I recently got this feedback on Reddit, and it filled me with joy:
Hi, I tried to leave a comment on the blog but couldn't for whatever reason.
These Ironsworn sessions have been a great read, and a major eye-opener for me - I am new to Ironsworn and have not actually played a session yet, but I imagine it as very combat/ martial focused gaming...and then in 5 sessions of Kiah's saga, the Battle move is used once and no other combat...all adventure and social drama!
I feel better prepared to use the Ironsworn engine to drive all sorts of storytelling possibilites. Keep up the fun stories!
Also, It has been fun to guess Kiah's character sheet based on narrative context alone (Invoke/Storyweaver/Kindred, with maybe a potential for Pretender later using her SongHood alter-ego? Ritualist to come when her Sith Master has completed her training).
Would love to also get more "behinds the scenes" commentary about how certain move resolutions were decided, or your personal reactions to surprising turns-of-event, perhaps as post end-blurbs that bookend with the opening blurbs. But keep to what inspires you to write. Thank you for sharing these. Feel free to share this message with others if you ever find the need.
I've fixed the blog comments issue.
At least, I hope so.
I'm so happy that Dream Chaser is being enjoyed. As such, and as requested, here's a peak behind the curtain:
Not Dying
This isn't my first Ironsworn rodeo. I've run three other games, but each resulted in my character's demise. I decided Dream Chaser would be different.
First of all, I made a character who won't seek out combat. Kiah's 1s are in Iron and Edge. With her Wits of 2, she knows her limits and will avoid violence when she can. When she can't, that's what she's got her brother for.
Secondly, I've learned to be kinder to myself. When I GM, I'm not at all interested in killing characters. I'm a fan of the PCs, so will bend over backward to keep 'em around. However, when running a solo game, I can be ruthless. You see...I don't want to cheat.
Thankfully I don't have to. In Ironsworn, when you fail rolls, you need to remember not to go with the first, harshest consequence that comes to mind. In that regard, if I think of a 'bad result' for my character that's vicious, I stop, think about it, and pick something else that's fitting and less lethal.
Using the Pay the Price table has really helped. For example, when Kiah failed her Secure Advantage at the temple, I rolled that something valuable was destroyed. I decided that the god she was praying to broke something further in the temple. Yes, Kiah was embarrassed, but she suffered no harm. It was rather amusing. Better than me ruling that her ears began to bleed.
Prayer
The gods are alive and well in my setting; as such, prayer is important. In that regard, I decided that prayer counts as a Secure Advantage in preparing for rituals. That way, I can use Kiah's Heart of 3! Yay!
However, I also put a limit on this. Prayer only works for rituals. It won't help with other tasks. That way, I don't spam it for everything.
If you go with payer as Secure Advantage, feel free to choose a different limit. Heck, perhaps prayer only helps in the middle of battle?
A Wonder Quest
Ironsworn is a warrior-coded game. A bleak land with limited resources, monsters, and horrors around every corner. It just screams Icelandic Saga.
However, I wanted to go another route. Same setting, but explore the magical parts of it. A journey of wonder and song.
Unfortunately, my love of the sagas thwarted me! Dream Chaser is a little reminiscent of my novel. So it's pretty dark.
Even so, I've avoided most of the swording, and hope to get to the wonder bits after Kiah finally wriggles out from under her Grandmother's hold.
Surprises - Surprises
I had a solid idea of what I wanted to happen in this game, but my dice did throw me some lovely curve balls.
Kiah's family being so much at odds was kind of surprising, but it did add a very cool dynamic. Her kin being at each other's throats and Kiah acting as a peacemaker really emphasizes how kind she is.
I always planned on Kiah's himbo brother tagging along on her journey. However, his never speaking came up on its own. Without an Oracle. I don't know why he doesn't speak. Maybe we'll find out later on?
That missed sojourn roll when Kiah first visited Great Mount pulled the story away from what I originally envisioned, but the result was awesome. You'd think that being the Overseer's grandkids would have transferred instant respect. Not the case; they were still Brokenhelm bumpkins. I loved that Reema told Kiah she had to deal with it herself. I believe that was the result of a failed Compel roll. Even so, it was very Norse; you should solve your problems on your own when you can.
I'm looking forward to what comes next.
I hope you are too.
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