Part 6 is posted. Conan approaches the heart of the mountain. Scroll down to the bottom for the latest.

Part 6 is posted. Conan approaches the heart of the mountain. Scroll down to the bottom for the latest.
https://sites.google.com/site/whimstorm/home/scarlet-heroes

I'm curious, what system has the most rules for...everything? So you have less questions to ask the GM Emulator cause you know the system has an answer. I'm thinking GURPS.

Got inspired to use my Zero Tarot page to make a story.

Got inspired to use my Zero Tarot page to make a story.
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii221/zircher/zerotarot_TheHermitsTale_zps5tfhai7g.png

The Hermit's Tale, a Fool's Journey 
 
Henri was quite content to live his humble life away from the hustle and bustle of civilization.  He wandered the great forest of the Ardennes east of the City and had no fear of the beasts there.  They had respect for him or at least his solid oak staff. (HERMIT) 
 
One early morning he was picking berries by the dawn light when he heard someone humming a tune from the other side of the bushes.  While Henri was not interested in company, he was curious to see who would be walking through the great forest at this time of the day.  To his surprise, he saw no one walking by, but turning his gaze upwards he did spy a young man suspended by his foot from a hunter's snare. (HANGED MAN) 
 
The young man's face was very red and his clothing had the garish look of City folk.  Henri was expecting him to be in a panic, being trapped in a snare and all.  But, the young man seemed to be content and had a good vantage point to watch the hermit, even if it was upside down.  "Bon jour!"  Henri grunted a reply, he was out of practice with trading pleasantries.  "I hate to intrude on your morning gathering, but I seemed to have dropped my knife."  (THE FOOL) 
 
Henri lifted an eyebrow, peered over the bushes and did indeed see a fine dagger glinting in the dawning light under the hanged man.  "Well, that is a bad run of luck."  Henri turned to leave.  "If you don't mind, could you fetch it for me?"  The hermit sighed, "The hunter whose snare you blundered in to, will be by in a few days."  "I'm afraid that won't do.  I'm in a hurry to head east to catch the New Moon."  Henri stopped in his tracks.  That wasn't something you heard every day. (THE MOON) 
 
"Don't be a fool", for this truly had to be Fool if he was travelling on such a fool's quest.  "The moon rides high in the sky and you can not reach it."  The Fool quickly countered, "True words, wise man.  But when it first rises, it is touching the ground and easily within reach."  Henri stroked his beard, the youth did have a point.  "So, why didn't you catch the moon when it fell out of the night sky?"  "I tried", replied the Fool, "but the moon falls into the sea and I'm not a good swimmer." 
 
Almost against his will, Henri turned back and fetched the young man's knife.  As he handed it to the hanged man, "What would you do with the Moon if you caught it?"  The Fool sighed, the sigh of someone smitten.  "There is a girl…"  Henri scoffed, "Isn't there always?"  The hanged man was not fazed by the Hermit's sarcasm, "This is no ordinary girl.  The fair and lovely Empress Eloise has offered her hand to the man that gives her the moon.  I aim to be that man." (EMPRESS) 
 
"Oui, little Eloise would now be of marrying age."  The Fool fell like sack of potatoes, crashing into the leafy forest floor.  He promptly stood up, offered his hand as a way of introduction, and promptly fell over again.  "Hmm, my foot has gone to sleep and is not heeding dawn nor the rooster's call."  "You can introduce yourself from the ground."  Henri munched on a few berries from his basket and then offered some to the stranger.  The Fool rubbed his foot and offered his hand again, "Marc, Marc du Soleil." 
 
