Having created our setting’s Truths and a main character we are almost ready to start playtesting Starforged’s moves and oracles through gameplay. In order to kick things off we need to develop our story starter.
Currently there’s no playtest guidance here so we will fall back to Ironsworn where you create a “Background Vow” and an “Inciting Incident” to kick things off. Other games might refer to this concept as starting “In Medias Res” though they don’t often frame it with the backdrop of the “Background Vow.” If you have never played Ironsworn before then a Background Vow is a primary motivation or ultimate goal for your character. Sometimes these are obvious like “become the future king of this land” but in Hapi’s case “don’t die in The Forge” is the truest of statements but not quite enough of a story hook that will push the narrative forward.
Taking a step back and considering what appears to be our initial Quest (“Refute the false criminal charges against Hapi.”) then the background vow might be “Take down the clan that has falsely accused Hapi.” As a reminder, the false criminal charges were generated in the Truths exercise and I don’t have much detail about the specifics. I’m not 100% sure Hapi’s character is the “out for revenge” type but I’m going to go with it out of laziness and a desire to play.
So, with the background vow of “Take down the clan that has falsely accused Hapi”, Hapi will embark on their first quest to “refute the false criminal charges.” Hapi has been a hard working scavenger scraping by pulling spare parts for salvage to survive in their day-to-day life. Now though they’ve be falsely accused of a crime. Most likely they salvaged a part they should not have (or where they should not have.) The crime might be something as simple as a trumped up charge about salvage rights from the ruling clan on this planet. The clan has lined the pockets of the local authorities (and may very well be the local authorities) so it is easy to take action against people who get in their way.
What has Hapi salvaged though that was so valuable? Asking the Oracles for a Descriptor/Focus, I get “Powerful/Force.” Being the extremely lazy Star Wars fan I am, I think Hapi has unearthed a “Way Blade” from a ship wreck. I did establish in the Truths that there was a mystical energy force present in The Forge and that certain rare individuals were able to harness it.
While Hapi has a “Weathered” look, in my mind they are young but a life of scavenging takes a toll on you. Hapi’s parents likely died when Hapi was a child and Hapi has been forced to make a life out of what was available to them. I think it is likely that if they were one of the “rare” individuals empowered by “The Way” it is unlikely they would know it. Strange dreams? sure. Maybe a handful of times something happened that seemed unnatural but working on your own on a desolate planet probably makes you dismiss lots of things as a mirage.
Now, did they find this “Way Blade” by accident or… was it calling to them? “Play to find out” is what I say and that’s what we will start doing next time.