Ironsworn: Starforged(Why did I wait so long to try this amazing game?)My new favorite Solo RPG!

In this video I talk about the solo, co-op or guided Sci Fi RPG Starforged by Shawn Tomkin. At the end of the video (16:53) I start a review using my 100 point scale to give my overall rating for the game system. This is truly the world's best travel RPG, bar none.

[@CALIGULA198X]

Started this evening. Absolutely blown away by the system and its absurd potential for narrative depth. :)

[@booksbricksandboards783]

I have said that solo play of Ironsworn has made me a far better DM! Glad you like it!

[@MarkLittle-rq2bq]

I have used Ironsworn/Starforged to emulate practically any type of genre. I've run a Star Wars/Star Trek setting, a Superhero setting, High and Low Fantasy genres, a Matrix setting...the system is so flexible (and hackable), I daresay it can sufficiently replicate almost any type of game. As a story based system - it's simply one of the best out there. It is as complicated, or as simple, as YOU decide it to be...and the depths and detail of the story you create goes as far as YOU want it to go. I simply cannot advocate this game enough...especially for those who like to write, as well as game.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Totally agree. Such a good game.

[@sebastianruizromo637]

Happy to see you made the plunge on this interesting solo rpg and it was approved! 😅

[@booksbricksandboards783]

It is a hard concept to understand until you actually fully experience it. I think, as far as gameplay goes, it is on of the most effective rules sets I have ever played.

[@solomonkane1712]

I got Ironsworn & Delve a couple years ago. I played several solo sessions & a couple one shots with family. I’m not a big sci-fi RPG player so I didn’t contribute to the Kickstarter for Starforged. Last week I was in my local game store which always seems to be up on Kickstarter contributions. There was the entire Starforged system on a shelf. After picking it up I had to have it. Now I’m reading the book & trying to figure out what kind of solo sci-fi universe i want to play in. I will note Starforged seems a little more complicated than Ironsworn. Though the rules mechanics are the same the Moves seem to be plenty & I need to learn which ones to use in different situations. Of course, that might be me having to knock some rust off my solo play brain.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

For me, the whole system was hard to wrap my brain around (been playing traditional systems for almost 40 years now), but it clicked MUCH better after I listened to the Ask the Oracle podcast by Shawn Tomkin and his son Matt. I generally prefer fantasy or modern to Sci Fi as well. For me what made the difference for Star Forged was that the Sector creation tools lent themselves to telling a more “traditional” story in a sci fi setting. I didn’t have to get into the high science stuff. I could focus on rediscovering lost knowledge, helping isolated communities , and battling unknown horrors…. Pretty much a fantasy game… but with laser pistols. I liked that instead of Harm being translated to Progress, they switched to just having damage use the same rules as everything else. That and the experience tracks were the biggest changes to me. Thanks for watching!

[@Agforceofnature]

Does anyone know if this could be used to play a Horizon Zero Dawn/ Numenera style game? Or in combination with Ironsworn and Delve?

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Absolutely. You might need to “reskin” some results and some of the character options, but largely the power is in the system and the content generation tools. With a little creative interpretation, you could easily accomplish what you are looking to do. One thing you would want to focus on establishing is what explains the Iron Vows mechanics in your game, as they are pretty critical to the game. But that could easily be related to a single character just being very determined to complete any task that they set out to do (if you didn’t want to relate it to the world at large).

[@Agforceofnature]

Hmm let me be more specific. I’ve tried re-skinning ironsworn & delve to play that style of game but I ultimately quit because it was a lot of stuff to reskin for what I was going for. Does this book cut down on the amount of reskinning I would have to do? Especially for things like enemies and assets, vows and world building is easy enough.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Enemies are essentially just a challenge class in the game, so most everything else is just narrative description. If you are wanting something that specifically details mechanics aimed at a Numenera style game, you will probably be disappointed. If you are comfortable saying, this asset gives me the mechanical bonus of X which would be similar to a Cypher in Numenera, so I will take the benefit and redo the fluff, then it will work very well. Hope that helps.

[@lergof0202]

What is your rating system out of? 16 out of what?

[@booksbricksandboards783]

It is actually a 5 category compiled score, the overall score at the end of the video is 85 out of 100, which is why I used the d100 to reflect it. Sorry for the confusion.