Warned that the stranger was going to do this, Henri begrudgingly shook Marc's hand.  "You can call me Henri."  He helped the City man to his feet.  What makes you think that you can wrench the Moon from its nightly course and claim it as your own?"  Marc smiled, "True love, the strength of my ardor is boundless and I can move mountains with it.  With the strength of my conviction I can create my own future and fulfill my dreams."  (STRENGTH) 
 
Henri was impressed, he has loved and lost, but this young man was ready to move heaven and earth to win his heart's desire.  The weight around Henri's heart grew even heavier, he didn't have this power when he was young and gave up on the world.  Something told him that helping this young man would heal his own wounds.  (JUDGEMENT) 
 
"Marc, let us see about catching your moon.  I know a place where the moon rises at this time of year that is free of trees and other obstructions."  They traveled through the great forest that day, heading East.  Marc did most of the talking while Henri pointed out the traps, snares, loose terrain, and dangerous crossings that the Fool would surely have blundered in to.  As night began to fall, they entered a clearing with a great barren hill in the middle of it. 
 
Henri pointed to the top, "The moon rises over that hill, but don't look down or it will flee your grasp."  Marc nodded and made ready to bolt for the top, "You have been a good friend, Henri.  Without your help, I would not have made it here on time. Thank you."  "You have shown me a passion that I thought was lost to the world.  I thank you for that." 
 
The Moon started to peek over the hill top and Marc took off at a full sprint.  As Henri watched on, the youth reached the crest and leaped.  Propelled by the strength of his desire, Marc bridged the gap and grappled the moon as it rose.  However, as much as he strained and pulled, he could not dislodge it from its night's course.  (TEMPERANCE) 
 
Henri shouted to the rapidly rising Fool, "Marc, cease your struggle!  The Moon has made up its mind and will not come willingly.  Jump while you still can!"  Marc shook his head and clung on to the Moon.  "Nay, from here I will be able to gaze upon my fair Eloise once again."  As the moon rose, Marc became harder to see.  Henri looked up at the night sky and turned to the West. 
- 
 
The Hermit rose from his gilded chair in the ornate Chamber of the Empress.  "That is my tale, Empress."  Eloise bowed her head, "Whatever became of poor love smitten Marc?"  Henri stroked his beard, "I have not seen him since, but I fear that he was lost at sea.  After all, he was a very poor swimmer."  (DEATH) 
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii221/zircher/zerotarot_TheHermitsTale_zps5tfhai7g.png

Holidays and a busy schedule have slowed me down, but I'm still posting. Scenes 70-73 are up.

Holidays and a busy schedule have slowed me down, but I'm still posting. Scenes 70-73 are up.
http://sundayskypers.freeforums.org/tephra-falls-children-of-ash-t45-60.html#p1702
http://sundayskypers.freeforums.org/tephra-falls-children-of-ash-t45-60.html#p1702

At long last, after far, far too long, I have posted more on the continuing saga of Glendal Lorg, Scarlet Hero, adventuring Elf Thief, as he explores the Fort of the Unholy Mound.

At long last, after far, far too long, I have posted more on the continuing saga of Glendal Lorg, Scarlet Hero, adventuring Elf Thief, as he explores the Fort of the Unholy Mound.

I have only posted episode 6, but I assure you I have more to write up. So you can look on that either as good news or bad, depending on how you like my writing. Either way, please come have a look-see and hopefully enjoy!

http://aloneamongstmany.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-adventures-of-glendal-lorg-scarlet.html

I'm working on an Android App that will act as a Game Master Emulator. So far, i have the following features:

I'm working on an Android App that will act as a Game Master Emulator. So far, i have the following features:
-Ask a question: yes or no questions answered with "Yes, and...", "Yes", "Yes, but...", etc.
-Roll dice: roll any of the 7 standard d&d dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, d100). It asks you how many times to roll the selected dice. The D100 only gives you increments of 10.
-Get a random number: asks for a maximum number, and then gives you a random number.

I want to also add an npc generator and a plot twist generator. Just not sure how to do these while remaining genre-neutral. Any ideas? Also, any ideas on other features to add?

Thanks!

Hey Guys and Gals! I stumbled across the community after 'following the rabbit hole' after reading about Brutorz Bill's report on combing story cubes with Doug Anderson's sandboxicons!

Hey Guys and Gals! I stumbled across the community after 'following the rabbit hole' after reading about Brutorz Bill's report on combing story cubes with Doug Anderson's sandboxicons!

I love a little solo RPG action, since I work away from home on my own for a week at a time. Lately I have been wanting to do a solo Reign Company rules (in the style of game of thrones) and now am Inspired to do so!

