Has anyone changed the Word Mill's Mythic GME Fate chart from just four answers: Yes, No, Extreme Yes, Extreme No to the six answers (Yes, and...Yes...Yes, but...No, but...No...No, and)? I really like the six option answers best as they move the adventure along more than just the four answers.

Hi there everyone, has anyone tried playing Pendragon solo? How did you set it up?

A cool journal game that was submitted as part of GameChef 2018.

A cool journal game that was submitted as part of GameChef 2018.

Originally shared by Aloïs Bourguenolle

Hey everyone!

I'm Aloïs, a French game designer and rpg writer. Since there was no French GC this year, I chose to submit a full English game.

It's a solo narrative experiment, set in deep space. Feel free to send me your Logbooks.

Love you guys.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lHayR46c0gP27SSmabdLodF9omtj5jHY/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lHayR46c0gP27SSmabdLodF9omtj5jHY/view?usp=drivesdk

I guess it's time for a new MUNE, because... I have no idea where this joke was going.

I guess it's time for a new MUNE, because... I have no idea where this joke was going.
Point is, MUNE's gotten a bit of an update on a pretty important aspect; subverting expectations. And because you lot are jolly into the whole solo thing, you get to be the first ones to complain about how badly it's made! What fun!

The Homebrewery document has been updated with the new stuff, but I added a little extra about playing solo on my blog, which is linked below. Yes, this is a shameless plug. Yes, I am truly sorry. Maybe.

https://empaitirkosu.wordpress.com/2018/08/29/is-everything-as-expected-and-more-tosh/
https://empaitirkosu.wordpress.com/2018/08/29/is-everything-as-expected-and-more-tosh/

Review/actual play for Swords and Wizardry. That's right, another series started. This one is to determine how accessible some games are to new players.

Review/actual play for Swords and Wizardry. That's right, another series started. This one is to determine how accessible some games are to new players.

https://adrinkinhandgaming.blogspot.com/2018/08/first-adventures-swords-and-wizardry.html
https://adrinkinhandgaming.blogspot.com/2018/08/first-adventures-swords-and-wizardry.html

People, today I would like to post here this interview, now in English language, with Tana Pigeon, the creator of Mythic GME, and many more amazing things!

People, today I would like to post here this interview, now in English language, with Tana Pigeon, the creator of Mythic GME, and many more amazing things!
We talked a little about the creation of Mythic, the ideas behind the Variations II, and about solo RPG in general. Tana is really a very nice guy, and to have this conversation it was like a dream to me!
https://questrpgsolo.blogspot.com/2018/08/interview-with-tana-pigeon-man-behind.html

Hi every Wolves, do you know a website/blog/wiki listing solo rpgs, please ? & listing all supplements for build a solo adventure with some rpg (like thelonecrusader but not only for D&D) ?

Hi every Wolves, do you know a website/blog/wiki listing solo rpgs, please ? & listing all supplements for build a solo adventure with some rpg (like thelonecrusader but not only for D&D) ?

One of the problems with solo playing Blades in the Dark is all of the options the GM can throw at you on a "...with complications" roll.

One of the problems with solo playing Blades in the Dark is all of the options the GM can throw at you on a "...with complications" roll.

So, if you have an android device...I put together a little app that randomly narrows down things to a single response to "...with complications" rolls for Blades in the Dark. If you don't think the response is applicable, you can tap the grey box to get a different response.

The link to the .apk is below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ARM0PQfvziLj2K57N6g5l-6gkbvEeD1i/view?usp=sharing

Title

I was happy to read about the Matrix Games a couple weeks ago but I didn't figure out how to run a game.
It's pretty simple on it's.face
Characters have a name, descriptions, skills, qualities, social status, anything that could.be useful. They don't have numerical scores, they are just listed.

The contest is determined through argument.
My hulking barbarian can easily cleave a puny goblin in Twain with his hefty claymore.
Strong argument. Easy challenge.
Team combat is messier.

People, this is a blog made in Brazil, and the posts are usually written in Portuguese. But once I have done interviews with authors from several countries, some of these stories will also be published in English, as I believe it may be in the interest of many people from other countries as well.

People, this is a blog made in Brazil, and the posts are usually written in Portuguese. But once I have done interviews with authors from several countries, some of these stories will also be published in English, as I believe it may be in the interest of many people from other countries as well.

To open this session, I present an interview with Shawn Tomkin, creator of the great game IRONSWORN.
https://questrpgsolo.blogspot.com/2018/08/interview-with-shawn-tomkin-man-behind.html

Apologies if this is illegible (I'll turn it into a blog post eventually), but I've been itching to apply Tarot to solo play and came up with this spread. I thought the results were outstanding, so I wanted to share for feedback/improvement. Details below.

Apologies if this is illegible (I'll turn it into a blog post eventually), but I've been itching to apply Tarot to solo play and came up with this spread. I thought the results were outstanding, so I wanted to share for feedback/improvement. Details below.

Setup You don't need to know Tarot card meanings (or even use Tarot cards) to employ this. It's more about the "spread" or significance of each position in the layout. You could probably use any random generator (story dice, adventure glyphs, etc.) or just go by what the imagery on the cards tells you. I'm leaning on the traditional meanings of the cards, however, and the deck is the Golden Universal Tarot.

Opposition I chose the two Kings because I liked the artwork of the cards, but the rest were drawn from a shuffled deck. I figure conflict equals story, so I set them opposed and drew cards for each King's strength and weakness (kinda forming two arrows -- or sword tips? -- pointing towards one another). In my case, these are NPCs, but your character (s) could probably be one of the opposed entities.

Conflict I think you could do something as simple as one card to represent your character(s) or a high level view of the issue, laid between these opposing entities, but I went for a little more detail with a common "past/present/future" (top to bottom) spread between.

