Explore space any way you want with Starforged 🪐 RPG Review
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
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Ironsworn: Starforged is a scifi TTRPG published in 2022. It is based on Ironsworn, which excelled at presenting a solo and co-op game in precise, functional terms.
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00:00 Introduction
02:20 General Gameplay
09:38 Launching a Game
13:15 The Moves
17:05 NPCs
17:51 Oracles
18:25 My Thoughts/Conclusion
Get Starforged in digital or print at the official store:
getstarforged.com/
Join the official Ironsworn Discord:
/ discord
The Iron Journal
The Iron Journal is a web-based app for Starforged solo play created by Nick Boughton. It contains everything you need to manage your character, roll moves and oracles, and track your discoveries and travels on a sector map:
nboughton.uk/apps/stargazer/#/
TheOracle Discord Bot
For asynchronous, play-by-post games. Developed by Dominic Eliot (xeno) with support from rsek, It includes functions to manage characters, roll dice, generate oracle results, and more. Check out details on the bot, and how to add it to your Discord Server, at the bot's GitHub repo:
github.com/XenotropicDev/TheO....
DataForged: a Starforged data repository
This resource provides up-to-date and organized reference data (in JSON format) for others to incorporate into their own Starforged tools. It includes assets, moves, oracles, and more. DataForged is licensed under an open Creative Commons license, allowing anyone to build their own tools or create their own games using Starforged moves, assets, oracles, or any other elements of the repository: github.com/rsek/dataforged.
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Ironsworn, to me, was one of the greatest gaming experiences I had in a long time. What it did to my brain and the way it stimulated my creativity has yet to be paralleled by another RPG. I cannot even say that I consider it an RPG sensu stricto. I completely understand the critique being made to the system. However, if you get into the particular dialogue this game establishes with you, it is actually true that it becomes second nature to play. The way I see ironsworn is as a gentle friend that mediates between myself and the blank page. This system gives me just The Sweetspot: a paper-thin mechanical layer that introduces just the right amount of uncertainty and takes away from me just the right amount of control of what would otherwise be the unbridled flow of imagination - which can sometimes be overwhelming and/or underwhelming. And I have been able to transfer that Spirit of creativity to friends, and we have been able to enjoy the game as a group. I would even go ahead and say that it is one of the games that have allowed me to play with people new to the Hobby the most.
When it comes to Starforged, I will agree that it's basically ironsworn in space. And I will also agree that it can seem like a moves fest. However having played and enjoy the ironsworn, I received starforged like spring water in the desert. In my opinion the new additions enrich the game, and the newly added complexity (especially, the moves, star sectors and leveling up) is manageable and modular. So if you loved ironsworn, Starforged will take you to the stars.
I'm with you. Some of the best RPG times have been had with Ironsworn both solo and coop. Looking forward to playing this.
I have echoed these exact same thoughts. Ironsworn brought me back to my first discovery of D&D when I was 9... 43 years ago. And the moves are something that facilitate the role-playing, not the other way around. Just role-play, then figure out what move applies. Don't do it in the opposite direction... yet.
@@midshipman8654 What makes them more engaging for you?
I'm with you too, this is my favorite TTRPG ever. It's amazing solo, but it really shines in a GM-less co-op with 2-3 players.
I have backed Starforged but I don't know when and if I'll play it, but really I felt I needed to give Shawn Tomkin his due. He released Ironsworn for free and not only I played it a lot; I use the Oracles to do session-prep for my other fantasy games. It turned my session prep into gaming, and that... is awesome
God I love this game. We have now had four sessions of a co-op game with 3 players. We have yet to have a single combat yet our lives have been in constant danger. The story has had amazing twists and turns. Have you ever seen those puzzles where you connect dots to form a picture? That's Starforged. The game system provides the dots, but the players draw the line with their own imagination to tell the story.
An example of how it works? Our group was exploring a planet. One of the results we had rolled about the planet from the oracles was that the planet had periodic strange events. I felt like things were going a little slowly, so I asked the other players if one of them could give me an event. Jon said, "There's an eclipse." Something immediately clicked with me and I said, "Pitch Black," a reference to the Vin Diesel sci fi movie. Off in the distance we heard screeches and the sound of flapping wings. It immediately had us scrambling for cover.
