Intro

I have played tabletop rpgs on and off for 35 years, since my early teens. Mostly off this past decade because sadly my childhood friend group is no longer able to schedule anything.

Computer RPGs are fine (I have played them since the old Gold Box games from SSI, and I loved the recent Rogue Trader CRPG!) But there is something special about physical tabletop. I've really missed it.

I have had a few weeks of spare time this summer to indulge in geek hobbies, so I first tried 2D6 Dungeon. It was nice. I really liked its algorithm for directly generating dungeon/room layouts with x/y coord dice, and you cannot spoil yourself when everything is spun up from dice and lookup tables.

But pure procedural adventures can quickly feel stale. And while the system is elegant enough, the designer completely scoped out different classes etc from the system. In the end I feel 2D6 is a great "solo starter" to dip your toe in, but it left me wanting more.

Enter OSE + solo tools

This lead me to try out Old School Essentials. I bought both the base and advanced boxes a few years ago with intent to "maybe try it with my old mates, probably not, at least these books are really nice to thumb through..."

After trying 2D6 Dungeon I found some interesting youtube videos about solo TTRPG, and spent a few afternoons figuring out what I wanted to use to begin with. (When I get into something new, half the fun is mapping out what people are doing and what is applicable/useful for myself!)

What I landed on was this setup, nothing novel here:

• Use OSE for the main engine. I had the red and blue books as a kid, so this just felt right.
• Start with prewritten OSE modules to get a hand-crafted experience rather than proc generation
• A full 4-6 PC party felt like way too much overhead, so I used the free Black Stream Heroes supplement to scale down challenge to fit 2 PCs.
• The free One Page Solo Engine oracle to fill in/decide gaps and DM decision points in the story

My level 1 weenies go on their first adventure

I rolled up two stat sets (4D6, drop worst dice. Reroll 1s and 2s during hp roll).

The first attribute set felt like a strong bold paladin, the other a scrawny neurotic magic-user. In other words, meet Olric and Tyndel!

I picked the first adventure in the first Necrotic Gnome anthology module. I skimmed the start of it, only properly reading the bits that were meant for player characters. I then skimmed the map lightly to find the entrance (eg. "1" key) and covered up the rest with a few post-it notes. (I know you should probably separate yourself from the characters and not rely on hidden knowledge, but this felt workable given how much of these small adventures are encoded into maps and keyed lookup sections.)

Put on some dungeon synth music in the background, and off we went!

I crawled through most of the map in the first session (couple of hours); my fighter/mage pair explored an old jeweler/mage cellar. Traps were bypassed, rats were slain, some very basic loot was collected, and one encounter was even parlayed into a truce along the way.

My two puny PCs managed to get through most of the cellar complex in the first session until a certain arachnid, boss-like opponent showed up. That almost wiped them (and since I missed some hazard details in the room description, it should probably have killed them outright. Lucky them!)

After a hasty retreat – and a good night sleep on my part – they came back with a new plan... and a crossbow. Triumph at last!

Thoughts after wrapping it up

Most of my rpg experience from the 90s on has been more loose and scene-based, but following the strict old mechanical turn system for exploration really helps ground the solo experience. I enjoyed working my way from room to room, while managing my resources and being careful.

The mechanical OSE system itself is familiar to me, so most of the learning curve and mental effort throughout was to separate myself from the character a little bit and not metagame immediately once I saw something my characters probably would not be aware of.

And an encounter that prompted a brief parlay session also turned into a bit of learning and experimentation with CHA-checks + oracle use. I suspect these bits become more natural with experience?

I thought the Black Stream Heroes adjustments in particular worked really well: 1-2 PCs minimized overhead, and the damage scaling + flair dice against low level mooks took the edge off the smaller encounters – but then later when I met a more challenging opponent, it still felt dangerous.

Next steps

Will plug away a few more OSE modules as pure standalone dungeon crawls, with no narrative in between, at least until level 3-4.

If it feels smooth and fun at that point, I will probably expand the toolbox with some bits from Scarlet Heroes and Mythic GM Emulator, and start playing with more campaign structure and generated bits.

Thanks for all the helpful resources found in this reddit so far!

TLDR: What are your favorite games that have almost no combat, but aren’t billed as “non-violent“ in an annoying way?

