get better gear because they buy it with their ill-gained loot; they get better gear by building up their home town.</li>
<li>Emphasize and establish the setting through the "material culture" of the town. Spears and shields should be the norm; steel is rare and valuable; candles and lanterns are luxuries for most folk; stuff is heavy; coin is uncommon and not how most trade gets done. </li>
<li>Include scarcity and meaningful resource-depletion, as a driver of player/character decisions. E.g. they might need to turn back from a mission because they get too beat up and/or run out of food, ammo, supplies, etc. </li>
</ol>
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To those ends, the village itself gets a playbook. It has stats, mostly derived from the original Dungeon World steading rules. Like so:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPy16TDPM-N06WWQgQBQyGhQ1jhyphenhyphenS8xRrCZOsJxNR83zlUsRvwIAgJlYF1W3LpMJi46xxDROwt5fujdROsmAVECjuixQ26SaYac2fyt7dflcxXnoDMm9hboJBlzbtUvRyZcOjzkLw5pMk/s1600/Stonetop+steading+stats.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="879" data-original-width="459" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPy16TDPM-N06WWQgQBQyGhQ1jhyphenhyphenS8xRrCZOsJxNR83zlUsRvwIAgJlYF1W3LpMJi46xxDROwt5fujdROsmAVECjuixQ26SaYac2fyt7dflcxXnoDMm9hboJBlzbtUvRyZcOjzkLw5pMk/s640/Stonetop+steading+stats.png" width="332" /></a></div>
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There's an involved mini-game in how these stats all interact, but the relevant ones are:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Fortunes</i> determines the general morale, luck, and mood of the town. It changes frequently, ranging from -3 to +3. </li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Surplus</i> represents the food in the granary, the water in the cistern, the extra wealth spread out throughout the town. It accumulates in Summer and Autumn, and gets taxed in Winter. It also gets used for civic projects, like building a palisade.</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Prosperity</i> represents the overall level of wealth, technology, and goods available in the town. It changes slowly, if at all. Higher Prosperity means that the PCs should have access to superior gear.</li>
</ul>
<div>
The original gear and inventory system was quite similar to standard <i>Dungeon World, </i>and it worked like this:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Each PC had a Max Load, determined by their class and STR (typical ranges: 8-12). </li>
<li>Each item had a Weight, usually 0-2, rarely higher.</li>
<li>Each class had a starting set of items, usually 1 "good" item and ~3 standard items. Things like rations and adventuring gear weren't included, because...</li>
<li>When the PCs would Outfit for an expedition, they'd roll +Fortunes. On a 10+, they'd get 6 items; on a 7-9, they'd get 3; on a 6-, nothing. They could get +3 items by reducing the town's Fortunes by 1.</li>
<li>Items were split into lists, corresponding to the steading's current Prosperity. The items you got from Outfitting had to come from your current Prosperity List, but you could "trade down" 3:1. E.g. if the steading was currently Poor (-1) and you got a 7-9 to Outfit, you'd get 3 Poor items, or 2 Poor items and 3 Dirt item, or 1 Poor item and 6 Dirt items, etc. </li>
<li>Most of the <i>Dungeon World </i>classics were there: adventuring gear, bandages, poultices, ammo, etc. Generally speaking: stuff on the higher Prosperity lists was lighter or just better. </li>
<li>Weapons and armor, too, with crappy stone/copper stuff on the Dirt list, iron/bronze spears and arrows on the Poor list, and "serious" weapons on the Moderate list. </li>
</ul>
Oh, <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0lFq3ECDQDQN2dSYU9SZEw5LXc">here's an early draft</a> if you're interested.<br />
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This system... worked. But it had problems:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>As in regular <i>Dungeon World</i>, players often wouldn't count their Weight vs. their Load. Counting 6-12 items, each with a different Weight value just doesn't work for people. They won't do it unless you force them to. </li>
<li>The Outfitting procedure was painful. </li>
<ul>
<li><i>"Okay, so we'll be gone for 4 days and there are 5 of us... so we need 20 rations... that's... just over 3 picks of Porridge. Porridge is on the Dirt list, so that's just 1 of our picks. We've got 2 Poor items left... does anyone need a cloak? Or arrows?" "I need adventuring gear." "Okay, that's a Dirt pick, so we've got 2 more Dirt items and a Poor item."</i> </li>
<li>Some players would inevitably glaze over. Others would knapsack-problem it. And <i>then</i> they'd figure out how to distribute the gear among PCs. It could easily take a party of 4 over half an hour to figure this crap out. </li>
</ul>
<li>There was no incentive for folks to "travel light." </li>
<li>Rules were hidden in the gear descriptions. Bandages and poultice were the biggest problems here, but also whisky, probably some other stuff. If you didn't think to look for it, you'd miss it.</li>
<li>Adventuring gear somehow never got used up. Rope, I guess? But the different "levels" of adventuring gear rarely seemed to come into play. When it did get used, it was often for things like "I'm out of bandages, but I've got adventuring gear. Can I use that?"<br /></li>
</ul>
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<h2>
Consolidation and slots</h2>
<div>
I started <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1veiSIECJf1AsMyfe0g25UTWnTmc1PtEs_Z_pHriJ-dA/edit?usp=sharing">tinkering with consolidation a while ago</a>, looking for ways to consolidate the "expendable" gear: adventuring gear, rations, bandages, poultice, even ammo.<br />
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I also started to think about "inventory slots" instead of Weight vs. Load. Slots are a much better user interface: you can visually process how "full" your inventory is with slots much more quickly and easily than you can add up a series of numbers and compare it to another number.<br />
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Meanwhile, <i>Blades in the Dark</i> came out and blew my mind with the "loadout" thing. In BitD, you pick a Light, Medium, or Heavy load. That has fictional implications, but also gives you X items, which you can declare at any point during your job. It's great! Gets you into the action with minimum fuss, but still provides grabby fiction and meaningful decisions.<br />
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Problem is... Blades is all about short-term jobs that (usually) take place in the city. Scarcity and resource depletion aren't really a factor. <i>Dungeon World</i> and <i>Stonetop</i> share a core conceit of "leaving civilization and traveling through/exploring dangerous places," and scarcity and resource depletion are an important part of that.<br />
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Combining all three ideas (consolidating expendables, slots instead of Weight vs. Load, and the Blades in the Dark "loadout") got me to <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/08/gear-slots-and-supplies-in-homebrew.html">the system I initially used in Homebrew World.</a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUM_0GnsOdTEEpQww_9pqmx10sGapJR9OlcU4pdi5fKVdrLjupg9dbH4tClsCq1FulVh5FyY70iq06nxs41tYepCJbFgRk0Ri5i_AKq77b7OI5B_MnHdRZH2yHXTL8g7Yrz6h5dcdXfY/s1600/HBW+Fighter+Gear+Slots.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1174" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUM_0GnsOdTEEpQww_9pqmx10sGapJR9OlcU4pdi5fKVdrLjupg9dbH4tClsCq1FulVh5FyY70iq06nxs41tYepCJbFgRk0Ri5i_AKq77b7OI5B_MnHdRZH2yHXTL8g7Yrz6h5dcdXfY/s400/HBW+Fighter+Gear+Slots.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>Homebrew World's original take on loadout (for the Fighter)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />You've got slots, differences between "unencumbered" and "encumbered" (normal) and "clumsy". You've got consolidated expendables with "Supplies" and "More supplies". You've got gear lists specific to the playbooks, and quick methodology for deciding what and how much you have. </div>
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It worked okay, but not perfectly. The Out of... mechanic was weird. When you needed to eat, or tend to wounds, or expend ammo, you could either expend 1 use of Supplies <i>or</i> mark "Out of __". Likewise, you could produce <i>small</i> items by marking "Out of [that kind of item]." This was obscure, not-very intuitive, and too forgiving. </div>
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The other big problems with this approach is that slots don't work very well when they are pre-filled (or partially filled).</div>
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For example: in the image above, suppose that the player decides that, for their 2 choices, they want "More supplies" and "Healing potion". Cool! They haven't selected that slot with the "Shield... or crossbow", so it's technically available. They expend 1 use of Supplies to produce a rope. It goes in that last empty slot, under "More supplies." Later, they want to produce a pickaxe. It <i>could</i> go in that unused slot with the shield/crossbow, but that slot doesn't <i>look</i> empty. They'd have to write over it, which is unintuitive and annoying. </div>
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Another example: they use up "More supplies". I just looted a jeweled skull, can I put it in that slot? The slot is technically now empty, but the check-box is already ticked, so... can I put this skull in there? (Yes. But, again, unclear and clunky.)</div>
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This would get exacerbated in <i>Stonetop</i> because the you're regularly re-Outfitting and the gear available would change over time, and (unlike <i>Homebrew World</i> which only expects to see the characters through only one adventure) the heroes of Stonetop would often accumulate stuff over time. </div>
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<div>
Also: the consolidation of expendables goes against some of my design goals for Stonetop: emphasizing the material culture through specific gear, and having gear quality dictated by the town's Prosperity. But I liked the slots (with differing levels of encumbrance) and I liked the define-your-gear-as-you-need-it aspect. And that got me to... </div>
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<h2>
Stonetop's current gear system</h2>
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It's <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/01/new-inventory-system-for-stonetop.html">described in detail here</a>, but in short, it looks like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIIb1RSgxwgppx_vlA5oU0fzT5Pz5pTKtOMGRFKtlFzc1Nr897ao-NGW0573JXO7jveMOi7Jd9skzvei91M6z5BNS_LIUDrUkoOthXCQU2eVKr-OeXmEXJ6nFzMvFsvUGmdna5i5WhiI/s1600/Stonetop+Inventory+Sheet+%2528v3%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1084" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIIb1RSgxwgppx_vlA5oU0fzT5Pz5pTKtOMGRFKtlFzc1Nr897ao-NGW0573JXO7jveMOi7Jd9skzvei91M6z5BNS_LIUDrUkoOthXCQU2eVKr-OeXmEXJ6nFzMvFsvUGmdna5i5WhiI/s400/Stonetop+Inventory+Sheet+%2528v3%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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When you <b>Outfit</b>, you...<b> </b><br />
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<ul>
<li>...decide if you're bringing a Light Load (3 slots, quick & quiet), a Normal Load (6 slots), or a Heavy Load (9 slots, noisy, hot, slow, quick to tire). </li>
<li>...pre-populate as many of those slots as you want, either from the appropriate prosperity lists or your personal possessions. </li>
<li>...can choose to leave any (or all) of those slots as undefined ("?") for now, and fill them in during play (again, from the prosperity list or your personal possessions).</li>
</ul>
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You can also use the Trade & Barter move (as you Outfit, or in the field as a flashback) to try and acquire better items (stuff off the higher Prosperity lists).<br />
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Note that you can produce <i>small items </i>more-or-less at will. There's no limit beyond "be reasonable" (and the Prosperity lists/personal possessions). Everyone can have a tinderbox, and some whisky, etc.<br />
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Part of this approach also meant tweaking with the gear lists themselves. In particular, things that were previously <i>small</i> items got grouped into "[]" items (things that take up a slot), but with more uses.<br />
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This system works pretty well. I think it'd work <i>quite</i> well for something with a less-defined gear list, like a modern-day game where everyone more-or-less knew the types of things you could produce, or a generic Ren Faire style fantasy game with anachronisms all about.<br />