I have been recording my solo attempts for the various specific systems on google docs and have included a link or two if you felt like perusing. I try to include narrative and system-specific comments to help illustrate what's going on in my head.

Final part of my ALONe playtest.

Final part of my ALONe playtest.
Lots of loose ends at the end, but I guess that is the way it should be.

This time I also added more GM notes about the way I play, as guide lines for Nathan Rockwood

Getting into a groove with these Scarlet Heroes dungeon adventures.

Getting into a groove with these Scarlet Heroes dungeon adventures.
https://skaldforge.wordpress.com/2016/02/21/scarlet-caverns/

After reading over the rules again, I attempted to visit the 'Cursed Temple of Yamiz' again to see if I could find what, if anything, is left of poor Brother Klavius.

Some more thoughts on my "Monsterhearts" sessions, mostly on "emulation" vs "cinematic" styles of play.

Originally shared by MoonSylver

Originally shared by MoonSylver

I need some help with something that's driving me nuts:

I could have sworn at some point I saw a PDF of a page of Reaction Tables, based off of the one in B/X D&D, but it had different versions for different "moods" IIRC. The STRUCTURE was the same of the 2-12, but the listed results were more reflective of the the NPC's frame of mind.

This could even have been part of another product, but I'm not finding it.

PLease tell me this sounds familiar & that I didn't imagine it!

Final part of my Perilous Intersections walk-through.

Originally shared by Kyle Maxwell

Originally shared by Kyle Maxwell

Well... that didn't go as planned.
https://skaldforge.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/scarlet-dungeon/

Greetings

Greetings,

Very new to Solo RPG and to the group, but figured I would attempt my first adventure using the Scarlet Heroes as my guide.  I did a small write up, so be gentle :-) and thanks for taking the time to read. 

I look forward to learning and sharing ideas as I venture into this new realm of my gaming.

-Kevyn

Thanks to Gerard Nerval 's mention of "Star Trader" and it's "Random Crew Relationships Table" I got a copy of the PDF & checked it out.

Thanks to Gerard Nerval 's mention of "Star Trader" and it's "Random Crew Relationships Table" I got a copy of the PDF & checked it out.

I can see this being VERY useful for my "Monsterhearts" game, & any other game that has a number of NPC's, & where determining their connections to each other is very useful.

Also, here is another that could be useful that I hear is from Vordheim:

http://i.imgur.com/B3TVH1U.png

And on that defines WHO's connected, just not WHAT the relationship is..

http://www.kjd-imc.org/blog/polyhedral-npc-relationships/
http://i.imgur.com/B3TVH1U.png

Part 3 of 4 in my Perilous Intersections walk-through.

Wall of text follows.

Wall of text follows.

On managing your multi-story personality complex

Ok this has been on my mind: srp is basically a mild form of self induced multiple personality syndrome, for entertainment purposes. You sit there as yourself imagining you are someone else, somewhere else, and you try to breathe life into their-your story while at the same time having to manage the npcs, keep the plot interesting and just for the hell of it you try to rule the entire world/multiverse too. Its insane, which is why it can be much fun. But every GM has enough on their plate without all the complications added by solo - ask any GM, for example, to try to scare themselves while improvising that horror story...set the bar impossibly high, why dont you?

My point is that you, the soloist, have a major multiplex of a personality clash to manage - its a clusterfuck really. We are only the pioneers here. No GM would touch the challenge, its tough enough. The major trick you somehow have to pull off is to compartmentalise your awareness - one part GM, one part player. And additionally you not only have to balance them (and smoothly and flexibly, to deepen immersion) you have to trick your awareness into ignoring some things and evoke some kind of veneer of an objectivity that does not truly exist. For example, GMs keep secrets. They wrap them around you as story hooks. You may have no idea what they are until the reveal. Srp currently has some tools for emulating that, but it cant do it perfectly. Also, dont forget in social games the GM often does not know what the players are planning and they often hide things from the GM for various sneaky and nefarious surprises later. (I love those players!). Its a brain slicer that cuts both ways.

