The rulebook describes two different methods for starting play, either beginning with the normal world else in media res. The normal world feels a little taxing, both creatively and otherwise, so I might just get right into it...
Glup... well here we go...
"Warden, speak to me, what has happened to you?" begged Gauk of his protegee, Katla Thrandottir.
"Guak there is no point," Katla whispered sympathetically. "All things come to an end and... here we are." With that, she simply turned away to face the darkening sky, lost in her own thoughts.
Bildsfell's Overseer, Ingirun Spiutdottir steered the big man from Katla's room. "Let her rest Gauk. Gods know she's not talking any sense anyhow. She'll share more in her own time, but now you and I have important matters to discuss."
"Steinbitr," answered Gauk. "My brother. What is to become of him? If I am to protect him, I need to know more about the hulk. Overseer, to fulfil my duty to Bildsfell and my brother, you must tell me what you know if I am going to help."
---
My first Move: Compel. When you attempt to persuade someone to do something, envision your approach and roll. If you Charm, pacify, barter, or convince: Roll +heart (add +1 if you share a bond).
Most Moves use an action roll to resolve the outcome. You roll an action die (1d6) and challenge dice (2d10), add the relevant stat to your action die along with any adds provided by the move or your assets, and check the result. To determine the outcome of your move, compare the action score to each of the challenge dice. You want it to be greater than the individual value of those dice.
I roll a Strong Hit:
The Compel Move says "On a strong hit, they’ll do what you want or share what they know. Take +1 momentum. If you use this exchange to Gather Information, make that move now and add +1."
Momentum represents Gauk is faring in his quest. Positive momentum means he's building on his successes and ready to make decisive moves. Negative momentum scores reflect setbacks and jeopardise his quest. So I'll take the increase in momentum, raising Gauk's Momentum tracker to +3.
To find out what the Overseer knows and can reveal to Gauk, I'll refer to an Oracle. In Ironsworn, an oracle is anything which generates random results to help determine the outcome of a move, world details, non-player character (NPC) actions, or a narrative event. There are 19 different Oracles detailed in the rulebook. Starting with the Action Oracle, a roll of 23 yield's "Manipulate" and to add some more spice, a subsequent 13 on the Theme Oracle yields "Time". Mmm... Gauk compels the Overseer to share what she knows, and I can use the two keywords Manipulate and Time to formulate her tale...
---
"Yes, it is right that you are informed," conceded Ingirun. "Walk with me as I talk," instructed the Overseer, leading Gauk towards Bildsfell's great Lodge, "and I will show you something of our past."
"You know of Katla's skill with reading the skies? Ha, of course, you do. As the season's first great storm battered the Coast from here to Rockbrook, Katla took refuge in a cave for a night and day. The storm eventually waned, the sky cleared and Katla peered at the heavens in wonder. What she saw left her confused - by her reckoning, the Maiden had joined the Rook."
"The Maiden joining the Rook? But that is not due for 10 long-years or more," exclaimed Gauk. "Surely she was mistaken?"
"A student of the great Gauk unable to read the stars?" scoffed Ingirun in a vain effort to lighten Gauk's mood. "No, she was most confident in her observations. And that was not all that she noticed that was exceptional. The iron masts. They had gone."
"Overseer," interrupted Gauk. "Clearly Katla is not herself. Ranging like she had, it extracts a toll on even the most seasoned Warden. There has always been talk of the Masts 'walking' but it is just that - talk. In all my years I have never seen evidence of wandering masks. Now, if you've got nothing but folktales to speak of...".
"For the sake of us all, Gauk Herlusson, you will shut your trap and listen to what I, your Overseer has to say!" demanded the woman, hoisting a stone tablet into the Warden's hand. "Put that great head of yours to some use and tell me what you read here!"
Gauk took hold of a large section of dark slate, entirely covered in cramped runes. "Mmm...," began Gauk, tracing and mouthing a tale spelt out in the Old World. "It speaks of... a storm... the Maiden and Rook... and the Hulk? What is this?"
Igrirun replied, "There are no less than 9 specific signifiers and omens, all of which coincide with our time, detailed on this slate. See here: it describes Whytecliff but makes no mention of Whitebridge. And here's Windhaven. And surely this refers to Cera Kione?"
"And look here, have you heard of this term "Damula" before? No, I wouldn't think so. It's Old World, used to describe something lost in time. It is now the view of our Eldars that Damula is a literal, not figurative description. This Hulk discovered by Katla and to which your brother is headed is no less than the very same ship that smashed on our coast a millennia ago", Ingirun could hardly contain her excitement. "Yes, it was lost, but to the seas of time. And here it is again, and now ours for the taking."
"Severan's Folly? Here? Now?", exclaimed Gauk. "But that's incredible!"
---
That felt like a decent start to the story. Likely full of cliches and clumsy grammar, but it does feel like I've got an adventure in the making.
