Ironsworn | Solo Combat w/Steve Morrison

[@lonnytucker1345]

Perfect timing, playing ironsworn last night wasn’t sure if I was doing combat correctly. I was not, thanks for helping me out.

[@thebadspot]

Happy to help!

[@drivers99]

9:34 Porcine Footwork is the name of my Tool cover band

[@thebadspot]

I like that very much

[@erikbuchanan4648]

I just downloaded Ironsworn and have been reading the rules. It looks like a great system so far. This explanation with the use of his narrative descriptions is a great example of what this system can do.

[@thebadspot]

So glad you enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy playing!

[@erikbuchanan4648]

@The Bad Spot I've been watching your videos as I read the rulebook and its starting to click for me. I love the fact you have still shots of rules as you play, it really helps build a picture of how the system works.

[@thebadspot]

That’s awesome! I’m glad you liked the visual accompaniments. I really hoped it would help people learning to play.

[@salty-nick]

@erikbuchanan4648 have you also tried Starforged? The rules seem improved there, and I was wondering if they can work with Ironsworn's fantasy setting without much modification.

[@shaneintheuk2026]

Another classic video and nice to have a guest speaker. One key difference you didn’t mention is that Seek an advantage is a bad move in Ironsworn as you lose initiative on a weak hit. In Starforged a weak hit in Gain Ground retains the advantage.

[@thebadspot]

Yeah it's those small differences that make a punishing difference! Whenever I played OG Ironsworn, I actively avoided combat if I could. It led to nothing but trouble!

[@softreyna]

Did this get errata'd? I can't find it in the PDF I downloaded a couple weeks ago

[@shaneintheuk2026]

@@softreyna nope. The rules in Ironsworn are still the same. There’s some community conversions on the Discord but nothing formal. Personally I read both Starforged and Ironsworn moves in game and modify Ironsworn where necessary.

[@softreyna]

@@shaneintheuk2026 Secure an Advantage doesn't mention initiative at all, either in its move description or in the Other Moves in Combat section. The only place I've found where initiative is mentioned in conjunction with Secure an Advantage is under Aid an Ally, which DOES say that you lose initiative on a weak hit, but I interpret that as being specific to Aid an Ally in order to balance out that move giving your ally initiative on a strong hit. Regardless, I'm glad this was clarified or changed in Starforged :)

[@gibsonrick88]

Great video and explanation. Thank you both very much for giving us a clear and understandable example of combat.

[@thebadspot]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@oKingLexx]

Im playing an iron sworn co-op play and this is so much fun. I had my doubts leaving dnd 5e for PBTA style games, but Ironsworn and Starforged are so good. Anyone looking for a phenominal alternative to DND should definitely go with Ironsworn. Most DND class abilities can be ported over to Ironsworn using custom moves.

[@thebadspot]

Thanks for watching!

[@guyman1570]

Actually most other PBTA clones are pretty shallow and uninspiring. Shawn Tomkin definitely knew what he was doing when he made this Ironsworn system!

[@rdjmclennan]

If it sounds good then it is good. A dynamic mic makes sense actually. Condensers might be too sensitive if you are not in a very quiet place. Well done on the podcasts. I am enjoying them a lot

[@thebadspot]

Glad to hear it!

[@ishmadrad]

Perfect video. Nicely told, AND extra clear English, it's a joy to listen even for me, that I'm sooooo italian 😁

[@thebadspot]

Grazie per la visione!

[@salty-nick]

Looking at 2:18 and wondering: isn't the use of Momentum equivalent between Ironsworn and Starforged, just phrased differently?

[@thebadspot]

It is equivalent, sure but the wording and intent is very different and much cleaner now. I imagine when Ironsworn 2.0 drops, it will fall into line with these two systems.

[@samsolitaryroll]

I've been doing some battle test to get familiar with the battle mechanic. And I'll be doing some more tests for journeying or meeting people etc. Then I can starts my own first solo rpg experience even though I never be a GM before.

[@thebadspot]

That’s a pretty good way to do it!

[@samsolitaryroll]

Sth I should've mentioned on the 1st comment, thank you for the elaborate example. This really help me visualize how battle works. Still have some questions about initiative : 1. What moves can we use to regain initiative? 2. Can we do Secure An Advantage move when we don't have it? 3. Do a strong hit on Face Danger make us regain initiative?

[@thebadspot]

Hi there. In short, a strong hit on ANY move gets you initiative. Even something like Endure Harm or Endure Stress. And yes, you can try to Secure an Advantage at any time and whilst it is risky, any sort of hit will help you. A weak hit won’t get you initiative, but it’ll at least bump your momentum.

[@samsolitaryroll]

@@thebadspot I see, in my playtest, even in the my actual session 1 I was still giving initiative to the opponent, and that usually put my PC on a bad spot. I was doing Enter the Fray a lot to mitigate that, which sounds silly now that I know that you can regain initiative on strong hit (heck, it's the supposed mechanic 😂). So about Secure an Advantage when I don't have initiative, does that means in the fiction I can try to do that while the enemy is in control? Thanks for answering my question.