There is nothing about ship-to-ship combat, because it is handled _exactly_ like any other combat. Same process, same moves - the only difference is that the damage is applied to the vessel's durability.
2:42 In "traditional" TTRPGs the player spotlight moves between players through dice failures and "misses" (notably in combat). Several turns can go by with some players failing dice rolls but in a larger group, statistically, at least 1 player will succeed and move play along. In Ironsworn/Starforged players have to willingly cede the spotlight to others or else the other players will just sit on the sidelines while one of them gets all the dice rolls. That's why, as I understand it, small groups are preferred.
I think larger parties would also potentially have too many personal goals and vows pulling them in different directions constantly. That's actually a potential danger the game is aware of and warns you about - fractally splitting one quest (vow) into multiple side-quests, which split into more side-quests again.
It seems like the last point on the answer about Moves is crucial. It's not just that the moves are "well organized by category" - it's that you need to be looking only at the category of moves relevant to your situation, and disregard all other moves. Quite often, you will have like FIVE choices before you. One should NEVER be looking at the full list of moves by alphabetical order. If you have that list printed out - throw it in the garbage. That's how people get overwhelmed.
This. Admittedly, I played both OG Ironsworn and Starforged a lot, but even when I do need to check something, it's trivially easy to figure out where I should be looking, and each category only has a few options.
The Oracles in this game are probably THE best random tables I've ever seen. Flavorful, comprehensive and inspiring.
And they generate pure magic. Our co-op game had us hunting down four alien vaults, which would supposedly lead to a hidden fifth one. We were racing against an enemy - a religious organization promising to take humans to a promised land, but clearly with some ulterior motives and shady tactics.
We discovered the purpose of the four vaults - they could alter Time, Energy, Matter and Space (all RANDOMLY generated!). Fundamental aspects of reality. And then it clicked. We're in a simulation. The fifth vault is the Command Line, which can set the parameters of the other four and reconfigure reality at will. The Church is not looking for the promised land, they want to WRITE one.
This game just keeps blowing your mind like this, again and again, and you don't need to plan any of that.
I finally committed to playing this after watching and wound up buying every single product put out by Shawn Tomkin in print. Started a journal, and have played 20 hour this week alone, mostly because I cannot stop thinking about it. Every time I run into a roadblock - mentally or narratively - the game has a way to resolve that and push onward and upward. Yes, lots of moves, but once I was running with it, I actually wished there were MORE moves to inspire ways to build out a campaign.
Great review and I'm glad the setup section was a highlight. I've begun using the practice as part of my session zeroes for other games to promote player buy-in to a lot of success!
Glad you enjoyed the review. Amazing work top to bottom on this game, btw. Just phenomenal.
I was unfamiliar with PbtA (thoughI'd ehard of it) when I came across the original Ironsworn. The whole concept of Moves seemed odd to me because it struck me as a kind of Choose Your Own Adventure system.
"You see a group of bandits coming out of the trees toward you. Do you: A) Enter the Fray and fight or B) Compel them to let you pass?"
So, I saw them as a limitation and it seemed like we didn't have a full range of choices. But I had to flip the way I was looking at them. Rather than looking at a limited list of choices and restricting myself to them, I had to think of my action (like any RPG) and then fight the Move that worked best for that situation. I had been looking at it backwards.
So for Starforged (though I haven't reread the book yet and am working from memory of the earliest version), I would just take the same approach: think of what you want to do, then see if there is a move that matches. In some cases, there will be more than one which works, so you definitely don't need to memorize every single one. The (over)abundance of moves just gives you option, but you certainly aren't obliged to use them all.
Yup. It looks overwhelming when you're starting from the list of moves. You start with the narrative positioning and your intent, then you look at a specific category of moves and out of the 4-5 options there it's easy to pick the one that fits, since the names of the moves are very literal.
The session framing moves are genius. They cover player buy in, checking in with other players (especially important when you don't have a referee keeping an eye on it), taking breaks, safety tools, wrapping up a session and doing a recap when you start the next one.
This game is one of the best examples of how to REALLY explain to players not just what you can do, but also HOW and WHY you're doing it.
i founds your channel a few weeks ago and have been bingiung ever since!you have some awesom,e content cant wait for more
I bought Starforged for the sci-fi tables to use in other games, but I'm looking forward to giving this a spin in solo mode. It might be a little move-heavy but at least I'll give it a shot.
