Session 000: Setting things up

Rules

In Ironsworn:Starforged, you are a spaceborne hero sworn to undertake perilous quests. You will explore uncharted space, unravel the secrets of a mysterious galaxy, and build bonds with those you meet on your travels. Most importantly, you will swear iron vows and see them fulfilled—no matter the cost.

A typical Starforged game is designed to played right away. But Starforged believes the prep is play. So it allows you to do some quick worldbuilding exercises to help you get started before you start playing.

A typical Session Zero for a solo game is essentially a planning and character creation session. I am using this Session Zero to decide on how I want the game to proceed and also what kind of a player I want to role-play as.

I used AI to help me flesh out most of my initial ideas on the gameplay. A series of conversations helped in filling out gaps in my ideas. I also used the AI for most of my setup rolls. I asked it to roll for any decisions that needed a dice to be rolled.

A Starforged game or campaign starts with:

Choose Your Truths - Decide what is true for your version of the Forge.
Create Your Character - Set your character’s background, abilities, and characteristics.
Build a Starting Sector - Create a location to explore at the start of your campaign.
Begin Your Adventure - Get your story underway as you face an inciting incident and swear an iron vow.

Choosing our Truths about the Forge

I'll create the world truths as I play.

Creating a Player Character

Rules

A typical Starforged character creation involves the following steps:

Ready your assets.
Choose two paths.
Create your backstory.
Write your background vow.
Board your starship.
6.Choose your final asset.
Set your stats.
Set your condition meters.
Envision your character.
Name your character.
Gear up.

I'm not following the above steps in order. I'm starting with the character name.

Name your character

I set up the player character as Kaelen Vashti (callsign: Wraith).

Choose two paths

I decided to pick up the Bounty Hunter & Sniper assets.

Create your backstory

I also fleshed out a backstory for Kaelen.

Kaelen Vashti served as a skilled sharpshooter in the planetary militia for a few years before dropping out. Now Kaelen, a skilled artisan in a small yet thriving community on the edge of the Forge is known for his artistic knick-knacks that the community sold to off-planet traders. But this tranquility was shattered when the Crimson Reavers, a ruthless band of raiders, descended upon his settlement, leaving behind a trail of fire and despair. Wraith, who had been off-planet during that raid, returned home to find his home reduced to ashes and comrades slaughtered.

He is a lone wolf hunter archetype bent on vengeance who destroyed his community. (Any resemblance to John Wick or any movie is your overactive imagination. 😉)

Write your background vow

Kaelen's Background Vow (Difficulty: Epic)

I vow to eradicate the Crimson Reavers from the Forge, leaving no trace of their cruelty.

Envision your character

Look: Lean and agile frame; Sharp, watchful eyes; A collection of scars tells a silent story of past encounters; Favors dark, practical clothing that blends into the shadows.
Act: Quiet and observant; Prefers actions to words; Highly focused and driven; A hint of sadness lingers beneath the surface.
Wear: A worn leather jacket, a symbol of their past life; Fingerless gloves allow for precise handling of weapons; A utility belt carries essential tools and a data slate.

Gear up

Kaelen carries as his inventory in his Spacer Kit:
- Clothing: Durable, weather-appropriate attire.
- Rations: Basic food supplies.
- Tools: A multitool, repair kit, and other essentials.
- First Aid Kit: Basic medical supplies.
- Hololink: A device for communication.
- Customized Sniper Rifle: Kaelen has named it: Widowmaker
- Hunter's Knife: (used to swear iron vows)
- Data Slate: With target information, star charts, and communication logs.
- Disguise Kit
- Lockpicks
- Silent Weapons: Suppressed pistol or throwing knives.
- Grappling Hook
- Binoculars
- Credits - for purchases

Board your starship

Kaelen needs a spaceship to travel on his vengeance journey. So I added a new Command Vehicle for him and named it Silent Fury.

Choose your final asset

Starforged gives an option to choose a final asset in addition to the path ones I picked up earlier. So I picked up a Sprite Companion asset and named it Whisper.

