Rules in Dungeon World

I've been playing (GMing) a lot of Dungeon World lately. Which is great fun and is helping me prep for my GenCon (hooray GenCon) game.

Last night's session one of the players asked a question that I have been thinking about a lot myself. The specific question isn't as important as the idea behind the question. Do you have rules in Dungeon World?

In this case I think the answer is yes.

For this question the "rules" are part of the fiction. Who can affect who, what can the gods do to each other, and their minions. What happens if the PCs die (yep, killed one last night - brought him back though).

Some of the "rules" came about via game play. Put the PCs between two warring gods and see what they do. Surprise, the fiction spits out rules.

I think these can be some of the best - because the players "found" them by themselves.

Other rules are a lot more iffy. Like any RPG, the rules can be changed by the GM, But, especially when a game is new to you care should be taken to not disrupt balance. At least initially, trust the designer until your group discovers different. In Dungeon World where you are encouraged to leave empty spaces on the map and let the players write the fiction (something I still struggle with) I try and leave out as many rules as possible - sticking strictly to the dice mechanics, basic and advanced moves, and what is on the character sheets.

So player created rules good, all other rules subject to scrutiny.


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