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Ironsworn: A Tabletop RPG Of Perilous Quests
In the Ironsworn tabletop roleplaying game, you are a hero sworn to undertake perilous quests in the dark fantasy setting of the Ironlands. You will explore untracked wilds, fight desperate battles, forge bonds with isolated communities, and reveal the secrets of this harsh land.
Are you ready to swear iron vows and see them fulfilled—no matter the cost?
Are you ready to swear iron vows and see them fulfilled—no matter the cost?
259 pages, ebook
First published May 1, 2018
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138 people want to read
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July 3, 2020Ironsworn is a Powered by the Apocalypse game with a bunch of inspirations that make for a really elegant design. It puts an emphasis on undertaking quests in a dark fantasy world that can be tweaked to a groups tastes.
If you’re familiar with PbtA games, you’ll find a lot of moves; more than I generally like in a design. But the structure helps manage the cognitive load. Each set aside for a journey or combat, etc.
The major selling point for this game is the single player, co-op, or traditional play where there’s a GM and players. It’s clever in its simplicity for this. There are a few ways to execute the rules (move) outcomes that accommodate your play style.
Without playing the game I suspect this might be the hardest hurdle. A lot of pick lists goal post interesting fictional outcomes tailored to specific triggers. This is a more subtle way of having the players internalize the kind of fiction the game is shooting for, as well as some of the more interesting friction points and dramatic outcomes. The strength of this structure is there’s a bunch of lists you can take inspiration from and you can play single player or co-op. I think the downside is the absence of these pick lists that make all the moves look sterile because the evocative outcomes are all someplace else. I imagine this will be the largest friction point for me running it but I’m eager to find out.
Combat wise, I really like that initiative is gained and lost along with outcomes of moves. That makes a lot of sense to me and is one of those simple things you wonder why something like Dungeon World wouldn’t have done something like that, too.
I love the chapter educating you about the setting. I think it’s evocative and the quest seeds are *chefs kiss*.
This book features a great minimalist single column layout, something you don’t see often in RPGs. I hate double and triple column so this layout is exactly what I want/am hoping for. The art, while stock, also is always suitable and features people of colour and, though I wasn’t counting, seem to feature a heavier emphasis on women then men, all of which isn’t sexualized.
The text made me confident that I could run it and come up with a cool world with folks at the table. The product is very well written and clear and looks very professional at a great price point.
It’s a no brainer grabbing this one, I think.
If you’re familiar with PbtA games, you’ll find a lot of moves; more than I generally like in a design. But the structure helps manage the cognitive load. Each set aside for a journey or combat, etc.
The major selling point for this game is the single player, co-op, or traditional play where there’s a GM and players. It’s clever in its simplicity for this. There are a few ways to execute the rules (move) outcomes that accommodate your play style.
Without playing the game I suspect this might be the hardest hurdle. A lot of pick lists goal post interesting fictional outcomes tailored to specific triggers. This is a more subtle way of having the players internalize the kind of fiction the game is shooting for, as well as some of the more interesting friction points and dramatic outcomes. The strength of this structure is there’s a bunch of lists you can take inspiration from and you can play single player or co-op. I think the downside is the absence of these pick lists that make all the moves look sterile because the evocative outcomes are all someplace else. I imagine this will be the largest friction point for me running it but I’m eager to find out.
Combat wise, I really like that initiative is gained and lost along with outcomes of moves. That makes a lot of sense to me and is one of those simple things you wonder why something like Dungeon World wouldn’t have done something like that, too.
I love the chapter educating you about the setting. I think it’s evocative and the quest seeds are *chefs kiss*.
This book features a great minimalist single column layout, something you don’t see often in RPGs. I hate double and triple column so this layout is exactly what I want/am hoping for. The art, while stock, also is always suitable and features people of colour and, though I wasn’t counting, seem to feature a heavier emphasis on women then men, all of which isn’t sexualized.
The text made me confident that I could run it and come up with a cool world with folks at the table. The product is very well written and clear and looks very professional at a great price point.
It’s a no brainer grabbing this one, I think.
May 17, 2019
From first looking at the character sheet before even cracking the rulebook, I knew this was something special. I don't know how I knew, but having read dozens to maybe hundreds of RPG books something just clicked. My intuition was correct and here's a few reasons why:
Everything has a story hook. Make a settlement? What's interesting or vital or relevant about it to the story? NPC - same. Each creature has a bit left blank for the players to fill in about its connection to the world and backstory plus ideas for making them especially relevant to the characters.
Mechanics are simple, clear, and unique yet also versatile and streamlined with minimal math and bookkeeping. Roll d6+stats for the player's effeciveness vs 2d10 for the challenge. Beat both challenge dice, you get exactly what you want. Beat one it's a "weak hit" and you get a limited version or success with a new obstacle or challenge. Beat none and you don't just fail, but get something worse on top.
Supply, Health, Stress, and Momentum tracks plus a few debilities tied to each manage the character's state beautifully with both simplicity and mechanical relevance.
Everything a character wants to do is in a move that is both succinct yet broad in application. This includes retiring. Is your character getting too powerful? Getting tired of playing them and want someone new? Too broken and worried they're going to die? Make the move to retire them against the number of Bonds they've made with people and communities to see how well they fare.
No one wants to GM or you're alone and craving some RPG goodness? Solo and coop play? Check.
There's more, but suffice it to say it's brilliant, elegant, simple, and also free.
Everything has a story hook. Make a settlement? What's interesting or vital or relevant about it to the story? NPC - same. Each creature has a bit left blank for the players to fill in about its connection to the world and backstory plus ideas for making them especially relevant to the characters.
Mechanics are simple, clear, and unique yet also versatile and streamlined with minimal math and bookkeeping. Roll d6+stats for the player's effeciveness vs 2d10 for the challenge. Beat both challenge dice, you get exactly what you want. Beat one it's a "weak hit" and you get a limited version or success with a new obstacle or challenge. Beat none and you don't just fail, but get something worse on top.
Supply, Health, Stress, and Momentum tracks plus a few debilities tied to each manage the character's state beautifully with both simplicity and mechanical relevance.
Everything a character wants to do is in a move that is both succinct yet broad in application. This includes retiring. Is your character getting too powerful? Getting tired of playing them and want someone new? Too broken and worried they're going to die? Make the move to retire them against the number of Bonds they've made with people and communities to see how well they fare.
No one wants to GM or you're alone and craving some RPG goodness? Solo and coop play? Check.
There's more, but suffice it to say it's brilliant, elegant, simple, and also free.
January 2, 2019
A truly well-designed narrative RPG, adopting the moves from the Apocalypse Engine and solid features to support GM-less play. And it works really well. Drawing inspiration from the Mythic Game Master Emulator Ironsworn offers a lot of setting specific tables to roll on when you don't know what happens next, who is you're talking to, what dangers you face, etc.
Brilliant. I'm starting and documenting a solo play right now, hoping to draw the wife in.
And it is Pay What you want.
Thank you Shawn Tomkin for producing this game, I'll be eagerly awaiting for other settings following this formula.
Brilliant. I'm starting and documenting a solo play right now, hoping to draw the wife in.
And it is Pay What you want.
Thank you Shawn Tomkin for producing this game, I'll be eagerly awaiting for other settings following this formula.
December 26, 2020
Ironsworn is a tabletop fantasy roleplaying game designed by Shawn Tomkin that utilizes the ‘powered by the apocalypse (PbtA)’ framework for its mechanics. This means that it is centered around the concept of “moves” which a character can (or must) undertake. It is highly story-driven, utilizing the moves to clarify what happens during key points of the narrative. Moves are defined in the book with the mechanics that lie behind them spelled out, along with any positive or negative effects that result based on the player’s roll of the dice. For example when combat begins you might use a move called “Strike”, “Clash”, or “Face Danger” (depending on the circumstances), and when you set out on a quest you would utilize the “Undertake a Journey” move. The mechanics of making a move are fairly straightforward: the player rolls an action die (d6) and compares the result (including any modifiers) against the ‘challenge dice’ (two d10 rolls). In a case where you beat both d10 values it is a ‘strong hit’ in which you are fully successful, when your action die only beats one of the d10 values it is a ‘weak hit’ which means a qualified success wherein you must also deal with a complication or suffer unforeseen circumstances, and rolling lower than both d10s is a miss meaning a failure and prompting you to “Pay the Price” (another move with possibly dire consequences). The complexity, in my view, comes in with the number of possible moves that can be used and the determination of when a move is even needed. The game, as noted above, is highly story-driven and the use of moves is often discouraged by the author in cases where the outcome is fairly obvious, or a where particular result which would complement the narrative and effectively drive on the story is fairly obvious.
