I’m going to run my first DW game soon. I’ve never GM’d a TTRPG before, but I’ve played a few. Most players haven’t played TTRPGs, so I like DW for it’s simplicity to learn. I’m very comfortable improvising, but I have a bit of prep and would like some feedback on it.
My current idea is to start where all the characters are in a large jail cell. I’ll ask the following to set up the world.
- Where is this jail cell? What’s the city name, vibe, etc?
- Why have each of you been arrested?
- Who else is in the cell with you?
Then we’ll set up bonds and then the adventure will begin. Based on how things go, they’ll either have to do a prison break, or fight in a gladiator style arena. I’ll have some enemies prepared for those scenarios. For anything else, I will just wing it.
Does this feel like good prep for the session?
Where is this jail cell? What’s the city name, vibe, etc?
That’s a bad question, because it draws blanks, not leaves them. Better questions would be:
- «Fighter, how big is the city? Is it more like a village, or something closer to a big, prosperous metropolis?»
- «Rogue, which known criminal is doing his time in some other part of this jail?»
- «Barbarian, you’ve been there quite a lot for your drunken fights, did you? Name one guard who’s here now, you know each other a little too well!»
- «Wizard, for what breakthrough the local magical academy is known?»
- «Cleric, which religion do they preach here?», and, optionally, «Which part of it you would never agree with?»
Don’t just ask «what’s the city vibe», get them something to build from!