Hey Gauntlet,
I have run a group of friends through two Dungeon World adventure and they have said they are having a good time, but I seem to be lacking in the treasure area. How do you ‘reward’ the characters? Random magic items? Piles of gold? My players are all 5E and Pathfinder players as well as games like Shadowrun, so they are looking for something but would be ok with just a payment if the adventure was a job instead of a random event. Thanks for your input.
GM Roberts: “Good night, Fi-tor. Good work. Sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.”
Since your PCs don’t seem to be happy with mere survival, I suggest ‘favors’ from the NPCs that they can cash in. Be it gold, titles, or just a get out of jail free card. The nice thing about a favors/debt system is that the players have to interact with the NPCs/setting and not the equipment list.
GM Roberts: “Good night, Fi-tor. Good work. Sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.”
Since your PCs don’t seem to be happy with mere survival, I suggest ‘favors’ from the NPCs that they can cash in. Be it gold, titles, or just a get out of jail free card. The nice thing about a favors/debt system is that the players have to interact with the NPCs/setting and not the equipment list.
Powerful entities, Kings, organizations (possibly snake cults) take notice of them and seek to recruit or control their actions. These entities probably possess the means to employ or reward the players if that turns out to be the best way to manipulate them.
Powerful entities, Kings, organizations (possibly snake cults) take notice of them and seek to recruit or control their actions. These entities probably possess the means to employ or reward the players if that turns out to be the best way to manipulate them.
Thanks for the great ideas. I especially like the idea of zooming out and asking questions about how their actions are changing the world. I took a page out of the Gauntlet handbook and have them working for a bigger organization to insure direction and give them a narrative framework as to why they are some place doing what they are doing, and that it may/will affect the larger organization.
Thanks for the great ideas. I especially like the idea of zooming out and asking questions about how their actions are changing the world. I took a page out of the Gauntlet handbook and have them working for a bigger organization to insure direction and give them a narrative framework as to why they are some place doing what they are doing, and that it may/will affect the larger organization.
DW is awesome when it comes to rewarding your players (characters). Here are some ideas:
1- Magic items
Unlike the generic items like “club of really strong clubbing”, you can build items that play into the story or character. That thief can obtain a knife that whispers constantly about hidden treasure (+1 when acting on information) but threatens to betray her to others unless she bathes it in blood at least once a day. That cleric can find a holy relic that will act as a direct line of communication with their deity…and that deity has some difficult demands.
2- Compendium Classes
Wow! What better way to reward a player than to offer them a special set of moves and characteristics that make them even more noteworthy! She was just a fighter but now, because she survived the labyrinth, horns are growing from her head and NOTHING can withstand her charge!
3- Fans
Hirelings can become apprentices or sidekicks. People are impressed with the PC to the point that they want to follow them or help them in some way. They brag about knowing them. They put in a good word for them. They get them into trouble by gushing to the wrong people. Hey! That’s part of the fun right?
4- Give them what they really want
There’s nothing wrong with asking the players what would feel rewarding to them and going for that. Maybe they want to play up the berserker side of their character and go out in a blaze of glory. Maybe they want to establish an order of followers for their forgotten goddess. Maybe they just want revenge on that wretch that killed the party’s donkey. If the DCC/Indie arguments are any indication, people want different things from their gaming experiences. Sometimes asking is the only way to find out what that is.
DW is awesome when it comes to rewarding your players (characters). Here are some ideas:
1- Magic items
Unlike the generic items like “club of really strong clubbing”, you can build items that play into the story or character. That thief can obtain a knife that whispers constantly about hidden treasure (+1 when acting on information) but threatens to betray her to others unless she bathes it in blood at least once a day. That cleric can find a holy relic that will act as a direct line of communication with their deity…and that deity has some difficult demands.
2- Compendium Classes
Wow! What better way to reward a player than to offer them a special set of moves and characteristics that make them even more noteworthy! She was just a fighter but now, because she survived the labyrinth, horns are growing from her head and NOTHING can withstand her charge!
3- Fans
Hirelings can become apprentices or sidekicks. People are impressed with the PC to the point that they want to follow them or help them in some way. They brag about knowing them. They put in a good word for them. They get them into trouble by gushing to the wrong people. Hey! That’s part of the fun right?
4- Give them what they really want
There’s nothing wrong with asking the players what would feel rewarding to them and going for that. Maybe they want to play up the berserker side of their character and go out in a blaze of glory. Maybe they want to establish an order of followers for their forgotten goddess. Maybe they just want revenge on that wretch that killed the party’s donkey. If the DCC/Indie arguments are any indication, people want different things from their gaming experiences. Sometimes asking is the only way to find out what that is.