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I was an only child and as a kid lived with my grandparents who were both in pretty ill health. I played SO many games by myself. Even clue and monopoly...Dungeons and Dragons is always amazing and there's always a way to play solo!! This is great~!!
I would have paid money to sit in on this as a seminar. You need to write a beginners guide ebook for Drive Thru. Thanks so much for this. The dice roll on the novels was great!
@sandeh I've published "Wanderings," a book that lets you use other books randomly for solo RPG sessions w/o reading the books. See a vid on it, here: ruclips.net/video/toyzudI6SKM/видео.html
Amazing video. Anyone who is interested in solo RPGing needs to watch this. This would have saved me an awful lot of time in my quest to play solo effectively over the last year. Thank you!
She should write a book on solo RPGing....like a step by step guide for beginners and extra things one can do for solo GMs/solo players. I would definitely buy it because of how clear & concise the teaching is.
I just love this so much. What wonderful style you have with your fancy tea cup, 3d10 and Anne Radcliffe! Solo play is a lost art, you have excellent tools this is lovely. I use solo play as a creative writing method but also sometimes it's just nice to have your own personal choose your own adventure. Well played!
Came to this after the modiphius announcement….great stuff. I particularly enjoy the crochet hook pointer! Repurposed suggestive items from another game, what a great idea. (I have the warhammer quest card game so they popped out when you used) Love it. Definitely preordered your book. More power to your elbow!
I just found this and I just wanted to say thank you. Where I live and wanting to play D&D it's like a man in the Sahara Desert who is lost and looking for water. Playing by myself may be my best option. I did play some Adventurers League but I had to go over an hour away and it had it's pit falls (Not knowing who was going to show up, Not being able to have much if any continuity, Trying to work people in then never seeing them again, I got to the point where I just said you turn the corner and here is so and so. Then my work changed my hours and that ended that.) So your work on this is most helpful.
So glad you found the video useful and thank you for taking the time to comment on the video. I plan others along these lines, showing how I use some of these ideas with various systems and some more on some general solo GM concepts. Probably the first up (mentioned in the channel update I just posted) will be Starfinder.
Discovered your SoloRPG guides a few months back, this was first video I watched so came back to it to Subscribe. Your videos have been very helpful and informative.
You took me back to D&D Blue Book with the instructions to wander on the Outdoor Survival map, lakes as castles. Two dwarves searching for Black Dragons. We died often, but lots of fun. I salute your ingenuity.
This is what i was looking for so long! I was working on my own Solo RPG (just for my own pleasure). I LOVED the old AD&D PC games (goldbox) and one day (i think it was two years ago?) i decided to create a Solo RPG Pen&Paper game that allowes me to play a small party of heroes travelling around doing adventures. I initially wanted to use D&D rules but i found out that this was almost impossible to do because of the complexity of the characters and combat variables, so i started to create some sort of RPG/Wargame hybrid ruleset. My goal was to create a Fantasy world and use it as a open ended Sandbox for my characters adventures. The biggest problem always was to get some kind of event generator/cards/table to see what happens at various situations (travelling/entering a city and so on), that was the biggest obstacle to me. But sadly due to a computer crash last year i lost almost all the work i had done (heck even the maps i created where lost). Seeing this video motivated me again to work on my system and (Sword&Sorcery) Fantasy world. Thanks for the motivation!
Neal Sterling Wow it is terrible to lose creative work from a computer! I feel for you as I’ve been the victim of that myself. I’m so glad this vid has inspired you to get back to your game which you clearly still feel so strongly about creating. I hope you do! The world needs more artistic output.
I read somewhere a few years about about your "something restrictive" system a really simple idea: you roll a 1d6 to a Yes/No question when trying to find out details about the situation, in this case each results means: 1: No, And. 2: No, 3. No, But. 4. Yes, But. 5. Yes. 6. Yes, And. meaning you get a yes/no answer to your question and a possible "And", or "But" result. For example when trying to jump over a cliff and you ask the die if you managed to do so it will possibly say: 1. No, and you fell to your death. 2. No. 3. No, but you managed to grab the opposite end with your hands. 4. Yes but there was a nasty surpise on the other side of the cliff. 5. yes. 6. Yes and you managed to land specteculary with some kind of extra advantage. I played whole session in the world of Nod like that :)
Wow! I don't always see a video in english, my native language is portuguese, but this time I can't stop watching! The recomendations you gave us are very precious! Simple, deep, usefull, highly aplicable! Mix systems? Yes! I never think about it! One of the best videos i ever see about the theme!
The book '108 dungeon maps' is good for solo players. I also highly recommend the out of print game "The Riddle of Steel" designed by Jacob Norwood. The magic and combat system have a learning curve but they're very lethal and offer the player a lot of freedom.
I looked up "The Riddle of Steel" and it doesn't seem available at all. The Blade of Something, based on it, does seem to be. As combat is the thing I'm least interested in when solo RPGing, not sure this is the best system for me. Thanks for the suggestion, however. I'd not heard of these games.
Found your channel today and after watch this video I have tons of ideas to improve my duet D&D group. Probably I'll watch other videos to take more inspiration to organize my sessions and other stuff. Amazing material :D
Nostalgic Player Thank you so much! I’m really pleased to hear that and welcome to the channel. My playlists on solo RPG and RPG have lots of content for soloists as well as GMs
This has been one of the best videos I've seen so far on setting up your solo rpg. Thank you very much for all the different tips and suggestions you've shared. I've really liked the one about using 3d10 and a book, for generating quick scenarios. Or the one in which you explain how to use elements from other games such as Settlers of Catan! Amazing!
Thredith Undomiel I am so glad you enjoyed the content and thank you for commenting. I plan some other videos along these lines too-sharing more general tips and ideas to get going and keep going
Thanks, I enjoyed the whole video but the summary at the end was especially helpful. The wheels are turning and I now have several experiments in mind.
This has given me so many ideas. I just invested in Forgotten Lands and can not find consistent players. I know have a means to play this game without the need for a GM, running my own party, with these brilliant concepts. Thank you!
Michael Orona So glad you found it of use and thanks for commenting. Please check out my other vids in my RPG playlist as there are lots of other ideas and examples of types of solo play.
