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Dungeon World PDF Review

This Dungeon World PDF review is part of my “Best Tabletop RPGs of All Time” article. If you want to check out more TTRPGs and see how other top-tier tabletop RPGs are ranked, visit that page.

My Review – 61 / 100

The Dungeon World PDF comes in at number 13 on my list of best TTRPGs of all time. Is it a great game? Yes, definitely. Is the best of the best? No, definitely not.

That being said, some people LOVE the style of game that Dungeon World offers. Full disclosure though, it’s not my favorite. I do appreciate, however, what the game aims to “do,” which I think is quite unique.

Dungeon World doesn’t get a lower score from me just because I’m not a huge fan of the game’s style. Instead, what the game aims to be “about” could, I believe, have been executed/ presented better.

Finally, this review is specifically for the Dungeon World PDF as that’s the game copy I have at the time of writing. There may be some differences between the Dungeon World PDF and a printed copy when it comes to overall presentation and artwork, but the game’s mechanics are obviously the same.

Dungeon World physical copy at a gaming store

Dungeon World Uniqueness: (9/10)

Dungeon World is all about keeping the story moving. Of all aspects of this game, this is probably the best. I always enjoying playing tabletop games where the focus is kept on the story and off of the game’s rules.

Whenever there’s a skill check in Dungeon World, you roll a dice. If you get a 10+, it’s a full success. On a 7-9, it’s a partial success. On a 6 or lower, it’s a failure.

When characters fail, the DM gets to “make a move” – aka make things more dangerous in a way that advances the story. Mechanics aren’t as important in Dungeon World as deciding what kind of “situation” the players are in, and what skill check(s) should apply. There’s no definite way to do things, instead allowing players to have a freeform sort of storytelling.

When it comes to world building, the dungeon master creates the basis for an area, then asks three questions to the players about the area. As the players respond with their own creative input, ideas, and wishes, it gives the dungeon master a way to enhance the gaming world’s story by making use of other player’s world building thoughts. Honestly, this is such a great idea. It’s a built-in way for players to help contribute to the game world, which certainly makes the game experience better for everyone.

Ease of Learning Dungeon World: (8/10)

Dungeon World combines something that looks a lot like Dungeons and Dragons from a character-building/ math standpoint, with an almost totally freeform storytelling component. To me, it’s sort of an odd combination.

DnD, for example, has such in-depth character-building and math components to the game because much of the game is more heavily systematized than freeform Dungeon World. In DnD, you absolutely need to have specific info on your character in a multitude of ways. In Dungeon World, however, you sort of don’t. So, why closely copy Dungeons and Dragons?

The storytelling rules are very simple to learn for players, and reasonably simple for dungeon masters. Dungeon world is a game that hinges on the dungeon master’s individual skill since there aren’t many set mechanics in the game. If the dungeon master really does their homework and thinks through their storytelling, things go smoothly. If not, problems occur for everyone at the table.

Overall, I’d say Dungeon World is not the game a new group to tabletop gaming should play. Instead, it should be the game you play after you’ve already got a solid grip on how TTRPGs are played, when you want some variety in your gaming system.

Dungeon World Presentation: (5/10)

The presentation of the Dungeon World PDF is not that great, to be honest. Font choices, colors, etc. are ok. The chapters are clear as to when they start. But major parts of the rulebook aren’t clearly differentiated from each other.

I would say the overall presentation is of a medium-high quality. Not what you’d expect from a top-tier tabletop RPG, for sure. The lack of clear presentation in the Dungeon World PDF may cause you to use up a little more time than normal when searching for specific rules or sections, which just seems unnecessary.

Lore: (4/10)

Lore in Dungeon World is built according to your campaign. What I mean is that the game itself doesn’t provide lore, but rather a framework for building lore which players can use.

I actually don’t mind at all when games don’t provide much lore, as it allows for player creativity. In these open spaces, players can decide for themselves all kinds of custom ideas for their RPG campaign and campaign world.

