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Dungeon World / [Challenge] How would you write The Hobbit as a Front?
« on: December 16, 2012, 11:11:07 AM »
I'm crap at writing Fronts, so I thought I'd put this out as a challenge to see how you, bold adventurers, would do it.
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Dungeon World / Things with which to bedevil
« on: September 20, 2012, 05:35:24 PM »
Hey all! I know one of the best things about DW is making up your own stuff, but sometimes it's nice to crib from others. In that vein, here's a list of items I've been dreaming up. Some are from a Dungeon Starter I'm working on, but all are mostly setting-agnostic. If you have a critique, a question, or you use something from the list in your game, I'd love to hear from you about it!
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3wGpvo8MZilOWM4S1R4ekVITHM/edit
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3wGpvo8MZilOWM4S1R4ekVITHM/edit
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Dungeon World / Re: 2 revelations on Impending Dooms
« on: September 20, 2012, 05:31:59 PM »
So helpful! I'm going to be revisiting this front I've been working on. I think I intuitively (accidentally?) get #2, but #1 ought to be more emphasized!
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Dungeon World / Re: Workshop my Front with me?
« on: September 18, 2012, 11:15:41 PM »
So, I reworked some stuff, and here's the new list of Grim Portents:
- Goblin slavers attack the tent town, carrying off hostages to their lair
- Hexpus fans the flames of panic, growing stronger as the people wonder who will be taken next
- The Priests seize on the town’s confusion to hunt down the Sun Monks
- The Valley falls into an unnatural darkness as the Eye is found
- The Priests offer a sacrifice to the darkness: A Radiant Brother is found blood-eagled
- Preying on the growing hopelessness in Highstone, Hexpus crafts the Key of Despair
- Morgus captures [an Important NPC] in the name of Bellagis
- Screable remakes Hamilthar, which transforms the Valley into a Shadowland (create a new Front: The Valley of Hamilthar)
- Morgus delivers [an Important NPC] to the Gore Lord's Maw (i.e., Dul'zeem's prison)
- The Great Conjunction begins
Another thing I did was to disconnect the Hexpus Danger more by making it so he wasn't waiting around for the Hamilthar thing to play out. Now, he has his own agenda: to spread fear in the town so he can create the Key of Despair (oooOOOoooo - spooky!). Like noofy wisely said, this will mean the players have three different irons in the fire, and the Dangers they aren't pursuing will advance - towards Drama! (And Doom.)
It's not quite fun yet, this Front thing, but I am starting to see how it can be!
- Goblin slavers attack the tent town, carrying off hostages to their lair
- Hexpus fans the flames of panic, growing stronger as the people wonder who will be taken next
- The Priests seize on the town’s confusion to hunt down the Sun Monks
- The Valley falls into an unnatural darkness as the Eye is found
- The Priests offer a sacrifice to the darkness: A Radiant Brother is found blood-eagled
- Preying on the growing hopelessness in Highstone, Hexpus crafts the Key of Despair
- Morgus captures [an Important NPC] in the name of Bellagis
- Screable remakes Hamilthar, which transforms the Valley into a Shadowland (create a new Front: The Valley of Hamilthar)
- Morgus delivers [an Important NPC] to the Gore Lord's Maw (i.e., Dul'zeem's prison)
- The Great Conjunction begins
Another thing I did was to disconnect the Hexpus Danger more by making it so he wasn't waiting around for the Hamilthar thing to play out. Now, he has his own agenda: to spread fear in the town so he can create the Key of Despair (oooOOOoooo - spooky!). Like noofy wisely said, this will mean the players have three different irons in the fire, and the Dangers they aren't pursuing will advance - towards Drama! (And Doom.)
It's not quite fun yet, this Front thing, but I am starting to see how it can be!
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Dungeon World / Re: Workshop my Front with me?