I'm late to this video but the information here is ageless. I was just trying to get an idea but instead got a book load of information lol. Excellent work thank you
Great video, full of inspiration. Thought for an inspiration tool - if you have a stack of Magic The Gathering cards lying around, shuffle a them up and deal a few out
Well, I was thinking...I have solo played RPGs 100's of hours on various game systems. Why not hunker down and learn at your own pace and create on the fly?
So I’m not the only one who pulls ideas at random from novels! I flip through and use what my eyes first focus on rather than rolling dice, but the result is similar.
Thank you for this highly informative and helpful upload. Your communication is so good! Clear, entertaining and very well delivered advice given in a warm and encouraging tone. I love narrative construction too, its the big draw in rpgs for me. However my imagination likes to take charge, having been the GM for many decades. I need tools that will restrict me and will force twists upon my narrative intentions. I find that (after playing solo for 5-6 years) the play bias of the rubrik can be very important. When I sat down to play Werewolf the Apocalypse, the rule set emphasises packs over individuals and this became a stumbling block for me - how to emulate the interaction a group of players bring to the table when the pack, not a single character, must make a decision? It requires particular tools. So the ruleset can be an important factor in which kinds of generative, suggestive and restrictive tools are needed or preferred, as when I play WtA I need plenty of NPC behaviour focused tools whereas other games (like my Ananasi game in which I play a solitary werespider looking at the human world) do not require much NPC interaction and so my toolbox looks different there. I think generative and suggestive tools are the most important ones for building a particular theme and mood (like a horror or sci fi theme - but horror is *particularly* hard to invoke alone, since you have to scare yourself to make it work) while the restrictive tools have more to do with pacing and plotting, and with structural issues. I could go on and on about this topic and make a skyscraper of a comment, but Ill just leave it for now by saying Mythic Variations II (just released) is the best thing that has happened to lone wolves since, well, Mythic itself. More than variation, this is a sleek and powerful overhaul of the engine itself. The new Behaviour and Statistic checks are just awesome and very easy to use. Thank you again, and please talk to us about how you juggle these four sacred pillars in live play, it seems to me to be the real art where the construction of the toolbox is the science. Thank you again!
David Coleman Thank you so much for this comment. Yes I agree with your points about rule sets and for someone very experienced as you are they would be a big part of the choices made. An interesting video would be to compare some rulesets and how they would impact solo play. That would be for someone with your experience to do! I wasn’t aware of Mythic Variations II but will look into it for sure. And you are so right about horror! I dare say that’s virtually impossible to solo effectively. You’d have to really gamify it-maybe a chit pull or something-I don’t know. Thanks again for your thoughts on this.
Thanks so much for the inspiration! When I have done this, every decision point (what you call the "something restrictive") goes like this: Will I choose to do A or B? If I choose option A, the result is known in advance. If I choose option B, the result is randomized. X% of the time the outcome is something worse than A. 100-X percent of the time the outcome is something better than A. Then I tweak X until it's hard to choose. Sometimes, option A has its own randomized spread of outcomes, but I've found I rarely feel the need for more than 2 options or 2 possible outcomes per option. The baseline value of A - how good the decision will tend to work out for my character - is determined by what I feel is dramatically appropriate. (If you're RPing only with yourself and you want your character to succeed at every challenge, more power to you. ...But it's still fun to have an interesting choice about HOW you're going to succeed.)
I wanted to emphasize on tome of adventure design book. The creativity section at the beginning of the book is important to read. He talks about recombining ideas. For example something has nothing to do with rpg: John went to the store, milk, sister. So we say John had to go to the store because his sister was hungry, the car was broke down and he was the only hope of his mom to get milk to his sister. Very good book I have it now.
Thank you. This video was extremely informative and helpful. It has sparked my interested in running a solo rpg for myself but also given me many ideas and tools to help me run a west marches style of game.
I put together a gaming wallet and i am never looking back :D Also, tome of adventure design is awesome! that book is continuously helping to expand my mind when it comes to adventures. lol
You've really inspired me. I found a copy of Maze of the Blue Medusa because of your video and the idea of theater of the mind solo is very appealing. This book has lead me down a path I haven't explored since I was a kid, imagination and creativity. I think solo I want to come up with a way to map any dungeon as I go randomly by rolling on tables for rooms and such. I want a way to feel invested in my character and a way to create a narrative that unfolds as I go. A renewal in the art of the printed word, through my board game hobby. Who knew.
Ryan Stoned That’s a lovely comment. The joy of this kind of storytelling/gameplay (storytelling as gameplay) doesn’t speak to everyone-but when it does, it’s really special as you say. And as someone who knows the changing fate of the printed word firsthand (IRL I’m a book editor), it makes me especially happy to know that my vid has helped someone to experience narrative a new way, not to mention bring them back to a positive childhood memory and feeling. Thank you.
Excellent video. Just to add an idea, you can buy a set of blank dice for little money, and just use permanent pen to draw on each face of the dice whatever makes sense for your RPG: type of location, type of monsters, type of objects that are well suited for that particular World.
For myself, two of my favorite tools for solo design is The Tome of Adventure Design and ICRPG's Think Deck. The Deck is very open to interpretation and abstract, but I have come up with some cool ideas with them. I also like the simple tables in Shadowdark, which works well for "on the fly" generation. The Tome is awesome for prep though.
Welcome and thanks for the comment. I’m so glad my vids have been useful. I’ve got a range of vids in the solo RPG playlist, from individual sessions to “bigger picture” discussion vids about characters, themes, NPC creation, etc. I hope you find them of use.
I've rolled out my own RNG RPG adventures before and it can be a good time and lead to some great story ideas to bring over to other things, serving as a fun creative tool for forever GM's to take a break from being in control of the environment.
As a current TTRPG game designer still in the process of finishing the first manual (of three) for my own homebrewed game system & world this is very appealing to me. Especially since I'm from the old D&D and 2nd Ed. AD&D generation and doesn't care much for these newer watered-down versions now being widely used...
Wonderful, this was exactly what I was looking for. I'm new to the subject of solo RPG's and your explanation was very clear and just what I needed. Thanks for the video, as always it's a pleasure listening to you.
nijntje007 I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Solo RPGing can be a lot of fun but also there’s so much stuff out there it can get overwhelming. Go with what feels like it works for you-that’s really the only important rule!
