Ironsworn will make you better at D&D

The core ironsworn is free by the way: www.ironswornr...

[@Ashorisk]

now you learned :) you always need to cramp DnD in the title to trick the algorythm and the strange breed of dnd only Players !

[@polyhedron3386]

lol I have to admit that did feel a little dirty. Let’s see if it works.

[@Ashorisk]

​@@polyhedron3386 dont feel dirty ... you shouold feel the opposite :)

[@macoppy6571]

DnD is a style of folk art.

[@codiethompson3401]

⁠@@polyhedron3386it worked on me to click on this video.

[@derek_davidson]

I love Ironsworn/Starforged as a player AND a GM

[@polyhedron3386]

Might be my favorite game of all time.

[@alexabel8010]

This is solid advice. Thanks, unc! I'm actually going to rewatch this a couple times. I'm also in full agreement that the games are infinitely more interesting when at least 1 player is 100% engaged. That's why I like smaller groups. Every player can feel seen.

[@polyhedron3386]

Yep 3 players is usually the max for me.

[@jodhsingh8288]

I like how you say things. Its clear and concise.

[@polyhedron3386]

Thanks! Glad you like it :)

[@tabletopbro]

Based and true. Running PbtA games makes you so much better at running everything else!

[@MarkLittle-rq2bq]

Ever since I discovered Ironsworn (including Starforged and Sundered Isles), I have found it decidedly difficult to get back into other gaming systems due to the astounding capacity for the aforementioned system(s) to replicate practically any (and I do mean ANY) existing gaming system due to the inherent narrative based style of play. External gear and equipment is kept so abstract that it's not really important what a thing is or can do because the only thing that's relevant is whether or not said object in question moves the story along in a meaningful and productive way. Case in point, a player needs to take a journey...if they're on foot, it's a relatively long and dangerous; if they're riding then it's far swifter and only troublesome at best. Any details regarding the steed is purely up to the player...it could be a horse, or a dragon. The only time stats or attributes are assigned to a particular thing is determined by whether or not said subject has enough impact on the story to warrant specifications. Reskinning Assets will become second nature - I created a Druid with the ability to influence the weather. I couldn't find an Asset to adequately represent said ability...so I reskinned LIghtbearer and called it Stormbringer using the same Asset mechanics regarding energy acquisition (requires meditation out in nature), using weather related abilities to influence outcomes (spending energy to increase chances of success) and (of course) the ability to call down lightning powerful enough to smite a dragon (albeit only outside and above ground). I have used this gaming system to emulate the following genres: The Matrix, Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Star Trek, High and Low Fantasy, Superheroic, Victorian Gothic Horror, High Stakes Espionage (rife with political intrigue)...I daresay you could use this system to write a Young Adult or Romance novel. Once you get the hang of the rules and the overall system, the problem won't be where to start...it'll be where to stop because you're the author - you decide when the story's done. I advocate this system for anyone who's played other gaming systems and wished for something more, and/or to any freelance writer who's stuck in a rut because this system will help break through even the most ardent writer's block.

[@David-su4is]

As of late I've been GMing Shadowdark and Cypher System, but i use the Ironsworn die mechanic to... aid in the derection of the game, using it as a simple orical with yes, yes but, and no responces. If i have npcs involved in a conflict a yes might mean one npc kills another npc, yes but could be they wound or subdue the second while a no would indicate failure and the second npc counyer attscking or escaping depending on the needs of the narative.

[@hernanescu]

I've been tinkering around for a while with a mix up of both rules. The general idea would be to preserve most of adventure rolls, but to somehow reflect the D&D skillset and expertise. For example, a character with proficiency in Survival would get to use that as modifier as a fixed d6 number result on an Undertake a Journey move, and you would only throw the d10s in order to see what happens. Has anyone done something like that?

[@polyhedron3386]

I remember that someone made a hack of Ironsworn meant to be a bit more crunchy that generally went in this direction, but I don't think it's anything that made it past a google doc. Maybe this is your chance to publish your own!

[@kyleharder3654]

Great video man keep up the good work

[@polyhedron3386]

Glad you like it!

[@Leniathan]

yay for DC20 mention 💜

[@TheMichaellathrop]

To a certain extent I get the need for having all that background information on a very long "lived" character like Vecna, while you are unlikely to use 90% of it, you also can't know up front what 10% of that info you are likely to use and while most DM's are going to feel fairly confident making that up for their own home brew villain a lot will be less confident when it comes to big setting villains like Vecna or Zashtam. I ran a Dark Heresy game when that system first came out, and while I definitely did less and less prep as the campaign went on what that prep started to focus in on was the major npc's and the monster of the week, frankly when it came to combat I just flipped to the appropriate compendium of mooks and mabe changed what guns the generic ganger statblock had, heck while I tried to make my MotW interesting I frequently just had it fight using one of those standard statblocks.

[@polyhedron3386]

Yep I can see that. I think some of it is about how you choose to lay it out in the book. Descent into avernus, while overall not a well written book, has a really good section where it just goes super deep on Baldur’s Gate. It could be really useful or you could end up not using it at all. But they put it at the end of the book as clearly optional and most of the stuff in the main body of the book pertains to the adventure directly.

[@bsgnerd]

PbtA games are cool as one offs. But the 30th time you “fail with consequences” I just take the damage. I just can’t care. “Oh something bad happens? Can I lose 5HP? This is so boring.”

[@polyhedron3386]

I agree, but I think Ironsworn fixes this. You have 4 options for simple mechanical damage in health, spirit, supply, and momentum, and it’s always reasonable to just say you lose some of those. And for other more narrative cases I use the “pay the price” table which gives me a cool way to change the situation for the worse. This is why my Dungeon World games tend to be 1-3 sessions while I’ve done multiple 20+ session campaigns of ironsworn and its variants.