Player's Handbook · Chapter 1

Welcome

If you are new to Ironsworn and games with challenge dice systems in general, here is a breakdown:
Characters have Moves they can take. Moves are a lot like actions in D&D. A move is typically (not always) one d6 and two d10's, plus a modifier that can go up or down depending on circumstances. The d6 is yours, plus the modifier. The 2d10 is a 'challenge' to it.

If your d6+modifier beats both 2d10s it's a 'Strong Hit.' Special things can happen if the d10s are matched.

If you beat one d10 but not the other, it's a 'Weak Hit.' This can still mean a miss if circumstances are difficult - that's up to the GM. Or it can mean you pay a cost (Pay the Price,) or something strange happens. It depends on the Move.

In Ironsworn a match counts as a loss - a 5 on an action die does not beat a 5 on challenge dies. And you can ignore the sum of your roll - it's not something Craft allows us to change.

That's the core of it.
Momentum:
You can also build Momentum as a bonus for some hits, which can be spent to cancel a die by burning an equal amount. That doesn't come up as often as you'd think, since a higher die than your action makes it a miss. Your GM may skip doing this on a roll - my advice to apply it when you want is to drop out of visual novel mode (X) quickly and stop them generating, then say you're using it to burn the die, deleting rolls seems to leave them in memory for the GM to be confused by.

For those new to Ironsworn:
Ironsworn has a 'vow' mechanic. You swear vows to earn experience, you spend experience to gain and improve assets and your character, and assets can improve your rolls. That's the core loop - do difficult things, gain power.

Key differences from Ironsworn:

Read on for more.

Manual updated Oct 25, 2026.

Ironsworn

Do you have the courage to be a have in a world of have-nots? An Ironsworn-style RPG about the very rich, narrated by your biggest fan.

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@floatoverblow

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CreatedOct 16, 2026

UpdatedOct 26, 2026

Do you have the courage

to be a have in a world of have-nots?

An Ironsworn-style RPG about the very rich, narrated by someone who adores you. Your fortune recharges like hit points and grows every morning; your body, unfortunately, is the ordinary kind. Swear fiduciary vows, survive zoning boards, staff unions and the reading of a will, and never fall into the upper middle class. If you do fall, hope there is still a middle class left to catch you.

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