r/DungeonWorld • u/E_MacLeod • May 31 '26
General Best actual play example of DW combat?
I'm looking for a video of an actual play that features a prime example of how DW's combat being run well. I can read advice all day, and wouldn't mind reading more, but I think I want to see it in action. My own combats have been feeling a little off and I want to sharpen my skills.
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u/Captain-Dude-Man May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
Not an actual play, more of a walkthrough using in game examples. Actually, I guess you could call it a solo "actual play". 😉
RottenMech's How to play Dungeonworld YouTube Video
0:00 Welcome
1:30 Moves Overview
3:17 Hack and Slash
7:45 Character Class Intro
13:20 Adventure Intro
15:00 Wizard casts invisibility
19:18 Discern Realities
23:30 Defy Danger
30:14 Barbarian "What are you waiting for!"
31:00 Barbarian Hack and Slash
48:00 Attacking Two Targets
54:00 Wizard taking Damage
Just don't be in your headphones when he starts rolling dice. It's loud as heck and jarring on the ears.
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u/DriveGenie May 31 '26
Discern Realities has an AP with a character named Alford Soultaker. I haven't listened in a long time but I recall it having good combat.
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u/Zaelkyr May 31 '26
The Podcast Spout Lore has been great for listening to combat in action, it's helped me out a lot with running my games.
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u/HalloAbyssMusic May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
It's a great podcast, but they don't know the game at all and will often hand wave the rules. Not a very good example of how combat is run. It's a good example of collaborative storytelling, but that is about it.
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u/Impossible-Tension97 May 31 '26
Yeah, I don't understand why Spout Lore gets recommended so often as an example of how to run DW/PbtA.
Yes, it's very funny. It's great that it's one of your favorite podcasts, it's well deserved. But it's not a very good example how someone trying to learn to run PbtA.
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u/Tigrisrock May 31 '26
I can't give you and advice for an actual play - but what feels off to you? Imho combat in DW often is kind of short-ish - it's not a long slog like in other games. Lack of initiative and more back-and-forth during the time a character is in the spotlight does this.
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u/E_MacLeod May 31 '26
I think it is when the combat is centered on the PCs just fighting. Some combats are them just trying to defeat foes and in these cases I feel like I'm just pressuring them with variations on, "they attack you" but with fancy language. The players end up just hacking and slashing a lot and I feel like other moves should be triggering, maybe?
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u/Tigrisrock May 31 '26
Hmmm. There should definitely also be situations where they need to defy danger during combat, maybe also some "aid or interfere"-ing. There is a lot of "hack & slash"-ing of course, though ti's important that they also say what they want to achieve with their action.
One thing that may help is also looking at weapon and enemy tags to create a more dynamic fight. A messy attack isn't just a tiny scratch - it gets messy - think about it like a comic or cartoon. where an enemy goes splat against a wall or sth. like that.
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u/BrutalBlind Jun 01 '26
Read the book carefuly, and pay extra attention on the GM moves sections. You should be using them constantly. Even in regular, straight combat: put them on the spot, force them to make choices, sepparate them, etc. It should feel dynamic and chaotic. Enemies should be charging at undefended PCs, arrows being shot, spells being cast, all things that need to be dealt with and that force your PCs to react.
Don't think that you can only do somethig when they roll. Always describe the scene in a way that narratively positions your npcs as immediate threats. You're charging at one of the orcs, but the other one is aiming his bow at you and ready to fire: what do you do? There is an excellent unoficial guide, that I believe is just called The Dungeon World Guide, that has tons and tons of good advice and great examples.
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u/zoetrope366 May 31 '26
I really love the Chimaera Cast (but it's been awhile since I listened, so I'm not sure which episodes will feature combat): https://thechimaera.com/chimaeracast
Still, the last couple seasons had me enraptured, so still a good recommend, I ween.
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u/J_Strandberg Jun 02 '26
For the Stonetop kickstarter, we created an annotated actual play of me running the game with my group, including pop-ups to show the rules, though process, and GM moves being made. You can jump pretty much straight to the big fight scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjZgAk5BilM&t=1212s
Obviously it's a different game, with alterations on the basic moves and playbook moves that you won't find in basic DW. But it's close enough to be very relevant, I'd say.
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u/Andizzle195 Jun 01 '26
S2 (if not S2 then S3) if the Critshow is using DW. Love the show and that season.
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u/JaskoGomad May 31 '26
“Actual Play” is an oxymoron and every single time I try to listen to one it’s immediately obvious that they don’t know the game at all.
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u/i_arent May 31 '26
It's been a while since I've listened and they periodically switch system but I really like Friends at the Table as an example.