Explore the galaxy of the Astral Union with your friends as you help make space a peaceful place. Pilot your mech companions around the stars together in this lo-fi Multiplayer TTRPG. A follow up to the ION Heart Solo RPG.
Prepare to blast off into the stars with your friends! Explore the universe with your mech-companion in this cosy TTRPG where conflict can be resolved as much with warmth as weapons.
Following the release of the ION Heart Solo Roleplaying Game, this campaign launches the lo-fi Mech-filled world of ION Heart into Multiplayer hyperdrive. Step back in time to the direct aftermath of the Emergence War, where you will help your Mechs, and each other, find a place in this new post-war world.
ION Heart Multiplayer is a Lo-Fi Mech TTRPG. Relax into your own story of interstellar exploration. Create a Pilot and their Mech best friend and sail the stars together to find a new purpose. Discover planets, solar systems and cultures in the newly peaceful galaxy of the Astral Union.
This game is set in the same universe as our previous game, the ION Heart Solo RPG. ION Heart Multiplayer is set 60 years before the events of the original Solo game, taking place in the immediate aftermath of the galaxy-spanning Emergence War and the unstable peace that has followed.
Whether you’re a veteran RPG player, entirely new to tabletop games, or just love big robots and Sci-Fi, ION Heart Multiplayer is made for you. This is the mech game you’ve been waiting for.
For RPG Players:
ION Heart Multiplayer contains the perfect blend of:
Unique, interesting mechanics and approachable rules to make it a blast to play.
Quick character creation with tonnes of options for your Pilots and Mechs without bogging you down in stats and tables.
An innovative Sync Bond mechanic which tracks your Pilot and Mech's connection to each other as well as to the other Pilots and Mechs you’re travelling with.
Not all stories are about violence. Our Story Circuit and Encounter system allows you to explore Peaceful, Protective, and Dangerous adventures.
Encounters can use Theatre of the Mind, or a unique grid-based system, which means even if you’re not engaging in combat, you can still dive into the tactics of herding mega sheep out of the path of an exploding volcano.
For Sci-Fi & Mech Fans:
The world of ION Heart Multiplayer is perfect for any Sci-fi/Mech fans to delve into and explore:
An expansive galactic sandbox to discover, with as many planets and solar systems as you can imagine, to explore with your friends.
A wide variety of species and cultures creates a diverse cast of both player and non-player characters, all with unique stories to engage with.
Play a diverse range of exciting stories. Discover thrilling dangers on the galactic frontier one session, to thwarting space opera-level galactic politics in the next.
Designed to capture the imaginations of all sci-fi and Mech fans, even as a standalone read.
Strong focus on the emotional bonds between characters, exploring complex story concepts for emotionally impactful adventures.
Stories in ION Heart Multiplayer take place in the Astral Union, a conglomerate of cultures that spans the Aegeic Galaxy, previously peppered with conflict and distrust. Until now, that is. All inhabitants of the galaxy united against a common foe - The Nephilim. After many long years of conflict, the war was finally won.
But whilst the war is over and citizens and Mechs try to discover what life now should be, pockets of conflict still exist in the far corners of space. Small bands of Nephilim, greedy corporations, and self-serving rogue forces all seek to further their own goals and don’t care about the cost.
As a Pilot, you will guide your former weapon-of-war Mech throughout the galaxy, striving to find your place again, after the traumas you have lived through. Will you take up arms again, hoping that the promised peace is worth it, or will you use diplomacy and hope to overcome even the most challenging of enemies? Will you find your place amongst the stars?
Want to explore the Astral Union straight away? Back the campaign and instantly get a copy of the Quickstart Guide!
Mechs in ION Heart Multiplayer aren’t simply giant hunks of metal you drive around. They are partly a reflection of your Pilot, as well as an emergent personality all of their own. A Mech can only ever learn from their connection with their Pilot, your bond and adventures helping shape their personality. The more in sync with each other you are, the greater things you will achieve together.
There are many Mechs to choose from. Different sizes, ones customised for specific races, and a whole host of mechanical systems, weapons and more to use.
As you grow on your adventures, you may find parts of your Mech that were more useful in a galaxy at war discarded in favour of systems more in tune with the current peace. This choice ultimately is up to you and your Mech.
