A trick I like for when you get a result that doesn't spark anything, but you want to sort of honor the initial randomness is to check out what result you get if you flip the digits. It's faster than rerolling too.
Great video Jack! Oracles have totally changed how I prep & play, and I wish more games had some kind of inspirational/genre/flavor-forward word maps to draw from for these moments in games.
I know I’ve said it in my videos too. Roll on the oracles/tables, but if an idea springs to mind and sparks that creativity within you…roll with it! Do not be beholden and follow a strict adherence to the rules and tables. YOU are playing for YOU. Bend rules, fudge rules, change scenes that make your game amazing. Ignore the people that whine about how you play.
Oh man, did I include that in the video? I should have, that's always sorta the cardinal rule: Do what is coolest, and MOST of the time you will know. Also, man, I LOVE your dice with the bigass numbers on them. I mean, I'm also obsessed with Perilous Wilds and Freebooters and pretty much everything Lampblack & Brimstone makes.
@@Jack-gs6sd you hinted at it around 21 & 25 mins (and you follow it up deeply in the "Listen to your Intuition" section). Your entire section on "Start Slim" is golden as well. Switching to that mindset is what really got me going. I too got the ToAD and it stalled my playing for weeks. I do not play Ironsworn (too heavy for me) but man oh man, do I love those Lodestar Oracles!
Ironsworn was the first time I tried anything with oracles, and it was just magical. Your example of the "Reject Price" oracle result - I instantly had exactly the same idea that you came up with, and it's SUCH a great way for that situation to go. My instincts would have also been along the lines of "everything's fine" or "people are rejecting him" and both of those are so much worse than the oracle prompted idea.
This was great, thanks. I think more instructional solo content from you would be great. There are so many newcomers to the hobby right now, and fitting all these tools together isn't easy for everyone.
@@Jack-gs6sd The person doing the IndieTTRPG newsletter mentioned your video. And I'm glad they did cause I didn't know about this stuff! It's really inspiring.
I’m just intensely tempted to launch an Ironsworn/Starforged focus series entirely, talking mechanics, principles, etc. Been thinking a lot about it, already have notes on potential episode ideas.
My favorite oracle right now (for fantasy especially) is the Dark Gods' Oracle (the one at 98 of Black Sword Hack [great book btw]) It's sort of like One Page Mythic but d6s for yes/no and d6-d6 for abstract oracles. Even though, I like One Page Mythic and OPSE (which is free indeed!)
Oooo, just checked it out! That's a gorgeous oracle, I especially like how it handles Yes/No questions, including probability, that's extremely satisfying!!
@@Jack-gs6sd makes me happy I shared my love for it! ^^ And love the system for on the go sword and fantasy! All in a such a beautifully written and small package!
I have such a love-hate relationship with the open-question type of oracle (e.g. Action/Theme) because sometimes it seems like I block on it more than I should. But as you note, it can be amazingly helpful when used well!
I just ran my first one-shot using paper minis and a few paper buildings that your crafting videos inspired me to do, so thank you v much for that. I found the videos on a Monday and had them ready for the one-shot by Wednesday, which was just lovely to have that quick of a turnaround. A video I'd like to see from you is how you manage your DM area during a game's different phases. Do you like to set up a certain way? Do you have a process for going from roleplay mode to battle mode? What items do you usually have out in each phase and how do you organize them? What's the ideal place to put an open drink to prevent accidentally knocking it over as you frantically look for that puzzle sheet?
I am OVERJOYED to hear this!!! I may, in fact, do my table set-up video, including what vinyl mats I like to use, wet-erase markers, DM screen stuff, etc. Because I do have some personal favorite table-kit stuff! I'll link a photo below in the meantime. But two questions straight-up: I typically like to have a messy table with everything out as we play, that way we can ~throw together~ the combat or other things as need be. The less breaking-up-into-phases the better, though obviously we do need to be clear about WHEN we are an are not in combat. As for where to put a fizzy drink? My friend, there is no good answer. I would have to say, if you're using a GM screen, to put it right up against the inside of the screen. Thanks for commenting, write more any time! www.reddit.com/r/rimeofthefrostmaiden/comments/v3n474/finally_started_rotf_heres_the_table_setup/
Overwhelm & Quest. My first thought was the Temple was left abandoned long ago becuase all the folk living, studying, and worshipping there needed to all go on a queast to re sanctify their temple and regain their deities blessings. They were all overwhelmed by the queast they all undertook and died or lost hope and gave up. Now what caused the temple to lose their Gods blessings is a different queastion. 😊
Yeah see!?!?! That's sick, I love that, incredible idea. That's the beauty of these oracles too, which is that these words are like chemistry, or rather alchemy, and they mix with each imagination to produce different results. And you'll never know like, what amazing ingredients are sitting in your OWN imagination until you get into the lab and start cooking!
