Tried my hand at solo gaming last night, for I think the first time ever. In researching solo gaming for an upcoming blog post for reckoningofthedead.com I discovered this vibrant community. Can I ask: do you prefer solo rpg gaming to group rpg gaming?
I prefer it to large group gaming. When talking about groups of three (1 gm, 2 players) I prefer group gaming. However, I get much more gaming time solo due to life, job, kids etc.
ReplyDeleteWhat Carsten and Kabuki said. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's an odd bit of back and forth. But, like others, I love them both. Obviously, a lot of what I learned and loved from group play has influenced my solo gaming. But I really enjoy how my experience in solo gaming has influenced my group play.
ReplyDeleteI'm far more likely to rely on randomness these days. As a player, I set odds for certain decisions--does my character lash out at an NPC or bite his tongue? Does he go along with a foolish plan another PC came up with, especially if its one he cares for? When I'm running now, I often use Oracles to decide what happens, and let the game emerge as organically as possible.
Solo gaming has taught me to relax about worrying about the "right" thing and let the game goes where it will. The right thing is what makes a good story and makes the game fun, not analyzing all potential options and selecting the best.
Um, all of the above and I'll add that solo gaming opens up new paths for creating play aids and creating/learning new rule systems as well.
ReplyDeleteI do both, but I find that I do different things withthem.
ReplyDeleteSolo is for stuff that my gaming group wont be interested in, things Im testing out or working on as wellas stuff when we're mid campaign.
I like both with sort of flirting to one side or the other. I do actually play in a gaming group, the only thing is they're very set in what game they want to play (Savage Worlds). I've always loved collecting and trying other games. Which, yeah, I could do play-by-post stuff, which is fine. But you don't quite get that enjoyment of actions like rolling dice, a lot of times a GM will do that for you and tell you your result (or maybe let you use the honor system). So, I really enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteNo group, no desire to make new friends, not interested in online gaming, so good alternative for me.
ReplyDeleteOn the up side, I can play whatever I want, whenever I want, without having to reach a group consensus.
Not RPG's as such but I estimate probably at least one third of my customers for wargame rules are solo gamers primarily or largely.
ReplyDeleteKabuki Kaiser An awful lot but indie scene stuff. FiveCore, No End in Sight, Clash on the fringe, Squad-hammer, Starport Scum.
ReplyDeleteIf you frequent the Wargame Vault, you've seen my stuff.
Ivan Sorensen Starport Scum rocks. :)
ReplyDeleteMoonSylver Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWe were super nervous if anyone would like it, when we did it, but it ended up becoming one of the better selling games I ever did.
Matt Ryan, any idea where one can get a copy of that adventure?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the thread hijack :)
ReplyDeleteTo get back on topic, one advantage of solo gaming too is that you can get away with a character that wouldn't work in your group game, or which wouldnt fit the campaign.
Everyone likes the idea of the cool lone wolf type, but that plays horribly in a group. Solo though? It's perfect :-)
Adding to the above, I basically gave up on tabletop RPGs (and really, CRPGs and MMORPGs, too) years and years ago. Solo gaming re-opened the door for me and it's been my favorite passtime ever since I found it. I find that a lot of busy, working adults and parents just don't have time, energy, or maybe even the weirdo basement-dweller friends anymore (I jest, of course), so solitaire play is not just the only option, it's an amazing option and creative outlet. I also find that these same folks often have kids they can bring to the table, too, which is another awesome tangent.
ReplyDeleteIt's been forever since I've sat down at a table with friends to play -- and honestly never broke through a lot of the social barriers to truly enjoy the freedom of imaginative play one should experience in an RPG. Solo play gives me that. Gaming with my kids gives me that, too.
I've also learned more about RPGs, game design, Game Mastery / sandbox gaming, etc. in a few months of solitaire play than I likely ever would have in a social setting. It's been very liberating and enlightening for me. I may never even stop. ;-P
Spencer Salyer I really enjoy solo roleplaying, tbh. I've been at it for a month, and since the end of the first session the thing I have continued to say is "Why didn't I think of this sooner?!"
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger I literally couldn't get my friends to care enough to try...they just couldn't get past the stigma. I have played in groups off and on for a few years, and have GMed for the last year+, but when my last group needed to go on hiatus and I couldn't find a replacement (even online, since most of the games didn't fit the precise times that worked for my home schedule) I started digging about going solo.
It has really been awesome, and most notably, has allowed me to play these games without the added responsibilities of either prepping each session or traveling to games, each of which take me away from the limited hours each day I get with my family. It's been SO much fun, honestly, that an online game I had applied for 6+ weeks ago just contacted me about a slot opening up, and I'm not certain I want to join, because soloing just allows me so much more freedom.
Wiped out after a long day at work and/or the kids are sick, and feel like bagging the night's session? No problem! It's been great.
Another reason solo has been great (and I might turn down that game) is that I don't just have to play D&D, which tend to be the only groups near me. There are so many cool games to play!
Anyways, tldr: yea, I think, all things considered, I might like solo a touch more than group.
