I R O N S W O R N

SNOW
FORGED
S E A S O N A L A D V E N T U R E S
 INTRODUCTION
This game is based upon Ironsworn (www.ironswornrpg.com), created by Shawn
Tomkin, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

It is designed as a streamlined version of the game with a yuletide theme. As such, I

have reduced the number of available moves down to a few simple, yet thematic
ones. This shifts the focus more towards fun, mischief and mayhem rather than the
darker and more deadly themes often explored in the original game. Experienced
players may wish to incorporate some of the aspects of the original game but there
is enough in here to play simple games in the world presented without the need for
the base rules.

The intention is to use the rules to run short games lasting only one or a few sessions rather
than long extended campaigns and as such, I have not included any form of experience or
levelling up system. It's intended to be kept short, sweet and fun.

You may play it alone, collaboratively with a group of friends or as a guided game with a
storyteller leading you through, and it may act as a good way for experienced players to
introduce some of the game concepts.

To play you will need a six-sided dice (referred to as a d6) and two ten-sided dice
(referred to as d10 or 2d10). An extra set of special ten-sided dice to act as a 100-sided
dice (referred to as a d100) will be useful too. There are character sheets provided but you
may wish to use tokens or paper clips to track your status and will find some
writing materials useful, particularly if you wish to journal or note down what
happens on your adventures.

Mostly, you should come to the game with a sense of adventure, a desire to
have fun and, most importantly of all, plenty of sweet treats!

Merry Christmas!

Matthew McVittie
December 2022
 BACKGROUND
Klausville is nestled at the foot of the Snowpierce Mountains, overlooking the vast
Everwinter Wood. The only safe way to travel to and from it is by flying reindeer and
while Santa Klaus is the most famous traveller, many of his elves use flying reindeer
sledges for supply runs.

The village is dominated by Santa's Workshop, the Warehouse, the Sleighholm, and
the Stables. Standing before them is the Spiritbright, the mighty tree that always has
lights and decorations all year round and is said to be the very heart of Klausville and
the source of its power. Watching over them all are the guards of Icewatch Tower.

The elves that populate and village were once kin to the wild elves that still stalk the great
woods, but Santa made a deal with a tribe countless generations before to work with him,
and they have since developed a domesticated society far different from their forest-
dwelling relatives. The wild elves often consider the Klausville elves to be soft of body and
head and spoiled by the endless supply of sugar Santa provides them. For their part, the
Klausville elves look down on their old kin as uncouth savages cavorting about the woods in
animal skins and lacking the mental refinement and energetic nature made possible by their
high-sugar diets. The woods are also the home to many fearsome monsters, the most feared
of all being the dreaded Krampus!

But all is not well in Klausville. There are murmurings of discontent. Those elves who go out
into the world beyond see a very different environment and lifestyle to the one they inhabit
and external ideas have started to seep into the culture. Some have suggested there is
even a plot afoot to overthrow Santa Klaus himself...

In the cave systems that crisscross the mountains live the ice goblin tribes,
led by their High King, Grin-Chin. They despise Christmas and good cheer
and Santa and wish nothing more than to wipe Klausville, and Christmas,
off the face of the map. The mountains are also said to be home to the
elusive yeti people, though they are rarely encountered.

On the tundra beyond the mountains, the mighty frost giants move
their herds of great woolly mammoths from pasture to pasture. At
times their booming calls echo down the valley known as Giant's
Pass and it is a constant concern to Klausville if they ever decide to
migrate down the pass as has happened in the past and caused
great destruction to the village.

This is your world.

 PLAYING THE GAME
At the beginning of the game, you will make a Promise upon the Spiritbright Tree
to help resolve one of Santa's Troubles. These are threats to Klausville, Christmas
or Santa himself and it will be your job to deal with them and save Christmas.

You will take a character through a story either guided by random prompts or by
someone acting as a storyteller and when you hit a moment of danger, difficulty,
uncertainty or chance you will roll dice to resolve the situation. What to roll and the
outcomes are covered in the Making your Move section and character creation is
covered in the Santa's Helpers section. There are also five sample characters
available for you to just pick up and play.

