[Closed] For Honor and Glory II (Ironsworn One-on-One)

Looking for someone to swear some iron vows with me and adventure across the Ironlands!

System: Ironsworn. Digital edition available for free at DriveThruRPG. Ironsworn website also has resources.

Using core rules, no Delve rules. Delve lore will be used, however.

Some rules may be bent, depending on how we feel. See Additional Notes below for some possibilities, based on my previous Ironsworn experiences.

Custom Assets are welcome. We'll discuss any options to make sure they're not OP.

Character Creation: Standard. 3/2/2/1/1 for stats. You can skip the bonds part if you want, and develop them as you adventure.

This world is human-centric, so our characters will reflect that. Non-human PCs will be discussed on a case-by-case basic. No mechanical benefits will be given to non-human PCs.

Party Size: This will be a one-on-one co-op game. So two, just to be clear. 😎

Vibe/Aesthetic/Lore: Default vibe as explained in the books. So no magical floating cities, tinkering gnomes, or extraplanar travel to a cyber-fantasy setting.

We can decide on the World Truths together, or roll to randomly generate them.

You can create some lore if you want. Points of interest, historical figures, legendary artifacts, etc. Keep it manageable; 5 or less entries to begin with.

Duration: I plan to play Ironsworn long-term, but you aren't obligated to stick around forever. If you want to play one mission and then leave, cool. If you want to play for months and try to fulfill your background vow, also cool.

Activity Requirement: I'm looking for roughly 5 posts a week. If real-life (ugh) comes up, lemme know and we'll work something out. But if your posting rate dwindles long-term, or if you're generally uncommunicative, I'll find a replacement.

Specialized Software and Resources: Game itself is played on Gamersplane. I'll be using Iron Fellowship for my character sheet. You're welcome to do the same. Or you can use custom Ironsworn sheets developed for use here, or anything you've found elsewhere. As long as the sheet is cleanly formatted and easy for me to access.

No battle maps or VTTs will be used, as they aren't necessary for Ironsworn.

Player Experience Requirements: None required.

Content Warning: For my part, stuff like torture, rape, slavery, and infanticide may be mentioned. No graphic descriptions of these, however.

Foul language may be used.

No erotic roleplay. Fade to black for any sexy stuff.

AI: AI use is welcome.

Additional Notes & Expectations:

As mentioned above, rules may be altered if we both agree a different interpretation facilitates what we want out of our gameplay. Here are some examples I've noticed in previous playthroughs:

⚔ Journeys not directly connected to a quest can feel like unnecessary preludes. Therefore, we could create a super-easy journey in those situations (5+ progress per waypoint) or even just make a single Undertake a Journey move to get where we need to be.

⚔ Spirit can be difficult to replenish in Ironsworn. That was done intentionally by the game's creator, to encourage players to interact with settlements and NPCs. I'm not a fan of that design choice, however, so we've used Starforged's Hearten in Ironsworn games. But if you're keen on a more hardcore, true-to-the-grim-setting experience, we can let our poor Spirit dwindle without adding a compensating move.

⚔ End the Fight requires a previous strong hit to use. This can be troublesome if the Dice Gods are being ornery. I'm not opposed to making End the Fight available on a previous strong OR weak hit, but not a miss. But again, if you want to suffer, then suffer we shall!

We can discuss all this here, or in-game, if you're selected. And if you've previously played Ironsworn and have some tweaks or best practices you'd like to see, feel free to share them.

And now some "no's": No power-gamers, murderhobos, memesters, or contrarians.

A bit about my RP style: I tend to write meatier posts, and get into the character growth/psychological aspect of things just as much as the "whack foe with weapon" parts.

If it's my "turn" to advance the story, I'm probably going to cook up something dangerous and cool that demands a response. PbP being what it is, I find this necessary to keep the story from dragging.

My profile has numerous Ironsworn games if you want to see me in action.

I haven't created the game forum for this version of For Honor and Glory yet. I'll post here when I do.

Selection Process: Not first come, first serve. I'll be looking for the best vibes.

If I had to sum up what that means in a single sentence: Someone who's active, passionate about RP, and not a power-gamer.

If interested, reply with a character concept. You don't have to fill out an entire character sheet at this point. An overview along with your background vow will suffice.

@CouchLord0510: You expressed interest in this previously, so pinging you now.

This sounds very tempting but I'm going to need some time to familiarise myself with the book, before I can come up with a concept. Do you have some deadline in mind, until which you'd be accepting applications?

No deadline. Apply whenever.

I'm hoping to see several applicants, and that could take days, if not weeks.

Or 5 people could apply tomorrow. No way to tell with PbP.

Thinking BFS weilding protagonist with a great wolf companion. Artorias and Sif as inspiration.

I recommend playing this game with Totes_McGee. They have a great style of playing this game, creating interesting scenes to tackle together as well as a 'play to find out what happens' attitude.

