Mixing
How can we make things grimdark? Life is dangerous, survival is brutal, etc
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
My friends and I are wanting to run a Dungeon World game soon. We are all big on survival, grimdark themes, etc and DW is fairly open in how to portray the world and setting applications but everything I am reading and hearing so far states that it is heavily focused on high-ish fantasy with how classes are constructed and such.
I am looking for some ideas/mechanics, etc to apply a survival feel to the game and make the players feel like everything has a cost and death is right around the corner without planning. Any help would be appreciated.
How we are defining grimdark:
A grim and dark tone, a sense of realism (for example, monarchs are useless and heroes are flawed), and the agency of the protagonists. (Wikipedia)
dungeon-world
edited 1 hour ago
SevenSidedDie♦
200k26637918
asked 2 hours ago
Stefan Paxton
111
New contributor
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
My friends and I are wanting to run a Dungeon World game soon. We are all big on survival, grimdark themes, etc and DW is fairly open in how to portray the world and setting applications but everything I am reading and hearing so far states that it is heavily focused on high-ish fantasy with how classes are constructed and such.
I am looking for some ideas/mechanics, etc to apply a survival feel to the game and make the players feel like everything has a cost and death is right around the corner without planning. Any help would be appreciated.
How we are defining grimdark:
A grim and dark tone, a sense of realism (for example, monarchs are useless and heroes are flawed), and the agency of the protagonists. (Wikipedia)
dungeon-world
edited 1 hour ago
SevenSidedDie♦
200k26637918
asked 2 hours ago
Stefan Paxton
111
New contributor
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
What's the reason you're planning to run Dungeon World with a grimdark setting, if the system isn't all that well-tuned to it?
– Erik
1 hour ago
Hi! "Looking for ideas" is much too broad for the format. It's more suited for a forum and not how Stack Exchange works. If you could narrow this down to a specific problem you're having about running a grimdark campaign we can certainly help with that :)
– Jason_c_o
1 hour ago
Take a look at Grim World and The Last Days of Angelkite.
– okeefe
56 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
My friends and I are wanting to run a Dungeon World game soon. We are all big on survival, grimdark themes, etc and DW is fairly open in how to portray the world and setting applications but everything I am reading and hearing so far states that it is heavily focused on high-ish fantasy with how classes are constructed and such.
I am looking for some ideas/mechanics, etc to apply a survival feel to the game and make the players feel like everything has a cost and death is right around the corner without planning. Any help would be appreciated.
How we are defining grimdark:
A grim and dark tone, a sense of realism (for example, monarchs are useless and heroes are flawed), and the agency of the protagonists. (Wikipedia)
dungeon-world
edited 1 hour ago
SevenSidedDie♦
200k26637918
asked 2 hours ago
Stefan Paxton
111
New contributor
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
My friends and I are wanting to run a Dungeon World game soon. We are all big on survival, grimdark themes, etc and DW is fairly open in how to portray the world and setting applications but everything I am reading and hearing so far states that it is heavily focused on high-ish fantasy with how classes are constructed and such.
I am looking for some ideas/mechanics, etc to apply a survival feel to the game and make the players feel like everything has a cost and death is right around the corner without planning. Any help would be appreciated.
How we are defining grimdark:
A grim and dark tone, a sense of realism (for example, monarchs are useless and heroes are flawed), and the agency of the protagonists. (Wikipedia)
dungeon-world
dungeon-world
edited 1 hour ago
SevenSidedDie♦
200k26637918
asked 2 hours ago
Stefan Paxton
111
New contributor
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 1 hour ago
SevenSidedDie♦
200k26637918
asked 2 hours ago
Stefan Paxton
111
New contributor
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 1 hour ago
SevenSidedDie♦
200k26637918
edited 1 hour ago
SevenSidedDie♦
200k26637918
edited 1 hour ago
SevenSidedDie♦
200k26637918
200k26637918
asked 2 hours ago
Stefan Paxton
111
New contributor
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 2 hours ago
Stefan Paxton
111
asked 2 hours ago
Stefan Paxton
111
111
New contributor
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
What's the reason you're planning to run Dungeon World with a grimdark setting, if the system isn't all that well-tuned to it?
