So what's the deal with solo gaming?

[The Soloist]

Since we are on the topic of solo fantasy gaming, other than using theatre of the mind for combat, I use three other methods of representation.

1. All out terrain, miniatures and maps: Looks great, very immersive but time consuming to set up for each encounter.
https://i.*****.com/qrBhHgS.jpeg

2. Abstract battle board with zones: No very sexy but the game loop is faster. Great for dungeon crawl.
https://i.*****.com/XGwflJ9.jpeg

3. Mini transportable map with tokens: I created this one to play in the garden under the pergola without taking all my stuff outside. Turns out it's also very useful indoors. Speeds up the game loop for exploration games. In the picture: Red fighter, blue mage and green rogue going against four goblins in a forest with boulders. Using initiative chits for activation. Randomizing initiative brings tension when you play solo.
https://i.*****.com/4gDkjr6.jpeg

 

[kronovan]

And, to spread the genre around a bit, Modiphius makes Star Trek Adventures: Captain's Log, a solo adventure game. Available in hardcopy or pdf.

It's also available for the Fantasy Grounds VTT. With the 1 caveat, that unlike the book/PDF which includes the core rules, you need to already own the Star Trek Adventures ruleset for FG. Still, it's really nice to have FG's features like stories, encounters, missions, the combat tracker and the ships and bridge sections on the party sheet, to support your solo campaign. And all the random tables are there and a simple mouse click to use.

I sometimes use it to create a loose framework for adventures in my VTT campaigns, which has worked well.

 

[GMMichael]

A little late to the thread, but . . .

Hey solo gamers! I'm piecing together an unsolo* game that runs on dice, a character sheet, and web browser tabs. It has the classic combat appeal of rolling dice for damage, the modern twist of a wiki that allows for unlimited expansion, and the text-based approach that never gets old (until books go out of style, that is).

I'd love to hear some feedback. You don't have to go too far - it's right here on ENworld:

Main page (under construction):
EAMODOS

Rules:
Easy Mode
Normal Mode (tutorial)

Quests:
Beginners' Cave
Action Castle

*Solo in the same way that undead aren't really dead.

 

[Nytmare]

The only solo gaming I've enjoyed are the world buildey, journaling and mapping styled games. Oracle and (shudder) AI GMs frustrate and infuriate me in equal parts. What I want out of playing an RPG is that human collaboration. Ersatz versions of that just make me miss playing with other human beings that much more.

 

[Reynard]

This is juest my personal take:

As a writer, I would rather play a CRPG than play a solo game. I have tried a few and what it feels like is writing a novel outline with hekp. I am not interested in that. I can just write a novel if I want. If I want to play a game, I prefer the format of a computer RPG.

THAT SAID, i don't think people should not solo RPG. I just think it is not for me for the very specific reason I articulated. If you aren't interested in writing, or you don't like CRPGs, I think solo RPGs might be worthwhile.

Also, I LOVE the resolution system of Ironsworn and want to implement it into my own design for a "traditional" TTRPG.

 

[Autumnal]

Respect for something you can see is well done but not for you is a great thing, and helps make the world a more interesting and enjoyable place. Nothing is for all of us. Except, like, oxygen, and I just know someone out there is working up a heated defense of anaerobic respiration.

 

[BenjaminPey]

If you aren't interested in writing, or you don't like CRPGs, I think solo RPGs might be worthwhile.

I'm a writer by trade and I found solo RPGs to be very worthwile. It can produce for me new, fun constraints — a good thing in and of itself. It might help me to leave the too well-trodden roads of my mind and engage with uncomfortable outcomes, at least for a while and sometimes for good. It might spark a beginning or simply push me to just write something when I don't have any other projects at hand or don't want to work on my current projects. Finally it's simply fun, as an activity. It's not quite like writing, though it's close. There's much fun to be had, even when you write as a living.

That's not to say you should do it or you should like it, obviously. To each their own. But being interested in writing (like, very interested, as if your life and livelyhood depend on it) is not an obstacle for everybody.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm a writer by trade and I found solo RPGs to be very worthwile. It can produce for me new, fun constraints — a good thing in and of itself. It might help me to leave the too well-trodden roads of my mind and engage with uncomfortable outcomes, at least for a while and sometimes for good. It might spark a beginning or simply push me to just write something when I don't have any other projects at hand or don't want to work on my current projects. Finally it's simply fun, as an activity. It's not quite like writing, though it's close. There's much fun to be had, even when you write as a living.

That's not to say you should do it or you should like it, obviously. To each their own. But being interested in writing (like, very interested, as if your life and livelyhood depend on it) is not an obstacle for everybody.

Yeah, I found my playthroughs of Thousand Year Old Vampire and of Notorious produced stories I never would have come up with on my own and made me go into places I wouldn't have otherwise.