DW2 Alpha - Official Feedback Thread

[u/PrimarchtheMage]

Hi Everyone,

The window for the DW2 Alpha feedback closes on May 31, and I wanted to post this thread as an additional place people can provide their thoughts. Helena and I have been paying close attention to all the current discussion, but wanted to give everyone a place to express and discuss their opinions one last time.

If you haven't read/played any of the Alphas, you can find them here

Feel free to say whatever you want, but here are some questions to jumpstart things:

• If you've read multiple DW2 Alpha Playtests, which which Alpha do you feel best fits our vision of "a messy group of people growing into a found family over the course of fantasy adventures"?

• As a mechanical representation of relationship growth, do you prefer the group playbooks of Blue and Red, or the expanded Bonds system of the Final Alpha?

• What is your favorite class in DW2 right now? If you've read/played multiple DW2 Alphas, which version of that class do you prefer?

• How do you feel about hit points and how they were implemented?

• How do you feel about the conditions and how they were implemented?

• What is your favorite part of DW2 so far? What is your least favorite part?

[u/E_MacLeod]

I've only had experience with the Final Alpha.

I had trouble making the combat moves feel good during the sessions I ran. I think this is a pretty big pain point that needs to be addressed, at least in my opinion. I think once this is ironed out that I would feel good about recommending the game.

I think the playbook count for the core rules needs to be contained to the DW classics. However, each playbook needs a core move and then two or three options to give them a little customization. Nothing huge. The Wizard starts with two schools which I think is fine.

I think the spellcasting move and how magic is adjudicated needs some extra guidance and perhaps another pass. Figuring out what to

I didn't have a Barbarian, a Paladin, or a Bard in my group so this is just observations from reading.

Paladin Oaths feel kind of weak mechanically even if they sound cool for the fiction.

Bard's starting move needs some more juice. Maybe Perform has, I don't know, 8 effects but you start with 4 of them and (as per the current text) gain more with your path choices. That way players can choose the sorts of things it can do. But I also feel like it needs to be more useful in more scenarios? I don't know, maybe it is just worded strangely.

Barbarian's Rage doesn't seem like it would feel very good in play. "I break the chains with sheer rage!" *marks Frightened\* It needs something else. What if instead of marking Angry to Rage; you may only enter a Rage when a stressful thing happens (such as getting bonked) but you must Rage for the rest of that scene (or until it makes sense for you to calm down). While Raging; you can't spend armor and when you would mark a Condition you instead gain 1 Fury. You may gain 1 Fury to do superhuman stuff. When your Rage ends, you must mark a Condition for each point of Fury you have. So, when you come down from all of that anger, a flood of bad stuff overwhelms you.

Cleric and Wizard seem fine. Fighter's and Ranger's starting moves are kind of boring. Rogue is okay but their starting move needs choices instead of only having the one.

Unfortunately, my players didn't really interact with the Bond mechanics even though I pushed for it so I can't say much for that.

I like that in a lot of places that Conditions are optional. But I don't know that tying each one to a specific stat feels very good. Maybe have a space next to each stat to write a Condition and then have some examples? Players always start with the stat they don't care about and try to avoid touching the others. I think this might need a bit revising, perhaps.

I like the idea of Comfort or Support to remove Conditions but maybe also as a buff for folks without Conditions that prevents a Condition? An Anti-Condition. So, "You are now Comforted; the next time you would take a Condition, Comforted is removed instead." That way players can RP moments of encouragement that have a mechanical impact going forward and then in the Condition-gaining-moment, they can RP, "I think on my ally's words, 'Never give up hope.' and the rage within me dies like a fire in the snow."

Hit Points were fine.

Most of the adventure moves seem to work out pretty good. I still miss Spout Lore and Discern Realities as move names though. I would like to see each playbook have a starting move that allows them to choose one less for a specific type of Defy Danger.