hawkeyefan
Legend
Okay... so we're a few sessions in now, and the game has been very enjoyable. We've muddled through the rules a bit at times out of the interest of keeping things moving, but for the most part, I think we're largely doing what we're supposed to. Play has been engaging and surprising, which is interesting. My concern was that it would be too predictable or too much like writing a story... but that isn't how it feels at all.
Session One
So our characters have gathered outside the town of Whitefall, a small community of hunters and fishers who ply the Deep Wilds and the river that gives the town its name. We know that the town has come into conflict with another circle nearby, the logging camp called Grimtree, but we haven't yet detailed the conflict. The names were generated by the Oracle tables the book provides. The names alone gave us a sense of each of the two places... Whitefall being a town near a waterfall, and Grimtree as a logging camp. But what's the nature of the conflict?
We went to the Oracle again, rolling on the Settlement Trouble table. We rolled "Someone is missing". The three of us then talked out how that would take shape in the fiction. Since Whitefall is a community of hunters and fishermen, we decided that a group of fishers vanished near the river. How did this cause conflict with the logging camp? Well, we decided it made sense that the simple folk of Whitefall look at the rough and tumble loggers of Grimtree as being a bit untamed. The camp is mostly men and they have a dangerous job and sometimes they come to Whitefall and they cut loose... and it's a little more than the town is used to. So many point to the loggers as the reason for the disappearance.
Others say that something from the woods has taken the fishers. That there are strange things in the Deep Wilds, and they only get stranger the deeper you go. Whitefall has never really had encounters with any such thing before, though, and those ideas are just stories told by the superstitious. So we went with a more mundane explanation as the most likely, but kept the possibility of some supernatural shenanigans on the table.
Our first step was to head into Whitefall and talk to the townsfolk there. We generated a community leader, an Elder named Farina. We rolled for two traits on the Character Descriptor Oracle and once on the Character Goal Oracle and we got: Strong, Friendly; and Defend a Place. We took these to mean that Farina is just looking out for his community. We decided he wants to find out what happened and keep it from happening again. He's concerned that it may have been the loggers, but not convinced it is. He won't shy away from a conflict if necessary, but would rather resolve things peacefully if possible. He's glad that the Freewardens are here to assist, and is cooperative.
Our next step was to make a move of some sort. The game relies heavily on moves to keep things moving and to help generate the fiction. Honestly, the Oracle rolls and the moves are what makes this game feel a lot less like coop storytelling than it could. We absolutely collaborate and discuss things as a group, but it's almost always in response to a dice roll prompting us to do so.
We decided the obvious choice here was the Gather Information move:
GATHER INFORMATION
When you search an area, ask questions, conduct an investigation, or follow a track, roll +wits. If you act within a community or ask questions of a person with whom you share a bond, add +1.
So Rudiger rolled a Weak Hit, which means that the information he gets complicates the quest or introduces a new danger. It didn't make sense to intro a new danger at this point, so a complication made the most sense. We decided that whatever method of communication is used among Circles, too much time has passed for the last known place the missing people were to be of any use. This prompted us to consider how messages are sent among Circles, and we ended on it being by bird. We didn't get into specifics, figuring we could elaborate further on that if needed when the time comes.
But it also didn't seem like enough of a complication. It led to a nice bit of worldbuilding, but doesn't seem like quite enough on its own, so we decided that the leader of Whitehall's Hunters gets involved. Using the Oracle, we came up with Malik (Greedy, Armed, and goal: Advance Status). He thinks Farina is being too cautious in how he's handling things, and he wants to lead the Hunters against the loggers. He's pushing for open conflict between the two Circles, and there are many who agree. That felt like a more meaningful complication. One thing we've noticed in play is that we tend to err on the side of harshness when it comes to complications and harm. We don't want to be easy on ourselves.
