A common question about Ironsworn, Starforged, and related games is, "How does the game scale up to handle larger groups of players?" Often, the answer given is, "Not very well," but with little explanation for why or advice on how to deal with it. In this series of blog posts, I'll offer my own thoughts on why scaling is problem and what you can do to solve it. This first post is a broad overview of the issues at hand. Down below, you'll find links to the rest of the series.
Note: The analysis and advice here applies to Ironsworn, Starforged, and other Ironsworn-style games/hacks/supplements, but for brevity, I'll usually just say "Ironsworn" or "these games".
How many players is a "large group"?
Well, the sweet spot for Ironsworn, IMHO, is 1-3 player characters (with or without a Guide). 4 or 5 is manageable, but the scaling issues becomes more and more noticeable as you add PCs. I wouldn't recommend 6+ players unless you've got a fairly mature group and are definitely ready to deal with the challenges.
What are these "scaling issues" anyway?
From a narrative and meta-level perspective, larger groups may struggle with sharing the spotlight evenly. Playing solo, you have all the attention to yourself. Each player you add increases narrative complexity and makes it harder to ensure everyone stays equally engaged and gets to pursue their individual goals. However, these problems can be addressed with the same basic tools and skills that a GM/Guide/facilitator would use in any other RPG, even if you're playing co-op without a Guide. Because these problems aren't unique to Ironsworn-style games, I won't focus on them in this series, though I may return to the topic another time.
Mechanically, the main scaling issue is that the game gets massively easier as you add PCs. There are three big reasons for that (broad stat and asset coverage, more resource tracks to absorb consequences, and combat ending too quickly). Three other small problems you may run into are overlapping builds, Aid Your Ally spam, and handling combats where the party outnumbers their foes. Fortunately, you can address all of these issues without actually changing any rules, just by using the tools the game already offers. In future posts, I'll dig into each of these and suggest how to adjust your approach to handle them.
Before getting into all those details, though, it's worth mentioning that experiences and preferences will vary from group to group. Some players will want an easier game, while others would rather amp up the challenge and risk level. So, my single biggest suggestion is, talk to your group about how you want the game to feel, then adjust accordingly. This applies whether or not you're playing with a Guide. Communicate!
Looking forward to the future posts talking about this. :)
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