Dungeon World Meets Blades in the Dark

[Manbearcat]

Alright, at this point, I feel like all of the necessary pieces of reskinning + structure + thematic changes + integration are in place. Everything else can be pulled directly from Blades 1:1. I don't see any missing spots. So really, at this point its basically just:

ACTION ROLLS/SAVING THROWS

COMPANIES

PLAYBOOKS

---

I'm going to start with Action Rolls/Saving Throws. Here I'm going to be a little aggressive in making changes. 12 of them under the Saving Throws of Acuity, Body, Spirit.

ACUITY

Discern - Closely study a situation or person or interpret evidence.

Hunt - Follow clues to track a person or thing, arrange an ambush, snipe from a distance.

Illuminate - When you recall your memories or accumulated knowledge to shed light on a situation; something interesting or useful, or both.

Tinker - Fiddle with or craft devices, scrutinize engineering, or salvage for parts.

BODY

Swashbuckle - Whether you're beautifully controlling distance and countering in a duel, piloting a runaway wagon, or employing sleight-of-hand...you're doing it with poise earned by honed skill, competency, and finesse.

Savage - Whether you're engaging a horde, lifting a portcullis, or wrecking something with abandon...you're doing it head-on.

Skirmish - Whether you're employing hit-and-run tactics, free-running, climbing, or swimming...you're on the move.

Skulk - Whether you're sneaking around, using misdirection, or subterfuge through disguise...you're physically avoiding trouble.

SPIRIT

Command - Invoke violence or hierarchy or impose your will to get your way.

Consort - Feel out or blend into a crowd, call upon your connections for access, resources, aid.

Sway - Convince with guile, logic, deception...but you better know what makes the other party tick.

Attune - Whether you're connecting with your otherworldly patron, the magical fabric that binds all things, or the primal spirits of the world, this is you making magic happen.

---

Any thoughts?

The goals here are to appropriately equip theme/archetypes for competency but simultaneously reward MAD (so sufficiently differentiate by move things around and sharpening/focusing them a bit) and include more of the classic D&D/Dungeon World stuff.


EDIT - Swashbuckle for Technician - hat tip @Ovinomancer

 

[Fenris-77]

Those look great. Thematically appropriate and whatnot. Technician as a word might be on the edge of genre appropriate, but it still works.

 

[Manbearcat]

Those look great. Thematically appropriate and whatnot. Technician as a word might be on the edge of genre appropriate, but it still works.

I debated that one the most.

I don’t like finesse or dexterity because they don’t tell the whole story.

I was basically calling upon the martial or athlete trope of “that guys a technician in his craft.” Someone who is technically sound (footwork, base, hand usage/placement, economy and coordination of action) and because of that, able to reproduce physical actions with poise, dexterity, and reliability under fire.

If you or anyone else has a better label than technician that pulls off that multi-faceted duty, I’m all for it.

 

[Ovinomancer]

Alright, at this point, I feel like all of the necessary pieces of reskinning + structure + thematic changes + integration are in place. Everything else can be pulled directly from Blades 1:1. I don't see any missing spots. So really, at this point its basically just:

ACTION ROLLS/SAVING THROWS

COMPANIES

PLAYBOOKS

---

I'm going to start with Action Rolls/Saving Throws. Here I'm going to be a little aggressive in making changes. 12 of them under the Saving Throws of Acuity, Body, Spirit.

ACUITY

Discern - Closely study a situation or person or interpret evidence.

Hunt - Follow clues to track a person or thing, arrange an ambush, snipe from a distance.

Lore - Consult your accumulated knowledge on something to discover something interesting, useful, or both.

I would use "apply" as in "Apply your accumulated knowledge to discover..." This frames it more in terms of action.

Tinker - Fiddle with or craft devices, scrutinize engineering, or salvage for parts.

BODY

Technician - Whether you're beautifully controlling distance and countering in a duel, piloting a runaway wagon, or employing sleight-of-hand...you're doing it with poise earned by honed skill, competency, and finesse.

Savage - Whether you're engaging a horde, lifting a portcullis, or wrecking something with abandon...you're doing it head-on.

Skirmish - Whether you're employing hit-and-run tactics, free-running, climbing, or swimming...you're on the move.

