Played my First Session today.
Played my First Session today. My company of Austrian infantry in the great Turkish war reached it's first milrstone and promptly liberated 2 villages from the evil Turks and lawless (probably just as evil) militia.
I thoroughly enjoyed playing ironsworn. after reading the rules it didn't fall into place immediately, but playing really made it click for me. Great game.
Question: I don't understand how multiple enemies work. Sry I don't have the rules on me ATM. But from my recollection: if I lose initiative they complicate my life by doing something. Does every enemy act or just one of them? Do the others just wait until it's their turn? On the other hand if all of them act to complicate the situation the hero could be overwhelmed rather quickly.
Thanks in advance for any answers, ideas.
I thoroughly enjoyed playing ironsworn. after reading the rules it didn't fall into place immediately, but playing really made it click for me. Great game.
Question: I don't understand how multiple enemies work. Sry I don't have the rules on me ATM. But from my recollection: if I lose initiative they complicate my life by doing something. Does every enemy act or just one of them? Do the others just wait until it's their turn? On the other hand if all of them act to complicate the situation the hero could be overwhelmed rather quickly.
Thanks in advance for any answers, ideas.
I know that if you are fighting multiple groups that you can group them into a "pack" but what happens with multiple individual enemies I am not quite sure. I am still trying to figure the system out myself but it sounds like you are having fun which is promising! :)
ReplyDeleteHoly cow, Bernhard Lutz. I think you win the prize for most dramatic re-skin of Ironsworn, though it's early days yet so don't get too attached to the trophy :)
ReplyDeleteSounds really cool. Would love to see a play report with whatever detail you're willing to include.
Regarding multiple enemies ... it somewhat depends whether you are fighting a pack or individuals with their own progress track. For packs, I would keep the narration focused on them as a group instead of a series of individual actions. Am I engaged in a back-and-forth with one guy while trying to keep the others at bay? Am I cleaving through their ranks, sending them scattering? Am I falling back, shield up, just warding off blows?
If you have, let's say 3 guys each with their own progress track, I would follow the fiction, and keep it a bit loose. Don't worry about turn order for NPCs. Use initiative to manage the flow of combat, and decide what it means depending on the situation. Remember: Initiative in Ironsworn is not trying to be "turn order", but merely a metric for who is in control. Multiple enemies with their own progress tracks will make life difficult for you because you've got to work your way through those tracks -- not because they bring extra attacks to bear. Don't feel obliged to suffer extra harm or some-such. If you fail on a Clash, one of those hits penetrated your defenses. If your foes have different ranks and different harm, just decide based on the situaion (or ASk the Oracle) and go from there.
I always look at the Clash move as a bit of back-and-forth and then a decisive moment which determines the outcome of the move. Your foe advances, slashing, with you blocking. You make a low cut, and he parries it, but he's off-balance now and you see an opening....
Think of those boxing movies where there is a ebb and flow. One guy has the advantage, then the other.
Then, when you get a strong hit, you are back in control and deciding what happens next.
Either way, you should fictionally represent what it means to be fighting multiple enemies. Are they trying to flank or surround you? That sounds like Face Danger, with the outcome for failure perhaps being a loss of momentum as your position falters. Envision how your enemy uses their advantage in numbers against you, and make moves to react.
All that said, whenever possible I would suggest using the pack mechanic for multiple enemies. It's fine to even group together different types of enemies into a single track. Think of it more as the challenge for the situation rather than the specific ranks involved.
There's a wall of text for you. Sorry. Hope it was helpful.
Thank you so much for your comprehensive answer. What I like most about Ironsworn is the combination of strict mechanics which regulate the "game" and the possibility of creative narrative interpretation of those mechanical results. Your answer once again reinforced my fondness with the system.
ReplyDeleteFor the situation which I am trying to game (multiple companies of units engaging in battle) I will treat it like this:
A group of enemy companies which follow the same goal will be combined into a pack in game terms.
If I am fighting a spanish tercio engaging my company in a push of pike, while a group of cavalry flanks my position and an artillery battery fires from a hill, ech of them will be a "pack" to be overcome separatly.
The reasoning is that each of them requires a different reaction. The tercio needs to be pushed back in close combat or they will break my position, the flanking cavalry needs to be stopped or they will be able to attack from behind, the battery needs to be silenced by commanded shot or counter battery fire.
If I chose to engage one of these dangers, the result of a weak hit or a miss could be that the other dangers take steps to endanger my position (or even hurt). If I overcome one of them, the others are still there to dish out some pain.
Overall I am very satisfied with this solution. It's an interpretation of the Ironsworn rules which puts a lot of emphasis on combat and tactics, but it is in line with the rules as written.
Speaks very much for theflexibility of the system that it can be used to simulate 17th century combat.
Now that's a wall of text in response :).
A much appreciated wall of text. Thanks, Bernhard Lutz. Your interpenetration and approach is right on target.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing more about your adventures.