So as a soloist you must induce some kind of screen in your awareness that clearly understands the two main 'hats' you have to wear and when to wear them, and you must pace and time the switches between them well and finally also somehow surprise both of the people in your head. If you do lose track of who you are, or mix oil with water too much so that there is no clear distinction,  the story will inevitably hit a snag of some kind. Thats my working theory anyway.

So everything you can do to clarify that line and manage it well is awesome and will pay in gold.

Which brings me to the photo and Chill 3rd edition, which I backed and only just finished reading. Chill 3rd has a godsend in this department. Tokens.

The use of these tokens and their relevance to my drivel above will hopefully be obvious to soloists who read the rules on the use of these tokens, which I summarise for the readership below. Tokens can be anything with 2 distinct sides, like coins or playing cards.

At start of game, place (number of player characters + storyteller) +1 tokens in play. So in a solo game where you have 2 characters under your control, you place 4 tokens on the table, 1 for each pc, one for the GM, plus one extra.

Designate a Dark and Light side to the tokens and turn 2 tokens Dark side up. The rest are Light. Note - Chill is a horror game in which the GM represents The Unknown, hence their tokens are Dark. For soloists, the designation should instead be GM and PC sides to the tokens. So, in our 2 character example, turn 2 of the tokens ‘GM‘ side up, the others ‘PC‘ side up.

Certain dramatic events may add additional tokens once play begins. For example, in Chill once the enemy becomes aware its being investigated, a new token is added Dark side up. This is rare though.

In play, tokens are available to everyone. However, Light can only be flipped to Dark by PCs, and Dark to Light by the GM. They can be flipped to gain certain advantages, as follows -

The PCs can flip a token to Dark to add 10% to a d100 target number. More than one token can be used this way, and they can do this even after the roll, thus averting a horrible result or perhaps gaining a higher degree of success. The GM can do the same for creatures by turning a token/s Light. Not sure if you would use this as a soloist, but its a sweet idea for giving players power to give them agency to shape story and its a wonderful source of tension when all tokens are flipped to Dark-GM.

When the PCs activate the Art (basically, magic in Chill), they must flip a token Dark. GMs must flip to Light to use a creatures powers. What a way to balance your powerplay dance this idea could be!

PCs can flip a token to Dark to automatically succeed at Sensing the Unknown (a hard to pull off skill check). For soloists, this could be a way to legitimately tweak the outcome of a random event. "But I saw that coming....". Even better, the GM option here is to "inconvenience the characters in minor but important ways that complicate the situation." A great way to actually manage the input and quantity of random events.

After making a successful information check, or after a direct encounter with The Unknown, a player can turn a token Dark to gain Insight. In Chill, this might reveal a powerful clue, a defence, a weakness or some other major advantage to the investigation. "Angela knows that symbol, shes seen it before...". A GM can flip to Light to have an NPC act against the PCs, do something dangerous to them or that inconveniences them.

PCs can also flip a token Dark to reduce Trauma (kind of like Sanity in Call of Cthulhu) as it is dealt. They can additionally turn ALL Light tokens to Dark (minimum 1) to save the life of another pc. The pc survives but badly injured.

And the kicker that makes all this really funky and more adaptable for solo?  If either a player or the GM roll a botch, they must flip a token over to the other side. Your bad dice rolls have teeth - for both sides of your mind divide. But so do your really good ones - colossal success (go figure what that means under your rules system, Chill has good mechanics for it) gets you the power to flip a token to your side. As GM or player.

To me, this is all very peachy - it externalises the balancing act that takes place in the far more nebulous crevices of my cretinous mind. I can see a visual representation of where all the power is flowing in the story, and thus which role I should be pushing the story through. Its measurable and has a meaningful impact mechanically. Its also somewhat organic, not being completely under your manipulation because of the final clause that introduces a random element completely out of player or GM control (dice results), and its presence on the table can help increase tension if you play your roles well and understand that this is never a competition, its always a collaboration, just as in good social play.

Chill 3rd rocks for this idea alone.

Part 2 of my Perilous Intersections walk-through.

