Ironwood is a light, highly asymmetrical, card-based tactical game for 1-2 players. Each turn, you and your opponent alternately play a total of 3 faction-specific cards with their effects. These include positioning warbands, starting combat, mining crystals, granting temporary passive effects, and more. When fighting, you use the same cards for their combat values, simultaneously attempting to gain combat bonuses, inflict and repel casualties, and increase the Dominance value of your warbands to win the fight.
Each faction is run by its own specific deck of 30+ unique action cards. Each turn, you start with the 3 basic cards, which include the essential effects that the faction needs, draw a set of special cards with more powerful effects, select a card from your hand, and resolve its action to advance toward victory.
Each faction plays and feels distinct with their own unique decks, unique victory conditions, and completely different playstyles.
On the one hand, Ironclads are the defensive faction that favors long-term development, passive effects, and has the default economic advantage with a steady income and a unique crystal-gathering unit, the Drill. Woodwalkers, on the other hand, have limited access to crystals and as a result their more aggressive playstyle focuses on sabotage, looting, and surprise attacks, and their card effects often launch battles with an extra bonus upon victory.
The two factions also differ in the parts of the map they have access to and how they can move between them.
As the Ironclad Commander, your main goal is to lay the foundations of your Forges in the outer mountains and, once you have collected enough crystals, build the Forges.
As the Woodwalkers, your mission is to locate the ancient Totems of your people through the Vision cards, clear the way to reach them by defeating the Ironclad gangs, and finally secure them in the outer forests, out of reach of the latter. Once you have recovered the third Totem as a Chieftain or built the third Forge as a Commander, you immediately win the game.
Each faction is run by its own specific deck of 30+ unique action cards. Each turn, you start with the 3 basic cards, which include the essential effects that the faction needs, draw a set of special cards with more powerful effects, select a card from your hand, and resolve its action to advance toward victory.
Each faction plays and feels distinct with their own unique decks, unique victory conditions, and completely different playstyles.
On the one hand, Ironclads are the defensive faction that favors long-term development, passive effects, and has the default economic advantage with a steady income and a unique crystal-gathering unit, the Drill. Woodwalkers, on the other hand, have limited access to crystals and as a result their more aggressive playstyle focuses on sabotage, looting, and surprise attacks, and their card effects often launch battles with an extra bonus upon victory.
The two factions also differ in the parts of the map they have access to and how they can move between them.
As the Ironclad Commander, your main goal is to lay the foundations of your Forges in the outer mountains and, once you have collected enough crystals, build the Forges.
As the Woodwalkers, your mission is to locate the ancient Totems of your people through the Vision cards, clear the way to reach them by defeating the Ironclad gangs, and finally secure them in the outer forests, out of reach of the latter. Once you have recovered the third Totem as a Chieftain or built the third Forge as a Commander, you immediately win the game.