Ironsworn Actual Play

[hawkeyefan]

So two members of my longtime gaming group needed a game for our Monday night session via Discord when another game was placed on hold. We decided that it might be interesting to play Ironsworn with no GM. The game is designed to be played with a GM, or solo with no GM, or cooperative with no GM. It provides a collection of tables to help shape events in play… these are collectively known as The Oracle.

It was suggested to me by @pemerton that an actual play thread might prove interesting, so I figured I’d give it a try. We weren’t sure how long we’d stick with it… there was some concern that while it might be entertaining, the novelty of playing with no GM might wear off. We’re now five sessions into play, and everyone’s enjoying it enough that we’ve no plan to stop.

Before I get into it, I should mention that the game in its entirety can be had for free as a digital download at this link:

Ironsworn

So what I’ll do in this first post is go over some very basics of play and procedures, then next post I’ll go over our session zero and characters.

Ironsworn’s system is a take on Powered by the Apocalypse. It has moves for players to make, and the results of those moves dictate the outcome of the action. There are three tiers of results: a Strong Hit (full success), a Weak Hit (success with complication, or a mixed result), and a Miss (failure). Anyone familiar with PbtA games will immediately recognize this.

Where Ironsworn is different is in the roll itself. Instead of 2d6+stat versus a static target number, in Ironsworn the player rolls a d6+stat and then compares that result against two d10 Opposition Dice that they roll at the same time. If the total of the d6+stat exceeds both Opposition Dice, you have a strong hit. If it exceeds only one Opposition Die, you have a Weak Hit. If it fails to exceed either, you have a Miss.

Any player declared action where the outcome is in doubt and something is at risk is some type of Move. The game has a few different types of Moves: Adventure, Relationship, Combat, Suffer, Quest, and Fate Moves. The kind of catch-all Mo e to use if unsure what Move applies is the Face Danger Move, which can be used along with any Stat, depending on the circumstances.

There are five primary Stats, ranging in value from 1 to 3, which is the value added to any Action Roll. They are:
Edge: Quickness, agility, and prowess in ranged combat.
Heart: Courage, willpower, empathy, sociability, and loyalty.
Iron: Physical strength, endurance, aggressiveness, and prowess in close combat.
Shadow: Sneakiness, deceptiveness, and cunning.
Wits: Expertise, knowledge, and observation.

In addition to these Stats, each character has three additional values, ranging from 0 to +5. They are:
Health: a measurement of your physical state and how harmed you are.
Spirit: a measurement of your mental state and how stressed you are.
Supply: this is an abstraction of your preparedness, and covers your gear beyond specific items you may have listed.

These values will go down as PCs are hurt or stressed or use up supplies, and can go up when healed or calmed or resupplied. In addition to these values, there are also Debilities that can be marked. These are typically marked once Health, Spirit, or Supply are depleted, but they can also be marked as the result of a move. For instance, Wounded is a debility that gets marked when you hit 0 Health or as a consequence of a failed Action Roll. When Wounded, you cannot gain back Health… so it’s important to resolve the Wounded debility first.

Beyond this, characters have no class or playbook. What they have instead are Assets. Each PC begins play with two Assets, which further define their character. There are four types of Assets: Companions, Paths, Combat Talents, and Rituals. I’ll provide examples when I make my next post about session zero and the characters we created.

Finally, each PC has Momentum. This is a special mechanic that ranges in value from -6 to +10. It represents your overall momentum and success (or lack thereof). When you have positive Momentum, things are generally going your way. When you have negative Momentum, things are going poorly. You can gain and lose Momentum as a result from certain moves. You can also spend Momentum to trigger use of certain Assets. And finally, if your Health or Spirit are depleted to 0, your Momentum then serves as a backup pool. If you are out of Momentum and then go down to 0 Health or 0 Spirit… well, you’re in some serious trouble.

As you build Momentum, you can spend it to remove any opposition dive of lesser value. So you can spend your Momentum of 8 to erase an opposition die of 7 or lower, for example. This allows a player to turn a Miss into a Weak Hit or maybe even a Strong Hit, or a Weak Hit into a Strong Hit. Once spent in this way, Momentum then resets to 2, by default. When you have negative Momentum, the negative value gets subtracted from your d6 roll… making success very difficult.

So those are the basics. In my next post, I’ll get into the session zero process and the world we crafted and the PCs we made.

 

[pemerton]

The multiple layers of resilience reminds me a bit of Agon 2e. Though the Ironsworn systems is more intricate, I think.