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But for <i>Stonetop, </i>I continue to see problems with the Prosperity lists and the subtle differences between types of gear. For example, here are the 3 lowest (and most available) gear lists:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfu_N-LYadUPZmYkcoRLFhtQnGj_FwruMAMDL9_wD6D5i2nTHAqQzD_trEc93Yf1wGqi13H_mfFvRBnvZVOpj3zRGi_wV3Yqj-TyAbS6z4SVzwLuJmw6jdT-z-BLGbui6JoUaRZ_o9CNQ/s1600/Stonetop+Gear+Lists+%2528first+three+columns%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="923" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfu_N-LYadUPZmYkcoRLFhtQnGj_FwruMAMDL9_wD6D5i2nTHAqQzD_trEc93Yf1wGqi13H_mfFvRBnvZVOpj3zRGi_wV3Yqj-TyAbS6z4SVzwLuJmw6jdT-z-BLGbui6JoUaRZ_o9CNQ/s400/Stonetop+Gear+Lists+%2528first+three+columns%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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At the start of play, players can freely take things from the first two columns, and can Trade & Barter for things in the 3rd column. Plus, every player has a couple personal possessions from the inside of their playbook.<br />
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Notice all the subtle differences in similar gear:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Porridge </b>(Dirt list) gives you 12 uses per slot but requires cooking (fire & water), vs. <b>Provisions</b> (Poor list) which gives you 6 uses per slot but is prep free.</li>
<li><b>Rotgut</b> vs. <b>Decent</b> <b>whisky </b>are both good for burning, easy nerves, dulling pain, etc. (and thus a good resource to use when you Recover). The only real difference between them is how many times you can use them before they cause a debility. Oh, and <b>fine whisky</b> (Moderate list) has no such limitation and also can be used for advantage on a Parley.</li>
<li>How much does it matter that a <b>wooden shield</b> (from the Poor list) is <i>crude</i>, vs. a <b>bronze/iron shield</b> (from the Moderate list) that isn't? <i>(Answer: only as much as your GM pays attention to the quality of your shield. I.e. quite possibly not at all.)</i></li>
<li>Compare light sources:</li>
<ul>
<li><b>Rushlights </b>(6 uses, <i>hand, crude, small</i>) on the Dirt List </li>
<li><b>Oil lamp</b> (<i>area, close, crude, requires oil, small</i>) on the Poor List. "Oh, you have an oil lamp? It's <i>small</i>, but did you bring lamp oil?" </li>
<li><b>Lamp oil</b> (<i>6 uses, </i>[]) on the Poor List</li>
<li><b>Candles </b>(<i>6 uses, close, </i>[])</li>
<li><b>Lantern</b> (<i>area, reach, requires oil</i>)..."Hey, do you have oil?" "Crap."<br /> </li>
</ul>
<li><b>Stone/copper spear </b>(<i>close, thrown, crude, </i>[]) on the Dirt list vs. <b>Iron/copper spear</b> (<i>close, thrown, </i>[]) on the Poor list vs. <b>Steel spear</b> (<i>close, thrown, 1 piercing</i>, []) on the Moderate list.</li>
<li><b>Remedies</b> (<i>5 uses, slow, </i>[]) on the Poor list vs. <b>Healer's kit </b>(<i>5 uses, slow, </i>[]) on the Moderate list. The healer's kit grants advantage and restores an extra 5 HP. </li>
<li>A <b>cloak</b> (<i>warm, </i>[]) vs. <b>thick hides </b>(<i>1 armor, warm, crude, big </i>[][]) on the Poor list, vs. a <b>boiled leather cuirass </b>(<i>1 armor, </i>[]) on the Moderate list. Sometimes (like in Winter) you want <i>warm</i>, sometimes (like in Summer) you don't. Does the <i>crude</i> on the thick hides matter? Remember, those hides are <i>big </i>[][], so they can't go in any of your first 3 slots.</li>
<li><b>Bow, short </b>(<i>near, 2h, </i>[]) on the Poor list vs. <b>Bow, long </b>(<i>far, 2h, </i>[]) on the Moderate list, but don't forget to bring Arrows (<i>3 ammo</i>, []), of either stone/copper (<i>crude, </i>on the Dirt list), iron/bronze (Poor list), or steel (<i>1 piercing</i>, on the Moderate list). </li>
</ul>
<div>
So when deciding on my gear, I need to:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Know how many slots I have available</li>
<li>Look at the lists of gear that I can choose from</li>
<li>Find something that looks right</li>
<li>"Are there better versions I could get? How are they better? Is it worth me Trading & Bartering to get that?"</li>
<li>Are there any related things I should make sure I have? (i.e. you need arrows for your bow; you need oil for your lamp/lantern) Do I have room for them?</li>
<li>"Oh, it's <i>big</i> [][]? I guess I have to move some stuff around."</li>
<li>"Oh, it's <i>small, </i>so that doesn't go into a slot?"</li>
</ol>
<div>
The fact that you can put off declaring the specific items until you actually need them is good, and helps, but come the moment where you Have What You Need, and suddenly you need to parse all of this and <i>hope you don't make any mistakes</i>.</div>
</div>
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<div>
Like, I think the system works, but it requires a lot of system mastery and attention to detail. In my home game, <b>I'm finding that the same folks who would take point on the old Outfit procedure (X choices off of Y list, trade down at 3:1) are the same folks who grasp this new system and interact with it. Meanwhile, the folks who were overwhelmed by the old Outfit procedure are mostly still overwhelmed by this.</b> Which means that it's not working. </div>
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<div>
Also of concern: in our home game (in which I'm a player, not the GM), we've recently reached Moderate prosperity. And now that we're there, I'm seeing how much of a quadratic boost it is. <i>Everyone</i> can produce spears and arrows that are 1 piercing; <i>every </i>time we Recover, we're using a healer's kit and getting back 10 HP instead of 5 HP, or rolling with advantage to treat an injury. </div>
<div>
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<div>
And my favorite: everyone can reasonably claim to be carrying a flask of fine whisky (it's on the Moderate list), but that means our party of ~12 (6 PCs + the Marshal's crew of 6 followers) can produce 12 <i>small</i> Moderate-value items that are well-established as trade goods with other settlements. 12 Moderate items is 6-12 handfuls of silver, which is 2-4 purses of silver. Basically at will! Compare that to just 2 sessions ago, where having 9 flasks of fine whisky was a Big Deal and let us make an important trade deal with Gordin's Delve.</div>
<div>
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<div>
(On the plus side: when everyone saw that the Moderate list included "<b>Hound </b>[alive]: A good dog" they all freaked out with joy.)</div>
<div>
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<h2>
Meanwhile, in <i>Homebrew World</i>...</h2>
<div>
Further playtesting of <i>Homebrew World</i>, and reports from folks who had played it, led me to try something even closer to the <i>Blades in the Dark</i> approach. <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/05/homebrew-world-v15-gear-inventory.html">After a couple iterations, we got this</a>:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpYaolCXZ_WUZIpdTwfruB613or94XKpUKQvrQsVko0ch09b0bCpaX1GlIDaY1M45Rd_oR8FYtEZPa2TKAi7gEFUkBa7SVwSVR77dNVqWRQWhK_FvONjuyj9kRa24Gu4UCkJSrTrtAcU/s1600/HBW+-+Thief%2527s+Gear+%2528v1.5%2529.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1037" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpYaolCXZ_WUZIpdTwfruB613or94XKpUKQvrQsVko0ch09b0bCpaX1GlIDaY1M45Rd_oR8FYtEZPa2TKAi7gEFUkBa7SVwSVR77dNVqWRQWhK_FvONjuyj9kRa24Gu4UCkJSrTrtAcU/s400/HBW+-+Thief%2527s+Gear+%2528v1.5%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">from <i>Homebrew World's </i>Thief playbook</td></tr>
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<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
No more slots. You mark up to a certain number of ◊ on either specific items or "Undefined." During play, you can move marks from Undefined to specific items or slots, and fill the slots with common, mundane items. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Two of the ◊ items on every playbook are "Supplies" and "More Supplies" (each with 3 uses), which (per the original <i>Homebrew World</i> rules) consolidate most of the expendable stuff: rations, bandages, poultices, etc. They can also be spent to produce <i>small</i> items, but not full-sized items (those require using Undefined ◊). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The specific items are tailored to each playbook. For example, only the Thief has "Throwing knives" and a "Disguise kit". The Thief doesn't have any "Serious weapons" or "Heavy armor" or a "Shield" but the Fighter and Paladin do. These customized pick lists allow me to suggest things about each class's capabilities and skills, and prod creativity. The player with the Thief might never have thought about impersonating the prince, but hey, they can have a Disguise Kit... let's try this! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In play, I've found that this approach works really well. People quickly seem to grasp the <b>Undefined</b> aspect, and have fun using up Supplies to make <i>small </i>items (personal favorite so far: the young-and-eager Paladin producing a pamphlet, to give to the rather genial ghoul he'd been chatting up about natural philosophy). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another thing that I'm really happy with: look at how ammo is handled on the Bow & Arrows or the Throwing knives. Instead of "(Ammo 2)" they've got "([] low ammo []out of ammo)". What <i>Dungeon World </i>GM hasn't had to explain that, no no, it's not 2 shots, it's 2 times that you can choose "Reduce your ammo by 1?" (And it always felt a little off to me to have Volley depleting Supplies.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, this approach <i>does</i> lose the UI benefit of "slots." But I'll say that counting a small number of filled-in ◊ is much simpler than adding together the Weight of a bunch of different items. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh, and I originally started with something like "<i>light load = </i>up to ◊ x3" and "<i>medium load </i>= up to ◊ x6" and "<i>heavy load </i>= up to ◊ x9". But in the end, I didn't think it was worth it for <i>Homebrew World</i>. The character archetypes in <i>Homebrew World</i> are very specific, and we don't expect to see characters for more than one adventure, so it felt like unnecessary complexity. So, some playbooks get more ◊s than others, and a couple playbooks have options to increase their ◊, but that's it. You're under your max load, or you're encumbered. <br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<h2>
Where I think I'm going with <i>Stonetop</i></h2>
<div>
Let's consider my goals for <i>Stonetop</i>'s gear and inventory systems again:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Tie the quality of the PC's gear to the prosperity and fortunes of their village. In other words: the PCs don't get better gear because they buy it with their ill-gained loot; they get better gear by building up their home town.</li>
<li>Emphasize and establish the setting through the "material culture" of the town. Spears and shields should be the norm; steel is rare and valuable; candles and lanterns are luxuries for most folk; stuff is heavy; coin is uncommon and not how most trade gets done. </li>
<li>Include scarcity and meaningful resource-depletion, as a driver of player/character decisions. E.g. they might need to turn back from a mission because they get too beat up and/or run out of food, ammo, supplies, etc.<br /><br />Having playtested the game quite a bit, I think I need to add:<br /><br /></li>
<li>Make it easy to use: limit the need for system mastery and cross-referencing; consolidate the information as much as possible; avoid traps and gotchas, get PCs out the door and into the field as quickly as possible.</li>
<li>Don't break the economy: getting to Moderate prosperity shouldn't cause some sort of crazy ripple effect. </li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To those ends, I'm considering something much, much closer to the current iteration of <i>Homebrew World</i>, something that looks like this:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7LP8uhGoldW50k3XAvrnN8qs8-PSSQv6y-7fxbD85Klc2ui7DqCnu8TorCpBObxBzOqwlj8l1V6kGz-Z8P3JsBfvD8LM17gRVx8x-cKgI0pp4hBgjMgYsW3pmRzR-V4EJOHW8Xlukfg/s1600/Stonetop+playbook+-+Inventory+Revamp+v46.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="992" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7LP8uhGoldW50k3XAvrnN8qs8-PSSQv6y-7fxbD85Klc2ui7DqCnu8TorCpBObxBzOqwlj8l1V6kGz-Z8P3JsBfvD8LM17gRVx8x-cKgI0pp4hBgjMgYsW3pmRzR-V4EJOHW8Xlukfg/s640/Stonetop+playbook+-+Inventory+Revamp+v46.png" width="395" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New <i>Stonetop </i>inventory insert: working draft</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
Unlike <i>Homebrew World</i>, every class uses the same sheet (and it's a full 1/2-page insert, as opposed to the HBW sheets where it's a 1/4 page and embedded in the playbook). <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
This consolidates ammo into the bow & arrow option; it consolidates oil into the lamp and lantern. Thus, avoiding "gotchas".</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
It consolidates expendables into Supplies, so there's no more "Porridge" vs. "Provisions" vs. "Remedies" vs. "Healer's Kit." Instead of limiting which of those items are available, the steading's Prosperity influences how many uses you can get out of each ◊ of Supplies, and how effective the Recover move is:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both;">
<b>RECOVER</b> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both;">
When you spend a few minutes to catch your breath and tend to what ails you, expend 1 use of Supplies; you or your <b><i>patient recovers 5 + Prosperity HP</i></b>. You (or your patient) can't benefit from this move again until you lose more HP. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
..<plus stuff about treating a debility or problematic wound>. </blockquote>
<br />