You The 10th card represents your character's role in this conflict -- standing between the present and the potential future. Whether that means prevention (of a negative future) or facilitation (of a positive outcome), is all in the cards. :-)

Next Since I don't have a clear idea for my character yet, I can take this info and run with it. I may just do another simple past/present/future spread for him, and/or make his own "arrow" layout with strengths and weaknesses. Or, maybe just his role in the conflict gives him the initial definition.

Question Is this "too much work" for the average bloke? It took me about an hour, writing it all out and pondering some in between, but I found it a rewarding experience in itself and feel like it produced a rich starting point for an interesting story. Please share if you give it a try!

I am unable to understand how to use some of the Solo tables in the back of the Scarlet Heroes rulebook. I am running what began as a wilderness solo adventure until I came across a dungeon.

I am unable to understand how to use some of the Solo tables in the back of the Scarlet Heroes rulebook. I am running what began as a wilderness solo adventure until I came across a dungeon.

I understand you first roll general type and then on the right of the table roll for size. But I do not get how the Dungeon inhabitants table works. Do you roll once on each column?

Hi everybody! The Quillia Bookcase is now open !!

Hi everybody! The Quillia Bookcase is now open !!
Quill scenarios are now listed here https://lite.framacalc.org/quill-rpg.html So we can find them easily. if you have written scenarios for Quill: A Letter-Writing Roleplaying Game for a Single Player, please add them in the list :) (to access the editable table, just remove " .html " from the URL adress ; then double click on a blank line and write)
https://lite.framacalc.org/quill-rpg.html

Perhaps this sounds familiar. You want.to work out so you buy expensive exercise equipment but it doesn't affect your habits.

Perhaps this sounds familiar. You want.to work out so you buy expensive exercise equipment but it doesn't affect your habits.
You want to make art so you buy art supplies but they pile up. You become a collector of fancy pens and quality paper.

I buy books and read them, especially everything for dungeon generation and solo play. Sometimes I actually achieve a moment of play.
I'm encouraged and inspired to see people slap some dice around and make a game happen.
Use it or lose it.

Has anyone bought this? The preview doesn't explain much.

Has anyone bought this? The preview doesn't explain much.

https://www.rpgnow.com/product/229704/ACE-Adventure-Design-Method
https://www.rpgnow.com/product/229704/ACE-Adventure-Design-Method

Disclaimer: First time on this community (and using G+ at all), so.. Bear with me. I don't think he's much help though.

Disclaimer: First time on this community (and using G+ at all), so.. Bear with me. I don't think he's much help though.

I made a thing. A minimalistic solo engine that I've been using to play 5e for a while now. I recently stumbled on this place, and since the peeps over at reddit seemed to like the engine I thought I'd share it with y'all. So here I am, sharing it with y'all.

http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/rkmo0t9k4Q

Oh, and I also did a sort of blow-by-blow of a solo session using the emulator, so that's a thing too.

https://empaitirkosu.wordpress.com/2018/07/25/blow-by-blow-session-intro/

Anyways, remember to like, subscribe, faceplant in front of the queen...
http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/rkmo0t9k4Q

Has anyone ever tried Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying solo? Is it survivable?

Ironsworn

Ironsworn

Sorry for the cross post, but wondering about play space and document management. Please share your set up!

Originally shared by Matthew G.

New player getting set up

Hi community! I’m prepping for my first solo play of Ironsworn, having just picked up the PDF. The various play aids and layout of materials is excellent and I’m hoping some of you can share description and/or photos or your play space.

As a solo player with small children in the house, I have little time or space for my game materials and am very keen on keeping a minimal foot print.

Has anyone used moleskines or bullet journals to manage documents? What about pocketmods or other alternatives for the asset cards?

Thanks for sharing!

Ok, Roleplayers! Info request that might be slightly off-topic. A friend of mine has suggested a PBM game but I have NO idea how to run such a game. Does anyone know of a good how-to resource for running a tabletop RPG PBM?

Trying out Scarlet Heroes solo.

Ironsworn pirates: naval combat...

Ironsworn pirates: naval combat...

https://solounmondodicarta.wordpress.com/2018/08/21/goldsworn-3-the-angry-boar/
https://solounmondodicarta.wordpress.com/2018/08/21/goldsworn-3-the-angry-boar/

I want to do a funnel running 15 characters at once but it's hard. Trying to make all those people and sort of imagining some plotline.

I want to do a funnel running 15 characters at once but it's hard. Trying to make all those people and sort of imagining some plotline.

So even though the funnel I've selected is faux medieval Europe, I've decided to put it on an alien planet with retro future, seventies sci fi colonists instead of filthy peasants.
But that didn't make it much easier. I was looking at costumes and hairstyles and I'll need a list of names and personalities... Anyone else find solutions?
I could use Maze Rats and churn out a horde of characters and there is a purple sorcerer tumbler.

I have gone back to the chronicles of Travjane the witch in my Das schwarze Auge (The Dark Eye) campaign. After her disastrous expedition to the ancient ruins, she retreats back to the city, where she has some unfinished business...

I have gone back to the chronicles of Travjane the witch in my Das schwarze Auge (The Dark Eye) campaign. After her disastrous expedition to the ancient ruins, she retreats back to the city, where she has some unfinished business...

I have this game queued up for my next purchase. It's diceless and looks like it would work solo as a writing exercise.

I have this game queued up for my next purchase. It's diceless and looks like it would work solo as a writing exercise.

https://www.rpgnow.com/product/125640/Mental-RPG-Rules?manufacturers_id=6386
https://www.rpgnow.com/product/125640/Mental-RPG-Rules?manufacturers_id=6386

Linos post about Engles Matrix Games made me think about running a DCC funnel. You start with 10-15 dudes, not generally combat trained.