I haven't tried to calculate the probabilities of the resolution system. But just yesterday I was reading this from Vincent Baker, about different ways of setting up a PbtA probability spread (and its interesting to see him gently critique the fetishisation of AW's own 2d6+stat approach): Powered by the Apocalypse, part 11: Dice – lumpley games

 

[Autumnal]

Looking forward to reading about your experience. My Ironsworn play is also, and I’m curious about multi-player dynamics.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Looking forward to reading about your experience. My Ironsworn play is also, and I’m curious about multi-player dynamics.

My schedule over the past several days got busier than expected and then the storm didn’t do anything to help! I’m looking to have my session zero post up later today.

Thanks for the interest. I’m glad others will have experiences and insights to share.

 

[Micah Sweet]

So two members of my longtime gaming group needed a game for our Monday night session via Discord when another game was placed on hold. We decided that it might be interesting to play Ironsworn with no GM. The game is designed to be played with a GM, or solo with no GM, or cooperative with no GM. It provides a collection of tables to help shape events in play… these are collectively known as The Oracle.

It was suggested to me by @pemerton that an actual play thread might prove interesting, so I figured I’d give it a try. We weren’t sure how long we’d stick with it… there was some concern that while it might be entertaining, the novelty of playing with no GM might wear off. We’re now five sessions into play, and everyone’s enjoying it enough that we’ve no plan to stop.

Before I get into it, I should mention that the game in its entirety can be had for free as a digital download at this link:

Ironsworn

So what I’ll do in this first post is go over some very basics of play and procedures, then next post I’ll go over our session zero and characters.

Ironsworn’s system is a take on Powered by the Apocalypse. It has moves for players to make, and the results of those moves dictate the outcome of the action. There are three tiers of results: a Strong Hit (full success), a Weak Hit (success with complication, or a mixed result), and a Miss (failure). Anyone familiar with PbtA games will immediately recognize this.

Where Ironsworn is different is in the roll itself. Instead of 2d6+stat versus a static target number, in Ironsworn the player rolls a d6+stat and then compares that result against two d10 Opposition Dice that they roll at the same time. If the total of the d6+stat exceeds both Opposition Dice, you have a strong hit. If it exceeds only one Opposition Die, you have a Weak Hit. If it fails to exceed either, you have a Miss.

Any player declared action where the outcome is in doubt and something is at risk is some type of Move. The game has a few different types of Moves: Adventure, Relationship, Combat, Suffer, Quest, and Fate Moves. The kind of catch-all Mo e to use if unsure what Move applies is the Face Danger Move, which can be used along with any Stat, depending on the circumstances.

There are five primary Stats, ranging in value from 1 to 3, which is the value added to any Action Roll. They are:
Edge: Quickness, agility, and prowess in ranged combat.
Heart: Courage, willpower, empathy, sociability, and loyalty.
Iron: Physical strength, endurance, aggressiveness, and prowess in close combat.
Shadow: Sneakiness, deceptiveness, and cunning.
Wits: Expertise, knowledge, and observation.

In addition to these Stats, each character has three additional values, ranging from 0 to +5. They are:
Health: a measurement of your physical state and how harmed you are.
Spirit: a measurement of your mental state and how stressed you are.
Supply: this is an abstraction of your preparedness, and covers your gear beyond specific items you may have listed.

These values will go down as PCs are hurt or stressed or use up supplies, and can go up when healed or calmed or resupplied. In addition to these values, there are also Debilities that can be marked. These are typically marked once Health, Spirit, or Supply are depleted, but they can also be marked as the result of a move. For instance, Wounded is a debility that gets marked when you hit 0 Health or as a consequence of a failed Action Roll. When Wounded, you cannot gain back Health… so it’s important to resolve the Wounded debility first.

Beyond this, characters have no class or playbook. What they have instead are Assets. Each PC begins play with two Assets, which further define their character. There are four types of Assets: Companions, Paths, Combat Talents, and Rituals. I’ll provide examples when I make my next post about session zero and the characters we created.

Finally, each PC has Momentum. This is a special mechanic that ranges in value from -6 to +10. It represents your overall momentum and success (or lack thereof). When you have positive Momentum, things are generally going your way. When you have negative Momentum, things are going poorly. You can gain and lose Momentum as a result from certain moves. You can also spend Momentum to trigger use of certain Assets. And finally, if your Health or Spirit are depleted to 0, your Momentum then serves as a backup pool. If you are out of Momentum and then go down to 0 Health or 0 Spirit… well, you’re in some serious trouble.