An additional element that is key to the game is the use of random tables, or oracles (also provided in the rule book). These oracles can be used to determine the likelihood of a particular outcome, designate the nature of a challenge or foe being faced, or simply to provide names and characteristics for NPCs and locations the player comes across in his adventures. They are key to Ironsworn particularly given the fact that it was at least partially designed with solo play in mind. The author notes that the game supports co-op, guided (i. e. ‘normal’ GM-driven games), or solo play, but for me the game appears to very much favour the solo and co-op modes, thus making the tables very important. Without a gamemaster something outside of the players must be able to help move things along in an ostensibly fair way.
As the name of the game itself perhaps intimates, there is one other key aspect to the game: the swearing of what are known as “Iron Vows”. These vows are quests, or promises, that characters make, and which provide the key impetus to their adventures. They are the ‘hooks’ that fundamentally drive the story being told and it is the fulfilling of these, not mere combat or the accumulation of loot, that brings about the RPG character growth known as gaining experience.
One thing I really like about the game is the stress on storytelling which in my mind discourages the bane of tabletop RPGs: power gaming. Characters have a minimum number of stats and mechanical details, many of them quite abstract. Equipment, for example, is represented by a very simple 6-point number track noting how well-equipped the PC is for adventuring…specific equipment really only needs to be spelled out when it advances the story, fleshes out the character, or is a key element to an asset (another mechanical aspect of a character) the PC has claimed. This means that min-maxing characters to create unbeatable stat machines is, if not impossible, at least very contrary to the whole design ethos of the game.
The core Ironsworn rules book covers everything you need to play and is even freely available to prospective players as a PDF on both drivethrurpg.com and the author’s site at ironswornrpg.com. I wouldn’t exactly call it a compelling read at every point, but it is a well-designed ruleset and the game itself really comes across as a thoroughly playable game. The author goes out of his way to clarify as much as he can and often notes that players should throw out anything they don’t like in favour of what works best for them and the story they are creating…rules lawyers need not apply. The game appears to have created a fair bit of buzz in the online RPG community with many singing its praises (which I think well-deserved). In addition to the bare rules themselves, the game also presents a setting, known aptly enough as the Ironlands. There is just enough detail provided in the book for the setting to be a useful springboard for play without allowing it to get bogged down by minutiae. The game also seems to be fairly portable to any setting one would like, though admittedly a relatively gritty, low-fantasy (or even historical) one would work much more easily than a high-magic setting. All things considered this is a great product, and indeed it is the first solo RPG that I’ve come across that seems both playable and intriguing. I think it provides a great springboard for some creative storytelling, whether it be done alone or with a group of friends, and I’m looking forward to trying out the experiment myself.
An additional element that is key to the game is the use of random tables, or oracles (also provided in the rule book). These oracles can be used to determine the likelihood of a particular outcome, designate the nature of a challenge or foe being faced, or simply to provide names and characteristics for NPCs and locations the player comes across in his adventures. They are key to Ironsworn particularly given the fact that it was at least partially designed with solo play in mind. The author notes that the game supports co-op, guided (i. e. ‘normal’ GM-driven games), or solo play, but for me the game appears to very much favour the solo and co-op modes, thus making the tables very important. Without a gamemaster something outside of the players must be able to help move things along in an ostensibly fair way.
As the name of the game itself perhaps intimates, there is one other key aspect to the game: the swearing of what are known as “Iron Vows”. These vows are quests, or promises, that characters make, and which provide the key impetus to their adventures. They are the ‘hooks’ that fundamentally drive the story being told and it is the fulfilling of these, not mere combat or the accumulation of loot, that brings about the RPG character growth known as gaining experience.
One thing I really like about the game is the stress on storytelling which in my mind discourages the bane of tabletop RPGs: power gaming. Characters have a minimum number of stats and mechanical details, many of them quite abstract. Equipment, for example, is represented by a very simple 6-point number track noting how well-equipped the PC is for adventuring…specific equipment really only needs to be spelled out when it advances the story, fleshes out the character, or is a key element to an asset (another mechanical aspect of a character) the PC has claimed. This means that min-maxing characters to create unbeatable stat machines is, if not impossible, at least very contrary to the whole design ethos of the game.
The core Ironsworn rules book covers everything you need to play and is even freely available to prospective players as a PDF on both drivethrurpg.com and the author’s site at ironswornrpg.com. I wouldn’t exactly call it a compelling read at every point, but it is a well-designed ruleset and the game itself really comes across as a thoroughly playable game. The author goes out of his way to clarify as much as he can and often notes that players should throw out anything they don’t like in favour of what works best for them and the story they are creating…rules lawyers need not apply. The game appears to have created a fair bit of buzz in the online RPG community with many singing its praises (which I think well-deserved). In addition to the bare rules themselves, the game also presents a setting, known aptly enough as the Ironlands. There is just enough detail provided in the book for the setting to be a useful springboard for play without allowing it to get bogged down by minutiae. The game also seems to be fairly portable to any setting one would like, though admittedly a relatively gritty, low-fantasy (or even historical) one would work much more easily than a high-magic setting. All things considered this is a great product, and indeed it is the first solo RPG that I’ve come across that seems both playable and intriguing. I think it provides a great springboard for some creative storytelling, whether it be done alone or with a group of friends, and I’m looking forward to trying out the experiment myself.
December 5, 2019
Ironsworn is much smoother and fun than I could have possibly expected. I went into the my first solo-session assuming that it would be a fun thought experiment on what can be done to shake up my own preconceptions about RPGs. A couple sessions into my own Ironsworn campaign and I am delighted by the smoothness of the mechanics and fiction flowing into one another. This is a brilliant addition to the broad Powered-by-the-Apocalypse canon and everyone should at the very least read through it. You will find something new, interesting and insightful inside.
Something else Ironsworn should be praised for is its masterful layout and physical design. It is one of the easiest to understand and navigate rules texts I have ever read. Important diagrams get whole pages to explain important mechanics, it comes with a glossary of terms for all the moves you make, and the pdf is perfectly hyperlinked so referencing it during play is the easiest thing in the world.
Im ordering my physical copy of the game now.
Something else Ironsworn should be praised for is its masterful layout and physical design. It is one of the easiest to understand and navigate rules texts I have ever read. Important diagrams get whole pages to explain important mechanics, it comes with a glossary of terms for all the moves you make, and the pdf is perfectly hyperlinked so referencing it during play is the easiest thing in the world.
Im ordering my physical copy of the game now.
December 23, 2021
Одна з найкращих соло/кооп рольових ігор останніх років. Одночасно проста і глибока, вона пропонує справжній рольовий досвід, починаючи від створення світу, закінчуючи цікавим і непередбачуваним наративом.
October 16, 2019
A beautiful book, nicely edited and great layout. Outstanding rules for solo, co-op or GM play. This book and rules will help to drive the narrative of your RPG game, crafting great stories than you can use later in other adventures and campaigns. One of the most simple but clever game mechanics and conflict resolution I've ever seen in an RPG. Outstanding, a must-have in your library, highly recommended.
August 30, 2019
I may adjust my rating after playing, but after just reading the thing, it seems like a well organized guide to a kind of game that fills a niche in my TTRPG repertoire.