However, when it comes to Dungeon World, I think this concept of not providing lore, but rather open space, doesn’t quite work. The reason is that Dungeon World doesn’t provide enough framework in the game’s core mechanics to help players create memorable campaigns. Since each segment of play in Dungeon World is already so freeform, it almost creates a game, like Savage Worlds, where the dungeon master and players have to create everything. Every single thing in the gaming world. For some players, that sense of freedom is perfect. But for most, I’d say, it’s a bit overwhelming.

Combat in Dungeon World: (6/10)

In Dungeon World, unlike most TTRPGs, there is no separate system for combat. No “rolling initiative.” Nothing different occurs in battles than what happens with other skill checks. In many ways, this overall concept is great.

When it comes to combat (or skill checks of any kind) the dungeon master does not roll dice. Instead, the dungeon master says what happens, players respond, then players make any necessary dice rolls, and an outcome is established.

Since there is no initiative in combat, when outcomes are established, every relevant piece of the combat scene concludes simultaneously. For example, if a player is fighting a dragon, both attack each other at the same time. This is another aspect of combat in Dungeon Worlds that I really like as it seems very realistic to me.

If a player gets a success on their skill check against an enemy they’re fighting (let’s say a dragon, for example), they dodge the dragon’s attack and might deal damage to them. On a partial success, both might deal damage to each other. And on a failure, the player takes damage.

When damage is dealt in combat, it isn’t just a number. Instead, the dungeon master explains damage in a way that conveys a story. Then, the player again responds to that story, saying what they want to do next. Which leads to another skill check, and so on.

Skill checks and combat in Dungeon World are very dynamic as a story-telling device. I love that it’s not just two characters standing in the same place whacking each other with swords until one dies. What I don’t like is that for people who aren’t very creative and need a little more structure, the game doesn’t provide any help. Combat is another situation in this game where the freeform aspects of play may not provide enough material for players to work with.

I’ve also found that games like Dungeon World tend to lack the exact level of intensity in combat and dramatic scenarios that they strive for though storytelling, alone. The first couple battles in a gaming session may be intense, but the game lacks that feeling of “oh shit, my character might die.” The reason is that everything is so abstract with pure theater-of-the-mind that it’s easy to lose a sense of real danger.

Since players have so much control over what their character does in combat, and there’s so little structure, it’s possible for a player to completely remove their wounded character from a dangerous situation – thereby also lowering the intensity and drama of the fight.

Game “Flow”: (5/10)

As with other tabletop RPGs on my top TTRPGs of all time list, Dungeon World is heavily dependent upon a solid dungeon master. With a strong dungeon master, the game’s storytelling rocks, everything flows well, makes sense, is unique, and a great and satisfying tale is told.

However, since the system depends so heavily on the dungeon master, problems easily arise. What if the dungeon master’s off one day? Or what if they just aren’t very good at creating tension and an enjoyable game flow? What if – and this is a big one – the DM is new to their role and hasn’t yet quite figured it out?

Dungeon World is either a great game that’s very engaging, or a terrible game that lacks structure. Of course, with any tabletop game, the people playing the game make it great or terrible, and player skill level always counts. But games that rely too much on player skill and creativity tend to sometimes tank, especially with new players.

Artwork: (2/10)

The cover art for the Dungeon World PDF is very cool. But depending on your version of the game (print, PDF, supplemental, etc.) the art is not high-quality, throughout. In some versions, there are art sketches that are cool, but they are mostly simple black and white ones.

You should not buy the Dungeon World PDF for the artwork within. I’d say it’s no big deal since tabletop games are really about the game, not the artwork. However, there are so many great tabletop games on the market today – so many that are better than Dungeon Worlds – that also have phenomenal artwork, that it really is a big deal.

When it comes to tabletop RPGs, artwork strengthens players’ ability to “see” themselves and their characters in the game world. So, having lots of great art in the game’s core rulebook is a major plus.

Ease of Purchase: (5/10)

Surprisingly, it’s not that easy to purchase the Dungeon World PDF or printed copy as the Burning Wheel website is pretty out-of-date. Thankfully though, the game can be purchased on Amazon.

Price & How Many Books Do You Need to Play: (10/10)

The Dungeon World PDF is $10, and all you need to play is just one book. Tabletop gaming price literally doesn’t get better than that.

Fame & Availability of Supplemental Material: (7/10)

Dungeon World won some big awards in 2012, when the game first launched.

