Epistolary Play Guide

A framework for collaborative, asynchronous storytelling in The Foundry

What is Epistolary Play?

I've always wanted to try asynchronous Ironsworn, and Epistolary games have also always fascinated me. This, TOTALLY optional, framework for playing an Epistolary version of Ironsworn, Starforged, or Sundered Isles. You most certainly can ignore this and just create your own campaign (or go play in someone else's), but it is here if you are interested.

Epistolary play is a style of collaborative storytelling where multiple players contribute to a shared narrative through letters, messages, or journal entries written in-character. Each player plays their own game, pursues their own adventures, but periodically writes a Spotlight Letter, a meaningful contribution to the shared story that connects to a Shared Vow spanning the entire campaign.

This format works beautifully with The Foundry's ownership model: you own your letters, others own theirs, and the shared narrative grows organically through addition.

This guide covers:

For Players - How to join and play in an Epistolary campaign
For Organizers - How to set up and run an Epistolary campaign

For Players

The Core Loop

Play your game. Run your character through adventures, vows, and encounters as you normally would.
Write a Spotlight Letter. When you have something meaningful to share — a milestone on the Shared Vow or a narrative moment worth telling — write an in-character letter describing what happened.
Mark progress (if applicable). If your letter represents a milestone, the Organizer marks progress on the Shared Vow.
Wait your turn. You can't write two Spotlight Letters in a row — someone else must write before you can contribute again.
Repeat. Keep playing, keep writing, watch the shared story unfold.

The Shared Vow

Every Epistolary campaign has a Shared Vow, a significant goal that multiple characters across multiple locations are working toward. This vow responds to The Trouble, a threat or situation affecting the entire region.

The Shared Vow exists to connect many independent stories together, it is not the only thing you should pursue. You are encouraged to swear personal vows and chase them alongside the shared one. Your character's own goals, relationships, and adventures are the heart of your game. The Shared Vow is the thread that weaves everyone's stories into something larger.

The Shared Vow is owned by the Organizer, who tracks progress based on player letters. You can't edit the vow file directly (The Foundry prevents that), but your letters drive its progress.

Example Troubles and Shared Vows:

Trouble: A tyrannical faction is consolidating power across the sector
- Shared Vow: "Expose their atrocities and rally resistance" (Extreme)
Trouble: Ancient horrors are awakening across the Ironlands
- Shared Vow: "Discover the source and find a way to stop them" (Extreme)
Trouble: A cursed fleet is preying on trade routes throughout the isles
- Shared Vow: "Hunt down the fleet and end their reign of terror" (Extreme)

How to Join

Create your character. Use Iron Vault to create a new character in the campaign. Build them however you like. The Organizer may have setting guidance, but your character is yours.
Subscribe to the Shared Vow. Find the Shared Vow in the campaign and incorporate it into your new character. The shared vow should have meaning to your character and help drive their actions.
Start playing. Run your character through adventures, pursue personal vows, and engage with the world.
Write your first Spotlight Letter. When you have something to share, a milestone on the Shared Vow or a narrative moment worth telling, write a letter and drop it in the Epistolary folder.

That's it. You're in.

Writing Spotlight Letters

Your Spotlight Letters are written in-character. They might be:

An actual letter to another character or faction
A journal entry or captain's log
A report to a contact or superior
A message left at a dead drop
A recording transmitted across the void

What to include:

What happened, the events, encounters, and outcomes
How it connects to The Trouble and the Shared Vow

What you don't need:

A specific format, write however fits your character
Mechanical details, focus on the narrative, not the dice

The Spotlight Rule

Some Spotlight Letters mark progress on the Shared Vow (when you've reached a milestone); others enrich the story without advancing the track. Both matter. Both count.

The core constraint:

You cannot write two Spotlight Letters in a row. After you post a letter, wait until another player posts one before writing again.

This ensures everyone gets their turn in the spotlight and prevents any single player from dominating the shared narrative, whether through progress or pure storytelling. It's not a strict turn order, it's a rhythm of shared writing.

When does a letter mark progress? When you've reached a milestone on the Shared Vow, use the Reach a Milestone move as your guide. Progress represents meaningful change, not just effort.

You can still:

Play your own game as much as you want
Pursue your own side quests, personal vows, and adventures

The "Yes, and..." Philosophy

Epistolary play runs on trust. While The Foundry's ownership system prevents you from editing other players' files, you can still write whatever you want in your own letters. This is where "Yes, and..." becomes essential.