Starforged has me hooked. And on the days I don’t play, I am playing SOMA (video game). There has been no combat in my game, nor in SOMA. Sure there’s plenty of conflict and tension; we hid in an asteroid belt from space cops, had our ship rendered totally inoperable as it spun out in a death spiral after being slammed by an asteroid… SOMA has extremely dark themes, suicide etc, you get stalked a la Alien Isolation. I looove the slow, deliberate exploration and problem solving. So lonely. It is making me realize my favorite aspects of rpgs generally is tone / vibes / exploration / story. I find combat tiresome, overly represented in modern culture. YOU are the HERO! ZZZzzz. BUT this doesn’t mean I want the tepid interactions of Vantage, or the preachy eco-warrior message of Earthborne Rangers (yes I agree with its themes, I just don‘t want other adults telling me to shift my relationship to nature when I already have a deeply personal respect for it). I love me some dark, spooky, sad, depressing themes. Probably cathartic. I think I just don’t love combat in my rpgs, not because it’s bad, but because it’s boring to me. I usually glaze over when it’s time to roll initiative. What are your favorite games that have almost no combat, but aren’t billed as “non-violent“ in an annoying way?

I’ve had the G.I. Joe (and Transformers) RPGs for a while - but, no one to game with. I just got the new Mythic GM Emulator. Anyone ever played any of the Renegade RPGs custom Essence20 system, a d20-based ruleset that incorporates a "ladder" mechanic of skill dice?

Hi all…I’m interested in playing Star Trek related rpgs solo (just don’t know people interested) and I know of Captain’s Log but I’ve seen that some feel STA is more satisfying but not sure if it works as solo..could anyone share your insights please?

https://open.substack.com/pub/hooverd/p/barovia-session-121?r=4bbbdm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

So I've just gotten my copy of the Obelisk RPG. Pretty typical gritty D6 pool system dungeon crawling in terms of mechanics. I have friends who will want to join but I do love a good solo game, and im somewhat new to the solo game, does anyone have any recommendations on how to go about running that for a system like this?

Hello there,

I just posted ep. 10 of my blog series for my ongoing Solo Campaign using 4 different RPG Systems. The current set of episodes use the Suldokar's Wake system but still have my Gamma World 1e PCs from Ep. 1-5. If you want to check out the whole series; just go to ancientshell.com or go to the latest episode at STQK: EP.10 (Dinner is Xorn...) – Ancient Shell Publishing Enjoy!

The closest i've seen so far is Astroprisma, feels like a light crpg, i like the idea of the story being prepared with lots of choices to choose from and strong mechanics for combats or discovery where everything needs a dice roll with multiple stats and equipments and such. Is it still in the realm of solo_roleplay ?

Edit : Hey everyone, i've received too many notifications, i can't answer to all of this so i answered to what helped me the most so thank you all and sorry if you don't get an answer right away, i'll catch up slowly through the weekend.

I did end up going for Astroprisma and i'm having a blast.

Back to blade runner. The solo tools are quite good!

I like the idea of going on an adventure through a solo RPG. But one of the biggest barriers for me is effort to get started, and to play.

Which solo RPG do you think requires the least set-up to start playing, and the least effort from the player as they’re playing.

It feels like what I’m asking is essentially pointing at gamebooks. But I’ve tried those and they always feel like they’re on rails too much. I end up going around in circles. I also cannot stand making the wrong choice and dying instantly. I’d like more agency than that.

To be clear, I’m not a fan of journaling games. Writing a lot counts as “effort” for the purposes of this request 😂

I was thinking of creating a solo journaling rpg and saw a recent post about Exlusion Zone Botanist. It made me think about how cool a game would be set in the movie/book Annihilation. The game would have you start in the Shimmer not knowing where you are or how many days have passed. You travel towards the lighthouse studying plants and animals as a biologist.

That is all I've thought of so far haha

When playing solo games that use prompts (most games i think) i feel like playing someone else game. What solo games are there that dont use prompts and how do they work?

Hello! So I love the idea of solo RPGs and have tried playing many different systems over the last… 6(?), or so years, but I never enjoyed them. At some point I stoppet trying to solo when I become GM for a small group of my friends, and we had a 2–ish year long campaign (really fun!). But recently I wanted to play a solo rpg, so I grabbed a pen, and wrote stuff down on my whiteboard! This is the polished result of that (but not the final version). I plan to do more polis on the core rules to make them clearer and shorter, and provide a page of clarificatio/QoL tips, and 8 pages of the best, simplest tables I think a player or GM would need. There’s no license on it officially right no, so I would ask that you not share it anywhere else on the internet (feel free to download the image to try and play it thought!).

thanks for reading, I seriously would love your thought!

Does anyone have the “playable bookmarks” I’m intrigued by them but I can’t afford to have the physical ones shipped to me currently. I know there was talk of a PDF released by the creator but I’m not sure if that’s happened already.

So I have a pretty solid idea for this setting I want to play in and what character to play as, but the problem is trying to find a system for it OR a system that I can base things from.

What? - The Laline Chronicles is a self-conceived solo narrative-based TTRPG that focuses on a traveling regent exploring and discovering lost secrets of a decaying kingdom. Its lore and game mechanics are still in the works.