A Perilous Intersections walk-through, part 1

And here we go with the valentine's day special!

And here we go with the valentine's day special!
https://solorpgvoyages.wordpress.com/2016/02/14/the-valentines-day-special-part-1/

So since today is Valentine's Day, I was wondering about romance in solo RPGs. It seems on the surface a bit of an odd fit, in that you're theoretically playing two or more different parts. If not done carefully it could slip into parody.

So since today is Valentine's Day, I was wondering about romance in solo RPGs. It seems on the surface a bit of an odd fit, in that you're theoretically playing two or more different parts. If not done carefully it could slip into parody.

Has anybody incorporated a romantic element into your games? How'd it go?

Just played a fun game of It's Not My Fault with the Sunday Skypers crew. We had a blast and I realized that the deck used would work quite well for setting up a game for solo play as well.

Just played a fun game of It's Not My Fault with the Sunday Skypers crew.  We had a blast and I realized that the deck used would work quite well for setting up a game for solo play as well.
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/162084/Its-Not-My-Fault
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/162084/Its-Not-My-Fault

It's the most romantic day for the year, so get your hands on Love Letters for Quill.

Creating solo challenges based on randomly selected RPG mechanics, and utilizing 'Player skill'

Creating solo challenges based on randomly selected RPG mechanics, and utilizing 'Player skill' 

I'm riding the coat tails of David Coleman's post, referenced in the post I'm sharing, if you want to look at that and other background on the topic of using skill mechanics to create challenges. 

I'm thinking part of what makes basing challenges on a random skill increase the fun is that what the nature of the challenge will be is not all up to you. But there's an interesting riff here that I think must add to the fun:

This is an excellent opportunity to try and resolve things by NOT using those skill rolls, if they're particularly low percentage. It would be sort-of like using your Player skills.

How?

You come up with a challenge based on a random skill, as per any of the suggestions given in those posts. Then, if the skill roll doesn’t favor you, think of ways that you could do it without that particular skill roll, or any skill roll at all. This is usually the point where you start asking the GM, “Is there this or that?” and then you base your new plans for beating this challenge that way.

For example, your path through a castle’s corridor is blocked by a heavily armored swordsman, but you only have a shank. Combat doesn’t look very promising to you. So you reason, “hmm, maybe I can trip him somehow, and try to run past. After all, it should be hard for him to get up in time to catch me.”  Then, you ask the oracle (just like you would a GM), is there a rug anywhere on the corridor? Yes. Is the opponent standing on it? No. Now trying to trick the opponent into standing on it, so that you can attempt to pull it and trip him, becomes part of the challenge. 

I think this adds to the fun of already not having chosen the nature of the challenge. Why? If the skill you used as a base for the challenge is not really an option, then you open up many unknown variables that lead to suspense. 

Originally shared by Alex Yari

Creating solo challenges based on randomly selected mechanics

I came to this idea independently (see screenshot), but it's actually been around a while (which shows I never really put much thought into GMing):

Excellent post by David Coleman
https://plus.google.com/u/0/113876106109847751526/posts/KRLgtxE6yd3

[InSpectres demo] Solo play  (see first post)
http://www.indie-rpgs.com/archive/index.php?topic=19576.0


"I created a simple "GM-emulator": I rolled two d4's, one of which was red. They determined which skills I could use to deal with the next problem, and then on the basis of that roll I decided on the specifics of the next problem I was going to face. Then, I've been coming up with some way to deal with the problem, rolling the dice and deciding on the outcome using the table from the demo. Then, I rolled 1d3-1 to establish the base stress pool, increased it by 1 if I used the skill indicated by red d4, and by another 1 or 2 if i failed miserably."

Cool!

Cool!

Originally shared by Connor Plant

I just thought I'd mention this here!
The miniature architect and small scale quarterly are rubbing a competition to design your own terrain.
https://theminiaturearchitect.com/pages/the-ssq-design-competition

Thoughts on the new school of indie game design as experienced by an OG like me...