Gritty fantasy? ✔️
Dark magics? ✔️
Themes of migration and colonialism? ✔️
Fronted and consistently represented by people other than burly, beardy men? ✔️
Gritty fantasy? ✔️
Dark magics? ✔️
Themes of migration and colonialism? ✔️
Fronted and consistently represented by people other than burly, beardy men? ✔️
June 8, 2019
One of my favorite RP Games of all time. I find myself playing it more than any other game in my collection. Ironsworn is supported by a friendly author and one of the most welcoming communities I've ever been lucky enough to be a part of.
August 28, 2019
A fantastic resource for creative writing and group storytelling.
May 3, 2020
He leído este manual para unirme a una partida durante el confinamiento. El trasfondo no es de mis favoritos (¿A Song of Ice and Fire + Vikings?) y las fotos de personas muy atractivas según el canon occidental actual que lo pueblan no me ayudan a meterme en harina, ¡pero que los árboles no nos tapen el bosque!
El sistema puede ser un poco confuso si se es jugador de RPG tradicionales, ¿o quizá no? Aquí, en vez de tener tus atributos y habilidades en una hoja, hay un juego de cartas que explican cómo y en qué momento puedes tirar los dados para que no se dé lugar a discusiones sobre interpretaciones de mecánicas que se lleven la mayor parte de la sesión. Si esta rigidez es buena o mala queda a la decisión de los jugadores.
Por otra parte, es una rigidez ficticia porque el manual repite varias veces que la base del sistema es la narración asamblearia para crear un mundo sin necesidad de un director de juego (su presencia es opcional). Para ello, requiere que la ficción preceda a las tiradas de dados, lo que tiene todo el sentido siendo un juego de rol porque todos hemos sido ese personaje que llega a Miskatonic University y declara sin más que quiere tirar Buscar libros.
Para que esta narración comunal tenga éxito requerirá del personal un verbo florido, unas buenas referencias, ¡un ingenio simpar! Esto impedirá, claro, que el powergamer medio disfrute y haga disfrutar de la partida tanto como el sistema querría. No somos nada.
Finalmente, el juego cuenta con un modo en solitario que me tiene confuso: consiste en usar sus herramientas para llevar un diario narrativo de hechos a tu mejor entender y libre albedrío. A esto yo lo llamo escribir una historia, y como herramienta de desbloqueo no es mala; se compara en un par de ocasiones con el Tarot y otros medios similares de toma de decisiones.
Así que: ¿podrá nuestro héroe unirse a la partida en curso? ¿Serán sus servicios presenciales tan esenciales para el estado que no le permitan el teletrabajo durante más tiempo? Voy a sacar unas cartas del mazo, a ver qué me depara el futuro.
Edición de 3 de mayo de 2020: me veo en la obligación de rebajarle la puntuación porque el sistema se sostiene mejor sobre el papel que a la hora de aplicarlo. Como todas las cosas diseñadas por comité o elegidas por asamblea, la creación del mundo rápidamente se inclina en favor de los jugadores más enérgicos o que conocen mejor las mecánicas (que no son intuitivas como parecían). Requiere de ajustes para que todo el mundo lo pase bien y participe; si no, se corre el riesgo de personas que son meros espectadores de partidas que solo buscan la perfección en vez de la diversión.
El sistema puede ser un poco confuso si se es jugador de RPG tradicionales, ¿o quizá no? Aquí, en vez de tener tus atributos y habilidades en una hoja, hay un juego de cartas que explican cómo y en qué momento puedes tirar los dados para que no se dé lugar a discusiones sobre interpretaciones de mecánicas que se lleven la mayor parte de la sesión. Si esta rigidez es buena o mala queda a la decisión de los jugadores.
Por otra parte, es una rigidez ficticia porque el manual repite varias veces que la base del sistema es la narración asamblearia para crear un mundo sin necesidad de un director de juego (su presencia es opcional). Para ello, requiere que la ficción preceda a las tiradas de dados, lo que tiene todo el sentido siendo un juego de rol porque todos hemos sido ese personaje que llega a Miskatonic University y declara sin más que quiere tirar Buscar libros.
Para que esta narración comunal tenga éxito requerirá del personal un verbo florido, unas buenas referencias, ¡un ingenio simpar! Esto impedirá, claro, que el powergamer medio disfrute y haga disfrutar de la partida tanto como el sistema querría. No somos nada.
Finalmente, el juego cuenta con un modo en solitario que me tiene confuso: consiste en usar sus herramientas para llevar un diario narrativo de hechos a tu mejor entender y libre albedrío. A esto yo lo llamo escribir una historia, y como herramienta de desbloqueo no es mala; se compara en un par de ocasiones con el Tarot y otros medios similares de toma de decisiones.
Así que: ¿podrá nuestro héroe unirse a la partida en curso? ¿Serán sus servicios presenciales tan esenciales para el estado que no le permitan el teletrabajo durante más tiempo? Voy a sacar unas cartas del mazo, a ver qué me depara el futuro.
Edición de 3 de mayo de 2020: me veo en la obligación de rebajarle la puntuación porque el sistema se sostiene mejor sobre el papel que a la hora de aplicarlo. Como todas las cosas diseñadas por comité o elegidas por asamblea, la creación del mundo rápidamente se inclina en favor de los jugadores más enérgicos o que conocen mejor las mecánicas (que no son intuitivas como parecían). Requiere de ajustes para que todo el mundo lo pase bien y participe; si no, se corre el riesgo de personas que son meros espectadores de partidas que solo buscan la perfección en vez de la diversión.
October 22, 2020
So much gaming goodness in here.
* Ask the Oracle gives prompts for where the story might lead when I feel it's not obvious. It's a perfect tool/engine for getting that "tv episodic twist" that gives me — the viewer — what I didn't know I wanted. From a solo perspective though it gives me that twist while still fitting into my own expectation for what I want.
It's collaborative gaming without other people if I want that.
* Ask the Oracle gives prompts for where the story might lead when I feel it's not obvious. It's a perfect tool/engine for getting that "tv episodic twist" that gives me — the viewer — what I didn't know I wanted. From a solo perspective though it gives me that twist while still fitting into my own expectation for what I want.
It's collaborative gaming without other people if I want that.
August 11, 2019
Well written and beautifully organised RPG. I doubt that I will play it, but I will borrow lots of ideas! Liked this statement a lot... ‘Without story, the game is an exercise in rolling dice. Without mechanics, your story lacks choices, consequences and surprises.’ The PDF is free too!
November 27, 2019
Set in a harsh country known as The Ironlands, Shawn Tomkin has created a low-fantasy role-playing game system that allows for fictional narrative framing to both add to and be part of the game's mechanics.
In Ironsworn, players portray competent-yet-flawed characters who swear vows on pieces of iron (blades, coins, pendants...iron is their most valued and revered commodity) which come to be known as "Iron Vows". These vows are the plot mechanics which set the players' goals and move the story forward. Mechanics of the game borrow from RPG systems like Powered by the Apocalypse--where players use "Moves", which are broadly generic ways of taking action, each with its own levels of failure and success depending on a Strong Hit (complete success), a Weak Hit (success at a cost), or a Miss (complete failure). Another system of inspiration is/are Fate Core/Accelerated, where character aspects (in this case, the vows/story complications) become mechanically tied-in to the character as they struggle to fulfill vows/overcome enemies. All the while, the game still provides its own flavor and level of crunch that doesn't get in the way of the narrative.
Though Ironsworn's mechanics don't necessarily feature old Dungeons & Dragons standby's like Movement Speed (it's more a "Theater of the Mind"-styled RPG), there's good news: Ironsworn is very easily "hackable" for use in other settings, and the author encourages it; he even gives suggestions on how to run Ironsworn in other settings, how to run it without certain typical defining characteristics of the game like Assets, or how to re-skin the assets to fit the different settings, etc.
Want more good news? The game is playable solo, cooperatively (no GM), or guided (with GM); it's able to do all of these thanks to a system of tables Shawn has devised known as "Oracles".
Want even more good news? The PDF version and all of its resources (character sheets, vow trackers, world-building guides, etc.) are all FREE via Shawn's website, not to mention that he's currently playtesting a supplement called "Delve" which has to do with fleshing out locations (dungeons, barrows, strongholds, etc.) and giving them their own mechanics...and that's free, as well! If you're a hard-copy kind of person, the book is available as a print-on-demand item via drivethrurpg.com, as well as its easy-to-skim companion book known as Lodestar.