Just role-play. Then try to apply the move you think fits best. Don't take too much time. Then review after the session to see if you got them right. After a couple of sessions, it will become second nature. They are not nearly as complicated as they seem... They really are a natural extension of role-playing.
Shawn Tomkin and all that helped him gave me the ability to enjoy tabletop RPGs and I love them for it!
Just recently encountered your channel and have to say I really enjoy these reviews. You strike a great balance of being informative and opinionated. Like with this one, I (not knowing PbtA that well) have an excellent sense of what this game (both the system and the world) really is like and what it would take to run it. Well done!
Thanks! Good to know these videos are helpful.
Fantastic review. This is now the second product (after Death in Space) you have sold me on, reservations and all. I admit that original Ironsworn I got more to mine for ideas and the oracle tables and never actually tried to play solo or coop. This however looks like something I would really enjoy playing, not just mining for parts. I think combined with Stars Without Number this will provide me with all the sci-fi space opera I'll need in my life. :)
Excellent review and excellent game.
I've been playing with three other players for 3 sessions as of nos, and each one of those sessions had a completely different tone.
The first one was a heist, the second one an space trip and the third one a classic dungeon crawl. All of them great and intense. Gosh, even the game building was super fun.
At first it seems a lot for new players but the game has a smooth learning curve. Of course helps if someone has read it at length and can orientate the rest.
The division of the moves in categories helps a ton, I found that what gets more difficult to grasp for new players is the concept of progress tracks and their different dificulties, moreso than the moves itself.
Great job by the author.
I couldn't really get into Ironsworn and I didn't really know why until I saw Starforged. I didn't feel as connected with Ironsworn's setting and felt limited. Why? I don't really know tbh. It's just the way I look at things I guess. But with how much Starforged hands you for creating your own setting, while not completely leaving you in the dust is great. I also like that it is very easy to adjust the thematic rules. My gf and I personally like weird aliens in our games. With Starforged, as player characters and npcs, they'd have no mechanical advantage, but it'd be more about the roleplay element. Same goes for some of the Truths. I'm super excited to give this game a go.
Quite likewise. I really loved the mechanics and randomization assets of Ironsworn, but the setting itself left me underwhelmed. Moving it to space definitely remedies it, though it's about personal preferences with me too. I have always been way more into rusty and decaying sci-fi than into low-fantasy.
Thanks for this quick breakdown of Starforged. Appreciate the concision you bring to an otherwise broad topic.
This is a fantastic review and has me more excited about getting the physical items in, hopefully, a couple months.
Just got my copy today from Drivethrurpg. Looking forward to reading it this weekend. Thank you for the video. This gives me more to think about.
I run an Ironsworn campaign based on mythic Vikings and we're loving it. But I have yet to find the moves to be organic and am constantly having to look them up to see what a strong hit, weak hit, miss do for each move and for each asset. I backed Starforged to full, too, but will probably use a different ruleset or use the optional role rules (no assets, just bonuses for appropriate roles) and frankly skip the moves. Instead of figuring out if it's this move or that, in the future I'll just be using basic skill rolls.
That is one awesome book and Meehan's work is probably some of the best RPG art out there! I can't wait to get my physical copy in August! Great review, by the way.
That is some pretty heavy modification you’re planning, but I 100% understand why.
Great reviews so far, thanks Dave! I love the honest approach!
Love Ironsworn, been thinking about this one for a minute. Good video, thoughtful review.
This game is different, but perfect for solo game. I also play with aliens narratively - not mechanical - and it works!
Excellent review Dave! I play IS and SF solo without looking at exactly what the rules for each move says... I find it better for me that way, as I already know what the moves are
Ayyyy my fav channel! 10/d10 video!
great job as usual, keep it up!
The move set, while seemingly daunting, is only a tool for gameplay that reflects uncertainty of a particular given action. If the narrative you are describing doesn't entail any particular hardship or obstacle...you actually don't have to roll, you could just simply narrate how your character goes through accomplishing such task. I ran one Starforged game where a character boarded and exited a fully garrisoned orbital outpost just by making two face danger moves. The rest was almost pure narrative and for me, the fiction comes first...otherwise it's just an exercise in dice rolling.
