Games with one player

[Nathal]

Hello everybody. I've been dying to play RPGs lately, but I have only one potential player (who happens to be my wife). I moved into a rural area and I work a very erratic schedule, so my only chance for a game is whenever my wife might feel like it. But there is a problem...

As lucky as I am to have a spouse who likes to game, she has expressed concern that a one-on-one gaming session lacks the important social aspect of RPGs. The other players make the world seem more immersive through PC interactions. She tells me that although I do a good job with my NPCs, it still feels like "gaming in a social vacuum".

Does anybody have any suggestions on how I could make a gaming session more interesting to her? Having an interesting plot is a given. What else can I do to make up for the lack of other players? I admit I'm cynical about being able to keep her interest this way. :\

 

[The Amazing Dingo]

Well, I don't know how well this might work out with your schedule, especially since you mention playing when your spouse feels like it, but you could try to play online. There are usually chat based games flying about where a group of heros and a DM get together about once a week (this varies heavily) to fight the bad guys, vanquish evil, and curse the typo demons who keep moving the keys around on their keyboard.

Otherwise, I'm sorry but I'm not sure. Best thing I could suggest is trying to get a group together in the area.

 

[Micah]

What chances are there of recruiting some more gamers? Your wifes friends? Do you have kids? Interested co-workers?

The social aspect of the game is a pretty big ingredient. I have both played and DM'd one player games with my husband. That was pretty much how I got started. Luckily there were some other gamers in the area and we now have a group. The social aspect does add to the enjoyment a lot and moved me from simply interested to a gaming enthusiast.

PBEM could be another option for the two of you.

 

[Nalor]

I've been the player in a one player short run campaign and for social interaction: Well developed NPC personalities along with the certain plot elements developing as we interacted made some very interesting conversations. I didn't really miss not having a bunch of other folks around.

I'm a fan of small groups anyways...

 

[Tav_Behemoth]

Brian (same guy who wrote Maze of the Minotaur) and I have a long-running campaign we play by phone; obviously, he's the only player. I find it to be an incredibly rich and fulfilling way to game. What it loses in group dynamics, it makes up in the ability to exactly customize the campaign to one character. It's much more like a classic fantasy novel than any multi-player campaign I've been in; it's clear who's the hero, and the storyline is tightly focused on him and develops in tandem with the hero's growth. We can devote entire sessions to developing his plans & his character without anyone else getting bored!

My wife had heard my end of these phone calls many times before she started playing in my NYC-local campaign, and after the first game with the group she said "It's a lot different than your game with Brian" -- somewhat disappointedly.

 

[Nathal]

Thanks for the feedback. Have any of you used Screenmonkey, the software from NBOS for online table-top style gaming? I am intrigued by it.

So, judging from what I see here, there are a few people that enjoy one-on-one sessions. Alas, my wife is not one of them. I AM in a college town, and I could probably recruit some locals, but I doubt I could sustain a regular schedule. Then again, maybe I haven't tried hard enough...

PS I never did join the RPGA...they used to have a player registry. Do they now? What is the average age, I wonder, of a typical RPGA member?

 

[Archon]

Access Denied

http://www.accessdenied.net/
This site has a wonderful database that has gotten me into more then one gaming groups over the years. I hope it helps.
peice,
mik aka "Archon"

 

[painandgreed]

For one on one games, I tend to get away from the standard model and cater to the player. Find out what they want to play and what they want to do. Let them make up a special character using a template or special ability or something and develop their own long term goals. Give them the chance to play that special character that they will never get to in a regular game. Once they know where they're going, let them go there. Perhaps you have to dump some of the objectivness since you're holding all the cards. In a large group when one person stalls in their thinking, another player is usually there to pick up the slack, with a one on one game, it's like playing chess and one person taking half an hour for a move. Keep the plot moving. Keep their momentum up. If they falter, you may have to have an NPC or luck step in for an instant to get them back on track. Think of it like a book and when the pace slows to the point that you wouldn't want to read about it, don't be afraid to throw in a deus es machina. Learn to read your player and let them run with it whenever they're having fun and get them on track when they aren't.

 

[Nathal]

Think of it like a book and when the pace slows to the point that you wouldn't want to read about it, don't be afraid to throw in a deus es machina. Learn to read your player and let them run with it whenever they're having fun and get them on track when they aren't.

All good advice. I noticed that one-on-one games usually require a hike in character level, to increase chances of survival. The game assumes a part of four, so starting out a solo character at level five isn't a bad idea.

I wonder if roleplayingtips.com has covered this topic?

 

[Nathal]

http://www.accessdenied.net/
This site has a wonderful database that has gotten me into more then one gaming groups over the years. I hope it helps.
peice,
mik aka "Archon"

Thanks for the lead on that one. Have you tried RPGregistry.com?