Part 3 of my Alone game is finally here :)

Hexmancer: Procedural Hex Generation System

Hexmancer: Procedural Hex Generation System

Saw this linked at an RPGNet discussion. Looks short & sweet.
http://www.martinralya.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Hexmancer-v.1.pdf

A small tip for those who like it - in social games, a decent GM will take careful note of player choices during the character creation process, divining from them a way to collectively entertain and satisfy everyone. Scenes, stories and even entire campaigns can then be built around those choices. For example, if your game is called 'Precinct 13' and one player has made Interrogation a high end trait while another has rated Empathy, one thing you might be looking at is a good cop/bad cop tag team. At the very least, those two traits will have scenes in which they are tested, and the same goes for neglected or ignored traits (which become possible challenges).

A small tip for those who like it - in social games, a decent GM will take careful note of player choices during the character creation process, divining from them a way to collectively entertain and satisfy everyone. Scenes, stories and even entire campaigns can then be built around those choices. For example, if your game is called 'Precinct 13' and one player has made Interrogation a high end trait while another has rated Empathy, one thing you might be looking at is a good cop/bad cop tag team. At the very least, those two traits will have scenes in which they are tested, and the same goes for neglected or ignored traits (which become possible challenges).
So, list all your characters traits, abilities, powers, macguffins and everything else that matters to you as a player of that character. Add all the highly rated choices first, then the low and neglected. I use the Keep app for this. When you come to create a new scene (or other story unit) select or randomly roll from this list 2-3 items. Try to incorporate these into your scene as mechanical rolls that test the protagonists skill and luck. This could help people who have a dissatisfying sense of narrating a story rather than one of playing a specific game.

How many types of solo roleplaying (and mental stances) are out there?

How many types of solo roleplaying (and mental stances) are out there?

Let's make a list
a/ heros vs. world - you identify with the hero and interpret / generate / automate / oraclize the world

b/ GM vs. Party - you identify with the gm role and set up a situation. The behaviour of the party members is handled by a mix of system and interpretation

c/ Ensemble - you identify in turn with each of a largish troupe of characters, playing out the goals of each point of view character. System and interpretation generate new challenges and help resolve conflicts between characters.

For instance, I am all for Ensemble, I enjoy playing through old modules with b) but I have almost no interest in a) except in a few cases

Categorizing the various approaches used to make solo RP fun.

Categorizing the various approaches used to make solo RP fun. 

(Please see linked discussion for background if interested. This is one of the topics  I wanted to fork from that original discussion into its own thread.)

Open topic, so feel free to suggest other categories, changes to the proposed ones, tips/tricks/approaches that fit into one or another, and thoughts on how categorizing stuff might help push innovation in solo RP. 

Provisional categories:

This by the way, leads me to how I classified most of the suggestions here (and you all tell me if you feel your suggestion fits or not):

1. Engage in an additional level of make believe (e.g. pretend dice are imaginary GM, emulate other players, etc.)
 
2. Reframe expectations of solo rp from attaining TGME into having fun by other means. (e.g. treat it like a puzzle). 

3. Separate character knowledge  from player knowledge   (e.g. knowing NPC goals and determining actions accordingly). 

4. using the oracle in a vaguely consistant fashion (e.g. generate more random events than needed so there's a larger chance of getting something that you can use). 

5. “Game” the tools of solo RP so as to minimize problematic output (e.g. to me generating more random events to increase the chances of more sensical results, as in #4 would feel like I'm "gaming" the tool-- not less fun, but not really TFGME for me)

What can the PbtA approach of Agenda and Principles contribute to the use of Oracles in solo RP?

What can the PbtA approach of Agenda and Principles contribute to the use of Oracles in solo RP?

(Please see linked discussion for background if interested. This is one of the topics  I wanted to fork from that original discussion into its own thread.)

Ivan Vaghi suggests:

"Alex, it could be so useful to know what the proper mental stance should be when asking the questions. Some sort of agenda and principles to consult the oracle."

So, those of you familar with PbtA games, any ideas of how that approach could help make using an Oracle more fun, and perhaps closer to attaining a feeling of playing with an actual GM?