Note: Momentum now is at plus-3.
"Warden, speak to me, what has happened to you?" begged Gauk of his protegee, Katla Thrandottir."Guak there is no point," Katla whispered sympathetically. "All things come to an end and... here we are." With that, she simply turned away to face the darkening sky, lost in her own thoughts.
Bildsfell's Overseer, Ingirun Spiutdottir steered the big man from Katla's room. "Let her rest Gauk. Gods know she's not talking any sense anyhow. She'll share more in her own time, but now you and I have important matters to discuss."
"Steinbitr," answered Gauk. "My brother. What is to become of him? If I am to protect him, I need to know more about the hulk. Overseer, to fulfil my duty to Bildsfell and my brother, you must tell me what you know if I am going to help."
---
My first Move: Compel. When you attempt to persuade someone to do something, envision your approach and roll. If you Charm, pacify, barter, or convince: Roll +heart (add +1 if you share a bond).
Most Moves use an action roll to resolve the outcome. You roll an action die (1d6) and challenge dice (2d10), add the relevant stat to your action die along with any adds provided by the move or your assets, and check the result. To determine the outcome of your move, compare the action score to each of the challenge dice. You want it to be greater than the individual value of those dice.
I roll a Strong Hit:
Action Die = [6] + 3 Heart + 1 Shared Bond = [10] Versus Challenge Die of [1] and [5]
The Compel Move says "On a strong hit, they’ll do what you want or share what they know. Take +1 momentum. If you use this exchange to Gather Information, make that move now and add +1."
Momentum represents Gauk is faring in his quest. Positive momentum means he's building on his successes and ready to make decisive moves. Negative momentum scores reflect setbacks and jeopardise his quest. So I'll take the increase in momentum, raising Gauk's Momentum tracker to +3.
To find out what the Overseer knows and can reveal to Gauk, I'll refer to an Oracle. In Ironsworn, an oracle is anything which generates random results to help determine the outcome of a move, world details, non-player character (NPC) actions, or a narrative event. There are 19 different Oracles detailed in the rulebook. Starting with the Action Oracle, a roll of 23 yield's "Manipulate" and to add some more spice, a subsequent 13 on the Theme Oracle yields "Time". Mmm... Gauk compels the Overseer to share what she knows, and I can use the two keywords Manipulate and Time to formulate her tale...
---
"Yes, it is right that you are informed," conceded Ingirun. "Walk with me as I talk," instructed the Overseer, leading Gauk towards Bildsfell's great Lodge, "and I will show you something of our past."
"You know of Katla's skill with reading the skies? Ha, of course, you do. As the season's first great storm battered the Coast from here to Rockbrook, Katla took refuge in a cave for a night and day. The storm eventually waned, the sky cleared and Katla peered at the heavens in wonder. What she saw left her confused - by her reckoning, the Maiden had joined the Rook."
"The Maiden joining the Rook? But that is not due for 10 long-years or more," exclaimed Gauk. "Surely she was mistaken?"
"A student of the great Gauk unable to read the stars?" scoffed Ingirun in a vain effort to lighten Gauk's mood. "No, she was most confident in her observations. And that was not all that she noticed that was exceptional. The iron masts. They had gone."
"Overseer," interrupted Gauk. "Clearly Katla is not herself. Ranging like she had, it extracts a toll on even the most seasoned Warden. There has always been talk of the Masts 'walking' but it is just that - talk. In all my years I have never seen evidence of wandering masks. Now, if you've got nothing but folktales to speak of...".
"For the sake of us all, Gauk Herlusson, you will shut your trap and listen to what I, your Overseer has to say!" demanded the woman, hoisting a stone tablet into the Warden's hand. "Put that great head of yours to some use and tell me what you read here!"
Gauk took hold of a large section of dark slate, entirely covered in cramped runes. "Mmm...," began Gauk, tracing and mouthing a tale spelt out in the Old World. "It speaks of... a storm... the Maiden and Rook... and the Hulk? What is this?"
Igrirun replied, "There are no less than 9 specific signifiers and omens, all of which coincide with our time, detailed on this slate. See here: it describes Whytecliff but makes no mention of Whitebridge. And here's Windhaven. And surely this refers to Cera Kione?"
"And look here, have you heard of this term "Damula" before? No, I wouldn't think so. It's Old World, used to describe something lost in time. It is now the view of our Eldars that Damula is a literal, not figurative description. This Hulk discovered by Katla and to which your brother is headed is no less than the very same ship that smashed on our coast a millennia ago", Ingirun could hardly contain her excitement. "Yes, it was lost, but to the seas of time. And here it is again, and now ours for the taking."
"Severan's Folly? Here? Now?", exclaimed Gauk. "But that's incredible!"
---
That felt like a decent start to the story. Likely full of cliches and clumsy grammar, but it does feel like I've got an adventure in the making.
Note: Momentum now is at plus-3.
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