Ironsworn Odyssey OOC

[Delorphin]

5 hours ago, Wizard of the Coat said:

1. Regarding the "background vow"... Do we roll for that vow using the Swear an Iron Vow move? Or does the Swear an Iron Vow move only apply to the vow we make in response to the "inciting incident?"

It’s only towards the indicting incident.

 

5 hours ago, Wizard of the Coat said:

2. Is the inciting incident different for each player or is it some shared event that we all experience together?

The inciting incident is more or less our starting quest that kicks off the story as a whole. So there’s two ways about this: first we play the prologue and then the inciting incident happens to us and we react to it, or we start in media res, where we are in the middle of the inciting incident. In either case it’s something that will involve all of us. However, only one person swears an iron vow while the others use the aid your ally move. The result is shared across everyone.

Edited March 20 by Delorphin (see edit history)

[Vladim]

That's all correct.

I am open to point #3 (the ship/inciting incident idea) but I am also happy for everyone to throw some ideas around for potential inciting incidents, and then we can all vote for them.

[Wizard of the Coat]

@Delorphin @Vladim Thanks for the rules help!

I didn't mean to upstage anyone else or hijack the start of the game. Please consider the ship idea as the first brainstorming of our collaborative process.

[TheObsoleteMan]

Just a few more ideas to hash out and I'll put together a proper sheet for my character. Sorry for the delay!

I'm sort of vacillating between two slightly different backgrounds for my character.

1. Someone who has basically been raised in Kuno's army and grew up idolizing him. Rose in the ranks to become a lieutenant and took over at some point after Kuno's death, but before the big cataclysm.

2. Part of Ari's father's unit, perhaps also rose to a leadership role. While he still idolized Kuno, didn't have the kind of close connection as in option 1, but might have been closer to Ari instead (sort of a surrogate uncle or something).

Both would still be suffering from the guilt of getting most of the soldiers under their command killed (or at least not being able to save them), I guess the main difference is the scope of their former "power" and their connection with various characters.

Also, I see their motivation as mainly facilitating the vows of the other characters--making sure they get where they need to go in order to fulfill them.

I see him as previously very ambitious, wanting to be a powerful warlord like Kuno, and having those dreams crushed and thrown in his face when everything goes to hell. Now, he's been humbled, and fears thinking too far into the future, especially about his own fate.

Edited March 21 by TheObsoleteMan (see edit history)

[Wizard of the Coat]

25 minutes ago, TheObsoleteMan said:

I'm sort of vacillating between two slightly different backgrounds for my character.

I think they'd both work fine. They're close, sure, but each presents a few unique advantages in terms of the potential to open up the narrative and relationship dynamics.

I'm biased, of course, but I have a small preference for option 2--the guy from Ari's father's village. I like the idea of her having someone to talk to about the place. It might be interesting if he actually doesn't want to talk about the village--maybe due to some of his guilt at returning home to explain why he's the sole survivor.

Of course, the village being a big blank spot in Ari's future is also an interesting option--so the other guy would be interesting in terms of the impact on Ari.

[Vladim]

1 hour ago, Wizard of the Coat said:

@Delorphin @Vladim Thanks for the rules help!

I didn't mean to upstage anyone else or hijack the start of the game. Please consider the ship idea as the first brainstorming of our collaborative process.

Ah, no worries-no offense taken.

If I had a choice, I'd probably like to start something as in media res and with high stakes - perhaps the aftermath of a brutal defeat or something of the sort. Using the Iliad analogy, for example, maybe I would like to start with Troy being laid to waste as our characters try to escape and survive.

But I am happy to hear everyone's opinions. Probably, let's all finish our PCs first, though.

[Vladim]

1 hour ago, TheObsoleteMan said:

(...) I guess the main difference is the scope of their former "power" and their connection with various characters.

I'm good if you want to go big or go small, depending on what you prefer.

This isn't a game with levels where you start from level 1 - PCs are meant to be strong and competent from the get-go, and extra XP just tends to add versatility rather than dramatically increasing power (it does, but not as much as some extra D&D levels). So if you want to start as a known quantity-like someone with a decent rank in the unit-I'm good with that!

Since the unit's mostly wiped out, it's not like the rank will matter that hugely anyway... so you won't be able to solve all problems by pulling rank.