With the "scene of the crime" being of no use, and Malik and his men pushing for conflict, we decided that the next step would be for us to head off to Grimtree and see what we could determine there. Grimtree is not too far from Whitefall... based on what we established, we figured it had to be less than a day away, so we didn't use the Undertake a Journey move. We decided to save that for more long term travel (which seems to make sense as it later came up in play). We simply narrated the trip to Grimtree. We came up with another leader, using the Oracles; this one Harral, the head logger (Bold, Weary, and goal: Make an Agreement). We interpreted this to mean that he's tired of Grimtree being blamed by Whitefall for anything, especially something as serious as a disappearance, and his goal to Make an Agreement is to settle this matter and come up with a more formal relationship between the camp and the town.
He insists that his men had nothing to do with it, that although they're rough around the edges and may get drunk and carouse, none of them would ever do anything so severe. But, now many of his men were worked up about being blamed, and they were considering taking matters into their own hands. Harral is the leader here, but that's more because he is the bravest and most skilled at logging. He's tired of the responsibility of leadership, and is worried his control over the loggers is slipping.
We wanted to explore some of the mechanics at this point, so we decided to do two things. First, we were going to have Haf make a Compel move to the loggers who had gathered at their arrival. His goal was going to be to convince them to do nothing for the time being... to stand down while the Freewardens handled the matter. Second, Haf sent Rudiger to Gather Information; we decided that there had been one logger to last see the fishers, and so Rudiger went to question that logger.
COMPEL
When you attempt to persuade someone to do something, envision your approach and roll. If you...
• Charm, pacify, barter, or convince: Roll +heart (add +1 if you share a bond).
• Threaten or incite: Roll +iron.
• Lie or swindle: Roll +shadow.
DRAW THE CIRCLE
When you challenge someone to a formal duel, or accept a challenge, roll +heart. If you share a bond with this community, add +1.
On a strong hit, take +1 momentum. You may also choose up to three boasts and take +1 momentum for each.
On a weak hit, you may choose one boast in exchange for +1 momentum.
• Grant first strike: Your foe has initiative.
• Bare yourself: Take no benefit of armor or shield; your foe’s harm is +1.
• Hold no iron: Take no benefit of weapons; your harm is 1.
• Bloody yourself: Endure Harm (1 harm).
• To the death: One way or another, this fight must end with death.
On a miss, you begin the duel at a disadvantage. Your foe has initiative. Pay the Price.
Then, make moves to resolve the fight. If you are the victor, you may make a lawful demand, and your opponent must comply or forfeit their honor and standing. If you refuse the challenge, surrender, or are defeated, they make a demand of you.
This led to a bit more world building about how one challenges another to enter the circle, and we decided tha the challenger steps forth, and then drags his heel through the dirt to make a circle. This obviously takes a few moments and draws a crowd, so it's this formalized process that becomes a bit performative.
My idea for Haf is that he's a pretty grizzled veteran of the Freewardens. He's not going to shy away from a challenge like this, so he happily accepted. We rolled to see how much of a challenge this "logger champion" would be on the Challenge Rank Oracle and got "Formidable", the third rank of five. Looking at this, we decided to downgrade it to "Dangerous", the second rank of five, based on the fiction and the world. Formidable is quite a challenge... it just seems like too much for a random logger, no matter how big and strong. Also, if we'd rolled an "Extreme" or "Epic" result, it would have been absurd. So the lesson here is that sometimes, it makes sense to not roll for every result.
I rolled a Strong Hit for Haf, and based on the way I've imagined him, I decided to make three boasts: I granted first strike, I bared myself, and I held no iron.
Initiative is different in Ironsworn. Whether you have it or not in combat determines which of the two primary Combat Moves you use. Here they are below:
STRIKE
When you have initiative and attack in close quarters, roll +iron When you have initiative and attack at range, roll +edge.
When your foe has initiative and you fight with them in close quarters, roll +iron. When you exchange a volley at range, or shoot at an advancing foe, roll +edge.
On a strong hit, inflict your harm and choose one. You have the initiative.
• You bolster your position: Take +1 momentum.
• You find an opening: Inflict +1 harm.
