So!
I played Monday, we had only about 3 hours to play.
We had:

• Two players new to RPGs (one had played a handful of Pathfinder at some point)
• One player who was familiar with RPGs in general and had played a bit of another *-world hack
• Two players who were very familiar with *-world games, one of which was in and out of the session

We created a stronghold and a people.
The stronghold guarded a rich merchant city nestled on three sides by mountains (or maybe large hills).
The people are known for their archers, if I recall, and strategy and tactics, and trade routes. They had hulking bodies and golden-creamy skin and spoke Hebrew.

We had a peasant beauty who kept the old ways in secret and received gifts for such, living with two younger siblings on hunting grounds outside the city; a simple blacksmith whose sister had just married a rich silver merchant; an outranger and minor guard captain in the Iron Eagles; a half-drunk hunter and troll-killer; and a dastardly court wizard.

Enemies include raiders by land (a heretic cult expelled from the city some generations ago) and a tyrant crown-stealer. The peasant beauty is technically heir, but most folks don't know or care. The guard captain is ambitious and there's a secret plot against the crown.

So, during play, we had two parallel plots...

---

Monsters
The troll-killer occasionally hunts on the lands of the beauty; today he brings forth something unnatural, a boar with stony skin and the face of a man. The beauty cuts the head off and mounts it, a curiosity; some days later, on the day of the change from spring to summer, it begins to speak a warning to her, but she lashes out in shock and stabs it. It begins to burn in it's death, cursing her, her family, and the hunter that brought it here. The hunter, however, has a magical breastplate which repels curses.

So! We have now a troll-boar cursed to an eternal life of torment and sorrow! As you can imagine, he's unhappy about this and lashes out at the beauty and her family, killing the beauty's devotee in the process. The beauty calls for help from the wizard via a spirit known to them both and tries to keep herself same from the beast.

The wizard and beauty meet on the road; she goes to the city to hide safely, he goes to confront the boar. The wizard and the boar engage in a battle of words and wizardry, with the old wizard winning out (on a side note, he's possibly immortal but prone to damnation; his people were exterminated by the empire yet he remains).

The beauty seeks relief in the house of a silver merchant known to her, and he becomes quite infatuated with her; he confides a plot to dethrone the king and replace him with a puppet, but confesses that he intends to betray this puppet and crown her instead. Which brings us around to the other plot...

---

Men

So, in the city, the blacksmith is awakened late at night by his new brother-in-law, the silver merchant. He is asked in secret to help collaborate in overthrowing the king (specifically, to help craft weapons in secret) and told of a secret meeting the next day. He is also told that the rebels plan to use the troll-killer as their figurehead and crown him when the battle is done.

So, the blacksmith goes to visit the troll-killer in the bar where he stays. The troll-killer expresses a strong disinterest in joining this plot, and the blacksmith decides to... drug him!? We establish then that the court wizard sometimes dabbles in poisons, drugs, and hallucinogens... So, half-slumbering, the troll-killer freaks out and starts a brawl with the blacksmith which escalates in violence until both are severely injured; the outranger now arrives with some guards, as word has spread quickly. He takes them both to jail and seeks out someone to heal these men... alas, the city's sage is off in the woods, so, he goes to visit the peasant beauty in hope that she will know some trick of the old ways to heal them.

She's not sure, so she reaches out to the otherworld, and is visited by two mighty and treacherous spirits. She implores them to provide their aid to the two dying men, and... well, they do!

---

So, that's the events as they happened, I'll try to add thoughts / concerns later if I have time.
- Alex

So, I'm reading in preparation for my game friday. I'll update it then, of course, with anything that occurs to us.

First though!