So glad you enjoy my vids. Yes, I'm still active and making vids though this summer not posting as frequently as I'm finishing up work on a written RPG product. Stay tuned to the channel for more details coming soon.
For some reason I've just never gotten that though I know it is popular and does look like something I'd enjoy. At this point so many of my game decisions are based on what I might do for the channel that I'll probably skip that one. (There are already so many videos on it, I certainly don't need to add another!)
Have you reviewed or experimented with any of the actual tools specifically available as Generative Resources, such as Narata: Storytelling Cards. If so what have been your observations. LOVE your channel BTW.
So happy to hear you like the channel. I haven’t don’t a vid on that card deck system but I have done one on the gamemaster’s apprentice card decks: ruclips.net/video/mUPI4nL3uE4/видео.html
I don't understand why you are such a solo player. You seem to be such a nice person and intelligent, I would think you would have tons of people who would play games with you. After watching a lot of your videos I would definitely join any game group you would be involved with. I do understand though I also have issues with finding people to share my gaming with and find myself seeking out games I can play by myself. Thank you for the videos and the insight you share in them.
Vinyl Rabbit Thanks for the comment and I’m glad you enjoy my videos. Yes I could find a group easily if I had the time but these days my gaming is done 90% between 5 and 6 a.m. so solo makes the most sense. :)
Ive played one of the best games in my life alone this week, thanks to this video. Now, im having a problem. I want to play more modern settings like vampire and cyberpunk. Is there any book like Tome of Adventure Design for those modern scenarios??
Wow that’s a really humbling comment to receive and I’m so glad to hear that. I do not know of the depth of resources for those genres but it’s a great question and I will be interested to hear the answers. I haven’t treated those genres at all on the channel really-tho I’ve done a few cyberpunk-adjacent rule sets. If you have recs for rule sets please let me know either in these comments or by emailing the channel.
Was I who recommended the 'Tome of Adventure Design'. That thing is packed full, isn't it? Originally heard about it on the "Talking About Games" YT channel, in which the gentleman does a lot of tabletop RPG reviews and some related topics. Picked up the 'Tome' after hearing the praise for it. Just passing on the good recommendations. :-)
All recognition to the guy who started the train of recommendation. I also recommend checking out the "GM's Apprentice Deck(s)", at DTRPG, for a very compact and fast way to get a lot of randomizers for the Restrictive and Suggestive categories. Fifteen different randomizers on each card saves a lot of time in die-rolling and table lookup, along with cutting down on the table clutter. The Fantasy themed one has an extra Rory's Cubes style symbol added, but there are also other themes and a generic one too. www.drivethrurpg.com/product/213131/The-GameMasters-Apprentice-Fantasy-Deck?
Geek Gamers , I hope that you write a guidebook on this topic. I love your videos! I bought the Tome of Adventure Design as well, WOW! I need to stick with one system methinks because I feel like I'm chasing my tail. here is my new library of books that I'm working with. Four Against Darkness - nice fun system but not really an RPG. Mythic GM Emulator system - I bought the Red,Blue and Yellow books. Ironsworn Tome of Adventure Design (all new material to work with) I've got tons of old OD&D-AD&D stuff, Rune Quest etc.etc. my 22 year old son shakes his head, my Grognard 8 year old daughter just loves the old books :D I just need to get on track or a method to this madness. I like your teaching style . I'd love to have a good concrete guide book or a series of them from a specialist like yourself, because I just get trapped diving into a new rule book and not playing one of my RPGs - by the way I remember the old Tunnels and Trolls system from way back, but I don't want to buy into yet another system. I just got the Tome of Adventure Design today. so I need to stop buying books before my wife throws me out of the house ;)
Well, thanks. I have been thinking of writing something but probably not anytime soon. If you've got a lot of old stuff, you have all you need! The old stuff is great and RuneQuest in particular could be very useful because isn't it d100-based with skills? I always find that works so easily solo. The main thing when you have all this source material is to EDIT it down and just take from it a few bits and pieces to build the mechanics you want to use that will help you tell your story/have your adventure. But believe me: I understand how easy it is to get caught up in buying more more more when you are on the hunt for that "just perfect" ruleset. The truth is: not one set is perfect but there are aspects in perfection in so many. I LOVE old d&d for solo because the simplicity makes it much more manageable. Problem is there is just too much of everything!. So, with Tome of Adventure Design, Mythic, and your own library you are all set! And grab your 8-year-old daughter for gaming as much as you can; she's just entering that magical time of gaming and before long you will have a teenager on your hands and at that point it's a crap shoot!
I really struggled with Solo, I'd play a session or 2 get bogged down and quit for a few months before trying again. But recently I figured out what worked for me. The first thing I did was change the ruleset, very few people talk about rules, you said more than most, but for solo it is very important to have a light ruleset. I knew D&D 5e the best and was hoping to start there then move into 3.5, or 2nd ed, as I like them better. That was a terrible idea. I found Basic Fantasy as it was free and simple. But really, I think any light rule set works. Having a light rule set is not stressed enough by too many "How to Solo" videos, you can add to it later if you needed, but simple is the best place to start or you will get bogged down in rules and wear out fast. You can go with a more heavy rule set if you stick to 1 character, but most RPGs really do better with a party. The second thing is tables and other generation. I learned to keep those lower as well. 90% of my solo random rolls is asking yes/no questions from a simple high means yes, low means no, I give a bonus or penalty to adjust likelihood. Most everything else I try to make up as I need I make up, my first thought is always to write my own next step. Rolling on a table, takes time and often I don't like the result and need to reroll wasting more time. I do have a table of verbs and nouns I will use to spark an idea when I am stuck, but I use that as a last resort. Tables can become a crutch, and slow you down, it is often best to make up something on the spot and go with it. You don't need to be surprised, as often table generation is bland, and does not fit the narrative, that your own mind can fill in as needed. I just found at first I was always going to a table, and not playing the game. The 3rd thing that helped me was to plan ahead. Again most solo players seem to be looking for surprise, and not knowing what comes next . I find that hard to make fun. Started having loads of success when I knew what the adventure is, writing down key steps and notes for what the plan is. I let the dice disrupt that plan, but when I get stuck I know the next step I can then move on to it. These plans are usually just ideas and outlines, I don't over do it and always leave openings for the dice to change things as I play. I often plan when away from the table, out for a walk, driving, running errands, waiting at a doctor's office whatever, so when I set down to play most my ideas are ready. These tips may not work for everyone, many people like to not know what is coming, and tables and other resources you mentioned are good for that, but for me I like to control the story, and not wonder around lost waiting for dice to build me a story. This also helps improve avoiding meta-gaming. I often know what is next, but I try to let the characters do and act how they would with their knowledge not my own. And I am always ready to deviate, like GMing a real game the players will change things the dice will fall wrong, that is where this style shines, when plans are changed and I have to adapt. I did really like your idea of adding too the system from other books like how you added Ars Magica, but a lot of these tips, really add more than I would like. I keep things theater of the mind, few tables as I said, few maps beyond a sketch. I have used modules as a starting point, but often find creating a world and my own plan works best. Though I can see me using some of these tools to jump start ideas, that Tomb of Adventure design would be a good book, for more the planning stage for me, and not so much while gaming.