On a weak hit, inflict your harm, but then Pay the Price. Your foe has initiative.
On a miss, you are outmatched and must Pay the Price. Your foe has initiative.
We also tend to use Clash to have the opponent be more proactive, so that whatever we're doing in response may need a move of its own first. With Haf granting the first strike as one of his boasts, we felt it made sense that he had to make some kind of move to defend himself rather than just go on the attack. So instead of rolling Clash, I instead made the Face Danger move.
FACE DANGER
When you attempt something risky or react to an imminent threat, envision your action and roll. If you act...
• With speed, agility, or precision: Roll +edge.
• With charm, loyalty, or courage: Roll +heart.
• With aggressive action, forceful defense, strength, or endurance: Roll +iron.
• With deception, stealth, or trickery: Roll +shadow.
• With expertise, insight, or observation: Roll +wits.
On a strong hit, you are successful. Take +1 momentum.
On a weak hit, you succeed, but face a troublesome cost. Choose one.
• You are delayed, lose advantage, or face a new danger: Suffer -1 momentum.
• You are tired or hurt: Endure Harm (1 harm).
• You are dispirited or afraid: Endure Stress (1 stress).
• You sacrifice resources: Suffer -1 supply.
On a miss, you fail, or your progress is undermined by a dramatic and costly turn of events. Pay the Price.
Haf is going to defend himself forcefully, so I rolled +iron and got a Strong Hit. I took +1 momentum, and the other players said that he should also gain Initiative from the move. I wasn't sure, but they said it made sense, and pointed out that if I had Clashed, I would have dealt damage AND taken the initiative on a Strong Hit... so I figured they were right. I followed that up with the Strike move, and also used one Momentum to activate my Sunderer asset.
SUNDERER
When you Strike or Clash in close quarters, you may suffer -1 momentum and inflict +1 harm on a hit (decide before rolling).
So I then rolled another Strong Hit (I had some hotass dice!) and that meant I did 3 Harm to him (1 base for unarmed combat, +1 for the Strong Hit, and +1 for Sunderer ability). Each enemy has a Progress Track of 10 to defeat them, and his rank of Dangerous means I fill two per harm on that track, meaning he was at 6 of 10, and I held initiative. Looking at the combat rules, I decided to try to make the End the Fight move.
END THE FIGHT
Progress Move
When you make a move to take decisive action, and score a strong hit, you may resolve the outcome of this fight. If you do, roll the challenge dice and compare to your progress. Momentum is ignored on this roll.
On a strong hit, this foe is no longer in the fight. They are killed, out of action, flee, or surrender as appropriate to the situation and your intent (Ask the Oracle if unsure).
On a weak hit, as above, but you must also choose one.
•It’s worse than you thought: Endure Harm.
•You are overcome: Endure Stress.
•Your victory is short-lived: A new danger or foe appears, or an existing danger worsens.
•You suffer collateral damage: Something of value is lost or broken, or someone important must pay the cost.
•You’ll pay for it: An objective falls out of reach.
•Others won’t forget: You are marked for vengeance.
On a miss, you have lost this fight. Pay the Price.
So what a Progress move is it uses your Progress as the result of your d6 roll against two challenge dice. You don't add anything to the value, you just use your progress. So with a 6, I felt pretty good that I could end the fight in one more move. Looking back now, it would have made a lot more sense to just attempt Strike again... if I got a Strong Hit, or if I'd used Sunderer and got a Weak Hit, the fight would have ended. But it seemed like a good chance to see the End a Fight move in play, so I went that route.
I got a Weak Hit. So I looked to the others to tell me what happened, and they said that what made the most sense would be for me to take the first option and Endure Harm. So this big logger got in some good shots before he went down. The way Endure Harm works is that the PC takes damage based on the Challenge Rank of the opponent; in this case, Dangerous, which is 2 damage. So I took the damage to my Health, going from 5 to 3. Then I had to make the Endure Harm move.
ENDURE HARM
When you face physical damage, suffer -health equal to your foe’s rank or as appropriate to the situation. If your health is 0, suffer -momentum equal to any remaining -health.