I'm interested. Played two short rounds of Ironsworn years ago, both are fond memories. I didn't do one-on-one in pbp so far, so why not starting with it here?

I'd prefer some in-medias-res-entry, say a guy back from hunting to his razed village, a miner surviving a rockfall, a marine surviving an attack without possibility to return easily or similar reasons to start going somewhere.

No preferences for a region. Some bickering or rivalry would be character play, but I don't like PvP.

@TheGenerator: Thanks! I also recommend Gen. Our game is still going strong thanks to their laid-back attitude and consistent RP. And those Oracles!

@Jomsviking: More info, please. What's their deal? What's their background vow?

@Dominic: Same as for Joms. What character do you want to play? What's their background vow?

"I'd prefer some in-medias-res-entry, say a guy back from hunting to his razed village, a miner surviving a rockfall, a marine surviving an attack without possibility to return easily or similar reasons to start going somewhere."

No problem with that, but we'll roll to decide who presents the first quest. If it's you, you can do that. If it's me, I might take a different approach.

Which is another thing to mention: each player should respect the other's quest presentation.

"No preferences for a region. Some bickering or rivalry would be character play, but I don't like PvP."

No problem. PvP isn't essential.

Through adversity the archetype is meant to become something humane should aspire to be, but can never attain. This is likely why worship of Tyr was replaced with worship of Odin. Odin being deeply flawed is attainable for the average man. Artorias and Sif are tragic heroes from the videogame Dark Souls and are based off a reimagined Tyr and Fenris.

A background vow:

Sacrifice, fate is fickle and the hero must fall. Be it to become a villain, to lose everything, or to be sacrificed a hero is meant to become something greater for an upheaval of humanity

For the greater good, whatever the cost.

I really would like to give this a try, since I've had Ironsworn for this purpose, basically, but I haven't really cracked it open. I took a look, but I barely am familiar with what a Background Vow is compared to Iron Vow or Inciting Incident and so on.

If I'm reading right, there doesn't appear to be a mechanical process to making a Vow, it's a self-prompted sort of thing. So, could a Background Vow be that I'm trying to bring a neck charm worn by his older brother, slain by a now-hated rival clan, to a religious pilgrimage site at the edge (or beyond) the Ironlands?

I'm reading into the book, seeing a more Nordic type vibe from it, so I was going to say for a concept that my character was the younger son of a Thane/Thegn in the region that was devastated by utter skullduggery by another clan when they raided the Household and slew his family leaving just him, his mother and younger sister alive as the little luck would have it. He's now the head of the Household by sad default. Revenge on the other Clan has to wait for his Pilgrimage to honor his brother, who would've been the true head of household, to succeed his slain father, and head of the Clan warring machine, but the warmaster will have to take charge of that task while the quest is on. It is something that is simmering at the back of the mind, but honoring his fallen brother in a matter of faith is what is a priority now, because there is little without guidance from the Heavens and laying to rest something symbolic like the neck charm. Then, he can come into the inheritance he must take from his forbears and take his place in the Clan and take charge for the task at hand.

I have no clue if this is at all right or what you're looking for, but I figured I'd take a shot. There's a lot in the book, and I don't quite get the ordering on first look. I'm probably not your favorite or first choice being a newcomer, so I get if you want to pass me over.

Hi. Guess I'll be joining this long list then. I've played both Ironsworn and Starforged, but it's been a while, so I'll be needing a quick refresher. I like everything you've described. I usually play games vanilla, but I'm fine with making combat slightly less at the mercy of the dice gods. I enjoy world-building; deciding on the truths and creating my own lore on my solo Starforged playthrough turned out to be the most fun I had with that game.

My character concept is a beast hunter (Slayer, Wildblood, Bind assets) iron-sworn to slay that one legendary beast, either for the glory or for revenge. If this concept doesn't fit, I'll gladly tweak it as needed.

I'm partway through the book and I'm loving it. I still have quite a way to go (the chapter about gameplay is probably the most important) but I already have a couple of ideas for a character.

The first one is probably a bit inadvisable, because it involves starting with a Debility (which the rules say you shouldn't do but oh, well) and a vow connected to removing said Debility, which conveniently includes doing good deeds.

The other one is a former servant/guard who, blinded by love and loyalty for his lord hadn't realised that his lord is a selfish, corrupt, heartless piece of crap. Having had his eyes opened, he is now on a quest to atone for the misdeeds and hopefully find and help the people whose lives he had allowed to be ruined.

@Jomsviking: So your character wants to become a martyr? How would that work in connection with others? Would your PC always be charging in recklessly, no matter the odds, to achieve this martyrdom?

I feel like other characters would always be trying to pull you back from the brink. But perhaps I'm misreading your intent.