@@Jack-gs6sd Oh by the way, I've been watching a lot of solo ttrpg content of late and your video just popped up in my recommendations so I thought I would just check out what you had to say on the topic. 😊
Oh great question! The content in them are found in most Ironsworn books and reference books, but the cards themselves come in the Starforged asset deck 🙂 which I think you can order from a couple spots :)
Oh GREAT question, yes that's the Wizard of Barge deck. I haven't used Tarot cards as oracles yet because they seem like they would require additional much more time, attention, and interpretive work. After all, if you're using traditional Tarot cards, you'd often have to reference a guidebook! But this is something I think about often. I'm kinda interested though in The Fablemaker's Animated Tarot Deck from Hitpoint Press, which is BOTH based on the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith AND contains a ton of guidebook info on how to use it as a campaign planning and interpretive oracle device.
Ok I’m 2 minutes in… and just ask the players what they think. Have a dialogue as friends as to why they asked the question and a few answers they might want. It’s a cooperative narrative game, i think it’s unfair of a player to ask questions they are not curious about and willing to help make the answer to.
Yes and no! I'm a huge fan of collaborative worldbuilding games (more on the blog than RUclips). I'm also a huge fan of things like Paint the Scene questions from Trophy games, or Carved from Brindlewood games. But asking players to give input on worldbuilding is also best when its guided by something more than answering their question with just "I don't know, what do YOU think is in the treasure chest. Particularly when not all players WANT that much narrative control. This is particularly the case when we get to stuff like the Czege Principle (that it isn't fun for a single player to control both a character's adversity and the resolution of that adversity). A lot of people play to find out what's behind the door, not to invent what's behind the door, and when it comes to improvising certain rewards or challenges, asking a play to name their own treasure can totally deflate the anticipatory energy. The mileage at each table varies here, sometimes in very subtle ways. Ultimately, I think people can use better improvisational aids than "Ask someone else to improvise." And I don't think it's, as you put it, "unfair" for players to ask you a question hoping you'll provide an answer. Hell, why else would they ask you anything at all?
A trick I like for when you get a result that doesn't spark anything, but you want to sort of honor the initial randomness is to check out what result you get if you flip the digits. It's faster than rerolling too.
I DO THIS ALL OF THE TIME, haha. It always feels like "cheating" but the whole idea of "cheating" in solo is kiinnnnndddd of a bullshit framework.
Great video Jack! Oracles have totally changed how I prep & play, and I wish more games had some kind of inspirational/genre/flavor-forward word maps to draw from for these moments in games.
This channel deserves more subs. Doin' my part
:) tenor.com/view/im-doing-my-part-serious-stare-gif-11979677
Another Jack video LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Haha more coming! I think a weird mix of hyper-broad and hyper-specific
Great stuff, like all your videos!
Agreed ✌️
I know I’ve said it in my videos too. Roll on the oracles/tables, but if an idea springs to mind and sparks that creativity within you…roll with it! Do not be beholden and follow a strict adherence to the rules and tables. YOU are playing for YOU. Bend rules, fudge rules, change scenes that make your game amazing. Ignore the people that whine about how you play.
Oh man, did I include that in the video? I should have, that's always sorta the cardinal rule: Do what is coolest, and MOST of the time you will know.
Also, man, I LOVE your dice with the bigass numbers on them. I mean, I'm also obsessed with Perilous Wilds and Freebooters and pretty much everything Lampblack & Brimstone makes.
@@Jack-gs6sd you hinted at it around 21 & 25 mins (and you follow it up deeply in the "Listen to your Intuition" section). Your entire section on "Start Slim" is golden as well. Switching to that mindset is what really got me going. I too got the ToAD and it stalled my playing for weeks.
I do not play Ironsworn (too heavy for me) but man oh man, do I love those Lodestar Oracles!
DIY d&d made easy! Dope channel
Ironsworn was the first time I tried anything with oracles, and it was just magical. Your example of the "Reject Price" oracle result - I instantly had exactly the same idea that you came up with, and it's SUCH a great way for that situation to go. My instincts would have also been along the lines of "everything's fine" or "people are rejecting him" and both of those are so much worse than the oracle prompted idea.
This was great, thanks. I think more instructional solo content from you would be great. There are so many newcomers to the hobby right now, and fitting all these tools together isn't easy for everyone.
Glad you liked it!! Quick question: where did you find my video? So many people saw it Monday suddenly...
@@Jack-gs6sd The person doing the IndieTTRPG newsletter mentioned your video. And I'm glad they did cause I didn't know about this stuff! It's really inspiring.
Yes!!! I’d love more Ironsworn/Starforged content from you!
I’m just intensely tempted to launch an Ironsworn/Starforged focus series entirely, talking mechanics, principles, etc. Been thinking a lot about it, already have notes on potential episode ideas.
My favorite oracle right now (for fantasy especially) is the Dark Gods' Oracle (the one at 98 of Black Sword Hack [great book btw])
It's sort of like One Page Mythic but d6s for yes/no and d6-d6 for abstract oracles.
