Progress Tracks
Ironsworn-style progress bars for tracking quests, journeys, and combat goals. Each track is a 0–10 scale where the rank of the challenge determines how fast progress is marked.
Structure
A progress track has:
- Name — what it represents (e.g., "Reach the Iron Barrow," "Defeat the Hollow King's Vanguard")
- Rank — the difficulty, which sets the tick rate
- Progress — current score, 0–10
Rank and Tick Rate
| Rank | Tick per success | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Troublesome | +3 | A straightforward task — a few moves to complete |
| Dangerous | +2 | A meaningful challenge — requires effort and risk |
| Formidable | +1 | A serious undertaking — many moves, real consequences |
| Extreme | +0.5 | A major quest arc — spans sessions |
| Epic | +0.25 | A campaign-defining goal — spans the full story |
Mark progress when a relevant move succeeds (strong hit or weak hit). The GM determines which moves advance which tracks.
Fulfillment Roll
When progress is sufficient (GM and player agree the goal is within reach), make a fulfillment roll:
Roll d20 vs progress score (treat progress as the DC).
- Strong Hit (roll ≤ progress - 5): Complete success. The goal is achieved cleanly.
- Weak Hit (roll ≤ progress): Success with a cost or complication. The goal is achieved, but something is left unresolved.
- Miss (roll > progress): The goal slips away or transforms. Something has changed — the path forward requires a new approach.
Fulfillment rolls are high-stakes moments. A track at progress 7 still has real miss potential. Pushing to progress 10 before rolling is safer but costs more time and resources.
Common Uses
Quests
Quest arcs are tracked with progress tracks. A Dangerous quest (+2 per success) might take 5–7 successful moves to reach fulfillment range. An Epic quest (+0.25) is a campaign-long effort.
Journeys
The Undertake Journey move marks progress on a journey track. The rank reflects the distance and danger of the route. Reaching the destination triggers a fulfillment roll.
Combat Goals (Future — v2)
The combat redesign will use progress tracks for combat objectives (e.g., "Drive off the bandits," "Protect the caravan"). This replaces HP-as-progress for encounter-level goals. See the combat redesign discussion for details.
Relationship to Other Systems
Progress tracks complement but do not replace:
- Countdown dice — tactical resource depletion (torches, rations, ammo)
- Progress clocks — binary situation trackers (4/6/8 segments, tick on events)
- Doom portents — campaign-level 0–6 escalation tracks
Progress tracks are specifically for goals where the player is making incremental progress through moves, not for resources or situations that advance on their own.