Indie RPG 2012 winner.
ENnie Award Winner 2013: Best Rules – Gold Winner.

Dungeon World is a very popular game – or at least was when it first came out. For continued play though, there is no supplemental material, and no one really continues promoting the game or building the community, nowadays.

If you wanted to start an ongoing campaign with Dungeon World, you could almost certainly find a gaming group for it. I would suggest, however, that you and your players all first get a firm grasp on how the game is played, before beginning. The reason is that the expectations of how a game like Dungeon World is played are far different from other popular tabletop RPGs, and by making sure everyone’s on the same page, you increase your chances of having a successful campaign, from the start.

Dungeon World PDF is Produced By:

Burning Wheel

Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed my article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.

I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.

If you love the site, please share it with others! I have lots of gaming-related material for you to peruse and use in your own gaming sessions. If you have any questions about the site or want to contribute, just send me a message using the "Contact" page, which you can find in the site's footer.

Jacob Tegtman

D&D books and dragon art collage with text: “Help! Get My Girlfriend to Play D&D”

How do I get My Girlfriend to Play D&D? Floral Dragons Field Guide

By Shawna Tegtman • July 1, 2026

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeVWenMXd68 Transcription Hey, y'all. How's it been? So one of the questions that I hear so often is, " How do I get my girlfriend, my wife, my significant other to play D&D with me or other tabletop role-playing games," right? I always also hear, like, I hear from my husband's friends, "You are so lucky you have a wife that wants to do these things with you." It was not always like that, okay? Five years ago when I met this man, and he was like, "I am into Fan Expo, and animes, and ren fairs, and tabletop role-playing, and D&D," and I just looked at him like, "What are you talking about? What are those things, and why are you into them? They just seem really silly." Um, of course, now five years later, I enjoy them with him, um, but it wasn't always like that, okay? So we spent a lot of time trying to figure out what would [00:01:00] get me into it, right? And of course, I did my first campaign, created my first character, and something that I really liked about that character is that it had a familiar, um, a summon that was its buddy, right? And, you know, I'm the kind of person that if I have a little furry friend, it's makes everything better. Real quick to interrupt. Eternity TTRPG is releasing a card game battler which emulates combat from the D&D tabletop role-playing genre. Sparks of Eternity: Emanation is fast-paced, easy to learn, and features six classes from your favorite TTRPGs. Each class deck comes with its own set of unique abilities, which everyone plays at the same time, so there's never any downtime at your table. Each turn, everyone's characters levels up, giving players access to even more options. If you're interested in taking a look, we have our pre-sales page live now, packed with details. No [00:02:00] payment info needed. Just let us know if you want an email when the product becomes available. Now, back to your video So that's one of the things that I want to bring up that you could potentially use to help get your significant other into tabletop role-playing. Um, and one of the things that I've found that I actually really like, I found it last year at Gen Con, is made by Hit Point Press, okay? So we were just walking the aisles at Gen Con, and I found it out of nowhere, It made me change my look a little bit, and it was, like, exactly what I wanted from a game rather than just constantly seeing the I don't know. It's just, it's weird when you're looking at it from a female perspective versus a male perspective. Um, and anyway, Hit Point Press had this item, and it is called The Floral Dragons Field Guide. And it is beautiful artwork, which really drew me in, [00:03:00] but it takes these everyday whimsical flowers and turns them into dragons. It is so beautifully illustrated. , There was a wisteria dragon, a dandelion dragon, , oh, goodness, the cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom dragon is probably my favorite. But what this did for me was give me a really beautiful outlet, but also a way to dive into the world and my own way to connect, right? So this field guide is 5e D&D compatible, which is great, right? And it was this whole field guide and idea of just finding these different dragons in the world around us, and it brought an everyday whimsy to my life 'cause now I don't just see a flower, I see the dragon that it could be, or perhaps the fairies that are in it. And I think that is the way to [00:04:00] get your significant other, wife, girlfriend, to connect with you on these tabletop role-playing games, is to bring the whimsical into your everyday life. Okay? So go out on that walk, point it out, and say, "Hey, maybe a fairy lives there." Now, obviously, not all w- women are this way. Um, I just happen to be that way, and I feel like there are a lot of women that are that way, that want to find that whimsy in life, that whimsical thing. So this guide that I found, um, it actually sold out in a lot of different versions at Gen Con, and I was able to get the box set. So it had the field guide, but it also had flashcards of each dragon, and then it had, uh, a DM screen. So super pretty art on one side showcasing all the dragons, and the other side showing how they can poison, paralyze, and do all the mean things that- You know, [00:05:00] we just like to do sometimes. That it goes into your role-playing game, right? 'Cause if you're gonna sneak up on some, um, fungi dragon, right, you would hope they would do something back to you. 'Cause you know, fungi in normal life can be good or bad depending on how you consume it. So it just kind of makes sense. Um, so anyway, that was one thing that helped me connect into this tabletop role playing world, was bringing the whimsy into my normal everyday life. And this guide, The Floral Dragon's Field Guide by Hit Point Press, did just that for me. Of course, there's other things that have come up over time, and I do hope to dive into those more because every woman's different and every woman finds what they enjoy and how they can connect with their significant other. Um, but this is just one way that has worked for me. Um, and like I said, you can take pieces of this field guide that I found, put it into just about any tabletop role playing game. Of course, if you wanna know [00:06:00] more about the one that my husband created, that's gonna be at eternityttrpg.com. And of course, I have to hype him up 'cause he's amazing. Um, but as always, you can head over there and like, comment, subscribe and we'll jump more into his game, other D&D stuff, other tabletop role playing and just see what we can find in life. Bye, guys.