Even though, I like One Page Mythic and OPSE (which is free indeed!)
Oooo, just checked it out! That's a gorgeous oracle, I especially like how it handles Yes/No questions, including probability, that's extremely satisfying!!
@@Jack-gs6sd makes me happy I shared my love for it! ^^
And love the system for on the go sword and fantasy! All in a such a beautifully written and small package!
I have such a love-hate relationship with the open-question type of oracle (e.g. Action/Theme) because sometimes it seems like I block on it more than I should. But as you note, it can be amazingly helpful when used well!
Oh dude I totally hear you! I also am always tempted to just whiff it and move on. I think personally, I've gotta learn to use my Yes/No more often.
I just ran my first one-shot using paper minis and a few paper buildings that your crafting videos inspired me to do, so thank you v much for that. I found the videos on a Monday and had them ready for the one-shot by Wednesday, which was just lovely to have that quick of a turnaround. A video I'd like to see from you is how you manage your DM area during a game's different phases. Do you like to set up a certain way? Do you have a process for going from roleplay mode to battle mode? What items do you usually have out in each phase and how do you organize them? What's the ideal place to put an open drink to prevent accidentally knocking it over as you frantically look for that puzzle sheet?
I am OVERJOYED to hear this!!! I may, in fact, do my table set-up video, including what vinyl mats I like to use, wet-erase markers, DM screen stuff, etc. Because I do have some personal favorite table-kit stuff! I'll link a photo below in the meantime.
But two questions straight-up: I typically like to have a messy table with everything out as we play, that way we can ~throw together~ the combat or other things as need be. The less breaking-up-into-phases the better, though obviously we do need to be clear about WHEN we are an are not in combat.
As for where to put a fizzy drink? My friend, there is no good answer. I would have to say, if you're using a GM screen, to put it right up against the inside of the screen.
Thanks for commenting, write more any time!
www.reddit.com/r/rimeofthefrostmaiden/comments/v3n474/finally_started_rotf_heres_the_table_setup/
Dope ✌️
Overwhelm & Quest.
My first thought was the Temple was left abandoned long ago becuase all the folk living, studying, and worshipping there needed to all go on a queast to re sanctify their temple and regain their deities blessings. They were all overwhelmed by the queast they all undertook and died or lost hope and gave up.
Now what caused the temple to lose their Gods blessings is a different queastion. 😊
Yeah see!?!?! That's sick, I love that, incredible idea. That's the beauty of these oracles too, which is that these words are like chemistry, or rather alchemy, and they mix with each imagination to produce different results. And you'll never know like, what amazing ingredients are sitting in your OWN imagination until you get into the lab and start cooking!
@@Jack-gs6sd Oh by the way, I've been watching a lot of solo ttrpg content of late and your video just popped up in my recommendations so I thought I would just check out what you had to say on the topic. 😊
What are those cards from (Ask the Oracle, Change your Fate)?
Oh great question! The content in them are found in most Ironsworn books and reference books, but the cards themselves come in the Starforged asset deck 🙂 which I think you can order from a couple spots :)
@@Jack-gs6sd Thank you!
I see a tarot deck in frame! -- have you used them as abstract oracles? If you have, i'd love to watch a video explaining your steps in doing so
Oh GREAT question, yes that's the Wizard of Barge deck. I haven't used Tarot cards as oracles yet because they seem like they would require additional much more time, attention, and interpretive work. After all, if you're using traditional Tarot cards, you'd often have to reference a guidebook! But this is something I think about often.
I'm kinda interested though in The Fablemaker's Animated Tarot Deck from Hitpoint Press, which is BOTH based on the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith AND contains a ton of guidebook info on how to use it as a campaign planning and interpretive oracle device.
☮
Ok I’m 2 minutes in… and just ask the players what they think. Have a dialogue as friends as to why they asked the question and a few answers they might want. It’s a cooperative narrative game, i think it’s unfair of a player to ask questions they are not curious about and willing to help make the answer to.
Yes and no! I'm a huge fan of collaborative worldbuilding games (more on the blog than RUclips). I'm also a huge fan of things like Paint the Scene questions from Trophy games, or Carved from Brindlewood games. But asking players to give input on worldbuilding is also best when its guided by something more than answering their question with just "I don't know, what do YOU think is in the treasure chest. Particularly when not all players WANT that much narrative control.
This is particularly the case when we get to stuff like the Czege Principle (that it isn't fun for a single player to control both a character's adversity and the resolution of that adversity). A lot of people play to find out what's behind the door, not to invent what's behind the door, and when it comes to improvising certain rewards or challenges, asking a play to name their own treasure can totally deflate the anticipatory energy. The mileage at each table varies here, sometimes in very subtle ways.
Ultimately, I think people can use better improvisational aids than "Ask someone else to improvise." And I don't think it's, as you put it, "unfair" for players to ask you a question hoping you'll provide an answer. Hell, why else would they ask you anything at all?