Branwhyn and a small band of Wardens move to retake an Ironhold that fell to the Broken and the fell magic of their...
Branwhyn and a small band of Wardens move to retake an Ironhold that fell to the Broken and the fell magic of their Apostle. Against a full Ironhold of kith and kin whose minds are enslaved, stealth is the only option.
I am still awed and humbled that people read and appreciate my stories. Thank you, I hope they inspire. More content for the Ironsworn boards!
All art is, of course, the copyright of their owners. Comments, criticisms, suggestions, and charges of heresy are encouraged and welcome.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Z21WjLqHVF6rySXv1yZlB3JJvmIAA1SR
I am still awed and humbled that people read and appreciate my stories. Thank you, I hope they inspire. More content for the Ironsworn boards!
All art is, of course, the copyright of their owners. Comments, criticisms, suggestions, and charges of heresy are encouraged and welcome.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Z21WjLqHVF6rySXv1yZlB3JJvmIAA1SR
Another great read! Personal time seems to be fleeting at the moment, glad I took some to read!
ReplyDeleteJohn Risus I'm glad you enjoyed it. For me as the player/writer this chapter was more tense than anything else I've done simply because NPCs that I am invested in hung in the balance. Not to mention Branwhyn.
ReplyDeleteI've looking forward to you next installment. It can't come fast enough. No pressure. There just seems to have been a dry spell of play reports and I'm always interested in what other people are doing.
Jeremiah Wenneker I'll admit I had forgot who the Apostle was initially, so the tension wasn't quite as high for me until a bit into the fight. But it eventually dawned on me and i had that "Doah!" moment! Very cool!
ReplyDeleteI really am enjoying the interactions with NPCs within your AP. I think it is spectacularly missing within my own. But who knows what will happen within my own AP.
Edit: It appears that I will have a few hours tomorrow to find out! Yay me!
John Risus Well, your PC is in need and that is a good time to introduce an NPC to interact with. Enjoy your writing time!
ReplyDeleteJeremiah Wenneker and here it is 11:30 pm on Sunday night, and had NO time to continue on... Booo, Hisssss!
ReplyDeleteAnother awesome play report, Jeremiah Wenneker. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteSome thoughts/questions, if I could?
I really like your use of the move count in combat as a ticking clock. Really clever!
Your talisman creation is very close to a ritual coming in the expanded asset pack. ("When you fashion a charm intended to protect you against a specific entity..."). It was called Charm, but I like 'Tailsman' better, and I'm going to yoink that with your permission.
Cool twist with Eysllt, and I'm glad you brought her back to herself.
You do a great job intermingling narrative and mechanics, and I'd love to hear how you feel Ironsworn is doing at helping you strike a balance. Do you feel like you are able to weave a great tale in spite of the system, or because of it? Do you have much solo RPG experience prior to Ironsworn (I'm guessing yes, because you seem a natural with oracles)?
Lastly, you've been in more than a few fights at this point. How are the combat mechanics working for you? Do the moves and outcomes create interesting choices? Do they evoke danger? Do things ever feel like a slog?
Thanks again!
Shawn Tomkin, my goal and desire here is to contribute. Feel free to yoink, steal, or use any thing that your like. I do appreciate you mentioning it though, its good affirmation. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe rolls dealing with Eysllt were tough, I didn't realize how invested I'd become in the NPC who'd essentially shown up twice. Having to kill the character he was trying to form a bond with would have been brutal. I'm glad it didn't come to that though.
Ironsworn is actually my first time working with a solo rpg before. I've done some fan fiction writing, just for my own creative processes, but most of my role playing experience comes from playing or running games. I've GMed for quite a few years now.
Regarding mechanics and storytelling. My wife is a teacher and she and I seem to often talk about systems/rules that encourage desired behavior. IMHO, Ironsworn does a very good job of encouraging narrative play, pacing, and forward movement. The two aspects I want to mention, and applaud, are the progress mechanic and the writing of the moves. The progress mechanic for combat, journeys, and vows is really inspired. It gives a very strong framework for scene writing and as it fills naturally informs the anticipation of nearing the goal. For me at least, that also informs the progress and pacing of the scenes. The nearer to the goal, the more impactful the scenes ought to be. Second, the moves all move the story forward. When telling people I usually use the Gather Information move as an example. On strong or weak hit, you get info that helps and moves the plot forward. On a miss, you learn something terrible that moves the plot forward. That there are no dead end options on rolls is hugely helpful. These two aspects compliment each other extremely well.
TL:DR, Ironsworn's mechanics absolutely help and encourage the writing of a great story.
On to the combat mechanics. I don't feel like they drag, but I haven't fought anything above a formidable track. I don't think fighting an Epic level threat would drag either though. I suspect fighting an Epic threat 1v1 would be put down a character pretty quickly. I will say that the moves allow for very interesting choices. I'm not sure that they create them. Setting the stage for the combat is hugely important for allowing narrative options. Back in Chapter 3, I think when Branwhyn is fighting of the Thane's guard he uses a bonfire to his advantage. Back in 7, I think, he kicked a cage of chickens at some folk. By the same regard, fighting a zombie in the generic woods felt uninspired. The combat was still good and tense, but I felt my options were more constrained. To be clear though, that constrained wasn't mechanical, it was narrative and fictional. It was my fault for not 'painting the scene' better. My 'envision the location' wasn't working well that day.
I think they do a good job of evoking a feeling of danger. The aforementioned fight in the woods with the Zombie was one of the worst because of a string of failed rolls. I thought I was going to loose Branwhyn in that fight. Stronger dangers (epic & extreme) have a kind of looming dread in my head. With the amount of damage they do, I just don't have any sense of how to face one (without lowering the track because of help that is).
I've felt battles were brutal, I seem to remember almost trading blows with the Crone in the swamp. It felt like a slug fest, but it wasn't a slog. Combat in the system has never felt safe or ease and that tension goes a long way towards keeping it from being dull. That being said, Combat is Branwhyn's weak point. Someone with 3 Iron might have different ideas on the subject. I might have to do a one-off with Iron 3 Berserker with combat aspects and see if that changes things.
That wall of text is surely enough for now. If I think of anything else, I'll add another post. Also, thank you again. Ironsworn is a wonderful system and I am truly enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Jeremiah Wenneker. Really appreciate the detailed response -- all very encouraging to hear -- and I selfishly hope you'll continue sharing your adventures.
ReplyDeleteShawn Tomkin you are most welcome. I'm here to contribute and I enjoy doing so. I'll certainly continue to write and share. Real life is just taking away from writing time right now. :-)
ReplyDelete