Sanguine Dust: Session Zero
Introduction to Ironsworn: Starforged and the campaign, Sanguine Dust
Ironsworn: Starforged is one of the first systems I used to begin playing solo-focused games. The creator, Shawn Tomkins, created a system called Ironsworn, which is free on his site, ironswornrpg.com. When first starting out, I tried Ironsworn, creating a character who quickly died to a bunch of wolves in their first conflict. Whoops. Playing solo takes some experience and you often give yourself rather drastic consequences in order to ‘be fair’. With more experience, you learn you don’t always have to take your character through the ringer and it’s often not fun to do so! Ironsworn is a great system that really helped me learn how to play games by myself using ‘Oracles’. Oracles are tables of random outputs that spur your imagination and story forward. You can truly surprise your character and yourself by using such tools.
If you’re more interested in the fiction and story or just don’t care about the game mechanics that much, you can just hit the subscribe button and wait for the next post. If you are interested in the game and the mechanics, keep reading.
Even though Ironsworn is great, the Nordic-ish, low-fantasy, gritty theme didn’t inspire me, which is why I was so happy when Shawn announced Starforged. It uses mostly the same system, with many creative and helpful add-ons, and sets the game in an awesome sci-fi setting. I jumped on the kickstarter in order to get the rules as soon as I could and begin playing.
If you are first getting into Solo role playing games, Ironsworn is a great start because it’s a great system, teaches you how to use oracles which you can use in a variety of other games, and it’s FREE!
The basic system is this, when you make a move, or take an action. You roll the Action die, (1d6) and add whichever ability applies (Edge, Heart, Iron, Shadow, Wits). You also roll the Challenge dice (2d10) and compare your result against the Challenge dice. If the result beats both Challenge dice, you get a Strong Hit, great success, huzzah! If you beat one of the challenge dice, you get a Weak Hit, which is usually a success at a cost or with a complication. If you fail to beat either of the Challenge Dice, you get a Miss, which is when negative things happen. You might make a Suffer move, lose Health, Spirit, Supplies or Momentum. Your companion or ship might take damage, etc. The other important thing is if you roll the same number on both Challenge dice. This is called a Match and should strengthen the hit or miss or drastically change the situation. A Strong Hit with a Match could be especially helpful or powerful. A Miss with a Match could come with a very nasty complication.
Now that you know the basic system, onto the campaign: Sanguine Dust
In Starforged, before you begin, you decide on some World Truths. These are statements about your game universe (called ‘The Forge’ in Starforged) that you can either choose from a few options, roll randomly, or create your own. I did a mix of rolling if I couldn’t decide or choosing the option I found most interesting. My choices are below. Some of the descriptions are shortened or simplified, as I don’t want to copy and paste too much of the rulebook. The options within the book are descriptive, imaginative and all-around great ideas that really jumpstart your imagination as you begin play.
The Cataclysm: We were united in the prolonged war against an implacable foe (Alien Beings) but our defeat was at hand.
The Exodus: A ragtag fleet of ships propelled at tremendous speeds by experimental FTL drives carried our ancestors to The Forge. But the technology that powered the ships is said to be the source of the Sundering, a fracturing of reality that plagues us today.
Communities: Few survived the journey to the Forge and we are scattered to the winds in this perilous place.
Iron: The Ironsworn bind their vows to ancient iron arm rings.
Law: Much of the settled domains are a lawless frontier. Criminal factions and corrupt leaders often hold sway.
Religion: Our faith is as diverse as our people.
Magic: Supernatural powers are wielded by those rare people we call Paragons.
Communication and Data: Much was lost when we came to the Forge.
Medicine: To help offset a scarcity of medical supplies and knowledge, the technicians we call Riggers create basic organ and limb replacements.
AI: Artificial consciousness emerged in the time before the Exodus and sentient machines live with us here in the Forge.
War: Here in the Forge, resources are too precious to support organized fighting forces or advanced weaponry.
Lifeforms: This is a perilous and often inhospitable galaxy but life finds a way.
Precursors: (All 3 options were so good, I just used all 3!)
Over eons, a vast number of civilizations rose and fell within the Forge. Today, the folk we call Grubs - scavenger crews and audacious explorers - delve into the mysterious monuments and ruins of those ancient beings.
The Ascendancy, an advanced spacefaring empire, once ruled the entirety of the Forge. Vaults of inscrutable purpose are all that remain to mark the Ascendancy's legacy, but those places are untethered from our own reality.
The biomechanical lifeforms we call the Remnants, engineered by ancient civilizations as weapons in a cataclysmic war, survived the death of their creators.
Horrors: The biomechanical lifeforms we call the Remnants, engineered by ancient civilizations as weapons in a cataclysmic war, survived the death of their creators.
