Have run and played Dungeon World a fair amount, am looking over MoTW to replace another campaign I’ve been running.

Have run and played Dungeon World a fair amount, am looking over MoTW to replace another campaign I’ve been running.

Have run and played Dungeon World a fair amount, am looking over MoTW to replace another campaign I’ve been running. Really love the system but have a couple of questions…

Questions around gunfighting and spell casting…

Gunfighting: I see gun use being handled in an example as Kick some ass, but the fiction of that moment was using a gun at close quarters… if something is coming at you from a distance and you are shooting it, would that be Act Under Pressure? 

Spellcasting: It seems that anyone can cast a spell, with a better shot at having it come to pass if their Weird rating is high… am I reading that right? Is it intended that something in the character’s background must be in place to explain how they are casting a spell?

Thanks for any help!

4 thoughts on “Have run and played Dungeon World a fair amount, am looking over MoTW to replace another campaign I’ve been running.”

  1. For guns, if you’re shooting at something that is hard to hit it might be act under pressure. It could also be the Keeper move inflict harm, as established, or protect someone, or others depending on the situation. Hunters do not roll every time they try something, they only roll when the move is triggered according to the move text. Notice that kick some ass is for when you are fighting something that is fighting you back. 

    Yes, anyone can cast spells. Anyone who ended up as a monster hunter should have had plenty of opportunities to learn how to do it. Think about how the Winchesters manage in Supernatural, that’s the model for magic in MotW.

  2. The gun part makes sense.

    I am less familiar with Supernatural, but if I think through Buffy, Angel or a book series like Monster Hunters International, it is not typical for folks to be spellcasters. Some are and some more can research and cast rituals.

    Is Use Magic not intended to represent a hard core Spell Slinger like Harry Dresden and more intended to be ritualistic knowledge like surrounding a grave with a salt circle to prevent a ghoul from rising or something like that?

  3. Use magic covers both those cases.

    The more wizardly classes (Initiate, Spooky, Expert) all have things that power up the use magic move, or give them extra powers, and those are what you should be looking at for a serious magician. 

    For everyone else, they can use magic if they want. Note that its effects are fairly limited and the risks are significant.

    Magic is intended to be easy but very dangerous.

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