the big list of RPG PLOTS
(tvtropes before we had tropes)
S. John Ross
Example:
#32 Troublemakers: The bad guys are doing bad things, and the party must stop them.
Twists: The bad guys are wanted alive and unharmed.
They have made preparations in case they got captured. The "bad guy" is
a monster, a dangerous animal, or an intelligent creature everyone
thinks is a monster. The bad guy has Good Publicity. The trouble is diplomatic or political, so the party has tomake peace, not war.
Dungeon World
(or Apocalypse World, Blades in the Dark)
The meta-aware ruleset
note on the "why"
DW is not the "best" to play.
DW is "best" to understand as an analogy.
Apocalypse World is very raw, but is actually about sex
Blades in the Dark is very good game, but not universal
asymmetric ruleset
- Player moves
- Game Master moves
player moves
Hack and Slash
Volley
Defy Danger
Sprout Lore
Discern Realities
Parley
Aid or Interfere
gamemaster moves
Wait!
Gamemaster has an agenda:
- Portray a fantastic world
- Fill the characters' lives with adventure
- Play to find out what happens
gamemaster moves
Wait!
Gamemaster has principles:
Draw maps, leave blanks
Embrace the fantastic
Make move that follows
Never speak the name of your move
Give every monster life
Name every person
Ask questions, use answers
Be a fan of the characters
Think dangerous
....
gamemaster moves
Use a monster, danger or location move
Reveal an unwelcome truth
Show signs of an approaching threat
Deal damage
Use up their resources
Turn their move back on them
Separate them
Give an opportunity that fits a class' abilities
Show a downside of their class, race or equipment
Offer an opportunity with or without cost
Put someone in a spot
Tell them requirements or consequences and ask
omg! it hacks the gm brain
You discover that regular Dungeons and Dragons is just Dungeon World with extra steps
procedure
Play first session with a minimal prep
Just an action scene to start with
Spend hours in reflection
- Think who your characters and players became
- Draw the map
- Prepare the Fronts
Fronts?
Yes! The Fronts!
front-threat-intent
Front: Nazi party
Dangers:
Description, Cast, Moves
Grim portents:
- people wearing some symbols on the street
- persecution of minorities
- persecution of anyone opposing
- media control
- anschluss
Impending Doom: Tyranny
Stakes: will the Paladin join?
in practice
Bit dreamy
Partial failures leading to hard moves creates strange situations
XP delivered with failures promotes rolling
Choose your players well!
Bringing it all together
These are extra tools, they cannot replace any other work
start game-mastering now
Game mastering lets you experiment with plots
With immediate feedback of "what works"
How to guide players without them noticing?
Bad experience is good experience!
Up the iteration count
make a PbTA ruleset for your game
What are the player "moves"
What are the GM moves?
What are the fronts
maps are important
Map is memorization device
"This guy lives here" - remember the guy
Map is improvisation device
"What could happen next?" - remember the guy with intent
group improvisation is great
The exchange of experience will amaze you, never work alone!
Archipelago
Fiasco
Dungeon World