In summary, I'll say that Ironsworn has quickly become one of my favorite RPG systems to date, and to paraphrase a quote from Dungeon World co-creator Adam Koebel, "Go out and download this game before Shawn realizes what a terrific mistake he's made."
In Ironsworn, players portray competent-yet-flawed characters who swear vows on pieces of iron (blades, coins, pendants...iron is their most valued and revered commodity) which come to be known as "Iron Vows". These vows are the plot mechanics which set the players' goals and move the story forward. Mechanics of the game borrow from RPG systems like Powered by the Apocalypse--where players use "Moves", which are broadly generic ways of taking action, each with its own levels of failure and success depending on a Strong Hit (complete success), a Weak Hit (success at a cost), or a Miss (complete failure). Another system of inspiration is/are Fate Core/Accelerated, where character aspects (in this case, the vows/story complications) become mechanically tied-in to the character as they struggle to fulfill vows/overcome enemies. All the while, the game still provides its own flavor and level of crunch that doesn't get in the way of the narrative.
Though Ironsworn's mechanics don't necessarily feature old Dungeons & Dragons standby's like Movement Speed (it's more a "Theater of the Mind"-styled RPG), there's good news: Ironsworn is very easily "hackable" for use in other settings, and the author encourages it; he even gives suggestions on how to run Ironsworn in other settings, how to run it without certain typical defining characteristics of the game like Assets, or how to re-skin the assets to fit the different settings, etc.
Want more good news? The game is playable solo, cooperatively (no GM), or guided (with GM); it's able to do all of these thanks to a system of tables Shawn has devised known as "Oracles".
Want even more good news? The PDF version and all of its resources (character sheets, vow trackers, world-building guides, etc.) are all FREE via Shawn's website, not to mention that he's currently playtesting a supplement called "Delve" which has to do with fleshing out locations (dungeons, barrows, strongholds, etc.) and giving them their own mechanics...and that's free, as well! If you're a hard-copy kind of person, the book is available as a print-on-demand item via drivethrurpg.com, as well as its easy-to-skim companion book known as Lodestar.
In summary, I'll say that Ironsworn has quickly become one of my favorite RPG systems to date, and to paraphrase a quote from Dungeon World co-creator Adam Koebel, "Go out and download this game before Shawn realizes what a terrific mistake he's made."
April 27, 2020
The most interesting book/game/creative tool ive come across in years.
Its essentially an RPG game that is focused mainly on solo or gm less role playing.
It has a fairly straight forward system based on swearing vows (quests) and using a system of moves to try and complete the vow and deal with the random events that crop up.
The story, the quests, the random events all have to be driven by you. There is a set of oracle tables that help make decisions from time to time but it works best when you have a story to tell and try and move your character through it.
The best part is it's entirely free. You can get a free PDF download at the Ironsworn website. There is also a very clever roll20 system set up which makes it a bit easier to track the admin and dice rolls from a laptop.
If you into RPG games and storytelling, this is a must try.
Its essentially an RPG game that is focused mainly on solo or gm less role playing.
It has a fairly straight forward system based on swearing vows (quests) and using a system of moves to try and complete the vow and deal with the random events that crop up.
The story, the quests, the random events all have to be driven by you. There is a set of oracle tables that help make decisions from time to time but it works best when you have a story to tell and try and move your character through it.
The best part is it's entirely free. You can get a free PDF download at the Ironsworn website. There is also a very clever roll20 system set up which makes it a bit easier to track the admin and dice rolls from a laptop.
If you into RPG games and storytelling, this is a must try.
May 6, 2020
Marika is a ninsunu--one of a pair of living sacrifices that have kept the Undying at bay for a generation. When the other living sacrifice goes missing, she joins forces with the wolf-like varou to investigate the murder and make a perilous journey to sanctify the new ninsunu.
^That is the story I was able to create and play thru ALL ON MY OWN with the very cool solo play option of Ironsworn. That was about four hours of exploring the world building framework of Ironsworn and trying to learn and play the game simultaneously. There is a great community to help newbs like me, too. Interesting system which was fairly easy to jump into once I shed my DnD brain.
^That is the story I was able to create and play thru ALL ON MY OWN with the very cool solo play option of Ironsworn. That was about four hours of exploring the world building framework of Ironsworn and trying to learn and play the game simultaneously. There is a great community to help newbs like me, too. Interesting system which was fairly easy to jump into once I shed my DnD brain.
December 30, 2019
Ironsworn offers a coherent world (or, rather, a set of assumptions about the setting) that pushes just the right buttons for me, and a ruleset that might just be the first Apocalypse World inspired mechanic that actually speaks to me. The added fact that this is first and foremost a solo RPG is intriguing, and the fact that the PDF is free to download is just icing on the cake.
Will soon check this out, but first impressions after reading it are extremely positive!
Will soon check this out, but first impressions after reading it are extremely positive!
January 8, 2020
Ironsworn is not d&d. If you try and make it d&d it will not be a fun game for you. If you want to play a more narative driven game that self propels it's players at goals that they make for themselves then you will enjoy this game. It has a solo play mode that is amazing. It's completely free. Go get this game.
April 23, 2019
Really intuitive rules make this a great supplement for story telling in groups, a pair, or alone.
January 13, 2020
What a great solo RPG. Free in pdf. Amazing role play and will make you a better DM/GM/Keeper
May 20, 2021
Interesting RPG for solo or cooperative play. Focused on the fiction, with dice and tables to handle conflict. Well written with good examples and evocative artwork.
Next step - playing :)
Next step - playing :)
July 12, 2023
Ironsworn is a role-playing game (RPG) created by Shawn Tomkin. The premiere took place in 2018, and even earlier the author released a beta version, which already at this stage aroused some interest in the RPG community. It certainly belongs to the narrative kind of RPG.
The game offers 3 modes: classic guided play, with Game Master and players, cooperative, where all participants control their characters and at the same time co-shape the narrative, and solo mode. This means that the game has unusual approach to separation of powers. I’ve played all 3 modes, so I can confirm that they all work very well.
The manual has 272 pages and is black and white (except for the cover). The electronic version (PDF) can be downloaded for free on the author’s website, the DriveThruRPG portal (where it has been the most popular free game for years) or on itch.io. In 2019, Ironsworn won the ENnie Award for Best Free Game.
Who and where are we in this game?
We take the role of the titular Ironsworn – wandering heroes who undertake difficult and dangerous quests, swearing an oath on iron. Quests can result from personal motivation (e.g. revenge on the enemy), as well as be a form of payment for a favor or a spontaneous reaction to injustice – for example, our hero can wander into a village whose inhabitants live in poverty because of tribute paid to bandits, and decide to relieve them of this burden. Vows are the main driving force of the action, and fulfilling them is the only way to gain experience points and thus develop the character.
The action takes place in the Ironlands – a harsh land whose landscapes and level of technological development evoke associations with Scandinavia of the early Viking Age. Personally, it also reminds me of the northern reaches of Westeros and, to a lesser extent, Skyrim.
In many RPGs, the setting is either described very precisely, as in the case of the Old World in Warhammer, or vice versa – it is created from scratch by players in systems such as Fate, FU (Freeform Universal RPG), PbtA games (Powered by the Apocalypse, i.e. inspired by the groundbreaking Apocalypse World system). Shawn Tomkin, however, opted for the “middle option”. The Ironlands are outlined in the manual (the relevant chapter is only 20 pages, not including the bestiary), and players fill out their version of the realm with personally created details. The land consists of 9 characteristic regions – from the coast full of fjords, through dense forests, to the extremely unfriendly ice wastelands, which are the northern border of this continent. I consider the description of these regions to be a masterpiece – for each there is only half a page of text and one photo, but it is enough to feel the atmosphere of a given place and remember how it differs from the others.
