trigger · is_ironman

Hands-On Usage

is_ironman is commonly used in mods to distinguish between Ironman mode and regular mode, such as disabling certain "cheesy" decisions or event options in Ironman mode, or unlocking achievement-related trigger conditions specifically for Ironman players. Below is a typical use case—in the available block of a decision, only non-Ironman mode allows using a debug/utility decision:

# Utility decision available only to non-Ironman players
my_debug_decision = {
    available = {
        NOT = { is_ironman = yes }
    }
    ...
}

# Reverse: achievement verification event option exclusive to Ironman mode
option = {
    trigger = {
        is_ironman = yes
    }
    name = "achievement_path.option_a"
    ...
}

Synergy

• [game_rules_allow_achievements](/wiki/trigger/game_rules_allow_achievements): The two are often checked together; specific logic is triggered only when Ironman mode is active and rules allow achievements. Combined use can precisely pinpoint a "standard achievement run" environment.
• [is_historical_focus_on](/wiki/trigger/is_historical_focus_on): Mods often use Ironman mode + historical focus together as the "regular game" condition, placing both in an AND block to restrict certain features.
• [difficulty](/wiki/trigger/difficulty): Ironman mode often correlates with difficulty; the two can work together to provide differentiated content or balance adjustments for "official high-difficulty Ironman runs".
• [custom_trigger_tooltip](/wiki/trigger/custom_trigger_tooltip): When is_ironman is nested in complex conditions, wrapping it with this displays more player-friendly tooltip text, explaining why the option is locked in Ironman mode.

Common Pitfalls

1. Inverting the boolean value: Beginners sometimes write is_ironman = no intending to mean "disabled in Ironman mode", but reverse the logic—is_ironman = no is true in regular mode. Remember to think clearly about whether "we are/aren't in Ironman" before deciding whether to use yes or wrap it with NOT = { is_ironman = yes }.
2. Mistakenly thinking you can qualify the scope: This trigger supports any scope, but it always checks whether the current save is in Ironman mode, regardless of which country or state the current iteration is on. Don't assume behavior will differ when switching to a specific scope.