Advice for DM-ing an "old school" solo campaign

[kengar]

My wife, ever the good sport, has asked if I could DM something for her to run solo. She likes our gaming group, but enjoys "lower pressure" sessions too.

On a whim, I pulled out the "Red Box" & offered to DM her in Basic D&D (she started gaming wtih 3e and hasn't played any other versions before). To my surprise she jumped at the chance.

A few minutes later Bungee Ironarm, the 1st level Dwarf (Lawful) was strolling into the town of Greenly. We did OLD School character generation: flat 3d6 rolled in order, rolled HP, etc. Her highest score is a 13, but her lowest was a 9, so not too bad. 7 hp to start too! I did "cheat" in that I allowed her to switch two scores' positions so she could have a 13 STR instead of a 9 (+5% exp! Whee!), also I gave her a flat 100gp instead of the 3d6 x 10gp random roll.

Anyway, I sorta threw together a quickie adventure involving goblins kidnapping a farmer's kid. Their plan is to sell it as food to an elderly ogre in the swamp (he doesn't hunt much anymore, but has a stash of coins). There's also a Swamp Witch and some ruins down the road with a ghoul, too. In other words, lots of classic trappings. I've tried to tone down the threat level a bit too by spreading the bad guys fairly thin and giving her some non-combat outs (the witch isn't evil, just reclusive, the ogre would be just as happy eating a pig as a kid, etc.).

Here's my problem.

I would like to give her the opportunity to keep playing this character and campaign for as long as she wants, but I'm not very experienced with running games with only one character. She's not real interested in playing several PCs, so I suppose I could give her some NPC friends or hirelings, but I also don't want to have her character get "lost in the shuffle."

Any advice for ways to make a (potentially) extended campaign work with only one player? Thanks.

EDIT: I should have mentioned she really enjoys developing a character's personality and background, so I already figure I have to keep the RP opps fairly frequent.

 

[Ed Cha]

Keep population density low and monsters rare. Isolated villages rather than expansive cities keep the focus on the PC, not the surroundings. Most encounters should be "quaint", i.e. a lonely fair maiden or a couple of bickering goblins. Using NPCs as travel companions is okay, but be sure to maintain the solo adventure aspect of the game putting a focus on a personal quest or soul-searching aspect rather than countless fellow adventurers tagging along.

 

[kengar]

I hadn't thought about population issues, but that's good advice. As long as she can buy the basics of what she needs in town, no need for a big city. I'll have to try and work in something along the "personal quest" lines. Maybe an enemy.

 

[Sir Whiskers]

Be wary of opponents who can only be defeated by spells (she's playing a dwarf).

Make healing potions readily available.

Almost always leave an out (retreat, diplomacy, bribery, etc.) available, though it's still up to her to find/use it. If combat is the only option, the odds will eventually catch up with her.

 

[Zogg]

If you've ever played a Zelda game, that is a GREAT example of a solo adventure you can pull from. In a solo game, there are going to be NPCs that your wife is going to get to know better than in a group game (where each of the PCs are the stars and their interaction is the focus) so make sure you spend time setting up the NPCs and using some of the same ones over and over.

I would also make sure that any magic items you give her are well thought out and can be used in future sessions (like giving her a ring of feather fall so she can escape off a cliff with the damsel in distress in tow as three trolls are chasing them).

 

[kengar]

Be wary of opponents who can only be defeated by spells (she's playing a dwarf).

Make healing potions readily available.

Almost always leave an out (retreat, diplomacy, bribery, etc.) available, though it's still up to her to find/use it. If combat is the only option, the odds will eventually catch up with her.

Yeah, we only got so far as making the character and walking into town last PM. I figured that once the kid is grabbed, etc. The local cleric will give her a healing potion to help her on the rescue mission.

re: magic. I haven't decided how to handle that. I guess I'll keep magic opponents rare for now. If she can make it to 3-4th level, I might give her a 1st level M-U companion or something. Also, I figure magic items will be a factor too.