At the beginning of the campaign, players define several Truths about the world – in each case they can choose one of the 3 proposed options or come up with their own. For example, you need to determine whether the Firstborn (i.e. elves, trolls and giants) in our version of the Ironlands are just a legend, or small and isolated populations, or maybe they are the dominant ones and humans are the minority.
Creating a character is simple – we have 5 attributes to which we assign values: 3, 2, 2, 1, 1. In addition, we choose 3 out of 75 Assets divided into 4 categories: Companion, Path, Combat Talent, Ritual. In Ironsworn, you don’t have to choose between being a warrior, a druid or a mage. You can choose, for example, one Combat Talent Asset (such as a Shieldbearer or an Archer), a faithful animal Companion and some climatic Nordic Ritual. Assets should not be repeated in the party – thanks to this, each member has unique abilities.
Experience points earned by fulfilling Iron Vows can be spent to upgrade our Assets or obtain new ones.
How do we act
As in PbtA games, the actions of heroes take the form of Moves, of which there are 35 in this system. When a character does something that triggers one of them (e.g. reacting to danger, resupplying or setting up camp in the wild), the player rolls 3 dice: 1 six-sided (d6) and 2 ten-sided (d10), here called challenge dice. To the result on d6, the player adds the value of one of the attributes (and sometimes other bonuses, e.g. those resulting from Assets), and compares the resulting sum (the so-called action score) with the numbers that came out on d10.
If the action score is higher than the score on both challenge dice, we have a strong hit. The character achieved exactly what they set out to do. If the action score is higher than the result of only one of the challenge dice, we have a partial success (weak hit) – the action was at least partially successful, but there were also unforeseen complications. However, if the results of both d10s are higher than the action score – it means a defeat (miss). This can be taken literally as a failure of the character’s actions, or the character may have achieved what they intended after all, but serious complications are introduced at the same time. Shawn used this example: if a hero is trying to track a monster and the player fails the roll, it doesn’t necessarily mean the trail is lost. Instead, the hero may discover something that makes his situation more dangerous or complicated, such as that one of his tribesmen is in concert with the monster. According to my calculations, depending on the amount of the given attribute and other bonuses, the risk of miss ranges from 9% to 45%. It is usually closer to the latter value.
Ironsworn’s mechanics are designed in such a way that heroes can easily get into serious trouble, but at the same time they rarely die. This creates a constant atmosphere of peril. For example: each character has only 5 Health points, which are very easy to lose, but this does not mean immediate death – when we take further damage, we must either accept receiving a serious wound that hinders some actions, or roll 2d10 and read the result in a special table. Some of its results may force us to roll a special Move called Face Death, and only failure in the latter means the hero’s sad end. Interestingly, one of the animal companions, the raven, can give a +2 bonus to the Face Death roll and thus significantly increase the chance of getting out of trouble.
How we fulfill our Vows
Each Iron Vow has a progress track consisting of 10 empty squares. It also has one of 5 ranks, from Troublesome (e.g. getting healing herbs in the nearby forest) to Epic (carrying a powerful magical ring to a volcano in a cursed land :) ).
Some of the hero’s actions, such as overcoming a dangerous obstacle, going on a journey, fighting a fight, solving a mystery, obtaining a valuable item, or supporting another character or the entire community, if directly related to the fulfillment of the Vow, may be considered a milestone. In this case, progress is made on that Vow track: from 3 full squares for Troublesome to a quarter square for Epic.
What is important: the progress track does not have to be completely filled! At any time (so long as the plot fits) the player can attempt to complete the mission by rolling the Fulfill Your Vow Move. In this case, they roll only 2d10 dice and compare the results with the number of fully filled squares (instead of the action score). The result is considered in the same way as in the case of other Moves: the task may therefore be crowned with a complete success (and earning from 1 to 5 experience points depending on the Vow rank) or it may turn out that something more needs to be done (in which case we receive a smaller reward and we can swear another Iron Vow to complete the work – but we don’t have to). We can also fail, which means a powerful blow to our Spirit (psychic equivalent of Health points – in extreme cases it can lead to madness of the character) and a potential crisis in the relationship with the person we swore to. With 4 filled squares, the risk of failure is 49%, with 6 – 25%, with 10 – 1% (there can always be two 10s!).
It may happen that when we ask someone for help in our task, that person will support us, provided we do something for them. In this way, a side quest may appear, the successful completion of which will also mean reaching a milestone in the main quest. Several quests tend to be active at the same time.
Not only quests have progress tracks – combat, travel, and dungeon exploration (introduced in the Delve expansion) are also resolved in the same way. All of these activities have 1 out of 5 ranks, and by hitting enemies or completing the next stages of your journey, you mark your progress. At the selected moment (not necessarily after filling the entire track!) we check whether we won the fight (or the enemy had some ace up his sleeve) or whether we reached the destination (or maybe it turned out that we took a wrong road or that our destination was destroyed before we reached it).
This mechanic makes it virtually impossible to railroad (i.e. remove agency from players by the Game Master), and it forces improvisation!
The Game Master cannot impose:
1. what Vows will the Players’ Characters swear (although GM can and should create situations conducive to swearing them, e.g. NPCs asking for help), whether they will choose to fight, go on a journey;
2. when they decide that they are ready to try to fulfill the oath, end the fight, reach the destination;
3. if they succeed (it depends on the roll).
Whom and how we fight?
Now that I’ve mentioned combat, let’s move on to the essential part of many RPG manuals, namely the bestiary. As with the Ironlands regions, there is 1 page for each of the 29 potential enemies. However, forget about solutions from classic RPGs, where each creature is described in terms of the number of hit points, armor, resistances, number and strength of attacks, etc. In Ironsworn, each creature except Player Characters has only 1 stat, namely the rank, which determines the pace of filling the progress track with successful blows and the damage that the creature deals to our heroes.
As I mentioned, the rank system is consistent across all elements of the game, so we have a cross-section of Troublesome-ranked enemies like Marsh Rats to Epic-ranked Leviathan lurking in the depths of the sea. However, the rank is not immutable. When facing a group of low-ranked opponents, we can give them one higher-ranked progress track to simplify bookkeeping. However, if we are supported by a squad of allied NPCs, we can lower the rank of the opponent – without it, we have no real chance against the strongest ones.
Creature descriptions are not limited to rank. The manual also includes the characteristics of their appearance and behavior, including their preferred tactics. For example, wild boars usually charge at their prey, while giant spiders prefer to catch it in a web or surprise it with an attack from above.
During combat, the key element is initiative – if the previous Character’s Move was resulted in strong hit, then the initiative belongs to the Character and the player can perform the most advantageous Strike Move. However, if the last Move was not a strong hit, then the opponent acts (probably using one of their favorite tactics, we can also randomise its behavior with a special table), and the Character needs to react, e.g. by dodging (i.e. Face Danger Move). In the absence of initiative, the Character can also counterattack with Clash Move, but the consequences of failure are more severe than in the case of Strike.
This way, none of the participants (players or Game Master, if any) roll for the opponents – enemies succeed when Characters’ Moves, whether aggressive or reactive, fail.
How we answer questions
You already know that Ironsworn can be played without a Game Master. The question arises: who and how creates the locations, NPCs and challenges faced by the Player Characters?
The answer is Oracles, a set of 20 random tables. They answer most of the questions players and their Ironsworn players may have. For example, let’s look at Oracles 4 and 6:
Let’s assume that our Characters are traveling and we want to determine what characteristic waypoint appears to their eyes. We roll a d10 4 times. The first 2 results give us tens and digits from the Oracle number 4 – we got 2 and 1, which is 21 – this means Cave. The second pair of rolls is for Oracle number 6 – a 3 and a 6 are rolled, which is 36, so the cave is Occupied! By whom? The answer may be the first thought that comes to mind, or we may ask another Oracle. After that, the only thing left to do is to decide whether we should avoid the inhabitants of the cave, try to communicate with them (e.g. by performing the Compel Move) or fight them.
Oracles have a good reputation – they are used not only by people playing Ironsworn, but also other systems, as an additional, helpful tool.
