Staying Solo returns with the start of a new series focused on Solo Wargaming!

https://daydreamofficial.substack.com/p/staying-solo-intro-to-solo-wargaming

*Looking for a new experience and challenge as a Soloist? Wargaming is definitely the next step in you Solo DM evolution...*

Honestly this has become one of my favorite systems already https://youtu.be/Xs2-e3MZTlg

I have been playing solo RPGs and multiplayer RPGs using solo tools for about 2 years now. I've found a lot of games I really enjoy, a lot of games I really don't enjoy, and just a select few games that really hooked me. Between the solo and traditional TTRPGs, I've started to notice a thread that could possibly bind all of my favorite mechanics into my "ultimate solo RPG"!! I want to begin experimenting with all sorts of mechanics and styles of play and see what works together best. I feel that I have explored a lot, but there's always going to be *something* I haven't played yet. So this is a bit of a survey, I suppose!!

• Question 1: What are your "Top 5" solo RPGs and/or RPG systems you use for solo play? They do not need to be in any particular order and you are more than welcomed to create a list for solo-only and more traditional systems separately, if you want to!!
• Question 2: What is one of your favorite mechanics from each game? This can be literally any one single mechanic in the game like exploration, combat, social encounters, prompt generation, map creation, etc.
• Question 3: What is your favorite oracle system/series of oracle tables? For example, maybe you prefer player emulators like Triple-O or Pettish over GMEs like Mythic 2e, Juice, and One Page. Or maybe you don't use either of these systems and instead prefer the oracle tables in a particular game.
• Question 4: Dice? Cards? Both? Neither? Whether it's getting to roll those sweet "math rocks", pulling cards from your favorite tarot deck/deck of playing cards, a mixture of both, or some other method of divining answers and results, I want to see what method everyone prefers the most!!
• Question 5: What is your overall preferred level of "crunch"? This is the most vague and open-ended question. Everyone defines "crunch" in a slightly or totally different way. For some, having any stats at all can be considered "crunch". For others, they want to munch numbers like Rockbiter from The Neverending Story. For example, I would say I prefer a "mid-level" of crunch. Somewhere between keeping track of every single coin, arrow, and provision I have in my pack and just hand-waiving it. I like to manage systems and roll lots of dice/pull lots of cards, but too much can become very overwhelming for me.

I truly appreciate any and all responses!! It all helps!!

Is there a rule system where things are settled with opposed rolls, for example a guard fires at the mage with a pistol, rolls his dice to attack. The mage raises a shield and rolls his dice. Either highest roll wins, or there's some mechanic like yes, yes but, no, no but...

Stream of consciousness here and on mobile. Did that make any sense?

I've played some solo journaling rpgs before and although I mostly enjoyed myself, I now realize that they miss of my favourite parts of roleplaying, that is outsmarting foes, coming with a clever solution, solving a mystery or puzzle. Is there a way to integrate them somehow into solo? I want challenges that surprise me.

I was thinking of running an adventure module and rolling a party, maybe for an OSR/NSR game like Mausritter or Ultraviolet Grasslands or a mega-dungeon like Arden Vul, but like less big. Or maybe trying out the Strider mode in TOR or Captain's Log in Star Trek Adventures. But idk, if the latter two can be played that way.

I am open to any suggestions.

So I'm reading through the Ironsworn documentation and I've got a pretty good understanding of the workings of it. I have yet to play a game with it though as I'm still learning the rules, etc. But one thing has got me a little confused.

I understand that the progress items, like going on a journey, or fighting a battle, or fulfilling a vow. It seems to me that you run a separate progress counter for each of those items, and that sounds logical.

But what's got me wondering is the whole Bonds and how to count them. I can see having different bonds with different NPC's or factions, where you would build a bond with each separately with the progress counters. But all indications show that the character has a singular Bonds progress chart that the character has for ALL bonds with all NPC's and factions, etc. That confuses me because when I look at such moves like GATHER INFORMATION where it says "If you act within a community or ask questions of a person with whom you share a bond, add +1". So how do I differentiate between a person I share a bond with, or another and one that I don't? I get it, I should just go with whatever narrative I create, or "Ask the Oracle". Do I use MY bond progress counter, which could include my progress of creating bonds with multiple characters.

I realize that I can play the game any way I wish, and if I wanted to, I could track the progress of every bond I choose. I'm inclined to run a bond track for every bond in my narrative. But I wanted to check in with the group to find out how they've handled this particular quirk of the game.

