Elena's second face off with the Wan Brothers corp.

Elena's second face off with the Wan Brothers corp.

Still continuing to use concordances, but now I'm mixing that up with using a Bayesian formula to come up with the odds of some things given facts established in the fiction (or made up on the spot, as needed). Bayes comes mostly into play when I have some assumptions about how the flow should go but don't want to fiat things, or when I've constructed a potential flow out of concordances I've collected.

I've asked a few questions about using Bayesian inference as an Oracle of sorts here and on RPGNet. I'm still not sure I'm doing Bayesian inference correctly, but at least it looks like I'm getting consistent numbers to roll against. Feel free to chime in about that if you have any ideas.

#SoloPlayWithAlgorithms #SoloActualPlay #SoloRpg #Solo #ActualPlay #RememberTomorrow

Remember Tomorrow - Maxim Wargentin vs AIWA Entertainment - Face Off Scene

Remember Tomorrow - Maxim Wargentin vs AIWA Entertainment - Face Off Scene

I'm continuing to use the same GM/Player dialogue format since it helps me immerse so well. I took on the GM role again since I have more knowledge right now than the character, Maxim, does.

As usual, I've put the complete actual play information on a spreadsheet, which is linked at the blog post.









#soloactualplay   #solorpg   #actualplay   #soloroleplaying   #solo   #rpg

This is partly based on things I've written in #WritingWithDice, parallel concepts I later found in the Location Crafter, and ideas that I read in The Writer's Journey. As I find better ways elucidating on it, the document will evolve.

This is partly based on things I've written in #WritingWithDice, parallel concepts I later found in the Location Crafter, and ideas that I read in The Writer's Journey. As I find better ways elucidating on it, the document will evolve.

http://solorpggamer.blogspot.com/2017/12/using-baseline-assumptions-in-solo.html?m=1

Feel free to leave feedback, ideas, etc in the comments, or anonymously if you prefer. I very much appreciate it since I'm interested in finding ways in which tools can incorporate this.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc5GjSDDZS3DQTqm8ntfL2kCcsh_GBWFJg03GDPCGYQw3_qNw/viewform

#solorpg #soloroleplaying #solitairerpg #justmusing

How I approach the Player Knowledge / Character Knowledge Dilemma in Solo Roleplaying

How I approach the Player Knowledge / Character Knowledge Dilemma in Solo Roleplaying

I dislike separating character knowledge from player knowledge, so if I have a story premise in mind, I will frame things such that I know only as much as the character.

One Way To Avoid That Split As a Player

When you're trying to avoid that player/character knowledge split, I think that the #1 thing is being conscientious to avoid omniscience. Anything that your character does not know is something that can't be treated as a fact. It's only a possibility that you as a player know about.

In my opinion, you shouldn't even attempt to confirm or deny a fact until your character is in a position to find out. Just leave it hanging there until such a time.

Hardcore Immersion

If you want to be even more hardcore, consider this:

Some GMs consider in-game player chatter to be in-character chatter.What if you considered your own in-game mental chatter to be in character mental chatter? In other words, if you find yourself thinking of some possibility, you should treat that thought as something that has also entered your character's mind.

Remember, though, just because it entered your character's mind, it doesn't mean it's a fact. How your character reacts to these thoughts is in itself an interesting roleplaying exercise. Is she/he going to dismiss them as fanciful flights of imagination? Is she going to keep them in mind as a real possibility?

For me, that's going to be informed strictly by what's already been established as a confirmed fact during the initial set up of the game's situation, and in the course of play.

If any of this doesn't make sense, or needs some examples, let me know.

#solorpg   #soloroleplaying   #solitairerpg   #justmusing

Remember Tomorrow: Elena Yamamoto Vs. Wan Brothers Multinational - Face Off Scene

Remember Tomorrow: Elena Yamamoto Vs. Wan Brothers Multinational - Face Off Scene

I still followed the same format that I did for Sarah Rheita's intro scene, where I don't write the actual play as fiction but as an interaction between GM and player.

In this case, I decided to GM because I had more knowledge about the in game situation, especially when it came to what Simao Okada of Wan Brothers had found out. I try to avoid having to pretend a character doesn't know something I do, so this is a nice way of dodging the situation. That's going to be my rule of thumb now: If I know more than the character such that I have to play it as if I didn't know what I know, I'll GM.