Skulk - Whether you're sneaking around, using misdirection, or subterfuge through disguise...you're physically avoiding trouble.

I'm not really liking skirmish as a term. Perhaps scramble or Althete? Also, you're mixing nouns and verbs, here. Small note, but again, aiming towards describing actions you should be able to use the word as a verb. I get you're trying to not just reuse Blades verbatim, though. Maybe "Swashbuckle, Smash, Scramble, and Skulk?"

SPIRIT

Command - Invoke violence or hierarchy or impose your will to get your way.

Rapport - Feel out or blend into a crowd, call upon your connections for access, resources, aid.

Sway - Convince with guile, logic, deception...but you better know what makes the other party tick.

Spellcraft - Whether you're grasping a holy symbol, holding a fetish skyward, or calling upon arcane forces, this is you.

I'd go with "Commune" rather than Rapport. Or is that what Blades uses? It might be. I'd also consider changing "Spellcraft" to "Weave," again, for the noun/verbiness of it all.

Any thoughts?

The goals here are to appropriately equip theme/archetypes for competency but simultaneously reward MAD (so sufficiently differentiate by move things around and sharpening/focusing them a bit) and include more of the classic D&D/Dungeon World stuff.

Otherwise, I like the action descriptions -- which, of course, is obvious given how close they are to Blades!

 

[Manbearcat]

I would use "apply" as in "Apply your accumulated knowledge to discover..." This frames it more in terms of action.

I'm not really liking skirmish as a term. Perhaps scramble or Althete? Also, you're mixing nouns and verbs, here. Small note, but again, aiming towards describing actions you should be able to use the word as a verb. I get you're trying to not just reuse Blades verbatim, though. Maybe "Swashbuckle, Smash, Scramble, and Skulk?"

I'd go with "Commune" rather than Rapport. Or is that what Blades uses? It might be. I'd also consider changing "Spellcraft" to "Weave," again, for the noun/verbiness of it all.



Otherwise, I like the action descriptions -- which, of course, is obvious given how close they are to Blades!

Not in order:

1) I LOVE Swashbuckle. That’s going in for Technician. Going to make the change.

2) I like Savage better than Smash. As a verb I feel it does more work broadly and descriptively to convey what is happening. “That guy is a savage (because when he engages, he engages directly with implacable force and will - to savage).

3) Scum and Villainy uses Scramble in place of Skirmish but Blades, Band of Blades, and 4e uses Skirmish as the verb. I thought about Scramble...it just feels...less...competent.

Disagree?

4) I like Commune and I like Weave, but they feel discrete; Cleric and Wizard. That is why I went Spellcraft. I also considered Sorcery, but that feels to specific to Sorcerers and Warlocks.

Thoughts?

5) Rapport is Consort in Blades. Commune doesn’t move me much there. I considered Circles (like BW and TB) and Relationships (like Dogs) and Streetwise (like 4e).

I landed on Rapport (to develop or to deploy your already existing rapport).

I don’t love Commune there. Do you like Consort better? I feel like it does worse work than Rapport in the “deploy your existing relationships” angle.

Thoughts?

6) Lore's "consult" (vs apply) is ported directly from DW's Spout Lore. You're applying it afterward in a follow-up move if things go right so we're consulting first (something interesting on 4-5, interesting + useful on 6).

 

[Fenris-77]

I immediately want to play any game where I get to use Swashbuckle as a verb. GM: What do you do? Me: I'm going to Swashbuckle up a sandwich and a beer and wait for my thieves guild contact.

The only alternative to Spellcraft that occurs to me is Arcane.

 

[Manbearcat]

I immediately want to play any game where I get to use Swashbuckle as a verb. GM: What do you do? Me: I'm going to Swashbuckle up a sandwich and a beer and wait for my thieves guild contact.

The only alternative to Spellcraft that occurs to me is Arcane.

Ha!

I also considered arcana. But, again, I feel that is too arcane magic specific. I want to capture divine (Cleric, Paladin) and primal (Druid, Ranger) as well there.

I also considered Attune. I just didn’t feel Attune there, but maybe (Attune to the Arcane field...Attune to your otherworldly patron...attune to the primal elements that bind the world). What do you think?