– Erik
1 hour ago
Hi! "Looking for ideas" is much too broad for the format. It's more suited for a forum and not how Stack Exchange works. If you could narrow this down to a specific problem you're having about running a grimdark campaign we can certainly help with that :)
– Jason_c_o
1 hour ago
Take a look at Grim World and The Last Days of Angelkite.
– okeefe
56 mins ago
add a comment |Â
What's the reason you're planning to run Dungeon World with a grimdark setting, if the system isn't all that well-tuned to it?
– Erik
1 hour ago
Hi! "Looking for ideas" is much too broad for the format. It's more suited for a forum and not how Stack Exchange works. If you could narrow this down to a specific problem you're having about running a grimdark campaign we can certainly help with that :)
– Jason_c_o
1 hour ago
Take a look at Grim World and The Last Days of Angelkite.
– okeefe
56 mins ago
What's the reason you're planning to run Dungeon World with a grimdark setting, if the system isn't all that well-tuned to it?
– Erik
1 hour ago
What's the reason you're planning to run Dungeon World with a grimdark setting, if the system isn't all that well-tuned to it?
– Erik
1 hour ago
Hi! "Looking for ideas" is much too broad for the format. It's more suited for a forum and not how Stack Exchange works. If you could narrow this down to a specific problem you're having about running a grimdark campaign we can certainly help with that :)
– Jason_c_o
1 hour ago
Hi! "Looking for ideas" is much too broad for the format. It's more suited for a forum and not how Stack Exchange works. If you could narrow this down to a specific problem you're having about running a grimdark campaign we can certainly help with that :)
– Jason_c_o
1 hour ago
Take a look at Grim World and The Last Days of Angelkite.
– okeefe
56 mins ago
Take a look at Grim World and The Last Days of Angelkite.
– okeefe
56 mins ago
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
up vote
6
down vote
To do it, do it.
There are, of course, alternate settings, like Grim World or The Last Days of Angelkite, that have done a bit of this for you, with alternate playbooks and world moves that enforce this kind of atmosphere. But if you don't want to pay for that or they don't sound like the world you're trying to create, you can do the heavy lifting yourself.
It starts from this: there is very little that must be true about Dungeon World. Even the available player races don't have to exist if nobody decides to be one of them. There are weapons, and armor, and people have to eat, and magic is known to exist, but how abundant food is and how friendly magic is are entirely up to you to decide.
Want to be short on supplies all the time? Nobody just sells food. Maybe you need to pay ruinous taxes to the local despot to be allowed to buy some, or you need to make a Supply roll to track down a black market, or you have to find some way to convince the water merchants you're worth taking a risk on before they sell to you.
Want to fill the world with danger? Okay, it just is. Now when the players go somewhere or do something you hadn't strictly planned for, which should be happening all the time, think: the world is dangerous. Given that, what's waiting for them?
answered 35 mins ago
Glazius
8,84511449
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
6
down vote
To do it, do it.
There are, of course, alternate settings, like Grim World or The Last Days of Angelkite, that have done a bit of this for you, with alternate playbooks and world moves that enforce this kind of atmosphere. But if you don't want to pay for that or they don't sound like the world you're trying to create, you can do the heavy lifting yourself.
It starts from this: there is very little that must be true about Dungeon World. Even the available player races don't have to exist if nobody decides to be one of them. There are weapons, and armor, and people have to eat, and magic is known to exist, but how abundant food is and how friendly magic is are entirely up to you to decide.
Want to be short on supplies all the time? Nobody just sells food. Maybe you need to pay ruinous taxes to the local despot to be allowed to buy some, or you need to make a Supply roll to track down a black market, or you have to find some way to convince the water merchants you're worth taking a risk on before they sell to you.
Want to fill the world with danger? Okay, it just is. Now when the players go somewhere or do something you hadn't strictly planned for, which should be happening all the time, think: the world is dangerous. Given that, what's waiting for them?
answered 35 mins ago
Glazius
8,84511449
add a comment |Â
up vote
6
down vote
To do it, do it.