Hi guys, I was looking fro something new to try and Mage Knight was recommended - here's my first impressions & thoughts

Hi guys, I was looking fro something new to try and Mage Knight was recommended - here's my first impressions & thoughts

The title gives something of a clue ;)

Be great to get your thoughts too... 
https://malciggrpg.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/mage-knight-a-solo-rpg-in-a-box/

Actual play example of Scarlet Heroes

Actual play example of Scarlet Heroes
https://skaldforge.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/urban-adventure-in-the-red-tide-setting/

I read the excellent interview that MoonSylver​​ shared with the creator of the Mythic GME. In the interview she mentioned modifying Mythic for her own use in a way that did away with the Fate Chart. I've combed through the Yahoo groups file section, as well as the the threads on the group board and can't find any other information on this. Does anyone know if it has been shared or published anywhere?

Here is the play using beta Alone, which I finished today. Included is my game notes. I already showed character creation in a prior post.

With 2 new members since yesterday we are now over the 500 mark! Welcome! :)

Some more thoughts on Monsterhearts, or on new school indie design in general.

Here is an interesting technique I had read about in the past that I think could have relevance to Alex Yari 's "Dead Horse": Take one of these "invisible councilors" & make him your GM.

Here is an interesting technique I had read about in the past that I think could have relevance to Alex Yari 's "Dead Horse": Take one of these "invisible councilors" & make him your GM.

Since I watched the vid Alex linked to of the Indie+ group playing "Monsterhearts" I've now got Jenn Martin's voice in my head asking me questions about my character! lol  (which is not a bad thing, as she was an excellent MC!)
http://aom.is/DhUlO

Warning: Dead horse being beaten by me again

Warning: Dead horse being beaten by me again

I was reading through that Fateless blog post by the author, and this seems like the ideal I've always wanted for solo gaming:


"It’s the difference between the feeling one experiences when describing something, and that same something being described to you. It’s not about surprise, so much as feeling that the imaginary world around you is somehow more real/solid/alive because it did not come directly from within you, it is external, it is other than you.
You can be an agent within it, but you are not it."

I don't know that I've ever completely achieved this feeling without much Oracle consulting, but then result interpretation really breaks this feeling for me. yes/no questions do so less as long as i pretend that choosing what questions I ask and how to ask them does NOT shape the game world. 

More dead horse beating to come. maybe.

A lot of my game stuff is packed up at the moment. This is a good thing, we've gutted our sunroom in anticipation of the arrival of our new furniture, which will transform it into a shared craft and game room. The furniture is suitably medieval looking. But I was in the mood to run through my latest favorite rumble set, Advanced Song of Blades and Heroes (with some hexmap house rule adjustments)

A lot of my game stuff is packed up at the moment. This is a good thing, we've gutted our sunroom in anticipation of the arrival of our new furniture, which will transform it into a shared craft and game room. The furniture is suitably medieval looking. But I was in the mood to run through my latest favorite rumble set, Advanced Song of Blades and Heroes (with some hexmap house rule adjustments)

Luckily I did have some of my glass chits around and a vinyl battle mat. The mat reminded me that the best part of solo gaming is imagination and indulging our creativity, at least for me at the moment. So I went ahead and created a frontier settlement in which the natives are a little upset about the interlopers setting up shop on their traditional hunting grounds.

The settlers (blue chits) are suffering from a case of "divine mandate" and launched an assault into the goblins (green chits) mountainous homeland.

As you can see, the goblins have wisely set up shop in an elevated and defendable position. (what you can't see is that their is a fort marked underneath one of them, strengthening the position further). The human settlers are attempting a pincer movement, hoping to come together for some sweet flanking action.

I don't know if humans can pull it off due to to the fact that the upper grouping's troops have some poor quality ratings and no Leader to help them out since he's heading south with the other group. But I do know that the goblins won't just sit their on the hilltop while the humans run around their mountain. Hmm... Maybe the humans could draw then out if they set fire to one of the goblin homesteads..be right back, I need to look up the rules for burning buildings.

New Nordic Weasel game in preparation is a fantasy solo dungeon crawl, and I happen to be part of playtest team.

