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I’ve put together a hub page for my articles on Ironsworn, a TTRPG built specifically for GM-less solo play.
Intro Article for Ironsworn
Ironsworn is a TTRPG where the story keeps generating itself semi-automatically through its unique Oracle system.
Because of that, it neatly avoids one of the classic solo play problems:
“It’s hard to feel suspense when I already know what’s going to happen next.”
I go into the details in the article below:
An Introduction to Ironsworn – You Can Play Alone! No GM Required! A Free TTRPG!! – Kaburanai Games
Ironsworn Rulebook / Reference Materials
Official Website
You can download the rules from the “Ironsworn Digital Edition Rulebook” here.
Rules Summary
Ironsworn – Rules Summary – Tomkin Press
Character Sheets and Other Play Sheets
Ironsworn – Playkit – Tomkin Press
Printable Asset Cards
(These are basically the game’s “skills,” laid out in card form.)
Ironsworn – Printable Asset Cards – Tomkin Press
Worldbuilding Sheet
Ironsworn – Truths Workbook – Tomkin Press
Ironsworn actual play journal Series
If you’re wondering things like:
“So what does the story generation actually look like in play?”
“What does a real session of this game feel like?”
—I’ve been writing an ongoing actual play journal series to show exactly that.
At least, I tried to write each episode so it can still be enjoyed on its own, even if you jump in partway through.
So if anything catches your eye, feel free to start wherever you like.
Ironsworn Analysis / Deep-Dive Articles
Most of these focus on character builds and mechanics, and I use Python to simulate things like success rates and combat performance.
So if you, too, wish to sink into the swamp… welcome.
- I Simulated Ironsworn’s Success Rates – Kaburanai Games
- 【Ironsworn】What 10,000 Combat Simulations Tell Us About Narrative – Kaburanai Games
Attribution / License Notice
This article explains and quotes rules from the TTRPG Ironsworn, with translation and restructuring added where needed.
Ironsworn © Shawn Tomkin
This work is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
Official original website:
https://www.ironswornrpg.com/
This work is based on Ironsworn (found at www.ironswornrpg.com), created by Shawn Tomkin, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
