Published adventures that do not require a DM

[Li Shenron]

While reading the old BECMI manuals I stumbled upon a sample "solo" micro-adventure (i.e. a tiny dungeon) designed to be played by one player and no DM, just to get familiar with the rules.

Do you know if through the years other adventures have been published in a format that doesn't require a DM to play them?

They don't have to be "solo" adventures, they can be for multiple players, as long as the presentation format allows the players to run the adventure by themselves.

 

[jonesy]

Ghost of Lion Castle (BSOLO)
Mystery of the Snow Pearls (CM5)
Midnight on Dagger Alley (MV1)
Dragon's Hall (JUD0630)
Lathan's Gold (XSOLO)
Blizzard Pass (MSOLO1)
Maze of the Riddling Minotaur (MSOLO2)
Thunderdelve Mountain (XS2)
Rage of the Rakasta (9435)
In the Phantom's Wake (9436)

 

[jonesy]

Runequest had Soloquest adventures, but I never checked those out.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

More recently I wrote a couple of short solo adventures for Kobold Quarterly issues 18 & 19.

 

[xenophone]

Have you heard of the GM Emulator? I just purchased this pdf, and after reading through it, I'm extremely excited to try it out. It's a tool that you can lay over any traditional RPG system that allows you to play without a GM (though crunchier systems wouldn't work as well):

Mythic Game Master Emulator

 

[prosfilaes]

Steve Jackson Games had several solo GM-less adventures near the start of GURPS. Most of them are long out of print, but Conan and the Queen of the Black Coast and Conan Beyond Thunder River recently came back into print (well, PDF) on e23. For Love of Mother-Not and Conan: Moon of Blood! are both available cheap used; Bili the Axe: Up Harzburk! isn't cheap, but also was recalled due to confusing errors.

 

[Stormonu]

Also,

Knight of the Living Dead (TSR 8422 - set in the Forgotten Realms)
Faerie Mound of Dragonkind (TSR 8420 - set in a generic world)
Gnomes 100, Dragons 0 (TSR ???? - set in Dragonlance)

I believe there was also a fourth, but I can't remember the name

...ah, found it - The Final Bug (TSR 8230 - Top Secret adventure)


There's also the Lone Wolf books

 

[Li Shenron]

Just to be sure... when an adventure is marketed as "solo adventure", do they mean that it is printed/arranged in a way that can be played by a group of players without a DM?

Because I've always thought that it meant "an adventure for 1 PC", but still requiring a DM.

 

[Glyfair]

Just to be sure... when an adventure is marketed as "solo adventure", do they mean that it is printed/arranged in a way that can be played by a group of players without a DM?

Because I've always thought that it meant "an adventure for 1 PC", but still requiring a DM.

Solo adventure means 1 player, no DM. An adventure for 1 PC and requiring a DM is usually a "one on One" adventure.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

Just to be sure... when an adventure is marketed as "solo adventure", do they mean that it is printed/arranged in a way that can be played by a group of players without a DM?

Because I've always thought that it meant "an adventure for 1 PC", but still requiring a DM.

No to both: it's designed and produced for one player without GM. The text is, just like in the old Fighting Fantasy or Lone Wolf gamebooks, broken up in numbered chunks. At the end of each section you are directed to another chunk, either by force ("go to section 123"), by choice ("if you want to ... got to 123, if you want to ... got to 234") or depending on a test ("if you climb successfully, go to 123, otherwise see section 234").

And to add to the list of solo adventures:

• "For Love of Mother-not", GURPS 3e, from the GURPS Humanx series
• "Über den Sylinth-Pass", Truant, D&D 3e, in German