« on: September 18, 2012, 12:52:24 PM »
I like that, Noofy! So, are you suggesting that the goblins and the Eye should be separate Dangers? Or are you saying that the goblins might develop into a separate Danger, depending on what the party does?
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Dungeon World / Re: Workshop my Front with me?
« on: September 17, 2012, 05:46:33 PM »
Thanks! All these threats evolved from a Dungeon Starter I'm working on, and four very enthusiastic players! I'm really excited for the next session!
I meant to say that the insight about Father Calin is solid. There is already some investment in him (a PC paladin of a related order, they already protected Calin from the Priests, and he used some spectacular healing mojo on them). But that absolutely should not mean that he's the one that has to get sacrificed. I think I was leaping at the most obvious candidate, rather than letting the fiction decide. I'm going to rework that.
Your question about how the PCs will learn the Eye is discovered may be near the heart of my problem. So, they could decide not to go to the dungeon where Screable and the Eye are located and instead pursue something else. In that case, I'd just keep lobbing portents at them - reports of increased goblin aggression, raid on the town, some spooky event heralding the Eye's discovery. At that point, f they make aheadlong rush after the Eye, they'd arrive dramatically at the Remaking Ritual. But, they could have just as well chosen to follow the spikers back to the dungeon or gone off to seek after those who were kidnapped.
So, on the one hand, I'm like, "No, just point them at the dungeon straightaway, because that's where the drama is!" And on the other hand, I'm like, "If I give out a few goblin-related portents, the players can decide if this is the Danger they want to pursue." And so, I'm feeling kinda damned-if-I-do-damned-if-I-don't. Does that make sense?
This is where the agony arises. I obviously love coming up with setting ideas and the components of a Front. But I seem to misunderstand how to translate them into the AW/DW formula.
I meant to say that the insight about Father Calin is solid. There is already some investment in him (a PC paladin of a related order, they already protected Calin from the Priests, and he used some spectacular healing mojo on them). But that absolutely should not mean that he's the one that has to get sacrificed. I think I was leaping at the most obvious candidate, rather than letting the fiction decide. I'm going to rework that.
Your question about how the PCs will learn the Eye is discovered may be near the heart of my problem. So, they could decide not to go to the dungeon where Screable and the Eye are located and instead pursue something else. In that case, I'd just keep lobbing portents at them - reports of increased goblin aggression, raid on the town, some spooky event heralding the Eye's discovery. At that point, f they make aheadlong rush after the Eye, they'd arrive dramatically at the Remaking Ritual. But, they could have just as well chosen to follow the spikers back to the dungeon or gone off to seek after those who were kidnapped.
So, on the one hand, I'm like, "No, just point them at the dungeon straightaway, because that's where the drama is!" And on the other hand, I'm like, "If I give out a few goblin-related portents, the players can decide if this is the Danger they want to pursue." And so, I'm feeling kinda damned-if-I-do-damned-if-I-don't. Does that make sense?
This is where the agony arises. I obviously love coming up with setting ideas and the components of a Front. But I seem to misunderstand how to translate them into the AW/DW formula.
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Dungeon World / Re: Workshop my Front with me?
« on: September 17, 2012, 05:00:19 PM »
Thanks! This is great stuff! And I'm glad you enjoyed my ideas!
You both helped me see how my Portents are not player-facing. I've been writing them from an omniscient perspective, because that's how I imagined the instructions to think of how events would unfold if the characters weren't involved. I mean, if the PCs aren't involved, why write, "There is an unholy thundering from the valley as Hamilthar is remade"? (That's rhetorical - I get it's because the GM needs to announce this badness and the PCs being uninvolved is just a conceit. Still, it thew me.)
I'm still having trouble seeing where I'm pre-planning. I can feel the difference between what I've done and what you're suggesting instead. I'm having trouble reconciling how to get from the events of the first session to "and now goblins are getting more aggressive," since there were no goblins introduced yet.
