TEXT: Welcome to Stonetop 
   
  What Is This? 
  Stonetop is a campaign playset for Dungeon World.  It focusses the game around a small, isolated town and 
  sets the PCs up as the heroes of that town.  It’s less about murderhobos looting tombs and more about PCs 
  fighting on behalf of their homes.   
  Why? 
  I’ve found that Dungeon World played as-written, can easily end up with disjointed, somewhat gonzo game 
  worlds. Which is awesome. But it’s not always what you’re looking for.  
  I’ve also found that the standard rules encourage (or just assume) a fair amount of wandering and 
  rootlessness. The PCs are often outsiders. They have some ties to each other but not necessarily to the wider 
  world. If things get bad, they have the option to walk away and let the world burn. Sometimes, you find 
  yourself asking why these misfits trust each other at all. 
  The pacing of Dungeon World can also be rather intense. After all, part of the GM’s agenda is to fill the 
  character’s lives with adventure. You might get some downtime when you undertake a journey, but often 
  you’re just go-go-going. I’ve had games of Dungeon World were the characters went from level 1 to level 7 in 
  about three weeks of in-game time! 
  Stonetop is an attempt to slow the pace down and to give the characters some roots. It’s the kind of setting 
  where months, even years might pass between adventures. Where heroes might retire and raise families. 
  Where their children might become heroes themselves.  
  What Does It Do Differently? 
  First and foremost, play is centered on the character’s home town, the village of Stonetop. The class 
  playbooks are all unique to the setting. Each one is designed to be tied directly to the village by bonds of 
  blood, loyalty, friendship, and duty. 
  The village of Stonetop itself has a playbook, with stats based on the Steading rules from Dungeon World and 
  moves for mobilizing and managing the village’s resources and generating threats and opportunities for the 
  town’s heroes to deal with. The Stonetop playbook also has a set of improvements that can be achieved in 
  play. 
  The village and the region are somewhat pre-defined. You’ll find maps and almanacs for the nearby regions, 
  steadings, dungeon starters, and some notable NPCs, monsters, and treasures. But there are plenty of blanks 
  By Jeremy Strandberg 2015. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licenses.  
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  to fill in during play. Many of the details—such as historical events, the most pressing threats, and even the 
  nature of the gods—are specifically determined by the playbooks chosen and the choices you make. 
  There are some other minor tweaks to the standard rules, including: 
  • 
  Slower character advancement 
  • 
  A sort of resource management mini-game for the steading itself 
  • 
  An adaptation of the follower and exploration rules from The Perilous Wilds 
  • 
  A different take on the Aid/Interfere moves and bonds, that incorporate having bonds with NPCs 
  • 
  A setting-specific gear list, reflecting the limited technology of the world 
  • 
  Rules for outfitting before adventures based on the prosperity and current fortunes of the village 
  What Else Is Special About the Setting?  
  All the characters are humans; elves and dwarves are heard of but no one in living memory has met a dwarf 
  and the last elf was seen about a decade ago. 
  There is no government, no empire, no kings or queens—at least, not around here. The village is on its own, 
  with only a handful of neighboring steadings. Far to the south are more civilized lands, but they have little 
  interest in this northern backwater—for now, at least. 
  The village is built on ancient, giant-sized ruins of the Makers, and other ruins dot the landscape. Magic is not 
  easy, or common, or predictable. Or safe. The past lies buried all around, but it rests unquietly. 
  Why Play Stonetop? 
  Because maybe you want to be a local hero instead of some wandering murderhobo. Because you want to 
  build a place up rather than burn it down.  
  Because there’s a world full of mystery out there, and buried secrets, and who knows just what you’ll find? 
  Because these are good people here in Stonetop, your kith and kin. Because the world is a-changing, and 
  darkening, and danger looms. 
  And if you don’t step up to protect them, then who will? 
   
   
  By Jeremy Strandberg 2015. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licenses.  
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeon World (PbtA) [multi]/Other Contents/Hacks/Stonetop/!READ ME - What is Stonetop.pdf