As you build Momentum, you can spend it to remove any opposition dive of lesser value. So you can spend your Momentum of 8 to erase an opposition die of 7 or lower, for example. This allows a player to turn a Miss into a Weak Hit or maybe even a Strong Hit, or a Weak Hit into a Strong Hit. Once spent in this way, Momentum then resets to 2, by default. When you have negative Momentum, the negative value gets subtracted from your d6 roll… making success very difficult.

So those are the basics. In my next post, I’ll get into the session zero process and the world we crafted and the PCs we made.

Thanks for the rundown. I just finished a short run of MotW and find it fun as a player, even if I know I wouldn't as a GM or for a long term play. I'll check out Ironsworn. No worry about trying to run the game there!

 

[definiteFreakyFishGuy]

This is a great write up! I was thinking about starting an Ironsworn+ thread at some point. I haven't because I wanted to try playing Sundered Isles before doing a write up.

I'm so excited to see this brought up here.

I just want to add a few things.

Beyond this, characters have no class or playbook. What they have instead are Assets. Each PC begins play with two Assets, which further define their character.

I would like to add that assets are not meant to be permanent. They can be removed or destroyed as the story progresses to describe the evolution of your character. They can also be upgraded with experience.

Where Ironsworn is different is in the roll itself. Instead of 2d6+stat versus a static target number, in Ironsworn the player rolls a d6+stat and then compares that result against two d10 Opposition Dice that they roll at the same time. If the total of the d6+stat exceeds both Opposition Dice, you have a strong hit. If it exceeds only one Opposition Die, you have a Weak Hit. If it fails to exceed either, you have a Miss.

I would also add that when the two d10s match, you can add a twist (if you can think of one) or some moves have an extra thing for it.

I actually like to think of Ironsworn mechanics as a 2d10-dice-pool roll-under with variable thresholds, where the threshold is set by

1. the value of (d6 + mod + adds) for quick checks
2. a progress bar (which can be as high as 10) for long challenges
3. for Ironsworn Starforged, momentumit replaces (d6 + mod + adds) instead of erasing one of the d10s, so acts just like a roll-under-threshold.

Unrelated, there are some interesting parallels with daggerheart, also very different:

1. Cards, but used very differently
2. When the 2d10 match there is a twist (kind of like a crit, but not quite)
3. In the Sundered Isle, each of the d10s represent a different moon, Cinder and Wrath, and the higher of the two adds to the narrative (totally optional)
4. Momentum is kind of like hope / fear, but not really

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack. I'm just so excited that this game is starting to... gain momentum.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack. I'm just so excited that this game is starting to... gain momentum.

No worries at all! Please fee free to comment. Thanks for bringing up the Twists on doubles on the Obstacle Dice. That definitely belongs in that first thread. I’ll add an edit to mention it.

For the Assets, I plan on getting into them more in my Session Zero post. Should be up soon.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Session Zero
Okay, so... Session Zero. We pretty much have two jobs to do here. Detail the world and then create our characters. The book suggests creating characters first but points out that these things largely go hand in hand... my group found it easier to kind of detail the world a bit and think of our characters as we did so. I'm going to go over the setting first but just wanted to point out that there was some overlap here.

The World

There's a default setting presented in the book... the Ironlands. It's a peninsula divided into 9 different regions per the map above. As presented, it's a pretty harsh land. There's a very viking or at least Nordic kind of feel to everything. The book suggests that you go through a series of 11 categories and pick a Truth about the world from a handful presented. You can alternatively make up your own. This is all meant to be inspirational more than restrictive. And you can revise or change them as needed during this process. I'll list the 11 categories and share the Truths we selected for each one. We actually selected more than one truth for the Legacies category.

The Old World

• The savage clans called the Skulde invaded the kingdoms of the Old World. Our armies fell. Most were killed or taken into slavery. Those who escaped set sail aboard anything that would float. After an arduous months-long voyage, the survivors made landfall upon the Ironlands.

Iron

• Inscrutable metal pillars are found throughout the land. They are iron gray, and smooth as river stone. No one knows their purpose. Some say they are as old as the world. Some, such as the Iron Priests, worship them and swear vows upon them. Most make the warding sign and hurry along their way when they happen across one. The pillars do not tarnish, and even the sharpest blade cannot mark them.

Legacies

• Before the Ironlanders, before even the firstborn, another people lived here. Their ancient ruins are found throughout the Ironlands.
• her humans sailed here from the Old World untold years ago, but all that is left of them is a savage, feral people we call the broken. Is their fate to become our own?