Of course, in a newly formed galactic peace, there will still be conflicts. Pirates, Dictators and Mega-Corporations are but some of the bad actors in the galaxy whose motives for peace are muddy at best. It’s up to you how you deal with these, but sometimes you may have to fight to protect the hard-won peace.
The AU is a federation of many different sentient species, each with its own cultural practices and modes of communication. The game features 6 fully-playable Species which include:
1 - Apollonian - Humans from the Apollo-Theta system, home of the sun-worshipping Unification of Apollo. The youngest of the space-faring species of the AU.
2 - Varziss - Reptilian inhabitants of the Varziss Triarchy, the largest nation in the AU. Varziss are cold-blooded and require thick clothing and heated Mech interiors for colder climates.
3 - Urvon - Towering bear-like mammals from the League of Urvo. The League developed the first Mechs for its enormous mining operations.
4 - Chiros - Winged nocturnal citizens of the Chiros Coalition. Chiros are capable of short-range flight and will happily sleep upside-down, hanging from the ceiling.
5 - Kirvae - Tall centaurian beings from the Kirvaen Prefecture. The Prefecture was the first society to study psionics, leading to the development of Ion Core technology.
6 - Mo’nau - Feline citizenry of the Mo’nau Republic. Their homeworld, Oskaw, is renowned as a centre of learning and culture.
The Emergence war may be over, and the Astral Union declared to be at peace, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any challenges left to overcome. Here are just a few of the adversaries you might run into:
Nephilim Remnants - The last of the dangerous kaiju whose arrival in the Aegeic Galaxy caused the devastating Emergence War.
Megacorporations - War pays big, but these corporations are never going to stop fighting for their own interests even when it's over, using their private Mech armies to do so.
Strange Anomalies - Malfunctioning Mech, marauding megafauna, whatever the weird corners of the galaxy can throw at you.
The Galaxy Itself - Volcanic eruptions, Radiation Storms, Comets, Wormholes... you name it, space has it.
When exploring the galaxy, you’ll come across a whole host of planets full of stories to explore. On these planets, you’ll also be able to find settlements. These will act as your home base from which you can go out discovering encounters and learning about the local area. They’re also great opportunities for some split exploration, where you can play as just your Pilot or just your Mech. You’ll be able to generate your own planets and settlements, making the Astral Union feel limitless in the celestial bodies you can explore.
ION Heart Multiplayer is a game of exploration and problem-solving. Discovering the wonders of the galaxy and applying the minds of your Pilots and the might of your Mechs to discover the best bits of the galaxy and help repair the parts that are broken.
In ION Heart Multiplayer, you'll be creating two characters, a Pilot & a Mech, the loveable duo you'll play as they adventure around the Astral Union together. Pilots will have their own origins and skills with a variety of different cultures to draw from. Feline Mo'Nau, centaurian Kirvae, bear-like Urvon, there are many lives your pilot could have led up til now.
Much like the inhabitants of the Astral Union, Mechs come in all shapes and sizes. Originally built for war, they are now being modified for peaceful purposes, from construction workers to cattle herders. You'll have many choices to make when creating your Mech, including its previous functions, chassis size, and upgrades. Most importantly, you will decide with your actions whether you disarm your Mech and choose peace, or continue to soldier on and keep fighting.
Players will shape the story and the galaxy with their decisions. Whenever outcomes in the story are challenging, players will roll a number of D6s to try to overcome them. The number of dice rolled is determined by the Attribute being used, both Pilot and Mech being able to roll for particular actions. Every 4+ on the dice is a success. Easy challenges might need 1 success, whilst near impossible ones might need 5 successes.
Pilots and their Mechs can also use their unique connection granted by the Ion Core to gain the upper hand. Using their Sync Bond, Pilot and Mech can sometimes combine their dice pools, their teamwork allowing them to overcome the steepest of challenges together.
Every element of ION Heart Multiplayer is custom-designed to make you feel like a real-life Mech Pilot. From managing your Mech shielding to keeping in sync with your comrades, every dice roll will feel like you're in the cockpit yourself.