My approach to concordances keeps growing. I decided that in some cases it made sense to incorporate a more traditional oracle as a way to add indirection. For example, generating a random event and using those keywords as my concordance search. I added a few other things to my personal method as well which you can find out in the spreadsheet notes.

#RememberTomorrow   #SoloActualPlay   #ActualPlay   #SoloRpg  #SolitaireRpg

Our Last Best Hope - The Killer Asteroid- Act 2 - Scene 3 - Taking on the Threat

Our Last Best Hope - The Killer Asteroid- Act 2 - Scene 3 - Taking on the Threat

I sort of knew how this one would go since the mechanics empowered me to set much of the direction. Dialogue from Hema and MIMIC was still generated and kept things fresh.

http://solorpggamer.blogspot.com/2017/07/i-sort-of-knew-how-this-one-would-go.html

#SoloActualPlay #SoloRpg #SoloRolePlaying #OurLastBestHope #TheKillerAsteroid #ActualPlay

Our Last Best Hope - The Killer Asteroid- Act 2 - Scene 3 - Hema & Brett

Our Last Best Hope - The Killer Asteroid- Act 2 - Scene 3 - Hema & Brett

Got a little bit stuck here. Either it's my tiredness or maybe it's a weakness of the transcript or the parser. I think it's how the movie transcripts slant. Scenes where I'm not focusing on personal lives, but rather on the crisis and actions related to it have gone faster and smoother. When the focus is on personal lives and relationships, I've had a harder time finding results I can integrate.

Still, it sort of worked out here with the pauses and changes in subject (which provided surprise). Oracle questions also came to the rescue (a last resort for me).

#SoloActualPlay #soloap #OurLastBestHope #TheKillerAsteroid #solorpg #soloroleplaying #sharedscifi

Our Last Best Hope - The Killer Asteroid - Act 2 - Scene 2 - Taking on the Threat

Our Last Best Hope - The Killer Asteroid - Act 2 - Scene 2 - Taking on the Threat

This scene did not turn out at all like I expected. The game mechanics really took things in another direction. Maybe I just don't have a good sense of probability...

https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?798339-Our-Last-Best-Hope-The-Killer-Asteroid&p=21188693#post21188693

#soloactualplay #OurLastBestHope #TheKillerAsteroid #solorpg #soloroleplaying #actualplay #sharedscifi

Title

This is a flashback scene due to circumstances stemming from the last scene.

https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?798339-Our-Last-Best-Hope-The-Killer-Asteroid&p=21186777#post21186777

#soloactualplay #OurLastBestHope #TheKillerAsteroid #solorpg #soloroleplaying #actualplay #sharedscifi

Title

Act 2 - Scene 1 - Taking on the Threat

Prior to this scene, I messed up another rule regarding effects after a roll. I thought only amounts above 5 or above caused effects. we should have taken harm in some rolls, and the threats should have been reduced further in other rolls. In Act 1, when Black dice were added to the event pool, I should have gotten story points too, but I forgot.

So, it kinda balances out, but it's stupid, because I think I played it correctly before. I need a cheat sheet.

In this scene, I think I got all of it right, but we'll see upon review .

https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?798339-Our-Last-Best-Hope-The-Killer-Asteroid&p=21179261#post21179261

#SoloActualPlay #soloap #solorpg #soloroleplaying #actualplay #sharedscifi #OurLastBestHope #TheKillerAsteroid

I've tagged all of the actual plays I could find on RPGNet with this tag:

I've tagged all of the actual plays I could find on RPGNet with this tag:

https://forum.rpg.net/tags.php?tag=solo%20actual%20play

If you are in need of examples or if you just want to read some for the heck of it, there's about two pages of them.

#SoloActualPlay #solorpg #soloroleplaying #actualplay #soloap
https://forum.rpg.net/tags.php?tag=solo+actual+play

Turns out I overlooked one rule of the game that says Threats should always equal the number of players. I don't know that it really affects me much, since I've been rolling randomly for what threats to take on.