• When someone helps you, why do you say what they need to do and not they say what they do?
• There's no catch all risky thing move, not as much as Act Under Fire was. There's Hold Steady, but it doesn't feel as general. Intentional?
• "It will be a terror to our children and theirs."... "theirs" is who? Itself?
• The link to "Improvising NPCs: ‘X but Y’" fails (goes to a different page on the same site)
• The word "might" in (mostly) the Troll-Killer is a bit troubling. For example, "Might protect you from creatures whose claws or teeth pierce iron."... who decides that? The player? The MC? Or is "Might" meant to be a conditional thing, like "Might protect you from creatures whose claws or teeth pierce iron, if you've bathed it in a moonlit lake in the last fortnight"?
• War-heralds need to muster after winter. I assume if you don't let your warband disperse for winter, it's almost always giving them an order they'd rather not obey?
• Wise in council and supplicant stack?
• Is the Wolfspell ceremony intentionally blank?

I think that's it!
Thanks,

- Alex

So, inspired in part by trollbabe, I devised a new alternate core mechanic (not sure what to use it for).
So, the character has a single stat rating, which varies from 1-12 (maybe shrink the range down for balance purposes? Like 4-9).
There are two roll types which correspond to your moves. They might be, for example, Might and Finesse.

Rolls work like this: It's always a 2d6 roll. When you roll*might, if you roll equal to or over your stat, it's a near hit. If it's 3 or more greater than your stat, it's a hit. Otherwise, a miss. When you roll*finesse, if you roll equal to or lower than your stat, it's a near hit. If it's 3 or more less than your stat, it's a hit. Otherwise, a miss.

Hits correspond to 10+. Near hits correspond to 7-9.

A "balanced" choice, 6 or 7, gives the same # of hitting, near hitting, and missing numbers as a +0 and +1 in AW.
So, the target numbers might need to shift a little.

Further, I haven't accounted for the curve of 2d6, but I don't think it'll cause much effect (except tending towards the middle).

Any questions/comments/ideas about this potential method?
You can keep the core move mechanics but it shifts your stats to an either/or balance.
- Alex

Hi everyone!

Just posting up three new play books for review. If anyone wants to use or comment on them, I'd love it!
This one is a cool-based, hyper-stylish warrior with undertones of a code of honor.

- Alex

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11G00kBdZxHqeXV4B9BLCerKcy7g3o0AZKKhJ5HFrgXk/edit?usp=sharing

Hey everyone!
I got a fit of creativity and wrote up three drafts of skins (in varying states of done-ness).
They're done enough to communicate the basic idea, though, but need some polish (and maybe feedback from ya'll).

The first is The Cursed (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AfJQChvbrDwx5r6GfxyDwwRgHETcxfCeHplNZsQc1ZE/edit). They're harshly unlucky, but grow and gain power from giving others power over them.

The second is The Nightmare (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QJyHI3D-iqJQCPjm0EkUajNiE3yuM9P5lVcxTZyKfe8/edit). They're a creature of dreams, and they give both pleasure and terror.

The last is The Doc (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_OtRRLwmomyTbDBH2oegPq0Ydq8RrrbyxYKu7YzPmvs/edit). They are the stereotypical "mad scientist" type, i suppose.

Hope you all enjoy, and I'd really love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks,
- Alex

Raid on the Blasphemed Temple
   Our heros!
   - E, playing Quorra, the human bard
   - N1, playing Balgruuf, the human ranger
   - A, playing Clark, the evil human cleric of Thor (god of knowledge, secrets, and smashing things with warhammers)
   - N2, playing Hermoine, the human wizard
   - B, playing Hyenyo, the elvin druid
   - J, playing Kormac, the human fighter
   
   A & N1 have never played an RPG of any sort, while N2 has only played a few sessions of Apocalypse World I ran a while back. E, B, and J all had characters from a previous few sessions of DW I ran and continued to use them. I had not done any prepwork or dungeon design as I might normally, so I was really just winging it.
   
   After character creation, I began by saying that they all knew each other (of course) and had been hired as a group by the local high priest of Thor. The high priest told them of a once-splendid temple out in the foothills that had been sacred to Thor; now, however, it has become corrupted and vile. The corruption is also spreading out into the nearby wilderness. They were promised strong compensation, however I'm sure many of them would have done it regardless (for the cleric, of course, he'd do it out of loyalty to Thor; and the ranger and druid would both want to heal the corruption to the forest).
   