@@GeekGamers01 Yea, I was hoping that it came across in my comment that my way may not work for everyone. It's just it took me a few years, several failed attempts to solo, and many of these kinds of videos to find out that a limited set of tools worked better for me. Only one person I ran across really suggested simple rules, limited tables, and more player creation, over randomness. And that shift allowed me to find the right but limited tools to give me success to have fun and stick with it.
@colmortimer1066 All of those ideas are developed in my SOLO GAME MASTER’S GUIDE, where I devote an entire chapter to the perils of UES/no oracles, demonstrate how to begin with no ruleset at all, etc.
if you could only choose one, would you keep the Tome of Adventure Design orrr the Hackmaster GameMaster's Guide? also, Mr. Finch has a 2nd edition of the Tome of Adventure Design on kickstarter right now. thanks in advance and I look forward to reading your new book.
Easy. I would keep Tome. Hackmaster has tons of tables but it is ultimately a rule set and also tons of rules I would never use. The tables can be hard to find and overall the organization of Tome is better.
Neat idea, I think I'll give it a go for fun one Saturday. I have a question though, what is the board game whose cards you used for loot and item generation? Edit: The cards you use are at (26:05)
I have found most things, but what i'm having trouble with, are monsters. I can't seem to figure out a small pocket size system that would give me most randomized option for monsters. I wish it to be pocket size, because the rest of my set is pocket size ( small space). I thought about doing a table of sorts, then thought of a zine, but neither seem to work.
@@GeekGamers01 Just flicking through it I'm impressed, this is one that I wasn't aware of, it will be very useful, like you I use game components from board games in my solo RPG's. I especially like to use hex tiles like the mage knight ones to create an unknown land / regions. So thanks for that, now I'll catch up on the rest of your video's.
I noticed a shot of Call of Cthulhu at the end of the video....Perhaps you could do a solo rpg of that game system. I don't believe I've seen such a video.
Thanks so much for this video - you've got so many amazing ideas! I have a question about a sticking point I've had with my solo games. I use Mythic more or less as written, so I start my session with a setup scene and I've no idea where the rest of the session will go. I don't always know who my villain is, I might not know the layout of my dungeon, and I don't know which NPCs I'll meet. I generate all of these on the fly, and I like the feeling that I'm playing to find out what these things are rather than knowing them in advance. Around 50% of the time, it creates a really interesting story, but the other 50%, like you said, it can end up running out of steam. So my question is, to what extent do you tend to pre-determine things like the villain or the dungeon layout? If you do plan them in advance, does it create spoilers for yourself? And do you have any tips for overcoming a stall in your game? Sorry, that's 3 questions! Anyway, thank you!
James Turner Glad you enjoyed the vid and thanks for the great questions. Part of the issue might be your sense that something is a “spoiler.” It really isn’t possible to keep a complete sense of surprise and “not knowing” when soloing so enjoying the process even of setting up a villain or an encounter has to be thought of as part of the experience (as opposed to something possibly ruining it). Tips on what to do when stuck is a great question and will be the subject of a future video. For now I’d encourage you to just stop midstream, as if it were a movie switching scenes, and try something totally different.
My answer all these years later is to either watch more vids on my channel or get THE SOLO GAME MASTER’S GUIDE which devotes a lot of time to providing skills to avoid what I call the “yes/no dead end” ALA: solo stall.
I'm obviously missing something fundamental about solo RPG, but it seems to me that the element of surprise and discovery is ruined if the player is also the GM, especially if the player does not want completely random (i.e., non-sensical) dungeons/rooms and encounters (meaning no random rolls that generate a black pudding with 10G treasure, or completely unrelated monsters living in presumed harmony). To be sure, I can generate and play a totally random adventure by throwing dice at scads of tables, and I'll definitely be surprised at the results, but not in a pleasant way. What's worked for me in the past are gamebooks (many varieties) and specifically designed solo modules (OD&D: ""BSOLO Ghost of Lion Castle", CM5 "Mystery of the Snow Pearls"; AD&D1E: MV1 "Midnight on Dagger Alley", D&D5E "The Death Knight's Squire", etc.), but those are all intertwined with a specific game system, AND have to be pre-written by someone else. What if I'd like to play a module from my collection, say N4 "Treasure Hunt" with the Basic Fantasy RPG game system? How can I play a published adventure in solo mode without knowing the details of said adventure? How can I experience a sense of surprise and discovery if I've designed my own adventure (that makes sense in all the right ways)?
Patrick Demets Indeed solo RPGing is not for everyone-especially if you are a gamer looking primarily for “surprise.” This is clearly not the best way to get that.
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omg pointing at things with a crochet hook is such a mood.
I was an only child and as a kid lived with my grandparents who were both in pretty ill health. I played SO many games by myself. Even clue and monopoly...Dungeons and Dragons is always amazing and there's always a way to play solo!! This is great~!!
So glad you’ve found your way here. Lots of solo stuff…
I couldn’t agree more, whenever I hear that a game isn’t meant for solo play I take that as a challenge 😅
I would have paid money to sit in on this as a seminar. You need to write a beginners guide ebook for Drive Thru. Thanks so much for this. The dice roll on the novels was great!
you really are a well spoken older woman. Does remind me of a work seminar. An expert telling me about best way to apply the rules.
