Tag: Edward Hickcox

One of my players told me after our game the other week that I was his favorite GM ever, bar none. I think he’s probably sick in the head, but it made me feel really good anyway.

So, my (DW) players have gotten themselves into the situation where their characters are probably going to storm the sewers (and cellars and catacombs) of the city (with a bunch of army/guard help) in order to root out a small army of goblins that has snuck into town to try to destroy the city from within before the army of orcs shows up to destroy it from the outside. Does anyone have any advice for running a large-scale battle in DW? I’m thinking I may adapt the “fighting a kaiju” move someone posted here last week. Anyone have any other ideas?

Festival Moves!

Party Like It’s 999

When you surrender yourself to the revels of the Festival roll+BEST. On a 10+ pick 3, on a 7-9 pick 1, on a miss the Gm will tell you what happens.

>>You meet an interesting and/or useful NPC.

>>You overhear an interesting and/or useful piece of information.

>>You don’t get robbed (and lose an important piece of equipment, realizing it later at a crucial moment).

>>You don’t get too drunk (and take the Sick debility).

Herein Lies An Opportunity

When you attempt to take advantage of the festivities to promote your own agenda, roll+STAT. On a 10+ your agenda succeeds, on a 7-9 you succeed, but choose two, on a 6- everything goes pear-shaped and the GM will tell you how.

>>At least you didn’t lose all your coin.

>>At least the guard isn’t after you.

>>At least a rival didn’t find out about your plot.

>>At least you still look good in the court of public opinion.

Retail Therapy

When you shop in the Bazaar roll+WIS. On a 10+ you may name three item tags. You find an item with those tags, the GM will tell you what. On a 7-9 you may name one tag. On a 6- you find an item, but it’s outrageously overpriced, or you find nothing at all. On a 12+ the item you find is priced far below its actual value- A BARGAIN!

Oh, The Sights To See!

When you spend any length of time in the crowd at the festival you are likely to see something interesting. Roll 2d6.

2) A parade or foot race.

3) A freak show (maybe also a parade).

4) A crime in progress (mugging, theft, pickpocket).

5) A street preacher shouting forth prophecies (are they accurate?)

6) A noble’s carriage (in trouble?).

7) An accident of some sort (a foot traffic or carriage crash).

8) A fight.

9) A (possibly awful) bard or street performer.

10) A drunk lying in the gutter. (Is it drunk or dead? Has it already been robbed?)

11) A noble of priest giving a speech.

12) You are mistaken for someone else.

There is a Festival happening in my game soon, and I wanted my PCs to be able to participate in the contests that go along with this kind of party. This is a good move for prolonged contests of strength or endurance like arm wrestling, foot races, or drinking and eating contests. It could be used for something like an archery contest but I might be inclined to write a separate move for that.

It’s Not A Competition!

When you engage in a prolonged contest, roll+STAT as appropriate. The GM will establish a Contest Clock. On a 12+ you win handily and your success may attract useful attention if you wish, on a 10+ you win with minimal effort and may stop rolling, on a 7-9 the Contest Clock advances one segment forward, on a 6- the Clock advances 2 forward. When the Contest Clock runs out the contest is over, and if you didn’t roll a 10+ you didn’t win.

GMs: The more Contest Clock segments you have, the easier the contest will be. I would recommend sticking with 3-4. If you want to make the contest a little more challenging, you can introduce the following wrinkle: You may roll without penalty in the contest a number of times equal to your stat bonus, ie: if you have a +2 STR you may roll without penalty twice after which you take a -1 ongoing until the end of the contest, and possibly for some time after. This represents the character weakening, tiring, or growing sick from food or drink.

I’m curious what you guy think about using the Advantage/Disadvantage mechanic from D&D5e in DW. I’m considering trying it in my game, if my players are open to it. Basically, instead of giving a bonus or penalty they would instead tool twice and take the better result (for Advantage) or the worse result (for Disadvantage). Is that too powerful? The dice add nearly as much influence to the game as they do in D&D, the d20 is a huge variable, and 2d6 isn’t far behind it.

I created this nasty artifact to inflict on my players. Let me know what you think. it’s a long one, so bear with me:

ATHORGRANOGG, OF THE STARS

Close, Two-handed, 2 Weight

Solitary, Small, Magical, Planar, Intelligent, Construct

Special Qualities: Impervious

A black two-handed flamberge sword that seems to absorb all light. An all-seeing eye and a tentacle motif decorates the crossguard and hilt. Small pinpricks of light can be seen in the depths of the blade. Tiny unknowable eldritch runes etched in silver trace the wavy blade’s edge. The blade will not tolerate being sheathed, and destroys any sheath it is placed in.

Athorgranogg, of the Stars is not a cursed blade, per-se, but it will follow its chosen wielder everywhere, whether it is left behind, locked away, banished, etc, it will always turn up. If its chosen wielder refuses to use it, in favor of another weapon, the wielder takes -1 ongoing until they wield Athorgranogg again. Athorgranogg is a chaos demon forged into the form of a sword. It is both a sword and a creature at the same time and therefore defies attempts to identify it by magic. Its alignment is Chaotic. A successful 10+ Spout Lore roll will begin to learn the secrets of Athorgranogg.

Every time the sword kills an intelligent creature it gains +1 Hold. When the blade has Hold, its powers increase as follows:

1 Hold grants +3 piercing.

2 Hold grants +1d6 damage.

3 Hold: The wielder heals 1d8 HP.

Further Hold has no effect.

The following move triggers automatically when the wielder takes the Make Camp move, or at the End of Session. It may be triggered at any time by the wielder after the first time it triggers automatically.

Clear Hold – When you focus your will and attempt to calm the blade roll+WIS minus Hold as a penalty. On a 12+ you can set the hold to whatever level you like, on a 10+ the Hold is reduced to 0, on a 7-9 the Hold is reduced to 0, but you must choose one of the following, on a 6- the GM chooses one or more from the list, or something else:

* Take damage from the sword (2d6 mental damage, ignores armor).

* Gain the alignment move, “Cause suffering for its own sake or destroy something beautiful” until the End of Session. If you hit your alignment move, mark XP, if you do not, take -1 ongoing until you do, or until the following End of Session.

* Open a gate to the stars and let 1d6 chaos demons into the world.

Submit: If you would take your Last Breath, the sword brings you back to full HP, grants you immunity to metal weapons, and you must defeat all enemies that stand before you. If you refuse to fight, take Hold d6 damage which ignores armor per round. If you fight and win, you may mark XP and roll Last Breath +hold. If you fall from damage again, you treat your Last Breath as if you had rolled a 6- and your soul is condemned to the Void.