There are, of course, alternate settings, like Grim World or The Last Days of Angelkite, that have done a bit of this for you, with alternate playbooks and world moves that enforce this kind of atmosphere. But if you don't want to pay for that or they don't sound like the world you're trying to create, you can do the heavy lifting yourself.
It starts from this: there is very little that must be true about Dungeon World. Even the available player races don't have to exist if nobody decides to be one of them. There are weapons, and armor, and people have to eat, and magic is known to exist, but how abundant food is and how friendly magic is are entirely up to you to decide.
Want to be short on supplies all the time? Nobody just sells food. Maybe you need to pay ruinous taxes to the local despot to be allowed to buy some, or you need to make a Supply roll to track down a black market, or you have to find some way to convince the water merchants you're worth taking a risk on before they sell to you.
Want to fill the world with danger? Okay, it just is. Now when the players go somewhere or do something you hadn't strictly planned for, which should be happening all the time, think: the world is dangerous. Given that, what's waiting for them?
answered 35 mins ago
Glazius
8,84511449
add a comment |Â
up vote
6
down vote
up vote
6
down vote
To do it, do it.
There are, of course, alternate settings, like Grim World or The Last Days of Angelkite, that have done a bit of this for you, with alternate playbooks and world moves that enforce this kind of atmosphere. But if you don't want to pay for that or they don't sound like the world you're trying to create, you can do the heavy lifting yourself.
It starts from this: there is very little that must be true about Dungeon World. Even the available player races don't have to exist if nobody decides to be one of them. There are weapons, and armor, and people have to eat, and magic is known to exist, but how abundant food is and how friendly magic is are entirely up to you to decide.
Want to be short on supplies all the time? Nobody just sells food. Maybe you need to pay ruinous taxes to the local despot to be allowed to buy some, or you need to make a Supply roll to track down a black market, or you have to find some way to convince the water merchants you're worth taking a risk on before they sell to you.
Want to fill the world with danger? Okay, it just is. Now when the players go somewhere or do something you hadn't strictly planned for, which should be happening all the time, think: the world is dangerous. Given that, what's waiting for them?
answered 35 mins ago
Glazius
8,84511449
To do it, do it.
There are, of course, alternate settings, like Grim World or The Last Days of Angelkite, that have done a bit of this for you, with alternate playbooks and world moves that enforce this kind of atmosphere. But if you don't want to pay for that or they don't sound like the world you're trying to create, you can do the heavy lifting yourself.
It starts from this: there is very little that must be true about Dungeon World. Even the available player races don't have to exist if nobody decides to be one of them. There are weapons, and armor, and people have to eat, and magic is known to exist, but how abundant food is and how friendly magic is are entirely up to you to decide.
Want to be short on supplies all the time? Nobody just sells food. Maybe you need to pay ruinous taxes to the local despot to be allowed to buy some, or you need to make a Supply roll to track down a black market, or you have to find some way to convince the water merchants you're worth taking a risk on before they sell to you.
Want to fill the world with danger? Okay, it just is. Now when the players go somewhere or do something you hadn't strictly planned for, which should be happening all the time, think: the world is dangerous. Given that, what's waiting for them?
answered 35 mins ago
Glazius
8,84511449
edited 22 mins ago
answered 35 mins ago
Glazius
8,84511449
answered 35 mins ago
Glazius
8,84511449
answered 35 mins ago
Glazius
8,84511449
8,84511449
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Stefan Paxton is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f134078%2fhow-can-we-make-things-grimdark-life-is-dangerous-survival-is-brutal-etc%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
What's the reason you're planning to run Dungeon World with a grimdark setting, if the system isn't all that well-tuned to it?
– Erik
1 hour ago
Hi! "Looking for ideas" is much too broad for the format. It's more suited for a forum and not how Stack Exchange works. If you could narrow this down to a specific problem you're having about running a grimdark campaign we can certainly help with that :)
– Jason_c_o
1 hour ago
Take a look at Grim World and The Last Days of Angelkite.
– okeefe
56 mins ago