[@thebadspot]

Of course! It depends on the situation narratively, but Secure an Advantage when you don’t have initiative is about trying change the plan, trying to look for anything that might help you or give you an edge.

[@drivers99]

I’m trying to figure out what to do in a given situation when there isn’t any applicable Move. I was playing co-op for the first time with my friend and we decided to make up things like rolling a move +wit as a “wit check” for instance, because we had been playing D&D. I know that’s probably incorrect.

[@thebadspot]

You always derive moves from what is happening in the fiction. All the moves are triggered by something happening narratively. What was the situation?

[@drivers99]

@@thebadspotwe ran into some “ethereal beings” (not something from the Ironsworn setting per se) and realized our physical weapons were no good against them. Also they weren’t attacking us so my friend made a +wit check to move through them and was successful.

[@thebadspot]

@drivers99 the question here is was it risky or dangerous? If it was, then Face Danger is your friend. If you needed to pass through them without being noticed, maybe face danger rolling +shadow. Were they scary or frightening? Then face danger rolling +heart to try and keep your composure. The stakes are the key. If it isn’t risky or dangerous, then don’t roll.

[@drivers99]

@@thebadspot makes sense! thanks!

[@rdjmclennan]

Sorry that this has nothing to do with Ironsworn (though I will say I am very much enjoying these podcasts). What mic are you using? It is extremely quiet considering how close you are to that wall.

[@thebadspot]

I use a Shure SM58 which is not ideal. I’m also technically very incompetent. Steve uses a yeti and is very competent, but overall volume is generally my area, so if it’s quiet it is me who beefed it.

[@caseycoker1051]

This example is helpful, but it didn't really address my main question. How do you handle situations where you've filled the progress track against a foe but keep failing to get strong hits? It seems like the fight can really drag out in certain scenarios, especially if you don't enter the fight with a pile of momentum.

[@thebadspot]

Yeah, that's a tough one and it is thankfully one thing that changed when Starforged came out. I think that if a 2nd Edition of Ironsworn every comes out, we'll see Ending the Fight changed to fall in line with Take Decisive Action from Starforged. As far as avoiding the scenario you mentioned, it can be a bit of a slog without momentum and if you get stuck in the failure spiral. Worth noting that any strong hit counts. Even on things like Endure Harm. Thanks for watching!

[@samsolitaryroll]

Maybe we can add house rules on Ending the Fight with Strong Hit OR full progress bar as requirement. That means you can potentially end battles early of you score a strong hit or later after full progress bar.

[@guyman1570]

You stack up the plus 1s, stack up the momentum if you're struggling to get that one strong hit you really need. Find a way to change the narrative to give yourself an advantage to overcome the foe.

[@Philmd]

Great info and excellent example. I'm a bit of a newcomer to this genre of game. Were the narrative implications being read by your guest created by the guest himself, or do these solo games have "encounter modules", or something like that, that tells the player what the outcomes are with success/failures of the rolls?

[@thebadspot]

Hey there and welcome to Ironsworn! Yes, Steve was creating all the narrative implications himself. There are no modules although there are lots of oracles you can roll on to get inspiration. There are also lots of quest starter prompts in the book, but mainly it’s up to you to interpret each roll and see where it goes!

[@Philmd]

@@thebadspot Thank you. Great content by the way. I very much appreciate your time and reply!

[@baphomick]

Steve rules!

[@thebadspot]

You’re so right to say it

[@kevoreilly6557]

@8.23 wasn’t a miss was it? It was a weak hit(2+3) or ami missing something? Thanks ~ love the show

[@thebadspot]

Might just be a mistake, good catch if so! Thanks for watching!

[@nickat1985]

It was indeed a miss. The action die was 5 and the challenge dice was 5 and 7. The action die needs to be greater than one of the challenge dice to be a weak hit. Action die greater than both challenge dice-> strong hit. Action die greater than one challenge die (and obviously lower or equal to the other)-> weak hit. Action die lower than (or equal to) both challenge dice-> miss.

[@coreymayo8321]

STEVE!!!!!

[@errantadventurespod]

It's me!

[@thebadspot]

STEEEEVE!!!

[@kaidowsett5202]

Good video however on the first endure harm move the strong hit would have granted him initiative allowing him to strike or secure an advantage without having to face danger

[@thebadspot]

Good catch! Thanks for watching!

[@joeyknotts4366]

I think that the burning momentum should have also resulted in a strong hit right? Because he has 7 momentum so he can remove the 7 and the 5.

[@errantadventurespod]

Man, that guy doing the combat example sure likes to hear himself talk...

[@zenthr]

Geez, it's almost like he can fill a straight hour just by himself.

[@shaneintheuk2026]

I like to hear him talk too. I thought his imaginative descriptions were a great example of how this game can vividly come to life.

[@baktubak]

A robust imagination is especially salient for solo roleplaying in my humble experience.

[@thebadspot]

I hate that guy.