# Winsome (screen-readable)
A simplified hack of Shawn Tomkin's Ironsworn RPG.
Overview
This is an attempt to free Ironsworn from setting & complexity by thinning it from 34 moves to just 2, removing conditions, & replacing ticks with boxes, among other refinements. The genuine, ardent spirit of the game is the same, the mechanics essentially identical, but for fewer gears & a fresh coat of names. I nearly called it "Tinsworn".
Create your Character
Envision your character's role in the world, then write their name & title on your sheet, like "Anika, Huntress of the Briar", or "Tenzar, Space Marine of the Chaosphere".
Methods
Assign the numbers 3, 2, 2, 1 & 1 to these methods of interacting with the world. The higher the number, the better your character usually is at that method.
- Agile: When you are quick, precise or nimble
- Open: When you are honest, honourable or trusting
- Forceful: When you are strong, imposing or brutal
- Sneaky: When you are silent, secretive or deceptive
- Aware: When you are wise, learned or alert
Resources
- Luck (how fate can turn) starts at 2, its maximum is 10.
- Wealth (the things you own) starts at its maximum of 5,
- Happiness (how good you feel) starts at its maximum of 5,
- Health (how much you thrive) starts at its maximum of 5.
When you need to lose a resource, but have none left, reduce one of the resources below it. When you have lost all of either health or happiness, you are either too sad, or too dead, to continue.
Promises
Your story begins with two promises: the first promise is Tough or Impressive, made to yourself. The second is Tricky or Difficult, made to someone else. Envision the moment you made the second promise, & play from there.
Risk
When you take an action which involves a risk of failure, envision your chosen method, as well as the outcomes you hope & fear.
Roll 1d6 for your chance, adding your method to the result. If the skills inferred by your titles apply to this action, also add +1 per relevant title.
Roll 2d10 to see your fates. If your chance exceeds at least one of the fates, your action succeeds & your hope manifests. Each time a fate wins, some of your fears manifest.
Add +1 to a relevant resource (or luck) for each time your chance exceeds a fate, then Resolve the outcome & lose -1 for anytime your chance was matched or beaten by a fate. When only one fate is beaten by chance, you needn't negate your success in the story, just complicate it somehow.
If your luck is higher than one or both fates, you may choose to erase it all to beat one or both fates, respectively. Reset it to your starting value, add any new luck you gain, & enjoy the upgraded outcome of your action!
Resolve
If both fates were beaten by chance, envision a positive outcome. If only one fate was beaten, complicate your success. If neither fate was beaten, envision a negative outcome. If you can envision an obvious outcome, that is probably what happens.
If you need ideas/surprises, either use the first table to answer a binary question, or the second table for random inspiration. Either way, adjust the relevant resources according to either the nature of your Risk, or the theme of the outcome.
| Choose Likelihood |
Roll 1d6 |
| Probable |
2+ |
| Likely |
3+ |
| Possible |
4+ |
| Unlikely |
5+ |
| Improbable |
6 |
| Roll 1d10 |
Theme |
| 1 |
Trust |
| 2 |
Safety |
| 3 |
Unity |
| 4 |
Wealth |
| 5 |
Surprise |
| 6 |
Scale |
| 7 |
Duration |
| 8 |
Complexity |
| 9 |
Happiness |
| 10 |
Health |
Progress
Any task/journey/battle or promise which can't be resolved in a single action requires progress on a track of ten spaces. Find an empty track on the back of this sheet (or draw your own), name the task, then envision the difficulty:
- Tricky (1XP): Mark 4 progress per success.
- Difficult (2XP): Mark 3 progress per success.
- Tough (3XP): Mark 2 progress per success.
- Impressive (4XP): Mark 1 progress per success.
When you complete a track, gain the related XP. When your XP track is full, you can erase it all to add another title based on your greatest achievement during that time.
Imagine your World
Describe the places you explore, as well as who & what you discover or encounter on your hero's journey. Envision your fluctuating resources as actual gains or losses to your equipment, your state of mind & being. Make promises, to yourself & others, then set out to achieve them. If you're playing alongside friends as allies, everyone shares one wealth value, & everyone gets XP when completing collaborative promises.
Friendship
When you form a valuable friendship, it influences you even when they are absent or deceased, mark 1 progress. When this track is full, you have too many valuable memories to risk further adventures. It's time for a new story.
This work is based on Ironsworn (found at www.ironswornrpg.com), created by Shawn Tomkin, & licensed for our use under the
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The same license applies to Winsome itself.
Yesterday, I posted an update on my brother's condition. He continues to fight, but his ammonia level remains high. It was 72 when the hospital staff checked it this morning. He had an EEG which confirmed encephalopathy. The nurse I spoke with said he remains agitated and confused. They will perform a paracentesis today to draw fluid off his belly.