Hey guys, for those who did not know, I am running a one-on-one Guided Ironsworn game along with Josh McGraw.
Hey guys, for those who did not know, I am running a one-on-one Guided Ironsworn game along with Josh McGraw. The basic premise is that our main protagonist, Toran, is caught in the tempest of events that are orchestrated by a man who has already taken everything from him. It is a rather bleak story, with the theme that I would describe as "People are bastards" (Toran not excluded), hence the name, A Grim Tale.
We have just ran into a really, really tense moment, with a very morally and emotionally heavy decision that Toran has to make. I will say no more to avoid spoilers, but I just wanted to share that I am really curious about how will this end, and knowing that I have not much say in this, with everything left to Josh and dice gods, makes it all the more exciting.
It is ran on Role Gate (heartily recommended!), so you can see all the moves engaged as you are reading. So if you wanted to see how Ironsworn works in practice, well, look no further!
https://www.rolegate.com/ref/MrSnout/ironsworn-a-grim-tale
We have just ran into a really, really tense moment, with a very morally and emotionally heavy decision that Toran has to make. I will say no more to avoid spoilers, but I just wanted to share that I am really curious about how will this end, and knowing that I have not much say in this, with everything left to Josh and dice gods, makes it all the more exciting.
It is ran on Role Gate (heartily recommended!), so you can see all the moves engaged as you are reading. So if you wanted to see how Ironsworn works in practice, well, look no further!
https://www.rolegate.com/ref/MrSnout/ironsworn-a-grim-tale
The tension's so thick, you could cut it with a knife.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting... thanks for sharing! Couple questions if you have time:
ReplyDelete1. Does Rolegate work well on mobile (Android/Chrome and iPhone/Safari) for both player and DM ? I've toyed around with it some for solo, but I generally prefer pen & paper, or at least a physical keyboard!
2. Presumptuous and forward of me, perhaps, but I feel like you (or anyone) might have some input... I have a friend I'm trying to introduce to RPGs, and figured on a co-op Ironsworn game via Rolegate. He's worried it would be awkward with just the two of us. I think if he tried it (or maybe even if he read your game here) he would get into it quickly (I think we're both fairly decent, imaginative writers)! He's never played a tabletop RPG and I'm inexperienced as GM (and new to PbtA/Ironsworn), but an avid solo player. Just wondered if perhaps you had any advice: I'm wondering if I should try 1-on-1 , a co-op game, or see if I can recruit another player or two (maybe not so likely to find one) to alleviate his fears? :-)
Thanks again! I look forward to reading more of your game (bookmarked it for later).
I've both played and GMed a ton from mobile; highly recommend RG for that functionality. The devs are super committed to making sure that the interface is useful for both types of users, and generally pretty close to identical. In particular, I make heavy use of the Helper functionality to keep necessary rules-ref data in RG, easily at my fingertips. I'll also generally read from mobile, and a little subroutine in my brain will be mulling over what I've read so I can post from my laptop if it needs to be a longer post.
ReplyDelete1:1 is an excellent method, though I've also had great fun with coop (played in a shared Google Doc back before RG; there's also games going on the Ironsworn Discord, come join us). RG may be slightly less than idea as a tool for coop until "multi GM" functionality comes online, which is in the works. You could also do like a "coop 1:1" with you having a "GMPC" and doing all the GMing, and then expand your friend's control of the world and NPCs when RG adds that functionality. Since he's coming in with no experience at RPGs, he might be better served by sticking to the character only for a while until he gets his feet under himself.
Spencer Salyer 1 on 1 is definitely not awkward in any way. It allows to play with a greater focus on personal drama, because you don't have to worry about spotlighting. If you are unsure of your GMing skills... Do it, there is no better way of learning!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I heartily recommend Swords Without a Master with someone more experienced, as it is a great way to up your narrative game. Or Sundered Land series. Both are very narratively heavy games, but I feel like it got my GMing chops onto a whole new level.
If you cannot find any SWM/Sundered Lands game, just go with the Ironsworn, as it is excellent learning ground too. You have a lot of Oracles to fall back on if you are unsure what to do, and the game is crunchy enough to do most of the heavy listing by itself.
Thanks for the info, guys. I have considered Gumshoe 1 on 1 system also (Trail of Cthulhu), since it is designed specifically for 1 on 1 and is very well written and full of details. I thought Ironsworn might be a better first game, though, especially for co-op, and in chat form. Now I just need to prod him again and get the game going! :-)
ReplyDeletePoor Toran... will he ever catch a break?
ReplyDeleteJames Rankine nah, the cruel Dice Gods will keep him alive in a constant state of suffering and despair! At least it seems that it is what they have been doing from the beginning :)
ReplyDelete