Encounters are tactical situations you and your allies find yourselves in. Even though you’re exploring the galaxy in a big weapon of war, it doesn’t mean everything is about fighting. Preserving peace quite often requires a gentler, more caring hand, and we wanted the range of Encounters to reflect this. For this reason, Encounters in ION Heart Multiplayer are split into 3 Categories:
Peaceful - These are tactical encounters that don’t require combat and also have no pressing issue. For example, you need to herd some megafauna into their enclosure. You’ll need to work as a team to move them, but you won’t need to blast them into megafauna steaks.
Protective - These encounters don’t need combat either, but there is some threat, and likely a pressing time limit. Now you're herding megafauna, but you need to move the animals to safety before their current home floods.
Dangerous - This is any situation in which combat is very likely to take place. Expanding our megafauna issue, if not only were you racing a flood, but you also had to fight off thieves trying to steal the megafauna, then it becomes Dangerous.
All Encounters will either use Theatre of the Mind, or our own hex grid map, suitable for every Category. This allows for quick setup and incredible, fast-paced, tactical gameplay.
One thing we knew we wanted to do from the outset with ION Heart Multiplayer is to allow players to have different options for how they play, whether that be a Solo adventure, GM-less play, or mixing previous play experiences from ION Heart Solo RPG into the new game.
For the Solo and GM-Less modes for ION Heart Multiplayer, we will be adding a whole host of new rules and functions, so you can explore the Astral Union however you like. This will include:
Guidance for Solo Journaling so you can log your adventures across the galaxy.
Adversary Behaviours - Encounters will include guidance on how enemies and threats in the world you face will behave.
Conversion mechanics for bring previous Ion Heart Solo characters and Mechs into the world of Ion Heart Multiplayer.
Ideas for connecting Ion Heart Solo RPG experiences into the new game.
We want to be clear with our community of Solo players: ION Heart Multiplayer is not a replacement for the game of the ION Heart Solo RPG: It's an addition to it.
We’re excited to see what this cross-compatibility will allow players to explore elements in the timeline of ION Heart Multiplayer. This could be anything from building your grandfather's inherited Mech from your solo game, to actually playing as your grandfather as a Pilot, to playing a much younger version of a Pilot who is from a long-lived alien species.
All modes of play are open to you at all times, opening up the game to be a more fluid experience. Whether you are exploring the galaxy alone or with friends, there will always be a great story to tell, and we can’t wait to hear them all.
The ION Heart Multiplayer crowdfunding campaign will create everything you'll need to explore the Astral Union with your Mech companion and other friends.
This comprehensive hardcover book contains everything players need to create both Pilots and Mechs as they take off on adventures amongst the stars.
Ready to pilot your Mechs and blast off into adventure? This book includes:
160+ Pages of rules, beautiful artwork and a fascinating Sci-fi World: This hardcover book contains everything you need to set off on your adventures in the Astral Union, all accompanied by gorgeous art by Ben Alexander.
Character Creation: Expansive options to build both your Pilot and Mech! Explore 6 different Species of pilots, all with different origins, goals, and temperaments. Delve into designing the perfect Mech companion for your journey with an array of weight classes, weapons, mods and more!
StarterAdventure: An easy-to-run adventure designed to help you and your players learn the ropes of Ion Heart Multiplayer and everything it has to offer.
Build your own Encounters: Guidance and examples ofpeaceful, protective and dangerous Encounters and how to create them for your own stories.
Love worldbuilding and rich sci-fi lore? This book is for you. This beautiful 160-page+ hardcover is brimming with expanded lore about the Aegean galaxy, even more enemies, Mech options, systems and weapons.
This book also delves into various sectors of the Astral Union, including their histories and details about the species and factions that call them home. You can explore some of these in the additional story circuits included in this book. Perfect for blasting your thrusters off into the Astral Union.
What awaits you and your friends in the far reaches of the Astral Union? This book explores:
In-Depth Lore: Discover more about the world of Ion Heart, with 160+ pages of in-depth lore about the Aegeic Galaxy and its inhabitants.
Enemy Factions: Face new enemies and threats as this book details dangerous factions and their motives. Use new enemies in your adventures to challenge your players.
New Equipment and Technology: Customise your Pilot and Mech with a whole host of new tech. Weapons, mods and spaceships can provide new rewards for heroic deeds or fascinating discoveries at the edge of the galaxy.
