Spout Lore

Summary

Spout Lore is a Dungeon World move that allows characters to recall useful information or knowledge about the world by drawing on their intellect and accumulated learning. The move is executed by rolling 2D6 and adding the character's intelligence modifier. The outcome determines the quality and usefulness of the information recalled: a result of 10 or higher yields immediately useful knowledge, while a 7-9 produces something interesting but not directly applicable to the current situation, and a 6 or lower typically means the character recalls nothing helpful or the GM introduces a complication.

The podcast name "Spoutlore" is commonly mispronounced as "Sprout Lore." During Session 7, Abdul identifies this as "the thing that is the least problematic about what people confuse about the podcast," noting that "Most people call it Sprout Lore, which is a real problem." The confusion is compounded by the existence of an actual website called "Sprout Lore" featuring works by author Robert Rankin, which Shawn describes as looking "like it's from 1991."

Details

The Spout Lore move operates on a standard Dungeon World resolution mechanic: players roll two six-sided dice and add their intelligence modifier to determine success. The three-tier outcome structure (10+, 7-9, 6-) creates varying degrees of narrative success and allows the GM to provide information calibrated to the roll's quality.

When a character uses Spout Lore, they are not investigating or examining something in the moment, but rather searching their memory and education for relevant knowledge they might already possess. The move allows players to ask questions about the world and receive answers based on what their character would reasonably know given their background and experiences.

The distinction between "interesting but not useful" (7-9) and fully useful information (10+) creates meaningful gameplay choices. Information gained on a 7-9 result might establish flavor, context, or background without immediately solving the problem at hand, while a 10+ result typically provides actionable intelligence that characters can use to make informed decisions.

The move encourages collaborative storytelling by creating opportunities for other characters to contribute. A partial success doesn't mean failure—it means the information comes with strings attached or creates openings for other characters to step in. In Session 9, Abdul asked, "Can someone aid me?" after a partial result, demonstrating how the 7-9 outcome can distribute narrative authority and encourage character interaction beyond the original roll.

Shawn observes that "every time I try and Google spelt lore" many people "use the term spout lore to just mean talk about the lore of a fictional thing," indicating that the term has become somewhat generic in online discourse about fictional universes, further complicating efforts to search for the actual podcast.

History

Session 2

During the investigation of a hidden locker, Safiya attempted to use the Spout Lore move to determine what she might know about items discovered within. When examining a Butterfly Brooch among the hidden possessions, Safiya's player asked if they could use the move, initially referring to it as "spotlower." The GM confirmed this would be resolved via a Spout Lore roll.

Safiya rolled an 8 after adding her intelligence modifier, which the GM interpreted as "something interesting but not useful." The information revealed was that the butterfly brooch appeared similar to Spellwright work from her civilization of origin, though its actual provenance remained unclear. This established a connection to Safiya's background without immediately solving the mystery of the locker's contents or the identity of Aunt Nancy.

Session 3

Spout Lore appears twice during Session 3, demonstrating both successful and unsuccessful applications of the move. The first attempt occurs when Abdul witnesses Safia's shapeshifting transformation and asks, "Can I spout lore about shapeshifting at all?" Shawn confirms the attempt is allowed but redirects the information to Erin rather than answering directly. Abdul rolls a 4, a clear failure, leaving the character without useful information about what was witnessed.

The second use proves more successful when Safia employs Spout Lore to examine the properties of the Dog Mask, rolling a 12. This strong success allows Safia to correctly identify the mask's technological properties, providing the party with accurate and actionable information about the artifact. These two instances illustrate the range of outcomes possible with Spout Lore: from complete failure that leaves a character ignorant, to exceptional success that reveals crucial details about mysterious objects.

Session 4

When Brad, playing Sucks, wanted to recall information about alchemical disasters, Shawn confirmed that spout lore was the appropriate move for the situation. Brad rolled a 6 on 2d6 plus Sucks's intelligence modifier. Shawn then reminded Brad about the +1 bonus available from Safia's prepared meal, bringing the total to 7—a partial success.

