Ironsworn vs The One Ring
Compare Ironsworn and The One Ring side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Ironsworn | The One Ring | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Narrative, Solo-Friendly, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Sandbox, Low-Fantasy, Exploration, Theater of the Mind, CC-Licensed Rules, Random Tables | Journey, Corruption, Character-Driven, Tactical, Resource Management, Inventory Management, Low-Fantasy, Exploration, Licensed IP, Strong GM Support |
| Core Mechanic | Roll an action die (d6) plus a stat and any adds, then compare the total to two d10 challenge dice. Beat both for a strong hit, beat one for a weak hit, and beat neither for a miss; ties go to the challenge dice. Positive momentum can be burned to cancel challenge dice below its value. Long-term challenges use a progress roll, which compares filled progress boxes to the challenge dice without an action die. | Roll a d12 Feat Die plus d6 Success Dice equal to the relevant skill rating, then total them against a target number. Gandalf’s rune succeeds automatically, while the Eye counts as zero and causes automatic failure for Miserable heroes. Sixes on successful rolls grant superior results. |
| Dice | d6 + 2d10 | d12 + d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Low | High |
| Availability | Free core rules | Paid |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Ironsworn System Reference Document under CC BY 4.0 | No verified route found |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Shawn Tomkin | Free League Publishing |
| Year | 2018 | 2021 |
| Languages | English, French, German, Spanish | English, Czech, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish |
| Best For | Groups who want dark fantasy questing for one to four players, with fiction-first moves, oracle tables, and little or no GM preparation. | Groups who want Middle-earth campaigns where dangerous journeys and the struggle against corruption shape their heroes. |
| Highlights | Vows tie advancement to the story: fulfilling a sworn quest earns the experience that buys new assets. Momentum gives every action roll a second layer: a strong position can cancel an unlucky challenge die, while a negative track can remove the action die entirely. The oracle tables turn open questions into prompts, giving solo and co-op groups enough procedural input to play without a GM. | Journey roles give each hero responsibility for the company’s travel. Hope improves rolls while Shadow threatens heroes with lasting flaws. Fellowship phases provide recovery and personal undertakings between adventures. |
| Considerations | Progress tracks convert ticks and boxes at five ranks into a progress score, which takes a few rolls to internalize. Oracle results are prompts rather than answers, so a solo player must interpret them and can stall when a result seems contradictory. Combat and movement use no grid or positioning rules, so groups that want tactical placement must supply it themselves. | The core’s cultures and virtues tie character options closely to Middle-earth. Carried equipment can make injured or fatigued heroes Weary. Repeated corruption can force a hero to retire. |