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There seem to be smattering of questions about Dungeon World of late, which is apparently a system with very specific rules as to what a GM can and cannot do. However, the wiki entry doesn't include a single mention as to this quirk of the system, instead only including a marketing blurb from a 2012-era kickstarter.

The Dungeon-World.com System page would be a better start if a quote is necessary, as it at least includes an implication that this RPG has different assumptions than those you could pick up at a chain bookstore. And of course, if there were a good "this is how DW is different from other games" page, it would probably suffice for a replacement from the marketing blurb. But right now, just from the text listed, it's hard to tell at a glance that Dungeon World isn't just D&D with two six-siders instead of a d20.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I'd bet the vast majority of published games, nowadays, are written with rules the GM is supposed to follow. DW is not so special, despite being maybe one of the two or three games with a D&D-like setting with this quirk. \$\endgroup\$
    – Zachiel
    Oct 10, 2014 at 21:59

2 Answers 2

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That tag wiki should definitely be improved, but not because people are answering questions without understanding the system. Tag wikis aren't --and shouldn't be-- for explaining how a system works. And people who answer without understanding the system being asked about? They won't be reading a tag wiki anyway. Just downvote them and move on.

That said, improving our tag wikis is an ongoing task and this one should definitely get something more than a Kickstarter blurb. Anyone can suggest a change to the tag wiki, and should if they see the need and think they can meet it.

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    \$\begingroup\$ +1 someone who is not familiar with a game SHOULD NOT BE ANSWERING THE QUESTION. \$\endgroup\$
    – mxyzplk
    Oct 7, 2014 at 3:10
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Edited for take 2:

Dungeon World is a fantasy RPG system with an emphasis on at-the-table creativity and clearly defined rules for players and GM's. It was inspired by Vincent Baker's Apocalypse World system, and shares much of Apocalypse World's mechanics and design philosophy.

A print run was funded in 2012 via a Kickstarter investment. The rules can be browsed online at DW Gazeteeer or downloaded freely from GitHub, as the system was released under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Mechanically, conflict resolution uses a 2d6+X system, with both the modifier and the ability to roll determined by a character's various characteristics and the circumstance. The result of such a roll is compared to an absolute scale shared by all characters, which determines the degree of success or failure.

Dungeon World treats its GM section as rules necessary for the system to operate, rather than optional guidance.

I removed the quote, minimized the description of the game to what would be appropriate for someone on rpg.SE who had never heard of the game before, included an actual link to the kickstarter, and removed the links to a blog and github.

EDIT: I added back links to DW Gazeteer and github, refined the brief mechanical description, and included a brief note as to the "no rule zero" principle.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ The customizable claim is explained by a chapter on how to add to or change the game, including how to hack the GM mechanics, which goes into detail about which things are small changes and which are big changes that will change how the game fundamentally works. \$\endgroup\$
    – SevenSidedDie
    Oct 7, 2014 at 3:05
  • \$\begingroup\$ So in customization it's closer to Exalted ("the rules are the rules") than GURPs ("take our system and do whatever you want.")? \$\endgroup\$
    – Bleep
    Oct 7, 2014 at 3:10
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    \$\begingroup\$ Not really. It and its Apocalypse-World-derived brethren just work differently than most people think of RPGs working, and the rules are an indispensable part of that. The rules are extensible or replaceable, but they're not optional in the middle of play. For example, there is no Rule Zero—it's incompatible with the design. You can read its GM section of not-advice-these-are-actually-rules and its hacking guidance online. \$\endgroup\$
    – SevenSidedDie
    Oct 7, 2014 at 3:26
  • \$\begingroup\$ @SevenSidedDie: I edited the text. \$\endgroup\$
    – Bleep
    Oct 7, 2014 at 4:24
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    \$\begingroup\$ I'd like to see "The GM does not roll dice - the players roll dice and the GM narrates what happened, based on the roll" in there somewhere. \$\endgroup\$
    – Greenstone Walker
    Oct 9, 2014 at 4:11
  • \$\begingroup\$ A few thoughts: First, "emphasis on at-the-table creativity" strikes me as maybe not specific enough to DW. You could probably say the same about many games. Second, when DW is discussed, its emphasis on "fiction first" is often mentioned. Third, "every rule comes into effect just when it's needed and stays out of the way the rest of the time" from the Kickstarter blurb sums up the core concept of Moves pretty well. Finally, the other thing I most often see mentioned is how the game is structured as a conversation between GM and players. Maybe this entry should include some of these. \$\endgroup\$
    – Serp C
    Oct 14, 2014 at 17:58
  • \$\begingroup\$ I'll see what I can do, but all those points could be said about any RPG (though I know that DW means them differently.); I think we should emphasize what is different about DW, in a way that is clear to GMs of other systems. \$\endgroup\$
    – Bleep
    Oct 14, 2014 at 20:38

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