Group Ironman Blog - UPDATED

Play and compete on teams of 2 to 5 players and forge your team of Ironmen to become legends in Old School's new & innovative game mode.

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[h2]Polling and Release Date[/h2]

Quite a few questions have been asked about Group Ironman.

Why is it a single poll question? Why haven't we split the poll up into more bits? Why are we polling it all?

In the past we’ve polled Ironman, UIM and Hardcore Ironman, so it’s only right that we poll Group Ironman. We’re also adopting a similar polling strategy as we did with those updates, too.

Our main priority is the long-term health and success of the mode. Currently, each design decision we’ve made has been taken on the basis that we know the following groups of players exist, and we want to accommodate them:

• Those who want to play casually
  
• Those who would prefer to be more competitive
  
• Those who want a very hard-core experience.
  

In addition to all these benefits, our approach also ensures that meaningful content choices (such as Individual Prestige, which aims to hinder illicit activities) are present from release. Rather than have to address potential issues in the future, we’re building them into the overall Group Ironman design from day one. They will be something players are accustomed to from the start of their Group Ironman journey.

We're continuously learning from past mistakes, taking into account what works well for players and what doesn't. We hope you understand the reasoning behind our approach. But rest assured, as with other updates, we’ll continue to make adjustments and improvements with your feedback in mind. We want to see you all enjoying Group Ironman as much as you want to get your hands on it - it's certainly been a long time coming!

Should Group Ironman pass the polls, we anticipate it will be ready to release on October 6th!


Shared Storage

We know that you were looking forward to Shared Storage, and we have good news!

Our wonderful engine team has made a breakthrough and we are delighted to confirm that we will be able to offer the Shared Storage functionality at launch!

Do note that only one player at a time will be able to use Shared Storage. It will be accessible from your regular Bank via a new button on the Bank interface, which is only visible to Group Ironmen and Hardcore Group Ironmen. Try to be courteous with your group members, everyone - no lobster thievery!


Prestige System





We've seen your feedback regarding the Prestige System, as well as your thoughts about its perceived complexity.

To clarify, there are two different forms of Prestige:

Group Prestige is a purely cosmetic indication that your group consists of the original members, and that you've not engaged in certain PvM activities with other players outside of your group.

• It is highlighted in-game via a star icon shown next to the group's name.
  
• Prestige groups will be shown on the Group Ironman HiScores alongside non-Prestige groups.
  
• Losing Group Prestige has no in-game impact other than losing the cosmetic star next to your group name in-game and on the HiScores.
  
• You can still trade freely between other Prestige group members even if Group Prestige is lost.
  
• Group Prestige is only lost if a new member joins your group, or if someone within the group opts to do certain PvM activities with someone outside of your group.
  
• Individual Prestige determines whether or not wealth and item transfer restrictions are applied to an individual group member. This system is vital to combat illicit activities.
  

It is highlighted in-game via a start icon that shows next to all original group members.

• Losing Individual Prestige has gameplay consequences - it means that you are subject to the wealth and item restrictions as we outlined in the blog.
  
• Individual Prestige is only lost if you join a group other than the one you started with.
  
• New players added to the group after formation will not have Individual Prestige.
  

We know that many of you just want to focus on playing Group Ironman with your friends, and we don't want you to have to worry about maintaining Group Prestige. To reinforce this, we have also added an option for leaders to opt out of Group Prestige entirely upon creation of the group. Unless you intend to play this game mode competitively (we expect only a small portion of players will), losing Group Prestige should not have a significant impact on your Group Ironman experience.

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[h2]Group Ironman: Design Overview[/h2]



Are you ready to band together and become the stuff of legend? This is your chance to build and grow a team of Ironmen that is greater than the sum of its parts and battle for top spot on the leaderboard. It's a whole new way to play Old School RuneScape!

As launch day approaches, it’s time to dive into the who, what and why of this innovative new mode. Whether you’re an Iron novice or an experienced Ultimate, this is everything you need to know about the newest addition to the Iron family! Let’s take a look…


What?

Group Ironman is a new way for the toughest ‘Scapers to explore Gielinor. Enjoyed Ironman? Hardcore Ironman? Ultimate Ironman? Well now it’s time to bring together your most trusted companions to take on the challenge together.