Historically, the difference between Porridge and Provisions usually came down: Porridge gives you more uses, but requires fire & water & time. Provisions are a good snack. That's replaced by having this:<br />
<br />
◊ *Mess kit (<i>requires fire/water; use fewer Supplies to travel or Make Camp</i>).<br />
<br />
And something like this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>MAKE CAMP</b> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When you settle in to rest in a dangerous area, answer the GM's questions about your campsite. <b><i>Each member of the party must consume 1 use of Supplies. If you use a ◊ mess kit (with fire and water), you only need to consume 1 use of Supplies for the whole party</i></b>. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...<stuff about recovering HP etc. after a eating your fill and getting a few hours sleep></blockquote>
<br />
The beauty of this: the first time the PCs Make Camp, they'll encounter this rule and it'll prompt a discussion about "Does anyone have a mess kit? Do we start a fire?" etc.<br />
<br />
Also, Supplies get used to produce <i>small</i> items (in addition to X + Prosperity "free" small items). That puts an actual limit on the number of <i>small </i>items a character can have. (Though I'm not actually sure that this is necessary, and might drop it.)<br />
<br />
Now, this approach <i>will </i>lose some of the "material culture" aspect of the previous gear systems, in that we no longer specifically track porridge vs. provisions and copper vs. iron vs. steel weapons. But... I'm okay with that. It preserves (and arguably enhances) the material culture by giving players pick lists that establish technology levels and what goods are commons. This gear sheet tells us that, yeah, everyone in Stonetop can have have a spear and a shield, or another weapons that's also a practical thing like a hatchet or hammer or a mattock or a staff. A rope and a blanket and a pair of gloves? All legitimate things that you might have with you! A block & tackle? Maybe, if the steading's prosperity is good!<br />
<br />
The steading's Prosperity continues to affect quality of gear in a couple different ways:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Prosperity adds uses to your Supplies, and the Recover move (which uses Supplies) is more effective. </li>
<li>Spears, arrows, and mattocks get <i>X piercing</i> , where X = Prosperity. This reflects improved materials and craftsmanship (and, hey, maybe more time to practice). Oh, and if Prosperity is Dirt (-1), then it means all the weapons you can pick are <i>crude</i>. </li>
<li>Prosperity limits which things you can pick when you Outfit or Have What You Need. You can't "just have" a mattock or a cloak if your town has descended to Dirt. You can't "just have" a leather cuirass until you get the town up Moderate. </li>
</ul>
<br />
They'll can still produce common, mundane items that aren't on the list, but the most common things (rope, blanket, a shovel, etc.) are already there. Again, making things easier, and reinforcing the material culture.<br />
<br />
A lot of the things that used to be on the Moderate or higher lists--like serious weapons (a longbow, a flail, a warhammer) or bendis root or fine whisky--will now be Special Items. Special Items will have a specific description, a typical cost, and availability. You can't produce those on the fly, you'll have to Trade & Barter for them. That should prevent PCs from producing infinite stuff that can be sold for valuable coins.<br />
<br />
I did keep the "light load = up to <b><i>◊</i></b> x3, normal load = up to <b style="font-style: italic;">◊</b> x6, and heavy load = up to <i style="font-weight: bold;">◊ </i>x9." I didn't like it for <i>Homebrew World</i> because that game's scope is much more narrow. I felt like it was important to keep that option of granularity in <i>Stonetop</i>. In play, the light/normal/heavy load has definitely come up a lot, and driven decisions.<br />
<br />
This stuff isn't set in stone, and I'll likely continue tinkering with a bit. But it's the direction I'm definitely leaning. Some issues that still need to be worked out:<br />
<ul>
<li>How many uses of Supplies is "right"? I defaulted to 3+Prosperity, but that seems maybe too low? But too much, and scarcity mechanics cease to apply.<br /></li>
<li>Will people be able to easily track their <i style="font-weight: bold;">◊</i> when there are so many items on the sheet? It works well in <i>Homebrew World</i> because it takes up half as much space and there are a lot fewer specific <i style="font-weight: bold;">◊</i> items. I'm worried that it won't be as easy to tell what you've got with this.<br /></li>
<li>Do I really need to limit the number of <i>small</i> items they can have? Does the limit on "*" and "**" items (by Prosperity), and the fact that you can't sell this stuff for anything more than coppers (see below) do the job well enough?<br /></li>
<li>What exactly will the Special Items list look like? How will I set prices and availability?<br /></li>
<li>How will the PC's starting possessions work with this? For example, how do communicate that the Lightbearer can start with a "** Lantern" as a personal possession, and thus Outfit or Have What You Need to produce it, even though the steading's Prosperity wouldn't allow it. <br /></li>
<li>How exactly will coin work with all of this? </li>
<ul>
<li>I'm thinking that you won't be able to sell the "standard" items for anything more than coppers. </li>
<li>And I think I'll just say that coppers and silvers are on fundamentally different scales (i.e. it doesn't really matter how many handfuls of coppers you have, no one is going to sell you a sword for copper, or trade you silver or gold for it.) </li>
<li>Silver and gold will become relevant with "Special Items" and work more on the level of steading Surplus.<br /></li>
</ul>
<li>Most importantly: will this still be fun?</li>
</ul>
<div>
So, more tinkering ahead! If you're still reading, good on you. I'd love to hear your thoughts and get your feedback. </div>
</div>
</div>
Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-18508662264658565802019-07-09T11:28:00.002-05:002019-07-09T11:28:39.451-05:00Online Version of Homebrew WorldI just finished creating an online character keeper for <i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/homebrew-world.html">Homebrew World</a></i>. Check it out!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ORZU3HN0CNTAoJ_Futju4etV7Pp_cIfyOHhY8MdR-Fk/edit?usp=sharing" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="816" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZkHObm4Cu1d8YvU2KdpNpGpFXTAcYmgSG05n8VWvY89zjclRYgh32bYMp8y8euS-LM7VWP_IlBSisoM4J_GW96jwRw8hXXg-7RrKmQj6ZtdZ43JAZsrPCzo39-GzOgiCYm1SRYoVlv0/s320/homebrew+world+keeper+snapshot.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ORZU3HN0CNTAoJ_Futju4etV7Pp_cIfyOHhY8MdR-Fk/edit?usp=sharing">Current online version</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
You'll need to save your own copy in order to use it. Instructions on the first tab (<b>GM Stuff</b>). <br />
<br />
The main action happens on the <b>PCs</b> tab: there are columns for each class playbook, with the intention that you'd collapse the unused classes and have everyone's character sheet visible on one widescreen monitor. Or, close to everyone's sheets... if you're doing 3 PCs it'll probably work. 4+ and you'll have to do some horizontal scrolling. <br />
<br />
Lots of vertical scrolling will be involved no matter what. I have my doubts about how usable this would be for folks on a mobile device, but for a laptop or desktop with a widescreen monitor available, I think it'll be a pretty solid solution. <br />
<br />
I've tried to preserve most of the "functionality" of the <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1oLQ6QUT9LgOZuzoB_YqUaCjfPGYEOlud">printed playbooks</a>, including pick-lists and the layout of the Gear sections. Aside from collapsing/expanding groups, I'd advise against making any changes that trigger the <b><i>"You’re trying to edit part of this sheet that shouldn’t be changed accidentally"</i></b> warning. Don't insert rows or columns, don't copy/paste <i>anything</i>. It's fairly brittle, unfortunately. <br />
<br />
If you use these, please drop a line in the comments and let me know how they work for you and your group!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-32068737739859040622019-06-17T11:30:00.001-05:002020-07-05T19:23:19.476-05:00How to handle "boss" monsters in DW<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I <a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/2016/04/04/how-do-you-handle-wizards-etc/#comment-4841">originally posted this on the Dungeon World Tavern</a>, in response to Lauri Maijala asking:</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"How do you handle wizards etc. 'boss monsters' that do not have a cohort of minions to keep the characters busy. I have failed constantly with them and feel like even three characters can take out any single threat without too much of a trouble."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The Dungeon World community at large is pretty quick to say "<a href="https://www.latorra.org/2012/05/15/a-16-hp-dragon/">read the 16 HP dragon</a>" article (content warning: passing reference to violence against children) when someone asks about making monsters more than just their numbers.</i> <i>It's a good article, but it doesn't really tell you <b>how </b>to do those things; it shows you a high-level example of those things in action.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>It's on my "someday maybe" list to write up a fictionalized "actual" play example of the 16 HP dragon incident, showing how that scene might have actually played out, with moves and rolls and GM deliberation.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But until then, here's an attempt at some specific, actionable advice for running "boss" monsters.</i> </blockquote>
<br />
<h2>
Step 1: Stat the boss monster up, hardcore</h2>
Use their moves, special qualities, and potentially their lair and gear to make them hard to get at, able to interrupt player actions, and capable of dealing with multiple foes at once. Bonus points for moves that take PCs out of the fight without actually killing them.<br />
<br />
E.g. qualities like “Aura of will-sapping menace” or “Hidden by swirling shadows.” Moves like “Reveal a preparation” or “Unleash a spell of death and destruction” or “Turn their minds and fears against them.”<br />
<br />
For a spellcaster/magic-user, maybe think a little about the specific spells they can cast, or at least the nature of those spells. Try to word that into your moves (“Unleash a deadly spell of fire and flame” is better than “Unleash a spell of death and destruction”). Or, make a list. But if this really is a big bad, don’t feel constrained by the list. Think of that list as giving yourself permission to do those things, but maybe they can do other stuff, too.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqk_WQ5GOJ-bGbs5gwhee8M6sXFuJYf7gzznYt7cLh6YSZbctQBgHMZ63nEns0_9Zpd5q-wo8tMcIn0j_C6NyFEM9KGDWlrDT-h8HAnY4NJwJXtupxQgJmo1ogI6chKVMVcvRZzWlH-c8/s1600/fiery+sorcerer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1100" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqk_WQ5GOJ-bGbs5gwhee8M6sXFuJYf7gzznYt7cLh6YSZbctQBgHMZ63nEns0_9Zpd5q-wo8tMcIn0j_C6NyFEM9KGDWlrDT-h8HAnY4NJwJXtupxQgJmo1ogI6chKVMVcvRZzWlH-c8/s400/fiery+sorcerer.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">if it helps, find a badass picture that helps you visualize the BBEG</td></tr>
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<br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><div>Give the baddie armor and HP by-the-book. The danger doesn’t come from the numbers, but the numbers keep you honest and make you play to see what happens.</div><div>
<br />
Yes, this means that a solid blow from the Fighter or Paladin will quite possibly one-shot them. (Consider the number of times Conan murdered a sorcerer by just effing throwing furniture at them.)<br />
<br />
Here's an example, by the way, of the kind of hardcore stat-up that I'm talking about: <a href="http://codex.dungeon-world.com/monster/629012">the ancient vampire lord</a>.<br /><br />
<h2>
Step 2: Show Signs of an Impending Threat</h2>
On the way to the big bad, drop hints of what its capable of. Build it up. Have the party encounter the remains of a village, burnt to cinders with charred skeletons all about, a strange untouched spot in the middle where the sorcerer stood. Share rumors. Show the big bad’s minions cowering in fear. That sort of thing. <br />
<br />
If they you've built up some respect for the big bad by the time they encounter it, the next few parts will be much more effective.<br /><br />
<h2>
Step 3: Reveal Unwelcome Truths, Tell Consequences & Ask</h2>
When the fight actually starts, use the big bad’s qualities and traits to block or counter the PCs moves. <br />
<br />
When the Fighter rushes in to attack, the sorcerer glares at him and his “Aura of will-sapping menace” kicks in. Describe the Fighter’s fear welling up like nothing he’s felt before, his hands shaking, his arms and feet frozen, unable to move, what do you do? Probably, he’ll Defy Danger against his own fear and doubt.<br />
<br />
When the Ranger takes aim and shoots, on a 10+ you reveal the flame ward surrounding the sorcerer. The arrow bursts into ash. On a 7-9, if the Ranger chose to draw danger or attention, you also have the sorcerer gesture towards him and unleash an expanding wave of fire, coming at the Ranger (and the Cleric next to him) like a wall, what do you do?<br />
