Has anyone heard of the solo rpg mystery tool "Nine Steps and a Bloody Heart"?
https://lostpangolin.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/nsaabh.pdf
It strikes me very much like the "Cluedo" inspired system lino pang has mentioned before.
Below is a scenario based off of John Carpenter's "The Thing" to give an even better idea about how it works.
Here is a thought I had: use your favorite description/idea generator (Covetous Poet's was the one that sparked the idea) to fill in all the lists. That way you would have solid clues to investigate, but NO preconceived story/path/solution in mind. Question is: would the correct 3 random elements that add up to a "solution" = a coherent one?
That would be the challenge, I think. Trying to coax a story out of the various disparate elements that emerge. And what if they don't? Is that a bad thing? Some mysteries don't get solved. Sometimes the killer gets away...
https://lostpangolin.wordpress.com/2016/11/04/solo-mistery-the-thing/
Alto Dizi blunt object/candlestick:
ReplyDeleteI don't get the problem, in NSAABH you are the one who create the elements in the clue lists, you can insert more or less details you want.
gamebook style: yes I think that, in addittion to (1)the work in progress and (2)the stored solution, the 3rd possible solution to the "hidden information" problem is the gamebook method but this is stricly not a solo rpg, it's a 1 GM and 1 player rpg
I think there is a third option, which I haven't tried, but was mentioned once in one of the forge forums. It relies on memory, but the other way: it wants to take advantage of your ability to forget over time.
ReplyDeleteYou could create a mystery with all the clues ahead of time. Put it away in a box for a year or however long, and then open it up again, only looking at the clues you made before.
I don't know if it would work for me, because while I'm forgetful about some stuff, I tend to remember weird details sometimes. I might not be able to forget what I wrote.
lino pang Oh, I don't think it's a problem, just a consideration.
ReplyDeleteI have some ideas for how to make a gamebook "solo" but I still have to think about it a bit, hahah.
Alex Yari That's an interesting approach but it would not work for me. I have a lousy memory but if I read or write something (other than code) if it's more than a word or two long as soon as I recognize the context I've got it back fresh. Wow. Did that make any sense at all?
I could see a technique where one person puts together a packet for another, easily, though. And with the internet, one "author" can share with everyone for all time, instead of just one envelope.