Ironhedge is a role-playing game published by Empire Wargames in 1979.
Ironhedge is a fantasy system with fully compatible supplements for other genres: western, science fiction, and gangsters.[1] The rulebook (two copies included in the Ironhedge Complete Game) is pocket-sized; the rules are very concise.[1] Campaign-setting and scenario material are presented on 72 cards (3" x 5"), printed with very small illustrations and text.[1] Each card has a short description of a region or a small encounter area.[1] The Ironhedge Complete Game also includes encounter form cards and character record cards.[1] There is no art on the black box cover of the 1st edition.[1] The 2nd edition is revised for clarity.[1]
Ironhedge was designed by John Brooke, and published by Empire Wargames in 1979 as the Ironhedge Manifesto, a 40-page digest-sized book.[1] The second edition was published in 1983 as two small (4" x 6") booklets (40-page revised Ironhedge, plus 1st-edition Westhedge).[1] The third edition was published in 1985 as a small (4" x 6") booklet (40 pages, revised again).[1] The fourth edition was published in 1987 as a small (3 1/2" x 5") 40-page book (revised again) with 18 cards, that was sold separately or as part of the Ironhedge Complete Game, which was a digest-sized box containing two small (3 1/2" x 5") 40-page books (4th-edition rules), a color cardstock map, 72 color cards, 36 form cards, dice, and a pencil.[1] The fifth edition was published in 1989 as a small (3 1/2" x 5") 40-page book (revised some more) with 18 cards, that was sold separately or as part of the Ironhedge Complete Game.[1]
Stewart Wieck reviewed Ironhedge in White Wolf #12 (1988) and stated that "Ironhedge is a complete RPG game. All the rules are here and an entire world is presented. The game system itself is a little simplistic, but this seems to be the goal of the game - to cut down on unnecessary complications. The system does serve its purpose."[2]
In his 1990 book The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games, game critic Rick Swan found the game system to be "adequate, if a bit underdeveloped" but admired the adventure deck, noting, "With beautiful graphics and a staggering amount of detail, the adventure deck is one of the best RPG components I've ever seen." Swan concluded by giving the game a rating of 2.5 out of 4, saying, "If the rules are set aside, Ironhedge functions quite nicely as a source of supplementary material for D&D and other fantasy campaigns."[3]
Lawrence Schick comments on the game's "undistinguished D&D-inspired rules, notable for its unusual format and for the author's eccentric philosophical rants. The rules and scenario material are laced with quasi-Libertarian slogans and doggerel, especially in the first four editions. (Example: 'In another time/In another place/Lived a worthless/Human race/Lotsa jewels/And lotsa gold/Kinda rich/And sorta old.' Pretty catchy, eh?)"[1] Schick also notes that the 2nd edition of the boxed set (with 5th-edition rules) "unfortunately lacks much of the unique eccentricity of the earlier editions".[1]
. Lawrence Schick. Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books . 1991. 0-87975-653-5 . 396-397.