There are two types of dice rolls you will make, Action tests and Promise tests. In an
Action test, you roll a d6, known as the Action dice, and add any relevant modifiers
(explained in the next sections). For a Promise test, the d6 roll is replaced with the number
of lights lit up on a Promise, which can be 0-10. Then roll 2d10, called the Challenge dice,
and compare the result of each dice and the Action or Promise value. If the Challenge
dice both have the same value then you also roll a d10 on the Christmas Magic table below
for a special event. If the Action or Promise result is higher than each Challenge result
then it's considered a Strong Hit. If it is higher than only one of the Challenge results it's a
Weak Hit. If it fails to beat either Challenge it's a Miss. Apply the result from the Move
and carry on with the story.
d10 Christmas Magic
Note: You must exceed the Challenge for a hit.
1 Santa Klaus is coming!
You also have a Sugar Rush, which will build up over
time. It starts and resets at +2 and maxes out at +10.
2 You receive a gift
For any Action test, you may replace the result with
the Sugar Rush value instead and treat it as the 3 Something falls on you or hits you
Action result instead of the modified d6. If you do
this, your Sugar Rush resets. You cannot use this on 4 You encounter an animal
Promise tests. If your Sugar Rush drops below zero,
then when the Action result is equal to the negative 5 An assumption is proved false

value, treat that roll as a Miss and reset. E.g. At -4

6 A Christmas song gets stuck in your head
Sugar Rush and you roll a 4, then treat it as a Miss
and reset, even if it would have succeeded. 7 Snow is falling

Bad Things may happen to you over the course of 8 You find yourself under the mistletoe
the game and for each one marked, reduce your
Sugar Rush max and reset value by one to a minimum 9 You embrass yourself

of zero. Bad Things can be cleared by a successful

10 A shooting star - make a wish
Fulfill Your Promise Move.
 SANTA'S HELPERS
Characters in the game are generally known as Santa's Helpers. They have five
special Traits that they can use to enhance the actions they undertake as well as
having two Good Things associated with them to give them advantages in certain
circumstances. Each will start with +5 resources in Sweet Treats, Christmas Spirit
and Presents! as well as a +2 Sugar Rush. These resources may change through
Moves as the game progresses. The Good Things are in the next section, feel free
to change the names and abilities slightly to suit your character idea. It's up to you!

The five Traits that define the helper's nature are:

Dash relates to coolness under pressure, agility, precision, speed and dexterity.
Good Cheer relates to a jovial nature, charm, loyalty, courage and heart.
Hard Candy relates to how tough someone is as well as aggression and strength.
Surprise relates to how sneaky someone is, as well as stealth, deception and trickery.
Wonder relates to how clever, intelligent, insightful, observant or wise someone is.

When creating a character you may place a value of 3 in their best stat, a value of 2 in
their next two best stats and a value of 1 in their two worst stats. This value will be used in
Action tests to enhance their dice rolls and make them more likely to succeed. If you wish
for an easier game you may wish to add +1 to each of these stats.

Characters are defined by the Promises they make and the actions they take in service to
them. This is covered in greater detail in the Make Your Move section. As well as the five
Traits and two Good Things it is important to give your helper a name, a role in
society and perhaps a line or two of backstory. It might help to think of what
their underlying motivation or dream is and think about how that would influence
their actions throughout the game.

You should also mark down the names of two or three friends whom you
have already formed bonds with in your life. You may wish to leave these
until the situation reveals itself and you need to know for the story
who they are.

For instance, Todd the Yeti was found as a cub abandoned at the foot
of a mountain by Arc the Wild Elf and brought to Klausville. The elves
raised Todd, particularly ones called Dabby and Pappy. Todd's
friends are Arc, Dabby and Pappy and Todd's dream is to find
out more about the elusive yeti people.
 GOOD THINGS
Feel free to treat these as guidelines and adapt as necessary to suit your character.
Where there is "on a Miss" cost you may treat this as your Make an Oopsie, unless
you're feeling particularly mean-spirited, then you can make it in addition.

Are you listening?

You have exceptional observational skills. When you perform a task using your
enhanced observation skills to study the task at hand you may sacrifice 1 Sugar
Rush to add +2 to the Action test.

It's...a puppy!
Your faithful companion follows you wherever you go. They share your resources but
suffer alongside you. Name them and when using their aid in a task, add +1 to the Action
test and take +1 Sugar Rush on a hit.

