Stoneburner Science Fiction; Survival; Solo Play; Exploration-Driven; Resource Management; Low Prep; Quick-Play; Rules Lite
At‑a‑glance: OSR/NSR‑inspired • Step‑die (Breathless) • 1–5 (solo‑friendly) • Low prep • Rules‑lite • 1–3h sessions
Theme and Setting
Stoneburner drops you into the Long Belt: cursed asteroid mines where House Grandrock’s legacy is equal parts debt, demons, and dwindling hope. You play a tight‑knit crew of space dwarves tasked with reclaiming galleries, salvaging relics, and keeping a fragile settlement alive. It’s sci‑fantasy with grime under the nails—part Deep Rock Galactic, part Dwarf Fortress, with a vein of doom‑hunting heroics.
Core Mechanics and Rules
The game runs on Breathless, a rules‑lite step‑die engine that models exhaustion and risk. Actions use dice that degrade (d10 → d8 → d6 → d4) as the delve wears on; careful resupply and clever play restore your edge. Kits (like Striker, Sinker, Spellwinder, Stanchion) give immediate identity without build crunch. Procedures cover delving, crafting, looting, and community management, keeping turns snappy and fiction‑first. Player‑facing rolls, clear clocks and tracks, and simple opposition make it ideal for solo or GM‑light tables.
What Makes It Unique
Stoneburner marries tense survival play with tangible colony‑building. Expeditions push deeper for ore and answers, then return to invest in workshops, defenses, and amenities that shape future dives. The loop rewards prudence: light, tools, and time are precious; pushing your luck invites calamity. The demon ecology and mine generators offer strong prompts without locking you to prewritten plots, making each shaft feel discovered rather than designed.
Target Audience and Player Experience
If you want quick, punchy sessions with meaningful consequences, this sings. Solo delvers get clean guidance for oracles and procedures; groups get emergent objectives and shared risk management. New players can grasp the kit‑forward characters in minutes, while veterans can savor route‑planning, loadouts, and settlement tradeoffs. It’s perfect for short campaigns and one‑shots that feel complete—salvage a gallery, stave off a crisis, upgrade a district, and feel the settlement breathe again.
