The Forgotten Chapter 3 – Fire Over Jesart

My lack of experience with the Ironsworn-Starforged game mechanics is fairly evident in this session. I made several bookkeeping and rules application errors throughout. While I corrected all of the bookkeeping mistakes after the session, addressing the rules missteps in the moment would have disrupted the flow of the story. Instead, I’ve chosen to highlight them with author notes as they occur.

Perhaps my most significant oversight was failing to make the Begin a Session and End a Session moves.

The session began with three moves. First, Column Swore an Iron Vow Accepted the Mission to locate the ship, contain all threats, and recover the pathogen or logs. Action Roll: 2 + 2 = 4. Challenge Dice: 1, 9. A weak hit. I am determined but begin my quest with more questions than answers. I take +1 momentum and envision what to do next to find a path forward.

Second, I made the Gather Information move to determine the location of the wreckage. I gave myself a +1 boost since the troopers were assisting. Action Roll: 4 + 1 + 1 = 6. Challenge Dice: 1, 2. A strong hit. I get the information I need and max out my momentum.

Third, I Set Course. Action Roll: 4 + 5 = 9. Challenge Dice: 9, 10. Wow—a 9 on the action roll and still a strong hit. I pay the price (d100 = 53) and am waylaid by a significant threat that puts my companion at risk.

With all that rolling out of the way, lets put it together into a story.

“I’m thinking Shafted. Or maybe Shat On,” Pevio said.

The Twi’lek Jedi, Tarah Noor, stepped into the Thunderclap’s command room, catching the tail end of it. Her voice was calm. “What are you trying to decide?”

Sift, the Duros at the comms station, didn’t look up. “Ship name.”

The Jedi blinked, slightly off balance. “Does the ship not already have one?”

“It did,” Pevio said. “I deleted it after takeoff. It was stupid. This thing can be the Shat On.” She thumped her chest. “I’m Shat On One. He’s Shat On Two.”

Column didn’t look away from the blaster rifle in his lap. “I’m the Sergeant. Why am I Two?”

“Because Privates get shat on before NCOs,” Pevio muttered, rolling her eyes.

The Jedi hesitated. “Perhaps I should return at another time.”

“Yeah, probably,” Pevio said.

“No, it’s fine,” Column said. He looked at Pevio. “And we’re not naming the squad Shat On.”

“I was just going to mention—” the Jedi began.

The proximity alarm screamed.

Column was up in a flash, hands on the controls. “Imps. Three fighters.”

“You sure we’re not the Shat On? ‘Cause it’s starting to feel real prophetic,” Pevio said, pulling up the targeting display.

(Move: Enter The Fray on a Dangerous encounter. Action roll: 3+3=6. Challenge dice: 1,8. It’s a weak hit and I can choose either momentum or control. My momentum is already maxed, so I take control.)

Column brought the Thunderclap around hard. Engines screamed. He drove the ship straight at the incoming fighters.

The sudden move broke their formation. They scattered, caught flat-footed.

“Shred ’em,” he said.

Pevio grinned under her helmet. “With pleasure.”

She hit fire control.

(Move: Strike. Action roll: 3+3=6. Challenge dice: 7,8. Miss! I will burn my momentum, resetting it to 2 for a weak hit. I mark progress twice, bringing me to 4 of 10.)

Author note: I was still very new to playing Ironsworn-Starforged and didn’t fully understand the momentum mechanic. Burning my momentum should have resulted in a strong hit, but I didn’t realize that until several days later.

One of the fighters disintegrated under the barrage. The other two slipped behind the Thunderclap, hammering its rear shields.

(Move: React Under Fire. Action Roll: 4+3=7. Challenge Dice: 5,6. I take control and get a momentum back.)

Column dropped the ship low. He throttled back, stalling their speed. The fighters overshot, forced wide.

It was all Pevio needed.

(Move: Strike. Column will use the Strafing run feature of Heavy Cannon asset to add a +1 to the roll and a +1 momentum on a hit. Action Roll: 4+3+1=8. Challenge Dice: 6,10. I mark progress twice, bringing me up to 8, but I’m back in a bad spot.)

“Starboard shot,” Column said. He cut the main engines and fired the port thrusters, sending the ship into a dropping spin.

Pevio locked on and shredded the second fighter.

The last one took its shot. The Thunderclap shuddered under the impact.

Both ships fired at point-blank range. Column fought to gain control.

(Move: Clash. Action Roll: 3+2=5. Challenge dice: 8,10. Ouch! The fight is turning against me I stay in a bad spot and pay the price: d100=46, a new enemy reveals themselves.)

Proximity alarms screamed.

“More fighters incoming!” Sift called out.

“I see them,” Column muttered through clenched teeth.

(Move: React Under Fire. Action Roll: 4+3=7. Challenge Dice: 6,8. Weak hit: I make a suffer move and Withstand Damage.)

(Move: Withstand Damage. Action Roll: 3+5=8. Challenge Dice: 6,6. Strong hit: I take no damage and gain a momentum.)

Author Notes: This was another rule application error… to put it simply, that is not how suffer moves work.

“Reinforce forward deflectors,” Column said. He pushed the thrusters and charged.

This time, the fighters held formation. They scattered fire across the bow, shaking the ship.

(Move: Clash. Action Roll: 6+3=9. Challenge Dice: 3,5. Brings me to 10 progress and puts me in control.)

As the fighters skimmed past, Pevio caught a window and clipped the trailing ship. Not clean, but enough. It spiraled out and slammed into the desert floor.

(Time to Take Decisive Action. Action Roll: 10. Challenge Dice: 9,5.)

“Hey, Pevio, didn’t you say this thing had a full load of torpedoes?” Column asked, spinning the ship back toward the rest.

Pevio chuckled, low and mean. She flipped to the launcher, locked onto the center fighter as they closed in.

The explosion tore it apart. Fire and shrapnel shredded the rest. Metal and smoke rained down toward the sands.

“That was… impressive,” the Jedi said. Her voice didn’t waver. “How long have the two of you flown this ship?”

Column frowned, steadying their course. “Two hours.”

“I see.” She turned and left the bridge.

“I don’t think she likes us,” Pevio said, watching her go.

Column shrugged. “I don’t think about her at all.”

“We’re coming up on the target,” Sift cut in.

Ahead, nestled in the shadow of a high dune, lay the wreck. A science frigate—split open, hull cracked wide. It stretched across the sand, half-buried by wind and time.