Linos post about Engles Matrix Games made me think about running a DCC funnel. You start with 10-15 dudes, not generally combat trained.
I wondered if I broke them into units, three fives or five threes, if I can resolve combat like a wargame.
I don't want to have to narrate each character.

Someone posted a short while ago about using a coin to remind them whether they were in GM mode or Player mode. Does anyone else have suggestions for how to be more impartial in your switching back and forth between playing as the player and refereeing your player as the GM?

Someone posted a short while ago about using a coin to remind them whether they were in GM mode or Player mode. Does anyone else have suggestions for how to be more impartial in your switching back and forth between playing as the player and refereeing your player as the GM?

Recently for me, I have switched from Conjecture GME to Mythic. Before, any high or low roll on the loom of fate would give me an unexpected twist or turn. With fewer unexpectedly results, I find that the game is more steady, but the game spins its wheels now and again. After the character's dream force vision, I was finding myself at a loss for a long time how to decide if the GM would throw the player a bone, so to speak, and allow the character to act on his force vision without the pollution of out of character knowledge/metagaming.

I finally decided that I would make use of the chaos rating to mix things up a bit. If I felt like the game is dragging to a halt, I'll roll a D10 vs. the current chaos rating. If I roll above the chaos rating, the GM is feeling benevolent and might throw the character a bone to move the story along or plant an adventure seed. If I roll below the chaos rating, the GM may try to mix things up by having something bad happen, or as I've read in another game: When in doubt, have someone kick in the door and start shooting! (Which will increase chaos for the next check.)

Originally shared by MadKingChristopher

Originally shared by MadKingChristopher

For an even SMALLER adventure.

1: one piece of graph paper

2: Fold in half, bringing the long edges together

3: Fold in half again, bringing the short edges together

4: Fold the top layer in half, back to the "spine"

5: Repeat for the bottom layer

6: Counting the front and back pages, you now have a six page booklet

And when it's full, unfold it to step one, reversing the first fold and continue as instructed. There upon you may continue the adventure, or begin anew.

So for this year's Remembrance Day, I was considering playing ISIS Crisis, though I'm not sure if that's a good idea due to various stuff like rubbing people the wrong way with playing this game. What's everyone's thoughts on this?

So for this year's Remembrance Day, I was considering playing ISIS Crisis, though I'm not sure if that's a good idea due to various stuff like rubbing people the wrong way with playing this game. What's everyone's thoughts on this?
https://paxsims.wordpress.com/tag/isis-crisis/

I just started playing solitaire Print and Play board games! Some I've found work in a spreadsheet. Here is Tiny Epic Galaxies.

Ironsworn: My Danish pirates meet a sneaky Englishman....

Ironsworn: My Danish pirates meet a sneaky Englishman....
https://solounmondodicarta.wordpress.com/2018/08/17/goldsworn-2-sir-kinrys-trick/
https://solounmondodicarta.wordpress.com/2018/08/17/goldsworn-2-sir-kinrys-trick/

Originally shared by MadKingChristopher

Originally shared by MadKingChristopher

A quick DIY A6 booklet guide
1: 2 or more pages of graph paper
2: Fold each in half, bringing the top of the page to the bottom
3: Put all your folded pages together in a neat stack and staple them together twice in the middle
4: Using a sharp blade, cut the folded pages apart
5: Now you should have a tiny 8 page booklet
6: Using an idea generator, you can fill in some details about what is going on, and make a map, if you like.
7: For a really BIG encounter (relatively speaking), you can use a double page spread

Playtest of Dungeon Delving Undying Light (Swords & Wizardry)

Playtest of Dungeon Delving Undying Light (Swords & Wizardry)

First post here long time lurker. I tested out the system with Mythic and had some good results. I will post the pictures of the minis and tiles.


Dungeon Delving Undying Light (Simplified version of Swords & Wizardry)
Miniatures & Dungeon tiles from D&D Dungeons Reincarnated set

House Rules:

Natural 1 or 20 is a critical miss or hit.
Roll under for skill checks
Ascending AC

Characters:
· Ironwill, Fighter lvl 1 AC:15 HP:7
o Str: 13, Int: 13, Wiz: 12, Con: 13, Dex: 6,Cha: 12
o Weapon: Sword 1d6, Bow 1d6
o Armor: Chain Armor +4AC, Shield +1AC

· Dioz, Dwarf Thief lvl 1 AC:12 HP:6
o Str: 9, Int: 8, Wiz: 9, Con: 8, Dex: 11,Cha: 12
o Weapon: Sword 1d6, Dagger 1d6-1
o Armor: Leather Armor +2AC

· Edgar , Cleric lvl 1 AC:15 HP:6
o Str: 12, Int: 12, Wiz: 13, Con: 10, Dex: 8,Cha: 8
o Weapon: Hammer 1d6, Holy Symbol
o Armor: Chain Armor +5AC, Shield +1AC
o Turn Undead

· Lyrina , Mage lvl 1 AC:10 HP:6
o Str: 13, Int: 15+1, Wiz: 10, Con: 14, Dex: 9,Cha: 12
o Weapon: Staff 1d6, Dagger x2 1d6-1
o Armor: None
o Spells (Slots:1, known spells:2 )
§ Armor, Sleep

Setup: Mythic & Using Story Roller (http://www.lustigesrollenspiel.de/storyconstructor/story_roller.php)

Location: Cemetery
Goal: Destroy Evil Essence
Obstacle: Magic
Risk: Captured
Bam! Dungeon
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Scene 1: The party must go through the cemetery to locate where the evil is coming from
CF: 5

Is the party at the cemetery? Yes
Is it night? Yes
Is it raining? Yes
Are they in danger? No
· The party of adventurers is camped on a hill overlooking the cemetery. They extinguish their torches and look to see if they see any dangers

Do they see anything? No
Is it foggy? Yes, exceptionally
· Even with the torches out the fog is too thick to see anything more than 10ft in from of them. Dioz and Edgar creep to the gates.

