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This evening my 2 year old daughter said she wanted to play “Shooter game.” Turns out she meant the Dungeon World…
This evening my 2 year old daughter said she wanted to play “Shooter game.” Turns out she meant the Dungeon World game she hears my sons play. Thus began the adventures of Doctor Booboo 9000, human cleric. Treating every player move as a 7-9, she managed to make a giant bug friend, travel into a forest, save a terrified boy from a large snake, heal the boy, and get a hug as thanks.
Our hobby is the best.
What was the first tabletop rpg you ever played? How old were you?
What was the first tabletop rpg you ever played? How old were you?
One of my five year old boys wanted to GM for the first time and, given the recent discussion about gaming with…
One of my five year old boys wanted to GM for the first time and, given the recent discussion about gaming with kids, I wanted to share a session report of the game he ran. We took existing characters they had created for a game I was going to run for them. We used a fairly loose Dungeon World … Probably more like World of Dungeons.
Trick (me) and Shooter (my other 5 year old boy), an arcane trickster and a sharpshooting thief respectively, are in a metal city in the middle of a lightning storm. Birds made of lightning soar in the skies overhead.
Trick suggests this unusual storm is magical and that a wizard must be behind it. The two approach the palace where the queen has been possessed by a wizard. She is sitting on the shoulders of her king. The king tells the two heroes that the wizard lives at a nearby castle and is defended by knights in impervious armor. But the king teaches a secret spell to make Trick and Shooter’s weapons strong enough to defeat the knights. (Specifically “sixty hundred times stronger.”)
Before the heroes leave, Shooter goes to the bathroom and forgets to pull up his pants. They march to the wizard’s castle, pants still around his feet.
When they arrive they are immediately surrounded by six Knights. Trick uses his magic sword and slays one knight, but it turns out his sword throws out cluster bombs when it strikes! One bomb rolls over under Shooter. Shooter looks down, pulls up his pants and … You’ll have to tune in next session!
In defense of bonds:
In defense of bonds:
I think we all agree that one of the biggest problems with bonds is the amorphous concept of resolving bonds. What does this even mean!?!
I think the core problem is that many default playbook bonds provide a poor example. Some examples from Dungeon Planet’s Mutant:
Grig has been a friend to me when
others were prejudiced.
Anton will help me create a new mutant civilization.
There is no clear way to resolve these, unless maybe Grig and Anton recant their kindness. With these as samples, it is no wonder when new players reach the point of creating new bonds, they might go astray.
From a few Reddit posts on the topic and my own experience, I think that a good bond follows this formula:
“[Belief about another player]. [Future short term goal based on that belief]”
An example from the Dungeon Planet Technician:
Anton is distrustful of machines. I will prove their value.
With this formula, resolution becomes much more concrete.
A bond is resolved when:
1. Your character no longer holds the belief;
2. Your character accomplishes the goal; or
3. Your character no longer wants to accomplish the goal.
Don’t get me wrong…I like flags but:
I believe that bonds can be great tools. I must prove that bonds still have a place at your table too.
When using flags in Dungeon World, how do you handle the Aid/Interfere move?
When using flags in Dungeon World, how do you handle the Aid/Interfere move? I’ve been having my players justify a stat and roll like defy danger. This leads to lots of +2 and +3 aid rolls. Maybe this isn’t a bad thing?
Really looking forward to my first in person game tonight with Gauntlet PDX.
Really looking forward to my first in person game tonight with Gauntlet PDX. Dungeon planet … Anyone have a crazy character concept for me to put on the table?
I have another little Dungeon World hack to share.
I have another little Dungeon World hack to share. I’ve found that one of my favorite things about GMing Dungeon World is the amount of narrative control I can give to my players. My least favorite thing is repeatedly coming up with creative options on 7-9 results for defy danger. Partially inspired by the way that the FFG Edge of the Empire system allows players to spend advantage and threat, here is an attempt to solve my least favorite part of the game with my favorite part of the game.
Defy Danger
When you act despite an imminent threat or suffer a calamity, say how you deal with it and roll. If you do it
by powering through, +Str
by getting out of the way or acting fast, +Dex
by enduring, +Con
with quick thinking, +Int
through mental fortitude, +Wis
using charm and social grace, +Cha
✴On a 7+, you do what you set out to and the specific threat or calamity doesn’t come to bear.
✴On a 7–9, also describe how the situation worsens for your character, the party, or the world. If the GM is impressed by your creative masochism, mark XP.
Any thoughts on how to improve this? I included the XP carrot to incentivize players to really embrace the bad, but maybe it isn’t necessary.
Does any PbtA game completely do away with the concept of character/adversary health (hp, harm, clocks, etc.)?
Does any PbtA game completely do away with the concept of character/adversary health (hp, harm, clocks, etc.)?
If so, what is the replacement? I’m trying to picture a way of making it all work without “Deal Damage” as a GM move, and I’m having a bit of trouble.
Here is a quick hack I put together to replace STATS with 13th Age Backgrounds.
Here is a quick hack I put together to replace STATS with 13th Age Backgrounds. This should work for any PbtA game. I’d love your thoughts.
13TH AGE BACKGROUNDS IN PBTA
When you create your character, ignore STATS and instead create a primary BACKGROUND and a secondary BACKGROUND. If one of your attributes (HP, encumbrance, etc.) is derived from a STAT, set that attribute to an average value for the PbtA game you are playing.
You may make your BACKGROUNDS as vague, specific, elaborate, or simple as you wish. “Scholar” is as viable as “disgraced head librarian at the Emperor’s library”
– Your primary BACKGROUND should probably relate to your class in some way, but:
—– Don’t choose Wizard. Choose “former instructor at the Greygull school of magic” or “untrained magical prodigy”
—– Don’t choose Fighter. Choose “Imperial guardsman” or “escaped the gladiator pits of Karkrannen”
When a move asks you to roll +STAT, instead roll +BACKGROUND.
When you roll +BACKGROUND, briefly and convincingly describe how one of your backgrounds has prepared you for the task at hand, then:
– If your primary BACKGROUND applies, roll +2
– If your secondary BACKGROUND applies, roll +1
– If neither your primary or secondary BACKGROUND applies, roll -1
When you would otherwise gain a temporary condition, instead add a fictionally appropriate temporary BACKGROUND. Take -1 ongoing to any task that would be hampered by one or more of your temporary BACKGROUNDS.
—–Examples would include “shaky” “sickly” etc.
For more advice on writing great backgrounds see: http://adam.legendary.org/thoughts/13th-age-backgrounds/
This popped up on the DW subreddit and I thought I would share.
This popped up on the DW subreddit and I thought I would share.
Menagerie of Minor Magic:
Free collection of 100 quirky little magic items. They are mostly system neutral or easily converted.