@@jackschleich9475yeah like what the corporate gurus call ‘best practices’ haha, except this is more important :)
When she pulled out the books for inspiration, I was blown away. That's so creative and it's GENIUS!! 😭😭
Wow. Amazing. :)
@sandeh I've published "Wanderings," a book that lets you use other books randomly for solo RPG sessions w/o reading the books. See a vid on it, here: ruclips.net/video/toyzudI6SKM/видео.html
6 years later. Definitely grab her book! Great start there and helps you be guided with solo-rpg.
What is the book called?
@@mitchwilloughby233 Should be inthe video description and all over her other videos. Solo Game Master's Guide sold by Modiphius.
The book can be purchased here: modiphius.us/products/solo-game-masters-guide-softcover?_pos=2&_sid=5b8787477&_ss=r
Amen!
A masterclass in solo rpging. Thank you.
Thank you so much!
Amazing video. Anyone who is interested in solo RPGing needs to watch this. This would have saved me an awful lot of time in my quest to play solo effectively over the last year.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this comment! I'm very pleased you found the content so useful.
She should write a book on solo RPGing....like a step by step guide for beginners and extra things one can do for solo GMs/solo players. I would definitely buy it because of how clear & concise the teaching is.
Great suggestion. Stay tuned to the channel. :)
Update:that book exists now! “Solo Game Master’s Guide” by Geek Gamers, published by Modiphius.
Thank you for this wonderful Ted Talk, “Ways to Explore Your Imagination”.
an12cub And thank you for one of the best compliments I’ve ever received. I’m so glad you enjoyed the content.
I was looking for the Ted talk and realized it wasn’t literal
The repurpose of other games is one of the most brilliant advice I have seen in this sphere
Oh and I love that you point with a crochet needle
The only use I have been able to find for it!
@@GeekGamers01 that is a shame... crochet can be quite cosy
I just love this so much. What wonderful style you have with your fancy tea cup, 3d10 and Anne Radcliffe! Solo play is a lost art, you have excellent tools this is lovely. I use solo play as a creative writing method but also sometimes it's just nice to have your own personal choose your own adventure. Well played!
Lady Elfstar Thank you so much for the comment and appreciating my tea cup and Ann! Very glad you enjoyed the video.
Came to this after the modiphius announcement….great stuff. I particularly enjoy the crochet hook pointer! Repurposed suggestive items from another game, what a great idea. (I have the warhammer quest card game so they popped out when you used) Love it. Definitely preordered your book.
More power to your elbow!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy my book and I thank you for the support.
me: has no friends
PERFECT
I just found this and I just wanted to say thank you. Where I live and wanting to play D&D it's like a man in the Sahara Desert who is lost and looking for water. Playing by myself may be my best option. I did play some Adventurers League but I had to go over an hour away and it had it's pit falls (Not knowing who was going to show up, Not being able to have much if any continuity, Trying to work people in then never seeing them again, I got to the point where I just said you turn the corner and here is so and so. Then my work changed my hours and that ended that.) So your work on this is most helpful.
So glad you found the video useful and thank you for taking the time to comment on the video. I plan others along these lines, showing how I use some of these ideas with various systems and some more on some general solo GM concepts. Probably the first up (mentioned in the channel update I just posted) will be Starfinder.
I play online when I can't find real people, I meet great persons while playing.
I am so very much inspired. Not only for rpg's in general but in being more creative. Excellent, excellent video. You've earned a new fan
Thank you so very much! I'm glad you got things out of the video beyond RPGing.
Discovered your SoloRPG guides a few months back, this was first video I watched so came back to it to Subscribe.
Your videos have been very helpful and informative.
Thanks and welcome! I appreciate the support.
You took me back to D&D Blue Book with the instructions to wander on the Outdoor Survival map, lakes as castles. Two dwarves searching for Black Dragons. We died often, but lots of fun. I salute your ingenuity.
george rahm Thanks so much! I talk about Outdoor Survival and use it in conjunction with d&d another vid.
m.ruclips.net/video/ONgnslkQTvA/видео.html
This is what i was looking for so long!
I was working on my own Solo RPG (just for my own pleasure). I LOVED the old AD&D PC games (goldbox) and one day (i think it was two years ago?) i decided to create a Solo RPG Pen&Paper game that allowes me to play a small party of heroes travelling around doing adventures. I initially wanted to use D&D rules but i found out that this was almost impossible to do because of the complexity of the characters and combat variables, so i started to create some sort of RPG/Wargame hybrid ruleset.
My goal was to create a Fantasy world and use it as a open ended Sandbox for my characters adventures.
The biggest problem always was to get some kind of event generator/cards/table to see what happens at various situations (travelling/entering a city and so on), that was the biggest obstacle to me.
But sadly due to a computer crash last year i lost almost all the work i had done (heck even the maps i created where lost).
Seeing this video motivated me again to work on my system and (Sword&Sorcery) Fantasy world. Thanks for the motivation!
Neal Sterling Wow it is terrible to lose creative work from a computer! I feel for you as I’ve been the victim of that myself.
I’m so glad this vid has inspired you to get back to your game which you clearly still feel so strongly about creating. I hope you do! The world needs more artistic output.
Thats why I still work in pen and paper. 😉
thanks for sharing, i always wanted to start, but never really know where from and felt overwhelmed
Glad you found your way to my channel… there is lots here for the soloist just starting out!
One of my favorites from this channel! So easy to listen to, so neat and creativity inspiring.
@Lari K Thank you so very much!
I read somewhere a few years about about your "something restrictive" system a really simple idea: you roll a 1d6 to a Yes/No question when trying to find out details about the situation, in this case each results means: 1: No, And. 2: No, 3. No, But. 4. Yes, But. 5. Yes. 6. Yes, And. meaning you get a yes/no answer to your question and a possible "And", or "But" result. For example when trying to jump over a cliff and you ask the die if you managed to do so it will possibly say: 1. No, and you fell to your death. 2. No. 3. No, but you managed to grab the opposite end with your hands. 4. Yes but there was a nasty surpise on the other side of the cliff. 5. yes. 6. Yes and you managed to land specteculary with some kind of extra advantage. I played whole session in the world of Nod like that :)
Yes, that does offer a simple answer though it doesn't allow for modifications to the situation impacting the die roll answer.