He knows when you've been naughty or nice

You have access to Santa's Behaviour Tracker. When you use it to observe something
happening elsewhere you can add +1 to the Action test, but treat a Weak Hit as a Miss.

Snow Slinger
You are the Klausville snowball champion and as such have unerring accuracy and skill at
throwing. People are always buying your things to throw. When you perform a task
involving throwing something you may expend 1 Presents! to add +2 to your Action test.

I have the perfect gift!

You always have something handy to give as a gift. When you need an object
vital to your current task or that would aid you, you may roll d6+Presents!
against the Challenge dice and on a Strong Hit you have it! Gain +1 Sugar
Rush and add +1 to your next Action test using the object. On a Weak Hit
or Miss you aren't prepared, lose -1 Presents!

There's no place like home

You have a particular environment where you feel most at home, such as
in the woods, the mountains or snow. Choose what this environment is
and when you perform a task related to it, add +1 to the Action test,
but lose -1 Christmas Spirit on a Miss.
 MORE GOOD THINGS
I know just what to do with this!
You have gained proficiency in the use of a particular object, such as an axe, an
official candy cane, a timekeeping device, or a sleigh. Decide what the object is
and when you perform a task using it, you may sacrifice 1 Sugar Rush to add +2 to
your Action test.

Full of it
You have a particular personality trait that affects others, such as a natural air of
authority, a jovial nature or a fearsome aspect. Decide what this trait is and when
you embody it, add +1 to the Action test but treat a Weak Hit as a Miss.

Yippie-Ki-Yay
You are an adventurer at heart and are not above engaging in risky acts of daring-do!
When you engage in a task in a reckless, foolhardy but ultimately brave way, you may
subtract -1 from the Action test but treat a Weak Hit as a Strong Hit or gain +1 Sugar
Rush on a Strong Hit.

Flying Reindeer
You are a reindeer groom and have access to a flying reindeer. When you Make a Promise
to undertake a journey, you may add +1 to the Action test and gain +1 Sugar Rush on
success, but on a Miss the reindeer abandons you.

Not even a mouse...

You are exceptionally good at staying quiet. When performing a task that
requires silence you may add +1 to the Action test but lose -1 Sugar Rush on
a Miss.

Sugar and spice

You are a master at making the best of a bad situation. When you Fill Yer
Stockings you may add +1 to the Action test, but lose -1 Christmas Spirit
on a Miss.

Comfort and Joy

When performing any task that gains a benefit from the company of
friends you may add +2 to the test rather than +1. On a Miss your
friendship is tested and they ask something of you.
 MAKING YOUR MOVES
Any time a moment of conflict, trouble or chance comes up in your game you can
Make Your Move and the Moves available are listed here.

Christmas Crackers
There is a d100 table that you can roll on anytime you need inspiration at the end of
the booklet, for instance when determining what your next steps in the adventure
should be. Roll on it as many times as you feel necessary until the suggestions spark
an idea and you come up with something that makes sense for the story. You may
also wish to attribute a percentage likelihood between different outcomes and roll a
d100 to see. E.g. a 50/50 outcome would succeed on a 51 or higher.
When things go wrong...
The dice are not always as full of Christmas cheer as you are and may at times result in
bad situations. When these happen, you may have to Make An Oopsie. Remember, this is a
fun Christmas-themed game, so something like slipping on the ice and ending up head-first
in a snow pile, or hitting a friend with a snowball by mistake, are just as viable as
mechanical penalties that result in a loss of resources
.
Make an Oopsie: When you suffer the negative consequences of a Move you must make
the most obvious negative outcome for the narrative occur. This does not have to be
extreme, just something that puts you
d10 Outcome
at a disadvantage in the situation. If
you need some inspiration you may 1 A new complication reveals itself
wish to roll on the table here. If one of
your resource tracks drops to 0, 2 A friend or friends find themselves in trouble
mark the appropriate Bad Thing.
3 Something silly happens
Sweet Treats: Sugar Crash
Christmas Spirit: Scrooged 4 You are separated from someone or something

Presents!: Empty-Handed.
5 Your action has unintended consequences

You may also make use of the other

6 The situation gets even more chaotic
Bad Things. For instance, if you
over-indulge, mark Cheerful Coma. 7 You are delayed, -2 Sugar Rush
If you're greedy and selfish, mark
Too Much Stuff. If you do something 8 You are low on energy, -2 Sweet Treats
unpleasant, nasty or in bad taste,
9 You are dispirited, -2 Christmas Spirit
mark Naughty List.

