Paying the Price: Leading with the Fiction

Pay the Price is one of the most unique elements of Ironsworn.  Almost every move references it in the text of a miss (or sometimes a weak hit).  Despite it being crucially important to playing the game, I feel like it doesn't necessarily get the love it deserves.  Let's start by looking at the move as it's written in the book:

Pay the Price

Pay the Price offers three paths to resolve the move.  The first is to "make the most obvious negative outcome happen," in combat this is often interpreted as a trigger to suffer the enemy's harm.  The second option is to come up with two negative outcome, decide which is more likely and then to Ask the Oracle to see which passes.  I like this option a lot, and I'll discuss it more further down.  Lastly the move offers a table you can roll on to get a random result, which the author recommends using when you roll a double on the challenge dice and miss.

Never Nothing Happens

The important thing about Pay the Price is that none of these results say "nothing happens."  In PbtA games, the answer when the dice come out is never "nothing happens" and Ironsworn is no different in that regard.  The move demands that when Pay the Price comes out that your situation has to get worse, and I don't just mean moving your health track down a couple points and Enduring Harm.

The mantra of the PbtA gamer is "lead with the fiction," and that needs to become your mantra as well.  When it's time to Pay the Price freeze time and take a look at your situation.  What were you trying to accomplish?  How did it go wrong?  Look upon your character with your storyteller's eyes and say "if this were a movie, how would the hero's life be complicated right now?"  This is your chance to be the GM, be devious.  Why just inflict -health when the hero's fine heirloom axe could be thrown from his grasp, leaving him weaponless against a ruthless enemy?

Stakes

An easy way to do this for some moves (especially Face Danger) is to set stakes prior to rolling.  When I Face Danger, my usual method is to state it like this: "I'm Facing Danger +stat, the danger being <whatever the danger is>."  So for example if I'm rushing an archer, I might say "I'm Facing Danger +edge, the danger being that I'm shot with an arrow before I can reach him."  After that, I roll and play as normal.  The important change here is that I've set a Stake in the outcome.  Regardless of the roll I know how to apply this in the fiction.  If I succeed I could describe how I avoid being turned into a kabob by the enemy archer, If I fail then I know how to Pay the Price.

Lead with the Fiction, End with the Fiction

In combat especially, it's easy to get bogged down in Strike, Clash, Clash, Clash, End the Fight.  In fact, on paper there's nothing different between a Giant and a Wyvern except for the number of hits it takes to bring them down.  Fictionally however, these two creatures are miles apart!  A Giant doesn't just Clash, he hits like a truck and throws you across the room.  A Wyvern doesn't Clash, it grasps you in its claws and carries you skyward!  When a combat move forces you to Pay the Price, it's time to consult the Foes chapter and read about the monster.  What does it want (Drive)?  How does it get it (Tactics)?

Every move begins in the fiction.  Do you want to Compel?  The question to ask there is "why would the subject care about <your chosen method to compel>."  If you can't answer that, you can't use Compel!  For example, you're in a fight and you're losing pretty badly.  You decide to Compel +iron.  Wait what?  You're losing!  The enemies aren't afraid of you and won't be intimidated by someone they're beating.  You might be able to Compel +heart to see if you can convince them to leave you alone, or perhaps with +shadow to lie and say you have reinforcements coming, but you have to lead with the fiction.

Which brings us back to the topic at hand: Paying the Price.  I want to challenge anyone who reads this to play a whole session and never "just" take mechanical harm.  Instead, use that second option in Pay the Price.  Choose two negative outcomes (one of them dealing mechanical harm and one dealing with your fictional position) and let the Oracle decide.  Practice making the fictional position fit with the mechanical outcomes of the move.  Don't just get hit, fall to the ground.  Don't just suffer -spirit, look into the menacing eyes of a determined foe and Face Danger to keep fighting in the face of such a masterful adversary.

Paying the Price is the beating heart of Ironsworn, you owe it to yourself to get creative with it!

Developing Character: Brienne of Tarth

Brienne of Tarth's character sheet (click for full-size)

Welcome to our first session of Developing Character, where we turn fictional characters into Ironsworn characters.  I know character creation in Ironsworn is pretty easy, but I thought it might help to walk through it step by step and really dig into why the assets were chosen or stats were assigned.  So without further ado, here we go!

Brienne of Tarth
Game of Thrones

I wanted to start Developing Character with someone that just about anyone would recognize.  Brienne is also a great choice for an Ironsworn character because she has a clearly defined personality that lends itself well to being converted into Assets.

Part 1: Assets

When I start a build, I always try to start by asking myself "What defines this character?"  Basically I try to produce one single fact that I can point at and say, "without X this character isn't him/herself anymore."  For Brienne that's incredibly easy, she's obsessed with her honor and carrying out the vows she's made.  During the events of Game of Thrones her vow has led her into extreme danger time and again, but she refuses to yield until her task is done.  Her first asset is Honorbound.