Turns out I overlooked one rule of the game that says Threats should always equal the number of players. I don't know that it really affects me much, since I've been rolling randomly for what threats to take on.

As for whether I'll go beyond this last upcoming Threat before moving on to Act 2, I'm not sure yet. I can say that spotlight scenes keep my interest afloat as I dig into the personalities of the characters (with the help of the text parser for Hema and Catherine).

Speaking of the parser, for this session, I had to dig a bit deep into the generated content at times to find something that fit the context. It wasn't too bad, though, and the phrases that made sense in context still surprised me.

Interestingly, it took me more time for me to think about what I wanted to say as Brett, which requires no parser. Had this been a social game, I wouldn't have had the privilege to think about it so much. Yay for solo gaming.

Let's see how it goes when I take on the Threat next session.

p.s. I don't have a precise visualization of the character's environment. It's just vaguely the inside of a spaceship, though it feels somewhat big. Big enough that these two were able to have a short conversation with pregnant pauses and everything on the way to see Catherine. I'm pretty sure that if I really thought about it, it'd be ridiculous...but i"M not going to think about it.

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/solorpgs/T4Br-4kMd6s/1fy6Zgw4AgAJ

#SoloActualPlay #actualplay #soloap #OurLastBestHope #TheKillerAsteroid #sharedscifi #soloroleplaying #solorpg
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/solorpgs/T4Br-4kMd6s/1fy6Zgw4AgAJ

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/solorpgs/T4Br-4kMd6s/oy6zuKgYAAAJ

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/solorpgs/T4Br-4kMd6s/oy6zuKgYAAAJ

Used the oracle to establish a few things first, then continued with using the text parser to drive banter, etc.

************

(I've decided that what drives Brett 'crazy' about Catherine is her pessimism and animosity towards him. I will filter the text parser results for Catherine through the lens of the pessimism she displayed during their last spotlight scene.

Randomly selected "Fire Near The Fuel Tanks". Randomly determined that Catherine won't take on the threat. Since Hema already used her death card, Brett will take on the threat again. Randomly determined that Hema will help.

Brett - 1 point to add one dice . - 1 point to use Fire Extinguisher asset. (3W vs 2B)
Hema - 1 point to remove one dice from the threat: 3W vs 1B)

Act 1 - Scene 3 - Taking on Threat

MIMIC: ([over paul this is houston fire]) "Houston we got a problem. There's a fire next to the left fuel tank."
Brett: "Just what we needed. I'll go MIMIC. Turn off propulsion."
MIMIC: ([blow this thing up from the]) "If the tank explodes, it will blow this thing up from the-"
Brett: "I GET IT, MIMIC. Just do what I told you."
MIMIC: ([you got that - okay])"OK, you got it, Brett."

(Hema arrives just as Brett is starting to use the fire extinguisher.)
Hema: ([listen carefully exit from the]) "Brett, listen carefully. We can deplete the oxygen in the room to help starve the fire."
Brett: "That's a good idea. MIMIC, is it possible to seal off this section of the craft?"
MIMIC: ([yes - do we have a]) "Yes, we do have breach resistant gates."
Brett: "OK, do as Hema says."
MIMIC: ([leave now here is the key]) "I will do once you are out of the area."

(Rolled: 2,2,3 for White. 2 for Black. Hema's plan worked.)

MIMIC: ([ in the balls and you]) "Hema's plan has kicked the fire in the balls. Metaphorically speaking."
Brett: "Um...I hope it did, MIMIC." To Hema, softly: "Seems like the software engineers had a little fun building MIMIC."
Hema: ([a gigantic fireworks display thank you]) "I'm just glad we didn't become a gigantic fireworks display, Brett." She says smiling.
Brett: "Excellent point," he smiles. "Excellent plan too. MIMIC, is it safe to go look at the damage?"
MIMIC: ([yeah basically - let me get ]) "Yeah, basically. Let me get some oxygen circulating in there again, though."
Brett: "OK. We'll go check on Catherine in the meantime."

**********


The normal rule is that you move to Act II once the pool has grown to 3 dice per player. Right now we're at only 4 dice, and I'd need at least five more spotlight scenes to move on to Act II. I'm not sure I can sustain my interest that long, particularly creating and taking on four new threats (at least!). There's just not enough crunch.