Stories and Inspiration: A series of playable adventures, as well as guidance on creating your own.
The Emergence War may be over, but the echoes of its effects are still freshly rippling across the galaxy. In this book, we explore an array of adventures that delve into the direct aftermath of the conflict, where a hunger for power and revenge could spell the Astral Union’s undoing:
Want to dig your teeth into epic stories across the Astral Union? This book explores:
Multiple Stories: A collection of multi-chapter stories ready to play from start to finish
Evil Megacorporations: Explore the titans of capitalistic greed. Megacorporations explode with inter-conflict in the war’s aftermath - who will come out on top?
Galaxy Ending Threats: The Nephilim may have been defeated, but they are not gone from the galaxy for good. What could these final enclaves of monsters hiding in frontier space be plotting?
Looking to take your tabletop experience up a notch? The Astral Adventure Box Set is designed so you can set up a thrilling story ready to play right away! It also has everything you need to set up a premium experience for you and your players at your table. This box set includes:
6 Mech Miniatures: A collection of hero Mechs in all shapes and sizes, ready to be used in Encounters.
FREE STL files: Need more Mechs for your table? No problem! We'll be providing the STL files for the Mechs completely free, so you can print even more!
Adventure Booklet: This softcover booklet contains an exclusive adventure to play with multiple encounters, mechs and rewards for your players.
Card Deck: To make the adventure even smoother to run, we've included cards for every enemy, weapon and item you can find in the adventure.
Token Sheet: Your Mech models won't be alone on the map; we've also included a token sheet for all the enemies, hazards and objectives you'll find in the adventure!
Immerse yourself further in the Aegeic Galaxy with the Astral Citizen pack! This accessory set comes packaged in a beautiful fabric tote bag, perfect for carrying all your Ion Heart books and game supplies. Inside the bag, you will find:
The Nephilim Net Book: A 24+ page softcover book exploring the interstellar threats of the Nephilim, styled as a military service guide to facing this mysterious enemy. Includes story seeds and inspirations for adventures fighting the Nephilim, as well as new enemy stat blocks to populate your Encounters with!
Aegeic Flora and Fauna Handbook: A 24+ page softcover book acting as a guide to the diverse ecology of the Astral Union. Filled with story inspirations for different climates, stat blocks for megafuana you may discover, and items for interacting with the environmental wonders of the galaxy.
Postcard Set: A set of 5 art postcards showing off the world of Ion Heart.
Metal First Player Token: Keep track of whose turn it is easily with this metal first player token, forged to represent a medal of service in the Astral Union military.
Dice Bag: Gather up your dice and store them in this bright pink and blue bag so they never go astray!
Iron On Patch: a cosy patch of Mech's around the campfire, ready to attach to jackets, backpacks and blankets with a simple iron-on adhesive.
Art Print: An exclusive A5 art print perfect as a piece of peaceful wall art.
Sticker Sheet: Customise your RPG notebooks with this A5 sticker sheet!
Ion Heart Pen: Keep detailed pilot logs with this custom pen.
Luxury Fabric Tote Bag: A durable, soft fabric bag with a zippable top, perfect for carrying all your Ion Heart books and accessories!
We also have a broad array of accessories to help enhance how you want to play! All of these will be available in different Pledge Levels as well as Add-Ons. These include:
Ion Heart Dice: Our deluxe multicoloured dice, perfect for tracking Pilot, Mech and combined rolls.
Ion Heart Screen: A screen for the Heart, including concise and easy-to-use condensed rules to keep your games flowing.
Token and Map Pack: A map to plan out your Encounters and visualise tactics Mechs, enemies, and terrain tokens galore for populating your Hex Maps.
Ion HeartCard Deck: A double card deck containing over 104 cards for all your gameplay needs. The Encounter deck gives you enemies and scenarios to build Encounters in a flash, whilst the Armoury deck gives you weapons, mods and equipment to attach to your mech, making designing loadouts a breeze.
For the ION Heart Multiplayer crowdfunding campaign, alongside a whole host of Ion Heart-themed goodies, we've made a selection of games from the Parable Games range available during the active campaign. Visit the add-ons page to view the other great games available, including SHIVER, Don't Play this Game, and Sisterhood!