I've come back to this video time and again. Thank you!!
That’s great to hear. Soon you can get even more of this info in my book! Stay tuned to the channel for details about that.
Wow!
I don't always see a video in english, my native language is portuguese, but this time I can't stop watching!
The recomendations you gave us are very precious!
Simple, deep, usefull, highly aplicable!
Mix systems? Yes! I never think about it!
One of the best videos i ever see about the theme!
Diéfersom Fernandes Thank you so much and I’m glad you got something out of it. I have many more in my RPG playlist. Thanks for commenting.
The book '108 dungeon maps' is good for solo players.
I also highly recommend the out of print game "The Riddle of Steel" designed by Jacob Norwood. The magic and combat system have a learning curve but they're very lethal and offer the player a lot of freedom.
I looked up "The Riddle of Steel" and it doesn't seem available at all. The Blade of Something, based on it, does seem to be. As combat is the thing I'm least interested in when solo RPGing, not sure this is the best system for me. Thanks for the suggestion, however. I'd not heard of these games.
Fantastic video. Been looking for days for a video like this. Thank you
Tony Marshall Thank you. I’m so glad you enjoyed the material.
Great video again. The "Tome of adventure" book is a book i am going to buy asap.
Kent H l really can’t say enough about it. It’s a rich resource and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! Glad you enjoyed the vid.
Found your channel today and after watch this video I have tons of ideas to improve my duet D&D group. Probably I'll watch other videos to take more inspiration to organize my sessions and other stuff. Amazing material :D
Nostalgic Player Thank you so much! I’m really pleased to hear that and welcome to the channel. My playlists on solo RPG and RPG have lots of content for soloists as well as GMs
This has been one of the best videos I've seen so far on setting up your solo rpg. Thank you very much for all the different tips and suggestions you've shared. I've really liked the one about using 3d10 and a book, for generating quick scenarios. Or the one in which you explain how to use elements from other games such as Settlers of Catan! Amazing!
Thredith Undomiel I am so glad you enjoyed the content and thank you for commenting. I plan some other videos along these lines too-sharing more general tips and ideas to get going and keep going
Awesome content..I went down a few rabbit holes and found this video .Thank you for the great information
So glad you found it and thanks! There’s a lot more :)
An excellent overview and introduction to this genre of role-playing. Thank you so much for this video. I found it highly engaging.
Thank you so much!
@@GeekGamers01Only a pleasure.
Thanks, I enjoyed the whole video but the summary at the end was especially helpful. The wheels are turning and I now have several experiments in mind.
Mike Mann Glad to hear this!
This has given me so many ideas. I just invested in Forgotten Lands and can not find consistent players. I know have a means to play this game without the need for a GM, running my own party, with these brilliant concepts. Thank you!
Michael Orona So glad you found it of use and thanks for commenting. Please check out my other vids in my RPG playlist as there are lots of other ideas and examples of types of solo play.
I'm late to this video but the information here is ageless. I was just trying to get an idea but instead got a book load of information lol. Excellent work thank you
I really appreciate that! My book expands on all of this... as mentioned in other comment I am hoping the publisher puts the preorder page up shortly!
I keep coming back to watch this video….so many great ideas.
I love the suggestion of using books and items from other games.
Great video, full of inspiration. Thought for an inspiration tool - if you have a stack of Magic The Gathering cards lying around, shuffle a them up and deal a few out
Mark Oughton yes that is a fantastic idea and one I’m sorry I didn’t mention here. I’ve got more than a stack, of course. I’ve got a box
Well, I was thinking...I have solo played RPGs 100's of hours on various game systems. Why not hunker down and learn at your own pace and create on the fly?
37:16 “You _probably_ use your brain in different ways for different situations.” 😄
Love this! 40 year gamed and learned a LOT
What a great compliment. Thank you & that’s great to hear!
So I’m not the only one who pulls ideas at random from novels! I flip through and use what my eyes first focus on rather than rolling dice, but the result is similar.
Thank you for this highly informative and helpful upload. Your communication is so good! Clear, entertaining and very well delivered advice given in a warm and encouraging tone. I love narrative construction too, its the big draw in rpgs for me. However my imagination likes to take charge, having been the GM for many decades. I need tools that will restrict me and will force twists upon my narrative intentions. I find that (after playing solo for 5-6 years) the play bias of the rubrik can be very important. When I sat down to play Werewolf the Apocalypse, the rule set emphasises packs over individuals and this became a stumbling block for me - how to emulate the interaction a group of players bring to the table when the pack, not a single character, must make a decision? It requires particular tools. So the ruleset can be an important factor in which kinds of generative, suggestive and restrictive tools are needed or preferred, as when I play WtA I need plenty of NPC behaviour focused tools whereas other games (like my Ananasi game in which I play a solitary werespider looking at the human world) do not require much NPC interaction and so my toolbox looks different there. I think generative and suggestive tools are the most important ones for building a particular theme and mood (like a horror or sci fi theme - but horror is *particularly* hard to invoke alone, since you have to scare yourself to make it work) while the restrictive tools have more to do with pacing and plotting, and with structural issues. I could go on and on about this topic and make a skyscraper of a comment, but Ill just leave it for now by saying Mythic Variations II (just released) is the best thing that has happened to lone wolves since, well, Mythic itself. More than variation, this is a sleek and powerful overhaul of the engine itself. The new Behaviour and Statistic checks are just awesome and very easy to use. Thank you again, and please talk to us about how you juggle these four sacred pillars in live play, it seems to me to be the real art where the construction of the toolbox is the science. Thank you again!
David Coleman Thank you so much for this comment. Yes I agree with your points about rule sets and for someone very experienced as you are they would be a big part of the choices made. An interesting video would be to compare some rulesets and how they would impact solo play. That would be for someone with your experience to do!
I wasn’t aware of Mythic Variations II but will look into it for sure. And you are so right about horror! I dare say that’s virtually impossible to solo effectively. You’d have to really gamify it-maybe a chit pull or something-I don’t know. Thanks again for your thoughts on this.
Thanks so much for the inspiration!
When I have done this, every decision point (what you call the "something restrictive") goes like this:
Will I choose to do A or B?