What this means for your letters:

Don't narratively destroy what others create. Avoid writing that another player's character died, their ship was destroyed, or their faction was wiped out. Their creations are theirs to conclude.
Build on, don't bulldoze. Reference others' content as inspiration, not as targets. Add to the shared story rather than subtracting from it.
Treat others' creations as living stories. That character, location, or contact might still be in active play. Write as if the original creator might continue their story tomorrow.
When in doubt, go adjacent. Instead of writing definitive outcomes for others' content, write about rumors, near-misses, or your character's perception of events.

Good: "I heard the Crimson Tide was spotted near the ghost fleet's hunting grounds. Captain Vance is either brave or foolish."

Bad: "The Crimson Tide was destroyed by the ghost fleet. Captain Vance went down with her ship."

The first leaves threads for others to pick up. The second closes doors that aren't yours to close.

The Endgame

When the Shared Vow's progress track is completely full, the Organizer will make the Fulfill Your Vow move. After that:

Each player gets to write one final letter wrapping up their character's contribution to the story
The Organizer then writes a closing narrative

The requirement that the track be full (rather than just having enough progress to attempt the move) ensures everyone knows when the endgame is approaching and can prepare their final contributions.

Where to Find Things

Letters are typically stored in Lore/Epistolary/ within the campaign folder. Check with your Organizer for the specific location.

The Shared Vow file will usually be in the campaign's Progress folder, owned by the Organizer.

For Organizers

What You're Setting Up

As the Organizer, you're creating the stage for collaborative play:

The Campaign - The world, setting, and context
The Trouble - The threat that spans your region
The Shared Vow - The goal players are working toward
The Infrastructure - Folders, files, and documentation

You don't control the story - you facilitate it. Players drive the narrative through their letters; you track progress and maintain the shared elements.

Step 1: Create Your Campaign

Use Iron Vault to create a new campaign in your folder. Set up:

Your campaign file with truths/setting details
Your region (sector, ironlands area, archipelago, etc.)
Any starting locations, factions, or context you want to establish

System-specific scope suggestions:

Starforged: A sector works well as the natural boundary
Ironsworn: A region of the Ironlands, or a specific area with defined borders
Sundered Isles: An archipelago, trade route, or stretch of the Cursed Seas

But don't over-prepare, leave room for players to create their own locations within your region.

Step 2: Define The Trouble

The Trouble is the inciting threat that the Shared Vow responds to. It should be:

Broad enough that multiple characters in different locations can encounter it
Significant enough to warrant a major vow
Open-ended enough that players can engage with it in different ways

Good Troubles affect the whole region. They might be:

A faction expanding aggressively
A supernatural phenomenon spreading
A resource becoming scarce or contested
An ancient threat awakening
A plague, curse, or corruption taking hold

Avoid Troubles that are too localized (a monster in one cave) or too personal (one character's nemesis).

Step 3: Create the Shared Vow

Create a vow file in your campaign's Progress folder. This is the mechanical heart of the Epistolary game.

Choosing a rank: The vow's rank determines the minimum number of progress-marking letters needed to fill the track:

Troublesome: 4 letters
Dangerous: 5 letters
Formidable: 10 letters
Extreme: 20 letters
Epic: 40 letters

Extreme works well for most Epistolary campaigns, long enough to feel significant, short enough to actually complete. Go Formidable for a shorter arc with fewer players, or Epic if you want a truly long-running saga.

The vow should:

Directly respond to The Trouble
Be achievable through varied approaches (combat, diplomacy, investigation, etc.)
Allow for partial successes and setbacks along the way

You own this file. Other players can't edit it (The Foundry enforces this). You'll update progress based on their letters.

Step 4: Set Up the Letter Folder

Create Lore/Epistolary/ (or your preferred location) in your campaign folder. This is where players will drop their letters.

Consider creating:

A brief README or index file explaining the campaign's Trouble and Shared Vow
A link to this guide
The Letter Template (optional)

Step 5: Document Your Campaign

Write a campaign introduction that includes:

The setting and region
The Trouble (what's wrong)
The Shared Vow (what players are working toward)
How to join (create a character, start playing, write letters)
Any specific guidelines for your campaign

Running the Game

Your ongoing responsibilities:

Monitor letters - Read new letters as they come in
Track progress - Update the Shared Vow when letters mark progress (milestones)
Maintain context - Keep the campaign docs updated if needed
Facilitate the endgame - When the track is full, make the Fulfill Your Vow move and invite final letters

You don't need to:

Approve letters before they're posted
Coordinate player schedules
Write letters yourself (though you can if you have a character)
Resolve conflicts between player narratives (The Foundry's ownership model handles this)