One of my fondest memories of yore was running myself through the 1e DMG's random generator. This was 35+ years ago, but I think I'd make a single character or small party and then just start rolling dice late into the night. I wouldn't do it often, but can remember doing it in the dark of my room on summer nights in middle and/or high school on occasion.
I probably won't do that now, but have noticed that a lot of games now have options for solo play (e.g. One Ring's "Strider mode," Shadowdark, etc). So I'm wondering which is "best" at it. By "best" I mean a combination of ease and enough options to make it interesting. Dungeon or hex crawl would probably work best. Something like Mythic looks good for really getting into it, but what about just a quick pick up that can be used to evoke a nice dungeon (or hex) crawl?
There are three modes currently in use...
- Paragraph driven solos
- Oracle Solos
- railroad solos
Paragraph Driven: read the paragraph, make the choice, go to indicated paragraph, sometimes fighting the fights.
Oracle Solos: when in doubt, find a suitable table and roll on it. It's a more fully realized approach based upon the concepts for random dungeoneering in AD&D 1e.
Railroad solos: mostly in boardgame form, only one or two scenario chains, and they don't branch much, if at all; they tend to have robust combat, tho' sometimes it's abstracted. Talisman Legendary Tails, Frosthaven, one of the Dune boardgames (DUNE: House Secrets - it's a paragraph driven but putting them on cards, and using videos online. it wasn't fun multiplayer, and it does allow for solo). There are others, as well.
Strict Procedural: not much seen these days in RPGs, but used in some boardgames, such as Candamir: The First Settlers, or classic Talisman. Solo Talisman is solely about getting TO the Crown of Command. Death Angel (set in the Warhammer: 40k universe) is a strict procedural raid on a deathhulk... it's a cardgame but can feel very much like a dungeon crawl. My set got destroyed.
The Fantasy Trip is back from the dead, and has both some paragraph driven solos, and is consistent enough for procedural dungeons.
Dragonbane's solo looks good; the game itself can be brutal in combats...
I've not read the strider mode for TOR2, despite backing. Didn't care for the changes.
Tunnels and Trolls has a large number of Paragraph solos in PDF.
Dark City Games' Legends of the Ancient World has hundreds of paragraph driven solos.
on the softer sci-fi side, Captain's Log is a streamlined version of Star Trek Adventures with oracles in it. It's the only oracle based I've gotten past one session with.
Space Ace: The New Guidebook is a rules light sci-fi, which while I've not used it P&P, I have used the automated mechanics for some good old space hexcrawl.
And, of course, Traveller has often been used for solo play by generating a ship and crew, then trying to not go broke on speculative trade. The new editions can support that mode, too... but it's only been really called out for solo play in CT. Note that Traveller Character gen was and still is a minigame, and trade and space travel can be done procedurally. Including random encounters.
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