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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 7062681" data-attributes="member: 6696971">Just quoting the above as they're relevant to the below.  Also, since  [MENTION=16586]Campbell[/MENTION] brought up the short little DW one-off we ran (nearly 3 years ago now!), I'm going to use the characters in that to elaborate on some concepts.  Anyway, quick intro to:How GMing principles, an integrated and robust reward cycle, and transparent resolution mechanics and play procedures disable GM Force and Illusionism...and how the opposite enables it.I'll start with the first part.  So below are the Bonds and Alignment for  [MENTION=16586]Campbell[/MENTION] and  [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION] 's characters.Here is how you earn xp in Dungeon World.Alright.  Now we know what the game is incentivizing.  Through examination of that reward cycle we can find out what the play premise for Dungeon World is:* Playing to take risks and find out what happens (This is the primary source of xp in the game.  Xp on failure pushes players away from (a) turtling and (b) optimizing action declarations toward their areas of strength...or at least it puts it at tension with the inclination for character progression).* Playing to find out about your relationships.* Playing to find out about your highest ideal (what are you willing to risk to achieve it?).* Playing for discovery.* Playing to overcome notable adversaries and obstacles (mythical monsters, impossible climbs, inspiring the most stodgy to action).* Playing to gain something...precious (lost artifacts, divine boons, or something more mundane that an NPC just doesn't want to give up).[HR][/HR]Let's start with that and a hypothetical play example.  Take a look above at the following bonds and alignment from pemerton's character Thurgon:What happens if I place the PCs into a situation where Quinn (now the vassal of The Queen of Air and Darkness), the focus of Thurgon's quest for redemption, endangers the brave people of the city?Let's take a look at Lucann's bond:She is a stout member of Thurgon's order of knights.  She is definitely not weak, but she is not the equal of Thurgon (the Knight-Commander of her order).  What happens if, in the midst of this conflict, I put her in grave peril (as the result of a 6- by one of the PCs) because of a tactical misstep on her part?  Maybe she pulls a Hot Rod in the Optimus Prime/Megatron battle in the original Transformers movie (the great one).Let's take a look at another of Lucann's bonds:Maybe the situation snowballs.  Maybe Quinn is about to deliver a potential mortal blow to Dame Nequall (the half-elven knight).  Maybe Thurgon has a last gasp change to save his lieutenant from the imminent peril...but to do so would mean to allow a brave member of the city (perhaps an orphanage keep - there would lots of orphans after the war -  desperately fending off summoned shadow fiends with a hoe) to perish.  Maybe Lucann believes Dame Nequall's failure has led to this situation.  Maybe he is convinced that it is divine (rather than natural) selection that she resolutely face her fate (a horrific lesson, perhaps maiming, perhaps death) here and now.  Like you teach a man to fish rather than fish for them, you do the same thing with the warrior to your left and your right.  They are no good to themselves, to you, or to their unit if they cannot hold their weight (or, worst still, they imperil you).Let's find out if he thinks that and (in)acts on it!What will Thurgon do?  My guess is he will endanger himself..but to save whom?  He could Turn Undead and with a 10+ save the orphanage keep from the shadow fiends.  He could Defend Dame Nequal.  Can't do both!What if, in his moment of need, he whispers a powerful prayer to Kord (Revelation), seeking divine wisdom on how to save Dame Nequal and the orphanage keep.  What if the revelation is to strike down Quinn with a weapon imbued of light (he would take +1 forward to act on this).  A lot turns on this.  Will Thurgon fell the focus of his quest, ensuring that he lives with his sense of failure to Quinn forevermore?  If he does, he still has to bring the weapon to bear (Hack and Slash) and enspell it with divine Light (Cast a Spell).  Things can go wrong there (though he does have +1 forward), or at least go sideways (leading to snowballing).What if he endangers himself to save Dame Nequal (perhaps his prospects for defense are much higher than anything else) but lets the orphanage keep perish?What if Lucann doesn't like his answer to the question?  What happens to that trust between the two?[HR][/HR]So that is how robust reward cycles in a game where the GM is instructed to "follow the rules, "fill the characters' lives with danger and adventure" and "play to find out what happens" aids me in avoiding having to apply force to achieve dramatic tension, danger and adventure.The players tell me what is important to them and what they care about.The system rewards them for taking risks.Then I just follow the rules, think dangerous, and make my moves as the fiction unfolds and the play procedures dictate.Next post I'll go deeper into how transparent (and simple, yet robust) resolution mechanics and play procedures prevent me from having to rely on Force to create dramatic situations which lead to compelling/thematic decision-points for the PCs, which in turn leads to unforeseeable outcomes and snowballing narrative.</blockquote>

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