   I began by having them make a perilous journey, since I wanted to give the ranger and druid a chance to show off their wilderness skills. They rolled well, but it put me in a spot... The scout roll is almost exactly like the old "search" or "spot" checks of some D&D editions. They simply see something - if there's anything to see. So I feel compelled to make something for them to see, otherwise the good roll is wasted and it's rather boring.
   
   So I described the shore of a small-ish lake alongside the path they were travelling. Off in the distance they could see three corpses on the shore, soggy and soaked. The rotted figures began to moan. Our heroes, of course, had a chance to choose their course of action and the corpses (zombies) had not yet noticed the party.
   
   The ranger asked if he could eat the corpses, but after explaining that they were soggy and fetid (not to mention moaning loudly!), he changed his mind. The bard has a song (a mournful dirge reminiscent of the sorrows of life) that can freeze undead in their tracks - or compel them to attack - and she played this song. Of course, she didn't do so well, so the zombies sprang to life and attacked!
   
   After a short battle, the party is victorious over the zombies. Strangely enough, they didn't even search the bodies or the shore! They just continued on to the temple.
   
   Upon reaching the temple, they found a fifty-foot high building, one hundred by one hundred. Directly in front of them, to the north, they see a large stone door. They also see what was once a sculpted holy symbol of Thor (a warhammer cracking open a book locked in chains). The symbol once sat above the door, but has fallen to the ground and begun to crumble. On the eastern wall, a large pile of rubble sits.
   
   The druid shapeshifts into a bat to use echolocation and determine that the rubble conceals an entrance to the temple. As well, there is a pyramid-shaped protrusion on top of the building, perhaps 10*10, and it is hollow. With the help of the powerfully strong fighter, they clear out the rubble and find an entrance to an old library. They also find a fancy-looking book wrapped in chains inside the rubble and took it. At the time, I had no clue what this book was or would do, but it soon became clear.
   
   The party initially moves out of the library to a nearby hallway, but returns. They are reluctant to spend too much time here after a rough encounter at a different library, but I assured them they'd find no panthers here. So they search the library. A few take books (one person got "The Care & Feeding of Owlbears"), and they find a painting of the high priest (not the current one, but one from long ago) holding the same book they found in the rubble. There is also a pedestal in front of the painting.
   
   The fighter decided to take the book and place it upon the pedestal. Doing so, he feels a hand-like energy grasping at his mind and soul. He could have resisted, of course, but he chose to allow it to continue. The hand pulled secrets from his mind, including what price it'd take him to serve the dark forces here. That comes up later! Then, the book unlocks on its own and the pages rapidly flip one-by-one until the book is closed.

   Only the fighter is close enough to really see, and somehow he comprehends everything inside. He is now touched by lore that man was not meant to know - maybe not such a good thing... Then, the painting behind the pedestal burns up and the wall behind it drops down, revealing a secret passage. The heroes begin to go into the passage (it is quite short!) and find themselves at a door. They open the door and find only darkness - their light sources do not penetrate into it. Once, this was part of a sacred rite of Thor - abandoning your human limitations and trusting that Thor will guide you to knowledge.
   
   Anyway, the druid (still a bat) uses his echolocation to get an idea of the room's layout. It is small (6*6, maybe) and holds a warhammer and a number of books. The druid tells this to the cleric, and the cleric rushes in (with the bat-druid on his shoulder). Unfortunately, it's trapped, and a stone wall slams down behind them.
   
   Inside, the cleric takes the books and warhammer and tries to determine how to escape. I'm not sure how he ended up finding out (I forget), but it requires him to spill his blood upon the wall and speak his greatest fear. Not having a knife or anything else to cut with, the bat-druid spends his last hold to bite the cleric, drawing blood. This turns the druid back into an elf (his face covered in blood) and the cleric says his fear - that the fighter will murder him sometime.
   