[TheObsoleteMan]

4 hours ago, Wizard of the Coat said:

I'm biased, of course, but I have a small preference for option 2--the guy from Ari's father's village. I like the idea of her having someone to talk to about the place. It might be interesting if he actually doesn't want to talk about the village--maybe due to some of his guilt at returning home to explain why he's the sole survivor.

Actually, I really like this! It adds yet another layer of drama and tension to the characters and their relationship. While Vigo (he has a name now!) might wish to bring Ari back home, he probably is very reticent to go back himself, for that very reason. It creates a nice dynamic too, where he knew Ari as a little child, then had to watch her become this hardened fighter, more out of necessity than maybe any actual desire to be a warrior. He probably feels guilty about that too, poor guy!

As for the inciting incident, I too like starting in media res. The thought of trying to escape some sort of dangerous situation in the wake of the cataclysm sounds perfect. Throw the characters into peril and see how they get out of it--no better way to get your feet wet!

[Delorphin]

It seems like we’ve almost reached the start of the story, that’s very exciting. Without knowing what exactly will happen in regards to the inciting incident, how about the escape being out of the island, with the goal aiming for Ari’s ship, wherever that may be.

Just to confirm, we’re playing at the start of the cataclysm where the war is ending, rather than the fallout of the cataclysm, where the remaining soldiers of the now none existent nations are putting aside their differences and pooling the resources they need to go home.

Edited March 21 by Delorphin (see edit history)

[Delorphin]

Also, what do you all think would be the more interesting +3 stat for Yorick? Heart would make him better at interacting with animals and controlling Grendel, as well as talking to other people. Iron will make it more difficult for him to pacify animals but make him better at forcing them to submit via intimidation or fighting them.

[Vladim]

6 hours ago, Delorphin said:

Also, what do you all think would be the more interesting +3 stat for Yorick? Heart would make him better at interacting with animals and controlling Grendel, as well as talking to other people. Iron will make it more difficult for him to pacify animals but make him better at forcing them to submit via intimidation or fighting them.

It's up to you, but honestly the difference between +3 and +2 is noticeable but not huge. Heart in this game is a kind of blend of Charisma and Courage/Willpower, and Iron is something more akin to strength (though aggressiveness would be more precise). The former has many applications in the social parts of the game, while iron is useful for physical stuff and melee combat.

If you want, I can also put my +3 into wits, and you can keep yours in heart. That way everyone has a +3 in a unique stat.

[Wizard of the Coat]

I know this is a dumb question, but... There's no way to raise stats via the advancement rules, right? I didn't see stat raising anywhere in the rules.

[Wizard of the Coat]

16 hours ago, Vladim said:

If I had a choice, I'd probably like to start something as in media res and with high stakes - perhaps the aftermath of a brutal defeat or something of the sort. Using the Iliad analogy, for example, maybe I would like to start with Troy being laid to waste as our characters try to escape and survive.

I like the idea of in media res! As a newb, it sounds fun to quickly dive deep into this new system.

However, I thought our character concepts were built upon the premise that we found each other in the aftermath, rather than that we were all in close proximity at the moment of the incident/cataclysm. Given that our group is not composed of soldiers from the same squad, we'll need to work out an explanation for why we all start together when the incident occurs (and why we've survived).

[Vladim]

4 hours ago, Wizard of the Coat said:

I know this is a dumb question, but... There's no way to raise stats via the advancement rules, right? I didn't see stat raising anywhere in the rules.

It's not dumb. In general, there's a few assets that allow you to raise stats-these assets are usually available only when something bad has happened to your PC in-game, such as gaining a permanent debility (like maimed or corrupted). They are meant as a way to counter that negative effect, and (sometimes) they let you suffer -1 in one stat to get +2 in another.

There's only a handful of those, though.

[Vladim]

1 hour ago, Wizard of the Coat said:

I like the idea of in media res! As a newb, it sounds fun to quickly dive deep into this new system.

However, I thought our character concepts were built upon the premise that we found each other in the aftermath, rather than that we were all in close proximity at the moment of the incident/cataclysm. Given that our group is not composed of soldiers from the same squad, we'll need to work out an explanation for why we all start together when the incident occurs (and why we've survived).

I wouldn't mind starting at the cataclysmic effect. I think all the PCs are already connected as being associated with Kuno's unit so I don't think it's a stretch to get them in (roughly) the same place at the same time. But I am open to other ideas too! It really depends on the nature of said cataclysmic event and the details around it, and whether we want a high-stakes / high-action start or not.