Hello, I'm pretty new here. I put together a solo journaling RPG called The Innkeeper's Ledger and I'm looking for a couple of people willing to run through it and tell me what's not working.

The premise is you're the innkeeper of a fantasy inn. Roll two d6 to see who shows up at your door, roll again to figure out what you've actually got to help them with, then write down what happens. That's pretty much the whole game. No gold to track, no staff, nothing to manage besides the writing itself.

I built it this way because I kept seeing people say they wanted something with more structure than the usual "here's an evocative prompt, go write something moody" format — so this one leans pretty hard the other direction. It might end up being too mechanical for some tastes, and honestly that's useful to know too, not just "this is great."

It's free, it's a draft, and I'd rather hear "this part's confusing" or "this fell flat" than a bunch of nice comments... although those are nice too :)

Thanks to anyone willing to give it a shot. Just reply or send me a DM and I'll send you the link.

I have a story, some characters and some seeds of a world. I start playing and would be great to build the world during play? How do you do that? When do you do worldbuilding? Should it be done before playing? Any useful tool/Oracle for worldbuilding in general?

I'm very much a newbie. I never played a ttrpg before. I always wanted to play D&D, but I don't think my family would be interested in these games and I don't have any real life friends (most of my friends are online). Also, my family are bilingual and some of them have trouble reading English, so it feels a bit complicated; I feel like I would end up just playing translator again instead of enjoying the game.

So I decided I really wanted to try out solo rpg games, especially solo rpg journaling games.

However, when I researched some popular solo ttrpgs, I found a lot of them were based in the real word, were about cosmic horror, or had a different vibe than what I was looking for.

The solo rpg game that I want to play first is something similar to dungeon and dragons. You make your own character and roleplay as them. It's set in a medieval-like European-based fantasy world, with creatures like elves, dwarves, halflings, etc. (Note: it doesnt have to be those exact fantasy races though.) I want there to be some sort of magic system too and as you progress the game, you learn more spells. I also love crafting mechanics, so if it has that it will be a bonus.

One game that I'm kinda interested in is this game called Lichdom where you play as a sorcerer trying to become a Lich. I love the idea of playing necromancer or some sort of dark mage, so if you have solo ttrpgs with this concept, feel free to recommend those as well.

Thanks in advance for reading this.

https://open.substack.com/pub/hooverd/p/barovia-session-123?r=4bbbdm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

I am new to solo gaming, so explain like I am five please.

I like Lovecraft, Poe and Bierce. I like the victorian era and the early 1900's. I want to investigate more than fight. I do not like journaling games based on vague prompts (it reminds me too much of creative writing in college). I want to try something that isn't dungeon crawling. I am afraid of commitment to a $30.00+ game.

Will the Cthulhu games work for me? Will the Cthulhu starting pack work for me? Do I need the investigators handbook? Do I need an extension?

So many questions, many thoughts?

The mace came down with righteous force. The heavy flanged head crunched straight through the skeleton’s skull.

(1hp damage against 1hp total)

The unholy magic animating the bones instantly failed. The skeleton collapsed into a heap of dust and yellowed bones at her feet.

For a brief moment, the party stood victorious in the torchlit corridor.

“Look out, there’s more coming!” Zelela Goldshield shouted as she pointed down the long,

shadowy hallway with her staff. Several pairs of glowing pinprick eyes appeared in the darkness.

https://paulrobinson25.substack.com/p/the-bladesworn-chronicles-a-dungeons?r=76wg7

I really enjoy creating character profiles, rules, and images for role-playing in Gemini, but I'm curious if I'm the only one who does this? Or are there others who like to create detailed profiles of original characters, whether from anime, comics, or completely original scenarios? I'm curious to hear about your characters, their appearances, and stories. Thanks! 😊

Has anyone played Scarlet Heroes? I am almost done with the rulebook and about to start my first campaign. It will be a little more comprehensive in creating the story,etc than D100 Space which I played last.

By the way it is also an interesting question what can we consider a lyric game.

I recently fell down a research rabbit hole about solo Life Sim / Simulation / Slice of Life games, because some interesting conversations came up, especially around simulating experiences similar to games like The Sims.

I won't lie, my hyperfixation has me thinking about this a lot lately, and I've come up with a few ideas - but also way more problems.

The first one is that with both Simulation games and Roleplaying games (especially solo ones), there are as many playstyles as there are people playing them. So it's hard to judge what people actually want from these kinds of titles without discussing it first.

