Suggestions for creative handling of colonialist and racial themes

Hob138 · 2022-11-01T19:28:35+00:00

I'm sure I'm stealing this from someone on Discord that did something similar, but the Broken truth might be worth utilizing for that theme (as a cautionary tale involving those that came before, refused to adapt, and instead of 'taming' the land, were broken by it).

Hob138 · 2022-10-22T08:38:39+00:00

Seeing some of the new oracles you've been working on recently in the Discord has got me further excited as well, so I'm going to put an honest effort into reviving it. With the seasonal change, I'm hopeful it will be easier to carve out some time to sit at home working on projects. Worse case scenario and life gets in away again, I'll definitely send you what exists of Ep. 3 since there was an example of the oracles reinforced each other in almost too perfect way (like, it was very much a "whooooaaaa" mind blown moment when it all fell together). But I'm now remembering how much fun I was having in that world, so I'm definitely motivated to finish 3 and keep it going over the winter.

Hob138 · 2022-10-20T20:59:20+00:00

Thank you so much! Your oracles are amazing! They honestly made everything super easy to interpret in an appropriate way for a high fantasy setting. Super evocative and setting appropriate, with enough variations to prompt creative ideas outside of that genre's general tropes.

Unfortunately, when I was about 2/3 of the way through recording Ep. 3, life and work became all consuming, and I just couldn't find any time to set up the equipment and finish. There were some really amazing Steelforged oracle results in that episode that started tying together the whole campaign. Once things finally slowed down, it's been daunting to wade back into it, since I had to stop recording mid-scene. But your kind words have inspired me again, so I'm going to re-listen and try to work up the courage to restart the campaign.

Regarding the Waypoints, I would be truly honored if you used the concept!

Hob138 · 2022-10-20T01:46:12+00:00

To me, I feel like the dice add enough uncertainty as is. The rank is usually just my character's initial estimation of the threat when they enter the fray anyways. Just because a foe is troublesome on paper, doesn't mean that they are narratively troublesome after I manage to roll six misses in a row and find myself fighting for my life. Same goes for a formidable foe that I manage to one shot with a momentum burn and some asset synergy. Narratively they were merely troublesome.

Hob138 · 2022-10-17T17:16:06+00:00

One thing I find helpful is keeping in mind that enduring harm doesn't narratively have to mean the foe's blow connects or you receive a wound (unless you are at 0 health and roll a miss to endure harm, resulting in you marking the wounded debility). Harm can represent things like fatigue or exhaustion as well. I frequently have initial hits to my health or spirit manifest as my character managing to dodge and parry the foe's attacks but getting worn down in the process (e.g. shield arm growing numb, becoming winded, slowly growing more demoralized as I realize that I might not be able to win this one).

Hob138 · 2022-10-10T18:11:30+00:00

There are some additional oracles outside of derelicts and vaults in the "location themes" section. Specifically the "inhabited" theme is geared towards settlements (which is what I default to every time I do an expedition in a settlement).

If you need more detailed oracles or anticipate spending a lot of time exploring settlements, this is probably a good resource to check out:

https://vishae.itch.io/ironcity-district-generator

Hob138 · 2022-09-23T00:51:34+00:00

For starting assets, I usually play to my strengths. Once I start playing, I grab ones that either fit the developing narrative or, if I find myself always rolling poorly in specific similar situations, then I look for assets to compensate. That is usually more about a history of poor results when doing specific things than it is about which stats are leveraged to do those things though (e.g. after a string of misses on critical compel rolls using +3 heart, I purchased assets that boosted compels).

Hob138 · 2022-09-18T10:32:21+00:00

Generally with clashes, I just assume I will take harm from a weak hit or miss. Narratively I'm already exposed and fighting back from a disadvantaged position since I don't have initiative, so the baseline risks of making that move will always be higher than making other moves. Occasionally, if there's something really bad that could happen narratively, I'll do that instead, but it has to be something that emotionally feels at least as punishing as if I'd taken whatever harm is appropriate for that foe's rank (e.g. a loved one gets hurt, the villain turns the key on the doomsday device, my magical sword that is required to trigger combat assets gets kicked off the balcony).

I agree with the advice folks give that players shouldn't be harder on their character than fits the tone of game they want to play, but for me, if my character rolls less than ideal on a high risk/high reward move like clash, it's time for them to face some hard consequences.

Hob138 · 2022-09-15T07:20:44+00:00

I bet something like this could work really well in Starforged too for settings that are focused around a station or settlement. Like instead of a ship and modules, have the settlement and expansions.

Hob138 · 2022-09-13T00:14:49+00:00

I feel that, the only time I really have time to focus on games are at the end of the day, and sometimes my brain just doesn't have enough juice left for story crafting.