Then, roll +health or +iron, whichever is higher.
On a strong hit, choose one.
• Shake it off: If your health is greater than 0, suffer -1 momentum in exchange for +1 health.
• Embrace the pain: Take +1 momentum.
On a weak hit, you press on.
On a miss, also suffer -1 momentum. If you are at 0 health, you must mark wounded or maimed (if currently unmarked) or roll on the following table.
Roll Result
1-10
The harm is mortal. Face Death.
11-20
You are dying. You need to Heal within an hour or two, or Face Death.
21-35
You are unconscious and out of action. If left alone, you come back to your senses in an hour or two. If you are vulnerable to a foe not inclined to show mercy, Face Death.
36-50
You are reeling and fighting to stay conscious. If you engage in any vigorous activity (such as running or fighting) before taking a breather for a few minutes, roll on this table again (before resolving the other move).
51-00
You are battered but still standing.
My Health and Iron were both at 3, so I rolled and got a Strong Hit. Again, Haf as I've imagined him would likely take the logger's attacks in stride, so I went with embrace the pain and kept my Health as is, and took +1 Momentum.
With the conflict in the Circle ended, we determined that Haf had successfully Compelled the loggers to listen to reason and to abide by what the Freewardens said. Harral confirmed as much, and showed respect for Haf for defeating the big logger. Another thing in retrospect... we should have named the big logger.
That left us with what Rudiger was up to while the duel was going on. He was attempting to Gather Information from or about the logger who'd witnessed the fishers before they'd vanished. This led to the actual danger that was at play, and the truth behind the missing villagers...
Which I'll get into in my next post.
Session One
So our characters have gathered outside the town of Whitefall, a small community of hunters and fishers who ply the Deep Wilds and the river that gives the town its name. We know that the town has come into conflict with another circle nearby, the logging camp called Grimtree, but we haven't yet detailed the conflict. The names were generated by the Oracle tables the book provides. The names alone gave us a sense of each of the two places... Whitefall being a town near a waterfall, and Grimtree as a logging camp. But what's the nature of the conflict?
We went to the Oracle again, rolling on the Settlement Trouble table. We rolled "Someone is missing". The three of us then talked out how that would take shape in the fiction. Since Whitefall is a community of hunters and fishermen, we decided that a group of fishers vanished near the river. How did this cause conflict with the logging camp? Well, we decided it made sense that the simple folk of Whitefall look at the rough and tumble loggers of Grimtree as being a bit untamed. The camp is mostly men and they have a dangerous job and sometimes they come to Whitefall and they cut loose... and it's a little more than the town is used to. So many point to the loggers as the reason for the disappearance.
Others say that something from the woods has taken the fishers. That there are strange things in the Deep Wilds, and they only get stranger the deeper you go. Whitefall has never really had encounters with any such thing before, though, and those ideas are just stories told by the superstitious. So we went with a more mundane explanation as the most likely, but kept the possibility of some supernatural shenanigans on the table.
Our first step was to head into Whitefall and talk to the townsfolk there. We generated a community leader, an Elder named Farina. We rolled for two traits on the Character Descriptor Oracle and once on the Character Goal Oracle and we got: Strong, Friendly; and Defend a Place. We took these to mean that Farina is just looking out for his community. We decided he wants to find out what happened and keep it from happening again. He's concerned that it may have been the loggers, but not convinced it is. He won't shy away from a conflict if necessary, but would rather resolve things peacefully if possible. He's glad that the Freewardens are here to assist, and is cooperative.
Our next step was to make a move of some sort. The game relies heavily on moves to keep things moving and to help generate the fiction. Honestly, the Oracle rolls and the moves are what makes this game feel a lot less like coop storytelling than it could. We absolutely collaborate and discuss things as a group, but it's almost always in response to a dice roll prompting us to do so.