Communities

• We live in communities called Circles. These are settlements ranging in size from a steading with a few families to a village of several hundred. Some Circles belong to nomadic folk. Some powerful Circles might include a cluster of settlements. We trade (and sometimes feud) with other Circles.

Leaders

• Leadership is as varied as the people. Some communities are governed by the head of a powerful family. Or, they have acouncil of elders who make decisions and settle disputes. In others, the priests hold sway. For some, it is duels in the circlethat decide.

Defense

• The wardens are our soldiers, guards, and militia. They serve their communities by standing sentry, patrolling surrounding lands, and organizing defenses in times of crisis. Most have strong ties to their community. Others, called Free Wardens, are wandering soldiers who seek to assist communities and resolve disputes among them.

Mysticism

• Magic courses through this land as the rivers flow through the hills. The power is there for those who choose to harness it, and even the common folk often know a helpful ritual or two.

Religion

• Our gods are many. They make themselves known through manifestations and miracles. Some say they even secretly walk among us. The priests convey the will of the gods and hold sway over many communities.

Firstborn

• The firstborn have passed into legend. Some say the remnants of the old tribes still dwell in deep forests or high mountains. Most believe they were never anything more than myth.

Beasts

• Beasts of all sorts roam the Ironlands. They dwell primarily in the reaches, but range into the settled lands to hunt. There, they often prey on cattle, but attacks on travelers, caravans, or even settlements are not uncommon.

Horrors

• We are wary of dark forests and deep waterways, for monsters lurk in those places. In the depths of the long-night, when all is wreathed in darkness, only fools venture beyond their homes.

So having selected these truths, we get an idea of the land and its inhabitants, and the culture of the people. There's a loose idea of what society is like... though it would seem to vary from Circle to Circle. There are Wardens and Iron Priests and Free Wardens. I underlined that bit because we changed it from the book a bit. In the book it suggests that Free Wardens are mercenaries who work for coin. We liked the idea of a loose order of protectors that roam the lands from Circle to Circle to resolve disputes and hunts beasts and so on. We decided to go with that as the element that brings our PCs together.

The Characters
Character creation is relatively simple. You pick or create a name and then assign the five stats a score (3, 2, 2, 1, 1 are what you get and you can place them in any stat you like). Each character begins with 5 Health, 5 Spirit, and 5 Supply. One thing to note about Supply is that it is a shared stat. When one character makes a Move that results in a gain or loss of Supply, all characters should adjust Supply accordingly. Each character starts at 2 Momentum, which is also their Reset value, with 10 as the Max Momentum.

Without classes or some similar form of niche protection, we were a bit concerned that the characters would potentially be too similar. And while I'm sure that could happen a bit in some game, it didn't wind up being an actual concern in ours. Each character starts with three Assets, of which there are five types: Companions, Paths, Combat Talents, and Rituals. The book suggests to not let characters have the same asset, which will help keep them distinct. We wound up with three pretty distinct individuals.

Most Assets have three abilities on offer, but the character only gets one when he first selects the Asset. Sometimes, the first ability is dictated by the Asset, other times the player may choose; it varies from Asset to Asset. The additional abilities may be selected as part of character advancement. New Assets can also be selected as an advance. Selecting an ability of an Asset already owned costs 2 XP, while adding an entirely new Asset costs 3 XP.

The players are then to select up to three Bonds based on their background. These are connections or relationships that already exist and which may then inform play going forward. New Bonds can also be made during play.

Finally, each character is meant to have two starting Iron Vows. These are goals of the character and they help determine when you will gain advances and earn XP. Vows can be fulfilled or forsaken during play, and there is a mover for each of those. Those made during play also have a move to Swear an Iron Vow. The two you start play with are simply chosen, and no move or roll is needed. One starting Iron Vow is meant to be a long term goal, and the second is meant to be more immediate.

One final note: there is a common ranking system for Vows, Dangers, Journeys, etc. These determine how dangerous a quest will be or how deadly an enemy and so on. The rankings from lowest to highest are:

• Troublesome
• Dangerous
• Formidable
• Extreme
• Epic

We openly hashed out ideas for the characters. Because GMless play was something new to us as a group, we decided to come up with a solid reason for our characters to be together and to wander about. We settled on the Free Warden idea that was mentioned in the Truths. We tweaked it a bit to make it less mercenary. Here are the characters below.

---------------------------------------------------------
Haf
The default leader of the group, he tends to face challenges head on and values boldness over planning. He's an established warrior and the oldest of the three, probably about 40 or so.

