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First time GMing advice, is my prep good? (lemmy.ca)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I'm going to run my first DW game soon. I've never GM'd a TTRPG before, but I've played a few. Most players haven't played TTRPGs, so I like DW for it's simplicity to learn. I'm very comfortable improvising, but I have a bit of prep and would like some feedback on it.

My current idea is to start where all the characters are in a large jail cell. I'll ask the following to set up the world.

Where is this jail cell? What's the city name, vibe, etc?
Why have each of you been arrested?
Who else is in the cell with you?

Then we'll set up bonds and then the adventure will begin. Based on how things go, they'll either have to do a prison break, or fight in a gladiator style arena. I'll have some enemies prepared for those scenarios. For anything else, I will just wing it.

Does this feel like good prep for the session?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Where is this jail cell? What’s the city name, vibe, etc?

That's a bad question, because it draws blanks, not leaves them. Better questions would be:

«Fighter, how big is the city? Is it more like a village, or something closer to a big, prosperous metropolis?»
«Rogue, which known criminal is doing his time in some other part of this jail?»
«Barbarian, you've been there quite a lot for your drunken fights, did you? Name one guard who's here now, you know each other a little too well!»
«Wizard, for what breakthrough the local magical academy is known?»
«Cleric, which religion do they preach here?», and, optionally, «Which part of it you would never agree with?»

Don't just ask «what's the city vibe», get them something to build from!