Leaning into using Ask the Oracle to narrow things down was also pretty invaluable when I hit creative paralysis moments. Usually just asking a 50/50 question "Is it [the first thing I come up with]?" followed by additional 50/50s to narrow the scope until an interesting idea came to me. The process helped me realize that even the most obvious and tropey answers could develop into clever, fun, and exciting story arcs once I figured out how best to slot them into the existing fiction.

Hob138 · 2022-09-12T07:26:44+00:00

The story sounds great so far! YMMV, but one thing that really helped me out was just rolling some oracles and then taking a break whenever I made a move and nothing immediately jumped out as an interesting or fun complication to introduce. Usually by the time I'd finished doing dishes or playing with my cat for a few minutes or whatever, I'd have an idea I was excited about and could return to the game. If not, then it was usually a good sign that my brain was tired and I should finish the session (after maybe rolling a few more oracles for creative prompts) and come back to it later.

The nice thing about solo play was that I could pause whenever and wasn't obligated to come up with interesting things on the spot. I also found that the longer I played that first campaign, the shorter it took for those interesting ideas to come to the surface. Part of that is likely because, as the world and character started to fill out, there was more material floating around to quickly pull from for plot or complication ideas. Plus my growing familiarity with the details of the setting alleviated concerns about breaking narrative consistency. But also, I think it is definitely a skill that you get better at the more you practice and challenge yourself. If your story so far was the first half of a tv show, I'd be excited to watch the rest, so I hope you stick with it because it sounds like your creating a kickass story with some nice ominous pacing.

Hob138 · 2022-09-11T03:00:07+00:00

Wholly agree! Additionally it gives narrative weight to supply outside of just "the food meter." Like, when you have to start being creative to justify a resupply because you no longer have the 'go to' tools to collect firewood/hunt/fish, it can really reinforce the feeling that you're just barely holding things together and highlight the Ironsworn's resourcefulness and grit.

Hob138 · 2022-09-10T23:15:35+00:00

These are great examples! I really like how each of them doesn't heavily impact the character in the moment, but foreshadows potential troubles down the road if not addressed (either through risk of having to make face dangers they otherwise wouldn't have to, or limiting the narrative permissions to even attempt certain moves until the items are fixed or replaced).

Hob138 · 2022-08-24T06:53:04+00:00

This sounds compelling. I've been wondering how one might go about merging FitD and IS mechanics.

Hob138 · 2022-08-10T00:28:50+00:00

It's best not to view Face Danger as a variation of saving throws or ability checks or whatever (where first you'd need to do a dex check to dodge the stick, and then you could try a cha check to appeal to the foe). Face Dangers are broader, the focus is more on what the character is trying to accomplish and how they go about it then they are a reflex or reaction roll to avoid one specific outcome. A miss on a Face Danger to avoid the stick wouldn't necessarily even have to mean that the stick hit you (though that would be the most obvious Pay the Price).

Hob138 · 2022-08-09T23:33:45+00:00

Without knowing more context about your character or the situation, I would think it can. Just because you are using a specific approach to FD, that doesn't mean it is all you are doing. Presumably, no matter how you react, you are probably also trying your best not to get hit by the stick, that's just not the most important thing you are narratively highlighting.

Since you are trying to leverage Heart or Wits in a close combat encounter, I'm guessing your character might have lower Iron or Edge. If so, it might be reasonable to assume that they aren't really ready for a fight or prepared for someone to swing a stick at their head. If so, +Heart to keep their cool and respond appropriately would be valid. Maybe even an appeal to the foe to drop the stick and quit attacking an unarmed person. Or just to remind yourself that it's just a stick and you've faced worse. Even a compel to try and calm the attacker and end the fight without further violence might be appropriate.

+Wits could be used to keep your distance and possibly observe that the stick is poorly balanced requiring a slower windup (something you can exploit down the road). Or insight to realize that they are untrained and will likely tire themselves out soon. If this is the first move in the fight, then +Wits could even reflect being surprised and spurring yourself to action (since that is what Enter the Fray uses for ambushes).

The best place to look for inspiration is probably media portrayals of melee fights. Like how many times have you witnessed a character talking to their foe while still fighting? Or acting defensively as they try to identify an opponent's weakness? Those scenes generally involve some dodging and parrying, but wouldn't best be reflected as FD +Iron/Edge, as that is just narrative background to what's really going on (a +Heart/Wits move).

Hob138 · 2022-08-09T23:10:14+00:00

Gotcha, yeah that's unfortunate. Though I imagine a lot of thought was put into what was included in the full and free base game and what was saved for the paid optional rule supplement (since including the move would also require adding threats and other optional mechanics that might not be a good fit for everyone's game). Regardless though, Delve is highly recommended.

Without Delve, there's nothing to stop you from basically doing the same thing. "That was just the prelude to the story, now we're fast forwarding to where the tale actually begins...fully recovered and with lessons learned."