Bonds- Highmount (his home village in the Tempest Hills); Tegan (his first love who he left behind to be a Free Warden); the Free Wardens (his companions in the order)

Vows- To find and, if possible, to slay the Night Weaver - Epic (I have no idea what this really means or what the Night Weaver is, it was just a thought that occurred to me and I wrote it down as his long-term Vow); to return to the Tempest Hills and investigate rumors of the Broken Ones coming over the Veiled Mountains- Dangerous.

Assets- below is the name and the selected ability for each of his assets.

• Sunderer (Combat Talent)- When you Strike or Clash in close quarters, you may suffer -1 momentum and inflict +1 harm on a hit (decide before rolling).
• Veteran (Path)- When you burn momentum to improve your result in combat, envision how your hard-won fighting experience gives you the upper hand. Then, take +1 momentum after you reset, and add +1 when you make your next move. Once per fight, you also take initiative when burning momentum to improve a miss to a weak hit.
• Wayfinder (Path)- When you Undertake a Journey, take +1 momentum on a strong hit. If you burn momentum to improve your result, also take +1 momentum after you reset.

Rudiger
Young and untested squire of Haf, he is gifted with a mystical sword that was passed down to him by his father. The spirits of his ancestors speak to him through the sword. It is both a blessing and a curse. He is young and a bit naive in the ways of the world, but has a lot of heart and is idealistic.

Bonds- Free Wardens (his companions in the order); Cousin (not yet defined or located, but he has a cousin that is his only living relative)

Vows- To resolve the conflict that has arisen between the town of Whitefall and the loggers at Camp Grimtree (Dangerous); I can change the world (this one is unclear and was chosen as a place holder- the player is going to revise it to make it more actionable and then will assign a rank- it's meant to invoke his youthful idealism).

Assets- below is the name and the selected ability for each of his assets.

• Blade Bound (Path)- When you Gather Information by listening to the whispers of your kin-blade, add +1 and take +2 momentum on a hit. Then, Endure Stress (2 stress).
• Honor Bound (Path)- When you Turn the Tide, envision how your vows give you strength in this moment. Then, when you make your move, add +2 (instead of +1) and take +1 momentum on a hit.
• Shield Bearer (Combat Talent)- When you Face Danger using your shield as cover, add +1. When you Clash in close quarters, take +1 momentum on a strong hit.

Lief
A solitary woodsman, he is new to the group as the most recently assigned Free Warden. He was assigned to the group to assist them with their first mission: to resolve the conflict between Whitefall and Grimtree. He has hunted the outskirts of the Deep Wilds, which is where the two Circles are located. He's an accomplished hunter and archer.

Bonds- not yet established- player was unsure what to choose and so left his bonds open to establish as inspiration struck, or as play indicated

Vows- To resolve the conflict between Whitefall and Grimtree (Dangerous- he thought it was a good idea to share the vow of Rudiger's player); no long term Vow yet selected- this player is a SLACKER!!!!

Assets- below is the name and the selected ability for each of his assets.

• Archer (Combat Talent)- When you Secure an Advantage by taking a moment to aim, choose your approach and add +1.• Trust your instincts: Roll +wits, and take +2 momentum on a strong hit. • Line up your shot: Roll +edge, and take +1 momentum on a hit.
• Fletcher (Combat Talent)- When you Secure an Advantage by crafting arrows of fine quality, add +1. Then, take +1 supply or +1 momentum on a hit.
• Herbalist (Path)- When you attempt to Heal using herbal remedies, and you have at least +1 supply, choose one (decide before rolling).• Add +2.• On a hit, take or give an additional +1 health.

-------------------------------------------------------

So there are our characters. A grizzled vet, his young optimistic "squire", and the mysterious archer (mostly mysterious because the player can't be arsed to provide details).

We decided to simply begin by saying we'd met up near the village of Whitefall, on the outskirts of the Deep Wilds. The village gets its name from a nearby waterfall, which then meanders on into the Deep Wilds. Camp Grimtree is a newly established logging camp, and they're upriver from the village. The two communities have recently come into conflict, so we're headed there to investigate and resolve the matter. I'll get into the details in my next post on Session One, where I'll try and get into not just the events of play, but also how the mechanics work.

 

[Toe Knee Nose]

I am very interested in this game. I have played it solo a few times and wonder how well you like playing it as a group. One thing I had to learn very quickly is that you don't actually roll results most of the time. You just narrate the most logical result. You fight the monster (or whatever) score a MIss, don't roll an Oracle to give a result. You failed. You get bitten by the monster. I had to learn pretty early on that you only really roll Oracle results when you don't know (or need some inspiration) what the result should be.

It was a really big hurdle for me to wrap my brain around.