Next, before I can make a character that lives within The Forge, I must first create my first Sector, where my adventures will take place. In the Forge, there are four areas, starting with Terminus in the center, the most civilized. Beyond that is the Outlands, kind of like the frontier and after that is the Expanse, which is very uncivilized, with very few settlements. After that is the Void, which as far as anyone knows, is uninhabitable, just space and empty worlds. As far as anybody knows, nobody has been past the Void. I’m going to start with a sector in the Outlands, as I like the idea of being on the frontier, with lawless settlements and wild planets. Creating the sector involves rolling dice to generate settlements, planets and stars. The Sector name I rolled was “Sanguis Limits”, which is where I got the name for this campaign. I ended up with three planets, each with a settlement.
Lotan, Ocean World: A planet completely or almost entirely covered by a boundless ocean.
Atmosphere: Unknown
Features: Unknown
Settlement: Tranquility, Orbital
Population: Thousands
Authority: Unyielding
Projects: Energy, Medicine
Azula, Furnace World: A planet with relentless volcanic activity, wreathed in fire and ash.
Atmosphere: Unknown
Features: Unknown
Settlement: Argosy, Planetside
Population: Hundreds
Authority: Corrupt
Project(s): Entertainment
Vigrid, Shattered World: A planet sundered by cataclysmic destruction.
Atmosphere: Thin
Features: Phantom visions of the past, Exposed caverns
Observed from space: Unbroken Moon
Life: None
Settlement: Reverie, Orbital
Population: Thousands
Authority: Corrupt
Projects: Warfare
Features: Forsaken Storage, Hidden Location
Trouble: Blocked resource
Finally, I get to create my Ironsworn. Ironsworn is the name given to those people who take Iron Vows which are essentially quests or missions you undertake. They are the system that drive the adventure. Without a vow, your character has nothing to do. Without further ado, meet…
Shen Braddock
Pronouns: He/Him
Callsign: Coyote
I've been on my own for as long as I can remember. No parents. Just scrounging as a kid to get by. Surviving.
Abilities:
Edge: +3
Heart: +1
Iron: +1
Shadow: +2
Wits: +2
Shen is a survivor who gets things done. He’s got a +3 in Edge because he’s as fast on the draw as he is on the streets or in space. He’s got a +1 in Heart because he’s a bit of a loner, who doesn’t trust or get along with others easily. A +1 in Iron because he’s better at running, shooting or hiding than a straight up fist-fight. Finally, a +2 in Shadow because he’s not above doing something shady if it means avoiding danger and +Wits because he’s quick-thinking.
Starting Stats:
Momentum:
Max: +10, Reset: +2
Current: +2
Health:
Max: +5
Current: +5
Spirit: +5
Max: +5
Current: +5
Supplies: +5
Max +5
Current: +5
I’m not going to go super into detail about these as more will come out through play. Momentum is easily lost or gained and can be used to get an automatic success once in awhile. Health, Spirit and Supplies are all stats that can get hit when you make Suffer moves, leading to Debilities and Impacts if you don’t recover them.
Background Vow: To travel beyond the Void
The background vow is your characters life goal, essentially. It should be something epic in scope. Something to drive the character forward if nothing else is going on.
Assets:
Assets are what make up your character. They are abilities, equipment, companions, and jobs, each one giving a bonus in play, with others available to upgrade with experience when you Advance. You start with Starship and then three that you choose. Bolded phrases are names of Moves that you make when you play, and Legacy tracks are how you mark experience, which you can acquire by making Bonds with NPCs, making Discoveries, and completing Quests.
Starship - Name: Nomad Drifter
Your armed, multipurpose starship is suited for interstellar and atmospheric flight. It can comfortably transport several people, has space for cargo, and can carry and launch support vehicles. When you Advance, you may spend experience to equip this vehicle with modular Assets.
Explorer
When you Explore a Waypoint, take +1 momentum on a hit. When you Finish an Expedition, and score a hit, mark 1 extra tick on your discoveries legacy track.
Gunslinger
When you Enter the Fray by facing off against your opponent (heart) or by preparing to act without tipping them off (shadow), add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. On a Strong Hit with a Match, you may immediately make a shot (without making a Move) and mark progress twice.
Scavenger
When you Gather Information, or Resupply, by scavenging a wreck, ruin or abandoned site, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. On a Strong Hit with a Match, you also find something of unique value, significance, or function. Envision the nature of this discovery, take +2 momentum and mark 2 ticks on your discoveries legacy track.
Last, you create one NPC that you have a Connection with.
Connections:
Kwan Hammond
Callsign: Crash
Role: Hunter
There we go! We have Truths for the Universe, a starting Sector from which our adventures shall begin, and an Ironsworn who will be undertaking said adventures. If you have any questions or thoughts so far, please feel free to leave a comment.
Otherwise, stay tuned for…
Crash & Coyote is a good band name