<br />
When the Wizard starts casting a spell, tell him that he can sense the big bad’s powerful wards in place, like there’s a contingency spell ready to bounce back at him. Do you keep casting?<br />
<br />
When the Thief sneaks around to backstab, the shadows themselves reach out and grab him, choke him, ensnare his arms, what do you do?<br />
<br />
Block and interrupt their moves with the big bad’s defenses. Ensnare and bog down the PCs with the environment and its preparations. React to any opening in their moves with disproportionate force, affecting as many PCs as seems plausible (and remember that "plausible" for this big bad is well beyond what's plausible for most foes). <br /><br />
<h2>
Step 4: Keep Up the Pressure</h2>
When it’s your turn to make a move (because they rolled a miss, or a 7-9 on DD or H&S, or because they chose to Defend or Spout Lore or Discern realities and thus ceded the initiative, etc.), go big. Unleash a power word stun that hits everyone in the scene. Conjure a meteor swarm that blasts half the battlefield and sets buildings aflame and causes walls to start crumbling. Summon a 12-foot tall fire elemental that's rushing straight at the Thief and the Fighter.<br />
<br />
Whatever move you make, make it something that multiple PCs have to react to. Ideally, make it something with consequences beyond damage, something that will continue to plague them and escalate the situation.<br /><br />
<h2>
Step 5: Encourage Lateral Solutions</h2>
Once you make it clear that a straight-forward approach is doomed to failure or at least prohibitively costly, the players will start getting creative. Reward that! <br />
<br />
If they Spout Lore or Discern Realities, give them good stuff on a hit (but remember: keep up the pressure and fling something nasty at them when they pause to assess the situation or wrack their brains). <br />
<br />
If they come up with clever solutions, make them Defy Danger as appropriate but otherwise let the solution work! <br /><br />
<h2>
Step 6: Follow the Numbers</h2>
If the PC's get past the big bad’s defenses, identify a workable plan, and maneuver to a place they can take advantage of it, and they get a solid hit in… cool! <br />
<br />
Be a fan of the heroes. Let their blow have an effect. If it does enough damage to drop the baddy, drop him. They worked for it, and they won.</div><span><!--more--></span>Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-70111458606201924412019-05-25T17:44:00.001-05:002019-05-25T17:44:10.792-05:00Defy Danger, RestatedFor<i> </i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/05/homebrew-world-v15-gear-inventory.html"><i>Homebrew World </i>v1.5</a>, I've rewritten Defy Danger as follows:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKj_jAa9Atje4FxGpepToSqJETPf0Y27HHZtVjIAL6CPBhAapTr2Xjvq0SFSqSjMCFtPnmNy2MOBXr3_U5BCkGOsLM9g8b0DkoE_ywTiybotddfZW8FFtzPP0GLi_rL4seG5D61FScX8/s1600/HBW+-+Defy+Danger+%2528v1.5%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="778" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKj_jAa9Atje4FxGpepToSqJETPf0Y27HHZtVjIAL6CPBhAapTr2Xjvq0SFSqSjMCFtPnmNy2MOBXr3_U5BCkGOsLM9g8b0DkoE_ywTiybotddfZW8FFtzPP0GLi_rL4seG5D61FScX8/s400/HBW+-+Defy+Danger+%2528v1.5%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I've been thinking about this move a lot the past few weeks, inspired largely by <a href="https://forums.gauntlet-rpg.com/t/is-defy-danger-a-bad-move/1192">this post on the Gauntlet Forums</a>, but also <a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/2017/04/26/is-act-under-fire-defy-danger-and-all-if-its-incarnations-a-crutch/">this old post from the PbtA G+ Community</a>. <br />
<br />
I think the salient points of those conversations boil down to:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Defy Danger's trigger is incredibly broad and thus can arguably be triggered by just about any action with a modicum or risk</li>
<li>The move itself doesn't necessarily prompt players to say or do interesting things. It just serves as a fallback task resolution mechanic.</li>
<li>It sort of gives license to players to try ridiculous things, with the presumption that on a 10+ it'll work with no consequence. </li>
<li>The 10+ result doesn't really do much to change the situation. It more deflates tensions ("phew") than pushes the game in a new direction. </li>
<li>It'd arguably be more interesting if the move wasn't there at all, and when a character did something risky or dangerous that otherwise wasn't covered by another basic move, the GM presented a hard bargain or ugly choice, or just say what happened and follow up with another soft move, escalating until move <i>is</i> triggered.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I can see where a lot of where this is coming from. I <i>do</i> think it's easy (especially for newer GMs) to over-invoke Defy Danger, calling for a roll when the stakes aren't very interesting (I know I've done it). I think it might be nice if the move somehow encouraged more dynamic or surprising outcomes (the way that Keep Your Cool does in Monsterhearts 2e) or at least more interesting actions (e.g. if "I dodge out of the way" wouldn't trigger it, but "I duck under his blade and dart inside his guard!" would). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This revision doesn't get all the way, but I'm not entirely certain that any revision <i>could </i>get there without significantly restructuring the game. <a href="https://forums.gauntlet-rpg.com/t/defy-danger-revisions-scenarios-and-polls/2011/22">The move is simply doing to much</a>. Instead, I'm going for: </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>A clearer trigger</li>
<li>Better descriptions of when to use each stat</li>
<li>A more reasonable 10+ description</li>
<li>A 7-9 result that provides better guidance<br /></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2>
The trigger</h2>
<div>
So, here's the original trigger for Defy Danger:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>When you <b>act despite an imminent threat</b> or <b>suffer a calamity</b>, say how you deal with it and roll.</i></blockquote>
And here's mine:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>When the <b>stakes are high, danger looms, and you act anyway</b>, roll...</i></blockquote>
This is <i>basically</i> just rephrasing "when you act despite an imminent threat," but I think it's better because it clarifies that the stakes need to be high before the danger matters. If I'm walking a tightrope, there's an imminent threat that I fall off it. But if it's only 5 feet off the ground and no one's chasing me and I'm not trying to impress anyone and I can just try again... well, whatever? Don't roll. Right?<br />
<br />
For experienced players and GMs, I don't think this would change how or when Defy Danger gets triggered. But for newer players and GMs, I hope it will at least push play in the right direction, towards high stakes and danger looming and awesome characters acting anyway, rather than toward... skill checks, I guess. <br />
<br />
You will notice that this version of the move doesn't have anything like the <b>"<i>suffer a calamity</i>"</b> clause that the original version does. Mostly, it's because I don't think it's necessary. If you suffer a calamity (your arm is cut off, you fall down a slope, your caught in a gout of dragonfire, you're poisoned, whatever), then whatever you do next, the stakes are almost certainly high and danger is almost certainly looming. I.e. you're going to Defy Danger anyhow, unless you just lay down and die. So why do we need this move?<br />
<br />
A couple folks I talked to suggested that the "<i style="font-weight: bold;">suffer a calamity</i>" cause is there to determine just how bad an injury or other calamity is. Like, if you get stabbed by a poison dagger, Defy Danger with CON to see how badly the poison affects you. <br />
<br />
To which I respond: meh. I guess if your GM move was Deal Damage and you knew the enemy had a poison dagger, that maybe would make sense and work? But <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/01/deal-damage-is-crap-gm-move.html">Deal Damage is a Crap Move</a>, and in HBW it's replaced with "Hurt Them." If my move was "Hurt Them" with a poisoned dagger, I'm going to <i>hurt them</i>: "That cut on you arm is burning, way worse than it should, and you start to feel your muscles seize up, your vision is going blurry... you've been poisoned, you're sure! What do you do?" And then whatever they do next, the stakes are high and danger looms, so Defy Danger, yeah?<br /><br />
<h2>
That stat descriptions</h2>
<div>
In the original Defy Danger: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...say how you deal with it. If you do it...</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>...by powering through, +Str</li>
<li>...by getting out of the way or acting fast, +Dex </li>
<li>...by enduring, +Con </li>
<li>...with quick thinking, +Int </li>
<li>...through mental fortitude, +Wis </li>
<li>...using charm and social grace, +Cha</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
In this version, it's:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...and you act anyway, roll...</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>+STR to power through or test your might </li>
<li>+DEX to employ speed, agility, or finesse</li>
<li>+CON to endure or hold steady</li>
<li>+INT to apply expertise or enact a clever plan</li>
<li>+WIS to exert willpower or rely on your senses</li>
<li>+CHA to charm, bluff, impress, or fit in </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<br />
It's mostly just a rephrasing, but I think these do a better job of reflecting how the stats actually get used. For example, every GM I've ever played with has called for DEX to Defy Danger by moving silently or hiding in shadows... even though it isn't covered by "getting out of the way or acting fast." It <i>would</i> be covered by agility or finesse.<br /><br />
<h2>
On a 10+...</h2>
<div>
In the original Defy Danger, the 10+ clause is:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>On a 10+, you do what you set out to, the threat doesn’t come to bear.</i></blockquote>
I think the wording is pretty weird, but the real problem, I think, is that implies that a 10+ is consequence-free: "<i>the threat doesn't come to bear.</i>" I haven't seen it much myself, but I can easily imagine that leading to declarations like "He swings the club at me? I just grit my teeth and take it!" with the assumption that a 10+ means he'll be fine and shrug off the blow.<br />
<br />
Now, obviously, this is the sort of place for player-level conversation and GM moves like <b>tell them the consequences and ask</b>. "You're just gonna take the hit? I mean, okay, but you'll be Defying Danger with CON and it's gonna be like d8+3 damage even if you get a 10+. You sure?" <br />
<br />
But it'd be better if the move itself tempered expectations. Hence:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>On a 10+, you pull it off as well as one could hope.</i></blockquote>
I guess you could get into some annoying conversations like "well, I can <i>hope</i> for quite a lot!" But at the very least, it's setting an expectation of "within reasonable limits."<br /><br />
<h2>
On a 7-9...</h2>
<div>
In the original Defy Danger, the 7-9 clause is:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>On a 7–9, you stumble, hesitate, or flinch: the GM will offer you a worse outcome, hard bargain, or ugly choice.</i></blockquote>
Oof.<br />
<br />
Okay, first of all: "stumble, hesitate, or flinch" has always been my least favorite line in any of the basic moves. It describes <i>a fictional outcome</i>, and then implies that said fictional outcome leads directly into the worse outcome, hard bargain, or ugly choice. Well, first of all: stumbling, hesitating, or flinching doesn't make sense as a fictional outcome in many of the cases that involve Defying Danger. I mean, yeah, you can <i>make it</i> fit, if you really try to. But it's work. And in my experience, when I've tried to keep stumble/hesitate/flinch in mind, it's actively made it harder to come up with good, interesting results that are still fundamentally a success.<br />
<br />
The "stumble, hesitate, or flinch" clause makes a lot more sense in <i>Apocalypse World</i>'s <b>Act Under Fire</b> move. But that move is all about keeping your cool, as opposed powering through/acting quickly/all the other ways to Defy Danger. And even in AW, the example 7-9 results ignore the "stumble, hesitate, or flinch" part and just go straight to worse outcome/hard bargain/ugly choice.<br />
<br />
So: gone. It's actually been gone from both Homebrew World and Stonetop from almost the beginning. <br />
<br />
More importantly: the "worse outcome, hard bargain, or ugly choice" part of the move has never felt like it offered particularly good guidance to GMs. The number of G+ conversations, Reddit posts, conversations on the old Barf Forth forums, etc. that have stemmed from that phrasing are numerous. <br />
<br />
My take on it has always been:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Worse outcome: you do the thing, but the outcome isn't as good as you'd hoped. </li>
<li>Hard bargain: "You can do it, but..." Basically, tell them the cost or the consequences and give them a chance to back off.</li>
<li>Ugly choice: They do it, but it doing it, they have to pick between two or more consequences or costs. </li>
</ul>