Do we enjoy?
Ironsworn is a very specific game. Even RPG players who are used to PbtA games may need some time to learn how progress tracks or Initiative rules work. People who have never dealt with PbtA may be completely confused at first. I think it’s worth learning the game though. Shawn Tomkin designed it with the utmost care – the rules perfectly match the assumed mood of a harsh land full of dangers, but also honorable, brave heroes. Once we get used to the unusual rules, the gameplay is very fluid. The manual is perfectly clear, thanks to the index we can quickly find the aspect of the game we are interested in, and the PDF version is full of hyperlinks, so one click takes us straight to the desired section of the book. In addition, we have an 11-page Playkit containing, among others: a summary of the basic rules, a description of Moves and a character sheet.
In conclusion, I highly recommend Ironsworn if:
1. you like a narrative approach to RPGs (as opposed to tactical battles with figures and a grid);
2. you like Viking vibes;
3. you prefer mystical rituals (mostly divination and curses) rather than throwing fireballs left and right;
4. you are not afraid of challenges;
5. you don’t have a willing Game Master on hand or you just want to try an unusual form of gameplay.
I advise against this game if:
1. you want to play safety-conscious, cynical, non-empathic characters – in Ironsworn it won’t work, the characters have to be quite eager to swear Iron Vows to the people they meet (i.e. voluntarily get into new, potentially deadly trouble) to drive the action;
2. you are bothered by a very abstract approach to inventory, prices, trade, etc.;
3. you prefer tactical combat, with movement range calculation, counting bullets, etc.
Ironsworn has a dedicated fanbase. The official Discord server has over 8000 members, a bit more can be found on the relevant subReddit, and over 2,500 on the Facebook group. On Twitter, Shawn Tomkin has almost 5,300 followers. There are countless blogs with session reports and YouTube streams, most recommended by me is Me, Myself and Die! Season Two.
The Ironsworn community is very beginner-friendly and creative. Although the basic rulebook discussed in this text is more than enough to play a lot of adventures, fans have created many interesting additions. This is facilitated by the open license of the game. The author himself did not stop at his debut work either. But I will tell you about the additions another time.
In February 2023, i.e. about 5 years after the game’s release, Shawn Tomkin announced its second edition on the aforementioned Discord server – initially for 2025, and playtests are to start this year. The new version of the game is to include numerous solutions known from the additions to the original, more Oracles and Assets, the ability to expand settlements, but also a simplified game mode, more friendly to beginners. The author also considers a “time jump”, as I understand it, from the Early Middle Ages to the High Middle Ages (perhaps we will see a fantasy equivalent of Birger Jarl or the Kalmar Union?). I am very curious about the second edition, and in the meantime, I strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with the first one!
The game offers 3 modes: classic guided play, with Game Master and players, cooperative, where all participants control their characters and at the same time co-shape the narrative, and solo mode. This means that the game has unusual approach to separation of powers. I’ve played all 3 modes, so I can confirm that they all work very well.
The manual has 272 pages and is black and white (except for the cover). The electronic version (PDF) can be downloaded for free on the author’s website, the DriveThruRPG portal (where it has been the most popular free game for years) or on itch.io. In 2019, Ironsworn won the ENnie Award for Best Free Game.
Who and where are we in this game?
We take the role of the titular Ironsworn – wandering heroes who undertake difficult and dangerous quests, swearing an oath on iron. Quests can result from personal motivation (e.g. revenge on the enemy), as well as be a form of payment for a favor or a spontaneous reaction to injustice – for example, our hero can wander into a village whose inhabitants live in poverty because of tribute paid to bandits, and decide to relieve them of this burden. Vows are the main driving force of the action, and fulfilling them is the only way to gain experience points and thus develop the character.
The action takes place in the Ironlands – a harsh land whose landscapes and level of technological development evoke associations with Scandinavia of the early Viking Age. Personally, it also reminds me of the northern reaches of Westeros and, to a lesser extent, Skyrim.
In many RPGs, the setting is either described very precisely, as in the case of the Old World in Warhammer, or vice versa – it is created from scratch by players in systems such as Fate, FU (Freeform Universal RPG), PbtA games (Powered by the Apocalypse, i.e. inspired by the groundbreaking Apocalypse World system). Shawn Tomkin, however, opted for the “middle option”. The Ironlands are outlined in the manual (the relevant chapter is only 20 pages, not including the bestiary), and players fill out their version of the realm with personally created details. The land consists of 9 characteristic regions – from the coast full of fjords, through dense forests, to the extremely unfriendly ice wastelands, which are the northern border of this continent. I consider the description of these regions to be a masterpiece – for each there is only half a page of text and one photo, but it is enough to feel the atmosphere of a given place and remember how it differs from the others.
At the beginning of the campaign, players define several Truths about the world – in each case they can choose one of the 3 proposed options or come up with their own. For example, you need to determine whether the Firstborn (i.e. elves, trolls and giants) in our version of the Ironlands are just a legend, or small and isolated populations, or maybe they are the dominant ones and humans are the minority.
Creating a character is simple – we have 5 attributes to which we assign values: 3, 2, 2, 1, 1. In addition, we choose 3 out of 75 Assets divided into 4 categories: Companion, Path, Combat Talent, Ritual. In Ironsworn, you don’t have to choose between being a warrior, a druid or a mage. You can choose, for example, one Combat Talent Asset (such as a Shieldbearer or an Archer), a faithful animal Companion and some climatic Nordic Ritual. Assets should not be repeated in the party – thanks to this, each member has unique abilities.
Experience points earned by fulfilling Iron Vows can be spent to upgrade our Assets or obtain new ones.
How do we act
As in PbtA games, the actions of heroes take the form of Moves, of which there are 35 in this system. When a character does something that triggers one of them (e.g. reacting to danger, resupplying or setting up camp in the wild), the player rolls 3 dice: 1 six-sided (d6) and 2 ten-sided (d10), here called challenge dice. To the result on d6, the player adds the value of one of the attributes (and sometimes other bonuses, e.g. those resulting from Assets), and compares the resulting sum (the so-called action score) with the numbers that came out on d10.
If the action score is higher than the score on both challenge dice, we have a strong hit. The character achieved exactly what they set out to do. If the action score is higher than the result of only one of the challenge dice, we have a partial success (weak hit) – the action was at least partially successful, but there were also unforeseen complications. However, if the results of both d10s are higher than the action score – it means a defeat (miss). This can be taken literally as a failure of the character’s actions, or the character may have achieved what they intended after all, but serious complications are introduced at the same time. Shawn used this example: if a hero is trying to track a monster and the player fails the roll, it doesn’t necessarily mean the trail is lost. Instead, the hero may discover something that makes his situation more dangerous or complicated, such as that one of his tribesmen is in concert with the monster. According to my calculations, depending on the amount of the given attribute and other bonuses, the risk of miss ranges from 9% to 45%. It is usually closer to the latter value.
Ironsworn’s mechanics are designed in such a way that heroes can easily get into serious trouble, but at the same time they rarely die. This creates a constant atmosphere of peril. For example: each character has only 5 Health points, which are very easy to lose, but this does not mean immediate death – when we take further damage, we must either accept receiving a serious wound that hinders some actions, or roll 2d10 and read the result in a special table. Some of its results may force us to roll a special Move called Face Death, and only failure in the latter means the hero’s sad end. Interestingly, one of the animal companions, the raven, can give a +2 bonus to the Face Death roll and thus significantly increase the chance of getting out of trouble.
How we fulfill our Vows
Each Iron Vow has a progress track consisting of 10 empty squares. It also has one of 5 ranks, from Troublesome (e.g. getting healing herbs in the nearby forest) to Epic (carrying a powerful magical ring to a volcano in a cursed land :) ).
Some of the hero’s actions, such as overcoming a dangerous obstacle, going on a journey, fighting a fight, solving a mystery, obtaining a valuable item, or supporting another character or the entire community, if directly related to the fulfillment of the Vow, may be considered a milestone. In this case, progress is made on that Vow track: from 3 full squares for Troublesome to a quarter square for Epic.