We decided the obvious choice here was the Gather Information move:
GATHER INFORMATION
When you search an area, ask questions, conduct an investigation, or follow a track, roll +wits. If you act within a community or ask questions of a person with whom you share a bond, add +1.
- On a strong hit, you discover something helpful and specific. The path you must follow or action you must take to make progress is made clear. Envision what you learn (Ask the Oracle if unsure), and take +2 momentum.
- On a weak hit, the information complicates your quest or introduces a new danger. Envision what you discover (Ask the Oracle if unsure), and take +1 momentum.
- On a miss, your investigation unearths a dire threat or reveals an unwelcome truth that undermines your quest. Pay the Price.
So Rudiger rolled a Weak Hit, which means that the information he gets complicates the quest or introduces a new danger. It didn't make sense to intro a new danger at this point, so a complication made the most sense. We decided that whatever method of communication is used among Circles, too much time has passed for the last known place the missing people were to be of any use. This prompted us to consider how messages are sent among Circles, and we ended on it being by bird. We didn't get into specifics, figuring we could elaborate further on that if needed when the time comes.
But it also didn't seem like enough of a complication. It led to a nice bit of worldbuilding, but doesn't seem like quite enough on its own, so we decided that the leader of Whitehall's Hunters gets involved. Using the Oracle, we came up with Malik (Greedy, Armed, and goal: Advance Status). He thinks Farina is being too cautious in how he's handling things, and he wants to lead the Hunters against the loggers. He's pushing for open conflict between the two Circles, and there are many who agree. That felt like a more meaningful complication. One thing we've noticed in play is that we tend to err on the side of harshness when it comes to complications and harm. We don't want to be easy on ourselves.
With the "scene of the crime" being of no use, and Malik and his men pushing for conflict, we decided that the next step would be for us to head off to Grimtree and see what we could determine there. Grimtree is not too far from Whitefall... based on what we established, we figured it had to be less than a day away, so we didn't use the Undertake a Journey move. We decided to save that for more long term travel (which seems to make sense as it later came up in play). We simply narrated the trip to Grimtree. We came up with another leader, using the Oracles; this one Harral, the head logger (Bold, Weary, and goal: Make an Agreement). We interpreted this to mean that he's tired of Grimtree being blamed by Whitefall for anything, especially something as serious as a disappearance, and his goal to Make an Agreement is to settle this matter and come up with a more formal relationship between the camp and the town.
He insists that his men had nothing to do with it, that although they're rough around the edges and may get drunk and carouse, none of them would ever do anything so severe. But, now many of his men were worked up about being blamed, and they were considering taking matters into their own hands. Harral is the leader here, but that's more because he is the bravest and most skilled at logging. He's tired of the responsibility of leadership, and is worried his control over the loggers is slipping.
We wanted to explore some of the mechanics at this point, so we decided to do two things. First, we were going to have Haf make a Compel move to the loggers who had gathered at their arrival. His goal was going to be to convince them to do nothing for the time being... to stand down while the Freewardens handled the matter. Second, Haf sent Rudiger to Gather Information; we decided that there had been one logger to last see the fishers, and so Rudiger went to question that logger.
COMPEL
When you attempt to persuade someone to do something, envision your approach and roll. If you...
• Charm, pacify, barter, or convince: Roll +heart (add +1 if you share a bond).
• Threaten or incite: Roll +iron.
• Lie or swindle: Roll +shadow.
- On a strong hit, they’ll do what you want or share what they know. Take +1 momentum. If you use this exchange to Gather Information, make that move now and add +1.
- On a weak hit, as above, but they ask something of you in return. Envision what they want (Ask the Oracle if unsure).
- On a miss, they refuse or make a demand which costs you greatly. Pay the Price.
DRAW THE CIRCLE
When you challenge someone to a formal duel, or accept a challenge, roll +heart. If you share a bond with this community, add +1.
On a strong hit, take +1 momentum. You may also choose up to three boasts and take +1 momentum for each.
On a weak hit, you may choose one boast in exchange for +1 momentum.
• Grant first strike: Your foe has initiative.