New Nordic Weasel game in preparation is a fantasy solo dungeon crawl, and I happen to be part of playtest team.
A Light most Faint is something light years away from known 5 Core mechanics, and more inspired by old school D&D, so I thought that some of you may be interested to hear about it and maybe join playtest also....

Below you can find the link to write up from my first playtest game.


If you want to be part of a playtest, contact Ivan Sorensen (he is a member here)

Did Kenny ever post the link to THIS INTERVIEW:

Did Kenny ever post the link to THIS INTERVIEW:

http://soloroleplayer.com/rpg-toolbox-recommendations/interview-mythic-gme/

I know he did his 1st one w/ Zach Best , but I never saw this one & had been waiting for it!

I love Mythic GME & think we all owe Tana a huge debt, so was very interested in the "behind-the-scenes" of it's creator & creation.

One thing I found highly illuminating was the mention of learning how to read tarot cards as a part of figuring out Mythic's design. I've always felt Mythic (& it's descendants) had a very "oracular" feel to it, so now I know why! :)
http://soloroleplayer.com/rpg-toolbox-recommendations/interview-mythic-gme

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-0v3tluWtG1bU8wNlpIckRRaEU/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-0v3tluWtG1bU8wNlpIckRRaEU/view?usp=sharing

Another thing I compiled: List of School Subjects, place to write up brief descriptions of the teachers & staff as needed, & a small table of random school events. Inspired by the RPG "School Daze".
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-0v3tluWtG1bU8wNlpIckRRaEU/view?usp=sharing

This is crossing over I to solo board game territory a bit, so I'm not sure if it fits the community theme. If not, just give me a shout.

This is crossing over I to solo board game territory a bit, so I'm not sure if it fits the community theme. If not, just give me a shout.

Anyway evandro novel​​​ had brought up soloing games with card based initiative. While at the used book store this morning I lucked into a game I had been wanting for a while, but missed out on the kickstarter campaign when it was raising funds.

It's called Ars Victor, and though it has no dedicated solo rules I've been having a blast with it this afternoon all on my own. The gameplay definitely seems to fit into the "easy to learn, difficult to master" category. With the way the game is set up and played the cards do not make it any more difficult to solo than any other skirmish level game. All of the bits are done with simple but nice looking graphics, and the punch board appears to be good quality. One downside is that the box lacks any organization slots like you might find in Smash Up or Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. With this many bits and bobs, you may want to buy or repurpose some kind of organizing container. 

The Return of "What I'd Like To Play Right Now"

School Grades:

School Grades:

Obviously, I'm working on a school themed thing. ;)

I'm looking at a system to (semi) random determine a students grades on tests & overall. The semi part coming from their being some ability to influence the die roll via bonuses. Here's what I came up with:

A : 10
B : 9-8
C : 7-4
D : 3-2
F : 1

Max Bonus: +/-5

Previous Grade: A +2, B +1, C: 0, D -1, F -2
Studied: +1 to +3
Didn’t Study: -1 to -3
Paid Attention In Class, Took Notes, etc: +1
Didn’t pay attention, Talking, Passing Notes, etc: -1
Turned In All Homework: +1
Didn’t Do Homework: -1
Tutored: +1 to +3
Partied, Socialized, etc: -1 to -3

Thoughts? Anything to add?

Interesting discussion regarding the game FateLess at story-games:

Interesting discussion regarding the game FateLess at story-games:

http://story-games.com/forums/discussion/20520/article-why-less-is-more

Unfortunately, you need a username to access this discussion, but there is a link to the blog's post which the author was hoping to discuss:

http://unplayablegames.blogspot.de/2015/12/why-less-is-more-01.html

It's not a game built specifically for solo gaming, but it has been said about it that it has a lot of potential for the same (see prior discussion here).

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+GeoffOsterberg/posts/L7dUECGmQFd

Originally shared by MoonSylver

Originally shared by MoonSylver

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-0v3tluWtG1bVdkVVJVZzhudkE/view?usp=sharing

Quick thing I did for games set in a High School or College setting: a table of Random Students and two different ones of Teachers
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-0v3tluWtG1bVdkVVJVZzhudkE/view?usp=sharing