Interesting take, but without dice rolling are you really playing a game? Are you not just day dreaming at that point?
Looks great - thanks Dave. Starforged and Hostile Solo from Zozer Games are going to be buys for me this month - they both look fantastic. Nice that sci-fi is catching up to fantasy in having solo RPG's and resources available.
Fantastic overview as always!👍🏻
Thanks!
Great review! Now to go buy it!
Godspeed on your stellar journey.
I played a lot of ironsworn, both in solo and coop. I think its a great system and can’t wait to try starforged ⭐️. One thing I never understood was the swearing of the vow. I would much rather just have it be a quest, without the ceremony. I wonder if they changed it.
It's meant as a method to facilitate the story; to give your character purpose. You are free to envision it however you choose. In my first Ironsworn campaign, I set the gameworld prior to the humans arriving in The Ironlands and played an elf. The wood elves wear masks, and instead of an Iron vow, the elves have the "Vow of Revelation," in which when they make a pledge, they remove their mask to reveal their true selves in an act that is both humbling and determined.
@@HekylHyde that’s really cool, but it’s another example of what I have a problem with. It was always a bit jarring to me, having my character swear a solemn vow each time I took a quest. I get it for the main quest of the story, “I swear I will save my people from this monster”, but it’s strange with more down to earth quests. And if you want to have mechanical character development, you need to swear a LOT of vows, for anything it makes sense for.
It doesn't really have to be a big elaborate thing. If the overseer asks you to find his missing daughter, your character can simply touch the iron amulet around their neck (or coin in their pocket, or whatever) and say "I swear I will." That's all. It's a symbolic way of saying they will do their best. You can always ignore it if it doesn't suit you, or just reserve it for the major vows. Minor vows can simply involve giving your word without touching iron.
I see vows as a kind of in-game currency. Culturally, they have value and since breaking them is such a strong taboo, they make people trust you. This actually helps when you're trying to frame a mundane quest with some complete strangers. I mean, why would the miners on some asteroid somewhere trust me to help them, they don't know the first thing about me, maybe I'm just planning to rip them off? But if I swear a vow, this whole interaction makes sense. We have a BINDING contract. They will open their doors and want to talk to me, because we established trust among strangers, with a single scene, in a way that's believable in-universe.
Awesome!
This is an excellent review of this game. thank you for doing this. The only downside is that there is no hardback version which is a dealbreaker for me. I don't do pdf's, lol.
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I wish so bad that I could play this kind of game by myself, but I keep zoning out and lacking inspiration. Having real players forces me to push thru, but when I'm playing solo, my motivation fails fast. Do any of you have any tips that you use to counter that sort of solo lethargy that builds up?
The number of moves seems daunting at first, but never let them get in the way. Just role-play, then try to determine which move applies. The categorizations help to immediately narrow down what moves to review. You may not get it right at first, but just review your sessions after you play to see if you hit the right moves or not. The role-play should drive the move selection and move selection should not drive the role-playing. At least not until you are intimate with the moves. It doesn't take long. After a couple sessions, things will really start to flow.
One word of advice for new players... If you roll up something on a table that does not seem to make sense at first, especially if it is a match on the challenge dice, do not let thinking about the narrative interrupt your flow of play. Whatever that complication or benefit is may not be immediately apparent. Set a timer on it and put it to the side for now. I guarantee it will make itself known in time.
I think one thing that should be highlighted is Shaun's brilliance at tapping into YOUR imagination. He sets the bar in Your Truths. It is riddled with lore, but nothing is purely defined. He leaves it up to you to explore and determine. It is strangely specific and generic all at the same time, which means it is ripe for adventure and expansion. This entire concept extends into every table you find in the game. Just about every outcome is a prompt designed to spark your imagination. Nothing is force-fed. This shows an incredible amount of trust and respect on Shaun's part. Personally, I find it revolutionary. I have never seen a game put player agency at this level.
A final word of advice. Don't always be so hard on your character when you play. You are the player AND the GM. Don't forget that as a GM, you wouldn't always make your players face the worse outcome each and every time. Every failure doesn't have to be a tragedy and every success doesn't have to be a triumph. There are nuances to both.