Do they make it to the gates unseen? Yes
Are they able to see anything now? Yes
Are the monsters? Yes (Roll on encounter table 3 skeletons)
Are the skeletons alone? Yes
Do they spot the party? No
· As the two sneak up to the gate they spot 3 skeletons who seem motionless but vigilant

Is the gate locked? Yes
· The gate seems to be locked. Dioz will attempt to open the lock. (roll 5, success) They push the gate slowly open and plan their attack


· 3 Skeletons 4hp, AC 11 , Dmg 1: 1d6 sword

o Dioz attempts a sneak attack on the closest skeleton but is unable to judge how far he is from the enemy due to the fog. (roll 3, miss) The skeleton looks directly into his eyes and its teeth begin to chatter.

· Round 1 Initiative Skeletons - Party
o As Dioz is recovering from his miss the skeleton is able to strike him (-1hp). The skeleton who is furthest back is able to reach Dioz and also strikes with a sword (-1hp)
o Dioz readies his sword and swings into one of the skeletons that attacked him (-2hp) The strike knocks the lower jaw clear off the skeleton. Edgar moves closer to the unholy skeletons and brandishes he holy symbol. As the rain comes down harder nothing is able to hear his holy words. ( Turn undead: roll 4, miss) Ironwill the fighter rushes up to be besides the cleric and gives his sword a mighty swing. The skeleton drops to the ground in a heap of bones (-6hp) The mage moves closer but she keeps her distance from the danger.

· Round 2 Initiative Skeletons – Party
o The skeleton who has locked eyes with Dioz lunges and misses (roll:2) The other skeleton also misses (roll:9)
o Dioz tries to finish off the injured skeleton but he misses due to the fog (roll:7) The cleric then moves up to be toe to toe with the skeleton and swings his hammer sideways aiming for the spine. (roll:20 Critical Hit!, Dmg 5x2) The skeleton is brought down into two separate piles of bones on the ground.

· Round 3 Initiative Skeletons – Party
o The only surviving skeleton desperately swings at Dioz and slips on the stones due to the rain. (Roll:4)
o Seeing an opportunity the Ironwill barges past the thief and slices the last skeleton in half from head to toe. (Dmg:4)

· The party members catch their breath and stay quiet as now is not the time to celebrate. The cleric checks the tattered remains and finds 6 gold pieces which he pockets for the church. They all gather up together and prepare for what lies ahead in the foggy cemetery.

End of Scene 1

A 1924 diagram by Nancy Rice Clark. I don't know how it works, but it does look like a game :)

A 1924 diagram by Nancy Rice Clark. I don't know how it works, but it does look like a game :)
From this Ticknor Society page: https://www.ticknor.org/pastevents.shtml

My impromptu pirate adventure, part 3.

My impromptu pirate adventure, part 3.

https://lostpangolin.wordpress.com/2018/08/15/the-impromptu-pirate-part-3-the-merry-skull/
https://lostpangolin.wordpress.com/2018/08/15/the-impromptu-pirate-part-3-the-merry-skull/

Thinking of doing a dungeon bash game. In the past, I've used random dungeon generators like Donjon or this (https://bmarkslash7.shinyapps.io/solo-dungeon-shinyapp/), but I'm thinking of playing around with the Location Crafter.

Thinking of doing a dungeon bash game. In the past, I've used random dungeon generators like Donjon or this (https://bmarkslash7.shinyapps.io/solo-dungeon-shinyapp/), but I'm thinking of playing around with the Location Crafter.

Anyone have any favorite tools for dungeons?
https://bmarkslash7.shinyapps.io/solo-dungeon-shinyapp/

Partly inspired by lino pang's Blackscales, I thought I'd start a pirate adventure too...

Partly inspired by lino pang's Blackscales, I thought I'd start a pirate adventure too...

Originally shared by Evandro Novel

It was a long time I wanted to try a pirate-themed game: here are a few oracle-generated characters. I hope I will manage to find out more about their story...

https://solounmondodicarta.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/goldsworn-1_captain-moriensen/
https://solounmondodicarta.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/goldsworn-1_captain-moriensen/

Originally shared by Lunar Gin

Originally shared by Lunar Gin

The Template
I tried to make it as simple as possible. Don't hesitate to ask

Bizarre tiny idea. Not sure if this has been suggested before.

Bizarre tiny idea. Not sure if this has been suggested before.

Play a radio station/playlist of some kind during your solo RPG. Anything with lyrics.

Whenever you trigger some kind of interrupt that asks for random content, you take inspiration from the lyrics at hand instead of your usual generator.

You could even build a playlist that fits the mood of your setting to make implementation easier.

Some actual play at the end. I was inspired by https://plus.google.com/u/1/115403384177985086025/posts/7Xxh1UXQiof

Some actual play at the end. I was inspired by https://plus.google.com/u/1/115403384177985086025/posts/7Xxh1UXQiof

Made a little Wrath and Glory / Quill mashup and played it. Probably not grimdark enough in terms of the system, might take inspiration from Dark Heresy / Zweihander and Dark Astral and give it another go.

Turning the Tide

Turning the Tide

I just watched Avengers 3.

In the collector's planet scene, the guardians of the universe confront thanos and kill him. But all this was just an illusion created by thanos

How could one create such a surprise in solo rpg?

"A Collection of Emblemes, Ancient and Moderne" (sic) by George Wither is an emblem book that was published in London in 1634.

"A Collection of Emblemes, Ancient and Moderne" (sic) by George Wither is an emblem book that was published in London in 1634.
https://archive.org/details/collectionofembl00withe

It consists of 200 engravings, each accompanied by a Latin motto with English translation and an English poem about 30 lines long.
Interestingly, the book was designed as an oracle: a wheel at the end can be used to randomly select one of the emblems.
I guess that this combination of text and images could make a good oracle for a game set in the XVII Century or with a Baroque-related theme.

