Here was another thought I had last night: want to turn your Ironsworn session up to 11?


Here was another thought I had last night: want to turn your Ironsworn session up to 11? Use actual Runes as one of your Oracles or Muses (Oracles for Inspiration). I've had a set for 30+ years now & already know how to read them (though I'm pretty rusty), but there are plenty of online resources for those that don't have a set &/or know how to interpret them. They're even built right in on the Gamemaster's Apprentice cards.

I can tell you from experience they're very open ended & interpret-able as well. I think they'd be a fantastic fit, as well as the thematic connection. :)

Comments

  1. Justin GordonDecember 8, 2017 at 8:55 PM

    I had a similar idea not too long ago but haven't given it a try yet. Maybe I'll give it a whirl next time I sit down to play

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  2. Zack MacDonaldDecember 9, 2017 at 8:11 AM

    Oh, that’s brilliant! I can’t believe I didn’t think of this; it’s perfect for the setting I’ve been playing in. Thanks for bringing this up, I’ll have to give it a try at some point.

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  3. Shawn TomkinDecember 9, 2017 at 12:35 PM

    Were I a smart person, I totally would have made those an oracle table. Really cool! (going to look at Amazon now to see what sort of options I have for runestones)

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  4. MoonSylverDecember 9, 2017 at 12:36 PM

    Shawn Tomkin Have fun! There lots of options available. :)

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  5. Fred MansonDecember 13, 2017 at 12:51 PM

    That's a fantastic idea!! I need such runestone kit PLUS how to use them in the game...

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  6. Santiago BlairDecember 17, 2017 at 5:05 AM

    Would this be almost like using story dice?

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  7. Zack MacDonaldDecember 17, 2017 at 8:36 AM

    Santiago Blair In a sense, yeah. To be honest it’s a lot like using Tarot cards; you draw a rune randomly from a bag/bowl/funny hat, and then you look up the meaning. From my experience with Tarot cards, as you read the meaning something about it will hopefully seem to suggest what’ll happen next or otherwise answer your question given what’s come before in the story. The difference between the runes and story cubes is that with runes you’re going off those meanings, whereas with the cubes you go by what the images evoke given the context (though if the rune’s image gives you a cool idea alone, then hey, run with it). In that sense, runes and Tarot cards are similar in practice to using the Oracles 1 & 2 in Ironsworn to answer open questions or determine what would generally be the GM side of the game in solo play. And as a side note, it’s also worth noting a lot of people use the Tarot card’s image or even name if it’s one of the Major Arcana (Empress, Fool, Death, Tower, etc) alone as their oracle without looking up the meaning; the best part about solo play or oracle use for coop/GM inspiration is that every way is the right way, as long as it works for you.

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  8. David FoxJune 29, 2018 at 1:21 PM

    I have a set of runestones and thought the same thing.

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