What is important: the progress track does not have to be completely filled! At any time (so long as the plot fits) the player can attempt to complete the mission by rolling the Fulfill Your Vow Move. In this case, they roll only 2d10 dice and compare the results with the number of fully filled squares (instead of the action score). The result is considered in the same way as in the case of other Moves: the task may therefore be crowned with a complete success (and earning from 1 to 5 experience points depending on the Vow rank) or it may turn out that something more needs to be done (in which case we receive a smaller reward and we can swear another Iron Vow to complete the work – but we don’t have to). We can also fail, which means a powerful blow to our Spirit (psychic equivalent of Health points – in extreme cases it can lead to madness of the character) and a potential crisis in the relationship with the person we swore to. With 4 filled squares, the risk of failure is 49%, with 6 – 25%, with 10 – 1% (there can always be two 10s!).
It may happen that when we ask someone for help in our task, that person will support us, provided we do something for them. In this way, a side quest may appear, the successful completion of which will also mean reaching a milestone in the main quest. Several quests tend to be active at the same time.
Not only quests have progress tracks – combat, travel, and dungeon exploration (introduced in the Delve expansion) are also resolved in the same way. All of these activities have 1 out of 5 ranks, and by hitting enemies or completing the next stages of your journey, you mark your progress. At the selected moment (not necessarily after filling the entire track!) we check whether we won the fight (or the enemy had some ace up his sleeve) or whether we reached the destination (or maybe it turned out that we took a wrong road or that our destination was destroyed before we reached it).
This mechanic makes it virtually impossible to railroad (i.e. remove agency from players by the Game Master), and it forces improvisation!
The Game Master cannot impose:
1. what Vows will the Players’ Characters swear (although GM can and should create situations conducive to swearing them, e.g. NPCs asking for help), whether they will choose to fight, go on a journey;
2. when they decide that they are ready to try to fulfill the oath, end the fight, reach the destination;
3. if they succeed (it depends on the roll).
Whom and how we fight?
Now that I’ve mentioned combat, let’s move on to the essential part of many RPG manuals, namely the bestiary. As with the Ironlands regions, there is 1 page for each of the 29 potential enemies. However, forget about solutions from classic RPGs, where each creature is described in terms of the number of hit points, armor, resistances, number and strength of attacks, etc. In Ironsworn, each creature except Player Characters has only 1 stat, namely the rank, which determines the pace of filling the progress track with successful blows and the damage that the creature deals to our heroes.
As I mentioned, the rank system is consistent across all elements of the game, so we have a cross-section of Troublesome-ranked enemies like Marsh Rats to Epic-ranked Leviathan lurking in the depths of the sea. However, the rank is not immutable. When facing a group of low-ranked opponents, we can give them one higher-ranked progress track to simplify bookkeeping. However, if we are supported by a squad of allied NPCs, we can lower the rank of the opponent – without it, we have no real chance against the strongest ones.
Creature descriptions are not limited to rank. The manual also includes the characteristics of their appearance and behavior, including their preferred tactics. For example, wild boars usually charge at their prey, while giant spiders prefer to catch it in a web or surprise it with an attack from above.
During combat, the key element is initiative – if the previous Character’s Move was resulted in strong hit, then the initiative belongs to the Character and the player can perform the most advantageous Strike Move. However, if the last Move was not a strong hit, then the opponent acts (probably using one of their favorite tactics, we can also randomise its behavior with a special table), and the Character needs to react, e.g. by dodging (i.e. Face Danger Move). In the absence of initiative, the Character can also counterattack with Clash Move, but the consequences of failure are more severe than in the case of Strike.
This way, none of the participants (players or Game Master, if any) roll for the opponents – enemies succeed when Characters’ Moves, whether aggressive or reactive, fail.
How we answer questions
You already know that Ironsworn can be played without a Game Master. The question arises: who and how creates the locations, NPCs and challenges faced by the Player Characters?
The answer is Oracles, a set of 20 random tables. They answer most of the questions players and their Ironsworn players may have. For example, let’s look at Oracles 4 and 6:
Let’s assume that our Characters are traveling and we want to determine what characteristic waypoint appears to their eyes. We roll a d10 4 times. The first 2 results give us tens and digits from the Oracle number 4 – we got 2 and 1, which is 21 – this means Cave. The second pair of rolls is for Oracle number 6 – a 3 and a 6 are rolled, which is 36, so the cave is Occupied! By whom? The answer may be the first thought that comes to mind, or we may ask another Oracle. After that, the only thing left to do is to decide whether we should avoid the inhabitants of the cave, try to communicate with them (e.g. by performing the Compel Move) or fight them.
Oracles have a good reputation – they are used not only by people playing Ironsworn, but also other systems, as an additional, helpful tool.
Do we enjoy?
Ironsworn is a very specific game. Even RPG players who are used to PbtA games may need some time to learn how progress tracks or Initiative rules work. People who have never dealt with PbtA may be completely confused at first. I think it’s worth learning the game though. Shawn Tomkin designed it with the utmost care – the rules perfectly match the assumed mood of a harsh land full of dangers, but also honorable, brave heroes. Once we get used to the unusual rules, the gameplay is very fluid. The manual is perfectly clear, thanks to the index we can quickly find the aspect of the game we are interested in, and the PDF version is full of hyperlinks, so one click takes us straight to the desired section of the book. In addition, we have an 11-page Playkit containing, among others: a summary of the basic rules, a description of Moves and a character sheet.
In conclusion, I highly recommend Ironsworn if:
1. you like a narrative approach to RPGs (as opposed to tactical battles with figures and a grid);
2. you like Viking vibes;
3. you prefer mystical rituals (mostly divination and curses) rather than throwing fireballs left and right;
4. you are not afraid of challenges;
5. you don’t have a willing Game Master on hand or you just want to try an unusual form of gameplay.
I advise against this game if:
1. you want to play safety-conscious, cynical, non-empathic characters – in Ironsworn it won’t work, the characters have to be quite eager to swear Iron Vows to the people they meet (i.e. voluntarily get into new, potentially deadly trouble) to drive the action;
2. you are bothered by a very abstract approach to inventory, prices, trade, etc.;
3. you prefer tactical combat, with movement range calculation, counting bullets, etc.
Ironsworn has a dedicated fanbase. The official Discord server has over 8000 members, a bit more can be found on the relevant subReddit, and over 2,500 on the Facebook group. On Twitter, Shawn Tomkin has almost 5,300 followers. There are countless blogs with session reports and YouTube streams, most recommended by me is Me, Myself and Die! Season Two.
The Ironsworn community is very beginner-friendly and creative. Although the basic rulebook discussed in this text is more than enough to play a lot of adventures, fans have created many interesting additions. This is facilitated by the open license of the game. The author himself did not stop at his debut work either. But I will tell you about the additions another time.
In February 2023, i.e. about 5 years after the game’s release, Shawn Tomkin announced its second edition on the aforementioned Discord server – initially for 2025, and playtests are to start this year. The new version of the game is to include numerous solutions known from the additions to the original, more Oracles and Assets, the ability to expand settlements, but also a simplified game mode, more friendly to beginners. The author also considers a “time jump”, as I understand it, from the Early Middle Ages to the High Middle Ages (perhaps we will see a fantasy equivalent of Birger Jarl or the Kalmar Union?). I am very curious about the second edition, and in the meantime, I strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with the first one!
July 17, 2020
Interesting game that melds concepts from the Apocalypse World engine and the Mythic GM emulator.
At first glance it seems to break some of what I consider to be best practices when designing a Powered by the Apocalypse game, but that's because the focus is not really the setting. I don't know if this is technically a PbtA game, because the core mechanic differs, but I think it's close enough to count.
That core mechanic uses a d6 plus modifiers to beat two separated d10 rolls. If you beat one it's a partial success and two a full success. This replaces the standard 2d6 to beat a 7 for a partial success or a 10 for a full one. This mechanic makes it harder for me to intuitively know my odds, but allows for some interesting alternative roll using fixed numbers to replace the d6 roll, and determining success with just the d10s.
