Explore the Forge

gregorymaness
7 hours ago
3 min read

Some time back I picked up a copy of Ironsworn: Starforged, a science fiction tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) by Shawn Tomkin and Joshua Meehan designed for traditional group play, cooperative or co-op play, and solo play. The recommended size for an Ironsworn: Starforged group is anywhere from one to three players plus one player acting as the guide or gamemaster (GM). Cooperative play involves more than one player playing the game without the need for a dedicated guide or GM player. Solo play involves a single player playing the game, again without the need for a dedicated guide or GM player. In both co-op and solo play, the player or players are essentially also filling the guide or GM role with the help of systems and tools found within the pages of Ironsworn: Starforged.

I have watched and read as a number of people have praised Ironsworn: Starforged and its predecessor, Ironsworn, for teaching them how to play a TTRPG solo. Ironsworn is a TTRPG with a low fantasy setting. Picture a cold, brutal and harsh world of low fantasy Vikings and you reportedly won’t be too far off in accurately capturing both the settling and the vibe. Ironsworn: Starforged is both a science fiction TTRPG set in a galaxy distant from our own and represents an evolution in play from that originally outlined in Ironsworn. Ironsworn: Starforged is set in a region of space known by its inhabitants as the Forge.

As I said earlier, I picked up a copy of Ironsworn: Starforged some time ago. Moreover, I had picked up a box containing the Ironsworn: Starforged - Asset Deck. However, I wasn’t able to pick up a copy of the Ironsworn: Starforged Reference Guide, as it wasn’t in stock at Modiphius Entertainment’s online store for the United States. I saw that it was a highly recommended resource for the game and I wanted to get my hands on a physical copy. Now it is back in stock and I have ordered a physical copy. Now I read the rules as I wait for it to arrive. The idea of fleshing out the setting and adventuring in a universe unique to my gaming table (admittedly every TTRPG places the players in a setting that is ultimately unique to that particular table) is indeed appealing and represents a great way to use my imagination and creativity to create a story. Specific sources of inspiration mentioned by the authors include Alien, Battlestar Galactica, Dune, Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Expanse,The Mandalorian, and the original Star Wars trilogy.

Below I have provided links to a handful of videos devoted to Ironsworn: Starforged, as well as a link to Modiphius Entertainment’s online store for the United States and a link to the Tomkin Press website where you can get access to products and free resources for both Ironsworn and Ironsworn: Starforged (as well as products for the Sundered Isles expansion for the Ironsworn: Starforged system). The Ironsworn: Starforged - Asset Deck happens to currently be out of stock at Modiphius Entertainment’s online store for the United States, but you can get it as a print-on-demand product via a link to DriveThruRPG from the Tomkin Press website. Moreover, you can get a free digital copy of Ironsworn via the Tomkin Press website or order a print-on-demand copy via one of the links located there on the Tomkin Press website.

Feel free to watch the videos and check out the websites. Perhaps our paths will cross somewhere in the Forge. If so, I might buy you a drink at the cantina… assuming that I am not seeking to collect the bounty on your head. If you’re my assignment, I suggest that you come along quietly. 😉