I'm a 100% solo. Going solo I can play at my own pace and become more immersed in the story. With a GM I feel the stories are too contrived.
ReplyDeleteFor me, Solo RPG is the definite hobby....I have a group that plays regularly, and I also try some Play by Post adventures, but with solo RPG I can take things to higher levels, much more than in any other kind of play. The freedom, the possibilities...i can say that, if I had to choose, I would choose solo RPG, a hundred times....
ReplyDeleteThanks everybody for your honest and candid responses. I've got a few followup questions, if you don't mind.
ReplyDeleteI'm not understanding the group's definition of "solo role-playing." "Alone Against the Wendigo" is essentially a choose-your-path adventure book. My character, which I can adjust slightly but is essentially detailed for me, has a limited set of decisions (often 2) when presented with an encounter. "If you ignore the noise from the other room, go to page XX. If you sneak into the room to investigate the noise, go to page YY." This is my understanding of solo rpging, so I'm confused when folks say there is more freedom and choice than group-style play.
What role-playing games are you playing solo, and what specific products are you using for those games? Looking at the Chaosium catalog for example, there are only a couple solo scenarios available. (I agree that a solo scenario is a great way to learn a new rpg.) Other than a bunch of Sorcery! solo scenarios and Tunnels & Trolls adventures, I was unaware that there was a large market for solo rpg products.
There is a difference between board game and war game solo play and rpg solo play, and I'm more interested in the rpg side of things. It doesn't surprise me in the least that there is an active solo war-gaming community. I remember solo games of Squad Leader back in the day. I am pleasantly surprised at the number of solo-rpgers, and am keen to learn more.
Thanks again everybody for your responses!
Sometimes I do entirely generated content, sometimes I base them off of a pre-published module. I play a variety of games, but most of my posted AP's are done with Vampire: The Masquerade as the base setting, and using Mythic as the Emulator (it's my fav, but I mix it up based on what game I'm playing.) Here are some examples of what I've done:
ReplyDeleteWalks Alone in Darkness (starts here http://www.chimericalrealm.com/2016/01/solo-vampire.html)--this was a brief game that I did based on the Mythic Oracle, and Vampire specific random generators.
Alien Hunger (indexed here http://www.chimericalrealm.com/2017/04/lets-play-alien-hunger.html). This is based on the module "Alien Hunger" with tools such as Mythic and the UNE (Universal NPC Emulator) to flesh it out.
Basically, just pick the game system you like and an Oracle--Mythic is popular, but there's a large number out there (I like ALONe for horror, in particular, but I've also recently fallen in love with the Covetous Poet's Adventure Creator, though many prefer a more minimalist Oracle) and get cracking. Use the Oracle as the GM--the best ones provide word generators to help inspire ideas, and then provide tools to answer questions--what's in the room, what does this person want, is there someone in the next room with a gun waiting to kill me, etc. Poke around the Actual Play section here, and you'll find a TON of excellent examples. Hopefully they'll inspire you to try something new!
edited: apparently, I can't spell "alien."
chimericalrealm.com - Solo Vampire
Matt Ryan RPG of choice + a GM Emulator (or "Oracle") = Solo RPG'ing. Mythic is my prefered. I also use "UNE" (Universal NPC Emulator) to run my NPC's + D&D's reaction roll chart.
ReplyDeleteGood examples of Solo RPG'ing here:
wispsoftime.com - Rolling Solo - Chapter 6, Part I: Mythic Game Master Emulator - Wisps of Time
& here:
http://noonetoplay.blogspot.com/2016/11/valda-and-desolation-of-fire-coast-part.html
For me, Mythic + whatever RPG system I like to use.
ReplyDeleteSome games are written with a decent amount of possibilities already built in (like Traveller) others you have to rely on the "Oracle" more to fill in the bits.
I think solo RPGing is one of those things that can be as simple or as complex as you like it to be.
I use the Two Hour Wargames system which are designed for solo adventures. There are various encounters, tables for when and if enemies/friendlies appear, how many and what kind, reactions in combat or conversation, initiative, random events, etc. Of course the rules are table and dice rolling heavy.
ReplyDeleteMatt Ryan Also worth mentioning, besides the "Oracle", one usually likes/wants to employ some "Muses" (sources of additional inspiration), for when one gets stuck or needs a creative push. Things like Rory's Story Cubes or a Tarot Deck, tools like "BOLD" (Book of Legends and Deeds) or "Impetus" (http://noonetoplay.blogspot.com/2017/09/impetus.html), or various generators/random tables (which is why, as Ivan Sorensen mentions, "Traveller" has the solo friendly baked in: lot's of random tables to generate content.
ReplyDeleteD&D is another. There are random tables a'plenty for every conceivable situation.
I find DriveThruRPG to be a great source of cheap, often system agnostic, tables for a variety of genres & situations.
Matt RyanAnd of course the mecca of Solo RPG Resources...
ReplyDeletehttps://dieheart.net/solo-rpg-resources/