If the result is 6 or less, the GM can step in and narrate the result (or if it is during a battle, the GM can have the enemies of the characters take a move of their own).Īs you can see from the mechanic, the GM is on the hook to make a decision and guide the play no matter the result of the check. If the result is between 7 and 9, the move succeeds but there is a drawback or complication, decided either by the GM or the player, depending on the situation. If the player’s modified roll is higher than 10, the move succeeds (and often the GM can give the player a means to succeed further for a potential risk). When the player takes a move and the outcome is not ensured, that player rolls 2d6 and adds a modifier to the roll, generally based on a character’s ability score. These actions are generally taken by performing a “move,” a discrete action that is either general for all characters or specific to that character’s class. One of the interesting aspects of Dungeon World is the task resolution mechanic for actions the characters take. Those conversations might be between players, or between the player and the GM. The means to achieve those goals through game play in Dungeon World are meant to be more conversational than in most D&D games. The initial pages of the Dungeon World book talk about the reasons behind the game: what are its goals and what feel is it trying to achieve? The goals are stated in a way that differ little from a generic D&D game: be heroes, face danger, gather treasure, etc. When I was asked to edit a Dungeon World adventure called Dangerous Space Jail by new game design shop Encoded Designs, I took the opportunity to make myself intimately familiar with the rules, terminology, and philosophy of the game. I did not delve too deeply into the mechanics behind the game or the role that the GM takes during game play. My introduction to the game involved a couple of online games, where I got a taste for the game and its flow. From the six standard ability scores that range from 3-18, to the races and classes of the grand old game, Dungeon World makes no pretense at being anything but a hack of D&D. It is no secret that Dungeon World was created as an homage to the earliest versions of D&D. Dungeon World itself was designed by Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebel. The game I want to focus on in this article is Dungeon World, a fantasy-flavor of Apocalypse World RPG engine created by Vincent Baker. Dungeon World: Brought to You by the Apocalypse I am simply working from the play assumptions that D&D in general makes, based on the rules as they are presented. When I make comparisons between D&D’s and other games’ play and flow, I am not losing sight of those different modes of D&D. It is important to note that I understand there are different ways to play and enjoy D&D. I don’t do this to be unfair-it’s just one starting point to look at a game’s peculiarities, strengths, and charms. While I will not argue with the reasons that people can’t or won’t try other games, I think it is instructive to at least point to other games, giving them a bit of time and consideration.įor my evaluation and discussion of these games, I want to be clear that my focus will be through a D&D-centric lens. The reasons for resistance range from the reasonable (“My time is limited, so I am going to play my favorite”), to the unreasonable (“People who play that game are weird”), to the ridiculous (“Funny dice are stupid”), to the sublime (“This is just like D&D but the rules/setting/feel/focus is slightly different”). Yet some of the players in my gaming groups, then and now, have resisted those new experiences. From Stars Frontiers, Top Secret, and Call of Cthulhu in the early days, to any number of new and exciting RPGs in recent years, many great experiences await players in other games. Over the years, however, I have pushed my gaming groups to branch out and try other RPGs. From my very first Basic box set (the blue box, discarded as trash by some AD&D-playing friends) to the newest release of 5e, D&D will always be my main game.
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