''Ironclaw'' is a series of tabletop

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

s created by

Jason Holmgren Jason Holmgren is an American cartoonist, art director, and role-playing game designer. Career Holmgren first started as a cartoonist for ''Shadis'' Magazine, where his strip, ''Joe Genero: Adventures of the Average Man'', debuted in 1990. The co ...

of Sanguine Games, and features

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

characters in a setting inspired by class and religious conflicts during the Italian Renaissance. ''

Jadeclaw ''Jadeclaw'' is a role-playing game set in the same world as '' Ironclaw'', in a far off kingdom called Zhongguo (lit: Mandarin for "China"), inspired by Chinese Mythology, where anthropomorphic fantasy creatures control the fates of both Heaven an ...

'' is a related game in a concurrent East Asian setting.

Publication history

The first edition of ''Ironclaw'' was published in 1999 by independent publisher Sanguine Games. In May 2002 it was voted the most-popular furry RPG in a public poll which included works of the same era such as ''

World Tree The world tree is a motif present in several religions and mythologies, particularly Indo-European religions, Siberian religions, and Native American religions. The world tree is represented as a colossal tree which supports the heavens, thereb ...

'' and '' Furry Pirates''. The second edition was published in 2010; it has since sold over 10,000 copies. As of 2019, the game has been in continuous publication, with various add-on books such as ''The Book of Monsters'' featuring Ursula Vernon, and is run at furry conventions such as Furry Fiesta,

Midwest FurFest Midwest FurFest (MFF) is a furry convention that takes place in Rosemont, Illinois, usually on the second weekend after Thanksgiving. MFF is an Illinois Educational Not-For-Profit Corporation that exists primarily for the purpose of holding an ann ...

and Anthrocon.

System

''Ironclaw'' uses a system where attributes of characters are matched to different

polyhedral dice Dice (singular die or dice) are small, throwable objects with marked sides that can rest in multiple positions. They are used for generating random values, commonly as part of tabletop games, including dice games, board games, role-playing ga ...

. These attributes include a character's physical, mental, and social capabilities, in addition to the abilities associated with their species. This system was later used in Sanguine's other role-playing games, including ''Jadeclaw''.

Published books

1st Edition (1999-2004): * ''Ironclaw Anthropomorphic Roleplaying Game'' * ''House Rinaldi'' * ''House Avoirdupois'' * ''House Bisclavret'' * ''House Doloreaux'' * ''Phelan'' 2nd Edition (2010-present): * ''Ironclaw Omnibus: Squaring the Circle'' (2011) * ''The Book of Mysteries'' * ''The Book of Jade'' (2012) * ''The Book of Adventures'' (2014) * ''The Book of Horn and Ivory'' (2017) * ''The Book of Monsters'' (2019) * ''The Book of Corals'' (2020)

References

Role-playing games introduced in 1999 Indie role-playing games Fantasy role-playing games Furry role-playing games {{rpg-stub