The distinction between "hard bargain" and "ugly choice" is fuzzy, and not necessarily helpful to the GM. Also: it's easy for a new GM or player to read "worse outcome" as "worse than you when you started" and not "worse than what you were hoping for" and that's not right at all. It's important to remember that a 7-9 is still fundamentally successful. <br />
<br />
<br />
Both the hard bargain and the ugly choice involve costs or consequences, or maybe a lesser successes. So... why not just say that? But there's still value in those "you can do it, <i>if</i>" and "well, you can do it, but either __ or __." That led me to this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>On a 7-9, you can do it, but the GM will present a lesser success, a cost, or a consequence (and maybe a choice between them, or a chance to back down).</i></blockquote>
This wording:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Establishes that they <i>can do the thing</i> (fundamentally a success, right?)</li>
<li>Replaces "worse outcome" with "lesser success" (clearer, reinforces that that it's still fundamentally a success)</li>
<li>Puts the cost or consequence right in there, in plain language</li>
<li>Keeps the possibility of a hard bargain or ugly choice. <br /><br /></li>
</ol>
<div>
<h2>
In summary</h2>
</div>
<div>
I don't think this really <i>changes</i> Defy Danger significantly. I hope that it makes it clearer, and easier to use, and helps set appropriate expectations. </div>
Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-68307353535767459762019-05-25T17:27:00.005-05:002019-05-25T17:45:23.361-05:00Homebrew World v1.5 (gear & inventory updates, Defy Danger rewrite)I just posted version 1.5 of <i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/homebrew-world.html">Homebrew World</a>. </i>You can find it here:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1oLQ6QUT9LgOZuzoB_YqUaCjfPGYEOlud" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgksj51IXP17JXoY0HjLx11lOVdz5S3-JW4osSGFfjlXlpAL0YVumpx0Npi-S526jXLJcg4AIdOw5hmSNQGHIOUjRkLIgA28gP_GsqgDkwk2cHZ-dlO07C9fauI-C_cGLy1v041Xrfl0/s320/Homebrew+World_Page_01.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1oLQ6QUT9LgOZuzoB_YqUaCjfPGYEOlud" target="_blank">Current version</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you aren't familiar with this project:<br />
<ul>
<li>It's a revised version of <i>Dungeon World</i> that's pared down for one-shots and short-run (2-4 session) games. </li>
<li>It features a lot of changes that would I'd include in a 2nd edition of Dungeon World were I the one in charge of it: advantage/disadvantage (instead of +1/-2 etc), tweaks or straight-up rewrites to many of the basic moves and classes, backgrounds & drives instead of racial moves & alignment, and some significant changes to gear. The document itself has a more comprehensive list.</li>
</ul>
<h2>
New (Final?) Gear & Inventory System</h2>
<div>
The <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/08/gear-slots-and-supplies-in-homebrew.html">original gear & inventory system</a> was okay, but a little unintuitive. It had a lot of hidden features, and didn't actually generate as much scarcity as I wanted it to. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So I replaced it with <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/04/homebrew-world-updates-v14-new-gear.html">this version</a>. Some <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/DungeonWorld/comments/bffpj2/homebrew_world_updates_v14_new_gear_load_system/">feedback on Reddit</a> and conversations on the DW Discord server confirmed some fears I had with that system. Mainly: the v1.4 system was trying to combine both an encumbrance system with the "producing gear" system and when characters started dropping things or moving items between them, it got weird. You could mark up to (e.g.) 4 diamonds, but it wasn't clear what happened if you marked an item to produce a thing and then dropped it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's what the new version looks like:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpYaolCXZ_WUZIpdTwfruB613or94XKpUKQvrQsVko0ch09b0bCpaX1GlIDaY1M45Rd_oR8FYtEZPa2TKAi7gEFUkBa7SVwSVR77dNVqWRQWhK_FvONjuyj9kRa24Gu4UCkJSrTrtAcU/s1600/HBW+-+Thief%2527s+Gear+%2528v1.5%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1037" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpYaolCXZ_WUZIpdTwfruB613or94XKpUKQvrQsVko0ch09b0bCpaX1GlIDaY1M45Rd_oR8FYtEZPa2TKAi7gEFUkBa7SVwSVR77dNVqWRQWhK_FvONjuyj9kRa24Gu4UCkJSrTrtAcU/s400/HBW+-+Thief%2527s+Gear+%2528v1.5%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from the Thief</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZ5SBQSVkqZ1rRlNAkXzyYrVCu1B-9F2QY0R6k2jc3HoWx6YxlSjfbO83ILAJqJ9ISQHwlYf8ZujHSi9Yr_foB25EQkgNUvUy38LnkI68tG6LtWvDt3x7QXaOQyGFQP1UjERcniNnX0E/s1600/HBW+-+Cleric%2527s+Gear+%2528v1.5%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="904" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZ5SBQSVkqZ1rRlNAkXzyYrVCu1B-9F2QY0R6k2jc3HoWx6YxlSjfbO83ILAJqJ9ISQHwlYf8ZujHSi9Yr_foB25EQkgNUvUy38LnkI68tG6LtWvDt3x7QXaOQyGFQP1UjERcniNnX0E/s400/HBW+-+Cleric%2527s+Gear+%2528v1.5%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from the Cleric</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
At the start of play, you can assign a number of diamonds to specific items or to "Undefined."<br />
<br />
During play, you can Have What You Need:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimuePIW9NULo3zcc1e8V55wTRJi6C4UGOUfA8lokJcVXTmz67kGx_LJH_5LOq2k7i7mrDPEpmnKCtVHTilZ2AFg49cAtW5lnwbj4AXDmmtMs1yrN0jkjPt2N5KsXrk1183ayn75akfZS8/s1600/HBW+-+Have+What+You+Need+%2528v1.5%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="515" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimuePIW9NULo3zcc1e8V55wTRJi6C4UGOUfA8lokJcVXTmz67kGx_LJH_5LOq2k7i7mrDPEpmnKCtVHTilZ2AFg49cAtW5lnwbj4AXDmmtMs1yrN0jkjPt2N5KsXrk1183ayn75akfZS8/s320/HBW+-+Have+What+You+Need+%2528v1.5%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>So as the Cleric, I might chose to start with a cudgel and Supplies (two diamonds), and mark 3 diamonds in <b>Undefined</b>.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>During play, when a fight breaks out, I might declare that I'm wearing a chain shirt (and move a diamond from <b>Undefined </b>to the "Leather cuirass or chain shirt" item).</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Later, I decide to produce a lantern, so I clear an <b>Undefined </b>diamond, mark one under </i><b style="font-style: italic;">Other items</b><i>, and write in "Lantern." I could then spend a use of Supplies to produce a tinderbox (a </i>small <i>item).</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>After a few hours of exploring, the lantern's oil burns low and I replenish it with a use of Supplies (to produce lamp oil, which I don't bother writing down because whatever).</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I've got one <b>Undefined </b>diamond and one use of Supplies remaining. </i></blockquote>
<br />
Every class also has a Max Load (the same as the max number of diamonds you can start with). This should be fairly obvious, but to be clear:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>If you pick up a new item in play (by looting it, buying it, another character giving it to you, etc.) then it gets added to your inventory. Unless it's <i>small, </i>it counts against your Max Load. </li>
<li>If you drop an item during play, or use it up, or it's destroyed, then you erase it--it no longer counts against your Max Load. </li>
<li>If you give something to another player (even an Undefined diamond), erase it from your inventory and add it to theirs--it no longer counts against your Max Load, but does count against theirs. </li>
<li>Undefined diamonds count against your Max Load.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<i>Doesn't this encourage players to put everything in Undefined and then have exactly what they need in play?</i> Yup! That's largely the point. In practice, it seems that players assign enough gear to get a clear picture of their character, and leave the rest undefined.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
So what changed?</h2>
</div>
<div>
The biggest differences between this version of the gear system and version 1.4 are: </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>There's no more choice between "Light" vs. "Normal" vs. "Heavy" Load. Each class has a set number of diamonds they can mark at character creation or during play. </li>
<li>There's a specific place to track "Undefined" diamonds, distinct from the total number of diamonds you can carry (Max Load).</li>
<li>As a result, there's no need for the Loot or Manage Inventory moves, or any other detailed explanation of how specified gear interacts with quantum, undefined gear. </li>
</ul>
<div>
In my initial playtesting, this system has worked very well. Players grocked the "Undefined" thing immediately. The only real confusion stemmed from players Having What They Need, and whether they needed to assign an Undefined diamond or expend supplies. I found they were more likely to burn up their diamonds, even on things I thought was pretty obviously <i>small. </i></div>
<div>
<br />
I also added a couple class moves that played in this design space. A few classes have moves that increase their Max Load and starting diamonds. The Fighter (Veteran of the Wars) gets +1 diamond (7 total) and an extra use from Supplies. The Barbarian has a Max Load of 3 by default, but Musclebound increases it to 5. And the Ranger has a Max Load of 3 by default but an advance that can give them +2 diamonds. </div>
<div>
<br />
<h2>
Other changes</h2>
<div>
The other big change is in the <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2019/05/defy-danger-restated.html">wording of Defy Danger</a>:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKj_jAa9Atje4FxGpepToSqJETPf0Y27HHZtVjIAL6CPBhAapTr2Xjvq0SFSqSjMCFtPnmNy2MOBXr3_U5BCkGOsLM9g8b0DkoE_ywTiybotddfZW8FFtzPP0GLi_rL4seG5D61FScX8/s1600/HBW+-+Defy+Danger+%2528v1.5%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="778" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKj_jAa9Atje4FxGpepToSqJETPf0Y27HHZtVjIAL6CPBhAapTr2Xjvq0SFSqSjMCFtPnmNy2MOBXr3_U5BCkGOsLM9g8b0DkoE_ywTiybotddfZW8FFtzPP0GLi_rL4seG5D61FScX8/s400/HBW+-+Defy+Danger+%2528v1.5%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My hope is that this wording makes it clearer when to trigger the move (high stakes + danger + action) and that the 7-9 result provides GMs with more useful guidance. It's still fundamentally the same move, though.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are also some minor tweaks here and there:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>The Bard >> Wandering Folk: previously, it basically gave three times the Bard could take advantage on a roll, with the relatively simple requirement of making it relevant to their People's traits. Now, they can do that once, and then their heritage needs to cause trouble before they can use it again. </li>
<li>The Cleric: fixed a mistake in their inventory. Replaced the wizard's spell book (ha!) with a Sacred Text ([][] uses, <i>slow</i>, cast a spell that's not prepared).</li>
<li>Some minor tweaking of the <b>I Know a Guy </b>optional move and the Thief >> Operative's background move, so that the Thief move is definitely better.</li>
<li>Also some tweaking to the <b>Run Away </b>optional move; I didn't quite like the results or modifiers, and I had to rethink it anyway to deal with the new gear system. </li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-41305781543878435672019-04-20T13:47:00.001-05:002019-05-25T17:45:48.624-05:00Homebrew World Updates (v1.4, new gear & load system)I just posted version 1.4 of <i><a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/homebrew-world.html">Homebrew World</a>. </i>You can find it here:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1oLQ6QUT9LgOZuzoB_YqUaCjfPGYEOlud" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgksj51IXP17JXoY0HjLx11lOVdz5S3-JW4osSGFfjlXlpAL0YVumpx0Npi-S526jXLJcg4AIdOw5hmSNQGHIOUjRkLIgA28gP_GsqgDkwk2cHZ-dlO07C9fauI-C_cGLy1v041Xrfl0/s320/Homebrew+World_Page_01.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1oLQ6QUT9LgOZuzoB_YqUaCjfPGYEOlud" target="_blank">Current version</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you aren't familiar with this project: it's a revised version of Dungeon World that's pared down for one-shots and short-run (2-4 session) games. It features a lot of changes that would I'd include in a 2nd edition of Dungeon World were I the one in charge of it: advantage/disadvantage (instead of +1/-2 etc), tweaks or straight-up rewrites to many of the basic moves and classes, backgrounds & drives instead of racial moves & alignment, and some significant changes to gear. The document itself has a more comprehensive list.<br />
<br />
What's changed in 1.4? Starting with little things:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I rearranged the Basic Moves, Violence & Recovery Moves, and Optional Moves. Instead of using 1/2 page inserts for the Basic & Violence moves, they now use a full-page, double-sided sheet. I found the inserts involved too much flipping around, and they tended to get lost/forgotten in play. </li>
<li>I added some more optional moves, largely cribbing from work I'd done for <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/07/drowning-falling.html">Drowning & Falling</a>. Also borrowed heavily from <a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/2018/02/08/ive-made-this-move-few-weeks-ago-because-im-running-a-kinda-hex-crawlish-campaign-so-that-i-can-still-have-random/">Addrymar Palinor's "Narrate a Fight" move</a>. Also added some lists of example mundane, common items that one can produce with Have What You Need. </li>