Set your stats

Stats in Starforged

Starforged uses the following stats:

Edge: quickness, agility, and prowess when fighting at a distance.
Heart: courage, willpower, empathy, sociability, and loyalty.
Iron: physical strength, endurance, aggressiveness, and prowess when fighting at close quarters.
Shadow: sneakiness, deceptiveness, and cunning.
Wits: expertise, knowledge, and observation.

Next up was figuring out the stats for Kaelen. The stats influence how Kaelen interacts with the game's challenges, affecting their success rate and narrative outcomes.

Stats for Kaelen

Edge: 3 - A high Edge score signifies Kaelen's proficiency in quickness, agility, and ranged combat. This aligns with Kaelen's background as a skilled sharpshooter and their SNIPER path, allowing them to excel in situations requiring precision and speed, like starship combat or ranged attacks.
Heart: 2 - Though not their primary strength, a decent Heart score allows Kaelen to navigate social interactions effectively and maintain strong bonds with companions.
Iron: 2 - While not a brawler, Kaelen can withstand physical challenges and hold their own in close combat if necessary.
Shadow: 1 - A low Shadow score suggests that stealth and deception are not Kaelen's preferred methods. Since Kaelen's Bounty Hunter path may require some degree of stealth and cunning to track targets effectively, making this a situational stat. His companion sprite Whisper can augment Kaelen's capabilities in situations where the Shadow stat is relevant.
Wits: 1 - A low Wits score indicates that Kaelen relies more on instinct and experience than intellectual prowess.

Overall, Kaelen's stat distribution creates a character who is a formidable force in combat, particularly at range. Their moderate Heart and Iron scores provide a balance, while their lower Shadow and Wits suggest areas where they might need to adapt or rely on allies and resources. This creates opportunities for dynamic and engaging gameplay, requiring Kaelen to leverage their strengths and strategize around their weaknesses.

Set your condition meters

Condition meters measure your character’s readiness
and status. Initially, health, spirit, and supply meters are set to 5 and momentum to +2.

Condition meters

Health: 5
Spirit: 5
Supply: 5
Momentum: 2

Creating a Starting Sector

Rules

A typical Starforged sector creation involves the following steps:

Choose your starting region
Determine the number of settlements
Generate settlement details
Generate planets
Generate stars (optional)
Create a sector map
Create passages
Zoom in on a settlement
Create a local connection
Introduce a sector trouble
Finalize your starting sector

Like the character creation process, I'm following the steps out of order.

Generate settlement details

The AI suggested Valkyrie Station citing that this name evokes a sense of power and activity as a hub for trade, intrigue, and diverse factions.🤷🏾

I also asked it to create the settlement details.

Choose your starting region, sector, & sector trouble

So where is Valkyrie Station located? Rolling on it gave us The Ebon Maw:

Sector Name

Name: The Ebon Maw
Region: Outlands
Stellar Object: Burning yellow star
Number of Planets: 3
Settlements: 2
Sighting: Electromagnetic emission nebula
Trouble: Raider Clan emerges as a dominant threat

Determine the number of settlements

The Rulebook mentions that the Outlands represents an area of recent expansion. Settlements here are scattered, and navigational paths are often uncharted and perilous. It advocates creating 3 settlements for an Outlands sector.

Since we already have Valkyrie Station, I'll create any other settlements as the game progresses.

Create planets & passages

As I have only one settlement, Valkyrie Station available currently, I'll name it the Valkyrie Passage for lack of a better name.

I'll update The Ebon Maw sector as we discover new places.

Create a local connection

I wondered why is Kaelen travelling to Valkyrie Station.

Why is Kaelen visiting ValkStat?

Result: Kaelen is hoping for some leads on the Crimson Reavers's whereabouts.

Who is his connection at ValkStat?

Result: Valera Thorne

So that's where our story begins in our next session, with Kaelen visiting Valkyrie station: Rendezvous at Valkyrie.

Gameplay Findings

Player Character: Kaelen Vashti, a Bounty Hunter & Sniper travelling with his sprite companion, Whisper aboard his starship, Silent Fury
Locations: Valkyrie Station), (location::The Ebon Maw
NPCs: Valera Thorne
Groups: The Crimson Reavers
Vows:
- I vow to eradicate the Crimson Reavers from the Forge, leaving no trace of their cruelty.