GrimSworn - adjusting Ironsworn:Starforged for use in 40K / Inq28

[Xin Ceithan]

Hello everyone! 
 

As stated elsewhere, I am currently making my way through the core rules of Ironsworn: Starforged.

It is a series of rules / setting mechanics for use in solo or co op gaming with a strong focus on the developing narrative over the more commonly used tabletop  style “simulation” of individual actions.

The original Ironsworn is aimed at a low magic / fantasy setting with  Starforged being adapted to the sci fi theme in general and ruleswise as well as having some more stream lined rules  ( a sort of 2nd edition ).

Basic set up is human characters only and a “retro” sf tech style a la Traveller, Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica.

I am currently taking for a test spin in more generic set up and can see the rules as written already as being workable in number of ways, from a street level Star Wars game to things like Dune. It’s a nice way to progress a story with added, often unforeseen consequences so you can follow a story without it becoming, in the words of our board’s own Comissar Molotov “some sort of overblown fan fiction” 

 

Being centered around a single/ few  character with some allies and contacts, I can already see this as way to develop the story and get some modeling inspiration for something like a renegade warband or inquisition retinue in an Inq28 style way.

There is already a sort of “legacy track” to follow the character development, but for a more “ grimdark” feel, I think there should be some sort  way to track something like “insanity” and/ or  “corruption”. 

Also, this being the Bolter and Chainsword, I am also looking for way to introduce Astartes Characters without derailing the system in both the power level and over complication (adding some wounds? Number of starting assets?).
 

There are already things like “augments” and a “Mecha Suit” - so this might form a basis for something like the knight houses rpg already discussed in “Knights of the Golden Throne” since it seams less likely to be bogged down under an avalanche of rules.

I’d love to use this for something like the Legion Wars, where you follow a single Champion and his retinue along his way through the aftermath of the scouring and exploration of the Eye, something a kin to the old Path of Glory in the vaunted Realms of Chaos books..

Ironsworn has been out for some time - maybe some one made a “hack” for Warhammy Fantasy already, covering some of this stuff - A bestiary, maybe? 

So, if anyone has some advice or experience o just wants to b along for the ride, feel free to drop your ideas here.

 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

I've had a quick look at it, and it seems like quite a different kind of play to most RPG's I'm familiar with (except maybe STALKER and Guy Sclanders' FLOW Systems).

It's essentially SP, but the random dice challenges dictate your character's path?

Essentially, I suppose anything can be modified, from your comments about the exosuit, that would seem appropriate for a Knight, certainly, but Space Marines may be a little harder since they're above and beyond, unless there's rules to ignore effects or streamline challenges it could be difficult.

Unless of course the story itself was modified to fit their archetype, so it becomes a question of if a Marine has to roll, then a human has no bloody chance?

[Xin Ceithan]

I am still getting my head around this, since it is, as say, quite a departure from old school rpgs in the D&D / FFG sense.

You set up the story and roll / look into the challenge dice roll system at critical events of the narrative, from I got. And it looks to be designed to make the protagonist live through interesting times more often than just breezing through … certainly quite an effort to make the hero’s journey here  

I am currently considering that my first approach to a 4OK set up might be a Mechanicus Explorator of some sort with a robot / servitor companion or something like that once I have an idea of what I have been doing …

Something that has a distinctive 40K feel while not having to tweak the rules to much at first.

 

[Mazer Rackham]

I think that's a sound plan. Work out how everything interacts within the ruleset with something comparable, then see what you can do to break it.

I'm sure the Hero's Journey isn't as easy as all that. 

[Brother Hellion]

On 7/30/2022 at 11:48 AM, Xin Ceithan said:

Hello everyone! 
 

As stated elsewhere, I am currently making my way through the core rules of Ironsworn: Starforged.

It is a series of rules / setting mechanics for use in solo or co op gaming with a strong focus on the developing narrative over the more commonly used tabletop  style “simulation” of individual actions.

The original Ironsworn is aimed at a low magic / fantasy setting with  Starforged being adapted to the sci fi theme in general and ruleswise as well as having some more stream lined rules  ( a sort of 2nd edition ).

Basic set up is human characters only and a “retro” sf tech style a la Traveller, Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica.

I am currently taking for a test spin in more generic set up and can see the rules as written already as being workable in number of ways, from a street level Star Wars game to things like Dune. It’s a nice way to progress a story with added, often unforeseen consequences so you can follow a story without it becoming, in the words of our board’s own Comissar Molotov “some sort of overblown fan fiction” 

 

Being centered around a single/ few  character with some allies and contacts, I can already see this as way to develop the story and get some modeling inspiration for something like a renegade warband or inquisition retinue in an Inq28 style way.

There is already a sort of “legacy track” to follow the character development, but for a more “ grimdark” feel, I think there should be some sort  way to track something like “insanity” and/ or  “corruption”. 

Also, this being the Bolter and Chainsword, I am also looking for way to introduce Astartes Characters without derailing the system in both the power level and over complication (adding some wounds? Number of starting assets?).
 

There are already things like “augments” and a “Mecha Suit” - so this might form a basis for something like the knight houses rpg already discussed in “Knights of the Golden Throne” since it seams less likely to be bogged down under an avalanche of rules.

I’d love to use this for something like the Legion Wars, where you follow a single Champion and his retinue along his way through the aftermath of the scouring and exploration of the Eye, something a kin to the old Path of Glory in the vaunted Realms of Chaos books..

Ironsworn has been out for some time - maybe some one made a “hack” for Warhammy Fantasy already, covering some of this stuff - A bestiary, maybe? 

So, if anyone has some advice or experience o just wants to b along for the ride, feel free to drop your ideas here.

 

 

I applaud you trying to take an existing system and fine tune it for a WH environment. 

[Xin Ceithan]

Thank you, @Brother Hellion 

 

I must admit that I have currently run this only as more generic sci fi thing as intended. This works quite fine.

 

That you are able to affect encounters and develop both the story and the character(s) by spending resources / actions which in turn affects later action / development is something I like very much because it gives the story some edges . 
 

Otherwise “it would just as well just be glorified fan-fiction” as our wanted brother Commisar Molotov once put it 

 

It surely needs some twerking for things like the scaling of things like warp capable vessels for small groups or single play and I haven’t yet thought of a way to represent Astartes  in game mechanics well, but for more baseline stuff I think it would serve pretty well already