Originally shared by MoonSylver

Originally shared by MoonSylver

More thoughts on the titular subject, including OSR Horror game recommendations.

Just what the title says, as always, with a Solo bent in mind.

Title

This relates maybe to #tools the most. My latest blog post covering probability and explanation of a 12 x 12 matrix using 1d12, 2d6, 3d6, and 1d20 result probability. Also I show a 3-D graphical representation of the probability. https://worldofthefifthsun.blogspot.com/2018/11/does-dice-probabitlity-matter-as-much.html

This is a re-post of a Lone Wolf Discord server discussion & post based on my Fact Generator, originally shared from the blog posthttps://worldofthefifthsun.blogspot.com/2016/05/abs12-basic-fact-generator.html

Hope this serves as interesting fare for Solo Gaming Appreciation Month (SGAM).

Hope this serves as interesting fare for Solo Gaming Appreciation Month (SGAM).

Originally shared by Peter Schweighofer

Hobby Games Recce
I’m writing a space-themed solitaire gamebook using the OpenD6 system and find programming all the entries for the pivotal combat encounters a bit cumbersome. So I started thinking how to simplify combat for such fare...not necessarily for this current project (I’m almost finished with the writing) but for potential future projects, should my enthusiasm for both solo gamebooks continue.

[Open Design] Tarot Game Rules 0.1

[Open Design] Tarot Game Rules 0.1


I generally dislike interpretation. It generally takes me out of immersion so I try to avoid or minimize it as much as possible. That means I’m potentially missing out on one of the usual techniques for playing solo, though, so I’m taking on the challenge of trying to solve that problem for myself.


These are rules I playtested recently. There isn’t much to them, IMO, but their aim is to try and make interpretation fun for me.

https://redd.it/9qzczs

#SoloFirst_Design
https://redd.it/9qzczs

Some of my rambling theorizing, in which I muse about a couple of sub-genres of Horror I dig, & examine some problems I have, & ideas to solve (some of) them in certain RPG play-styles.

If you were to remove all randomizers (dice, cards, resource management) from solo roleplaying, leaving only pen and paper, what would that experience be like? Could it still be called roleplaying?

If you were to remove all randomizers (dice, cards, resource management) from solo roleplaying, leaving only pen and paper, what would that experience be like? Could it still be called roleplaying?

For bonus points, what if in addition to the above conditions, your base RPG was also something like Amber diceless?

Sometimes I just want to play a board game and so many of them profess to be "RPGs in a box." But what does that really mean? and what does it take to achieve this? I investigate these questions in this vlog.

Sometimes I just want to play a board game and so many of them profess to be "RPGs in a box." But what does that really mean? and what does it take to achieve this? I investigate these questions in this vlog.
https://youtu.be/FbOCNMr5UYw

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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'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. :)

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/

"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

Thinking about visual storytelling. Began looking at Cinematography. Setting up shots, the use of depth, lighting, color, and sound to create mood and pacing.

Thinking about visual storytelling. Began looking at Cinematography. Setting up shots, the use of depth, lighting, color, and sound to create mood and pacing.
In a solo crawl like Ruins of the Undercity, you'll want to determine marching order. But if you were directing a movie, you'd want to determine if you shoot the opening door from behind (with the party looking in) or from the room. If it's a big room, you could pull back to the far end and zoom in, show the reactions of characters as they see this wondrous room.
Maybe your characters are strolling through wilderness. Do a few stock image rolls in your head to indicate the scale of their journey. Like a helicopter shot over a forest canopy or an angled shot down a mountain.

I'm thinking to maximize the impact of design and presentation of the story. Encounters are scenes and scenes have to serve the narrative or be cut.

These are some rough doodles of Dungeon tiles from Tables of Doom. Some of them are interesting. Most are pretty familiar.

These are some rough doodles of Dungeon tiles from Tables of Doom. Some of them are interesting. Most are pretty familiar.
The Facets are Trap, Random, SD (Secret Door) Enemy, Loot, and Clue. The secret door table has a variety of described rooms, probably with loot or a clue. Clues help you fight monsters or find good loot.
Some rooms are also labeled SR or Safe Rest. If you clear it of traps and monsters, you are Safe to Rest.
The scores are between 6 and 11, to be rolled on a d12.

These are the pieces. You can write your own fiction, traps, loot, clues, enemies, secret rooms, and random encounters.

Randoms are the coolest. Many of them are of two parts though you could easily extend their influence into multiple story arcs.
Like, you see a shadow dart out of the room. Have it reappear during your next combat, help then flee. Then introduce themselves next time a random is rolled.

I finally finished my German How-To guide as an introduction to solo role-playing. It is aimed at the German solo rpg community members to "spread the word".

I finally finished my German How-To guide as an introduction to solo role-playing. It is aimed at the German solo rpg community members to "spread the word".

I hope it is not against the rules to post a link to a non-englisch document. If so, please let me know and remove the post