So I'm giving Untold: Adventures Await a go solo, but there doesn't seem to be much (if any) advice given for solo players, despite the "1-4" player count on the box.
Specifically I'm wondering if creating multiple PCs is worth the hassle in general, or perhaps generating sketches of fellow heroes is a better choice. Also, the edit tokens seem [almost?] entirely pointless with no other players to interrupt, prompt with questions, etc. Certainly play/pause is moot.
Anyone doing any tinkering here? I like the dice/scene card combos and always appreciate simple chargen. Guess it's mostly freeform, though, so it acts more as a framework for organizing/driving stories via RSC so you don't have to.
My challenge on my first play (solo) of Untold was coming up with a setting. That stalled for quite a while before I came up with something. So if you don't already have a setting in mind, it might be a good idea to have a setting generator like Instant Game handy.
ReplyDeleteI would sketch out fellow heroes. There's no mechanical benefit to creating multiple PCs as you have the same amount of resources regardless.
I've played a few solo games with it now (there's even a write-up of one somewhere in this community). I've started experimenting a bit.
ReplyDeleteHack 1) Use 1d6 instead of results cards with 1 to 6 equaling "No, and..." to "Yes,and...".
Hack 2) Use Hack 1, but also add +1 when using one of your "Specials".
Hack 3) Use Hack 1 and 2 and use the "+ idea" tokens as one time use + 1 to result.
Hack 4) Ditch Hack 1 and instead draw 2 results cards and choose between them when using a "Special" or + 1 token
Hack 5) Similar to hack 1, but instead used 2d6 and treat results similar to PbtA games, but keep the + 1 from specials and tokens.
Hack 6) use percentile dice with a distribution of results close to what's in the results cards, but have specials count as + 10 and tokens count as + 5, but must use them before rolling.
Lots of other ideas, just haven't had time to try them out.
Mamading Ceesay thanks for the recommendation on sketches. I had little trouble on seeing and once the first scene presented a situation (an IED package left in an airport lounge) my character (Omar Hariri, a Special Agent of the ATF tasked to potential terror activities) unfolded very organically. I can see seeing being the first hurdle. It would've been nice to have seen more suggestions about that in the booklet.
ReplyDeleteIs there ANY point to the Edit tokens flying solo? Maybe flashback and change face.
Russell Tripp that's a lot to play with, I'll have to give some of that a go!
ReplyDeleteJohn Fiore many thanks for your work on the game and your thoughts on solo!
ReplyDeleteRussell Tripp Great hacks, have yoinked them for future games.
ReplyDeleteJohn Fiore Really appreciate the insights you shared here. They will definitely affect my solo Untold games.
ReplyDeleteI must also add I was happy the box came with a set of RSC, as I'd ditched all my physical sets for digital a bit ago. The app is so great a mimic that I don't find myself missing anything tactile about the real dice, but given the need to slot them in Untold I may end up picking up a set or two again at some point.
ReplyDeleteIf nothing else - and I doubt very much it'll be "nothing else" - I feel Untold will prove invaluable to introducing folks from all walks of life, young and old, to roleplaying without the usual potential offenders of violence, scantily clad nonsense, demonic imagery and the like. And it even seems very close to sticking right on the time allotment advertised on the tin!
Good reading through this. I haven't yet cracked open my Untold box. Today might be the day.
ReplyDeleteGood use for Play/Pause I've seen others suggest when running multiple characters in a solo game is just as a way of tracking which of your characters is acting right now.
ReplyDeleteReading this makes me want to play Untold right now, but I'm heading to relatives for after Christmas Christmas. Good thing I put all the scene cards into a a spreadsheet in Google Sheets and added a way to randomize them in a separate sheet that includes notes for number of actions and questions per scene. That plus Story Cubes app on my phone means now I can play Untold anywhere! 😁
ReplyDeleteroryb bracebuckle Do it!
ReplyDeleteRussell Tripp I really like the notion of D6, +1 for special, +1 for idea token a great deal. I'll likely using this next game for a big speed boost! I like the idea of the PbtA style roll as well, but would want to compare these different methods of achieving the same set of 6 possibilities. (Or is the PbtA-style only 3?)
ReplyDeleteIn any case, I specifically really like the idea that incorporating a special into a move (see now I'm using PbtA terminology even) impacts the result. I was actually confused when I failed to find a sentence or two in the rulebook about this. I eventually resigned myself to accept that specials are really just narrative hooks, they confer zero mechanical benefit. Which is great if you manage to lose a special entirely (e.g. my local governor commanded a militia as a special, but it was wiped out in a single scene) since you won't feel the loss. But not getting anything from "the deal" if you do utilize a special in play still kinda bums me out.