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!