If you’ve never played Ironman before, here’s a quick summary: imagine Old School RuneScape with no trade, where you have to earn every item yourself. It’s about earning everything with blood, sweat and tears, through gathering, crafting and fighting. Needless to say, it’s a real challenge – and one you would normally have to face alone.

Group Ironman is a little different. Groups of two to five players can join together and take on Gielinor’s nastiest beasts. They can also trade their resources among one another, delve into new Shared Storage, and visit each other’s Player Owned Houses. Groups will even be able to compete for leaderboard positions and prove that their gang is the greatest supergroup of Old School RuneScape. It’s Ironman with a little help from your friends – pushing you to your limits while allowing you to share in the glory with your mates!


Why?

Ironman Mode has been a big success for Old School RuneScape, and we’re always looking for ways to build on popular content. We’re also keen to bring in new adventurers and encourage our current player base to explore the game in new ways.

Group Ironman has been requested by players for a long time. It was promised at RuneFest 2019, and interest hasn’t abated since. Plus, with the events of the past year and a half, there’s more appetite than ever for shared experiences in Old School RuneScape. Group Ironman is another way for us to bring people together and encourage cooperation and community-building in Gielinor.

We know it’s going to be a lot of fun and we can’t wait to see you forming your groups and battling together to break new records!


How?

Keen to hear more about how we're making Group Ironman? Well, that’s lucky because we’ve got plenty:

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[h2]General Rules[/h2]


Group Identity

A Group Ironman (GIM) group is made up of two to five players. All normal Iron restrictions apply to them when interacting with the world outside their group: in contrast, interactions within the group are more like regular Old School RuneScape.

Group Ironman players have a unique icon next to their name to distinguish them from other Iron players and regular ‘Scapers. Their outfit also shows off their GIM status.

GIM will get to show other players which group size they're playing with a unique armour set. Roman numerals on their chestplates indicate the size of their group (i.e, II-V).

Players jumping for joy at their awesome new armour!

Combat

In Combat, GIM are pretty much like regular Ironmen to outsiders. This means that if someone outside the group hits an NPC, the drop would either go to the person outside the group or disappear, just like it would with a regular Iron. However, if only group members have been hitting the NPC, the drop would go to the group member who dealt the most damage.


Group content

GIM players can tackle all the group content that regular Irons can. For example, they can kill the Nightmare with other players, and they can team up with other account types outside their group when playing Theatre of Blood, The Chambers of Xeric and Nightmare.

In Chambers of Xeric, GIM will be just like playing Iron, where items would drop to the floor for anyone to take (provided they got the kill credit).

A group of players fighting the Muttadile in CoX

Trading

It goes without saying that GIM can't trade with people outside their group. They can only trade regularly within the group, and some trade restrictions do still apply to new members joining the group (see the gradual wealth transfer system).

GIM can only do this with fellow group members.

De-Ironing

A player must leave their group before they can de-Iron. (See leaving a group.)


Highscores

One of the major draws for GIM is group HiScores: this is your chance to prove your group is the best of the best! There are HiScores for each group size too. This is because a five-player group would have a much easier time than a two-player group, so listing them separately is fairer. HiScores are listed under the group’s name.

Ranks are determined by combined total skill level for your team first, then by combined total experience. Additionally, only XP gained while in the group count towards the group's total level. This means that players leaving a group and joining a new one won't be able to transfer their experience over to the new group.


Player Owned Houses

Currently, your regular Iron accounts can have a Player Owned House of their own, but can’t enter other Player Owned Houses or invite anyone into theirs. GIM is a little different – players can access each other’s houses. Additionally, Ironmen will now be able to let other players into their own house too, although they still can’t enter other players’ houses.

Players partying hard in a Player Owned House

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[h2]Recruitment[/h2]

You can form a group of between two and five players. One player will be the leader of the group. You’ll establish your group before you arrive at the mainland – you will need to find players to join your gang on the Node, a recruitment hub off the coast of Tutorial Island, before leaving (see below for more details). You will be able to pick a group name, but please note these share a name space with Clans – so you can’t use a name for your group that already belongs to an existing Clan.

Once your group is formed, you are free to recruit new players as you progress, should you wish.


The Node

This is a new island off the coast of Tutorial Island. It’s a place to learn the core elements of Group Ironman and form groups!


Tutorial Island with The Node