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Eleven years ago Apocalypse World was born and, after merely a couple of years, it was adapted to play fantasy adventures in the form of Dungeon World. About a decade later Fantasy World is about to get published: how does FW relate to AW and DW? What are the main differences between the two fantasy PbtA? In this 3 part article we’ll go over the most important design choices that give FW it’s unique personality.

In this first episode we discover the game’s roots and it’s attitude towards how to write a PbtA rulebook.

Where FW originates from

Everyone agrees that AW and DW are two very different games. The former is the original source that spawned the whole Powered by the Apocalypse framework. The latter is one of its first children, using the PbtA tools to play fantasy adventures. The end result is two games that bring to the table two very different game experiences.

Most people assume that because FW is a fantasy PbtA game it obviously uses DW as a base, and therefore expect a certain game experience. But in truth FW evolved straight out of the original AW (and AW2) material. It has little to nothing in common with DW, with only a few minor exceptions that were elided away as time and development shaped FW into a game with its own unique identity.

A different way to do fantasy adventuring

Both FW and DW allow players to enjoy "fantasy adventuring" but in meaningfully different ways.

At a high concept level DW is heavily inspired by the classic D&D experience, with design choices that highlight action oriented gameplay over moments of emotional engagement and dramatic meaningfulness. This fast, dynamic and lighthearted approach was always a conscious design choice, and a strong point in the original vision for the game. More thematic play is obviously possible, but it’s not what the mechanics naturally facilitate. DW is a game inspired by another game.

FW play is biased towards the opposite direction. Action is present, fast paced, unforgiving and often brutal, but it exists in service of the exploration of the story’s themes. FW is a game inspired by novels and movies. 

FW disregards and subverts the tropes of classic D&D adventuring, trying instead to bring at the table the kind of fantasy stories that can be found in most book sagas, TV series and movies. I like to call it "dramatic fantasy".

The technical writing problem

FW’s text tries to be as clear and unambiguous as possible both in “fluff” that discursively explains how to play the game, and in the actual text of Moves. Too many PbtA have brilliant ideas but, when you try to play them, the instructions are vague, murky, forcing Players and GMs to spend time negotiating how to play rather than helping them focus on the cool creative things they can do thanks to the rules. AW is infamous for its hermetic but stylish writing style, which played a part in the grand scheme of things (as V. Baker himself explained plainly in a talk), but what made sense in 2010 may not be still the best choice 10+ years later. Unfortunately DW and many other PbtA games seem to have ported this “feature” over to their design. FW does not.

Clearer text that unequivocally explains how to play the game is also helpful to anyone that might want to use the game (or parts of it) to play in a different way. Instead of shrugging away grey and unclear areas with a noncommittal “you do you”, FW offers an honest opinion on how exactly to play FW. This way people can make informed (thus easier) decisions on how to play the game however they see fit. It is my firm conviction that the famous saying “limitations foster creativity” doesn’t only apply to the creation of fictional content, but also to being creative about how to play the game.

The goal of accessibility

FW is explicitly written to be easily understandable and usable by someone who has no idea what an RPG is, let alone what a PbtA is. It's much easier to understand, learn and use than either DW and AW, plainly explaining concepts that other PbtA take for granted or vaguely mention. No philosophy, but procedures. No guidelines, but rules. No paternalistic lessons, but practical tools. This is also ideal for veterans of non-PbtA games, as it helps them better understand how such a weird and alien game system works. And it’s also valuable to seasoned PbtA experts, as it clearly communicates how FW is specifically different than the other PbtA they have played so far. AW and DW have... a different writing style and communicative approach.

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Continues in Part 2...