I am anticipating starting my first solo campaign and looking forward to it immensely (I just await the time). I've settled on using the Pathfinder system. I enjoy it and have several of the books.
Any tips for a rookie Solo RPGer?
How would you recommend keeping a log?
Welcome to the insanity. I like to keep a loh as a journal from first person perspective if using just one character or I just write it up as a normal session report if I'm running the whole party. Which solo engine are you using?
ReplyDeleteI hadn't decided on a solo engine. I was kind of planning on winging it with rory's story cubes and a simple yes/no with and/but dice system.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started, I had to remind myself that I was the player(s) and leave it to the Mythic GME (in my case) to do the GMing. I have referred to Mythic as the world's shyest GM. It has great ideas but you have to coax those ideas out a little bit.
ReplyDeleteI recommend keeping a log. I have fun going back and reliving the adventures not to mention that it helps me pick up where I left off. There's a balancing act to writing stuff down, though. Enough where it's worth it but not so much that you lose the momentum.
All that sounds good to me. I think keeping it simple and manageable for your first solo game is really good advice. Another piece of advice is not to take things too seriously the first few games. I think it's important to practice solo play and find out what works for you before investing too much in a particular story. Be ready to play for a bit, have some fun, and move on. You'll learn a lot about how you like to play and what tools you want to use.
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to keep a log, otherwise the session seems like little more than daydreaming to me. Some people like to jot down session notes on paper. I like to write things down digitally. Different people prefer different styles. I personally like a concise narrative style. More than notes, but less than prose. Something like what I would tell someone if I was telling a game story from the session last week.
In any case, I hope your first game goes well. Let us know what happens!
Well keep in mind that you are wearing two hats: as both player and GM. They exist on a spectrum and you may find you lean more towards one than the other but can never completely remove one (and trying to do so is wasted effort).
ReplyDeleteAre there any free alternative to the Mythic GME?
ReplyDeleteKeeping a log is all about personal preference, and you'll eventually settle into a format that works for you. Some people prefer to write out everything properly as they go, others scribble down / type out semi-grammatical notes that would be incomprehensible to anyone else. I am firmly in the latter camp, but cleaning them up later is part of the fun for me.
ReplyDeleteWhichever route you choose, it's also a good idea to keep a separate track of important NPC/item/location notes for easy reference. All my sandbox adventures have a separate .txt file where I just cut-and-paste all the things I have written about the cities and castles my PCs visit. I should key dungeons this way too; looking through 60 handwritten pages to find out what was in room 19 slows down play somewhat, especially if you're coming back to the dungeon after a space of months.
And if you are going to take more abbreviated notes, never let two N/PCs have the same initials.
Jeremy Rist Honestly that's all you really need.
ReplyDeleteJeremy Rist check this dieheart.net - Solo Role-playing Resources
ReplyDeleteAll good things to think about. lino pang thanks for the link. I'm definitely going to consider using Mythic.
ReplyDeleteOmari Brooks are you saying that I don't need to use Mythic?
Do most people use a computer for record keeping or does this community like to keep it old school?
Jeremy Rist
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I'm saying. You don't need an "emulator"/facilitator to play a solo game.
You just need a yes/no oracle and random prompts (like Rory's Story Cubes, etc).
Mythic is an optional tool that many enjoy for layering on structure/complexity. So is CRGE (Conjectural Roleplaying GM Emulator), etc. Those "emulators"/facilitators are more "nice-to-have's" if you actually want the extra layers. Personally I think some pieces of Mythic are clunky and slow play down but to each their own.
I've gone to Frankenstein-ing my own set of tools together from my favorite parts of various "emulators" and toolkits to fit my play-style and streamline play.
I suggest to play simple adventures (not a full and abitious campaign) when you begin this hobby, but I am not completely convinced about playing with ultra simple solo engines for a beginner.
ReplyDeleteFor example I started with complex rpgs and solo engines and gradually I tried (and created) simpler systems, maybe it's just me.
I'm always a fan of starting with a system you know really well. There's enough to worry about in Solo without also trying to learn a new system too. But, I find that a more robust Oracle (like Mythic) really helps inspire ideas and get the creative juices flowing!
ReplyDeleteGood luck! And have fun! It's a great time!
My log tends to look like the readout from a PC Rpg game: lots of shorthand mechanics data with some fluff.
ReplyDeleteA conversation in mine might be "cultist grudgingly gives up leaders location and insults PC" so I don't have to write a whole conversation that has minimal impact on my gameplay. I got the info and he was mean: good enough for my gameplay!