Friday, March 30, 2018
Hi. I'm new here, and to solo gaming. I've been having a ton of fun playing Labyrinth Lord with the Scarlet Heroes free hacks and the Mythic GME. They work like a charm. I then buckled down and got the full version of Scarlet Heroes. I tried out an "urban adventure" last night. While it was okay, I found the constant flipping pages and setting up scenes quite a burden. They seemed to take longer to set up than the scenes themselves did do play out. Any tips/advice to smoothing this out? Perhaps it was just clunky because it was my first time?
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Couple of things.
ReplyDelete1) As you get a little more experienced, you'll cut down on the flipping. You'll know what you need to refer to and when, and when you don't.
2) I spent a few minutes copying over the urban adventures to my own sheets, cutting down on unneeded information and just focusing on what does matter.
If you have the PDF, I suggest just printing the pages you use the most. Or see if your local library has a photocopier. This way you can leave the book open to whatever section you are focusing on at the moment and reference the common pages on a separate sheet.
ReplyDeleteTodd Rokely Yeah, I was definitely going to make my own reference sheets. Still, I don't like drawing "scenes" telling me what to do. I think I still prefer using an oracle and creating my own scenes logically. I'm going to give this another shot, though. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteDerek Cutsinger Oh, yeah, it's not the BEST method for doing adventures. It's not even the default one for Scarlet Heroes. But, it is an interesting change to the classic "draw scenes" of Mythic.
ReplyDeleteOn reason why I do love it, is the chance for FAILURE. I like being able to fail a story without it necessarily being the PC's death. I've actually started tracking "victory points" in my non-SH games, just to keep a sense of what is going on and how close I am to just letting the killer escape or...whatever.
Andrew Engstrom Hi. I did do that, but still found the flipping back and forth between several pages a nuisance. Perhaps I'm just not used to it!
ReplyDeleteI had similar problems when I tried Scarlet Heroes, and I gave up (I tend to be impatient with my solo games). I guess I prefer more free-form games, but it is not all-or-nothing.... one could play a relaxed scarlet heroes, with more free-form improvisation, only reverting to by-the-book scenes once in a while.
ReplyDeleteDerek Cutsinger it's no crime. People prefer different styles. Maybe you would enjoy something more freeform like the Game Master's Apprentice cards (which are also functionally available in the Adventuresmith app), and only reference Scarlet Heroes for main scenes? Mix and match, find your own secret recipe.
ReplyDeleteTodd Rokely Yes! I love the VP. They give a sense of finality to an adventure.
ReplyDeleteEvandro Novel Since I'm new to this style of roleplaying, I'm giving everything a shot. But yes, so far I like free form the best.
ReplyDeleteDerek Cutsinger Great attitude!
ReplyDeletethere are may ways to play solo rpg adventures, some people like using compex rules, others like to mix different systems, others like to use a lot of random tables, some gamers use very simple rule systems... I suggest you to try different styles to find the best for you.
ReplyDeleteJust sounding in that my experience with SH and its solo engine is similar. Sometimes I don't mind the slow going. At least you have choices! Easy to continue running with Mythic while using a VP additional rule to create closure.
ReplyDelete"Hi. I'm new here..." Ahhh... those words are music to this community. lol. They're also an invitation for overwhelm, since you'll likely get a dozen or more highly varied responses.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, the things that are published will end up being guidelines or simply give you ideas that lead to what you really want. Almost everyone here uses some combination of published tools and their own hacks or creations, and furthermore, chasing "perfection" that's never quite reached. That's part of the fun, though.
My suggestion is to try UNE and Mythic in combo and see what freeform conflicts emerge. Sometimes you just need a villain and a hero and a problem to resolve
You might also prefer a framework like the 9Qs or Perilous Intersections that are geared towards driving plots.
ReplyDeleteSpencer Salyer I've heard of 9Qs. I need to check that out. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDelete9Qs is an excellent suggestion too. I still use it a good deal.
ReplyDeletedrive.google.com - The 9Qs 2013.pdf