Stone Saga by Lost Haven

Summer is probably the worst time of year for me - even though temperatures seem fairly low in comparison to other parts of the world there's just something about the heat in Britain in particular that really wipes me out! As such, I haven't managed to get so many things written over the past month or so that I'd have liked to - but one that I did want to make sure I got to was an article to showcase Stone Saga, the upcoming solo RPG by my friend Andy Lever, also known as LostHavenArt in the TTRPG community.

As a fan of solo games and traditional fantasy in general, I have been positive since the beginning that this game would appeal to me personally but for the purposes of this article I've also kept some more general questions in mind as I read through the game.

Stone Saga by Lost Haven

World lore and immersion

The King

The Dwalli, as dwarves are called in Stone Saga, have a rich creation myth behind them which is told in the opening pages of the book. Andy has created a strong backdrop to the events of the game, which feels comfortingly familiar as a fan of traditional fantasy, but is also unique to the Stone Saga world. Reading through these few pages of introductory lore really helps paint a picture of the Dwalli which means that we can then bring our character to life with a solid foundation, culture, and real ambition behind them, and the accompanying art throughout the book only helps with this. These pages also detail some general traits of the Dwalli overall, so you can decide if your character adheres to the prevailing opinions and attitudes of their people, or rebels against them.

In addition to this, there's also an appendix at the back of the book which provides extra lore and information related to the monsters and other creatures you might encounter along the journey of your game. Though I would have liked to see some monster art, the book is already quite full of LostHaven's wonderful artwork in a stunning grey and orange theme which is carried throughout the book. This helps a great deal with immersion and being able to imagine not only what our characters might look like, but also what occupations they might have and the sheer scale of their awesome architecture.

Character creation and gameplay

Just a few d6….

Aside from the standard 'somewhere to write' required by most journaling games, Stone Saga requires just a handful of d6 to play, but interestingly it also uses a set of Elder Futhark runes. These can be thought of as a counterpart to the more popular tarot cards which are used in many modern solo games - a tool for divination, they are pulled at random to provide the player with information and prompts as they make their way through the game. Not everyone is going to have a set of these, but the good news is that there are online rune pulling sites that will simulate the experience if you don't want to go out and buy a set of your own. 

Characters have 4 stats that are used in the game - Flame, Heart, Reason, and Integrity. Flame is used to represent health and resources, while the other three are for resolving encounters that will crop up throughout the character's journey. Character creation uses a rune spread which is clearly explained, and each rune has its own page with all of the information required.

After you've created your character it's time to begin your journey, and I was pleased to note that you have control over how long the journey is, meaning if you're pressed for time you can still get a short game in, or if you have an entire weekend you can be as indulgent as you want. The lore reasons behind your character's task are clearly explained, as is how the runes function for each leg of the journey. 

… and some runes. These runes are available with the Rune Master pledge and were created by Jodie’s Dice Farm.

A single rune represents many different things, including the location for the current leg of your journey and any hazards you will face there, so everything you need to reference for your journaling is all on one page. Prompts are provided, but players are also encouraged to use creativity and craft their own narratives to forge their own unique path, which I really loved to see. I was also happy to read that the longer you travel, the stronger your character gets with tangible rewards at the end of each leg.

The dice are engaged to see whether you overcome the inevitable hazards that are described on the rune pages. It's a basic dice pool system with successes on rolls of 4 or higher, and a 6 counting as two. The number of successes required is equal to how far along in your journey you are - for example, on the first leg you only need 1 success, but on the third you'll need three. Failing a test on a hazard doesn't necessarily mean the end of the game, however it does drain your Flame, and it's this that you need to watch out for - as once you're out of that, then your poor character has met their untimely demise.

Who is it for?

Stone Saga is an easy to play solo RPG, but there are also optional rules provided which allow you to increase or decrease the difficulty in the case of wanting a personal challenge or perhaps to lighten things up while playing with children. There is no doubt in my mind that this game will appeal to both casual and more dedicated players alike with the ability to control how long each journey takes, and the rich lore provided will surely delight fans of traditional fantasy of all ages. Reading through the book I am immediately reminded of Moria from The Lord of the Rings, and the Deep Roads from Dragon Age. It's a comfy spot to be in!

Fully Funded!

Stone Saga is funded on Kickstarter now - with 2 stretch goals already reached! There’s only a little over 24 hours left to back as of the time of writing, so hurry on over to the campaign page and grab it for as little as £5 for a PDF! And if you're coming across this a little late, then have no fear - late pledges will be available.

The Stone Saga Kickstarter closes on Tuesday, August 6 2024 at 8.00PM BST. 

If you’d like to check out more of Lost Haven’s work, you can find him on X/Twitter, Instagram or BlueSky, see his games and stock art on DriveThruRPG, or view a full portfolio on their website.