<li>Significantly updated The Wielder. Previously, it was just the Fighter but with a signature weapon instead of weapon specializations. Now, it's got it's own Backgrounds, names, looks, moves, advances... and I added another weapon, an homage to Stormbringer and Blackrazor, because <i>duh</i>. </li>
<li>Added a "player's guide" to the back page of each playbook, and expanded the space for notes. I don't expect the player's guide to referenced all that much, but I like having it there as something to reference, or read during breaks or "downtime."</li>
<li>Redid the approach to gear (including the moves surrounding it).</li>
</ul>
<div>
That last one is the biggest update. Here's how <a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/08/gear-slots-and-supplies-in-homebrew.html">the gear system used to work</a>. It wasn't bad, but it was a little less intuitive than I wanted. There were a lot of hidden features, and this tries to remove those and make everything more transparent. (If you find yourself thinking "this is lifted almost straight from <i>Blades in the Dark</i>," you aren't wrong.)<br />
<br /></div>
<h2>
The New "Load" System</h2>
<div>
Each playbook has a "Load" section that looks like this:</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzfSSpirQ-JuX_VPjT21qHDhZIud9Qxu3xGNx8GqnLSLAFVNa07PcNzP2vMWH9nuuKDak0t1D799nddQkmMdN0pX6wk3cneZPIVSElQaAJfAgaiAsst-BwdIER0fwBvG6NWklmnBj1yE/s1600/HBW+-+Fighter%2527s+Load.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1031" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzfSSpirQ-JuX_VPjT21qHDhZIud9Qxu3xGNx8GqnLSLAFVNa07PcNzP2vMWH9nuuKDak0t1D799nddQkmMdN0pX6wk3cneZPIVSElQaAJfAgaiAsst-BwdIER0fwBvG6NWklmnBj1yE/s400/HBW+-+Fighter%2527s+Load.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Figher's Load section (not filled out)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLDPVDFwtJ5oVksSVtkvGAZdxxYSpasm1KkWfSq3X3_Rnm2KcEhSQTDWiF8Yesb6xf8L5TMu_Fyd68ByruG3_JUMSZQKov7y-rRo0-ir8WGcwz71XPtR0gUbWXycbLu672FlM-HeRMYc/s1600/HBW+-+Thief%2527s+Load.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="1034" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLDPVDFwtJ5oVksSVtkvGAZdxxYSpasm1KkWfSq3X3_Rnm2KcEhSQTDWiF8Yesb6xf8L5TMu_Fyd68ByruG3_JUMSZQKov7y-rRo0-ir8WGcwz71XPtR0gUbWXycbLu672FlM-HeRMYc/s400/HBW+-+Thief%2527s+Load.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fighter's Load section</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The only decision you <i>need</i> to make at the start of play is whether you're carrying a Light, Normal, or Heavy Load. The descriptions under each ("<i>quick and quiet"</i> or "<i>weighed down, not quiet</i>" or "<i>noisy, slow hot, quick to tire</i>") don't have any specific mechanical impact, but they describe the fiction. A character with a Light Load might not even need to Defy Danger to move quietly or to carefully pick their way up an unstable slope, but someone with a Normal or Heavy Load might. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Your chosen Load determines how many "diamonds" worth of gear you can be carrying. A "diamond" is basically a gear slot. </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Most "significant" items (a sword, light armor, a coil of rope) takes up one diamond (slot)</li>
<li>Each "big" item (heavy armor, a shield, a polearm, a 10-ft pole) takes up two diamonds (slots)</li>
<li><i>Small </i>items (a knife, a purse of coins, etc.) don't take up diamonds (slots), but the unwritten rule is "they have to fit in the box" and the official rule is "be reasonable."</li>
</ul>
<div>
At the start of play, you can choose to define as many or as few of your diamonds as you want. During play, you can use the Have What You Need Move:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5msXtwhGpNkL2dimys4VMzu7iumHUdLgy1M9YubfKTfFrg4r90sHpqa-XNjsIyNM_9LzKRHYyu86GdiaPvYyaiYTzgAzq7qh-7bi-uHpHS1YwH8OKsHrhQW_xks_ApD75SVrMAi-BMFw/s1600/HBW+-+Have+What+You+Need.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="501" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5msXtwhGpNkL2dimys4VMzu7iumHUdLgy1M9YubfKTfFrg4r90sHpqa-XNjsIyNM_9LzKRHYyu86GdiaPvYyaiYTzgAzq7qh-7bi-uHpHS1YwH8OKsHrhQW_xks_ApD75SVrMAi-BMFw/s400/HBW+-+Have+What+You+Need.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In practice, I assume that most players will take a Normal Load and then assign 2 or 3 of their diamonds, leaving 1 or 2 undefined. That's what I'd do. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Each class also starts with a knife/dagger, maybe another small item (like a holy symbol), and gets a choice of 1 special <i>small </i>item (a healing elixir, a pouch of coins, etc.). You can produce more <i>small</i> items by using Have What You Need and expending 1 use of Supplies (see below).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Loot</h2>
<div>
A big reason for adventure games like <i>Dungeon World</i> (and <i>Homebrew World</i>) to track inventory at all is because it forces decisions. As you use up your gear and supplies, you become more prone to disaster and have to start thinking about turning back. Inventory systems also force decisions when it comes to looting treasure: how much can you take with you, and what are you willing to give up in order to do so?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's how loot interacts with the Load system:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6o1HFWsU2EYJzxhTaoRM_7SbBNYrhA11wrlz3P3W0n4tXIbZ7TAmHSIHsdYSni5WOYE_3StwFHMCsJWIg-Fy8G9Rjym7qYbnIiKwg1estR13-aRDFlniJ19gdRRB3av7Xu1XUkYsW0M/s1600/HBW+-+Loot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="521" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6o1HFWsU2EYJzxhTaoRM_7SbBNYrhA11wrlz3P3W0n4tXIbZ7TAmHSIHsdYSni5WOYE_3StwFHMCsJWIg-Fy8G9Rjym7qYbnIiKwg1estR13-aRDFlniJ19gdRRB3av7Xu1XUkYsW0M/s400/HBW+-+Loot.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
Basically: loot counts against your diamonds (gear slots). </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>If you add loot to a slot and you're still under your Load, it's assumed that you've taken something out of your inventory in order to make room for the loot. </li>
<li>If the looted item pushes you over your current Load, that's fine--but you don't have any undefined diamonds anymore. For example, if the Fighter has a Normal Load and 5 diamonds already defined, and then she picks up a stone idol (1 diamond), she suffers from the fictional positioning of having a Heavy Load but she doesn't get to later Have What She Needs and produce a 7th item. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
You can use Loot to carry around more diamonds than permitted by a Heavy Load, but assume that you're basically giving the GM <i>carte blanche</i> to <b>show you the downside</b> of your gear. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh, and: yes, it's totally viable (and smart) to Have What You Need, give that item to another PC with empty slots, and <i>then </i>Loot.<br />
<br /></div>
<h2>
Supplies</h2>
<div>
"Supplies" are a 1-diamond item that come with 3 uses. They combine most of the expendable resources that you find in Dungeon World: rations, bandages, adventuring gear, etc. (In the previous versions of Homebrew World, Supplies also included ammo. That's changed now! See below.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can expend a use of Supplies to:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Have What You Need </b>and produce a <i>small, </i>common and mundane item (like some chalk, a ball of twine, etc.) </li>
<li>Use the <b>Recover</b> move and regain 5 HP (and, potentially, deal with a troublesome injury or debility). </li>
<li>Feed the party when you <b>Make Camp</b>, and/or get an extra benefit from making camp.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Many of the class Backgrounds also have special things that you can do with Supplies. For example, a Gladiator (Fighter) can expend 1 use of Supplies to have their gear take a blow and halve the effects. An Assassin (Thief) can expend 1 use of Supplies to produce a vial of poison. A Courtesan (Bard) can expend 1 use of Supplies to produce a suitable gift for a notable figure they just met, gaining advantage on their next roll against them. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>(The biggest differences for Supplies in this version and earlier versions of Homebrew World are that ammo is no longer subsumed by Supplies and that you don't have to expend Supplies to produce "slot" items. That's now handled by the Load system.)</i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<h2>
Ammo</h2>
<div>
In <i>Dungeon World</i>, "Ammo 3" is an abstraction that means you can choose "reduce your Ammo" 3 times when you Volley (or otherwise have the GM use up your resources). However, I've found that you almost always have to explain that to a new player--"no, that's not how many individual shots you have, it's an abstraction... take a look at the Volley move...").</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In earlier versions of HBW, I just lumped ammo in with Supplies, and you could expend Supplies or mark "Out of ammo" on a 7-9 to Volley. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With this version, ranged weapons have a pair of "statuses" after each one, like this...</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Bow and arrows ([] low ammo [] out of ammo)</li>
<li>Extra arrows ([] plenty left [] running low [] all out)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
...and the 7-9 option on Volley says "Deplete your ammunition; mark the next status next to your weapon/ammo)." I think that's a lot clearer. And if a player wants to haggle and be like "can I expend a use of Supplies to clear one of these?" then I think that's fine.<br />
<br /></div>
<h2>
Shields</h2>
<div>
Shields are <i>big</i>, yo. And kind of a pain to lug around. And, frankly, they have a pretty significant impact on your effectiveness in a fight. I always found it odd that DW had them weigh as much as a sword (2 weight) and give +1 Armor. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yes, yes, you also <i>have a shield</i> and that fiction is pretty damn important. But I wanted to ramp up both the "cost" of carrying a shield and their effectiveness. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Cost was easy and obvious: they're 2-diamond items. But for effectiveness... I didn't want to increase the Armor bonus (because too much Armor can easily become an issue). So instead: they now give +1 Readiness (<a href="https://spoutinglore.blogspot.com/2018/12/defend.html">my term for "hold"</a>) when you Defend and get a 7+. I think that's a fair trade for taking up an extra inventory slot.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
"Out of..." is Gone</h2>
<div>
The old inventory system for Homebrew World used an "Out of..." mechanic, where you had a section for indicating what things you were out of (ammo, food, healing supplies, a few blanks) and therefore couldn't produce with Supplies. You could also mark "Out of __" to produce a <i>small </i>item without having to expend Supplies. And most things that required you to expend Supplies also let you mark "out of __" instead.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Basically, the "Out of..." mechanic gave everyone like 5 or 6 "free" uses of Supplies, but <i>that wasn't obvious at all</i>. Which actually undermined the scarcity equation of the system pretty significantly. It also required mechanisms for clearing those "Out of __" conditions. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So... it's gone. The GM is still well within their rights to say "you land hard and hear something break in your pack... take a d6 damage, mark off 1 use of Supplies, and you can't Have What You Need to produce anything breakable or fragile."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
Scarcity</h2>
<div>
This system intentionally puts some pretty significant limits on how much crap the PCs can be carrying around. If you have a Normal Load, you probably have a weapon, some armor, maybe 3 or 6 uses of Supplies, and like 1 undefined slot. And those Supplies can get used up pretty darn quickly. Lantern? That's a diamond (inventory slot). Tinderbox? That's a use of Supplies? Need to Recover? That's one more use of Supplies. Rope? That's your last diamond. Now what?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This scarcity is intentional.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Remember: <i>Homebrew World </i>is intended to be used with one-shots or short-run games. There isn't <i>time</i> to slowly chip away at the party's resources. If this system is going to be meaningful, the scarcity has to become relevant quickly. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm honestly not 100% sure that I've hit the right balance. I think that <i>maybe</i> 3-uses of Supplies per diamond is too much. But I've also tried to include an array of tempting other items in each class's Load, so that not everyone is running around with 6 Supplies. We'll see how it goes in play.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-74944000706364660472019-04-02T09:43:00.000-05:002019-04-02T09:43:35.206-05:00The G+ ArchivesToday is April 2, 2019, and those of us who regularly used Google+ are sitting waiting for the end. Google announced that the platform would go down sometime today. As of this moment, it's still there. But the end is soon.<br />
<br />