Depending on how I feel during Scene 4, I might need to invoke the game's alternate rule of capping the number of Act 1 spotlight scenes. Maybe doing the next spotlight as a flashback taking place somewhere other than the spaceship might help.


#SoloActualPlay #actualplay #OurLastBestHope #TheKillerAsteroid #soloroleplaying #solorpg #sharedscifi

RanDM solo is my new favorite app. Thanks a ton, Mike Overbo​.

RanDM solo is my new favorite app. Thanks a ton, Mike Overbo​.

Originally shared by Sophia Brandt

Solo play Maze Rats with CRGE-Kai (solo engine) and ranDM solo (web app).
Ben Milton​ Mike Overbo​ James Smith​
#OSR #solorpg #actualplay
http://dieheart.net/actual-play-maze-rats-with-crge-kairandm-solo/

Published on my blog. But here is the whole text for convenience.

Published on my blog. But here is the whole text for convenience.
--

What is the role of the GM in solo role-playing?

I’ve been thinking about that in the last few days and I don’t have an answer yet.

First, we need to understand what a role-playing game is, what the players do and what the Game Master (GM) does.
Let’s steal some definitions from The Angry GM [1]:

"A role-playing game is a game in which players take on the role of fictional characters in a hypothetical universe. The players attempt to make the decisions that they feel their characters would make if they were real and if their universe were real. Those decisions are based on the characters’ motivations and the game’s goals. The results of those decisions are played out and new decisions are made.

Ultimately, an RPG is about choice and consequence. The players make choices for their characters and then deal with the consequences. And goals provide benchmarks for success and failure."

So, that’s what an RPG is and what the players do.

Then the GM is the one responsible for facilitating this experience – at least in traditional games. We’re not talking about story-games where we might have a rotating GM.

In solo gaming, we use GM Emulators. But in some way, these falls short. Because no engine can replace a human Game Master. The mechanics of a GM Emulator force the solo player to steer the game into a direction he might not have chosen himself. At its core, the engine provides abstract mechanisms for what a real GM could do. It offers a framework for interpreting game events, for building the game, for NPCs and NPC reactions, etc.
Yet it fails to stand on its own, it always needs interpretation by a human.
What does “Mythic Event Meaning: Intolerance Exotic Suffering” even mean?

So, is that really a “GM Emulator” at all? I often switch hats. As a solo player, I make decisions like a player in a normal game. Then I need to put on my GM hat, use my solo engine and come up with interpretations on what the solo engine tells me. Then I switch back to player mode.

I have no conclusion here.

[1]: http://theangrygm.com/the-big-picture-everything-you-ever-need-to-know-about-game-mastering

Thoughts? What am I overlooking?

Originally shared by Sophia Brandt

Yesterday's blog post with free downloads and thoughts about the role of the GM in solo gaming.
#solorpg #dnd5e #dungeonworld #osr

http://dieheart.net/friday-grab-bag-mar24/
http://dieheart.net/friday-grab-bag-mar24/

Google Groups

Our Last Best Hope: The Killer Asteroid
Act 1 - Scene 2 - Resolving the Threat

Will the crew be able to deal with the oxygen leak? Will duct tape save the day?

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/solorpgs/T4Br-4kMd6s/jTOCfkeBFQAJ

#soloactualplay #OurLastBestHope #TheKillerAsteroid #solorpg #soloroleplaying #actualplay #sharedscifi

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/solorpgs/T4Br-4kMd6s/jTOCfkeBFQAJ

Scene 18 of Greta Vs. The Lord of Kragg Keep

Scene 18 of Greta Vs. The Lord of Kragg Keep
Epilogue

~[Later that night, after Greta had set up camp far away from Kragg Keep, two glittering eyes watched her from the dark, waiting.]~


/************/

This is what the iOS app CreativeWriter led me to write. It partly answers the fate of the entity, and suggests further adventures for Greta. As to the fate of the town, well, Greta isn't there to find out, so I myself won't know until and if she receives news.

We'll see.