If I choose option A, the result is known in advance.
If I choose option B, the result is randomized. X% of the time the outcome is something worse than A. 100-X percent of the time the outcome is something better than A.
Then I tweak X until it's hard to choose.
Sometimes, option A has its own randomized spread of outcomes, but I've found I rarely feel the need for more than 2 options or 2 possible outcomes per option.
The baseline value of A - how good the decision will tend to work out for my character - is determined by what I feel is dramatically appropriate.
(If you're RPing only with yourself and you want your character to succeed at every challenge, more power to you. ...But it's still fun to have an interesting choice about HOW you're going to succeed.)
Glad you enjoyed the vid and thanks for sharing your system!
I wanted to emphasize on tome of adventure design book. The creativity section at the beginning of the book is important to read. He talks about recombining ideas. For example something has nothing to do with rpg: John went to the store, milk, sister. So we say John had to go to the store because his sister was hungry, the car was broke down and he was the only hope of his mom to get milk to his sister. Very good book I have it now.
This was not only impressive, but useful.
Thank you.
aspektx I’m glad you found it to be so and I appreciate your leaving the comment.
Thanks for making these videos. The tips are helpful and your chill voice is nice as background audio During work. :)
Thank you. This video was extremely informative and helpful. It has sparked my interested in running a solo rpg for myself but also given me many ideas and tools to help me run a west marches style of game.
Mandroo You’re welcome. This is so good to hear.
This is a great summary of the options, very clear. Lots of ideas and inspiration here, thank you!
John Wood So glad you enjoyed and thanks for letting me know!
I put together a gaming wallet and i am never looking back :D Also, tome of adventure design is awesome! that book is continuously helping to expand my mind when it comes to adventures. lol
This is absolutely fantastic work here, exactly what I wanted to see. Learned a lot from watching your informative video.
Thank you
Thank you so much for the comment and I'm glad you found the vid of use!
You've really inspired me. I found a copy of Maze of the Blue Medusa because of your video and the idea of theater of the mind solo is very appealing. This book has lead me down a path I haven't explored since I was a kid, imagination and creativity. I think solo I want to come up with a way to map any dungeon as I go randomly by rolling on tables for rooms and such. I want a way to feel invested in my character and a way to create a narrative that unfolds as I go. A renewal in the art of the printed word, through my board game hobby. Who knew.
Ryan Stoned That’s a lovely comment. The joy of this kind of storytelling/gameplay (storytelling as gameplay) doesn’t speak to everyone-but when it does, it’s really special as you say.
And as someone who knows the changing fate of the printed word firsthand (IRL I’m a book editor), it makes me especially happy to know that my vid has helped someone to experience narrative a new way, not to mention bring them back to a positive childhood memory and feeling. Thank you.
@@GeekGamers01 an editor, I was in the ballpark. I was sure you were a teacher of some sort ;)
This is now, by far, my favorite youtube channel. Sorry Shawn James.
Thank you so much!
Excellent video. Just to add an idea, you can buy a set of blank dice for little money, and just use permanent pen to draw on each face of the dice whatever makes sense for your RPG: type of location, type of monsters, type of objects that are well suited for that particular World.
That’s a great suggestion.
truly excellent and very insightful and conducively helpful :)
For myself, two of my favorite tools for solo design is The Tome of Adventure Design and ICRPG's Think Deck. The Deck is very open to interpretation and abstract, but I have come up with some cool ideas with them. I also like the simple tables in Shadowdark, which works well for "on the fly" generation. The Tome is awesome for prep though.
Just starting to get into it because of the pandemic and this has been so helpful. Thank you so much!
Welcome and thanks for the comment. I’m so glad my vids have been useful. I’ve got a range of vids in the solo RPG playlist, from individual sessions to “bigger picture” discussion vids about characters, themes, NPC creation, etc. I hope you find them of use.
I've rolled out my own RNG RPG adventures before and it can be a good time and lead to some great story ideas to bring over to other things, serving as a fun creative tool for forever GM's to take a break from being in control of the environment.
Those hands have done a lot of practical work ;) Great channel, good info, thank you!
This was much more helpfull than I expected. Thanks!
this video is great! thank you for taking the time
As a current TTRPG game designer still in the process of finishing the first manual (of three) for my own homebrewed game system & world this is very appealing to me. Especially since I'm from the old D&D and 2nd Ed. AD&D generation and doesn't care much for these newer watered-down versions now being widely used...
Glad you found it of use!
Love the Stratego call out!
Thanks! I had to!!
Great video , lovely tea china!
Thank you so much!
@@GeekGamers01 Your Welcome
Wonderful, this was exactly what I was looking for. I'm new to the subject of solo RPG's and your explanation was very clear and just what I needed. Thanks for the video, as always it's a pleasure listening to you.
nijntje007 I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Solo RPGing can be a lot of fun but also there’s so much stuff out there it can get overwhelming. Go with what feels like it works for you-that’s really the only important rule!
Great video. Thank you.
Thinking of running a solo Fate game for myself! :)
Talk with the hand! Great presentation. Very clear voice you have ☺
Thanks so much.
I love your selection of novels. I've read them all, including Varney! :-)
OMG that is impressive!! Thanks for commenting!
I enjoy your videos a lot! They give me this sort of "calmness" are you working on new ones? Thanks!
So glad you enjoy my vids. Yes, I'm still active and making vids though this summer not posting as frequently as I'm finishing up work on a written RPG product. Stay tuned to the channel for more details coming soon.
@@GeekGamers01 I am excited about that product! Let us know!!!
@@peterrosado1 Don't you worry, I will!!
You get down to the real nitty gritty within FIVE seconds... That leaves me swooning every time 😏
I wasn't especting ars magica here.
DCC free rules + ars magica is an awesome mix. :)
That's the video that I needed to see today.
And may I say that you're amazingly cool??
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the vid and I appreciate the good thoughts.
Four Against the Dark is cheap and lots of fun it’s by Ganesha Games
For some reason I've just never gotten that though I know it is popular and does look like something I'd enjoy. At this point so many of my game decisions are based on what I might do for the channel that I'll probably skip that one. (There are already so many videos on it, I certainly don't need to add another!)
Agreed a great little game and I have always liked Ganesha product like song of blades. Great Italian games :)
Really great video.
