Ironsworn

Testing award-winning game designs in a season of shorts runs, quick starts and starter sets. Slayers (Gila RPGs), Hillfolk (Pelgrane Press) and more.
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nemarsde
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Ironsworn

Post by nemarsde »

Out of the new wave of solo RPGs to hit the scene during the Covid pandemic, Shawn Tomkin's Ironsworn has gained the most traction. Probably because it's free, but it's also closely related to the ever popular Powered by the Apocalypse games in style and mechanics.

Although the author has released paid-for versions for dungeon crawls and sci-fi, I'm interested in the original, Norse fantasy version that won an ENNIE Award in 2019.

Can a solo RPG be fun? I want to find out and rather than recording progress in a notebook I'll use this thread.

And you can follow along by downloading the free rulebook.
nemarsde
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Character Creation

Post by nemarsde »

I want to read the bones, interpret the signs, I want character creation to be as random as possible. I think creating order out of chaos is still rewarding and more quick and effective at creating a character. Otherwise I can mull over options for hours or days.

Ironsworn has some randomisation built in and its character creation starts with your name, by rolling a d100.

I rolled 22...

My name is Haf

Stats

The standard stat array is 3,2,2,1,1, assigned to Edge, Heart, Iron, Shadow, Wits.

Edge=Agility, Heart=Courage, Iron=Strength, Shadow=Cunning, Wits=Knowledge

I just assign them in order, Edge 3, Heart 2, Iron 2, Shadow 1, Wits 1.

I interpret this as Haf being remarkably nimble, generally brave and athletic, but a little naïve with little schooling outside of his narrow niche. This immediately recalls to mind a couple of characters, the light-hearted Fong Sai-yuk from Chinese folklore (sort of a Shaolin Robin Hood) or Himura from Rurouni Kenshin, a much deeper, darker character.

Chopsocky might be hard to adapt to the Norse fantasy of Ironsworn but both Sai-yuk and Himura are attoning for past murders by protecting people from violence. That's good motivation, and Fong Sai-yuk movies often use the "You killed my master!" vengeance trope as a driving force for the plot. This obviously requires a good villain, a classically evil bastard who the hero can fight and strain their vows of non-lethal force.

[By this point I've already spent a few hours thinking about the game and the character, even talking to rossi720 about it, and I guess that's how a solo RPG works. It's not a discrete game session, rather occupies your thoughts in your spare time. Almost like a daydreaming aid.]

Assets

I still can't see Haf but there is a strong framework there. Next I need to pick three Assets, in-game mechanical effects that represent companions, combat and non-combat specialisms.

Looking at a menu of options helps crystallise the character for me, and I realise I'm cooking two different characters. One is grown from Fong Sai-yuk with a smattering of Fist of the North Star. A martial artist from the Temple of the Frost Giant's Daughter, whose body can be made hard as ice and punch like iron.

The other is grown from Himura and the shield-fighting style seen in Troy, a warrior whose vow pushes him to use his shield more than his sword (or spear).

In quickly becomes evident that I can create the second in Ironsworn but not the first. It's not Exalted.

OK, so Rurouni Kenshin stories always involve his trusty companions, so firstly I pick Kindred Companion, a sidekick to accompany Haf on his quest. I think it might be a kid; everyone loves a Shortround! Being honourbound is intrinsic to the character, so I pick that as a Path. Next should be something that reflects Haf's fighting expertise and Shield-Bearer fits nicely.

Kindred (Companion), Honourbound (Path), Shield-Bearer (Combat Tactic)
nemarsde
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World Creation

Post by nemarsde »

Before settling on my character's bonds and vows, I'm supposed to create my world. In Ironsworn much of this is done for you, there's even a rough map, but there are some fundamental truths about the Ironlands that players must determine for themselves.

Although contained in the main rulebook, the author has also produced a separate world workbook.

Each truth involves choosing one of three options or a fourth; make your own. And each has a Quest Starter, an idea for your Ironvows. I have 1d6 handy so decide to roll randomly for each.