Looking at the ALONe system and I love how easy it is to make a character but I found the combat system to be vague.

Looking at the ALONe system and I love how easy it is to make a character but I found the combat system to be vague.
You "could" implant a crunchy dice based resolution if you felt like it but that's beyond.the scope of the author.

Blood of Pangea has something like that too.
You have a core concept something like Deranged Wizard with a fondness for shoes or RoboCop on a Unicorn.
You decide what descriptors he starts with.
Computer Perfected Aim, Difficulty standing from prone position, durable metal body
And decide how easy.or hard anything is based.on those.

He shoots a Dragon and hits automatically because of the targeting.
You can do like Wushu and decide how many challenge points the dragon has rather than HP. I haven't decided if I want to use a Yes, But system of d6 or a Numenera/Index Card RPG style Target number.

🐉 Dragon
Breathes fire 🔥, flies, teeth claws and tail
Three challenge points ten target number
So on a d20 you beat ten to hit and evade him. And if you have a descriptor that gives you advantages like Trained Swordsman or Guided Target System, that.roll gets easier or automatic.

Sorry to double-post, I very rarely do. Anyway my Ironsworn hardback arrived and I started imagining up my new character, Kaylee, and her backstory. This tweet storm is an expansion of notes I took the other day.

Sorry to double-post, I very rarely do. Anyway my Ironsworn hardback arrived and I started imagining up my new character, Kaylee, and her backstory. This tweet storm is an expansion of notes I took the other day.

Would love your feedback here, there, or anywhere!

Cheers.

My 4 person adventure party has set out to recover a gem stolen by a thief. Their first encounter is an encampment of Dwarves. They turned out to be friendly. I’m playing Two Hour Wargames latest solo adventure fantasy game, Talomir Tales. It’s designed to quickly get the player into a story and complete a campaign within a couple hours. So far I like it, not a lot of crunch to get bogged down in so the your story keeps advancing.

My 4 person adventure party has set out to recover a gem stolen by a thief. Their first encounter is an encampment of Dwarves. They turned out to be friendly. I’m playing Two Hour Wargames latest solo adventure fantasy game, Talomir Tales. It’s designed to quickly get the player into a story and complete a campaign within a couple hours. So far I like it, not a lot of crunch to get bogged down in so the your story keeps advancing.

I was searching my library at DriveThruRpg and noticed that I had 901 items in it! I printed it to PDF and it came to a whopping 61 or 62 pages, depending on whether I sorted by Title or Publisher. I know that some of that number is from buying bundles for charitable causes, but, even to me, it seems like an excessive number. And yet, I don't feel it's such a large problem that I need to go to Step 1 quite yet.

I was searching my library at DriveThruRpg and noticed that I had 901 items in it! I printed it to PDF and it came to a whopping 61 or 62 pages, depending on whether I sorted by Title or Publisher. I know that some of that number is from buying bundles for charitable causes, but, even to me, it seems like an excessive number. And yet, I don't feel it's such a large problem that I need to go to Step 1 quite yet.

Anybody else feel like they've been dipping at the well a little to often?

I'm trying to think of a good, sturdy, flavorful, two-sided token I could use to flip back and forth to remind myself when I'm in GM-mode and when I'm in Player-mode. Any ideas?

I'm trying to think of a good, sturdy, flavorful, two-sided token I could use to flip back and forth to remind myself when I'm in GM-mode and when I'm in Player-mode. Any ideas?

Bonus points if sci-fi themed, but not mandatory.

A reply that I just wrote got me thinking about this subject. I've used Mythic for years. I've tried other solitary engines over the years too. All that I've tried have one obstacle to me and that is using tables or lists of randomly chosen words. My brain has trouble when there isn't an obvious literal interpretation.

A reply that I just wrote got me thinking about this subject. I've used Mythic for years. I've tried other solitary engines over the years too. All that I've tried have one obstacle to me and that is using tables or lists of randomly chosen words. My brain has trouble when there isn't an obvious literal interpretation.

I've stopped using the word lists and use either Rory's Story Cubes or icons from Game-icons.net. When there are icons, even without a literal application it seems that my brain can find less direct applications with less effort.

Has anyone else tried using icons instead of words?
http://Game-icons.net

I don't know how it works, and you?

I don't know how it works, and you?
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/249067/Chaos-Cypher-System-Game-Master-Emulator?affiliate_id=319435
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/249067/Chaos-Cypher-System-Game-Master-Emulator?affiliate_id=319435

Originally shared by Jacob Ross

Originally shared by Jacob Ross

Okay, so solo Cypher System EM emulator?Sounds cool. Like, I really want to get it, but I'm not sure if it is worth it. There's no Publisher Preview so I can't tell. Does anyone know anything about this book?
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/249067/Chaos-Cypher-System-Game-Master-Emulator?affiliate_id=319435

Ironsworn is an incredible RPG designed by Shawn Tomkin that is available for free as well as a new print version. This is designed for solo and coop (as well as group) play from the ground up and offers one of the best experiences I've had yet with a system when playing solo.

Ironsworn is an incredible RPG designed by Shawn Tomkin that is available for free as well as a new print version. This is designed for solo and coop (as well as group) play from the ground up and offers one of the best experiences I've had yet with a system when playing solo.

Eventually I am going to post some gameplay videos but for now I have just posted a detailed look inside the print version of the book. You can get a sense of how the material is narratively driven, what kinds of oracle tables are provided, and the tools and apparatus in the system for generating the world.

I'm not affiliated with this game or its designer in any way. I just really love this material and think any soloist out there should check it out.
https://youtu.be/gr3q2ezJX2Q

Beyond the Wall: Gruinwalt. Session 3-Part 1.

