Ironsworn: Starforged — solo sci-fi PbtA RPG

"Swear iron vows. Survive the Forge."

Diced6 + 2d10

Players1–3

Prep~10 min

Foundry VTT—

Complexity

What is this system

Ironsworn: Starforged is a sci-fi RPG for one player, a duo, or a small group — with no GM required. You are a spacefarer on the edge of inhabited space inside the Forge: a turbulent nebula of young stars where humanity clings to a handful of fragile settlements. Zero prep, zero game master: powerful oracle tables, a fiction-first move engine, and progress tracks propel the story forward on their own. The iron vow system turns every sworn promise into a dramatic stake, and its fulfillment into catharsis. ENNIE award winner and Kickstarter hit of 2022.

Setting

Centuries ago, the last refugee ships fled a dying galaxy and plunged into the Forge — a dense nebula of young, fierce stars where the Precursors left behind ruins of inscrutable purpose. Today humanity is fragmented: hundreds of isolated sectors, each with its own history, beliefs, and crises. Ships cross the Void between them. Precursor worlds hide lethal alien life. Your character is one of the rare few who takes on missions that determine the fate of whole communities — alone, if necessary.

What it looks like at the table

You hang in the pilot's seat above Kaerta — a planet strangled by toxic atmosphere. Sensors flag debris from a scout hauler in low orbit. Someone was here before you. You trigger Begin an Expedition and roll: d6 + Wits against 2d10. Strong hit — you spot a beacon buried in the wreckage. You mark progress. But one challenge die lands on 10 — a match. The oracle says: 'A threat closes in.' Somewhere behind a cloud of reflector chaff, a ship is running dark. And it already knows you're here.

Playstyle

Exploration Narrative Sandbox Space

Key mechanics

Iron Vows

Your character literally swears on a piece of iron to complete a mission — from rescuing a settlement to unraveling a millennium-old mystery. Every vow gets a 10-box progress track. Fulfilling it earns Legacy and experience; failing it reshapes the story permanently.

Moves & Oracles

When the outcome is uncertain, you make a Move: roll d6 (action die) + stat against 2d10 (challenge dice). Strong hit — press forward with momentum. Weak hit — costly success. Miss — pay a price. Over 200 oracle tables generate planets, NPCs, threats, and twists — no two sessions ever repeat.

Momentum

A resource that builds on successes and can be spent at a critical moment to override a bad roll. But it has a ceiling: under certain conditions momentum 'burns', flipping the track and turning a near-miss into disaster.

Assets

Skills, your starship, companions, and gear are all Assets with three upgrade boxes. Your ship is a character in its own right — it has a name, a history, and its own health progress track. Assets let you bend the rules to match your play style.

Three Legacies

Experience flows through three separate tracks: Quests (fulfilled vows), Bonds (deepened NPC relationships), and Exploration (completed expeditions). Each grows independently, forming a unique portrait of who your character is becoming.

What people say

The oracles don't just tell you what happens — they hand you a weird detail and trust you to build the world around it. I've ended up in situations I never would have invented on my own.— u/void_cartographer, r/solorpg

For developing a story with structure that still manages to surprise me, nothing beats this. It's become my favorite solo tabletop system, full stop.— popcult.blog, solo RPG review series

Art & materials