One last thing to note... these rules translate nicely into Ironsworn, particularly Legacy tracks, Connections, and Exploration. I look at this much like Ironsworn 2.0 and play both games with the Starforged ruleset.
Great review as allways.
Theres some things im not totaly agree.
Why do you think is kinda stretch to make pc as alien? Theres rly no mechanics for the race so i dont see why not play as Raccoon or as Green Gelie Humanoid. Its all about fiction.
Another thing is, i dont necessarely agree with the need to do the "Truths" befoure starting playing. You can have allrady the truths defined by going with allrady defined background with some sci-fi or some modern themed show as sci-fi rpgs are broad enouth to play diferent themed games. It helps to define it but i dont necessarely think it is something you cant skip, and that reminds me that the "truths" can be a thing to your PC and can change as you play.
Others i can agree, the Moves are growing, even if i understand why there are still somes that let me think "it is realy necessary?". That moves are the ones that when you stop playing and the 2 "new" combat moves [Gain Ground] and [React under fire]. [Gain Ground] and [React under fire] used to be [Secure an Advantage] and [Face danger] that now we get "new" combat moves becouse that moves was in the "use as we need" category and maybe people forget that can be used inside combat. I just dont like to mutch the 2 "new" moves not only becouse we have more to remember but becouse they are allmost the same as the old ones but with less broad scope in its use.
Theres new things i dont know how to feel about as it changed from Ironsworn (dident tested yet).
-Combat looks that changed to be made fastest as we now not only mark progress double as we used to do but now we can even mark progress as we [Clash]. This makes the combats fast and the challenge dificulty hald as used to be (i can be wrong as i dident played yet).
-Clash move now can mark progress. This is good for narrative purpose when you dont want to "atack" and you try to win the fight passively. Still marking progress twice maybe a bit to mutch. Instead i think im going to house rule and change to just 1 progress and change the move [React under fire] on Strong Hit to chose: You get in controll and +1 momentum or You get in controll and mark 1 progress. It gives the choise to progress under fire as for me "strike" feels like you are fighting back as "react under fire" looks like more doing something danger but still trying to resolve your objective without fighting back. Thats why i liked more of the old [Face danger] and [Secure an Advantage]
-I like that Shawn talked about Combat Objectives. When i played, my only combat objective was allways "deal with the enemy", "run from enemy", "something enemy" and now with fastest combat i may have multyple tracks with objectives, something like "Deal with the elite snipers"(Rank Extreme) or try to "run open the locked door as beeing sniped"(Rank Dangerous). //Yes deeling with the door is easyer becouse the snipers are on top of some building that you dont know the possition
Was you sayd, there are allrady many moves but they are realy part of the game and why is easy to solo compared to other solo games. Why? The moves gave you strocture. After some move you will get into making other move that make you make other move. The moves guide you thru the game.
Still we need more moves, like you mentioned, we need spaceship combat as it is now its realy, almost, not that diferent from fighting pc vs npc. You will need to use the narrative to get diferent feeling and problems to your space ship instead to your character.
Other thing i agree is Starforge will have its value even if some one dont like the system and use it as Oracle. Like Ironsworn and Delve, Starforge is awasome even if just for the Oracles.
The diferent documents i find it a plus. I know that way the book is not "complete" and you need to download and print whats missing, but not just that cuts costs, but can have space for updates and changes. Cant remember, but i think theres links mentioned in the book to donwload it. Just to add, the documentation as the overal art in this product it is on point.
Overall i love this new "Ironsworn in space". Fast combat is good for me as it is not usualy my focus but still leaves possibilities with "combat objectives" to make it slower.
I may do that mentioned house rule and may use the old [Face danger] and [Secure an Advantage] in combat instead of the 2 new ones.
PS: Ohh almost forgot. The use of "Close Quarters" and "At a distance" let me though that at some point in the book it will had some mechanics to play with minis, as some old graph posted some years ago, but saddly it was not the case, it was "just" to say when use Iron or Edge.
I tried it several times and each time was bored out of my mind. Solo sci-fi is not for me.
Are these rules purposely written to make your tongue tie? 😆 I've read TV remote instructions, in an off language, that make more sense.