10 You are low on resources, -2 Presents!

 PROMISE MOVES
These are the driving force in the game. When you Make a Promise you swear upon
the Spiritbright Tree (literally or figuratively) to do something and set out to do it.
Each Promise has a difficulty and as you make progress towards fulfilling that
Promise you will light up more lights on the Promise track. For a Small Errand, you
light up 3 lights, for a Big Favour you light up 2, and for a Christmas Miracle you
only light up 1 per progress made. Progress is made when you make a significant
step towards your goal, such as uncovering some information, travelling, or
engaging in a dangerous task. You may find yourself making smaller Promises
towards a larger one, and fulfilling one of these can count as progress too. It's best
to keep Promises open-ended, as you never know how they may resolve!

Make A Promise: When you promise upon the Spiritbright Tree to do something,
roll an Action test of d6+Good Cheer. Add +1 if it's to a friend or friends.
On a Strong Hit, you are successful and the way is clear to you. Gain +2 Sugar Rush and
proceed with your first steps.
On a Weak Hit, you are successful, but there are more questions than answers. Gain +1
Sugar Rush and determine what's next.
On a Miss, a complication stands in the way of your task. Lose -2 Sugar Rush and envision
what it is and what you must do to overcome it.

Fulfil Your Promise: When you have made significant progress towards a Promise and
wish to see if you have successfully fulfilled it, roll a Promise test.
On a Strong Hit, your Promise is fulfilled! Gain +2 Sugar Rush and gain Christmas Spirit
equal to the difficulty; Small Errand: 1, Big Favour: 3, Christmas Miracle: 5. If
this takes your Christmas Spirit above +5, you may also clear a Bad Thing for
each additional point of Christmas Spirit above +5.
On a Weak Hit, your Promise is fulfilled but there is more to do still. Gain +1
Sugar Rush and envision what is left unresolved. If you make a new Promise
to resolve it, you can add +1 to the Make A Promise roll.
On a Miss, you have failed to fulfil your Promise. Clear all the lights but 1 and
raise the difficulty of the Promise (unless it's max) or Break Your Promise.

Break Your Promise: You refuse to go any further with the Promise.
Lose Christmas Spirit equal to the difficulty; Small Errand: 1,
Big Favour: 3, Christmas Miracle: 5. If this takes your Christmas
Spirit to 0, mark Scrouged on your Bad Things. If it takes you
below 0, Make An Oopsie.
 ADVENTURE MOVES
As you progress through your story you will encounter situations that require
the use of special adventure Moves. Some examples of when you may use these
Moves are included in the description of them. Remember you can always roll on
the Christmas Cracker table if you need some added inspiration about what to
do in a particular situation. For some of the Moves you may pick an appropriate
stat to use from your character sheet. When picking the appropriate stat keep
the following in mind. When acting with...
agility, precision, speed or dexterity, +Dash
charm, loyalty, courage or heart, +Good Cheer
aggression, force, strength or endurance, +Hard Candy
sneakiness, stealth, deception or trickery, +Surprise
intelligence, insight, observation or wisdom, +Wonder

Make Mischief: When you engage in a dangerous task, encounter a spot of trouble, try
and do something risky or challenging, undertake a journey or engage in an activity
with an element of chance, roll an Action test of d6+appropriate stat.
On a Strong Hit, you are successful and gain +1 Sugar Rush.
On a Weak Hit, you succeeded but not without cost. Lose -1 Sweet Treats,
Christmas Spirit or Presents! as appropriate to the situation.
On a Miss, you failed. Make An Oopsie.

Make It Better: When you seek out an advantage, convince someone to

do something, ask someone to become your friend, gather information,
improve a situation, intimidate someone or gain some leverage, roll an
Action test of d6+appropriate stat. Add +1 if it involves your friends.
On a Strong Hit, you are successful, gain +2 Sugar Rush or add +1 to
your next Action test. If gaining information or insight, roll on the
Christmas Cracker table to find out what it is.
On a Weak Hit, your success is short-lived. Gain +1 Sugar Rush.
On a Miss, you have failed. Make An Oopsie.