On this 7-9 result, Sucks recalled a story about a place near where the character grew up. The tale concerned an alchemist in Whistler who had been experimenting with creating more efficient fuel using alchemical principles and collected materials. The alchemist's experiments resulted in burning down the town—a cautionary tale that paralleled the current situation with the freezing phenomenon, though the information proved more interesting than immediately actionable.

During this exchange, Shawn also explained the mechanics of the Bag of Books, clarifying that it costs 10 coins, provides five uses, and grants a +1 bonus to spout lore rolls. Shawn detailed how the bag works mechanically: characters root around in the bag, mark off a use, and pull out an appropriate book. As an alternative, players could choose to expend one of the bag's charges instead of rolling spout lore, though the exact mechanical benefit of doing so was not specified in this session.

Session 5

The Spout Lore move appears twice during Session 5, demonstrating both possible success outcomes. Abdul asks if Sucks can "roll a spelt lore" to determine the nutritional properties of Goober's food production. The GM confirms this is the appropriate move for the question. Abdul's roll of 10 grants Sucks complete knowledge about Goober's capabilities, establishing that [everything Goober produces is edible, consumable, and digestible](timestamp://1c9b2d60-4a63-4d53-98da-8e8c8faf90ef/12:30), though feeding it rocks makes the output taste terrible.

Later in the session, Safia encounters a Gordian and gets splattered with its goo. The player wonders if Safia can use knowledge to identify the creature, asking "if she comes in contact with it, if she can somehow, like, you know, search her AI what the heck this is." The GM instructs the player to "roll a spelt lore b6 intelligence." The result of 8 is a partial success. The GM responds with "something interesting but not useful," explaining that Safia has never seen one of these creatures before but has heard of them. [Safia learns what Gordians are, how they live, and their predatory behavior](timestamp://1c9b2d60-4a63-4d53-98da-8e8c8faf90ef/45:18), but not tactical information that would immediately help in the ongoing fight.

Session 7

The topic of the podcast name mispronunciation arose during a discussion about common misconceptions. Abdul brought up how frequently people mispronounce "Spoutlore" as "Sprout Lore," characterizing it as a widespread issue. This led Dayna to wonder what would actually appear if someone searched for "Sprout Lore," prompting an investigation.

The group discovered the Robert Rankin website using that exact name, with Dayna announcing the find. Shawn examined the site and commented on its antiquated design aesthetic, comparing it to "a website that like is secretly serial killer's manifesto." The conversation also revealed that the term "spout lore" has been adopted by various internet users as generic shorthand for discussing fictional world-building.

Session 9

During the search of Yassandra's shed, the move appears in a modified form when the GM calls for a roll to determine what useful items the party can locate. Rather than the standard Intelligence-based spout lore, the GM asks players to roll "2d6 plus wisdom," adapting the core mechanic to fit the specific context of scavenging and recognizing valuable equipment. This demonstrates a common practice in Powered by the Apocalypse games where the basic move structure can be flexibly applied to different fictional circumstances while maintaining the same resolution mechanics.

One player rolls and gets a result of five, missing the 7+ threshold needed for success, meaning they find nothing of particular use in their search. Despite this individual setback, the party ultimately discovers several items in the shed, including an ever-living branch and mysterious potions.

Later, Sucks Benedict uses Spout Lore when confronted with the Ever-Living Branch and its interaction with transformative goo. Abdul asks, "Can I put more goo in there? See if that works," and is told to "Roll a Spout Lore." Rolling 2d6 and adding Sucks Benedict's +3 Intelligence, Abdul gets a 9—a partial success.

Before receiving the information, Abdul asks, "Can someone aid me?" The GM responds to the partial success by directing information toward Vasso: "Something about this branch, now that you see sort of what it's doing seems familiar." This creates an opportunity for Vasso to contribute knowledge from their own experience, demonstrating how the 7-9 result can distribute narrative authority and encourage character interaction beyond the original roll.