Question on Bonds, Also Question on 6 and below

We're 2 games into a DW campaign and having an absolute blast.

Quick question on Bonds - can these be added at any time or only at the End of the Session? I had interpreted that one per session could be resolved but new ones could be added pretty much whenever, but now I'm not so sure.

Also - any time 6 or below happens, GM gets to make moves/say what happens, correct? Even if it doesn't explicitly say that in the move description?

Yes, any time the table is looking at the GM to find out what happens next its the GM's job to step in with a move or set up a move. A miss is a golden opportunity for making as hard a move as they like (in keeping with the agenda and principles, of course).

Thanks - that's the way I've been running it so good to hear.

Any clarification on Bonds? Can they only be with other PCs? Can you have more than one with a PC?

The intention is that you only add a new bond when you resolve an old one (or when a move tells you to).

The one exception is if you didn't fill in a bond at character creation. In that case you can fill it in, or add a new one to replace it, at any time.

There's a reasoning behind that: bonds are a measure of how effective you are at helping others through the aid move. You'll notice that the wizard has fewer bonds than anyone else, and the bard more. This is intentional: it's an extra little reflection of what that class does.

by the book, you can have bonds only with other PCs, but a lot of people here changed this, having bonds not only with npcs, but also with organizations, objects, ideals, gods, and so on. So, well, if it's an issue for you, talk with your group and see what they want.

you absolutely can have more than one bond with a single pc. Every bond adds a +1 to your aiding roll for that pc.

The intention is that you only add a new bond when you resolve an old one (or when a move tells you to).

The one exception is if you didn't fill in a bond at character creation. In that case you can fill it in, or add a new one to replace it, at any time.

There's a reasoning behind that: bonds are a measure of how effective you are at helping others through the aid move. You'll notice that the wizard has fewer bonds than anyone else, and the bard more. This is intentional: it's an extra little reflection of what that class does.

Gotcha - so the number of bonds you have is a static thing.... that is definitely something I did not pick up on and makes a big difference for sure! Thanks for the clarification!

EDIT: The idea that the number of bonds is a class feature is, incidentally, awesome.

Also - even though the NUMBER of Bonds is static, can you create a whole new Bond not on the list when you resolve one of the premade ones?

The total number of bonds is static, when you resolving one you write a new one, not just from the starting list. There's a suggested process for how to write a good bond on page 31.

Terrific, thank you!

The total number of bonds is static, when you resolving one you write a new one, not just from the starting list. There's a suggested process for how to write a good bond on page 31.

This is why the number of Bonds is a class feature.  More social classes (the Bard) have more than less social classes.

Oh drat. Looks like I've completely misread some parts of the Bonds mechanic. I've let the players have one bond for each other party member, and update as many as they felt needed updating after every session.

It's not the end of the world - it means that players might get an extra 3 xp per session, but as I'm doing a short campaign, that's less of an issue. However, now I'm wondering if I should switch it back to the RAW.

If you're worried about the extra XP, you could just let them resolve as many bonds as they think are appropriate, and give them 1 XP (max) if they resolve *any*.  So if a player resolves 1 bond, 1 XP. If they resolve all 4 of their bonds, they still get 1 XP.