 

[Fenris-77]

Id use spellcraft over either of those I think. Hmm, Esoterica?

 

[Ovinomancer]

Not in order:

1) I LOVE Swashbuckle. That’s going in for Technician. Going to make the change.

2) I like Savage better than Smash. As a verb I feel it does more work broadly and descriptively to convey what is happening. “That guy is a savage (because when he engages, he engages directly with implacable force and will - to savage).

3) Scum and Villainy uses Scramble in place of Skirmish but Blades, Band of Blades, and 4e uses Skirmish as the verb. I thought about Scramble...it just feels...less...competent.

Disagree?

These are fine. Savage can be a verb.

4) I like Commune and I like Weave, but they feel discrete; Cleric and Wizard. That is why I went Spellcraft. I also considered Sorcery, but that feels to specific to Sorcerers and Warlocks.

Thoughts?

I disagree, largely because the action definitions are different things. When you're communing (presumably) you're getting in touch with the situation/person/entity. When you weave, you're actively invoking things to change things with magic. I think these words are smuggling in some concepts that I don't think necessarily apply to this endeavor. And, while that's a reasonable thing to look for, I also think you cannot restrict yourself from perfectly good ideas because they're used differently in another game.

5) Rapport is Consort in Blades. Commune doesn’t move me much there. I considered Circles (like BW and TB) and Relationships (like Dogs) and Streetwise (like 4e).

I landed on Rapport (to develop or to deploy your already existing rapport).

I don’t love Commune there. Do you like Consort better? I feel like it does worse work than Rapport in the “deploy your existing relationships” angle.

Thoughts?

I like verb words better. Consort works more for me than Rapport does. I think an important bit for actions should be to use the action word in a sentence to say you're doing that thing. "I'm consorting with," works as a clear action word, while "I'm establishing a rapport with" requires coming up with an additional verb to make the same statement.

6) Lore's "consult" (vs apply) is ported directly from DW's Spout Lore. You're applying it afterward in a follow-up move if things go right so we're consulting first (something interesting on 4-5, interesting + useful on 6).

Yes, but this isn't DW, or that's my apprehension, so if you're going to achieve the same thing -- I know stuff so I can figure out stuff -- then it seems better suited as an action you do rather than a thing you think. I "apply" my lore to the situation, I don't "consult" myself and learn anything -- if I'm consulting myself I've already learned it. This treads a little to close to asking what my character knows rather than can my character apply what they know to this situation. YMMV.

Again, I really think that the actions will work better if they're verbs and the explanations describe an actual action. This flows, and gets to the immediacy of how these are going to be used in play. Sometimes, form influences function.

 

[Manbearcat]

These are fine. Savage can be a verb.

I disagree, largely because the action definitions are different things. When you're communing (presumably) you're getting in touch with the situation/person/entity. When you weave, you're actively invoking things to change things with magic. I think these words are smuggling in some concepts that I don't think necessarily apply to this endeavor. And, while that's a reasonable thing to look for, I also think you cannot restrict yourself from perfectly good ideas because they're used differently in another game.

I like verb words better. Consort works more for me than Rapport does. I think an important bit for actions should be to use the action word in a sentence to say you're doing that thing. "I'm consorting with," works as a clear action word, while "I'm establishing a rapport with" requires coming up with an additional verb to make the same statement.

Yes, but this isn't DW, or that's my apprehension, so if you're going to achieve the same thing -- I know stuff so I can figure out stuff -- then it seems better suited as an action you do rather than a thing you think. I "apply" my lore to the situation, I don't "consult" myself and learn anything -- if I'm consulting myself I've already learned it. This treads a little to close to asking what my character knows rather than can my character apply what they know to this situation. YMMV.

Again, I really think that the actions will work better if they're verbs and the explanations describe an actual action. This flows, and gets to the immediacy of how these are going to be used in play. Sometimes, form influences function.

- On magic deployment.

If the sense is that we need a verb here, I like Attune the best as its the most malleable/broadly applicable. I'll change that.

- On Consort vs Rapport.

I'm fine with Consort.

- On Lore.

The DW verb is Spout (for Spout Lore). But I don't want two words and Spout doesn't do it for me. What about Recall?