G+ was mostly ignored by the larger world, but it was a hotbed of activity for the RPG scene. The initial integration with Hangouts meant that bloggers and other RPG folks could easily coordinate and play games with each other online. That led to a critical mass of gamers--especially indie RPG and OSR gamers--hanging out and talking on G+, and it became a sort of constant, ongoing salon. Ideas where exchanged, friends and partnerships were established. There was drama, yes, and schisms and bad actors. But overall: it was really something.<br />
<br />
In the past few months, I've used Friends+Me's Google+ Exporter to archive about 30 RPG communities and back them up onto WordPress sites. Those archives live here:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://gplusarchive.online/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxofcwO2q80N-FBjZVf4Wo49yQtK0YSw-lOURaj1NbqMEupYwEcn1txGr6ZvZJhXa-3AF43_MtT6tXm5aXdPsx3CPtHE-FUrCXQkr_bDKTcviSDZYeDtpsTK8zhF5jhIHfVIYWnVV4hg4/s400/G%252B+archive+splash+page.png" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://gplusarchive.online/">https://gplusarchive.online</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The archived communities are:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://bitd.gplusarchive.online/" target="_blank">Blades in the Dark</a><br /></li>
<li><a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/category/the-dungeon-world-tavern/" target="_blank">The Dungeon World Tavern</a></li>
<li><a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/category/inverse-world/" target="_blank">Inverse World</a></li>
<li><a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/category/lampblack-and-brimstone/" target="_blank">Lampblack & Brimstone</a></li>
<li><a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/category/planarch-codex-astral-repository/" target="_blank">Planarch Codex: Astral Repository</a></li>
<li><a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/category/stonetop/" target="_blank">Stonetop</a></li>
<li><a href="https://dungeonworld.gplusarchive.online/category/worlds-of-adventure/" target="_blank">Worlds of Adventure</a><br /></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/powered-by-the-apocalypse/" target="_blank">Powered by the Apocalypse</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/alas-for-the-awful-sea/" target="_blank">Alas for the Awful Sea</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/bluebeards-bride-a-horror-rpg/" target="_blank">Bluebeard's Bride</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/epyllion-a-dragon-epic-rpg/" target="_blank">Epyllion</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/legacy-life-among-the-ruins/" target="_blank">Legacy: Life Among the Ruins</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/masks-a-new-generation-rpg/" target="_blank">Masks: A New Generation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/monster-of-the-week-roadhouse/" target="_blank">Monster of the Week Roadhouse</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/monsterhearts/" target="_blank">Monsterhearts</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/nahual-rpg/" target="_blank">Nahual</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/night-witches/" target="_blank">Night Witches</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/pasion-de-las-pasiones/" target="_blank">Pasión de las Pasiones</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/sagas-of-the-icelanders/" target="_blank">Sagas of the Icelanders</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/the-city-of-judas/" target="_blank">The City of Judas</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/the-sprawl/" target="_blank">The Sprawl</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/the-veil-cyberpunk-roleplaying/" target="_blank">The Veil</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/the-watch-rpg-community/" target="_blank">The Watch</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/uncharted-worlds/" target="_blank">Uncharted Worlds</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/urban-shadows-rpg/" target="_blank">Urban Shadows</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/veil-2020/" target="_blank">Veil 2020</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/velvet-glove-a-pbta-rpg/" target="_blank">Velvet Glove</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/wheel-tree-press/" target="_blank">Wheel Tree Press</a> (the Sword, the Crown, and the Unspeakable Power, Time Cellist, Greenlight)</li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/world-wide-wrestling-rpg/" target="_blank">World Wide Wrestling</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pbta.gplusarchive.online/category/worlds-in-peril/" target="_blank">Worlds in Peril</a><br /></li>
<li><a href="https://gauntlet.gplusarchive.online/" target="_blank">The Gauntlet</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
Together, there are about 37,000 posts and 282,000 comments saved. My hope is that people of the future can continue to reference these communities, not just as historical artifacts but as a source of wisdom and insight. There is gold buried in these archives. In the future, I intend to mine some of it for this blog. I hope others do likewise. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If I didn't archive your community: I'm sorry. It wasn't an intentional thing. I started with the ones that I was active and involved in, then expanded to various communities related to PbtA games. I feel bad that I didn't get any OSR communities, but I was never directly involved in those and didn't even know where to start.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Cheers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
-Jeremy</div>
Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-10683353366008643912019-02-27T20:53:00.000-06:002019-02-27T20:54:00.469-06:00On Learning to Run Dungeon WorldOver on Google+ (in it's last, dying days), Tom Pleasant said this (across a couple different comments):<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I’ve done a reasonable amount of storygames but am struggling to grok GMing *World.... Played a dozen different *World games and read up on how to run it. <b><i>All the agendas and things just make me panic</i></b>.</blockquote>
<br />
I've heard that sentiment before and I totally get it. It seems like you're supposed to constantly keep about a dozen different principles in your mind and make sure that anything you say comes from a list of another 12-20 (or more) proscribed GM moves. How the <i>hell</i> are you supposed to do that <i>and</i> juggle all the social realities of the table <i>and</i> know the rules of the game <i>and</i> keep your setting coherent and and and <i>and</i>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsmV5OgbCTS07iIJQDA66zC5FbeeRiPI8EaCdhX4AiaGY6Zjk5ng7RNjnJCV9atYXwJM4qwpNI93T2bmhz1YbQAzytuXNhwhbqiPxP9dO40Ipb12hg72O3goAsbB8BupAH0PIrh762OM/s1600/juggling+gif.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsmV5OgbCTS07iIJQDA66zC5FbeeRiPI8EaCdhX4AiaGY6Zjk5ng7RNjnJCV9atYXwJM4qwpNI93T2bmhz1YbQAzytuXNhwhbqiPxP9dO40Ipb12hg72O3goAsbB8BupAH0PIrh762OM/s320/juggling+gif.gif" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You know. Just do this. It's easy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It doesn't help that text of most PbtA games present the "How to GM" chapter as <i>rules that the GM must follow </i>as opposed to advice. Here's the <i>Dungeon World</i> text:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This chapter isn’t about advice for the GM or optional tips and tricks on how best to play Dungeon World. It’s a chapter with procedures and rules for whoever takes on the role of GM.</blockquote>
<br />
Here's my (slightly heretical) advice, to him and any other potential GM who's intimidated by the agenda, principles, and GM moves, of <i>Dungeon World. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b>Forget the agenda. Ignore the principles. Run the game</b>. </h3>
<br />
If you've run pretty much any role playing game before, and certainly if you played <i>Dungeon World </i>or another PbtA game, then you already know the most basic, fundamental thing that you need to know: <b>the game is a conversation</b>.<br />
<br />
Establish the situation. <i>("You're standing in front of these two huge teak-wood doors. The mountain wind howls all around you in the fading light. Your breath catches on the cold air, getting colder. It'll be night soon.")</i>. Keep it brief. Maybe ask the characters some questions about why they're there, what they hope to find, what they're worried about it, why they shouldn't dally. As much or as little as you and they are comfortable with. Enough to set the scene and establish their motive for being there.<br />
<br />
Restate the scene and the situation (doors, cold wind, getting darker and colder). Turn to a particular player and ask their character <i>"What do you do?" </i><br />
<br />
If they ask questions about the situation, and you think you the answers would be self-evident, answer them honestly and generously. <i>("Are there any handles or anything on the doors?" "Oh, yeah, there are these huge brass rings on each door, like the size of your arms making a circle. They hang down so the bottom is at about chest height.")</i> Then: <i>What do you do?</i><br />
<br />
If they ask questions about the situation, and you DON'T think the answer would readily apparent, tell them what's required to learn it. Maybe it involves doing something. Maybe it involves them making a move. <i>("Can we hear any noise from inside?" "No, but they're really thick and it's windy out here. Maybe if you pressed your ear to the doors?" </i>or <i>"Are there any footprints or signs that they've been opened recently?" "Sounds like you're studying the situation. Discern Realities?")</i> Ask if they do that. If they do, say what happens or engage the move and resolve it per the rules.<br />
<br />
If they do something with an obvious outcome, say what happens as a result. <i>("I grab onto one of the big brass rings and pull." "There's a creaking noise, and the door slowly grinds open. It's like dragging a car in neutral, it's so heavy. Dust falls from up top as you, gets caught in the wind and swirls. Darkness looms inside.")</i> Then: <i>What do you do? </i><br />
<br />
If things are dragging and the PCs are just dickering around, or you want to get to some action, then telegraph some trouble. <i>("As you step into the door and get your torches lit, you see a huge, vaulted hallway leading into the darkness. Just at the edge of your torchlight, you see a boot, lying in the ground. Then you realize it's attached to a bony leg. A dead figure, sprawled in the middle of the hall.")</i> Then: <i>What do you do?</i> (Chances are that they'll do something triggers a move. Resolve it.)<br />
<br />
If they do something that would trigger a bad thing, say how the bad thing starts to happen but not how it finishes. <i>("As you approach the dead body, the tile under your foot starts to give way just a little, then click.")</i>. Establish a bad thing about to happen, but stop while it's still unfurling, and ask them (or another character): <i>What do you do?</i><br />
<br />
If they don't do something to reasonably address the bad thing, clarify with them. <i>("You just stand there? Even though you pretty clearly just stepped on a pressure plate?")</i> If they really do ignore it <i>("Pressure plate? pfft, whatever, I study this corpse.")</i> then bring it home.The bad thing happens, full force. <i>("You feel this burning stab in your gut and then your ears register this THWOOSH and you realize that there's this six-inch dart sticking out of your stomach. Take d6 damage and your whole body starts to feel like it's on fire.")</i> Probably turn to someone else and say that they just saw that happen: <i>What do you do?</i><br />
<br />
If, when you introduce the threat, they say that they do something about it (good on them), then they're probably triggering a move. Resolve it! <i>("Oh, crap, a pressure plate? I dive back and to the side." "Okay, sounds like Defying Danger with DEX to me, roll it.")</i> Resolve the move as written. <i>("A 7-9? How about a hard bargain? You can dive and get out of the way of what's coming, but your torch will go clattering off into the distance. Yeah?")</i>.<br />
<br />
On a miss (6 or less) have them mark XP and then decide what's the most obvious bad thing that can happen? It happens. Tell them what happens <i>("As you dive out of the way, there's this burning stab in your leg. As you hit the ground, you realize you've got this 6-inch dart sticking out of your leg. Take 1d6 damage and holy hells does it burn, way worse than it should.")</i><br />
<br />
However the move ends up resolving: re-establish the situation, turn to a specific player, and ask their character <i>What do you do?</i><br />
<br />
In a chaotic, fluid situation (like a fight), keep moving around between players. Each time you re-establish the scene for them, throw in something that they have to react to (not always bad, maybe it's just an opportunity, a chance to act) before you ask: <i>What do you do?</i><br />
<br />
Notice that I'm not referencing agenda, or principles, or GM moves. You're simply:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Describing the situation</li>
<li>Answering their questions</li>
<li>Giving them some sort of hook or thing to react to</li>
<li>Asking them what they do</li>
<li>Saying what happens next (return to 1) <br />OR</li>