The setting is a fantasy Nordic setting of small communities in a harsh land, known as the Ironlands. The setting is designed to be fleshed out by the players at the table, but there is a good structure for tweaking the details built into the game. A small section at the back even discusses using the game with completely different settings. This is the best practice that I at first thought was being broken. PbtA games are best when they are narrowly focused, and usually that includes a focus on the setting, but here the focus is on small groups or individuals taking on quests in a gritty setting, not on the setting itself.
The quest is what everything is set around. They form the structure of the game, and completing them provides the experience characters use to improve themselves.
Solo play is facilitated by the "oracle" charts that you roll on for inspiration. Also, a larger than usual number of moves built into the rules
The book itself is nicely put together, with art provided by stock photos of people in costume. Those photos have been well selected to represent more than the standard looking male warrior, with a large number of pictures of women, and even some non-Europeans. The end result is way better than I would have expected.
I haven't tried it out yet, but almost certainly will.
At first glance it seems to break some of what I consider to be best practices when designing a Powered by the Apocalypse game, but that's because the focus is not really the setting. I don't know if this is technically a PbtA game, because the core mechanic differs, but I think it's close enough to count.
That core mechanic uses a d6 plus modifiers to beat two separated d10 rolls. If you beat one it's a partial success and two a full success. This replaces the standard 2d6 to beat a 7 for a partial success or a 10 for a full one. This mechanic makes it harder for me to intuitively know my odds, but allows for some interesting alternative roll using fixed numbers to replace the d6 roll, and determining success with just the d10s.
The setting is a fantasy Nordic setting of small communities in a harsh land, known as the Ironlands. The setting is designed to be fleshed out by the players at the table, but there is a good structure for tweaking the details built into the game. A small section at the back even discusses using the game with completely different settings. This is the best practice that I at first thought was being broken. PbtA games are best when they are narrowly focused, and usually that includes a focus on the setting, but here the focus is on small groups or individuals taking on quests in a gritty setting, not on the setting itself.
The quest is what everything is set around. They form the structure of the game, and completing them provides the experience characters use to improve themselves.
Solo play is facilitated by the "oracle" charts that you roll on for inspiration. Also, a larger than usual number of moves built into the rules
The book itself is nicely put together, with art provided by stock photos of people in costume. Those photos have been well selected to represent more than the standard looking male warrior, with a large number of pictures of women, and even some non-Europeans. The end result is way better than I would have expected.
I haven't tried it out yet, but almost certainly will.
Read
May 24, 2023I think this'd be great for solo play, what with the oracle system and the very good random tables (not, like, Worlds without Number good but still very good), but for traditional 'guided' play with a GM I'm always a little put off by PbtA game design. Maybe it's just not what I would want as a player--I don't want to narrate my character's story, I want to be my character in the story. Narration of the exterior world is what the GM is for. I think about this Brennan Lee Mulligan bit a lot. Maybe this whole storygame genre isn't for me! Anyway.
My other problem is that like... there's a unified resolution mechanic, right. You roll 2d10 (but do not add them together) and then 1d6 (which you then add multiple modifiers to, depending on what you've got and who you are, etc). Leaving aside how fiddly this is as a basic bit of dice rolling, why do different moves then exist? You're making the same roll every time, unless I'm missing something, so moves are just... ways to flavour the rolling? I feel like I've wandered into a different wing of the hotel and the architecture's all weird and I'm a bit lost. Well, plenty of people seem happy living here, so more power to them.
My other problem is that like... there's a unified resolution mechanic, right. You roll 2d10 (but do not add them together) and then 1d6 (which you then add multiple modifiers to, depending on what you've got and who you are, etc). Leaving aside how fiddly this is as a basic bit of dice rolling, why do different moves then exist? You're making the same roll every time, unless I'm missing something, so moves are just... ways to flavour the rolling? I feel like I've wandered into a different wing of the hotel and the architecture's all weird and I'm a bit lost. Well, plenty of people seem happy living here, so more power to them.
September 19, 2020
Recently have begun a campaign of Ironsworn, and it is an excellent narrative system for the kind of fantasy I enjoy... dark, gritty... sinew and iron vs. the wild and forsaken. This is not the cartoonish bloat that is D&D, but a level of sword and sorcery grounded in a faux-viking culture, with a very focused approach to vows, quests and the grim life of harsh adventure.
Flavor and feel is excellent, and supported by a level of procedure and structure often lacking in PbtA derived games. Because the game is designed to support solo and co-op play as well as traditional GM guided play, there are some well tested procedures for resolving combat, travel, quests, etc., that avoid much of the handwavium that plagues other PbtA hacks.
Ultimately the book is well written, easy to suss during play, and provide all you need to create bone crunching adventure without an excess of pointless crunch. A good game, and well written.
Flavor and feel is excellent, and supported by a level of procedure and structure often lacking in PbtA derived games. Because the game is designed to support solo and co-op play as well as traditional GM guided play, there are some well tested procedures for resolving combat, travel, quests, etc., that avoid much of the handwavium that plagues other PbtA hacks.
Ultimately the book is well written, easy to suss during play, and provide all you need to create bone crunching adventure without an excess of pointless crunch. A good game, and well written.
April 26, 2022
Excelente juego para iniciarse en la senda del abandono de la dirección y el entendimiento de que quien domina el juego, es quien juega.
Con una gran cantidad de mecánicas novedosas y atractivas, Tomkin abre una senda con Ironsworn que luego continúa con Delve y el maravilloso Ironsworn: Starforged, que moderniza las mecánicas y el entendimiento del juego.
Siendo además gratis, Ironsworn es un juego de lectura obligada para cualquier roler@ que quiera explorar nuevos títulos y expandir sus límites.
Con una gran cantidad de mecánicas novedosas y atractivas, Tomkin abre una senda con Ironsworn que luego continúa con Delve y el maravilloso Ironsworn: Starforged, que moderniza las mecánicas y el entendimiento del juego.
Siendo además gratis, Ironsworn es un juego de lectura obligada para cualquier roler@ que quiera explorar nuevos títulos y expandir sus límites.
May 25, 2022
I've been looking for something that I could play on my phone when I'm bored and that would let me do some worldbuilding and free writing in a casual and fun way. Having read through this rules set for Ironsworn's solo play possibilities, I'm excited to give it a shot. I also found a free mobile app that lets me do it all easily and in one spot on my phone.
I've been very interested in storytelling as an art and the power of stories lately and am excited to explore experimental stuff in some of these solo RPGs.
I've been very interested in storytelling as an art and the power of stories lately and am excited to explore experimental stuff in some of these solo RPGs.
Read
June 27, 2022I'm less interested in this as a solo or "co-op" game than I am in it as a simple, normal roleplaying game with a GM and PCs, and in that sense I think it's very, very cool--it does some things with the Apocalypse World structure of Moves that create new ways of making fiction at the table. The focus on characters swearing vows and going after them in play (or forsaking them) is a strong vision of play and provides good focus. The setting is extremely uninspired, though--make one up with your friends, instead.
December 29, 2022
If you've ever wanted to try something like D&D but felt intimidated by all of the rules, or couldn't find a good group to play with, I implore you to try Ironsworn. It can be played solo, with a co-op group (no GM), or a traditionally with a GM and players. I'm playing a solo campaign (just me playing, no GM!) and am having an absolute blast with my character. This book/game gives you everything you need to create an awesome character, world, and story where you'll never be able to predict what happens next.
June 19, 2021
This is the book that made me finally try out a RPG, after so many attempts of getting the gist of it.
No, I am not interested in hitpoints or I am not interested in esoteric modifiers. Math is not fun. It is my job.
Instead what I was seeking for was a creative writing experience with enough constraints and guidance of luck and this seems to provide.
I will update the review if that does not turn out to be the case.
No, I am not interested in hitpoints or I am not interested in esoteric modifiers. Math is not fun. It is my job.
Instead what I was seeking for was a creative writing experience with enough constraints and guidance of luck and this seems to provide.
I will update the review if that does not turn out to be the case.
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