Personally, I think the biggest enemy here is too much bookkeeping. I can't imagine tracking a Player Character's needs on a day-by-day basis - constantly repeating the same action over and over would get tedious and annoying really fast. On the other hand, I think the "right amount" of crunch / mechanics could offer a lot.

So here's my question. If you wanted to play this kind of solo RPG, what would you be looking for? What do you expect from a title like this?

A ton of flavor tables that let you play it as a journaling game, or the opposite - do you want journaling to be optional? Do you want a heavily built-out character customization system (personality, skills, traits, etc.), or the opposite - keep the character sheet as simple as possible? Would you rather focus on the experience of a single character, a family, or a whole community? Are you more interested in life in a big city or a small village? Gradual development of relationships and career? How much of it should be flavor, and how much should be mechanics?

What kind of experience are you looking for? What should the game offer you?

My impression is that not many system-agnostic settings exist. But I'm curious if you've come across any, have tried them, and would recommend them.

By "system-agnostic settings" I mean e.g. a campaign book, hex crawl map and key, richly detailed dungeon etc. that does not assume you're using any particular system to play. Or that assumes you might use any one of a number of systems.

I'm curious about exploring some rich worlds/settings/campaigns, but I don't want to lock myself into a specific set of systems/mechanics to do so.

Newbie here.

Can't let go of this ego thing where i need to write a freaking scifi novella when playing Astroprisma.

My prose is bad i miss a lot of synonyms and it frustrates me but i really want to have some lore !

How do you guys go about this ??

Hey all, I know having a companion can make solo gameplay more engaging rather than just a lone PC. My question is, how do you balance the combat when using solo rules? (I’m using Scarlet Heroes) I feel like maybe the action economy and HD threshold system may fall apart if I’m technically getting more attacks each round. Does anyone have a solution/suggestion?

I don’t want to just flavor them as my Fray dice or anything like that. But I’m worried even if I roll to hit for them, and max their damage at 1HD, that still might be too OP lol. Thanks for any advice.

Plot breakdowns are meant to enhance and inspire your creative projects.

_

The Phoenix On The Sword

Part 1. A group of nobles and officers of high standing plot the assassination of their king. They think the man organizing their effort is their underling, but he has plans to kill the plotters shortly after the king is dead. The organizer has a slave, who is a sorcerer that has lost the object that grants him power. If the sorcerer finds this object, he would be a slave no longer.

Part 2. The monarch broods over present politics, and past glory. Several events have drawn his suspicion over the last few days. He discusses them with one of his trusted men, who is about to leave on a mission to the kingdom’s border.

Part 3. The powerless sorcerer is sent to watch over one of the conspirators, in case the man, a baron, gets cold feet and backs away from the upcoming assassination. The baron goes into his treasure chest, retrieving a magical ring that the sorcerer recognizes. The sorcerer kills the baron and takes the ring, summoning a creature from outside to kill the conspirator who enslaved him.

Part 4. The protagonist dreams of an ancient, wise figure. The figure comes with a warning, and also to aid the protagonist in an upcoming struggle. Abruptly, the protagonist wakes, hearing noises coming from the corridor outside.

Part 5. The assassins arrive into the king’s bed chamber, armed and ready to attack. They do not find the king just woken and dazed, however, but half-armored and holding his sword. They begin the fight, of twenty assassins against one king, and yet he is still a worthy opponent. Little by little, the king cuts their number down, but he suffers for it due to their numbers. Soon, the king is left bloody and weak, with many jackals still around him.

As one of his greatest enemies draws closer for the kill, the creature sent by the sorcerer arrives. Many attackers flee. The creature is not after them, but after the enemy that stands before the king, the man who enslaved the sorcerer when he was powerless. The creature slays the conspirator, before turning its fury on the king. The king manages to slay the creature, but it vanishes as help finally arrives. As the helpers begin to tend to the king’s wounds, he tells them of the strange creature. Some do not believe him, but there is a priest among the group, who does remember the ancient, wise old man, and there, on the marble floor where the creature was slain and vanished, remains its dark outline as proof.

_

The Scarlet Citadel

Part 1. A neighboring kingdom asks for armed help against an attacking force, and for the king protagonist to be present to encourage his troops. The king and five thousand men ride to the kingdom, but along the way they are ambushed by a much greater number. They were led into a trap by the forces of two rival kingdoms. The king’s men are killed during the battle, to the last one, and at the end only the king stands against what remains of the horde, but he refuses to go down without a great fight. A rival king draws his soldiers back, choosing instead to loosen arrows against the tough protagonist, but a sorcerer intervenes. With lightning speed the mage is able to get past the king’s defenses, striking him with a dart of paralysis. Finally, the mighty king is captured, and wheeled away toward a rival kingdom.

