소개

Dungeon World 2 (DW2) is a tabletop roleplaying game (or TTRPG) about a group of messy people embarking on dangerous fantasy adventures and growing into a heroic found family.

Characters embark on wondrous journeys, battle dangerous foes, take daring risks, enjoy quiet moments, and relax together as a team. They also demonstrate their talents, explore their motivations, confide in each other, and grapple with struggles past and present. Some non-TTRPG media that share this focus includes: Baldur's Gate 3, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Mighty Nein.

Like many TTRPGs, DW2 is played as a conversation about a shared imaginary world filled with interesting characters and events. When an uncertain or risky situation occurs, the game uses rules and mechanics to determine what happens next. Because of this, DW2 only requires a space to have the conversation (in-person or virtually), plus some dice (or a virtual dice roller), which add a random element that interacts with the rules and mechanics. It's also helpful, though not necessary, to have blank paper, writing utensils, and printouts of the rules.

The result of playing a TTRPG most closely resembles a more or less coherent story. This means that, even when the results in the fiction may not be what the participants wanted or anticipated, there are no winners or losers.

In DW2, one person takes on the role of Game Master (GM) and everyone else takes on the role of a single adventurer or Player Character (PC). The actions, motivations, and struggles of the PCs are the central focus of what happens in the game. The GM, on the other hand, portrays the world and the rest of the characters in it, and describes the consequences of the PCs’ attempts to change the fictional milieu.

In this way, the conversation structure usually looks like this:

• The GM describes a situation in the fiction, such as, “You (the PCs) are in front of a locked door.”
• The GM finishes by asking one or more of the Players, “What do you do?” (or something similar)
• One or more of the Players, considering what their PC would do in such situation (AKA “roleplaying”), either says something (in 1st or 3rd person; i.e. “I think…” or “My character thinks”) and/or proposes a course of action (“I try to pick the lock…” or “My character/Slick tries to pick the lock”).
• The GM decides whether a mechanic is needed. This most often happens when the result of a proposed action is uncertain (can Slick’s lockpicking ability overcome the door’s lock?).
• When a mechanic is needed, in the case of DW2 and games like it (Powered by the Apocalypse or PbtA, in case you’re interested) that is likely a Move.
• In this case, the GM thinks the Player’s proposed action does fit the requirements, and immediately remembers that Slick, being a Rogue, has access to the Move Tricks of the Trade that includes Roguish Skills, one of which is “pick locks”.
• Considering that, the GM says to Slick’s Player, “That sounds to me like you’re picking locks, so that’ll trigger your Tricks of the Trade*, right?”*
• The Player agrees, so the GM says, “In that case, you need to roll+DEX”.
• The Player rolls and, depending on the result, the GM incorporates the result into the conversation. For the sake of this example, let us say that Slick’s Player rolls well enough to pick the lock open.
• Now that the door is unlocked, the Players decide to open it and go forward, so now the GM needs to describe the new situation… Bringing us back to the beginning.

This may sound like a lot but, in essence, it can be summarized into five simple steps:

1. The GM describes a situation and asks the Player(s) what they do in response
2. The Player(s) propose a course of action
3. If the action has no uncertainty and/or risk, the GM updates the fiction and starts from 1. again. If the action is uncertain/risky, the GM proposes a Move to resolve it
4. If the Player doesn’t agree with the Move proposed by the GM, they can propose an alternative or otherwise negotiate with the GM. If they do agree, the Player makes a decision and/or rolls the dice and follows the instruction on the Move
5. The GM incorporates the Move’s results to the conversation, updates the fiction, and goes back to 1.

Everyone playing this game, GM or Player, is equally deserving of dignity and a voice in the game. No one is solely responsible for the game’s “success”. Instead, the game is successful (i.e. fun) when the PCs actions and their consequences, the GM’s descriptions, and the dice rolls, all collide and combine together into a magnificent chain reaction. You are all in this together, simultaneously the co-creators and the audience of what’s happening at the table.

In other words, every one is equally responsible for:

• Each other’s enjoyment of the game
• Speaking up when there is an issue
• Respecting each other
• Trying to make the game experience as safe as possible for everyone involved
• Organizing and scheduling the game sessions
• Asking each other interesting questions both in- and out-of-character

At the start of the first session of play, each Player creates their Player Character (PC) following the Character Creation procedure. During this process, players are encouraged to ask each other questions, discuss and flesh out ideas, and add interesting details to the game.

