These are wicked Moves. Wealth could be just the thing to simplify player management of PC keeps, armies, etc.

Well the adventure continues, with a transfer to the Beta 2.2 rules.

I spent a good hour throwing questions at the players about their characters, the world and their place in it. Worked really well. I had a nice big hex page on the table and just slammed things down. For instance: Marlow, the thief, is an assistant to archaeology professor at the University in Pelgrim, a good two days riding from the Hall beneath the Hill. Marlow's official job is to study sites and artifacts as directed. Everyone agreed this was good fun.

I used mostly questions that noofy posted recently, but I put them in a session journal that I mocked up to record players answer's, monster stats and other notes. It's worked pretty well so far. If you're interested: find the third iteration here http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6681148/Dungeon%20World%20-%20session%20journal%20-%20version%203.pdf I think the questions worked well.

Back in the idol room, the adventurer's examined the idol and were going to head up to the goblin nest to make good on the promise of gold they'd been made for killing the Lizardmen (they thought they'd cleared them all out), when big, dim Cassius walks in with a gigantic urn of clay. Rather long discussion occurs, with Cassius giving unknowingly giving away all sorts of info about Grundloch and the Idol. Things get heated, to the point where the goblins are laying bets on a match between Cassius and Hob, the fighter. Things are calmed down by wisdom of Hawthorn, the cleric, and Cassius slips off, seemingly convinced to only tell Grundloch about the the light in the pool, which blazed up during their conversation, but not about the adventurer's presence.

The adventurer's eventually decide to tail Cassius, by which time they've lost sight of him but guess he's gone past the illusionary menagerie. They get caught up stealing monster-illusion clay statues, arguing with the talking heads in the next room, and bickering about trinkets in the passage way to Grundloch's laboratory. I think Hawthorn raised a level solely on failed rolls, one of which found him mesmerised by the patterns of clay debris formed by the magical currents in the lab, rather than engaging with the rather suspicious figure hunched over one of the table.

They thoroughly searched this room, unlike most areas so far, and turning up the Infinite Folio amongst the rotting books and St Holmes Key, a magical spade from within Grundloch lab trunk.

Then a war trumpet sounded, a blast of air cracking magic burst and a line of almost 50 strong, but stiffly mesmerised, Lizardmen marched from the ice cavern through the lab and off. The adventurer's didn't follow but instead proceeded into the ice cavern, looting some treasure left by the open door and, in the encampent on a broad high ledge, found bundles of spears and arrows with the same mysterious sigil they'd found on other weapons earlier. When Hawthorn clambered down, he found his feet becoming rapidly encased in ice, whereupon the Ice Heave appeared and the Marlow and Hob burbling about what to do.

And we ended the session there. 

One question, when Hawthorn saw the  column of marching Lizardmen pass him, he Discerned Realities and spend his one hold on "Who's really in control here?" Now, I have him clear description of their rigid gait, glossy eyes, and strict marching formation, and even threw in that it looks like magical influence. But I wondered if this is playing enough with an open hand. Maybe I should have said something stronger like "You suspect Grundloch has activated the Idol and is using it's power to enchant  the Lizardmen tribe." That's sounds more of a reward for a hit than what I actually gave. What do you think?

Another thing was dealing with what a "trap" was. The thief rolled 10+ trap expert on the zoo of monsters illusion. I gave him his answers as I figured finding traps involves percieving irregularities in the environment, essentially what's needed to discover this zoo is an illusion. I didn't however allow that he could disable the illusion with a tricks of the trade because he just doesn't have the magical knowledge. But I'm no 100% sure on that call.

Regarding my earlier question on a thief disabling magical traps, I found the Alexandrian's article Disarming Magical Traps http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/12909/roleplaying-games/thought-of-the-day-disarming-magical-traps. Exactly the stuff I was looking for. I ended up using this approached when they returned to the illusion room; they gleaned info from Cassius about Grundloch's approach of using clay models, so I said Marlow quickly found a small clay statuette behind each illusionary monster. They managed to  safely collect the Griffon statuette and stuff it in a sack. They're probably hoping to pull it out to surprise someone or to hock it to some banker as a scary deterrent in the garden of their family estate.

This questions are so sweet! Just really the inspiration I've been looking for to kick off collaborative world building. Question asking is one of my many weak points as a GM. Thanks again. 

Last night I ran my first game of Dungeon World Basic. I'd run a few sessions of Apocalypse World maybe a year or more ago. So I had the basic gist of how the GMing and the players moves worked.