Beyond the Wall: Gruinwalt. Session 3-Part 1.
1. I've been fond of using Necropraxis Hazard System (http://www.necropraxis.com/2017/11/22/hazard-system-v0-3/) to make dungeon/wilderness/combat turns a bit more interesting. Putting it to good use here, though the turns should be measured in days or half-days I'll be making Hazard rolls for the different segments of their trip back to the village. Which SHOULD take the party two wilderness "turns".
2. I'm also trying out a Dungeon World style resolution for non-combat stuff (i.e. skills, ability checks that don't fit the Save vs. model)
3. I'm also emulating Charles Swann's style of laying out story and mechanics in his session logs.

No Wits, No Light, No Hope
Sunnhilde and Turri return to the standing stones with the goal of escorting the cultists they held captive, back to the village and seek assistance from the grizzled mercenary, Kendra, who taught Sunnhilde how to fight.

Have the captives escaped? The party didn't get rid of the weapons so they left some sharp objects like daggers and a longsword that could be used to escape. Very Likely. Yes.

Atop the small knoll of the standing stones, the adventurers find sections of rope frayed and cut. No immediate sign of the cultists. The corpse of the farmer by day/cultist by night, nowhere to be found. Berating themselves on their short-sightedness, the party heads back to the village.

Wilderness Turn 1. Hazard die: [5] Percept Spoor or clue regarding next encounter. Is the next encounter far away? 50/50. Yes.
Discern Realities: 2d6+2: 11.

Despite stumbling about in the dark forest, Sunnhilde comes across some tracks, not animal tracks, likely humanoid, and vegetation that's been brushed aside by passing travellers. Caught in the brambles is a piece of torn cloth, the fabric and pattern of which match those of the cultists.

"It looks like the cultists came this way, searching for something," Sunnhilde says.

Does it look like the cultists are heading towards the village? Somewhat Likely. Yes.

"Or someone," Turri replies, his expression grim. "Likely trying to track us down. Or racing to get back to the village to spread lies about us no doubt."

Turri scouts ahead. At least he can give a warning to allow the fleet-footed Sunnhilde to escape and have a chance of alerting the village leaders of the threat of cultists and angry fae.

Turri undertakes a perilous journey: 6+1 = 7.

Remembering the Wych's lessons, Turri keeps his senses attuned to the forest around him and while he feels confident that he'll be able to keep an eye out for the cultists he feels less confident about evading any encounters.

Wilderness Turn 2. Hazard die: [4] Locality Shift weather (or other local change)
Does the party get lost? Somewhat likely. Yes.
Do they get separated? Somewhat likely. No.
Do they end up back in the Farwood? 50/50. No.

The party bumbles through the woods, making no further progress getting back to Gruinwalt.

Wilderness Turn 3. Hazard die: [4] Locality Shift weather (or other local change). Consulting the Mythic oracle for the nature of the event. _
_PC Negative. Care Hope. It's a morale issue then.
Defy Danger modified by Charisma (strength of personality and leadership capability). Sunnhilde: 4+1=5. Turri: 5+3: 8

Sunnhilde starts to despair, hacking at the foliage with her axe, carving a path to nowhere. The noise she is making is probably going to attract unwanted attention and her haphazard effort makes getting even more lost very likely. Turri keeps it together but has a hard choice, abandon his scouting and return to steady Sunnhilde's nerves but making noise as he rushes back, making it even more likely that they'll get into trouble with the forest denizens or the cultist search party.

Turri sprints back to try and get Sunnhilde back on track.
Wilderness Turn 4. Lower of two Hazard dice: [6,5] Percept Spoor or clue regarding next encounter

In the distance, amidst the flickering of torches and the probing beams of lanternlight, the adventurers see horned and robed figures cast in shadows of flickering torches…
http://www.necropraxis.com/2017/11/22/hazard-system-v0-3/

I've been contemplating a solo mechanic for Call of Cthulhu, or other games with a similar "uncovering the true horror," aesthetic. This idea borrows some from Cthulhu Dark and a few other places.

I've been contemplating a solo mechanic for Call of Cthulhu, or other games with a similar "uncovering the true horror," aesthetic. This idea borrows some from Cthulhu Dark and a few other places.

Track a "mythos score," on, say, a d10. It starts out at 1. For every investigative move your character makes, roll 1d10 before you decide what they discover. On any value equal or lower than your mythos score, increase the score by 1. This should hopefully give a feeling of gradually creeping horror, though I'm not sure if the effect will work so well at the upper part of the range, when everything is likely to be supernatural in some sense or other.

For elaboration, use the mythos score as a gauge of what's likely to happen. At low values, the horror is relatively tame, higher bringing increasing weirdness. Nothing can have an overtly supernatural explanation without the mythos roll being a "success." The mythos score doesn't drop during the course of a single adventure, though I suppose if you're feeling charitable you might allow particularly heroic or stalwart character actions to lower it.

I hope this is helpful for anybody who likes Cthulhu gaming as much as I do. One of these days I'll try to actually test it out. :)

DSA 1 - Gideon's Game - Session 2. The pair of adventurers begins their delve into Vandercal's Tomb to recover the dark druid's amulet.

DSA 1 - Gideon's Game - Session 2. The pair of adventurers begins their delve into Vandercal's Tomb to recover the dark druid's amulet.
https://adventurematerials.wordpress.com/2018/08/07/dsa-1-gideons-game-session-2/

This is a narratized version of my 2nd session of a Dolmenwood-inspired setting using Beyond the Wall for character creation, supplemented by Scarlet Heroes for solo RP-mods and additional reference material. The D&D Rules Cyclopedia to fill in some gaps.

This is a narratized version of my 2nd session of a Dolmenwood-inspired setting using Beyond the Wall for character creation, supplemented by Scarlet Heroes for solo RP-mods and additional reference material. The D&D Rules Cyclopedia to fill in some gaps.

