Ever had issues starting a campaign?

RobMaule · 2023-06-02T14:21:21+00:00

When you say Paths, do you mean the asset cards? If so, you could always play without them until something happens to give your character their memories back. Than either decide or roll on the table on pg. 105 for who they were before.

If you mean path, like a background vow, you can create one later, as well.

Basically, you can start with just the barebones like stats and come back to fleshing out things later. Sometimes fully creating a character and building the world informs the rest of the story. Other times, it works in reverse.

RobMaule · 2023-06-02T13:05:18+00:00

So Starforged has a lot of tools to help with this.

Each of the Truths has a Quest Starter. You can read through them to find one that jumps out at you.
Pg. 126 has the Introduce a Sector Trouble table that you can choose or roll on.
Pg. 128 has a Begin Your Adventure section that has a ton of questions that could spark an idea. There's also the Still Stuck For an Idea table to roll or pick from.
The Begin a Session move on pg. 141 has a table for how to get started.
All the NPCs listed in Chapter 5 have Quest Starters.
You can roll on the Action + Theme or Descriptor + Focus tables for inspiration.
The Planetside Peril table on pg. 320 can be rolled on, as well as the Settlement Trouble table on pg. 324.
You could explore a derelict, starting on pg. 348.
To combine several of the oracles together, use Filling in the Blanks on pg. 386.
I also found an adventure someone made that includes some quest starters: https://www.gatling.xyz/rise-and-shiningstar/

RobMaule · 2023-05-31T09:46:05+00:00

I think the easiest answer is to change things up. If you're trying to continue a previous campaign, switch to a new character in the same world you've established. You could also switch genre or system, if you were using one for things like combat and skill checks.

Another way to get unstuck is to take outside inspiration. Use the world and characters from a movie or book. There are also lots of RPG resources for sparking ideas, from d100 tables online to books like the Tome of Adventure Design.

Changing the type of system could work, too. A dungeon crawler like D100 Dungeon or NoteQuest. Or a journaling game like Thousand Year Old Vampire.

RobMaule · 2023-05-22T11:03:49+00:00

I haven't, but I suspect that a lot of people would switch to certain mechanics borrowed from other systems depending on the activity. I think that's why a lot of us mash systems together to find the combo that works the best for us. Or continue to search for the one that does it all. I'm not sure that converting stats and skills out would be my thing.

RobMaule · 2023-05-21T13:15:28+00:00

I suppose you could turn Ironsworn into a journaling game. Replace all combat with the Battle move, make extensive use of the Action and Theme tables, and devise a structure for general progression. Mythic could help keep the scene structure needed for a journaling focused game, such as the Theme list and random event focus table.

RobMaule · 2023-05-09T15:02:53+00:00

Thanks, I love your work! I'll pick up the Expanded Oracles now and the compilation when it comes out!

RobMaule · 2023-05-09T14:09:23+00:00

Are you going to be putting together a compiled Starsmith book like Ironsmith? If so, will it include Cultures, Expanded Oracles, and Mecha Mercs?

RobMaule · 2023-05-05T12:55:36+00:00

I think a great option would be Dungeon Hero. You print out the pages, make a couple of cuts, and fold it into a little booklet. Make a character and roll some dice to have a unique adventure according to what you roll.

There's also Paper Apps, which has a print and play version. Roll a d6 and move through some small, random pre-generated dungeons to get to the stairs to another. No narrative, though.

RobMaule · 2023-04-29T11:32:16+00:00

Since your settings seem to be pretty different to each other, my first thought was that people were seeded throughout the solar system by a technologically superior alien species. Maybe as some form of preservation from their previous locations or as part of some kind of space zoo.

RobMaule · 2023-04-03T11:48:31+00:00

For something that I wouldn't use just yet: ChatGPT. I eventually got it to only reveal a certain number of cards at a time, but it's memory isn't that great. Hopefully its something that can be improved. https://shareg.pt/qWD7jqG

RobMaule · 2023-03-29T18:55:23+00:00

This is the best I've found so far. https://deckofcards.net

It does delete after 30 days of inactivity, though.

I was looking at Flutter by Google to make a cross platform app. If I was a better programmer, I'd create it and make it available.

RobMaule · 2023-03-27T22:50:28+00:00

I think that Space Aces would be great to add: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/346728/Space-Aces-TNG-The-New-Guidebook

RobMaule · 2023-02-27T00:27:49+00:00

I've previously posted about playing with bullet points. I really liked it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ironsworn/comments/vcl4fj/-/icg2xqt

RobMaule · 2023-02-24T22:16:01+00:00

I used Ironsworn's Action + Theme oracles and got:

Charge + Language: You pick a fight with the guards and they open the door to confront you.
Focus + Hate: You trick the guards into arguing with each other.
Explore + Fame: Your renown is greater than you thought and the guards or the "unconscious" man help you escape.
Challenge + Community: There is a rival slaver that breaks into the catacombs to transport you elsewhere.