Each Player is responsible for:

• Collaborating with each other in- and out-of-the fiction
• Engaging with the fictional world
• Remembering the Moves they have access to
• Roleplaying their character

Before play, the GM needs to familiarize themselves with the game, and come up with any ideas they’d like to include in the session. While Players create their characters, the GM leads an open discussion about the characters and the world, asking questions about the PCs, the unique Moves they have access to, their Relationships, and more. The GM is encouraged to note down the answers and use them as the basis for Threats and other adventure elements.

The GM is responsible for:

• Describing the world to the Players
• Having a reasonable understanding of the game’s rules, and making fair rulings when necessary
• Making GM Moves that follow the game’s Agenda and Principles
• Managing the game’s pacing and PCs’ spotlight
• Unleashing consequences

It’s fundamental to recognize that every person has their own preferences about what might be enjoyable in a game—and what might be upsetting. That’s why it’s important to talk about the game beforehand to ensure everyone is on the same page, especially regarding uncomfortable themes, topics, and similar. Furthermore, even if you talk extensively about a game beforehand, there’s always the possibility of something unexpected happening in the middle of a session that disrupts or ruins somebody’s fun.

With that in mind, the Session Zero section includes a number of Safety Tools to use to help all Participants can safely enjoy the game as much as possible.

• The tools here only work if everyone approaches them from a kind and empathetic perspective. They will not fix intentionally bad or uncaring behaviour.
• No one can read your mind, nor can you read others. Honestly and respectfully advocate for your own enjoyment, and make sure everyone has the chance to say their piece.
• This shouldn’t be a majority vote, and a single “no” should override several “yes”s. Work together to make space for everyone and aim to respect and consider everyone’s sensibilities.

However, even with safety tools in place sometimes there can be incompatibilities that can’t be overcome. That’s okay: it’s better to have no game experience than a bad game experience. There is no shame in leaving the game, in asking someone else to do so, or in playing something else—and/or with other people—altogether.

Lines and veils (pioneered by Ron Edwards) are used to set boundaries on the allowed content in a game. Lines are hard limits, things that both the Players and the GM don’t want to engage with. Setting up a line means that content won’t show up in the game at all. Veils are soft limits, things that are okay “behind a curtain” or that, when they appear, the fiction “cuts to black”. Setting up a veil means that the content might be included in the game, but not spotlighted or described in great detail. Lines and Veils can be adjusted as needed throughout play.

The Open Door, designed by Eirik Fatland, is the assurance that someone can leave or take a break from the game for their own safety and well-being without being judged. State this at the beginning and periodically throughout the game session(s).

Bleed occurs when emotions and stress from the game and characters cause real distress in the GM or Players. This can affect the enjoyment of the game, as well as out-of-game relationships if not addressed correctly. Being open and honest about where the game begins and ends, and being conscious of which feelings are caused by real life situations and which are caused by roleplaying, can greatly help to mitigate these effects.

These cards are check-in tools. They can be used by tapping physical cards, typing the letter into chat, or using hand signals. Before the game begins, remind everyone that they are available and how to use them.

The X-Card, created by John Stavropoulos, can be used at any point if a participant is uncomfortable with the content happening at the moment in-game. When a Player calls for the X-Card, the GM stops the game and makes sure they know what triggered it. They then add a Line (if Lines and Veils are in place) or make a note of the content to avoid. When the X-Card is used, the group can change, rewind, or skip the content.

The N-Card (by Mysty Vander and Adam Cleaver) can be used at any point if a participant feels like they are headed towards something that would call for an X-Card. When the N-card is used, the group can change the content or have the Scene “fade to black”.

The O-Card, designed by Kira Magrann, can be used at any point if someone wants to continue with the current content and wants to check in with the rest of the table to see if they’re OK with doing so. They can also regularly be prompted by asking “O?” out loud or in chat to check-in if everyone is still okay.

This is a set of cinema-themed terms, developed by Beau Jágr Sheldon, that can be used to adjust play and content as discussed.

Rewind can be used when something happens in play that makes a participant uncomfortable. When Rewind is used, be clear about what content is being adjusted, rewind to a point before it happened, and start playing again.

Fast Forward can be used when someone wants to skip past uncomfortable content or to the next part of the fiction. When it is used, skip forward to a new spot in the fiction that everyone in the game agrees on.

Pause can be used when things are too intense, but you still want to continue playing the Scene. When used, you can take a break and/or discuss the content as needed. After that, you can resume play, or use Rewind or Fast Forward.