• Bare yourself: Take no benefit of armor or shield; your foe’s harm is +1.
• Hold no iron: Take no benefit of weapons; your harm is 1.
• Bloody yourself: Endure Harm (1 harm).
• To the death: One way or another, this fight must end with death.
On a miss, you begin the duel at a disadvantage. Your foe has initiative. Pay the Price.
Then, make moves to resolve the fight. If you are the victor, you may make a lawful demand, and your opponent must comply or forfeit their honor and standing. If you refuse the challenge, surrender, or are defeated, they make a demand of you.
This led to a bit more world building about how one challenges another to enter the circle, and we decided tha the challenger steps forth, and then drags his heel through the dirt to make a circle. This obviously takes a few moments and draws a crowd, so it's this formalized process that becomes a bit performative.
My idea for Haf is that he's a pretty grizzled veteran of the Freewardens. He's not going to shy away from a challenge like this, so he happily accepted. We rolled to see how much of a challenge this "logger champion" would be on the Challenge Rank Oracle and got "Formidable", the third rank of five. Looking at this, we decided to downgrade it to "Dangerous", the second rank of five, based on the fiction and the world. Formidable is quite a challenge... it just seems like too much for a random logger, no matter how big and strong. Also, if we'd rolled an "Extreme" or "Epic" result, it would have been absurd. So the lesson here is that sometimes, it makes sense to not roll for every result.
I rolled a Strong Hit for Haf, and based on the way I've imagined him, I decided to make three boasts: I granted first strike, I bared myself, and I held no iron.
Initiative is different in Ironsworn. Whether you have it or not in combat determines which of the two primary Combat Moves you use. Here they are below:
STRIKE
When you have initiative and attack in close quarters, roll +iron When you have initiative and attack at range, roll +edge.
- On a strong hit, inflict +1 harm. You retain initiative.
- On a weak hit, inflict your harm and lose initiative.
- On a miss, your attack fails and you must Pay the Price. Your foe has initiative.
When your foe has initiative and you fight with them in close quarters, roll +iron. When you exchange a volley at range, or shoot at an advancing foe, roll +edge.
On a strong hit, inflict your harm and choose one. You have the initiative.
• You bolster your position: Take +1 momentum.
• You find an opening: Inflict +1 harm.
On a weak hit, inflict your harm, but then Pay the Price. Your foe has initiative.
On a miss, you are outmatched and must Pay the Price. Your foe has initiative.
We also tend to use Clash to have the opponent be more proactive, so that whatever we're doing in response may need a move of its own first. With Haf granting the first strike as one of his boasts, we felt it made sense that he had to make some kind of move to defend himself rather than just go on the attack. So instead of rolling Clash, I instead made the Face Danger move.
FACE DANGER
When you attempt something risky or react to an imminent threat, envision your action and roll. If you act...
• With speed, agility, or precision: Roll +edge.
• With charm, loyalty, or courage: Roll +heart.
• With aggressive action, forceful defense, strength, or endurance: Roll +iron.
• With deception, stealth, or trickery: Roll +shadow.
• With expertise, insight, or observation: Roll +wits.
On a strong hit, you are successful. Take +1 momentum.
On a weak hit, you succeed, but face a troublesome cost. Choose one.
• You are delayed, lose advantage, or face a new danger: Suffer -1 momentum.
• You are tired or hurt: Endure Harm (1 harm).
• You are dispirited or afraid: Endure Stress (1 stress).
• You sacrifice resources: Suffer -1 supply.
On a miss, you fail, or your progress is undermined by a dramatic and costly turn of events. Pay the Price.
Haf is going to defend himself forcefully, so I rolled +iron and got a Strong Hit. I took +1 momentum, and the other players said that he should also gain Initiative from the move. I wasn't sure, but they said it made sense, and pointed out that if I had Clashed, I would have dealt damage AND taken the initiative on a Strong Hit... so I figured they were right. I followed that up with the Strike move, and also used one Momentum to activate my Sunderer asset.
