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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 8682140" data-attributes="member: 6790260">I haven't actually DM'd for a long time. But there are already patterns in my stuff that I've noticed.For example, I like to insert (relatively) "innocent" NPC characters affiliated with darker groups. This has come up easily 3-4 times now just in my current game. Someone duped or misled into doing dangerous/evil things, or someone pushed into terrible decisions because they were down on their luck and in need of help. I've even reversed course on a character to enable this to happen (long story short, originally I had a "black widow" character, who had killed several spouses as sacrifices to her succubus 'patron,' but I decided that making her a tragic victim was more interesting. So I did.)I also like archaeological ruins. Some of that is player-influenced, as I have a trained anthropologist in the group and thus archaeology is a relevant thing. But I just...really like that sort of thing. I've got multiple possible dungeon location ideas based on that sort of stuff.My faith, or at least the principles thereof, tends to bleed over into my game. This is somewhat easier in this specific game, because the dominant religious group in the region is monotheist (strongly inspired by Islam and Zoroastrianism.) But I'm a huge fan of earnestly Lawful Good deities in general, and Bahamut in specific, so that's a campaign undercurrent that will typically show up. A contest between light and darkness, with one side clearly good and (at least) one side clearly evil, though there are many caught in the shadows between, struggling to decide or dealing with difficulties (as noted in the first paragraph.) Hence, the player characters are Legitimate Heroes, people who can truly make a difference and save others, not just help them. Though, as others have said, I prefer to have villains who do what they do for reasons, who aren't just mindlessly cruel...unless they are so, in which case, they've usually either been manipulated into being so, or are die-hard believers in some incredibly warped philosophy where what they do is somehow right.When I need a fallback, I tend to default to "contract" adventuring, rather than other options. The kind of thing where the characters are asked to do a job rather than doing stuff purely out of the goodness of their hearts or because they're pressed into it by circumstances. I guess that just feels more...natural, to me? You have to work toward situations where the players feel they have to do a particular adventure (and I do love doing that, but it's impossible to fall back on that when you need a new adventure.) And then on the flipside, while I absolutely love it when my players are volunteering to do things, sometimes they need more direction, something to focus on, something to decide to accept or reject, and "contract"-style adventuring is a perfect opportunity to do that. Even if they reject a contract, that usually gives them the push they need to figure out what they actually want to do, and then I can support that.And although this is something expected by Dungeon World, I'd do it regardless: Places with big ol' question marks even on local maps. I love the idea of uncovering an ancient lost tomb (the aforementioned archaeology) or a precious resource lost in the wilderness (gold, precious stones, magical materials, what-have-you), or a whole-donkey DRAGON who just happens to be chilling out in the Dark Forest and no one ever realized they live there (perhaps they have a long hibernation cycle.) That sort of thing just sounds fun to me, so I tend to lean into it.</blockquote>

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