   This causes the wall of stone to collapse into dust, and the party leaves the secret passage. Next, they head out of the library and down a passage, to an iron door covered in an etching of a warhammer. This is the old temple's armory, but the party doesn't know this. The door is locked and there's no thief in the party, but the bard discerns realities and asks a question. She finds out that if she turns the door handle just so and sticks the point of her rapier in, she can jiggle the lock open. She also finds out that the door is trapped, and opening it will expose her to danger.
   
   She opens the door and a poison gas escapes. She tries to get out of the way, but fails, and inhales the cloud. She then falls to her knees hacking and coughing and vomiting up blood. I think she tried to do something else and failed again, because she found herself facing up to a vile snake-man. Also, in the fight, the bard is infected with snake-man venom. After a tough battle, the heroes manage to slay the snake-man. They enter the armory and explore it. They find a forge plus some basic armor and weapons.
   
   The snake-man was carrying two fancy-looking scimitars and people assume they're magical. This is backed up when the fighter grasps them and begins to feel feelings of dread and sorrow. He wants to know their magical powers, so he asks the wizard to do a ritual. I forget the exact details, but it ended up with her being possessed by a raven-demon and another PC slowly turning into an undead. They are Mindslicer, a sword which steals knowledge with each cut, and Doomspawn, a sword which raises up undead.
   
   At this point, the cleric creates a sanctuary in the armory and prays to his god for help. At this point, we have two people infected with venom, one turning into a zombie, and one possessed by a demon. Thor says he'll help, but only if the cleric promises to reclaim and cleanse the temple completely. If they fail or give up, Thor will condemn them all to hell forever and ever. Of course, the cleric agrees, which puts the souls of all his companions at risk!
   
   The fighter wants to use his blacksmith move to transfer the power of Doomspawn to his signature spear, so I decide it works like rituals. It'll take three weeks and a few other tasks, so the party decides to secure themselves inside the armory while he does this. The druid goes out into the foothills to investigate the dire animals being born because of the corruption and to study their essence, while the wizard and fighter work to transfer the magic of the sword to the spear.
   
   The ranger, bard, and cleric decide to investigate the temple further and follow a different passage. They find a simple wooden door. I ask them repeatedly if they are being quiet or loud, and the ranger and cleric both say "loud". The ranger then throws the door open, and I ask him if he's sure about just barging in. Of course, the snake-men on the other side heard them and were able to prepare. Thus, the ranger finds himself with a snake-man scimitar inside his arm.
   
   After a very, very close fight, they are victorious, but the ranger and his bear are both infected with venom. The bard had fallen through a pit into the basement, but climbed out. The bard also failed a number of rolls and death commands her to kill the druid. She refuses and tells him off, so he stops her heart and she takes her last breath. Of course, now she rolls well, telling off death, and recovers just fine. She does this again a few moments later when death comes back, angrier.
   
   The druid, ranger, and cleric return to the armory and wait out the remaining three weeks. The venom in the ranger and bear convert them to a snake-man and snake-bear (respectively), but I'm not sure what that means. Finally, as everyone sleeps, the fighter finds himself restless. He sees a figure beckoning at him, holding a map of his home village (which he was exiled from and which he wants more than anything to return to).
   
   The figure in it's heavy cloak leads him down the passage and begins speaking. It turns out this figure rules this temple now, and he wants the fighter's help in protecting it (from the rest of the party, by killing them); in return, the figure will modify the memories of the fighter's village so that they don't remember ever exiling him. He will also provide protection and prosperity to this village. The fighter is unsure, so the figure provides a means to contact him if the fighter decides to agree.
   
   And this is how we ended!

- Alex

A new class I've drafted. It's rather setting-specific and won't work in every campaign, but maybe some people will like it! :)

Feedback and questions always welcome!

- Alex

---

The Corrupter
   Long ago, when you were just a boy, your father's brothers delved deep deep beneath the mountain. They cracked a great rift deep beneath the earth, found treasures and riches innumerable. But something else lay buried there - they delved too deep! Now, the corruption spreads like a sickness, bringing the breath and touch of the ruinous ones. Now, you - and others like you - bear the mark of the gods outside reality, the great terrible mad ones who seek to warp this world to their own image. What will you do with this power, corrupter? How will you survive?