SUNDERER
When you Strike or Clash in close quarters, you may suffer -1 momentum and inflict +1 harm on a hit (decide before rolling).
So I then rolled another Strong Hit (I had some hotass dice!) and that meant I did 3 Harm to him (1 base for unarmed combat, +1 for the Strong Hit, and +1 for Sunderer ability). Each enemy has a Progress Track of 10 to defeat them, and his rank of Dangerous means I fill two per harm on that track, meaning he was at 6 of 10, and I held initiative. Looking at the combat rules, I decided to try to make the End the Fight move.
END THE FIGHT
Progress Move
When you make a move to take decisive action, and score a strong hit, you may resolve the outcome of this fight. If you do, roll the challenge dice and compare to your progress. Momentum is ignored on this roll.
On a strong hit, this foe is no longer in the fight. They are killed, out of action, flee, or surrender as appropriate to the situation and your intent (Ask the Oracle if unsure).
On a weak hit, as above, but you must also choose one.
•It’s worse than you thought: Endure Harm.
•You are overcome: Endure Stress.
•Your victory is short-lived: A new danger or foe appears, or an existing danger worsens.
•You suffer collateral damage: Something of value is lost or broken, or someone important must pay the cost.
•You’ll pay for it: An objective falls out of reach.
•Others won’t forget: You are marked for vengeance.
On a miss, you have lost this fight. Pay the Price.
So what a Progress move is it uses your Progress as the result of your d6 roll against two challenge dice. You don't add anything to the value, you just use your progress. So with a 6, I felt pretty good that I could end the fight in one more move. Looking back now, it would have made a lot more sense to just attempt Strike again... if I got a Strong Hit, or if I'd used Sunderer and got a Weak Hit, the fight would have ended. But it seemed like a good chance to see the End a Fight move in play, so I went that route.
I got a Weak Hit. So I looked to the others to tell me what happened, and they said that what made the most sense would be for me to take the first option and Endure Harm. So this big logger got in some good shots before he went down. The way Endure Harm works is that the PC takes damage based on the Challenge Rank of the opponent; in this case, Dangerous, which is 2 damage. So I took the damage to my Health, going from 5 to 3. Then I had to make the Endure Harm move.
ENDURE HARM
When you face physical damage, suffer -health equal to your foe’s rank or as appropriate to the situation. If your health is 0, suffer -momentum equal to any remaining -health.
Then, roll +health or +iron, whichever is higher.
On a strong hit, choose one.
• Shake it off: If your health is greater than 0, suffer -1 momentum in exchange for +1 health.
• Embrace the pain: Take +1 momentum.
On a weak hit, you press on.
On a miss, also suffer -1 momentum. If you are at 0 health, you must mark wounded or maimed (if currently unmarked) or roll on the following table.
Roll Result
1-10
The harm is mortal. Face Death.
11-20
You are dying. You need to Heal within an hour or two, or Face Death.
21-35
You are unconscious and out of action. If left alone, you come back to your senses in an hour or two. If you are vulnerable to a foe not inclined to show mercy, Face Death.
36-50
You are reeling and fighting to stay conscious. If you engage in any vigorous activity (such as running or fighting) before taking a breather for a few minutes, roll on this table again (before resolving the other move).
51-00
You are battered but still standing.
My Health and Iron were both at 3, so I rolled and got a Strong Hit. Again, Haf as I've imagined him would likely take the logger's attacks in stride, so I went with embrace the pain and kept my Health as is, and took +1 Momentum.
With the conflict in the Circle ended, we determined that Haf had successfully Compelled the loggers to listen to reason and to abide by what the Freewardens said. Harral confirmed as much, and showed respect for Haf for defeating the big logger. Another thing in retrospect... we should have named the big logger.
That left us with what Rudiger was up to while the duel was going on. He was attempting to Gather Information from or about the logger who'd witnessed the fishers before they'd vanished. This led to the actual danger that was at play, and the truth behind the missing villagers...
Which I'll get into in my next post.