Trespassers and Defilers
Sunnhilde Beararm, the local hero of the village of Gruinwalt, and Turri Greeneye, the Wych's Prentice, trek deep into the Farwode looking to clear the Old Watchtower of cultists who have made the crumbling ruin a base of operations. They stumble along animal trails in the shadow of a moonless sky. Being ill-prepared for an assault, the two are delighted to stumble upon a cache of weapons at the edge of a clearing with a few weapons (a battle axe, spear, at least a half-dozen daggers and a quiver of steel-tipped arrows), a couple of chain shirts and a few trinkets made of metal. The pair hastily re-equip themselves before marching on. Sunnhilde dons the chain shirt, keeps the battle axe as a back up to her trusty axe and keeps the spear ready to hurl at her enemies. Turri takes the dagger but has no use for the chain armor. Besotted by their good fortune and the urgency to move on, the pair do not search for signs of battle, trails or clues.

As they re-enter the woods, they are disconcerted as the illumination fluctuates from the near dark of the new moon to an all-pervading dimly lit aura of purple and gold, the eternal gloaming of the Fae realms. Remembering her Da's and Ma's stories, Sunnhilde remembers how faeries abhor iron and cold steel. She grumbles and refuses to discard the arms and armor that are sorely needed for the upcoming fight against the cultists and the demons they summon.

An angry forest spirit, a semi-incorporeal giant owl with green and silver feathers and nasty raptor claws, disrupts the adventurers plan to clear out the cultist base of operations and accuses the villagers of trespassing on and, worse, defiling the land. The adventurers decide to hold their ground and mount a full defense as they are not likely to escape. The forest spirit is swift and weaves through the forest like the wind.

Sunnhilde's stout shield takes a beating, staving off the first round of the forest spirits attacks while Turri explains why they are in the deep woods and that they are villagers from Gruinwalt. Upon hearing of that they came from the village south of the deep wood, the spirit appears angrier and presses its attack, raking Sunnhilde with its giant owl claws as animated vines to slash and pierce the village hero. Sunnhilde falls. Turri is about is about to take a fatal blow but manages to connect with a glancing hit with his charred staff. Not enough to wound the forest spirit but the touch of the staff startles the forest spirit.

The forest spirit suspends its attack long enough to interrogate Turri.
"Tower's Heart! It can't be. Your staff is black and ashen. Yet it still thrums with the enchanted might of the Towering Tree".
"The village Wych, Lora, gave this to me," Turri whimpers.
"And where is Lora now?"
"Passed on from this world. She fought a demon. She gave her life to save me." Turri is in tears.
For the moment, the forest spirit appears willing to accept Turri's story. The forest spirit ceases raging and transforms into a handsome raven-haired young man introducing himself as He-Who-Watches.

The Wych nor anyone else in the village ever referred to the Wych's staff as "Tower's Heart". There is more to the staff than just a charred length of wood and a sentimental reminder of Turri's tutelage under the Wych.

He-Who-Watches forces the adventurers to discard their metal weapons and gear but allows them to keep the Wych's staff, Sunnhilde's shield and their healing herbs. He-Who-Watches also allows the adventurers to bind their wounds and asks about the Wych's demise and the recent events in and around Gruinwalt. Turri applies the healing paste and ragged bandages to revive Sunnhilde. After the short rest, He-Who-Watches commands the vines to wrap around the adventurers' necks and bind their arms and hands.

He-Who-Watches remains convinced that the villagers have broken an agreement to stay south of the standing stones. The spirit calls upon creatures of the forest to put the adventurers' testimony to the test. Many of the animals have seen robed humans with goat-horned-helmets and masks encroaching on the forbidden woods and inhabiting a crumbling watchtower along the old wall. An adder attests to a battle at the standing stones between the robed-masked-men and the adventurers. A songbird titters about voles seeing the adventurers harvesting the bounty of the woods in the Wych's Yard earlier in the day.

He-Who-Watches presses Turri and Sunnhilde for more details about the herbs, flowers and other wild crops they collected and comes to the conclusion that the adventurers are trying to cure the crop blight. He-Who-Watches called upon his allies to bring a blight on the villagers' crops to serve as a warning. Lora, the village Wych, was supposed to have known that the eldritch green flowers were a sign of Faerie displeasure and ought to have alerted the leaders of the village that humans have trespassed north of the standing stones.

He-Who-Watches reluctantly agrees that the adventurer's reason for trespassing are different than those of the robed, masked humans but their people are nevertheless guilty of trespassing. He-Who-Watches is further displeased that the adventurers are undoing his work of warning and punishing the village for crossing the agreed-upon border. The forest keeper will continue to harass the village and should the incursions continue, He-Who-Watches will muster a force to wipe out the village.

After some more negotiation, Turri and Sunnhilde save their necks but must convince the other trespassing humans to retreat or otherwise remove the human presence north of the standing stones. The forest keeper provides tolerant consent, giving them until sunset of the 2nd day hence to resolve the matter with their fellow humans before the forest fae resolves the matter for them.

For my first foray into solo gaming, I decided I should go with a system that would be more intuitive for me, so I could focus on getting a feel for GMing for myself. Looking down my most recent list of games I wanted to play, I chose Swords & Wizardry...

For my first foray into solo gaming, I decided I should go with a system that would be more intuitive for me, so I could focus on getting a feel for GMing for myself. Looking down my most recent list of games I wanted to play, I chose Swords & Wizardry...
https://mysterycycle.wordpress.com/2018/08/06/swords-wizardry-midgard-session-0/

After many years of longing for such a thing, I now enjoy a regular gaming schedule. But I still have all of those neglected games on my bookshelves, staring at me longingly whenever I glance in their direction. I’ve tried play-by-post games, but as much as I enjoy them, they feel like a countdown to my inevitably getting burnt out and losing interest, or falling behind in posting turns until the obligation of it feels like an everpresent weight on my shoulders, a constant reminder of how I’m disappointing my friends.

