Gameplay Options

Number of Players

Ironsworn is intended primary for small group play. One to four players (plus a GM in guided play) is about right. The examples in this book primarily default to solo play, but the rules are the same for more players and guided play.

For combat scenes with three or more player characters, consider a couple of factors:

• Don’t rely on initiative to manage the spotlight. Even if a player is on a roll with strong hits, jump to someone else and keep it moving around the table. Use transitions from player to player at key moments as a way to heighten the drama and allow others to react to what just happened or is about to happen.
• Since every character can inflict harm and mark progress on a shared progress track, enemies will be easier to take down. To offset this, increase the rank or number of your foes. You can divide multiple foes among the characters instead of grouping those foes into packs.

Adjusting the Impact of Matches

More players tend to add more rolls to your session. This creates more matches, which can be challenging to interpret or start to feel routine.

If you want to make matches feel more unusual and special, use this option: Resolve the impact of a match only when your challenge dice come up as an even number (2, 4, 6, 8, or 10).

One-Shot Play

If you want to run a single, self-contained session of Ironsworn, here’s what to do. This process is a simplification of the campaign setup on page 202.

• Introduce the world. If you are the GM or are facilitating the session, briefly describe the setting. You can play in the Ironlands (page 111), or introduce your own setting. Don’t worry about the details. You can flesh it out in play.
• Create characters. Each player creates their character by setting stats and picking assets. Give your character a name, and consider some basic aspects of their look and personality. You can ignore background vows and bonds. Work together to decide how your characters are connected.
• Introduce the inciting incident. If you are the GM or facilitator, you can come prepared with an inciting incident (page 196) and quest outline (page 200). Otherwise, you can work together to envision a story problem (or Ask the Oracle). You might consider introducing the inciting incident as part of character creation to help determine the relationship between the characters.
• Set the scene. Decide where your adventure starts, and begin play in media res (page 198).
• Swear an Iron Vow. Give your quest a rank of troublesome (for a session of an hour or two) or dangerous (for a session of three to four hours).

To give your story a satisfying conclusion, your target for the session is to resolve the quest and see the vow fulfilled or forsaken. Adjust the pace of your milestones and the detail of your scenes as appropriate for the time you have available. Focus on what is interesting, and zoom out or abstract what is unimportant. Use the Battle move to quickly resolve combat with secondary NPCs, saving detailed combat for climactic fights.

Opposing an Ally

An ally is a character controlled by another player. Ironsworn moves are not intended to provoke or reinforce conflict between allies. Instead, the focus is on the drama and challenges of perilous quests in a harsh world. You and your allies will stand together against the forces which would see your vows unfulfilled. You are working towards shared (or at least complementary) goals.

That said, situations within the fiction may put you and an ally at odds. Your characters are not perfect. They may try to act rashly in a tense situation. They might stubbornly cling to a self-defeating approach or point of view. They might pursue their own vows at the cost of their relationships. Making non-optimal choices as your character, creating more trouble for yourself, is part of dramatic storytelling.

Conflict without Moves

Disagreements between characters can often be handled through roleplaying without engaging in moves. Talk it out, as your characters. Take care to not let this fictional conflict carry over into the real world.

If things get heated or uncomfortable, take a break. Discuss your approaches out-of-character, agree on next steps, and step back into the world to resolve the situation. 

Conflict Using Moves

If you are taking an action in opposition to an ally and want to resolve this conflict through a move, you can use this process:

You both describe what you are doing to act against or resist your ally, and Face Danger (page 60) using an appropriate stat.

If at least one of you scores a hit, determine who gains control of the outcome by comparing your level of success (strong hit > weak hit > miss). If you both have the same level of success, use your action score (you action die + stat + any adds) as a tie-breaker. If you are still tied, envision how your actions lead to a complete stalemate.

Whoever gains control of the outcome decides which of the two moves should be resolved. The result of the other move is ignored. 

If neither of you scored a hit, resolve the miss for both moves. Each of you must Pay the Price.

The opposed Face Danger move provides a simple, fast mechanic for resolving conflicts between player characters. You can use a single exchange to decide the outcome of a quick action or an entire scene.

Use this process sparingly, and be considerate of not taking away control of another player’s character. Work together to interpret the outcome of the scene, with each player describing their character’s intent and reaction.

Example

Having helped repel a raider attack, Tayla and Ash are attending a feast in the village longhouse. They sit across the table from each other, surrounded by drunken Ironlanders. Neither of them is feeling particularly celebratory. 

A man named Themon stands to make a toast. Ash and Tayla suspect he conspired with the raiders, but have little evidence. They grit their teeth as Themon raises his drink and praises the defenders of the village.

Ash’s eyes narrow, and his expression grows hard as iron. “I can’t take any more of his lies. I’ll Draw the Circle and deal with this bastard.”

“No,” Tayla says. “It’s not the right time. Themon has too many friends here. We need proof.”

Ash is not convinced. “You see my hand going to my sword. Do you want to try to stop me?”

“I want to try to calm you down,” Tayla says. “I’ll put my hand on your shoulder and see if I can talk some sense into you. Roll for it? I’ll Face Danger with heart.”

“Let’s do it. I’ll roll iron as I try to shove your hand away. I want to stand up and challenge this guy.”

They both make the move and roll the dice.

