NOW LIVE! -- Presents for Goblins: Festive Resources for 5E on Kickstarter! A festive softcover of holiday-themed D&D 5E resources, including the short adventure 'Presents for Goblins'.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pming" data-source="post: 7905136" data-attributes="member: 45197">Hiya!..."Well thar's yer problem...!"  <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />Here is the first paragraph, on page 13 of the DW book, under the heading "What's Dungeon World Like To Play?""Playing Dungeon World is all about finding out what happens whenyour characters encounter dangerous and exciting monsters, strangeruins, and unusual people on their quest for gold and glory. It’s aconversation between the players and the GM—the GM tells theplayers what they see and hear in the world around them and theplayers say what their characters are thinking, feeling, and doing.Sometimes those descriptions will trigger a move—something that’llcause everyone to stop and say “time to roll the dice to see whathappens.” For a moment everyone hangs on the edges of their seatsas the dice clatter to a stop. Tension and excitement are always theresult, no matter how the dice land"See that bold text there? Yeah. That's the hang up you are having. I did the same thing I 'didnt get' when I ran my first two or three sessions of DW.Read the examples of play you can find all through the book or even online. In them, the Player describes what they want to have their PC do. The DM then describes what effect that has. Sometimes, if there looks to be an opportunity for "What if...?", the DM indicates "That sounds like a [whatever] Move...", and the Player THEN rolls. The DM then looks at the results and weaves it into the story at hand.Now, this isn't to say that playing DW is "all the DM's choices".  The Player is given specific abilities for their PC's and they often allow the Player to make the decision (e.g. "loose a spell"). This is the "sticky wicket" that I sort of got hung up on for a bit. I am a looooooooooong time DM (started my DM'ing career back in 1980), and was of the "neutral DM mindset". Still am, actually. So trying to re-jigger my old dog brain into a more...hmmm...'actively involved' role that DW requires didn't come naturally to me. Let me explain...Lets say a PC to an 8' chasm while deep down in the Veins of the Earth(1). The PC knows that bad things will soon catch up to him, so he needs to get across it.Player: "8' huh? That's not too far, I can jump that. I back up a bit, then take a running leap to the other side!"DM: "You back up about 15' and start running forward. You are at the edge, you see the other side, your target landing area...roll a Defy Danger using Dex"Player: "Awesome! [rolls dice and gets a total of 9] Only 9! Really?!"DM: "You leap into the air and feel your backpack shift a bit, as well as the coil of rope in your left hand snag a bit on your daggers at your side. The slightly slippery cavern floor doesn't help either...bat quanno...probably. You know you are going to come up a bit short... Any ideas on how to stop yourself from falling into the opening?"Player: "Uh...uh...can I see any stalagmites nearby that I can grab onto? Or anything like that?"DM: "The stalagmites are a few feet away from the lip...but there does seem to be some crack, protrusions, maybe even a very VERY small ledge down a bit on the side you are going to hit."Player: "I'll try and use the coiled rope. I'm holding onto it, so it's in a nice, round coil. I'll try and loop this over the closest stalagmite!"DM: "Hmmm....sure, maybe there is one just close enough....or maybe not. Looks like another Defy Danger, using Dex again, but roll at -2 because you didn't plan for it and it is slippery...being dotted with bat shite n' all"Player: "[rolls; with -2 gets another 9] Another 9!? Just not my day, is it?"DM: "Ok, you can get it around a stalagmite...but it might break and send you hurtling backwards, down into the depths. Or...you can toss your rope and grab onto the edge, wedge a foot or two into some cracks, and be clinging onto the ledge of the chasm, but be down 1d6' from the top. What are you going to do?"Player: "I need this rope! Then again, those...THINGS...will be here any second with their sticky, poison tentacles. Oh man....uh..."DM: "You do hear their slobbering yowls getting closer...but you also hear something that sounds like rushing water below you...not sure how far though..."Player: "I'm holding onto the rope. It's too important. I hope that stalagmite holds!"...and that's basically how I 'run' DW. The player decides what they want to do, I decide if a Move is in order and usually what it is (but the player can suggest, obviously). Sometimes, during the conversation between me and the Players, something interesting or cool will pop into my head and I'll try and add it into the scene...the part about the water I made up 'on the spot' when I got to it in my example describing the monster noises for added tension.Now, as for how you can try and implement this into your group...just be honest and tell them. Read the page 13 thing, and maybe read some of the Examples of Play to back up that you were supposed to be the one deciding what Moves would/could be made for a situation...usually anyway. I'd give them the option to either keep playing, or, retire the PC's and make new ones. Maybe fledgling adventurers who heard about their great exploits...or maybe hirelings they've had (or have).The key thing to remember with DW is this: "To goal of the game is for everyone to collectively create a world and story as you play. It is not to 'win' or even 'succeed'...those are secondary or even tertiary considerations. Just make stuff up and roll with it". <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />(1) Veins of the Earth is an absolutely amazing take on the classic "Underdark/Deepearth" setting. It's creepy, terrifying, and fascinating. It's built for "classic fantasy games" (re: basic D&D'ish), but because of this, it's dirt simple to convert to whatever system you are playing. Including DW. Hit up DriveThru or Amazon to grab a PDF or, better still, the hardback print version.</blockquote>

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