Name
Looks
   Tired eyes, mad eyes, evil eyes, hopeful eyes
   Wasted body, diseased body, gluttenous body, lanky body
   Booming voice, whispering voice, quivering voice, eager voice
   Tattered clothes, rich clothes, rune-inscribed clothes, plain clothes
   
Races
   Dwarf: When you go deep beneath the earth and listen to the howl of the ruinous ones, roll+wis. On a hit, ask a question (any!) and the GM will answer. On a 7-9, you're also harried by visions of doom and terror - the GM will detail. Maybe these visions are true, maybe not.
   
Alignment
   Evil: Corrupt or pervert something sacred.
   
Gear
Bonds
   ____ has caught a glimpse of the darkness beneath; I will show them the truth
   ____ follows the old gods; I will prove the might of the ruinous ones
   ____ hopes to redeem me. Perhaps it is too late
   ____ gives me hope for the world. I will protect them as best I can
   
Moves
   Corrupted: You're tainted by dark powers beyond mortal ken. You have a new score, corruption, which can vary from -3 to +3; it starts at +1. When you'd defy danger and fail, you may increase your corruption to reroll (if your corruption has reached it's maximum value, you automatically re-roll failed defy danger rolls the first time). See corruption for other ways to gain and lose corruption.
   
   Corrupting Touch: When you lay hands on someone and speak dark words, they take damage equal to your class+corruption (ignores armor). If you try to use this in battle, roll+dex. On a 10+, you manage to touch them. On a 7-9, choose one:
      - you've got to maneuver to touch them, putting you in danger
      - you unbalance yourself and take -1-forward
      
   Dark Armor: When you'd take damage, you can conjure dark forces to repel the attack. If you do, roll+corruption and lose 1 corruption. On a 10+, you repel the attack. On a 7-9, you repel the attack if you still have positive corruption. On a miss, you repel the attack, lose another corruption, and gain a debility as your soul's darkness manifests in your body.
   
   Lure of Death: When you take your last breath, roll-corruption.
   
   Spreading Darkness: When you spend time in a steading (at least a few days), roll+corruption. The GM will ask you to roll again for every few weeks you stay there. On a 7-9, the GM will choose one. On a 10+, he'll choose two. In either case, he'll detail what happened.
      - something living in the steading gets seriously sick
      - people leave the steading
      - the steading loses food or prosperity
      - the steading attracts unwelcome attention
      
   Temptations & Madness: When the dark forces you serve prompt you to do something you'd really rather not, roll+corruption. On a hit, choose one. On a 10+, both. Either way, it's defying danger to act contrary to the dark forces' intentions.
      - if you do it, increase or reduce corruption by 1 (your call)
      - if you do it, mark XP
   
Advancements
6+

Corruption
   You can gain corruption in the following ways
      - kill a defenseless person
      - blaspheme a god and harm their followers
      - engage in dark rituals
      - make sacrifices to the ruinous ones
      - spend time in a dark, corrupted place
   
   You can reduce corruption in the following ways
      - sacrifice something of yourself for a greater good
      - offer blessings and worship in a house of a god
      - spend time and effort in contemplation of the world, away from the corruption
      - heal or repair corruption of the world
      - solidify your sanity through study, meditation, and exercise

Just a thing I threw together, probably not very good! Feedback, please. :)

- Alex

---

They say you'll be no use in a dungeon. You're sure you're not afraid to get your hands dirty. Prove it, noble.

Look
Stats
   4+constitution HP
   d6 damage

Gear
   You begin play with 50 gold, any mundane gear you desire, and two or three hirelings that the GM will detail for you.

Bonds
   
Alignment
   

Races
   Dwarf: The kings and craft-princes of the dwarves were prized for their hardiness. You have +2 hit points.