The vow that gets Brienne into so much trouble during Game of Thrones is the one that she made to Catelyn Stark to protect her daughters, and later swearing her sword to Sansa (and House Stark).  Because of this, it makes sense that her second Asset would be Banner-sworn to indicate her connection to a liege lord and House.

I wasn't sure which way to go with Brienne's third asset as there were a couple that jumped out at me as possible choices.  My first thought was to give Brienne Ironclad because she's the only female character in the show to regularly wear plate armor.

However, the second choice was to give Brienne Bladebound to represent her named Valyrian steel sword.  I decided to go with this one because it helps to tie Brienne to the setting (her bond to Jaime Lannister which led to her acquiring the sword, for example) and produced more opportunities to challenge the character (as Brienne often is for carrying a sword with a lion hilt).

Part 2: Stats

Now that we have a pretty good idea of who Brienne is, it's time to assign her stats.  My go-to method is to start by assigning her +3 and one of the +1s first (determining her greatest strength and weakness).  The +1 was the easiest to assign, I put it in +shadow as Brienne is highly honorable rarely resorts to deception or trickery.  Given that her entire character is based around the strength of her vows and her courage in pursuing them, it became obvious that her +3 belonged in +Heart.  The other two stats fell into place easily, her predilection for heavy armor slows her down a little (+1 to Edge) while doing nothing to dull a keen mind (+2 Wits).

And there you have it, Brienne the Beauty is ready to step out into the unforgiving Ironlands!

Developing Context: Player Knowledge vs Character Knowledge in Ironsworn (and other solo games)

Today's thought is about the separation of player knowledge and character knowledge in Ironsworn, and how keeping some secrets from our own characters may help improve the quality of the stories we tell.  When a mystery confronts the character (who is the murderer, what beast ate this cattle, what did I find in the chest) the game instructs us to Ask the Oracle and we then either ask a Yes/No question or we roll on Oracles 1 & 2 (Action/Theme) to get a two word prompt to spark your creativity.  How to interpret that prompt is something I could spill a lot of ink into, but today I'm more interested in discussing something less obvious.  When do you roll for the answer?

Deciding when to roll for the answer to a question has a big impact on the game.  Rolling early (when you find the first clue, for example) provides you with answers to your burning questions up front and having an idea of the ultimate destination gives you a context from which to interpret further Oracles.  Rolling late, on the other hand, keeps both player and character in maximum suspense but has the potential issue of allowing Oracle rolls to pull the story in too many directions without a clear sense of purpose

Why Roll Early?

Answering even one big question early has a single advantage over waiting to decide.  By illuminating the end of the path you immediately develop a framework on which to hang further answers.  For example, if I (as the GM) know that the village headman is the murderer right from the outset it affects the questions I ask.  Rather than saying "Is (random villager) the killer?" a hundred times until I get a yes, I can tailor my further Oracle questions to zoom in on the determined result ("Is the headman working alone?").

Rolling early helps to turn questions inward.  Especially in civilization focused Vows it's common in my stories to want to keep adding characters in all the way up to the final bell.  The end result is a convoluted mess!  By rolling early and establishing an end-game context, my further Oracle rolls continue moving inward, toward the heart of the matter.  New characters are introduced only when they have relevance to the story we're telling, and there's a definite feeling of progression as the Oracle questions dig down toward a definite goal.

The last great thing about rolling early is when you roll that dreaded pair on the challenge dice and reach for Oracle 18: Major Plot Twist.  You would think that because you already have a good answer that the twist would be less interesting, but this is when we really pull the rug out from under the audience (He was dead the whole time!)  Because we've been giving the audience (us in this case) a peek behind the curtain, and because we have a clear picture of the situation from the framework, rolling on the twist table gives us the opportunity to really twist.  After all, as M. Night Shyamalan shows in his movies, the best twists are the ones that go for the audience, rather than the characters.

Rolling Later (Character Knowledge only)

Choosing not to roll early has some advantages as well.  By not giving ourselves any player knowledge, we keep a sense of suspense and confusion up until the last possible moment.  Using the Oracles in this way practically guarantees that the big reveal will be as shocking to the player as it is to the character.  It also gives us more freedom to interpret the results of the Oracle without the framework leading our questions and answers.  Not utilizing the story framework also means that your tale will by nature meander a bit more, and produce a wider, less focused story.  To avoid this, it may help to use the first few rolls to establish a "theme" for this session, and keep that theme in mind when interpreting further rolls.  By using a theme, we can keep a good bit of our story-telling freedom while also keeping our stories from going too far afield.

Becoming the Audience

Becoming our own audience requires practice.  Knowing when to roll early (creating context and a framework) and rolling late (leaving the answer as a surprise) is something that's only learned from playing the game.  Different players will have different preferences for how much they as the audience want to know vs. how much they as the character want to know.  Ultimately though, playing a solo roleplaying game is like directing a movie.  Knowing when you need to cut away and reveal some secrets that the hapless hero is plunging right into, and when to keep those secrets until the very last moment is key to driving tension and an appropriate sense of danger in our games.

