It is very thorough. The choices are well thought out and the whole product line compliments itself very well. A lot of the monster choices are clearly unique in behavior and specifics, but familiar enough you could grab a stat block from your game of choice and get something very close to your needs with no effort. My only criticism would be, the whole package made more sense after I read the section on the ancients and the elves, but it was near the back of the book. Start there and the intricacies of the island are much more clear!
The map is, while pretty, really doesn't make sense at the table. It shows way too much and there is no way I could have the map on the table when playing. It looks more like a map you can show when you wrap up the campaign. This is really unfortunate, because hex crawls without a map don't make sense to me.
The map intentionally appears to show a lot, it is what was supplied by the Martel Company to would be explorers. Some of the things it “reveals” are red herrings or rumors that are actually false. It is definitely a player facing map.
Funny you should ask that. I have actually BEEN soling it the last few weeks! If you look in the background of the Ironsworn video I did recently, you will notice I am using the Hot Springs Island cloth map. It works quite well with Ironsworn because the lack of traditional stats rolls right along with what they are already doing there. There is a little of that “but I know what my character shouldn’t know” aspect. You have some of that in most solo, but in Ironsworn, the twists largely come from the moves combined with you envisioning how they should play. Well this helps immensely with the envisioning part. If you do solo it, I suggest giving full access to the field guide to yourself, that is what your hero knows. As you explore read only the history overview at the end of the Dark (GM book), so you know how it should go from a faction pov. Then read up on the hexes immediately surrounding your hero and go to it. Leave the rest up for discovery so you get to be surprised too!
Very interesting question and answer! I originally got the pdf's to solo it maybe a year ago. I started soloing but unfortunately other things and games took over and i dropped this. I'm the end I also felt that I would rather experience it by DMing it to others. I know soloing doesn't exclude me from later DMing it so who knows, I might give it another go. I used Worlds Without Number as the system with two heroic characters with a porter. I agree that Ironsworn might be the perfect system for solo. I've thought about using EZd6 for group play. I would love to eventually get the physical books and that amazing map.
The way this game is set up is very interesting. I like it!
It is very thorough. The choices are well thought out and the whole product line compliments itself very well. A lot of the monster choices are clearly unique in behavior and specifics, but familiar enough you could grab a stat block from your game of choice and get something very close to your needs with no effort. My only criticism would be, the whole package made more sense after I read the section on the ancients and the elves, but it was near the back of the book. Start there and the intricacies of the island are much more clear!
Thanks
Welcome!
The map is, while pretty, really doesn't make sense at the table. It shows way too much and there is no way I could have the map on the table when playing. It looks more like a map you can show when you wrap up the campaign.
This is really unfortunate, because hex crawls without a map don't make sense to me.
The map intentionally appears to show a lot, it is what was supplied by the Martel Company to would be explorers. Some of the things it “reveals” are red herrings or rumors that are actually false. It is definitely a player facing map.
@@booksbricksandboards783 ooh, ok thank you very much.
@@fufu1405 Very welcome, and totally justifiable assumption until you look more closely at the product!
How do you feel that this would solo?
Funny you should ask that. I have actually BEEN soling it the last few weeks! If you look in the background of the Ironsworn video I did recently, you will notice I am using the Hot Springs Island cloth map. It works quite well with Ironsworn because the lack of traditional stats rolls right along with what they are already doing there. There is a little of that “but I know what my character shouldn’t know” aspect. You have some of that in most solo, but in Ironsworn, the twists largely come from the moves combined with you envisioning how they should play. Well this helps immensely with the envisioning part. If you do solo it, I suggest giving full access to the field guide to yourself, that is what your hero knows. As you explore read only the history overview at the end of the Dark (GM book), so you know how it should go from a faction pov. Then read up on the hexes immediately surrounding your hero and go to it. Leave the rest up for discovery so you get to be surprised too!
Very interesting question and answer! I originally got the pdf's to solo it maybe a year ago. I started soloing but unfortunately other things and games took over and i dropped this. I'm the end I also felt that I would rather experience it by DMing it to others. I know soloing doesn't exclude me from later DMing it so who knows, I might give it another go. I used Worlds Without Number as the system with two heroic characters with a porter. I agree that Ironsworn might be the perfect system for solo. I've thought about using EZd6 for group play. I would love to eventually get the physical books and that amazing map.
Title checks out, apparently. :) Gotta look this up!
You will not be disappointed!