After many years of longing for such a thing, I now enjoy a regular gaming schedule. But I still have all of those neglected games on my bookshelves, staring at me longingly whenever I glance in their direction. I’ve tried play-by-post games, but as much as I enjoy them, they feel like a countdown to my inevitably getting burnt out and losing interest, or falling behind in posting turns until the obligation of it feels like an everpresent weight on my shoulders, a constant reminder of how I’m disappointing my friends.

Years ago I read about how Traveller could be played solo, and became fascinated with the idea...
https://mysterycycle.wordpress.com/2018/08/06/in-which-i-try-solo-gaming/

I haven't read yet, but saw this PWYW rune-based solo game that looks new on DTRPG.

I haven't read yet, but saw this PWYW rune-based solo game that looks new on DTRPG.
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/248977/Rune-Walker-A-Solitaire-Rune-Game

A new Artichoke Dip video is out!

A new Artichoke Dip video is out!

Originally shared by Artichoke Dip

Solo rpg gaming for the newbie episode 2 character creation and the importance of random tables for your solo rpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXpBCuxef9U&feature=autoshare

A lot of people have commented to me that once they get a ruleset, make a character or more, then they get stuck. I started thinking about why this happens and what way there might be around it.

A lot of people have commented to me that once they get a ruleset, make a character or more, then they get stuck. I started thinking about why this happens and what way there might be around it.

"The Solo GM's best friend" are my thoughts on this conundrum. In short what I'm suggesting is that having an explicit type of anchor point in your mind can help propel the story forward, whether your story is episodic and more gamey, or more open-ended and story oriented, or some mixture of the two.
https://youtu.be/iEmuToC6N3c

I've been reading Wushu: Black belt edition (PWYW) and I like it's versatility. But I wondered how to use it for dungeon crawls.

I've been reading Wushu: Black belt edition (PWYW) and I like it's versatility. But I wondered how to use it for dungeon crawls.

If you don't know, Wushu is an RPG meant to.simulate Wuxia style Kung Fu movies. Running up walls, jumping way up, launching at your for leg extended in a crazy dragon kick... And it assumes success for all actions described but not necessarily resolution of conflict. So you have lots of mooks (ninjas, robots, goblins) and kill them in interesting ways until you roll enough success to defeat the challenge.
And you roll a number of dice equal to the number of details used to describe your action. So it encourages zany, intricate scenes. Camera angles, sweat drops suspended, bullet time...

Which brings me back to dungeons. You could treat every room as hostile. Full of swarming fleash eating beetles, crumbling ground, shuriken launching wall traps. Like Dragons Lair.
Any thoughts? Anyone played Wushu? Solo or otherwise...

Summer Night Solo Gaming porch set-up :-)

Summer Night Solo Gaming porch set-up :-)

Barnaby's adventure continues

Barnaby's adventure continues
https://lostpangolin.wordpress.com/2018/08/03/impromptu-pirate-adventure-part-2/
https://lostpangolin.wordpress.com/2018/08/03/impromptu-pirate-adventure-part-2/

DSA 1 - Gideon's Game - Session 1. A long post for the start of a first-edition The Dark Eye game. This is intended to be a short adventure; I think there will be one more session after this (just a brief interlude between my other sessions--trying to get a quick adventure totally wrapped up).

DSA 1 - Gideon's Game - Session 1. A long post for the start of a first-edition The Dark Eye game. This is intended to be a short adventure; I think there will be one more session after this (just a brief interlude between my other sessions--trying to get a quick adventure totally wrapped up).
https://adventurematerials.wordpress.com/2018/08/03/dsa-1-gideons-game-session-1/

"The Czege Principle says that when one person is the author of both the character's adversity and its resolution, play isn't fun."

"The Czege Principle says that when one person is the author of both the character's adversity and its resolution, play isn't fun."

Hmm. I am not sure this is true, since in solo play I have had a lot of fun authoring both. However it might be worth remembering, as Czege is a gaming genius. Since in solo you really want to come up with resolutions yourself, it tends to suggest leaning really heavily on your plot and situation generators, and pulling back as much as possible from inventing your own PC adversity.
http://www.lumpley.com/archive/167.html

A quick heads-up that John Fiore and I will be at GenCon this week. If anyone from the group is attending, we’d love to connect and/or play.

A quick heads-up that John Fiore and I will be at GenCon this week. If anyone from the group is attending, we’d love to connect and/or play.

You can find us in Hall C, behind the registration desk.

It was recommended to me that I should share this here.

It was recommended to me that I should share this here.

Originally shared by Bryam Jimenez

Hey, I don't post here much, but I figured I'd get an opinion or two from all of you on a zine project in making.

It's a Solo RPG Zine. Not a indie module or a sort of reference zine for DMs or GMs. It's more of a premade pen and paper adventure with its own rules which are reminiscent of old school RPGs, but simplified for easy to pick up play. You play the game with only a d6, a character sheet and a scrap piece of paper. I'm afraid that I can't reveal the rules yet, due to an agreement. But it's basically a 6-10 page zine with a traditionally inked map in a grid, tables representing the encounters or outcome of them and original art to add a fantasy aesthetic. Each issue of the zine can be beat under 10 minutes, but rather than call it quits you can keep going with the character sheet into other issues. I'm basically making a quick to play game.

My goal with this project is to introduce people who have never played an RPG to the experience or at least something close to. (Addtitionally, I want to provide an escape of sorts) Which brings me to some questions I have for y'all;
How would you bring someone in to the RPG community?
What would like to see in a solo pen and paper adventure?
Would you like to test play the zine?

I know it's not much to go on for a critical opinion, but I can't reveal specific details yet and I want to have some reassurance in the direction I'm going in with the project.