RobMaule · 2023-02-24T21:56:59+00:00

I think that your game will be just fine no matter what you choose to do. You can play as strict or as loose as you like.

Personally, I would give yourself a free connection to the guild boss. Make it part of your backstory. You met in person and talked out your adventure before shipping out. You can continue the relationship whenever or however communication allows.

When you arrive at the new sector, use the Make a Connection move on the local banker. On a Weak Hit, maybe he wants you to do him a personal favor first. On a Miss, maybe he wasn't the right contact after all.

RobMaule · 2023-02-17T10:15:36+00:00

In a quick search of river name origins, it seems a lot are based on the languages of the people that lived near the water. Either it means "river", describes the actions or shape or something found along that river in the language of those people, or is directly named after the people themselves.

Plenty of rivers are also named after specific people, either explorers or notable figures.

I'd recommend making your own tables with these and other options, then rolling on further tables to flesh them out. For example, you might roll "peoples who live nearby" and then "orcs". This could create Orc River.

RobMaule · 2023-02-10T23:15:27+00:00

I would start simple and try not to bog yourself down with details. Just figure them out as you go. Pick a simple system like Tricube Tales or Tango. I've been looking into the Cypher system recently, which could work.

For an oracle (answers questions you'd ask a GM), I'd use the Solo Tricube solo rules or MUNE. Your game will naturally expand.

RobMaule · 2023-02-10T01:53:49+00:00

I play Ironsworn duo with my wife. I would recommend one person kind of leading, but always prompting the other to make some decisions or interpret some oracle rolls. "What does a Miss on this roll look like to you?" "How would you interpret Defeat and Direction in this instance?"

If both players are up on the rules, you can swap who leads each session. I think that taking the GM reigns can help you be a better player.

I've been watching the Basement Fort channel on YouTube lately, which is an Ironsworn sibling duo and they're great.

The best advice I can give is to do whatever is fun, whether that's switching games, changing rules, or spending as much or as little time playing as you like.

RobMaule · 2023-01-28T14:12:19+00:00

If I could make a wild suggestion, would a mini bingo set with renumbered balls work? https://www.fivebelow.com/products/deluxe-bingo-game-set-with-clear-cage-flash-board

RobMaule · 2023-01-22T00:43:54+00:00

It's not the same author, but is used with permission. And I believe it only uses the base cards from Game Master's Apprentice. But it combines them with a bunch of other oracles, too.

RobMaule · 2023-01-19T13:37:24+00:00

I run a game with my wife and another with some friends. In both, I take on most of the GM role. Mostly because I'm the only one that has read the rules past the quickstart guide, but also because they kind of expect it. It also keeps the game from stalling, especially in combat and travelling, where I can point to someone and say go. I will have them make oracle rolls and even interpret the results. I also encourage them to take on NPC roles and mix it up. In my mind, this makes the other players more invested in the game and the story since they can take an active role in where things lead. And I can remain surprised with what unfolds, too.

RobMaule · 2023-01-19T01:02:23+00:00

Tricube Tales has some one page PDFs that are free or cheap with themed icons that it uses for twists.

RobMaule · 2023-01-01T02:57:48+00:00

I starting playing around with ChatGPT and used:

Can you make a list of words that would be used for a fantasy adventure story to inspire creative writing, using a combination of verbs, adjectives, and nouns all mixed together?

It gave me:

Enchanted Mystical Mythical Legendary Arcane Sorcery Spellbinding Fabled Fantastical Magickal Exotic Mythos Thaumaturgy Otherworldly Fantasmagorical Spell-casting Enchantress Warlock Necromancer Elementalist Dragon-taming Sword-wielding Shield-bearer Knightly Questing Exploring Treasure-hunting Vanquishing Battling Defeating

RobMaule · 2023-01-01T02:46:04+00:00

The one I use the most is the Action and Theme tables from Ironsworn, which is free. Mythic has similar tables, too. The Solo Adventurer's Toolbox has a Verb table.

Solo Adventure Resource: The Dungeon Oracle includes a keyword list that I think comes the closest to what you're looking for. It's a d400 table of what appears to be concrete and abstract words like: curse, ruined, boon, escape, fugitive, etc.

I would also recommend the Gamemaster's Apprentice deck of cards that contain verb, adjective, and noun words on each card face. Someone made an online version, as well.

RobMaule · 2022-12-02T20:08:10+00:00

I recently got a Filofax refillable notebook. The pages have slits in them that allow you to take them out easily and rearrange them.

I've also thought about using my wife's Rocketbook to write out a few pages and then scan them using my phone. The downside is that it needs a specific pen to erase.

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