Are you struggling to keep your Ironsworn PC alive? I might be able to help!
So I read this post the other day and it got me thinking, because I've never had one of my Ironsworn (or Starforged, Sundered Isles, etc.) character perish unexpectedly. Yes, my characters suffer, but never in the "I tried to do one simple quest but ended up getting torn apart by wild animals in my first session" kind of way.
But this isn't because I use an easier stat array, or tweak the moves, or even try that hard to avoid mechanical consequences on Pay the Price. It's because I use the game mechanics (totally RAW!) to deliberately create my desired experience.
So I wrote a blog about it.
>I'm going to define three typical modes of difficulty for Ironsworn: Action Adventure, Gritty Survival, and Prepare to Die. Each of these modes is built on different core assumptions.
>Action Adventure assumes that death is (mostly) off the table, that luck will bend in our favor, that there are helpful strangers around every corner, and that we are heroic adventurers who can defeat crowds of enemies without breaking a sweat**.**
>Gritty Survival assumes that death is usually on the table (but that it can be avoided with good decisions and a bit of luck), that most enemies don't want to risk their own lives fighting us without a good reason, that strangers will offer aid within reason, and that fighting is dangerous (so we should try finding another way to solve our problems).
>Prepare to Die assumes that death is always on the table (and no amount of careful planning can avoid it for long), that enemies will attack us without any care for their own safety, that strangers will leave us to our fate, and that the situation will always get worse.
>If we want an Action Adventure experience, but we play with Prepare to Die assumptions, we're going to have a bad time! Same as if we want a Gritty Survival experience, but our Action Adventure assumptions are making the game feel too easy.
And then I give you three examples of play, each covering the same scenario (a settlement is being menaced by a spooky necromancer in the woods!) but with different difficulty modes.
I hope this helps somebody else get the experience that they want out of Ironsworn! 🥰