#solorpg #actualplay #solitairerpg #SoloPlayWithAlgorithms #SoloActualPlay

#soloactualplay #OurLastBestHope #TheKillerAsteroid #solorpg #soloroleplaying #actualplay #sharedscifi

#soloactualplay #OurLastBestHope #TheKillerAsteroid #solorpg #soloroleplaying #actualplay #sharedscifi

Our Last Best Hope - The Killer Asteroid - Act 1 / Scene 2

This was played using a Javascript "oracle" (basically a GM "emulator") that incorporates some text generation/parsing techniques.

In this case, I've fed it four different asteroid/comet disaster movie scripts that act as the "voice" of each of the characters. Hema has "Meteor", Catherine has "Asteroid", MIMIC has "Armageddon" and Brett has "Deep Impact."

It took a bit of time to get into the groove because there is a certain tension between what the the prompt cards in OLBH want you to say for dice bonuses and what the parsed text from the movie scripts want you to say. In some cases, I had to dig deeper into the parsed results and sort of cherry pick the words, but in other cases I just went with what the text suggested, and it worked out great (for my tastes anyway).

The way I'm setting the "oracle" odds of something being true is by estimating the ratio of words from the parser vs those I just used without the parser's help. Parser generated words that I used are between brackets "[]". Anything following a character's name like so ("Bret: blah blah [blah] blah.") is dialogue said by that character.

https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?798339-Our-Last-Best-Hope-The-Killer-Asteroid&p=20912455#post20912455

***************WHAT HAPPENED SO FAR********************

------------------------ Act 1 - Scene 2 -------------------------

[the ship was now travelling at less than the speed of sound but once they reached as far as the end of the] inner [solar system], [they would] increase [speed as much as it was] physically [safe for them to do so].

hema [and] catherine [were lost in] conversation [at the big room that did double duty as the break and conference room].

hema: i [would have] been [worried in the] past [about] taking such [a] risk.

Catherine: [do you on mean our mission]?

hema: my father. [he went on an exploratory mission and did not come back]. [i think of[ the [challenger ii often]. [none of it has left me]

catherine: but [you are here now. what] changed?

she (Hema) [was] silent for [a few moments].

hema: [i wish i could say i] found courage. i [just] do [not have long] to live. (secret card played) i [have been] diagnosed [with] brain cancer.

catherine: i [am sorry]

hema: [i am ok]. [i have come to] accept [it as my] fate.

catherine: [that is in fact down right] brave.


(I got a special event below, corresponding to "yes, but". The "but" is filled in by the oracle from a past game event.).

[Special: "hema: [why do you think that]?

[she asked with a touch of] annoyance [that she could not] hide despite [herself]. " [b]is true[/b],

but because "hema: [i am ok]. [i have come to] accept [it as my] fate. " happened a chain of events has rippled from it to this point in time.

Somehow, that chain has influenced the present answer. What happened?]

(Basically, that hema was annoyed with Catherine is true. I answer the "what happened?" from the oracle with the fact below.)

hema [did not feel like a] hero [because] accepting [her] death [was not a] choice. [it was simply an] inevitable [fact].


catherine [was taken back] somewhat. hema [was her] hero [in other] ways. [she] respected [her] brilliancy [and her work].

[b](Here, I think that the scene's "climax" occurs, and is time to face the first Threat-- which I will do in the next session.)[/b]



*****************HISTORY LOG*****************

---------------------- Act 1 - Scene 2 -------------------------

Is the statement below true?

(True/Yes): [the ship was now travelling at less than the speed of sound but once they reached as far as the end of the] inner [solar system], [they would] increase [speed as much as it was] physically [safe for them to do so].

hema [and] catherine [were lost in] conversation [at the big room that did double duty as the break and conference room].

Is the statement below true?

(False/No): hema: [they spot nine or ten] meteors every [year]. [many of them strike our planet but] do little [damage].

Is the statement below true?

(True/Yes): hema: i [would have] been [worried in the] past [about] taking such [a] risk.

Is the statement below true?

(True/Yes): Catherine: [do you on mean our mission]?


Is the statement below true?

(False/No): Hema: [not our] mission. just [the new] plan.

Is the statement below true?

(False/No): [yes], [she] said. [you understand, the technology] has [never before] been put [to the test] and...

Is the statement below true?