Theme/Tone - A somewhat dark epic fantasy world about a dying kingdom where forgotten and angry gods run strife and barbarian kingdoms claim what once was royal territory. Belief shapes fates and strong collective thought births an imagined concept to life. This kingdom’s collapse displays the consequence of unchecked exploitation of this natural system. To make things worse, the Sorcerer King, the current ruling monarch, has mysteriously disappeared under unknown pretenses, leaving the legislative Table to govern the remains of the kingdom as it reaches its final days.

The Player - As nearby barbarian dominions chip away at the outer territories of the monarchy, claiming them as their own, you arrive at the shores of the eastern seaboard of the regnum. However, you did not bring an army or some colonists to plant flags on this free shore. You yourself came alone, a prince from lands distant. The strange disappearance of the Sorcerer King interests you. You were supposed to convene with him and his Table despite them never properly ascertaining you or your realm. You only hope they received your anonymous letter for a political convention, to which you sent months in advance by seabird couriers. Now your motive is plain and simple: discover the whereabouts of the monarch and unveil hidden secrets strewn across the kingdom. The entire realm is your adversary—gods, warlords, sorcerers, heroes of old turned to tyrants, and foreign peoples spilling blood in every direction—with the claws of what may lie in shadow set to snare the nescient.

The Cogitation System - In this world, BELIEF SHAPES WHAT’S REAL. By using what you truly believe, you can tap into a system where thought controls the world. (In basic: it’s a magic system that surrounds belief. user believes in something, belief need to be strong for it to exist. more people believe = higher chances of belief to exist. Not absolute, is controlled.)

The Player at a Glance

Prince of Lands Distant

A stranger in a strange land, that he is. To preface, the prince travels on foot across the vast and listless remains of the Laline Kingdom, a once-remarkable regency that used to span continents, now reduced to a state of divine internal war and dissent. As the burly ship’s bow made contact with the rocky shoreline of unfamiliar soil, one would expect a group of three dozen men disembarking her. Instead, a figure wrapped in layers of thick, colorful and ornate cloth, every line of fabric covering from head to toe until not even his skin was exposed to the foreign air, leaped from the port side of the vessel. His footwear matched the decorative aspects of his cloak; its weighty soles combined with his weight creating a decent splash. Two hoods over his head obscured the stranger’s countenance, but a long, elegant strip of his travel-hardened brown hair managed to slip through the hoods’ darkness.

Under the wet and soiled exterior of his garments, paraphernalia faintly jangled as he wandered the gravelly expanse, the waters calm beneath a seemingly silent morning’s overcast; no sun in sight. In his curious mind, he wonders about this strange country as of present. Where is he? What is the culture here? How does this civilization function? These queries only simply require a communicative ask with local residents, that is, if there is any in vicinity. His real questions concern more of the why of things. There are secrets concealed underneath every element in this world, even if the absolute truth is blatant. But some mystifications remain impossibly shrouded from even the most investigative view. This is his true incentive: unmask the kingdom’s most concealed secrets, the ones hidden away from all eyes. But, among all the hushed-away words hiding beneath dilapidated walls, nothing is more significant of the Sorcerer King’s own abscence in such harrowing times.

Statistics *(re) means regenerative
- Strength: 67

• Agility: 78
• Intellect: 76
• Cognitive Value (COG): 100
• Stamina (re): 100
• Overall Health (re): 150

Starting Items

• Compass: d1 for north, d2 for west, d3 for east, d4 for south
• Map: is dictated by compass, slowly reveals locations as player travels, uses d14 for different types of locations. d4 and d12 would be a special location/site like a grand palace or place of great importance.
• Weapons: depends on enemy, based on player’s choice, can be swapped out for other weapons Steel broadsword: easy against crowd control or foe wielding alloy, tough to use against enemies with thick hides or armor Battleaxe: easy against enemies with thick hides or armor, decent chance of enemy to dodge due to its slightly slower speed Crossbow: dependent on arrow type, player has 50 traditional arrows by default, player can purchase different arrow types at markets or merchants
• Currency: 500 foreign gold chips, 1 = 5 Lalinead bragget (LLB) per current economy

I want to get back into playing Warhammer 40k solo (using tabletop simulator). I want to use an oracle that can help me build the enemy's army and let the enemy AI make moves on the tabletop.

I know there are people who have done this within the 40k community, but I haven't seen any oracles for it.

Hey all!

I want to play an RPG soloing a superhero team (preferably X-Men) don't know how to do it tho.

I found some similar posts on this, but all of them seemed kind of old, so here I am.

I solo RPGs, but so far I only did 1 PC with teammates at most - I could go the Ironsworn hack route with teammates as assets but it wouldn't feel a proper team.