Streamer at desk with “Eternity TTRPG Races” text overlay, in a gaming room

Custom Races for Your Next D&D Game in Eternity TTRPG

By Shawna • June 26, 2026

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_sdjZdLByE Transcription Ateri, Kror, Empyrean, Esper, Human, Jadori, Stoneborn, Treant, and Yzarc. These are the nine races that make up the world of Eternity. We're gonna take some time and dive into three of these races, so here we go So the three we're gonna talk about today is gonna be human, Aeteri, and Empyrean. Okay? So to get started with human, human is gonna be your all-around class, right? They're the most diverse in the ways that they look, act, perceive the world. They have determination, ingenuity, and compassion that allows them to create these very powerful nations in the lore of eternity, right? More than all, though, they tend to be very emotional, which can lead to a lot of passion for the good, but it can also lead to corruption. So that's the thing that you have to worry about with humans is because of their passion level, they can just take things too far one [00:01:00] way or the other. Um, as far as, like, their stats and everything goes is they're gonna be your most even keel character, right? They're gonna be across the board even with their strength, their agility, their magic, their speed. They're really just a good race to pick for any class, especially as a gets, getting started race. Um, other thing about them is they have decent HP, um, right in the middle of any other race. So it's definitely just a good starting race, right? Real quick to interrupt, we now have free downloadable D&D cards at the Eternity TTRPG website that you can use at your table. Everything from combat actions to status effects. No more flipping through your book to see exactly what being petrified does to your character. You can just take our graphics, print them out at home, and slap them on your table for fun and easy reference. Grab yours today using the link below. [00:02:00] Now, back to the video Jumping into Aeteri is where we're gonna start, Aeteri actually means ascended in this world because the Aeteri are ascended humans because of an item from the lore. Okay? This item is called the Gift of Kings, and a human uses the Gift of Kings, and they can become a elf, for lack of a better word. It's a matter of is it going to be an ascended Aeteri elf or an Empyrean dark elf, right? So pretty cool right there. Um, but jumping in with the Aeteri, right? So they're ascended. They use this magical artifact. They transcended from human nature, and Because of their transcension, they have gained a lot of wisdom, their initiative is faster, and they have a lot of good trade-ons. However, a trade-off is that your HP is gonna be lower as an Eteri. So instead of starting with, like, three or four [00:03:00] health points, hit points, you only start with two. However, that's not as bad as the Empyrean. So jumping into Empyrean, um, as I said, the Empyrean is gonna be your dark elves or fallen humans, is what they've been termed. Um, their thought process is basically, "Nobody is good enough to use the Gift of Kings, and we're gonna enslave all of human, all humans," right? Um, because they're just, they're dark, and this is the way that they feel, right? So you have this balance going on of the Eteri being the ascended and the Empyrean being the dark. So you got that going for them. Thing about Empyreans, though, and what I don't necessarily like about them, is they only have one hit point. So you have to be very careful when you're navigating your different encounters because of that. However, they do have high magic, high agility, initiative, um, high wisdom, which [00:04:00] is all really good. And then one thing that happens with an Empyrean to counteract them having one hit point, is that when they fall to zero, they actually turn into a lich, and they have three turns to do whatever they want, cause as much damage, wreak as much havoc as they can before they fully fall, right? Um, so that's kind of neat, a kind of neat play. So you take this human, you let them use the Gift of Kings, and they're either gonna turn into an Eteri or a dark elf Empyrean. So either way, kind of cool stuff going on, right? Out of those three, let me know which one is your favorite, right? My favorite out of those three has to be the human, because they are even-keeled, and they're a really good starting point for someone that doesn't know how to play tabletop role-playing games, what they're really going after, and it pairs really well with any class, right? Because you can just [00:05:00] make it work. You're not teching for anything. Um, so let me know what you think. Would you prefer human, Eteri, Empyrean? And of course, if you wanted to look into these more on your own, please go to the Eternity website, eternityttrpg.com, and that's gonna get you some more information on those races along with other classes, right? Um, so let me know what you think. Like, comment, subscribe, and we'll see you next time for those other races.