(False/No): hema: my father. [he went on an exploratory mission and did not come back]. [i think of the challenger ii often]. [none of it has left me.]

Is the statement below true?

(True/Yes): (from stack):
hema: my father. [he went on an exploratory mission and did not come back]. [i think of[ the [challenger ii often]. [none of it has left me]


Is the statement below true?

(True/Yes): catherine: but [you are here now. what] changed?

Is the statement below true?

(True/Yes): she [was] silent for [a few moments]. hema: [i wish i could say i] found courage. i [just] do [not have long] to live. (secret card played) i [have been] diagnosed [with] brain cancer.

Is the statement below true?

(True/Yes): catherine: i [am sorry].

Is the statement below true?

(False/No): hema: [do not be]. [who knows if i would have] agreed [to be be here] otherwise.

Is the statement below true?

(True/Yes): hema: [i am ok]. [i have come to] accept [it as my] fate.

Is the statement below true?

(False/No): Catherine: you [are so] brave.

Is the statement below true?

(True/Yes): catherine: [that is in fact down right] brave.

[Special: "hema: [why do you think that]? [she asked with a touch of] annoyance [that she could not] hide despite [herself]. " is true, but because "hema: [i am ok]. [i have come to] accept [it as my] fate. " happened a chain of events has rippled from it to this point in time. Somehow, that chain has influenced the present answer. What happened?]

Is the statement below true?

(True/Yes): hema [did not feel like a] hero [because] accepting [her] death [was not a] choice. [it was simply an] inevitable [fact].

Is the statement below true?

(True/Yes): catherine [was taken back] somewhat. hema [was her] hero [in other] ways. [she] respected [her] brilliancy [and her work].

#soloactualplay #OurLastBestHope #TheKillerAsteroid #solorpg #soloroleplaying #actualplay #sharedscifi
https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?798339-Our-Last-Best-Hope-The-Killer-Asteroid&p=20912455#post20912455

[Our Last Best Hope] The Killer Asteroid

[Our Last Best Hope] The Killer Asteroid

Session Prep & First Session

https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?798339-Our-Last-Best-Hope-The-Killer-Asteroid

#soloactualplay #OurLastBestHope #TheKillerAsteroid #solorpg #soloroleplaying #actualplay #sharedscifi
https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?798339-Our-Last-Best-Hope-The-Killer-Asteroid

Some prep for a "Our Last Best Hope" solo game.

Some prep for a "Our Last Best Hope" solo game.

#sharedscifi

The game doesn't have much of a system, except for those times dealing with a Threat or The Crisis.

Everything else is pretty much free form. That will make this game pretty much a writing session sprinkled with rolls against various dangers. I'm not much of a writer, so it's going to be more like storyboarding, I suppose.

I had some random input in setting these up, but most of it sprang from one roll that made Brett Mah seem religious. It kinda set a tone for the zeitgeist; a sort of religion vs science type of undercurrent in the interactions between the team's interpersonal relationships.

There are some elements I am on the fence about, like Dr. Corey's past with an airhead, muscle-bound boy toy. It makes her seem a bit of a maverick, but at the same time, she comes across as quite intelligent and confident (if poignant). Shacking up with a "mimbo" (a male bimbo) seems to undermine her intelligence to me.

There's also Brett Mah, who originally was going to be Catholic, but I ended up making Buddhist in order to make it clash with his secret (he killed an animal belonging to an endangered species in a hunting trip). The clash is inspired by The Walking Dead's "all life is precious" Zen philosophy of a character (Morgan). I see him and Dr. Guerra having a nice harmony as she is sort of a seeker.

My only problem is him being Buddhist & Asian and I don't want to turn him into a "Confucious say" stereotype inadvertently when he says something about his religion (specially with Dr. Guerra). I don't want to change his ethnicity though.

Dr. Guerra I'm pretty satisifed with.

Any feedback on these is appreciated, particularly the elements I pointed out. Let me know if you like them as is, or maybe suggest ways to fix them.

Thanks!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16EwlwqWirDyVpboVLOxuIhG_nn7mDwwrd5kapGCp0Hg/edit?usp=sharing

#solorpg #actualplay #soloroleplaying #soloactualplay #soloap