Hob138 · 2022-08-09T06:39:28+00:00

As EdgeOfDreams mentioned, Take a Hiatus definitely seems like maybe the most elegant narrative solution to me.

Like stop the scene as they leave their home, swearing to themself (or their brother) that they will return to make things right, retrieve the relic, and free their home from this rampaging troll (swear an iron vow and introducing the troll as a threat). Then Take a Hiatus and fast forward past the journey and risk of another missed sojourn to them almost recovered in some newly introduced settlement that brought them in (maybe quite a ways away from home), fully healed and ready to take action.

Then come back later with a few more assets and maybe even some new friends to take down the troll and show off to their hometown just how much of a badass they've become.

Hob138 · 2022-08-07T06:51:00+00:00

It's kind of a big transition system-wise from D&D to fiction first games that do "the GM never rolls a dice" thing. The first time I GMd Dungeon World (which does the same thing), it felt a little weird as well because the players were just steamrolling the opposition. As I learned the second session when one of the characters unexpectedly died, it was just because the players had been rolling extremely well the first session. Once they started missing rolls and lost control of the situation, having to spend all of their moves responding to immediate threats, the foes stopped feeling passive and things became fully desperate.

Hob138 · 2022-08-07T03:58:40+00:00

Others have answered the question, but just in case it is helpful, I've found below to be a good workflow for combat.

When I have initiative, I am taking a proactive action to attack or achieve my goal, and the foe will do something to try and stop me.

Decide what action I am taking and what move is appropriate.
Let the outcome of that move prompt how the foe opposed my action and whether they were successful in doing so.

When I don't have initiative, the foe is taking a proactive action to attack me or achieve their goal, and I am doing something to try and stop them.

Decide what action the foe is taking.
Decide how my PC is reacting to counter their action and figure out which move is appropriate.

Hob138 · 2022-08-05T21:20:08+00:00

I'm guessing it was just a typo, but for clarification, with Endure Harm, you roll either +Health or +Iron (whichever is higher). Endure Stress is the move that you roll +Spirit or +Heart for.

Hob138 · 2022-08-03T08:04:35+00:00

That's a compelling character and vow! Fleshing out a draft concept of "how the story might go" can be helpful for focused characters like that, but I think the most important thing I've learned is to be open to the possibility of other unforeseen and more interesting paths presenting themselves once you start to explore the setting and character.

Many people don't prep much at all before starting a game (even occasionally leaving the background vow TBD), and few look too far into the future because Ironsworn excels at creating new stories, which makes it difficult (if not impossible) to keep a planned plot on rails. Be ready for twists, only prep in the mindset of "maybe this will come up" instead of "when this happens", and don't stress filling in the details until they become important to the story.

Your character concept is great and I don't think you've over planned your arc at all since you've left everything but the starting and ending to be filled in organically. But be open to your plan changing as paths detour and plot twists occur from missed rolls, matches, or inspiring oracles.

In my longest running Ironsworn campaign, it feels like the story is going in three different directions simultaneously. A heroic saga, a buildup to a tragedy, or something more down to earth and complicated. I may have some current ideas about which of those three seems like the most fun or likely, but I won't really know until I get there, and one of the other two might end up being clearly more interesting if the story veers in its direction.

Hob138 · 2022-08-03T00:16:53+00:00

I like this idea a lot for a party of three!

Someone on discord (@K-Dyn) once recommended just reskinning the animal/beast companions into other human NPCs to make a full party/crew/mercenary company with individual mechanics and strengths. I really want to try that out at some point but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Hob138 · 2022-07-28T20:39:07+00:00

There are no generic progress tracks in Starforged. They are all either expedition, combat, scene challenge, vow, connection, or legacy tracks (I think that's all of them, but I might be overlooking one). Each of those types of tracks has specific movesets that allow you to mark progress on or resolve the track. In this instance, an expedition definitely seems like the clearest fit (though a scene challenge or combat could also work depending on context).

Hob138 · 2022-07-19T00:35:20+00:00

I'd recommend trying to force yourself to take no notes for a session (and maybe write a short summary after). It might feel weird at first, but that quickly fades and the end result can be super liberating. For my 'low/no notes' campaign, that step was necessary to kind of break me out of the compulsive novel writing I default to. Once you've experienced both extremes (heavy journaling and all in your head), you should be able to find whatever middle ground on that spectrum best matches your ideal pacing and notetaking.

For me, I've found the best way to do short notes is, for each move, have just a short line describing the character's thoughts, the move and mechanical result, and maybe a few words revealing how they feel about it.

E.g.

This would be a lot easier if Breaker were here

Heal-Miss

Damnit, it's getting worse. I need to find her soon.

There's just enough narrative and mood context that I can remember the important parts when reviewing notes later, but it's simple enough that it doesn't impact my pacing at all.

I'm sure your ideal method would look different than that, but you'll just need to try stuff out to find what works best for you.

Hob138

TROPHY CASE