The Old World
2. "The sickness moved like a horrible wave across the Old World, killing all in its path." So in my game, the Old World suffered a devastating plague, prompting many people to flee by sea to the fabled north. They discovered the Ironlands and settled. Would a zombie plague be more interesting than a Black Death-like plague? I don't know, I'm reminded of Paul Verhoeven's Flesh+Blood, a medieval fantasy that succeeded in making the Black Death far more grosteque than mere zombies. Interesting question though!

Iron
3. "Inscrutable metal pillars are found throughout the land. They are iron gray, and smooth as river stone. No one knows
their purpose." OK, weird, I didn't expect that. I assumed the Ironlands were named after iron ore and that is the first option but in my game it looks like the Ironlands are named after a dark alien metal. Cripes, that's so much to ponder on its own I don't think I will unless absolutely necessary. It could be a long rabbit-hole!

Legacies
1. "We are the first humans to walk these lands." Phew, that's the first and simplest option.

Communities
1. "We are few in number in this accursed land. Most rarely have contact with anyone outside our own small steading." Bleak but OK, sets a tone.

Leaders
1. "Leadership is as varied as the people." That gives me broad scope. Settlements can be organised very differently to Haf's own.

Defense
3. "Our warbands are rallied to strike at our enemies or defend our holdings." I rolled this but it doesn't really gel with what I rolled for Communities. If contact between settlements is rare, why do we have such organised warbands? Maybe it's like the Cimmerian clans in Conan the Valorous.

Mysticism
3. "Magic courses through this land as the rivers flow through the hills. The power is there for those who choose to harness it." Bugger, I was imagining a very low magic setting. Still, this just add colour. Magic is pedestrian, maybe it's tied to...

Religion
3. "Our gods are many. They make themselves known through manifestations and miracles." Yeah, that fits!

Firstborn (aka, fairies and giants)
1. "The firstborn have passed into legend." Oh so even though magic is commonplace the firstborn are pretty much extinct. Interesting.

Beasts
2. "Monstrous beasts stalk the wild areas of the Ironlands." So the firstborn are extinct but the wildnerness is still populated by monsters!? Well, if humans wiped themselves out I'm sure megafauna would do very nicely so maybe it makes sense.

Horrors (the undead)
3. "The dead do not rest in the Ironlands." OK, zombies are definitely greenlit but it feels like a characteristic of the Ironlands and its abundant magic, so I don't think the Old World was devastated by a zombie plague. Answers that question, but might this be connected to the alien monoliths?

[By now I've hit a low point; I'm ready to quit. With a companion and oaths still to create, plus any supporting characters, I cannot see the appeal. Ultimately my character is never going to have a conversation or have to engage with the world. This feels like wasted creativity!]
nemarsde
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The Flop

Post by nemarsde »

I've reached a point where I know most of my character and the world and I have to decide whether to continue with this endeavour.

I have plenty of ideas for vows, but they're complex, entwined with what I've created for the world, with a dark queen rebuilding a magical MacGuffin, and a band of raiders cursed to undeath like the crew of The Black Pearl. Trying to parse it all in my head is too much and I realise I'll have to write it all down here and figure it out.

It's work. For me it isn't fun. I write up my game notes for quick reference; all things considered I'd rather not.

I enjoy creative writing but so far all solo RPG has offered me is an approach to writing fan fict in someone else's setting. Can Ironsworn's author, Shawn Tomkin, help me out? I want to know what a solo RPG looks like, moment to moment, in actual play.

Yes, Shawn has put together a playlist on YouTube.

Ironsworn Actual Play

This is decisive. Either I'll be jabbering to myself like a maniac and hoping I remember where I'm at, or I'll be writing what amounts to the outline of a novel.

And if I'm going to the effort of writing an outline for a novel, why don't I just do that? :?:

No, I've reached a conclusion. This is as far as I go with solo RPG.
nemarsde
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Verdict

Post by nemarsde »

I can't grok solo RPGing, that seems evident. And so I can't render verdict on Ironsworn specifically.

I enjoy playing TTRPGs with friends, I enjoy singleplayer computer RPGs, and I enjoy creative writing.

I don't think I have room for a solo RPG, and I'm not willing to make room because it seems to me less fun than any of the above. I don't doubt that solo RPGs are enjoyed by many people, and I'm a little envious of them too! But it's not for me.
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