Help with Single Player Games

[reddist]

Hey EN Worlders!

I'm visiting a friend this weekend, and we're talking about playing some D&D. Its just the two of us though, and I wanted some advice from y'all.

1-- does anyone know of any good commercially available (PDFs, preferably) single player adventures? Just the DM and a single PC?

2-- for those with experience with single player games, how do you feel about letting the player run two or more PCs? Or is it better/more fun if the single PC takes the spotlight, and I run NPC occaisional henchmen (as play warrants) as the DM?

3-- any tricks/tips/hints at making a single player game more entertaining or challenging? The game will have to be tailored to his PC, clearly, and encounters toned down so a single player can handle them, but what else?

Thanks oodles for your input!

-Reddist

 

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

1- sorry. no help from me, but I'll keep an eye out in case anyone elsee has something useful in this regard.

2- I like to let the player run more than one character, but, then, one-on-one games are usually just my wife and me, and my wife is more accustomed to playing two PC's than just one. A gestalt character is an option if you already have WotC's Unearthed Arcana, but I think two PC's actually gives the player more options, and more power, meaning that you won't need to scale the adventure as much. Two gestalt PC's could be nearly as versatile as a standard party, but that's probably just too much for player to track.

3- concentrate on challenges that require party cooperation (if two PC's) or just decisiveness (if one PC). I've seen brothers turn their characters on one another, and good friends disagree in-game just to be difficult, but few players are willing to roleplay an argument between two of their own characters.
3b- I would concentrate on using monsters that rely on hit points for their CR, actually, and just run an adventure as though the one or two PC's were a party two levels lower than they actually are. Obviously, if you've got no Cleric, don't put in turning-energy doors. Don't expect the dumb Dwarven Paladin PC to gather information from woodland creatures, and so on. Try to avoid monsters and traps for which the CR/EL is determined by one saving throw DC: medusa, beholder, whatever, or else double check to make sure that that DC is appropriate to your PC(s). TPK suck for everyone, no matter the party's size.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

I'd suggest going to RPGNow and downloading the Basic D&D rules and the Ghost of Lion Castle Solo Module. Since GoLC IS a Solo Module it is already set up for a single character.

Ghost of Lion Castle

Basic D&D Rules Cyclopedia

 

[Darklone]

IME, you can easily let him play nearly normal adventures with some ftr/rog mix or a bard, assuming he's got about +4 levels than anticipated and some nice equipment plus healing wands.

 

[Trainz]

I do a lot of solo gaming (and also a lot of group gaming).

Currently, my solo campaign has one fighter player with 3 cohorts (it specifies in the DMG that a player can have more than one cohort), in effect creating some kind of adventuring party.

I highly recommend you roll all characters in advance, because if your friend just spends the week-end, that won't leave you a lot of time. Discuss by email what he wants to play and go for 32 point-buy or somesuch.

 

[kengar]

I have a PDF of a single player adventure that I wrote on my website. It's for 1st level characters. It's written for Basic D&D, but the only thing you'd really need to change are the monster stats.

http://home.comcast.net/~bighara/myminis/Greenlee.pdf

 

[reddist]

Thanks for the input! Keep em coming...

Here's where I'm thinking of starting him as a 4th level character of his design (I'll ask him to roll the PC up before we get together).

A bit of simplified DM rail-roaded backstory, to set the stage and expedite play...Betrayed and framed for murder by his former best friend his ex-fiance, he was stripped of his possessions and taken into custody. He was being shipped home in chains under the watchful eye of a constable. Late in the night, a horrible storm wrecked his ship, sinking it and drowning most of the passengers. Play will begin with him waking up on a beach, still chained. Scattered around him are crates and containers that have been washed ashore, and numerable dead bodies. Depending on his PC choices, keys or lockpicks and other mundane equipment can be found by searching the corpses and soggy crates and containers.

Again, depending on his PC choices, he may find another survivor or two on the beach, with classes and skills that complement his own. His job then, will be to explore the strange new land on which he finds himself, and try to find either a way home to exact his vengeance, or a way off to somewhere else to start over... I'll let him decided that once he wakes up

Though I'm thinking of adding some plane-spanning magics to that storm, so I can deposit him VERY far from home and make it a quest of gates and portals, tombs and dungeons, caves and ancient forests...

thoughts or suggestions?

-Reddist

 

[reddist]

I have a PDF of a single player adventure...

Kengar, thanks for the link! I might use your swamp and ruins... perhaps his first portal is under that trap door...

 

[Three_Haligonians]

Hey there, Reddist

As towards allowing your friend to play multiple PC's, although I have no experience doing so, I would advise caution. Running one PC can be difficult enough, especially if your friend is a fairly new gamer.

In regards to some creative solutions to your problem, I can give you some advice from personal experience. During one of my first serious D&D games, there were only two gamers and the GM. In order to deal with the problem, our DM introduced an NPC who worked with us, just as a regular PC would. The NPC had skills that complemented our own (he was a rogue: always useful to have someone who can pick locks in your group), had goals similar to ours, and, all in all, fit in quite well with the two of us. Some might caution against this, and, I myself would advise you to make sure the character is equal to the PC, in order to avoid any "my NPC is better than your PC could ever hope to be" sort of roleplay, not that I'm worried you would make this sort of a choice. The NPC from my game was fairly non-commital and had a general "go with the flow" personality which allowed myself and the other PC to really feel like we were running the show.

The benefit of this choice is that your PC won't feel iscolated and you and he will be able to have the oportunity to talk things out between the PC and the NPC, which can lead to some awesome role-playing. Whats more, I find it reduces the awkwardness that inevitably occurs when two people are role-playing by themselves.

Hope this helps, best of luck this weekend!

T from Three Haligonians

PS: your game sounds really cool!

 

[Caspian Moon Prince]

I have ran solo campaigns for a while now and have a few suggestions. I personally wouldn't suggest the multiple character approach, since that would hamper the ability to roleplay a character as well. From experience as a DM having to roleplay out two or more characters at once, it can be awkward and difficult.

-Have the player pick a class other than wizard or sorcerer. I've found that these two classes are lacking in one major area: hit points. In solo games, there isn't as many people to fall back on for help. HP are far more valuable than in a larger group. A solution to this would be the gestalt option from UA, and make sure the other class is tougher.

-One of the better class options for a solo character is fighter/rogue. These two cover a lot of the bases for adventuring, and can be deadly in a fight with the mixture of good BAB and sneak attacks. Fighter/rangers also can fit this bill somewhat.

-If, as a DM, you are going to run a character, make sure it compliments the player's. If the player has made a fighter/rogue, a cleric would come in handy. Not only for a decent combatant, but also in healing(which is VERY important), and spellcasting ability.

-When making an adventure, lessen the amount of extended battles. These wear on the HP and can quickly cause player death. Also, give more resting periods so they player can heal up.

-Try not to be a deadly DM. I know some like games where there is a high chance of character death, but with a solo character this can quickly be an end to a campaign. Mainly because of the fact in a solo campaign, the player's character is far more important to the overall story than in a larger group. Fudging more on rolls may be necessary.

-Don't let an NPC outshine the player. While important anyways, this is more important in solo games.

-The dark, silent type of characters is tough to DM with in a solo game. This causes a lot of problems because if the PC doesn't talk much, the game can get boring quick.

Solo campaigns can be extremely fun! The player really gets a chance to shine and be THE HERO. Solo campaigns also give the player a chance to really get to roleplay the character, without as much distraction.

Good luck!