Originally posted by Zogg

If you've ever played a Zelda game, that is a GREAT example of a solo adventure you can pull from. In a solo game, there are going to be NPCs that your wife is going to get to know better than in a group game (where each of the PCs are the stars and their interaction is the focus) so make sure you spend time setting up the NPCs and using some of the same ones over and over.

I would also make sure that any magic items you give her are well thought out and can be used in future sessions (like giving her a ring of feather fall so she can escape off a cliff with the damsel in distress in tow as three trolls are chasing them).

I made a list of about 8 major NPC's in the town, with names and descriptions. I don't know how long she'll be there, but it's agood point about getting to know them.

I like the idea of the ring! I may use something like that. I've got a petrified elf (turned to stone) covered by moss in the swamp as window dressing (and to scare her about the swamp witch), but I hadn't decided whether to just give her the means to break the enchantment just yet. Maybe a story about an elf hero who disappeared will come up later in the campaign.

 

[Voadam]

Most monsters don't require magic to hurt them, many just require silver or something similar.

Keeping the monster numbers low is a good idea, as is making sure any traps placed have a reason to be there. Making traps more of a puzzle that a PC can work out is better since the solo has no real detection ability.

You can go more in depth with descriptions in a solo and tailor the adventure to the character much more easily. If she wants to spend a long time engaging an npc in banter you can do so without other PCs getting bored.

If there is only one PC, her improvs are easier to deal with as well as there is no party splitting to worry about.

Solo adventures can be closer to most action movies or novels where there is generally one protagonist who is the center of the action instead of a balanced group who share the limelight.

 

[Rel]

I'm running a similar (though not Red Box) campaign for my wife who is playing a lone human Wizard. Early on I did an adventure that was a "test" by her mentor to see if she was ready to graduate from her apprenticeship. That adventure was very tailored to her abilities. Later I gave her a couple of NPC companions, one of whom (a Half-Orc Expert/Fighter) has stayed on as more or less a permanent ally.

For her, as with your wife's situation, one big issue is healing. I did two things to remedy that situation: First, her master gave her an alchemical formula for how to turn certain plants into minor healing salves (1d4). She keeps an eye out for those plants and spends time brewing them up when she has time.

The other thing I did was give her a magic item that summons a Lanter Archon for 7 rounds once per day. He helps her fight and uses his Aid ability to give her enough temporary hit points to keep from getting too wounded most of the time.

Obviously you are going to need to take a somewhat different approach but I suggest being as creative as possible instead of just planting one Potion of Healing after another in her path. What about if the Ogre has in her stash a Hammer of Health that is a +1 warhammer and also heals you 1HP every time you hit with it? It might not take care of all of her healing needs (especially as she gets to higher levels) but it would help out and it's more interesting than a pile of potions.

In a recent campaign, our DM put these things called "Treasure Berries" in the game. Each berry healed you 1-2 HP and gave you sustenance like a meal. Those could work out in your game too.

Running a solo campaign lets you do some things that you wouldn't normally do. One of these things is to give out treasures that might unbalance a normal party, so feel free to dole out a few magic items that help make the solo experience easier for her.

 

[haiiro]

There have been some excellent suggestions so far, and it sounds like you're already on the right track.

Regarding your first comment about NPC companions: I ran a solo 2e game for my best friend for several years, and his PC was generally accompanied by 3-5 NPCs. One was his brother, and another other two were close friends; he and I took turns roleplaying them, which was a lot of fun. The other NPCs that periodically joined and left the party were all played by me.

This worked out very well, and we both wound up feeling as close to the core NPCs as one generally would to a PC. It can be a tricky balance to strike (as you said, you don't want her to get lost in the shuffle) -- but if you get it right, it's great.

 

[kengar]

I suggest being as creative as possible instead of just planting one Potion of Healing after another in her path. What about if the Ogre has in her stash a Hammer of Health that is a +1 warhammer and also heals you 1HP every time you hit with it? It might not take care of all of her healing needs (especially as she gets to higher levels) but it would help out and it's more interesting than a pile of potions.

Neat idea.

The only drawback to the hammer in particular is that it might encourage combat to recover from combat, if you know what I mean. Of course, if I make healing salves fairly easy to buy, then it becomes a question of how she wants to spend her money...