Setting Thoughts for Sci-fi

I wanted to test out the Roles mechanic from the new section on Hacking Ironsworn, so I decided to set up a brief playthrough using a sci-fi setting that follows the same basic premise of the Ironlands.

The Void: From the first days of Man, we looked to the skies and wondered what awaited beyond the quietly winking stars that watched patiently from above.  We don't wonder anymore.

 Once, humanity maintained a stellar empire across the Milky Way with Earth as its crown jewel and capital.  A Golden Age unlike any mankind had ever known spurred science and technological innovation to unparalleled heights.  Warp Drives, teleportation, and a million other wonders carried us from one end of the galaxy to the other.

It couldn't hold.  Though no one can tell us now exactly what caused it, all interstellar communication was suddenly interrupted.  A vast Empire, suddenly and immediately cut off from itself, from each other.  Without communications, the vast starships that sailed the black of the Void could no longer find their destinations.  Without a destination, they were lost to the Dark.

Many worlds could not sustain themselves, billions went hungry or died of thirst in the months following the Great Silence as scheduled deliveries of resources failed to arrive.  Yet more perished in the wars of petty tyrants using the event as an opportunity to consume neighboring worlds without consequence.  Vast troves of technology and learning faded into the Void, never to be seen again.

It's been a hundred and twenty-three years since the Collapse, and even the oldest of us can't remember a time before Silence.  In order to survive, groups of planets have allied and pooled their resources in unified government.  Recently some have even begun to send unmanned probes or scouting crews beyond their borders, probing the Void beyond for signs of life.

These are hard and dark days for Man, on many worlds the terraforming hardware that makes the world safe for humankind is failing and no one knows how to repair it.  Others are trapped under the rule of warlords and tyrants.  Many live on worlds that have dangerous flora or fauna, and just a few are still drawn to the inky black of the Void.  The Empire has Collapsed and it's every man for himself.

What do you do?

Snipers & Sneak Attacks: Handling Conflict in Ironsworn

During a conversation with a friend we got to talking about how different kinds of conflict can be handled using the framework provided in Ironsworn.  His exact concern was that it seemed like conflict was "a back and forth affair," and wasn't sure how that would work with guns or other similarly deadly weapons.  A great question!

So we hammered out some thoughts and it really highlighted the flexibility of the game.  The way to handle conflict is entirely dependent on how important  it is to your story!  We know that the rules as written provide two ways to resolve combats.  Enter the Fray/do some fighting/End the Fight and Battle.  One serves to explore the blow-by-blow of epic combat, while the other emphasizes the violent tumult of a desperate fight.  So how do we make our conflicts suitably epic?  Ironsworn provides an awesome tool to help manage this, Challenge Ranks.

We're all familiar by now with setting the Challenge Ranks of our foes, that's nothing new!  What I'm suggesting is to look at your character when this battle breaks out.  Are you carrying a fine weapon and heavy armor?  One bandit isn't dangerous anymore, he's Troublesome!  Did you lose your axe and are fighting a Dangerous bandit?  He's got a better weapon than you and that makes him Formidable, which is especially dangerous since you can't stack Formidable foes into a single progress track!  Good luck warrior, you're going to need it!

What about things that aren't really covered in the rules like sneak attacks or sniper shots?  In situations where you're aiming for a one-shot kill, the question becomes what does failure mean to your narrative?  You don't want to fight a whole camp full of bandits, so you need to get this scout out of the way.  You're not Entering a Fray since a Fray is exactly what you're trying to avoid!  It almost sounds like you're trying to Face Danger!  You sneak into the brush behind him, Securing an Advantage before you grab the hapless guard and drag a knife across his throat.  Did you manage to finish him off before he let out a cry for help?  Face Danger and see!

The same method works for sniper shots or other one-shot contests, especially ones where it isn't really possible for the target to counterattack.  Looking down the scope of your custom Barrett .50 cal rifle, you line the crosshairs up on the guard in the watchtower.  He scratches his nose and looks down at  the front gate where you know your company waits for a signal to begin their infiltration.  Thunder rumbles across the landscape, you draw in a deep breath and steady yourself, Securing an Advantage.  As the roll of thunder intensifies, you squeeze the trigger.  One shot echoes across a quarter mile of heavily wooded terrain.  Did you hit?  Did anyone hear?  Face Danger and see!

The final option is Conflict as scene dressing.  If your character is an Assassin and some random city guard is in your way?  Drop him.  Just do it.  No roll, no move.  When you feel like the outcome of a conflict won't matter to the overall narrative of the game then there's no reason to roll!  Go ahead and kill that guy, give your character a chance to look awesome!

How do you manage unusual conflicts in your games of Ironsworn?  I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking!

If you haven't gotten Ironsworn yet, then what are you waiting for!?!  It's available now for the low, low price of free from drivethrurpg.com