So, let's take the Eye of Hamilthar. If the Eye is found and placed back in Hamilthar's body, he'll arise and the whole valley will become a Shadowland. That's an Impending Doom, right? Leading up to that, the goblins get more aggressive, because Krumx isn't happy with Screable's leadership and also because they need slaves to dig for the Eye. If they find it, Screable will reassemble Hamilthar, and the valley will become a Shadowland (Doom!).
Either way, the rediscovery of the Eye activates Hexpus, who needs it to make the Key. And all the while the Priests of Bellagis are hunting down the Sun Monks, because the former are evil murdering jerks.
The pressure as we left it at the end of session is that the PCs need to find the Contract before the Great Conjunction in a week's time. So, what would you do?
You both helped me see how my Portents are not player-facing. I've been writing them from an omniscient perspective, because that's how I imagined the instructions to think of how events would unfold if the characters weren't involved. I mean, if the PCs aren't involved, why write, "There is an unholy thundering from the valley as Hamilthar is remade"? (That's rhetorical - I get it's because the GM needs to announce this badness and the PCs being uninvolved is just a conceit. Still, it thew me.)
I'm still having trouble seeing where I'm pre-planning. I can feel the difference between what I've done and what you're suggesting instead. I'm having trouble reconciling how to get from the events of the first session to "and now goblins are getting more aggressive," since there were no goblins introduced yet.
So, let's take the Eye of Hamilthar. If the Eye is found and placed back in Hamilthar's body, he'll arise and the whole valley will become a Shadowland. That's an Impending Doom, right? Leading up to that, the goblins get more aggressive, because Krumx isn't happy with Screable's leadership and also because they need slaves to dig for the Eye. If they find it, Screable will reassemble Hamilthar, and the valley will become a Shadowland (Doom!).
Either way, the rediscovery of the Eye activates Hexpus, who needs it to make the Key. And all the while the Priests of Bellagis are hunting down the Sun Monks, because the former are evil murdering jerks.
The pressure as we left it at the end of session is that the PCs need to find the Contract before the Great Conjunction in a week's time. So, what would you do?
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Dungeon World / Re: Combination rolls
« on: September 17, 2012, 02:00:39 PM »
Cool situation! And these are all good ideas on how to handle it! My instinct would have been to say the wizard is casting and the ranger is aiding by turning to give the wizard a clearer shot. If the ranger doesn't hit big, he exposes himself to fire, retribution, or cost, right? But yeah, there's no one true way!
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Dungeon World / Re: Experience on a miss
« on: September 15, 2012, 01:33:44 AM »
I can definitely see how it isn't game-breaking. I'm more interested to see how the rule handles the issues of narrative and flow of play. Like, do you get to say what you learn? Do you mark for every failure, or do you mark for each encounter where you blow a move like Burning Wheel?
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Dungeon World / Re: Experience on a miss
« on: September 14, 2012, 07:48:07 PM »
Cool. That does change some things!
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Dungeon World / Workshop my Front with me?
« on: September 14, 2012, 07:38:22 PM »
I have a difficult time writing Fronts, both in AW and DW. I think this is because I am often missing that "sweet spot" where Dooms, Portents, and Stakes need to be, and I'm left with a series of events that don't hang together.
Here's where the first session left us: the characters come to a bustling town just on the other side of the mountains from a vast empire. The valley below is littered with dungeons from Ancient Times(TM). There is a violent priesthood wiping out a pacifist sect. There's too many people in town, come to seek their fortunes by plundering the dungeons. There's an ancient evil that's going to enslave the world in one of those dungeons. And before the characters can dispose of it, they need a lantern and a key.
So, here's what I have.
Front: The Compact of Dul'zeem
Description: Long ago, the demon tyrant Dul'zeem made a covenant with Humans, and it is soon drawing to its end. When Dul'zeem returns, the world will be plunged into a hellish tyranny. The demon tyrant is unwittingly worshipped as Bellagis the Gore Lord by a militant sect. Meanwhile, Dul'zeem's two servitors, Hexpus and Hamilthar, prepare the way for their overlord's return.
