Ironsworn (and it’s sci-fi successor, Starforged) are products of the recent surge in solo gaming. I really like how they tie several simple moves and mechanics together to create unexpected storylines and exciting campaigns. However, it’s not a particularly crunchy system. GURPS, of course, can be; but has no real system of its own for less GM-centric play (the closest I’ve seen is The Collaborative Gamer’s work, which doesn’t really stretch beyond individual adventures). So, I thought I’d try wrapping the crunchy GURPS ruleset inside a nice Starforged move system!
My approach has been to keep most of the Ironsworn/Starforged moves intact; but resolve the move rolls using GURPS rules based on a full-fledged GURPS character. I’ve detailed the changes I’ve made to the Starforged system here.
I documented a brief playthrough using this system, a bit of which will be posted in the comments as an example of this system in use. The world I’m using is based on GURPS: After the End, with elements from GURPS: Lands Out of Time and GURPS: Reign of Steel. Think Mad Max with dinosaurs and robots! I’m using mostly the Starforged versions of the moves, with Ironsworn and other oracles to better fit the setting.
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Looking back, I really shouldn’t have made the run to Highwick alone.
First hint I had that there was trouble, I was already airborne; my dirt bike below me twisted and broken. Lucky for me, I landed well, and collapsed “comfortably” into a heap
(literally lucky - this was Face Danger (Acrobatics-11), rolled 17, a critical fail! The Luck advantage let me reroll for a 12 and a 6 - enough for a Strong Hit). I stayed still, hoping to avoid any attention(Face Danger (Stealth-12) now, got 8 for another Strong Hit), and was ignored while a huge, club-ended tail slammed down on my bike twice more. As I watched, what I had taken for a small hill near the game trail stood up from the prairie grass; revealing a massive armored back sloping down to an armored head, flanked by a fringe of bony spines around the sides of the creature. Satisfied that it had disabled my bike, the hard-back turned slowly around to tear open the saddlebags. So much for my ride, and everything on it… the dino seemed to have a hankering for the medicinal herbs I’d been hauling. All I had left was my riding clothes, a revolver in my pocket, and three extra rounds for it.Note: I’m jumping in with a 150 CP character (Nomad, from AtE) rather than my suggested 200-300 CP to see how the rules perform when things go wrong; and to see how advancement goes. I also focused on skills and abilities over spending more on equipment, so I wanted a reason to start out empty handed - so; an ankylosaur broke everything!
I decided to slip away while the beast was eating my cargo
(Face Danger (Stealth-12) once more, 7 for another Strong Hit! I've been leaning on my strengths so far, we'll see how long the good rolls last). I had been just a few hours from Highwick, but now it looked like I’d be walking for a day or two… but I swore to myself: a better ride, and better gear, and I’ll keep them this time!(With my Inciting Event done, I Swear an Iron Vow for the starting vow, with a Weak Hit. I decide I haven't heard of anything available nearby, so I'll get to Highwick first, then see what I can do, since I have no funds. I'll set the walk to Highwick as a Troublesome journey).Once I was comfortably far from the hungry hard-back, I stood up and started the long walk to my original destination. Hiking really puts me on edge… we used to be the top of the food chain; but since the world shattered, the ancient beasts have come back to reclaim that title. On wheels, I defy anything to catch me; but on foot? I’m back to being prey.
(Undertake an Expedition (Navigation-14), rolled 12 - weak hit. No water on hand, so I'll say I need to fix that, but I still get to mark progress.)Still, the rest of the day is pretty uneventful.(Resupply (Survival (Plains)) - 12, got 7 for a strong hit - "You find what you need, +1 Momentum".)I did spot a grove of prickle-bushes; digging into the ground near them let me get some much needed water.(Undertake an Expedition (Navigation-14), 9 - Strong Hit, more progress).I was pretty confident in my direction, but the sun was getting low; so(Make Camp (Survival-12), 15 for a Miss!)I found a secluded spot to bed down for the night. That night was… not restful. Like I said, I hate not having wheels, and here I was alone and lightly defended as well. Nothing bothered me, but I slept poorly all the same(Endure Stress (Will-12), 10 for a Weak Hit - I'll just press on).The next morning, I resume my trek,
(Undertake an Expedition, (Navigation-14), 12 - weak hit, and I've got an idea for an obstacle)moving towards what looks like an Edge on my route - one of the places where the world was stitched back together after it shattered. Overnight I was able to see the stars shift as they crossed it near the horizon, and now the occasional cloud vanishes or appears as it crosses an invisible line in the sky.When the world was stitched back together, whoever did the stitching made a token effort to keep the ground close to the same height at the joins, but you can still see the seams. The sky is cracked, for one thing. Some places have old roads that suddenly end at an Edge, others have expanses of flat rock or sand that run up into deep forest. And in some places, like this, the ground below the Edge on one side or the other has collapsed, leaving a deep ravine miles long.
I peeked over the edge of the ravine, and saw mud mixed with dirt going down several dozen feet. Not easily climbed, especially without any gear… But, looking across, I was pretty sure I could see a village on the horizon, about where I expected Highwick to be.
(Face Danger, Navigation (14), 7 - Strong Hit, I'm up to 9 boxes on the progress track)With a few extra hours, I’m able to follow the ravine to it’s end and safely cross the Edge.(Finish an Expedition, 9 Progress, I roll 1 & 6 - Strong hit, journey is done! +1 tick on the Discoveries track, and finding civilization lets me mark 2 boxes on the "Replace My Ride and Gear" vow)And with a few more hours’ walking, I made it to the village.(I've rolled TL 3 on a custom oracle for this town's general tech level, and rolled that it's populated primarily by Neanderthals - likely relatively civil ones to be at TL 3 already; borne out by the initial reaction roll for the town: 12 - neutral)The village appears to be built mostly out of local stone or sod, but most of the villagers are distinctly 'Thal; with tall, broad builds and distinctive faces. Still, they don’t seem alarmed or overly interested in me, and let me enter their village without challenge when they see I’m alone. A polite question gets me directions to the home of Caldas, the local trader I had been planning to deliver my herbs to, before my ill-fated hard-back encounter.