Best Practices for running single-player (or two-player) campaigns

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Are there simple guidelines for how a DM could run a 3.x-rules campaign with a single player? More important is, of course, balancing encounters.

I know 3.x is balanced around a party of 4 characters. Having a single player run all four characters is extreme, and a recipe for burnout for the average gamer.

Is it feasible to compose a single player campaign around a single character? Are there best practices for composing a single player/single character 3.x campaign?

 

[Jhaelen]

Well, unless you're going to run an atypical D&D campaign in which combat is an exception rather than the rule, I'd recommend to create a companion for the pc.

It might also be a good idea to be careful when choosing an appropriate class for the pc. I guess a druid would work well, or maybe a ranger. You may also want to look into the optional rules for gestalt characters, so the pc can cover more bases.

When creating encounters you are going to have to be very careful, particularly when using groups of enemies or enemies with abilities that cause action-denial (daze, stun, paralyze).

 

[Theroc]

Are there simple guidelines for how a DM could run a 3.x-rules campaign with a single player? More important is, of course, balancing encounters.

I know 3.x is balanced around a party of 4 characters. Having a single player run all four characters is extreme, and a recipe for burnout for the average gamer.

Is it feasible to compose a single player campaign around a single character? Are there best practices for composing a single player/single character 3.x campaign?

I'm no expert, but I think that to help increase versatility for the single PC, the gestalt variant in Unearthed Arcana found The Hypertext d20 SRD (v3.5 d20 System Reference Document) :: d20srd.org would be a good idea. Combining two classes can let the character take the best attributes of either class when they overlap, and give additional versatility where they do.

Now, that's not necessarily strictly necessary, but letting the Fighter have lots of skillpoints(rogue) so that he can pick locks and do things beyond just bullrush/sunder/disarm/trip/Smack things might be a good idea.

Other practices would be to tone down the Encounter Levels for fights and such, since a party of 4 level 1 characters might take out an Ankheg, it's pretty brutal to pit 1 level 1 character against one.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Was it easier to run a single-player campaign using older editions of D&D? OD&D? BECMI? AD&D?

 

[Theroc]

Honestly, the answer to that lies with your playstyle.

See, if you stick to the RAW and use prefabricated adventures, a single person campaign would be brutally difficult.

Let's see that level 12 fighter fight that flying, paralyzing breath breathing dragon! (hyperbolic example).

I don't think that changes with editions.

If you were to tailor a homebrewed campaign to your player's character's strengths, or take some of the challenge away from the character sheet and into the player's head, then it becomes much LESS deadly to have fewer characters.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

As I've said in other threads for this topic, certain effects are much much more deadly or trivial in a single person game versus a very large (say like...7-8 PCs) group. A single monster with a standard action save or lose (like stun or whatever) is a complete joke to the latter party. To a lone PC, that encounter is basically a "TPK" that comes down to the flip of a coin. Avoid any and all effects that seriously impair the character, the magnitude of how nasty things become when you don't have other bodies around to save your ass increases exponentially.

If I were running a game for a single PC, I'd also be much more flexible with bending the rules to allow for cool things than I would in a standard game. When there's only one player, there's no such thing as party imbalance or giving someone unfair perks.

And to third or fourth the other posters, gestalt is a great variant to use for such a game, I highly recommend it.

 

[HoboGod]

Aside from a lot of the great advice here (gestalt characters, NPCs to fill gaps, ungodly perks), I might recommend giving your players a free cohort. Having players control an extra character two levels below their central character gives gives them more versatility without overshadowing their central character. A gestalt Wizard/Rogue 6 might benefit from a Bard 4 for people skills and bardic knowledge. A gestalt Barbarian/Warlock 9 might benefit from a Cleric 7 to provide healing and ward off the undead. The cohort is never a badass, so it never takes away from the game and your players can easily role play them out like yes men.

 

[IronWolf]

A lot of good suggestions already, I'll add yet another vote to this being one of the times I would seriously consider a gestalt character to help cover more abilities in a single character. A single character is likely to need to be able to handle some melee and also handle some healing as well (or have ready access to healing).

Diplomacy type conflict resolution can be good as well to get around certain tricky situations. A slightly more skilled or stealth tactic can help a single character minimize the number of encounters that result in outright melee type situations where a single character is likely to be at their weakest.

During combat encounters be very wary of what are annoying spells in normal play (sleep, hold person, etc) that will completely shutdown a solo character making them extremely vulnerable. Beyond that allow terrain to really play a big role if the single character chooses to take advantage of it. That can help minimize the number of people attacking the character at once.

I think it can be a fun way to play and can work well as long as the DM accommodates slightly for the fact there is a single character playing.

 

[ValhallaGH]

Diplomacy type conflict resolution can be good as well to get around certain tricky situations. A slightly more skilled or stealth tactic can help a single character minimize the number of encounters that result in outright melee type situations where a single character is likely to be at their weakest.

Expanding upon this, the DM needs to be open to alternative solutions. Talking, forging deals, seduction, and distraction (not so much via skill checks as through other actions) are even more important when there is no margin between life and death.

Let your player be creative, reward and encourage that creativity, and make most of the foes smart enough to be interesting role-play encounters if the player is willing to try. Make sure he knows that there are openings and options, that he can do things, make deals, and suggest actions that would normally be rejected instantly. Solo heroes tend to be a smooth-talking lot, solving many problems through guile or wisdom rather than sword-blows. Accommodate this, don't force it simply allow him to take that route if he chooses (and make sure he's aware of the ability to choose).
Every now and then there will be no help for it, he'll have to fight. But those situations should be few and far between.

Best of luck.

 

[Jeffrie]

This is actually one of my favorite playing styles.
I wouldn't go gestalt. The idea would be one sided. Are we voting that only the character would be gestalt? and the rest of the world his lessers at only one class each? meh.

I would instead focus on cohorts, liaisons, intrigue, and the common sense not to get outnumbered.

If i was the player i would absolutely take rogue first for skills will be very important, and a spellcaster second. Never let the public see your true power. Defend your alignment and inner sanctum from discovery at all cost. Have a real goal, such as becoming the lord of a castle, or finding an mithril mine.
Here's an idea. As a lone player, i would max diplomacy bluff, gather info, and sense motive. Then set up a company, of which you secretly hold controlling interest, that hires adventuring companies for certain jobs.
And of course don't forget to max UMD.

To run the modules, try keeping the character one or levels above the suggested level, (cohort at module level) and eliminating one or two 'monsters' per encounter. Give the PC a way to rest/heal, like a rope trick or teleport home trick, and a way to keep from being tracked or scryed.