Cast
Hexpus, the Fear Worm (disguised as Emin, a timid locksmith)
Hamilthar, the Shadow Vizier, torn to pieces and being reassembled by goblins
Morgus, Sainted Agonist of the Gore Lord
Bishop Xanthar, a gluttonous official of the Imperial Cult
Screable, goblin orkaster and thrall of Hamilthar
Krumx, Stab-Bringer of the goblins of the valley
Grim Portents
- Goblin Spikers get more aggressive
- Sun Monks are hunted down
- Panic spreads through town
- Screable is possessed
- Goblin slavers raid the town
- The Eye is Found (optional: Hamilthar is remade & The Valley becomes a Shadowland)
- Hexpus receives the Eye
- Father Calin is captured
- Hexpus crafts the Key of Fear
- Father Calin is delivered to the Gore Lord's Maw
- The Great Conjunction begins
Danger: The Priests of Bellagis (Religious Organization)
impulse: to establish & follow doctrine
Doom: The doctrine of bloodlust and war is unchecked and security lost (Impoverishment)
Stakes:
- Can any of the priests be reasoned with?
- Is Morgus all he appears to be? More? Less?
Grim Portents
- Sun Monks are hunted down
- Father Calin is captured
- Father Calin is delivered to the Gore Lord's Maw (i.e., Dul'zeem's prison)
Danger: Hamilthar's Cage (Abandoned Tower)
impulse: to draw in the weak-willed
Doom: Mists fill the valley, making it trebly dangerous. (Usurpation)
Stakes:
- Will Krumx turn against Screable?
- What happens to Hamilthar if he is not remade?
Grim Portents
- Goblin Spikers get more aggressive
- Screable is possessed
- Goblin slavers raid the town
- The Eye is found
- Hamilthar is remade
- The Valley becomes a Shadowland (create a new Front: The Valley of Hamilthar)
Danger: The Key of Fear (Demon Prince)
impulse: to open the gates of Hell (i.e., to free Dul'zeem)
Doom: Dul'zeem rises, the Compact ends, and the Empire is plunged into a thousand years of demonic rule. (Tyranny)
Stakes:
- What kinds of fear does Hexpus revel in?
- Will Hexpus be defeated or merely thwarted?
Grim Portents
- Panic spreads through town
- Hexpus receives the Eye
- Hexpus crafts the Key of Fear
- The Great Conjunction begins
* * * * *
Problems I think I'm having:
1. The overall order of Grim Portents doesn't flow from one to the next. Like, it's not necessary for there to be panic for Screable to get possessed.
2. I think some of those Portents should be rewritten, but I don't know to what. They feel off, but I don't know what that aforementioned "sweet spot" is, so I'm left with a vague sense that they're not working.
3. The Portents from each Danger aren't evenly distributed. I feel like this will make Dangers feel disconnected or obsolete when they should still be in your face.
4. The fact that the town is bursting at the seams and there are bunches of dungeons in the valley make me feel like I should write another Front about the Imperials' foolish treasure-hunting that would be really cool to run concurrently to the Compact of Dul'zeem. But I also like spinning plates. Is this ever advisable?
5. What are some "best practices" for writing Fronts, Dangers, Portents, Dooms etc. so that I can do this with less agony in the future?
Edited to put in Stakes Questions.
Here's where the first session left us: the characters come to a bustling town just on the other side of the mountains from a vast empire. The valley below is littered with dungeons from Ancient Times(TM). There is a violent priesthood wiping out a pacifist sect. There's too many people in town, come to seek their fortunes by plundering the dungeons. There's an ancient evil that's going to enslave the world in one of those dungeons. And before the characters can dispose of it, they need a lantern and a key.
So, here's what I have.
