Designer: Shawn Tomkins | Publisher: Shawn Tomkins

While Ironsworn can be played like a regular role-playing game complete with other players and a GM, its real defining feature is its solo mode. And boy what a solo mode that is. Initially the 200+ page rulebook can be intimidating, especially if you’re just looking for something to while away the quarantine with but once you wrap your head around the novel mechanisms in play, Ironsworn reveals a simple and rather elegant core.

The concept is that you are an “ironsworn” an adventurer who has made an unbreakable vow and must travel throughout the Ironlands to see it done. Along the way you’ll make Moves which is just a short hand way of saying, make a specific roll and see what happens. Want to have your character travel somewhere? You 'Undertake A Journey' and roll to see what happens. You either succeed well, succeed with some complications, or fail. If you’ve played Powered by the Apocalypse or Forged in the Dark, you’re already familiar with this. This simple Moves system, where each action is encompassed under a wide umbrella, gives you just the right amount of freedom to tell the story you want while challenging you every step of the way. From introducing unexpected locales along the way when travelling to separating you from companions, getting you hopelessly lost, or luring you into a cairn which didn’t have graverobbers like you initially thought but bonewalkers armed with magical weapons! All thanks to the Oracle, a selection of tables with things like names, locations, and complications as well as a handy decision making tool that lets you decide without feeling like you’re just making it up.