Helena Real speaks candidly about Dungeon World 2

CW: sexual assault.

When Dungeon World was first released in 2012 (or 2013, for print), it was a runaway success. It became an indie classic – particularly praised for popularizing the PbtA play style among those who were primarily exposed to D&D. Because its audience extended across multiple demographics and play cultures, it remained relevant for years even as the sheen of novelty faded. But now, the game is associated with a different kind of narrative.

In March 2020, co-designer Adam Koebel had one of his NPCs sexually assault a player’s character on a stream. In the face of backlash from the audience, his players, and the wider community, he would eventually apologise. Later, two of his ex-partners made statements about previous abusive behavior (archival versions seem to be unavailable at this time). 

In March 2021, Luke Crane, the designer of Burning Wheel, launched a campaign for a zine that featured Koebel as a contributor. Other contributors were blindsided by the inclusion and Crane was accused of trying to launder Koebel’s reputation. Crane apologized and the campaign was cancelled. He also resigned from his position at Kickstarter, where he had been Head of Games and later Head of Community. 

In late 2024, Crane announced that he and John Dimatos, a former colleague at Kickstarter, had purchased the rights to Dungeon World from Koebel and Sage LaTorra (who had already washed his hands of the project). Crane and Dimatos said they were planning to make Dungeon World 2, a sequel to the original game. While they were publishers, the game would be designed by Spencer Moore and Helena Real. Both Moore and Real had published games inspired by Dungeon World – Moore’s Chasing Adventure and Real’s Against the Odds.

Dungeon World remains a game with an active community. The news of a sequel made a splash but as the team has released previews, the response from the community has been mixed with many proposed changes receiving strong criticism.

Rascal reached out to Chilean designer, Helena Real, for an interview about the past and future of the game plus her experience as one of the few trans designers from the Global South to lead a major RPG project.