   Elven: You've learned to be wary of hidden dangers and stalking assassins. When you'd suffer damage from a source you were unaware of, reduce that damage by 2.

   Human: You were born for the lure of civilization. Whenever you make a steading move, take +1.

Moves
   Connections: When you need access to something or someone, spread the word and roll+cha. On a 10+, someone has what you need for a reasonable price. On a 7-9, choose one.
      - it's exorbitantly expensive, even for you
      - it's dangerous to obtain
      - it'll cost you in non-monetary ways, like favors or tasks

   Esoteric Training: You grew up in a lavish and luxurious manner; no cost was spared in your pleasure or education. Pick two subjects from the following; when they apply to a roll you make, take +1.
      - dueling
      - horsemanship
      - ancient history
      - courtship and seduction
      - warfare and strategy
      - geography and politics
      - languages and cultures
      - sailing

   Hired Assistant: You've got a hired assistant of above-average skill and capability. Choose a class not occupied by another one of the players; your assistant has one move from that class (for the purposes of this move, preparing and casting spells counts as a single move) that they will use on your behalf and appropriate gear. Choose a name and look from that class. The assistant has hit points and damage as per that class, but uses your stats for rolls. Your hired assistant desires one of the following and will serve you as long as you provide it.
      - riches
      - justice
      - thrills
      - love
      - reknown

   Person of Lordly Caliber: When you aid or interfere with another PC, increase the bonus or penalty by 1. When you order hirelings, take +1.

Adv Moves
   Bargain: When you go to buy something, reduce the price in coins by your charisma (if this drops the price to 0 coins, they give it to you in good will or a token of admiration or something).

   Goad: When you insult and threaten an intelligent creature, roll+cha. On a hit, they're angry at you and all their focus is on you. On a 10+, take +1-ongoing against them as long as they're mad.

   Gold Magnet: Whenever you enter a steading and spend a little time there, roll+cha. On a 10+, gain 1d6*10 coin. On a 7-9, gain 1d6*5 coin. Either way, the GM'll probably ask how you got it. On a miss, you find you've been robbed!

   Gossip: When you go out in a steading and spread rumors about a person, place, or thing, roll+cha. On a hit, some people in the steading believe you, but not everyone. On a 7-9, choose one. On a 10+, choose two.
      - most everyone in the steading believes you
      - it travels to nearby steadings as fast as is reasonable
      - nobody can trace the rumors to you

   Hardened: You've been hardened by your nights on the road and days deep underground. Gain +2 hit points.

   Life of the Party: When you carouse, on a 12+ choose as many options as you'd like. Everyone had a blast and people will talk about this for years to come; you're a minor celebrity in this steading now.

   Lucky: When you make camp or visit a steading, hold 3 luck. Whenever you roll a miss, spend 1 luck and re-roll. On a hit, explain how you succeed by sheer fortune and good luck. When you spend your last luck, well, your luck has run out... take -1-forward until you gain more.

   Student: You've learned well from your companions. Whoever you have the most bonds with, choose and learn one of their class moves.

   Talented Assistant: Your assistant has all the starting moves of his class.

   Word of Command: When you give an NPC or collected group of NPCs an order, roll+cha. On a 10+, select two and the GM will pick one. On a 7-9, the GM picks one.
      - they angrily attack
      - they back of slowly
      - they grovel and beg
      - they do it
      - they offer you something else they think you want

   Worldly: You pick up new skills easily; choose a playbook not currently in use by another player and gain a move from it.

(6-10)
   Jack of All Trades (Requires: Worldly): You pick up new skills easily; choose a playbook not currently in use by another player and gain a move from it.

   Keen Learner (Requires: Student): You've learned well from your companions. Whoever you have the most bonds with, choose and learn one of their class moves.

   Master Assistant (Requires: Talented Assistant): Your assistant is considered to be one level lower than you and gains advancements as appropriate.

   Supremely Lucky (Requires: Lucky): You may also spend your luck to:
      - avoid all damage from a single attack
      - find or have on hand a single mundane item you need
      - run into someone helpful to you right now