There were three players, all better versed in Apocalypse World but also new to Dungeon World. We had
- Hawthorn, evil cleric of the secret god;
- Hob, a neutral fighter with a big hammer; and
- Marlow, a neutral thief

Character creation went smoothly enough, though there was some confusion about whether load calculation (e.g. 7+str) used the Strength base score (e.g. Str 17) or the modifier (e.g. Str +2). We went with the modifier (e.g. 7+2) but the rules looked  ambiguous to us.

I used the Bloodstone Idol adventure from the red book, starting in the forest looking at the Hall entrance. The action started quickly, with the help of a few failed rolls, and quickly devolved into a brutal fighting, backstabbing and volleys maelstrom in the forest. The fighter died for a time and was writing up a Paladin, only to realise he hadn't subtracted his armour from the damage in took going toe-to-toe against a berzerk lizardman. The goblins took the opportunity to kill the few straggling lizardmen that we missed.

The group cut a deal with the goblins to kill the lizardmen and were lead into the hall. The group followed the goblin to the rope "bridge" across the idol room. They decided not to risk it, but the presence of the idol unleashed a cure light wounds from the cleric's mind.

Some trap checking, laying dead to rest, falling down stairs, exploding fireflies, running from fireflies, resting, getting mesmerised by the menagrie illusion, the group ended in at the base of the idol against more lizardmen. We ended our first session there.

This fight was pretty satisfying, with all kinds of mishaps and antics arising quite naturally from the player and gm moves. I'm not a fan of the static damage for monsters, as the players consistently had pretty poor damage meaning monsters even with similar weapons were constantly outclassing them in terms of damage.

Everyone levelled up, though it was the thief first--with his trap checking--followed closely by the cleric--with all the defying danger and discerning reality--and then the fighter a little later, maybe because fights tended to be over quite quickly and he never rushed to parley.

One issue was the fighter accidently picked a racial and signature weapon move that were identical. We corrected it but it would be good if there just was no such overlap to have to avoid.

Another thing was dealing with what a "trap" was. The thief rolled 10+ trap expert on the zoo of monsters illusion. I gave him his answers as I figured finding traps involves percieving irregularities in the environment, essentially what's needed to discover this zoo is an illusion. I didn't however allow that he could disable the illusion with a tricks of the trade because he just doesn't have the magical knowledge. But I'm no 100% sure on that call.

Lastly, an issue came up about GM moves. The thief managed a back stab move on a Lizardman who was baiting and taunting the fighter. The Lizardman was severly hurt, but not out, so the fighter took a swing at him. And failed his roll. This is when the issue arose: I said that the Lizardman ducked under the blow and stabbed the thief for 4 damage or something. And the thief player thought this was unfair because he hadn't failed any rolls. I said that the Lizardman was enraged by your dishonourable attack and the fighter had failed his roll and so given me a golden opportunity. The thief's player thought that if the thief got hit he might as well have not rolled 14 on his backstab. I ended up just forecasting the lizardman's imminent spear thrust, which I think ended with the thief losing his rapier and the fighter ending trapped under the dead weight of thoroughly pummelled lizardman.

So my last question is: are golden opporunities, like in failed rolls, meant to only apply to the player's character who failed the roll? Is doing otherwise unjustly punishing players? I'm not convinced it is unjust, if the fiction is followed, but I'm interested in other's opinions.

Just read the latest draft version on Sage's site

I seem only able to find the 10.08.25 version on http://www.latorra.org/dungeon-world/ and this doc doesn't include the updates you discuss. Is there somewhere else you found the new version?

1. So with the Hocus' "followers are involved in successful commerce. +1fortune." The +1fortune just means that the Follower's have fortune+2 all-the-time. It's not a surplus right so it doesn't come and go depending on the Fortunes roll.

2. What if the Hocus' followers

• are dedicated to you... replace want: desertion with want: hunger.
• aren't really yours, more like you're theirs. Want: judgement instead of desertion.

Is want: desertion replaced twice? That is would the followers have both want: hunger judgement? Or can want: desertion can only be replaced once and the followers only have one of these wants?

This comment about Matt Wilson's character prompted me to ask this.

So, first session ended and none of the PC's had met or even came close to influencing each other. Everyone decided not to go through with picking a character who knows theirs better or worse. Afterward, I gathered from the text that each player has to pick, no excuses.

Any thoughts on how to sell this to the players? Apart from saying "it's the rules". I guess I'm looking for a way to fictionally justify demanding improving or degrading Hx.

How about saying they heard stories of the other character's actions, perhaps during the break between sessions? Or they remembered or forgot stuff about them? Or they put two and two together, you know they came across something that made them suddenly go "*snap* that's what's driving that mofo"?

Actually, they're not half bad. I might give them a shot. :P