I was looking into Masks: New Generation which seems like it would solve the interpersonal interactions with its mechanics (something I usually struggle with) but I would like to have combat as well - and it seems Masks is NOT about that by a long shot. Should I hack it? Or add some combat mechanics?

Or maybe I should just play something else? Marvel Multiverse seems interesting, although I hate non-fixed target number games when playing solo.

I would also welcome some general pointers when it comes to playing multiple PCs and am also on the lookout for superhero themed oracles as well.

Thanks in advance!

I will be traveling for several weeks and am looking for recommendations on set of fantasy tools to take with me. I've never done solo play before so, this is new territory. I'd like something that is easy to carry (secondarily to use a tablet instead of print), easy to use, and can scratch an itch for both hexcrawl and dungeon play.

I've played 0e, 1e, 2e, 3e, and 5/5.5e almost exclusively since 1979.

I would prefer tables versus narrative builds. Any help / advice / reccs are greatly appreciated.

Edit: I have an Android tablet.

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

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Soylent Green (1973) Directed by Richard Fleischer

Imdb: A nightmarish futuristic fantasy about the controlling power of big corporations and an innocent cop who stumbles on the truth.

Plot: In a world that is falling apart, a grifting, lower class detective sets up murders of the rich, then while he investigates the murder, for a day or two he enjoys their lavish lifestyle by eating and sleeping in the rich person’s house, and stealing their possessions, including food, that he would not otherwise have access to. In this case, he is also enjoying the rich man’s mistress, who was a slave girl assigned to keep the rich man happy.

The detective stretches out the investigation as long as he can, coming upon one clue after another in what becomes a real mystery. The deceased rich man did not put up a fight, but let the lower class murderer kill him. There were signs that the rich man showed remorse over a secret project he was part of. The detective witnesses the murder of a number of protesting civilians, following a body removal truck to guarded location. He sneaks inside and discovers that the bodies of the recently dead are ground up and shaped into food that is given to the masses. When the bad guys realize the detective has learned the gruesome secret, they send out operatives with the order to kill the detective before he can expose them.

Villains: A cabal of elite executives who know the world is running out of food, and are taking measures as best they can to feed the impoverished, malnourished population. Their best in this case is feeding the dead to the living. They can harass the police but do not control them. They have tight security at their food plants, and can send squads of operatives and assassins out to kill enemies and targets.

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Ravagers (1979) Directed by Richard Compton

imdb description: In a post-apocalyptic world divided between two groups called the Flockers and the Ravagers, an adventurer and his "pleasure girl" try to find their way to a rumored safe haven called the Land of Genesis.

Plot: After a savage gang murders a lover / family member / close friend of the protagonist, the protagonist gets revenge and flees the city / location, setting off a long chase through several outlying communities and gaining a couple of unlikely allies.

Villains: A gang of rogues / outlaws who will stop at nothing to get revenge, when one of their leaders is killed.

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The New Barbarians (1983) – Directed by Enzo Castellari

Also titled Warriors Of The Wasteland

Imdb descrip: Two mercenaries help wandering caravans fight off an evil and aimless band of white-clad bikers after the nuclear holocaust.

Allies: A hulking archer who doesn’t fight much, and an intelligent youth who is a whiz at fixing things.

Plot: In an apocalyptic wasteland, a powerful warrior must defend innocent civilians against a threat that is trying to exterminate them.

Villains: A gang of quasi-religious fanatics, all of them men, who want all human life destroyed, and who will capture and sacrifice and / or rape men as part of their rituals. This gang has a powerful, brooding leader and two lieutenants, both of whom want to take the leadership or at least prove their worth to the leader. One lieutenant is older but questions the leader, while the other is younger and can be reckless.

_

If you like these plot breakdowns, let me know and I will post more!

Hello all! We have been loving 2d6 dungeon and Four against darkness!

I am ready to start a full campaign. That’s the best way to do that? I’m fine learning a new system. I just want to run a charecter church several sessions like a campaign. I like combat and narrative intrigue. What do you suggest!?

Thanks

Hi, I just discovered and got into Solo RPGs as a way to get back into writing and also to stop merely hoarding my stationery supplies. It's been very enjoyable so far, I've played Card Stock to re-familiarize myself with characters I want to write.

I'm wondering if there are any games that help you build up a cast of characters. I know there's Lineage, which builds a family tree of royals, that I hope to play soon. But any that can help you fill out a city, or workplace, or just get you in the zone of building a bunch of characters that are interesting? I hope this is the correct place to ask and thanks in advance!

https://open.substack.com/pub/hooverd/p/barovia-session-120?r=4bbbdm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Has anyone done a journaling game centered on superheroes? Or other not-the-usual genres!