Rethinking D&D: Design Oriented Conversations to Improve the Game

By Jacob Tegtman • May 5, 2026

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2pHaAcKDbo Transcription [00:00:00] I want to start talking more about Dungeons Dragons and game design So far on this channel it's really been a news style kind of coverage where new things are happening new books are releasing and so forth But one of the things I've experienced and probably a lot of other people have as well is that Dungeons Dragons hasn't really improved as a game over the last many editions I started playing Dungeons Dragons at 3.5e Many of you probably were around the same time Maybe there's a lot of 5e players originals out there or there's you know basic or advanced Dungeons Dragons players I love Dungeons Dragons It was my introduction to the TTRPG hobby and TTRPGs are one of the main pillars of my life in a way I've spent most of my life making games creating supplemental [00:01:00] material for Dungeons Dragons exploring some of the lesser-known TTRPGs the indie games and trying to understand why I love it so much and then bring that joy to as many people as possible in as many ways as possible I think there's a lot of ways to play this hobby But one of the disappointing things to me is that D&D 3.5 compared to say 5.5e now is there's still a lot of things I prefer in 3.5 And as I've learned about basic and advanced D&D there's a lot of things I prefer even in those games So if you're not getting what you really want out of Dungeons Dragons this is kind of the direction I wanna take things I still love D&D This channel isn't gonna become about roasting D&D or even necessarily going to a ton of other TTRPGs and reviewing them And I mean there's a million other games out there you can try and a lot of them are great Pathfinder Daggerheart I've reviewed a [00:02:00] lot of them on the Eternity website But what I wanna do is present some of the ideas that myself as a game designer I've come up with over the last Well I I've probably been designing or editing games since I was about six Uh I think I was 12 when I first made a map where people could play through and you know actually engage in a a full-fledged game that I made So Let's say twenty-four years of game design experience for myself I'm a at this point a hobbyist so I'm not a professional I've never worked for Wizards of the Coast or any other publishing company I have published my own TTRPG and I'll be sharing that more in the future But all of that aside I wanna start talking about in this channel still some of the news things that are coming out but I wanna share it from the framework of here's maybe how you can take this and make it better There's a lot of elements in [00:03:00] D&D that I wanna be talking about that I think are cool but we could make a lot better So some of those topics number one being initiative I think initiative is very uninspired There's nothing wrong with it right Like the initiative system for D&D gives you everything you need to play a combat encounter It's very simple You roll a d20 you add your modifiers If you have like the alert feat in 5E Then you get to go faster and going faster typically means that you're gonna get like one extra turn than a lot of your other friends at the table or enemies that you're facing Because say you're you're seven rounds in you're taking your seventh turn they've only had six but then all the enemies are dead um that's kind of the the value of initiative right Like so going first does matter but it's not that exciting is it Like you just roll you add your bonus and then you're locked in like a static initiative for the rest of the battle [00:04:00] And these kind of issues with D&D lead to very stagnant situations where people take their turn and then they pull out their phone and they know that it doesn't really matter if they're engaged at the table because for the next five ten fifteen minutes going around the table for everybody to take their turn depending on how well the dungeon master runs a combat encounter they could have literally nothing to do especially if they don't have any reactions so forth So you kinda see this with initiative number one You see this w even with basic things like hit chance and these kinda tie in a lot because players will roll saves when it's not their turn and it gives them sort of something to do at least But with AC it's just a static value it's a situation where the dungeon master may not even need the player because a lot of DMs they write down their player's AC Before the battle even