<li>Following the rules of the player-facing moves, then saying what happens next (return to 1).</li>
</ol>
<br />
That's the flow of the game, the conversation.<br />
<br />
Not sure what to do for #2? Or as a result of #5? Skim over your GM moves list and see if something inspires you.<br />
<br />
But mostly, just follow the natural fiction of the game and the rules. And don't beat yourself up if for not doing it "right".<br />
<br />
<br />
Then, <b><i>after the game</i></b>, think back on the decisions you made, the things you decided to say. Run those things against the game's proscribed agenda. Did you say or do anything that violated the agenda? Try to avoid that next time.<br />
<br />
Look at the principles. Did you say or do anything that violated them? Think about what you could have done instead. Think about what adhering to that principle might have looked like.<br />
<br />
Look at the GM moves. Think about your major decisions, the things you said to prompt action from the PCs or to give them hooks. Can you match each of those things to one or more of the GM moves? Where there any decisions you made, where you could have done one of these other GM moves instead? Keep that all in mind for next time.<br />
<br />
My ultimate point here is that <b>the GM's agenda, principles, and moves are just ways to codify and describe good GMing</b>. Some GMs adhere to them closely and intentionally make their moves from the lists. Some GMs keep the principles constantly in mind.<br />
<br />
But if they're acting as a barrier to you, and intimidating you, then fuck 'em. Describe the situation. Give them hook or prompt a response. What do you do? Resolve a move or say what happens. Repeat.<br />
<br />
And then look back on your work and see how you could have done better.<br />
<br />
GMing is a practice, like yoga or martial arts or meditation or painting or whatever. You get better at it by doing it, by reflecting on it, by constantly trying to do better. No one starts off as a maestro. Don't be afraid of being bad or mediocre or less than excellent. Do the work. Show up. Get better. Get good. Get great.Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4388201247937029815.post-32194584163534755762019-02-12T22:41:00.001-06:002020-01-19T10:44:50.337-06:0042 magic swords<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8uInJ1hCHB-xmBju3C9oPop0aehx6KQI6xpI1wcXv5_eYRSdoo_rCSeqn7QvgaAPOdz6Rowm5Epy_zvHn6H0omK5mmZlMy08McY8kybjwv4KbOr0ZyQjw7FthdxElWDoi1FbciElpSg/s1600/TakeThis.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8uInJ1hCHB-xmBju3C9oPop0aehx6KQI6xpI1wcXv5_eYRSdoo_rCSeqn7QvgaAPOdz6Rowm5Epy_zvHn6H0omK5mmZlMy08McY8kybjwv4KbOr0ZyQjw7FthdxElWDoi1FbciElpSg/s400/TakeThis.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://badspot.us/O-Comic-Zelda-Sword.html" target="_blank">the truth</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We did some brainstorming on the <a href="https://discord.me/dungeonworld" target="_blank">DW Discord</a> a little while back. 30 magic swords, no more than two sentences each. We came up with 30 in just under an hour. Then folks kept going. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>A singing sword, floating in the darkness for ages, guarding this now-empty ruin from intruders yet so, so lonely. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>A sword carved from the thigh bone of a Nephilim. Bane to both demons and angels, bleeds in the presence of either. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>Shifter's Demon, this scimitar is engraved with the phases of the moon along the blade. Any shapechanger who views the weapon finds themselves stuck constantly shifting between all their forms in agony.<i> Torin Blood</i></li>
<li>A blade of ice that never melts. Extinguishes nearby fires when drawn. You’re never too warm or too hot in while you wield it, but neither do you feel any urgency or sense of passion (Your Drive for any session in which you wield it becomes “let a problem escalate while you do nothing.") <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>Marcu's miracle shortsword. A plain merchant guard's sword, passed from hand to hand for generations. The wielder of the blade will never lose at a dicing game so long as it has been used in defence of a merchant in the last month. <i>Torin Blood</i></li>
<li>Sidhe’s Lament, a scimitar of black starmetal that hums with the music of the spheres when rapped on metal. The longer you fight with it, the greater its volume and vibration, until glass shatters and stones crack around you. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>A sword carved of white wood, handle worn smooth and tiny notches chipped up and down the blade. Not much use against steel, but perfectly capable of beating the crap out of ghosts, wraiths, specters, and the like... won’t destroy them, but sure gives ‘em a lickin’. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>The Slithering Steel of Abraxcus. This twisted and serrated sword breaker seems to always be in motion when held. The blade shifts to always wrap around and trap weapons that attack the wielder. <i>Torin Blood</i></li>
<li>Gefyn, a gladius of exceptional quality. It has endured millennia of constant wars and fighting. When sharpened, it never seems to lose material. <i>Halsver</i></li>
<li>A sword made of leaves woven together with spider silk and magically hardened with the blood of an ancient elf. The memories of the elf come to the wielder as horrific dreams. <i>Torin Blood</i></li>
<li>A leaf-shaped blade of orichalcum, dull red and no cross guard. When you cut or stab a creature infected by the Things Below, it burns like the heat of three forges and sears flesh and bone. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>A longsword, stained crimson after being quenched in dragon's blood. Light reflected from the blade reveals wounds that will be suffered within the next week. <i>Torin Blood</i></li>
<li>The Historian's Lament. A rapier that, when thrust into any book, makes it so the book was never written. The wielder of the blade instantly learns everything that was in the book. <i>Torin Blood</i></li>
<li>A serrated greatsword made of a single crystal. It is said when the sword sings a new age has dawned. <i>Torin Blood</i></li>
<li>No blade, just a hilt with a grip wound in copper wire. When you brandish it with confidence, a white blade of lightning forms—cuts clean through any metal but also discharges dangerous bolts at random. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>Macco, the pacifist's katana. This blade appears to be ethereal and will pass through inanimate objects with no resistance. Deemed useless by hasty warriors, the thoughtful practitioner will recognize a slow pull against a moving object will realize a perfect clean slice. <i>Halsve</i></li>
<li>A grim, notched iron sword, spotted with reddish flakes (rust? blood? both or neither?). When you wound someone with the sword but do not kill them, the wound will never fully heal, nor will it fester or get worse. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>Goran's Eternity Severance, an extremely ornate and gem-encrusted claymore. It passes harmlessly through all living material but utterly consigns to oblivion the soul of any corpse it touches. <i>Torin Blood</i></li>
<li>Bronze sword that once belonged to a petty warlord who trucked with the Things Below. When you wield the sword, those who follow you know no fear and their morale and commitment never falters (but if you wield the sword during a session, your Drive becomes “prove your superiority over another”) <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>A pair of earrings like tiny, graceful scimitars. Until you take them off your ears, at which point they become a pair of full-sized, graceful scimitars. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>Juliana, blade of vengeance. Forged by a simple farmer with a singular purpose, this crude blade is dull in the hands of the dispassionate. When wielded by those mourning a lost love, it burns with a brilliant blue flame and a haunting child's voice whispers to its foes. <i>Halsver</i></li>
<li>A simple, perfectly crafted blade of dull gray steel. Anyone who sees you draw it sees a perfectly clear, perfectly convincing vision of you cutting them down with it. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>Ghostblade, sword of the old god. This blade doesn't cut through metal, flesh and bone, but instead bypasses the mortal shell, and strikes at soul and spirit. <i>Slothman</i></li>
<li>Thornblight, a greatsword of what looks like an impossibly big and perfectly napped shard of obsidian. Cuts through wood, vines, briars, and any other vegetation like it was soft clay. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>Purity. This longsword was forged in the blood of a dying angel. When wielded by one of pure heart and purpose, it enhances their power. When welded selfishly or in vengeance, it becomes a mundane blade. <i>Slothman</i></li>
<li>A bronze blade with a hilt of shell and coral, always wet and glistening. Fog and mist billow around it, thicker and deeper the long it’s unsheathed, until eventually... things slither out of the fog. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>Kuzzleyuff, a strange parrying dagger which is incredibly heavy and features an intricate mechanism that spins and rotates rapidly on the hilt. The dagger is clumsy to use intentionally, but will perfectly parry any strike that you fail to notice. <i>Halsver</i></li>
<li>A blade of black iron quenched in the blood of a dozen innocent men. Cuts through any magical charms, wards, abjurations, or protections. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>Plowshare. A historic gift from one king to another to sue for peace. This completely dull blade is useless in combat, but gives advantage on Parley. If ever used to kill, the magic leaves it and the killer is forever branded a tyrant and murderer to all who see him <i>ChibiYossy</i></li>
<li>The first sword ever crafted, a crude and ugly thing. Every blow struck with it kills, but anyone who kills with it will be struck a killing blow by the next sword they face. <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>Chissors, a pair of blades that seem immutably attracted to one another. Once separated, they will remain apart until they both strike in tandem, shearing through their target and fixing to one another again. <i>Halsver</i></li>
<li>Rotsman’s sidearm. This obsidian and ceramic blade is immune to all forms of corrosion and acid produced by slimes, jellies, pudding, and fungi. Also has many clever notches and serrations and can function as a pry bar, hatchet, saw, or entrenching tool in a pinch. Breaks easily on any kind of hard target like armor. <i>ChibiYossy</i></li>
<li>Siddew's Way, a short sword with a core of rough hewn stone and ore encased in polished red bronze blade. This blade is invaluable to the adventurer in a hurry, when struck against an obstacle the sword points in a novel direction that is indeed a short-cut. <i>Halsver</i></li>
<li>A bronze shortsword that once stabbed a black dragon through its skull and deep into it brain. Now has a greenish tinge, and constantly seeps a vicious acid when exposed to air (kept in a fitted glass sheath... don’t break it). <i>Jeremy Strandberg</i></li>
<li>Blackbriar. A black blade made of polished living black ironwood. Has green shoots and vines growing out of it. Poisoned, but you have to water it regularly and expose it to sunlight every day, or it withers and dies, useful only as firewood. Not for dungeon delving! <i>ChibiYossy</i></li>
<li>Some things are better in pairs. This set of two daggers glow a dull red when anyone who identifies as law enforcement is near. The pair only works when together. <i>Torin Blood</i></li>
<li>Captain Cutthroat's Cutlass, this rather large and ornate sword once belonged to a famous pirate. It bears a peculiar enchantment, when held against a person's neck, if that person lies about the whereabouts of their most valuable possession it sizzles like a hot pan. <i>Halsver</i></li>
<li>The North Star is a long, thin, flat blade that has an ornate star map engraved in to its blade. This sword only ever points north, and is constantly parallel to the ground, even when sheathed or fighting. <i>Burch</i></li>
<li>The Deceiver is a slender silver rapier that is actually considerably longer than it looks, having reach despite appearing to onlookers as a regular (if expensive looking) weapon. It fits in a normal sized scabbard without issue. <i>Helicity</i></li>
<li>Heward’s Handy Dirk. This appears to be an ordinary leather belt buckle, but it's enchanted with a magic similar to a bag of holding. Grab the buckle in a certain way and pull, and you'll draw a steel short sword as if from a scabbard. Great for smuggling a weapon somewhere it’s not supposed to be... <i>ChibiYossy</i></li>
<li>Jackal’s Tooth. This scrappy, curved blade does +2 damage to any opponent bigger than the wielder, and -2 damage to any opponent smaller. Pick on someone your own size! <i>ChibiYossy</i></li>
<li>Blade of the Wailing Dead. When unsheathed, this blade causes all corpses in the area to animate. They follow the commands of the the wielder until the weapon is sheathed again. Should the blade ever come into contact with a living creature, the wielder will immediately die and turn into a skeleton that cannot be destroyed until the creature the blade wounded dies. <i>Torin Blood</i></li>
</ol>
Jeremy Strandberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12368234512580275279noreply@blogger.com3