Meet the DW2 Designers: Spencer Moore
With Dungeon World 2 on the way, its two designers have begun posting previews, updates, and behind the scenes looks at the game. Here is the first of many.
I’m Spencer Moore (he/him), a Canadian tabletop game designer best known for creating Chasing Adventure. I got into roleplaying games in 2012, and since then I’ve enjoyed playing and GMing dozens of different systems.
Like many people, I first discovered Dungeon World in 2014 when it was featured on the actual play Rollplay R&D. I immediately approached my current group that was grappling with Pathfinder and offered to GM a campaign of it. It was a blast, and I’ve been involved in the Dungeon World community ever since.
A lot has happened in my rpg journey from the past 13 years. I became a mod of /r/dungeonworld and /r/rpg, I created Mercenary and Witcher playbooks for Dungeon World, I wrote Chasing Adventure as a more action-focused take on Dungeon World’s rules, and I began livestreaming and reviewing rpgs for fun online.
I’ve been studying PbtA games since I first discovered them, with Dungeon World, Apocalypse World, Masks, Avatar Legends, and Blades in the Dark being only a few of the ones I’ve played. Outside of PbtA I’ve also enjoyed games like Lancer, Here We Used to Fly, Nobilis, and Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok. Expanding my horizons as a player, GM, and designer has been an incredible journey, and I’m excited to keep going!
When I first heard that the rights to Dungeon World were acquired and a new edition was in the works, I was excited but apprehensive. In 2012, when Dungeon World first released, D&D fans were looking for alternatives to 4th Edition, which allowed this new game to swoop in with a dynamic narrative take on classic fantasy adventure. Now though, with D&D 5th edition over a decade old, the roleplaying game hobby is a very different space, and I wondered what a new Dungeon World would look like if released today.
Luke Crane and John Dimatos, the new DW rights owners, immediately started asking for community input. They asked questions on the DW+ Discord server and started connecting with influential members and creators. What were their thoughts on the current system? What might they like to see in a new version? What creators have built upon Dungeon World in interesting ways?
A few weeks after the initial announcement, I messaged Luke and offered to meet with him and talk about my thoughts, similar to what others were doing. The meeting went well, we talked about ideas, games, and even what artists would be cool to hire for a new book. I could tell that they were carefully gathering as much information as they could before making any commitments. Then, in late October, they asked me to co-design the next Dungeon World.
To be honest, it was all a bit surreal. I was finishing up fulfillment of the Chasing Adventure Kickstarter campaign earlier this year, and now I was being asked to make a game with a much bigger name and complicated legacy. I just finished with one fantasy PbtA game, did I want to make another similar one immediately?
Yes, I did. Dungeon World is important to me, and it’s important to so many others. If done right, this new Dungeon World could be a great game that speaks to the heart of why so many people love fantasy adventure narratives. There is no single reason that everyone plays these kinds of games, but there are a few that we think a new version of Dungeon World could elevate like few other games.
Some people play to express their character’s personality, capabilities, backstory, and growth. Some people play to experience a handful of disparate strangers turn into a renowned found family. Some people play to profoundly change the world around them with their own agency and actions. Some people play to experience moments of intense victory, tragedy, tension, or humor.
These are the things that Dungeon World 2 will primarily focus on. Within the framing of fantasy adventure, this game will interrogate its characters’ emotions and struggles, demand they grow together into a better team, prompt them to change themselves and each other, and grapple with difficult pasts and ominous futures.
We playfully call it ‘Dungeon World: The Movie: The Game’.
Now we just have to make it.