@PlebianG: Your Background Vow is your Really Big Deal. You're correct that you don't need to Swear an Iron Vow for this, as it's assumed you've done so before the story starts. Narratively, you could've taken that vow months or even years ago, but haven't made progress for whatever reason. Or maybe you made some progress, but ultimately failed, and now you're back at the beginning.

Inciting incident is just a fancy writerly way to say first quest, in this instance. That and all subsequent quests would require Swear an Iron Vow, with only one character making the roll, and all other party members sharing the outcome. Though others can use Secure an Advantage/Aid Your Ally to buff the vow-taker.

Bonds and vows are extremely important in the Ironlands, so your character definitely fits the vibe! I can already imagine the tension and drama. Suppose the charm is lost or stolen? Suppose other clan(s) attack his own while he's on this major quest?

@Erkin: I actually don't own Starforged, which as an Ironsworn lover is a massive oversight for me.

Your concept is fine. In the previous game, the other PC was also a beast hunter. That doesn't prevent you from playing one, but we did have a disagreement over Slayer, one I don't want to repeat.

Slayer says "beast or horror," and I want to stick to a reasonable interpretation of what beasts and horrors actually are, using RAW as guidelines. So if we encounter a random bear, for example, that would be classified as an animal, not a beast, no matter how large and fearsome it is. On the other hand, if it was some giga-bear legend that's lived for centuries, then yes, it could be a beast.

Make sense?

@Merivel: I don't think starting with a debility is advisable. It would put you at a disadvantage for a loooong time, as Background Vows are either Extreme or Epic, and take a significant time to complete.

Why not use an Asset to represent what you're going for, if you're keen on this option? Spirit-Bound, for example. If you take Veteran, you could say you have PTSD. Even something like Lorekeeper could work. You could hate your "mystical archive," and want to be rid of it, but achieving that is somehow more complicated than simply chucking it into a ditch.

Your second concept is fine.

Everyone who's applied: with this much interest, I'm tentatively considering adding another person, to make this a three-player adventure.

Let me know if you'd be fine with that, or if you're set on one-on-one.

Final choice(s) will probably be made Sunday, the 12th. Anyone else can still apply, though!

Martyrdom is certainly a possbility. But remember that at any cost includes villainy, bastardy, and all manner of machievellian evil. Think Julius Caesar or Augustus. This is a man who defines the road to hell is paved with good intentions as an archetype. The best of friend or the worst of enemy. His conviction may lead him to spare a village at the cost of his men. Or raze it to spare them.

"Hero is someone who gets other people killed." -Zoey

Saviour to my own, Devil to some.

As for the size of the group, three is fine by me.

Agreed. That's what I had in mind as well.
Fine by me.

Playing with three is fine to me. I doubt I'll make the cut though with so many others here. If I want to play, I'll probably have to start out by playing solo, which isn't so bad as it's designed for it. I have to learn somehow.

I'll check back anyway, in case you do choose me, however, though.

I'm fine with playing with three as well.

I'm not used to make a character before even spoken about the details - let's see, if this idea is feasible.

It was the day my shield was shattered, the day my spear broke. I couldn't keep my vow to protect Uktannu, but at least I died before he was even scratched.

But I survived, my arm crippled, my soul wounded. I was nursed back to health by someone who did not speak to me, who was not even human, but who took pity on me. Who gave my body and my spirit time to heal, to find ways to deal with the wounds.

He was alone, like me, and I watched him as he went about his work. I watched him as he performed his rituals. I understood that he was different, but that didn't make him my enemy. My enemies were humans.

I am no longer the warrior I once was, but my mind is sharp. I had my spearhead made into a medallion. When it was finished, I climbed the Mountain of Life and stood there, holding the medallion aloft with my good arm, buffeted by the storm.

I swore, in the spirit of the dead messenger, to judge those on both sides who disrupted the unification process of our settlements with the firstborn for reasons of personal gain. I swore to use my new powers wisely, but relentlessly. I was not concerned with peace, but with natural understanding.

I don't know how I came down from the mountain. But I know that my life would be forfeited in any case.

Mood music

Would be fine with both.

I've played Ironsworn with three before and I can definitely recommend it. It can take some pressure off of one of the players to take a step back and think about their next move while the other two are entangled in a scene. It also makes it a bit easier to use NPCs while still having PC interaction. Though, this experience was in an at-the-table game. I'm not sure how the dynamic changes in PbP.

If I may give a tip for the players who are new to this style of playing TTRPG where basically everyone is the GM; Don't go into this with a set plan of what you want to achieve. Let the story be your guide and (try to) accept whatever the other players throw your way (of course assuming it makes sense). It may not be what you had envisioned for the story at that point, but see it as an opportunity to go in a direction that you hadn't thought of. I think this attitude will lead to less frustration and/or discussion. If you do have a specific goal or direction for the story that would need multiple scenes to get to, let the others know so every player can steer the story in that direction.

What I really love about this game is that I can surprise myself with the story, even when I'm the one creating it.

Wishing you all much fun! :)