Fill Yer Stockings: When your supplies run low and you restock, roll
an Action test of d6+Wonder. Add +1 in the company of friends.
On a Strong Hit, gain +2 to Sweet Treats or Presents! or +1 to
each.
On a Weak Hit, gain +1 to Sweet Treats or Presents!
On a Miss, Make a Oopsie.
 SANTA'S TROUBLES
Santa has many troubles to face this year and there are many sources of
mischief. He has asked you to help and address one or more of his problems.
Each of them has the potential to ruin Christmas! Are they all isolated incidents,
or are they interconnected in a complex web of yuletide intrigues? It's up to you
to find out and do what you can to save the season! Use these adventure
starters as the seed of your story, or adapt them, or make up your own!

Don't be such a grinch!

The goblins in the Ice Caves deep in the mountains have always been jealous and
angry at the residents of Klausville and under their new High King, Grin-Chin, there
are rumours that a new plan is afoot to get rid of Klausville once and for all!
I promise to foil the goblin plot against Klausville and save Christmas

A Christmas Conspiracy
Not all is well in the busy workshops of Klausville. Sources friendly to the Santa
establishment have brought word of a conspiracy amongst a set of disgruntled elves
that believe that Klausville should be run by elves, for elves and plan to claim the red
suit to discredit Santa and diminish his legitimacy.
I promise to uncover this conspiracy and see justice done

Winter Wonderland
A shipment of vital supplies was spotted going down over the Everwinter Wood. One
of the elf sledges and the flying reindeer pulling it have been lost. Worst of all, they
were last seen crashing into the territory of the dreaded Krampus!
I promise to discover what happened to the lost shipment and rescue them

Things are getting a bit...woolly

The last time the Frost Giants migrated past Klausville it took years to recover from the
damage caused by them and their mammoth herds. They have once again been
spotted near the far end of the Giant’s Pass and the elves are worried.
I promise to protect Klausville from the migrating Frost Giants and their herds

The Spirit of Christmas

A wild elf camp has been spotted in the nearby woods. It is suspected they are the
same ones who, several years ago, attempted to steal the Spiritbright Tree, believing it
to be the source of Klausville’s power and prosperity.
I promise to discover what the elves want and protect the Spiritbright Tree
 CHRISTMAS CRACKERS
Needing a little inspiration about what to do next or what a certain move result
has revealed, well look no further than this list of Christmas Crackers. Rolling on
this table one or more times will give you a number of words of seasonal
inspiration to help advance your story along. For example, Sabotage (85) Red
(70) could indicate a reference to an action against Santa, or someone wearing
a red item is engaging in an act of sabotage, or anything else that sparks your
imagination within the store. Let your thoughts wander!

d100
1 Animal 26 Dispute 51 Jingle 76 Restore
2 Answer 27 Disrupt 52 Journey 77 Restrain
3 Arrive 28 Fear 53 Laugh 78 Retreat
4 Avoid 29 Festive 54 Light 79 Return
5 Bad 30 Fight 55 Lose 80 Reveal
6 Begin 31 Finish 56 Magic 81 Ring
7 Bells 32 Friend 57 Memory 82 Risk
8 Build 33 Fun 58 Merry 83 Ruin
9 Chance 34 Gain 59 Miricle 84 Rush
10 Cold 35 Gather 60 Naughty 85 Sabotage
11 Comfort 36 Gift 61 Nice 86 Sad
12 Control 37 Good 62 Nigthmare 87 Scheme
13 Courage 38 Green 63 Organise 88 Search
14 Delay 39 Happy 64 Peace 89 Secure
15 Deliver 40 Harmony 65 Play 90 Sleigh
16 Demand 41 Help 66 Prize 91 Slow
17 Depart 42 Hide 67 Problem 92 Snow
18 Describe 43 Hope 68 Protect 93 Star
19 Design 44 Imitate 69 Question 94 Time
20 Destroy 45 Inspect 70 Red 95 Treat
21 Detect 46 Instruct 71 Rejoice 96 Tree
22 Deviate 47 Insult 72 Relax 97 Uncertainty
23 Devour 48 Intolerance 73 Research 98 Warm
24 Discover 49 Invent 74 Resist 99 Wish
25 Dismantle 50 Investigate 75 Resolve 100 Worried