starts So they know when they're rolling behind their uh little table or you know whatever however they [00:05:00] use it maybe as a DM you're just rolling out in the open so anybody can see the D20 Other people hide that number but if they roll a five and the monster's got a plus ten or whatever they just know that they hit somebody who has a fourteen or lower right So they don't even really need the player You just Dungeon Master rolls you take X amount of damage and then all the player has to do is record that on their character sheet then they can get back to their iPhone right Like that's lame There's a lot of situations like this that could be improved I also think it's really interesting looking at old school D&D and other [00:06:00] channels talk about this kind of thing a lot and I think it's something that we could bring back to modern D&D with very good results would be things like the dungeon turn or random assigning of how enemies or NPCs feel towards the party I don't think that the critical role way of playing D&D the the theatrical way of playing D&D is necessarily the best way of playing D&D And I don't have anything against that I really like narrative gameplay A lot of the dungeons um a lot of the campaigns that I have dungeon mastered for have been fairly narratively driven And I really like I I've never written a novel but I like writing the the campaign style novels and then being free to adjust that as my players make decisions But I also think it it isn't necessarily the best way sometimes I've [00:07:00] been very inspired as a dungeon master and I've come up with great narrative plots that my players are super into and it makes for an amazing twenty-five to thirty-five session campaign over the course of a year year and a half that people love and we still talk about And there's been a lot of times as well where I'm not very inspired but I'm still trying to rely on those kind of plot points that older styles of D&D don't make you use because they generate a lot of that for you Emergent storytelling is the term I'm looking for where you don't necessarily know what plot is going to come out of the story but sometimes that's much better because at those moments in my own campaign creating where I haven't been the most inspired those campaigns can die really easily Those are the campaigns that last anywhere from two to seven sessions and just like you often hear about most campaigns die after seven sessions Those are the ones that don't make it [00:08:00] So I think that there are a lot of great older ideas that for some reason the newer versions of Dungeons Dragons didn't bring forward I also think that D&D being a fairly old game and don't get me wrong I love older games I play them all the time but it's surprising the lack of innovation I think that has been in the industry over the past What I mean when did D&D come out I Is it I can't think off the top of my head Is it forty fifty years I'm surprised there isn't better stuff Um and don't get me wrong I I love the other games too I love Pathfinder I love Daggerheart I think they're all cool but I think we can do better And so I'm not necessarily saying I have all the ideas for what could make it better but over my twenty years of designing games twenty plus I've come up with some very simple ideas that I wanna share with you and I think that when you try them out for yourself give me some feedback let me know what you think um I think together we can come up with something that is [00:09:00] substantially better And so that's my goal Everything from the mechanics of initiative in combat to the way campaigns develop narratively to player agency to things like allowing dungeon masters to also play characters in their own campaigns within limited scopes perhaps sharing the roles of dungeon master I think there's a lot of things that we could do to actually truly advance the TTRPG hobby genre beyond what we've seen so far So that's the direction that I plan to take with the channel moving forward I'm looking forward to some of these first videos We're gonna talk about the initiative system We're gonna talk about the hit chance system and I can't wait to get your feedback on it But hopefully this is a turn for me away from just new style stuff and towards stuff that you can use in your campaigns [00:10:00] like tomorrow And I hope that you enjoy it and I hope to hear from you on topics that you want to see improved in your own D&D games And again I think together we can come up with some truly amazing improvements So until next time talk to you then.