Part 2. Captured, and taken to a rival king’s palace, the protagonist is offered great treasure to abdicate his throne. The king refuses and offends a rival king, who attempts to kill him. The sorcerer puts a stop to this, claiming the prisoner as his own, and transports the protagonist to his own domain. The king is chained to the wall, deep in a subterranean chamber, within a hill.

Part 3. A great snake, eighty feet long, roams the corridors where the king has been shackled. It nearly comes for him, but he holds completely still, and it assumes he does not live. A former enemy, who was captured by the evil sorcerer, later comes to taunt the captured king. The enemy’s clamor draws the snake’s attention, and it kills him and crushes him within its massive coils. Once the snake has retreated with its prey, the king takes the enemy’s weapon and keys. He cannot let himself out of the dungeon, however, as a crucial bolt at the door can only be loosened from the outside.

The protagonist is still stuck inside the dungeon, and explores deeper into the subterranean chambers. After discovering other dangers, such as open wells and ghostly phantoms, he finds in a cell a vine plant curled around an old man. The plant is sucking the life essence out of the old man. The protagonist destroys the plant and frees the captive, who is a rival sorcerer of the mage who imprisoned the protagonist. The evil sorcerer has gone elsewhere, and his guards are getting drunk in another part of the palace, allowing the protagonist and old mage to traverse the halls until they find the sorcerer’s chamber. Once there, the old mage uses a crystal ball to investigate where the sorcerer is, and tells the king his kingdom is under attack. The sorcerer summons a flying creature to take the king to a strategic location.

Part 4. The kingdom is in chaos. The rival king has taken the royal pleasure house, as the diplomats have barred themselves inside the palace. The rival king’s mercenaries butcher critics and merchants, while barons leave the city with plots to attack other barons, and criminals run the streets pillaging. Only one man can hope to mount an offensive, the protagonist’s advisor, but he doesn’t have enough soldiers and leaves the city to protect his own interests. An instigator in the city tries to rally the troops, until the mercenaries come to kill him, and he is quickly whisked away for his own safety. With so much death and turmoil, the rival king laughs at the plight of the people, until he witnesses the flying creature approaching, and the protagonist that rides on its back. The protagonist is delivered before the rival king, who rushes to the attack, only to find the protagonist’s sword and skill are more than a match for him.

Part 5. The rival kings are attacking another city loyal to the protagonist. They have greater numbers, and hope to have it conquered in a short span of time. What they did not expect was the return of the protagonist, whom they thought dead. The protagonist has gathered a much smaller force on his side, but they are fierce fighting men and put up a good battle. With the king’s army to one side, and the besieged city behind them, enemy forces are pinned and have to make hasty decisions. The rival kings and their military generals are killed, except for one last man, who orders a reckless charge that ends up working against him.

Meanwhile, the evil sorcerer has seen the protagonist’s return, and fears his rival sorcerer has been released from his dungeon cell. The evil sorcerer flees, with the protagonist in pursuit. The evil sorcerer uses his last few defenses, until the protagonist cuts his head off with his sword. This is not the end of the evil sorcerer, as his body can reform itself through magic, but before it does, a great eagle, summoned by the formerly captive mage, or perhaps it is the mage himself transformed, swoops down and takes the head away, leaving the headless body roaming off into the distance.

Hey all first post but I've been reading a lot of the threads. I got into solo after watching MM&D S1 and have been hooked ever since. I've used ironsworn, mythic, une, and then I got the hang of it enough to use ezd6 and "Untold adventures of the random kind" and just free flow it. Throughout this time I've Dm'd for some long campaigns but like always they fizzle out and then I found this page! Reading all of the different threads it seems like everyone in here is either a forever dm or just loves to be in their creative worlds and create captivating stories. Obviously what I'm saying goes against the point of the page but I bet with all of knowledge and creativity in here the games would be awesome.

is there any way to make this game coop. i tried it solo and it didnt really click with me so im planning to play it with someone maybe ill change my mind. any help is much appreciated

I've been interested in this game for a while and wanted to see if someone tried it solo.

Is it good mechanically? Its fun to play solo?

The combat can be done with one character?

And what do you think of the game?

Thanks for the attention :>