These can be added to your order and will be shipped together. Digital files will be released as they are available (and after the Pledge Manager is live) in order to get you playing your games as quickly as possible!
If you aren't quite ready to add more to your pledge now, we will open the Pledge Manager after the campaign, allowing you to add additional items to your pledge at a later date.
Charlie Menzies: Game Designer and Writer Charlie is an award-winning writer, game designer, and lover of kaiju. The chance to create a peaceful project all about lovely mecha was too great an opportunity not to be part of. With nearly a decade of experience in film and TV he has taken his nouse for large projects on the big screen and brought them to the tabletop.
Ben Alexander: Artist and creator of ION HEART Ben is an award winning artist and game designer, and the creator of ION Heart. Before working in the tabletop space he had a career as a motion graphic designer working in branding and marketing. He has a love of grimdark miniature wargames, but also wanted to create a more optimistic world in the form of ION Heart. Ben combines his background in graphic design and love of comics and anime to create the world’s distinctive art style.
Adam Holloway: Writing, Editing, Community Management Adam is secretly a bunch of rabbits stuffed into a skin suit. Don't speak to him about Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street, or Watership Down, or else you'll be here all day. Also an Award Winning Writer who hates talking about himself, especially in the third person.
Matt Vaughan: Development and Production A game-obsessed geek, Matt has been in the games industry for nearly 20 years and has covered every aspect of making games and complex products. From writing and publishing his own best-selling TTRPG content to working on huge licensed boardgames, Matt will make sure our mechs come to life and get to you smoothly!
Barney Menzies: Development, Editing and Playtesting With over a decade in the tabletop game industry, Barney has brought his love of games, strategy and anime when helping to develop ION Heart. He's here to make sure piloting mechs around the galaxy is as cool to play as it sounds!
"I had a great time playing, it's super compelling, super approachable - a blast." Tony Vasinda
"ION Heart Captures that vibey yet tactical feel of the solo experience, still focusing on the relationship between pilot and mech." Cozy RPG Reviews
"ION Heart reminds me of a beloved childhood movie, Studio Ghibli's Laputa: Castle in the Sky. This is one for lovers of Cozy gaming and deep, emotional storytelling." Wargamer
See the map above for our current estimated shipping prices to all regions for Mech Pilot pledges. We are aiming to get lower prices for Physical Explorer pledges. Please be aware that these prices are subject to change as international shipping conditions shift. Shipping and any applicable taxes will be charged during the pledge manager after the campaign ends.
We're teaming up with a number of global fulfilment centres to get the best possible prices for worldwide shipping. Depending upon where your rewards are being shipped, you may be liable to pay customs charges on your package. However, we’ve currently secured customs-friendly shipping for the US, CA, EU, and UK.
As we're sure you all know, global shipping and manufacturing chains have become slightly more unpredictable since COVID-19, and import tariffs. As a result, we have been conservative with our estimation for shipping times of Physical Rewards. We hope to get them out a little faster, but the world is a tumultuous place. To guarantee as accurate prices at the time of fulfilment, we will be working with Backerkit to collect all shipping fees and taxes after the campaign through their pledge manager.
Legal We are committed to providing the best possible game through this campaign. All components will be produced by partners who we know share our commitment to quality.
This is not a pre-order, and the final product might vary in the process or become delayed. All images and content used in the campaign are not final and are subject to change. By pledging to this campaign you acknowledge that the final look and feel may differ from what is presented.
The core ION Heart books are only available in high-quality hardback. We know roleplaying books can take a beating if you travel a lot to play, so we wanted to make sure we would make something that would last as you explore the galaxy.
Sustainable materials
Our books are printed at an FSC supply chain-certified printer to ensure that our books come from responsibly sourced and managed forests.
Environmentally friendly factories
We work with book suppliers in the EU who guarantee to make their printing process as ecological as possible. Reducing paper wastage to make sure only what is needed is used.
Sustainable Distribution
We are taking steps to reduce the movements of goods as much as possible and manufacturing small batch items in country where possible. This will help us reduce excess movement of products as much as we can, whilst still being able to get copies of the game to a global audience.
Digital Copies
We wanted to give players the option to play without having to own anything physical. We have made PDF versions of all the game books, meaning nothing need be consumed in order to play should you so choose.
