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4.48 AVERAGE
4.48 AVERAGE
Great game, as written, and it sounds like it will play well. I like the reflavoring/updating of the Powered by the Apocalypse base into something unique and a little clunkier. The rules focus is heavier than a typical PbtA, which I prefer a few more rules honestly. The setting is only sketched out but is both familiar and evocative enough to work well. Great use of inclusive art and writing.
Ironsworn 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.
Not a big fan of the setting, but I've found Starforged by getting familiar with Ironsworn - so I'm happy to give it 5 stars :)
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
Great solo rpg system, easy and fun to adapt and homebrew as well!
dark
informative
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
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.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Absolutely amazing system! Can’t believe it’s free?!
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.