Front: The Compact of Dul'zeem
Description: Long ago, the demon tyrant Dul'zeem made a covenant with Humans, and it is soon drawing to its end. When Dul'zeem returns, the world will be plunged into a hellish tyranny. The demon tyrant is unwittingly worshipped as Bellagis the Gore Lord by a militant sect. Meanwhile, Dul'zeem's two servitors, Hexpus and Hamilthar, prepare the way for their overlord's return.
Cast
Hexpus, the Fear Worm (disguised as Emin, a timid locksmith)
Hamilthar, the Shadow Vizier, torn to pieces and being reassembled by goblins
Morgus, Sainted Agonist of the Gore Lord
Bishop Xanthar, a gluttonous official of the Imperial Cult
Screable, goblin orkaster and thrall of Hamilthar
Krumx, Stab-Bringer of the goblins of the valley
Grim Portents
- Goblin Spikers get more aggressive
- Sun Monks are hunted down
- Panic spreads through town
- Screable is possessed
- Goblin slavers raid the town
- The Eye is Found (optional: Hamilthar is remade & The Valley becomes a Shadowland)
- Hexpus receives the Eye
- Father Calin is captured
- Hexpus crafts the Key of Fear
- Father Calin is delivered to the Gore Lord's Maw
- The Great Conjunction begins
Danger: The Priests of Bellagis (Religious Organization)
impulse: to establish & follow doctrine
Doom: The doctrine of bloodlust and war is unchecked and security lost (Impoverishment)
Stakes:
- Can any of the priests be reasoned with?
- Is Morgus all he appears to be? More? Less?
Grim Portents
- Sun Monks are hunted down
- Father Calin is captured
- Father Calin is delivered to the Gore Lord's Maw (i.e., Dul'zeem's prison)
Danger: Hamilthar's Cage (Abandoned Tower)
impulse: to draw in the weak-willed
Doom: Mists fill the valley, making it trebly dangerous. (Usurpation)
Stakes:
- Will Krumx turn against Screable?
- What happens to Hamilthar if he is not remade?
Grim Portents
- Goblin Spikers get more aggressive
- Screable is possessed
- Goblin slavers raid the town
- The Eye is found
- Hamilthar is remade
- The Valley becomes a Shadowland (create a new Front: The Valley of Hamilthar)
Danger: The Key of Fear (Demon Prince)
impulse: to open the gates of Hell (i.e., to free Dul'zeem)
Doom: Dul'zeem rises, the Compact ends, and the Empire is plunged into a thousand years of demonic rule. (Tyranny)
Stakes:
- What kinds of fear does Hexpus revel in?
- Will Hexpus be defeated or merely thwarted?
Grim Portents
- Panic spreads through town
- Hexpus receives the Eye
- Hexpus crafts the Key of Fear
- The Great Conjunction begins
* * * * *
Problems I think I'm having:
1. The overall order of Grim Portents doesn't flow from one to the next. Like, it's not necessary for there to be panic for Screable to get possessed.
2. I think some of those Portents should be rewritten, but I don't know to what. They feel off, but I don't know what that aforementioned "sweet spot" is, so I'm left with a vague sense that they're not working.
3. The Portents from each Danger aren't evenly distributed. I feel like this will make Dangers feel disconnected or obsolete when they should still be in your face.
4. The fact that the town is bursting at the seams and there are bunches of dungeons in the valley make me feel like I should write another Front about the Imperials' foolish treasure-hunting that would be really cool to run concurrently to the Compact of Dul'zeem. But I also like spinning plates. Is this ever advisable?
5. What are some "best practices" for writing Fronts, Dangers, Portents, Dooms etc. so that I can do this with less agony in the future?
Edited to put in Stakes Questions.
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Dungeon World / Re: Experience on a miss
« on: September 14, 2012, 04:32:56 PM »
This may be obtuse, but so, when you say "it's a thing," does that mean when you roll a 6-, you mark xp?
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