Ash rolls a weak hit. Tayla rolls a strong hit, which gives her control of the outcome. She chooses to let her move stand. She is successful and takes +1 momentum.

“I’ll take that strong hit,” Tayla says. “I’ve got my hand on your shoulder. I look you straight in the eyes and shake my head. I tell you that we’ll have our chance.”

“My hand drifts away from my blade. I’ll let it be. For now.”

Scene Challenges

A scene challenge is an optional approach you can use to resolve an extended challenge against an obstacle or NPCs. Examples of scene challenges include a chase on horseback, an archery contest, a formal debate before a council of elders, and leading an army into battle.

Setting Up Your Scene Challenge

First, envision your goal for the scene and decide the rank of your challenge using the standard rank system: Troublesome, dangerous, formidable, extreme, or epic. A typical challenge is dangerous. Make it formidable if you are at a disadvantage, or troublesome if you have clear advantage. An extreme challenge is very tough to overcome, and an epic challenge is nearly hopeless.

Next, create a standard progress track with 10 boxes. When you mark progress, you fill in a standard number of boxes or ticks based on the rank of your challenge (page 14).

Then, create a separate track with only 4 boxes. This is your countdown track. When you mark the countdown track, you completely fill in a single box.

Making Moves

Envision your action, and Face Danger or Secure an Advantage using whatever stat is most appropriate to the situation and your approach.

If you Face Danger:

• On a strong hit, you are successful. Mark progress per the rank of your challenge.
• On a weak hit, you are successful and mark progress. But, you also encounter a minor complication or delay. Envision what happens, and mark a countdown box to represent this setback. 
• On a miss, you fail, or encounter a dramatic turn of events. Mark a countdown box and Pay the Price. 

If you Secure an Advantage:

• On a strong hit or weak hit, apply the outcome as per the move.
• On a miss, mark a countdown box and Pay the Price.

Resolving the Scene Challenge

Continue to make moves, each time envisioning your approach, until either your countdown track is full (all 4 boxes are marked), or you decide you’re ready to resolve the scene. In either case, roll the challenge dice and compare to your progress track. As with standard progress moves, you may not burn momentum on this roll, and you are not affected by negative momentum.

• On a strong hit, you achieve your goal unconditionally.
• On a weak hit, you succeed, but not without cost. You must Pay the Price. Make this a minor cost relative to the scope of the scene.
• On a miss, you fail, or your progress is undermined by a dramatic and costly turn of events. Pay the Price. Make it hurt.

Working Together with Allies

Guided by the fiction, you can take turns making moves to give everyone a chance to participate in the challenge. Any allies involved in the scene can make the Face Danger or Secure an Advantage move. When they do, resolve the outcome of their move and mark progress and countdown boxes as appropriate. Any player can also make the Aid Your Ally move to contribute to a move another character is about to make.

Let Slip the Dogs of War

If you are leading a large force of NPCs into battle, you can use a scene challenge to resolve the outcome. First, consider the makeup of the units on the field and give the challenge a rank. 

• If you have a clear advantage, make it a troublesome challenge.
• If the forces are evenly matched and positioned, make it a dangerous challenge.
• If you are facing a superior force or are badly positioned, make it a formidable challenge.
• If you are facing overwhelming odds, make it an extreme or epic challenge.

Then, envision your approach as you lead your warband into battle. Face Danger or Secure an Advantage as appropriate, choosing a stat which represents the current situation and your tactics. Resolve the outcome of each move and mark the progress track and countdown track as normal.

During the battle, you can zoom in and resolve a fight against an important NPC or pack using combat moves. If you defeat this foe, mark progress on your scene progress track. If you lose the fight, mark a countdown box.

Semi-Random Campaign Setup

To give fate a heavier hand in your character and starting situation, do the following:

Roll on the following table, and assign the +3 value to the result. Then, distribute the remaining stats (+2, +2, +1, +1) as you like.

Your highest stat: dice: [[Gameplay Options#^stat|^stat]]

dice: 1d100	Result
1-20	You are nimble, fast, and precise: Edge
21-40	You are willful, courageous, and sociable: Heart
41-60	You are strong, forceful, and imposing: Iron
61-80	You are cunning, deceptive, and sneaky: Shadow
81-100	You are smart, knowledgeable, and resourceful: Wisdom
^stat

Gather the asset cards and organize them into decks by type (companion, path, combat talent, and ritual). Exclude any cards that don’t fit your vision for the setting (such as rituals if you aren’t including magic). Shuffle the individual decks and put them face down.

Choose a card from any deck. Don’t look at it. Pass the draw to the next player. Continue taking turns drawing a single asset from any deck until you have five in your hand. 

Reveal your cards and choose two of them to discard. The remaining three cards are your character’s assets.

Ask the Oracle: “What is my background vow?” Then, spark an idea using the Character Goal oracle (page 182). Interpret the result, or roll on additional oracle tables to clarify as you like. Mark your background vow and give it a rank of extreme or epic.

Ask the Oracle: “Who do I share a bond with?” Then, roll once on the Character Role oracle (page 182) and twice on the Character Descriptor oracle (page 183). Envision this NPC, give them a name, and mark a bond. You may do this for your two remaining starting bonds, or come up with other bonds from scratch.

Together with the other players, Ask the Oracle: “What is our inciting incident?” Then, roll on the Settlement Trouble oracle (page 181). Interpret this answer to define your starting situation.