MCDM monster book “Flee Mortals!” KS is live!

[Aldarc]

I've run Dungeon World and Monster of the Week. Honestly, I think I struggled with both. It's definitely a different way of GMing. Like "don't prep," you can only make challenges if the players roll badly. It's just very awkward to me, and every time I try to run it, people tell me I'm doing it wrong.

I remember my brain falling out of my head reading Monster of the Week. I didn't really get it until I watched some online games.

There is an annotated actual play for Stonetop, a Dungeon World hack that has become its own game. It's pretty helpful because the designer provides some instruction about about what is happening and why when it comes to the mechanics. The designer IMHO has a solid grasp for PbtA games and is good at providing explanations, which you can read in their blog Spouting Lore. (And here I link to an article where they explain a bit about playing Stonetop and other PbtA games.) Their explanations in the book are arguably even better and may become one of the gold standards for Dungeon World enthusiasts going forward.


Likewise, this person here has a blog for their solo campaign of Stonetop. They use oracles for making decisions regarding complications and often have polls for some character decisions. But otherwise, the blog provides some additional insight on how the game works.

 

[Nikosandros]

I backed the KS and I've recently downloaded the PDF (235 Mb for the color version! )

I'm really liking what I'm seeing. The rules for companions, retainers and minions seem to be well done.

 

[Aldarc]

This is a smart monster book!

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I’ve used the minions and retainers rules. I have had very positive feedback from my players when using minions. Wading through waves is just … fun!

With retainers, they work best in groups smaller than 6 characters, ime. But they are a great way to give groups a little extra buddy who can pull some weight without being complex burden on the person who runs the NPC.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I've run Dungeon World and Monster of the Week. Honestly, I think I struggled with both. It's definitely a different way of GMing. Like "don't prep," you can only make challenges if the players roll badly. It's just very awkward to me, and every time I try to run it, people tell me I'm doing it wrong.

PbtA is a very different way of GMing - and both Dungeon World and Monster of the Week are bad at teaching it, in part because there's a lot less world building in character creation than there is in e.g. Apocalypse World, Monsterhearts, or even Stonetop.

 

[Aldarc]

PbtA is a very different way of GMing - and both Dungeon World and Monster of the Week are bad at teaching it, in part because there's a lot less world building in character creation than there is in e.g. Apocalypse World, Monsterhearts, or even Stonetop.

I also think that Dungeon World and Monster of the Week were written so close behind the heels of Apocalypse World that both of these games kind of assume that you will already be familiar with Apocalypse World and how it works.

 

[Weiley31]

I do dig the Minions, Companions, and Retainers rules. While I always liked using the Revised Ranger's Companions' Bonds for Animal Companion scaling and what not for non-Ranger characters. The Ferocity system is pretty neat and allows companions to have a sort of "special attack" that is unique from the regular/signature attacks.

Also: if you REALLY wanted a Displacer Beast as an animal companion for your PC, you can technically say/refluff the Lightbender companion on page 181 as one if you wanted. It has the Displacer Beast Avoidance skill, the Tail whip can be flavoured as the Tentacle(probably can swap out the Radiant Damage for Piercing if you REALLY wanted to be a stickler bout it) and it has the Shared Afterimage reaction which is basically the Displacer Beast using its main gimmick alongside its master.

Also: Silent Pounce in visual action at the start of the boss fight. (Time: 00:44)

 

[Neonchameleon]

I also think that Dungeon World and Monster of the Week were written so close behind the heels of Apocalypse World that both of these games kind of assume that you will already be familiar with Apocalypse World and how it works.

I think it's more that AW was so new that they didn't really know how it worked. One of the reasons that Apocalypse World (and related) tell the DM to bring nothing to the first session is that it brings an absolute ton itself written into the playbooks, and if the MC tries to impose on the setting created by the playbook interactions rather than build off that they will squash things. But MotW (1e) has almost no defined relationships to actually present NPCs in character creation and Dungeon World both doesn't have related NPCs/setting control and doesn't really expect the PCs to stay in one place.

 

[Zaukrie]

Back in the US, and finally downloaded. Lots of stuff to really like here. Most of this book is going to see use in my games, which I can't say is true of most books I own.

 

[Zaukrie]

The optional rules in many places are just great. This is the kind of thing I want to see A LOT more of (like, I have an entire dragon PDF I sell filled with these kinds of things, so, ya, I guess I like them).