I watch geek gamers for inspiration, advice, and of course the asmr. Thank you for easing my anxiety. It means a lot.
This comment means a lot. Anxiety can be so hard; I’m glad my vids can help even a little.
Have you reviewed or experimented with any of the actual tools specifically available as Generative Resources, such as Narata: Storytelling Cards. If so what have been your observations. LOVE your channel BTW.
So happy to hear you like the channel. I haven’t don’t a vid on that card deck system but I have done one on the gamemaster’s apprentice card decks: ruclips.net/video/mUPI4nL3uE4/видео.html
Thank you. Great channel.
Thanks for watching!
An awesome video!
Thanks so much!
I don't understand why you are such a solo player. You seem to be such a nice person and intelligent, I would think you would have tons of people who would play games with you. After watching a lot of your videos I would definitely join any game group you would be involved with. I do understand though I also have issues with finding people to share my gaming with and find myself seeking out games I can play by myself. Thank you for the videos and the insight you share in them.
Vinyl Rabbit Thanks for the comment and I’m glad you enjoy my videos. Yes I could find a group easily if I had the time but these days my gaming is done 90% between 5 and 6 a.m. so solo makes the most sense. :)
I have a similar issue I work second shift So I am going to work when my gaming group starts gaming.
Fascinating!
Ive played one of the best games in my life alone this week, thanks to this video.
Now, im having a problem. I want to play more modern settings like vampire and cyberpunk.
Is there any book like Tome of Adventure Design for those modern scenarios??
Wow that’s a really humbling comment to receive and I’m so glad to hear that.
I do not know of the depth of resources for those genres but it’s a great question and I will be interested to hear the answers. I haven’t treated those genres at all on the channel really-tho I’ve done a few cyberpunk-adjacent rule sets. If you have recs for rule sets please let me know either in these comments or by emailing the channel.
Was I who recommended the 'Tome of Adventure Design'. That thing is packed full, isn't it?
Originally heard about it on the "Talking About Games" YT channel, in which the gentleman does a lot of tabletop RPG reviews and some related topics. Picked up the 'Tome' after hearing the praise for it. Just passing on the good recommendations. :-)
NefariousKoel Thank you! I couldn’t remember who it was. GREAT recommendation and very much appreciated!!
All recognition to the guy who started the train of recommendation.
I also recommend checking out the "GM's Apprentice Deck(s)", at DTRPG, for a very compact and fast way to get a lot of randomizers for the Restrictive and Suggestive categories. Fifteen different randomizers on each card saves a lot of time in die-rolling and table lookup, along with cutting down on the table clutter.
The Fantasy themed one has an extra Rory's Cubes style symbol added, but there are also other themes and a generic one too.
www.drivethrurpg.com/product/213131/The-GameMasters-Apprentice-Fantasy-Deck?
NefariousKoel Thanks for that link. I’ve seen samples of them online in various sets. They do indeed look like a rich, compact resource.
AEG once upon also did a huge book of tables called Ultimate Toolbox. If you can find a cheap pdf it has some okay tables.
Thank you for these videos!
emveeay Glad you find them of use!
Now i know what to do with my 600 miniatures
Geek Gamers , I hope that you write a guidebook on this topic. I love your videos! I bought the Tome of Adventure Design as well, WOW! I need to stick with one system methinks because I feel like I'm chasing my tail. here is my new library of books that I'm working with.
Four Against Darkness - nice fun system but not really an RPG.
Mythic GM Emulator system - I bought the Red,Blue and Yellow books.
Ironsworn
Tome of Adventure Design
(all new material to work with) I've got tons of old OD&D-AD&D stuff, Rune Quest etc.etc. my 22 year old son shakes his head, my Grognard 8 year old daughter just loves the old books :D I just need to get on track or a method to this madness. I like your teaching style . I'd love to have a good concrete guide book or a series of them from a specialist like yourself, because I just get trapped diving into a new rule book and not playing one of my RPGs - by the way I remember the old Tunnels and Trolls system from way back, but I don't want to buy into yet another system. I just got the Tome of Adventure Design today. so I need to stop buying books before my wife throws me out of the house ;)
Well, thanks. I have been thinking of writing something but probably not anytime soon.
If you've got a lot of old stuff, you have all you need! The old stuff is great and RuneQuest in particular could be very useful because isn't it d100-based with skills? I always find that works so easily solo.
The main thing when you have all this source material is to EDIT it down and just take from it a few bits and pieces to build the mechanics you want to use that will help you tell your story/have your adventure. But believe me: I understand how easy it is to get caught up in buying more more more when you are on the hunt for that "just perfect" ruleset. The truth is: not one set is perfect but there are aspects in perfection in so many.
I LOVE old d&d for solo because the simplicity makes it much more manageable. Problem is there is just too much of everything!. So, with Tome of Adventure Design, Mythic, and your own library you are all set!
And grab your 8-year-old daughter for gaming as much as you can; she's just entering that magical time of gaming and before long you will have a teenager on your hands and at that point it's a crap shoot!
fantastic video, thank you!
You're welcome and so glad you enjoyed it!
Super! Thanks! 👏
@11:30 not so much about scavenging for food, but villains who eat people/farm animals.
I really struggled with Solo, I'd play a session or 2 get bogged down and quit for a few months before trying again. But recently I figured out what worked for me.
The first thing I did was change the ruleset, very few people talk about rules, you said more than most, but for solo it is very important to have a light ruleset. I knew D&D 5e the best and was hoping to start there then move into 3.5, or 2nd ed, as I like them better. That was a terrible idea. I found Basic Fantasy as it was free and simple. But really, I think any light rule set works. Having a light rule set is not stressed enough by too many "How to Solo" videos, you can add to it later if you needed, but simple is the best place to start or you will get bogged down in rules and wear out fast. You can go with a more heavy rule set if you stick to 1 character, but most RPGs really do better with a party.
The second thing is tables and other generation. I learned to keep those lower as well. 90% of my solo random rolls is asking yes/no questions from a simple high means yes, low means no, I give a bonus or penalty to adjust likelihood. Most everything else I try to make up as I need I make up, my first thought is always to write my own next step. Rolling on a table, takes time and often I don't like the result and need to reroll wasting more time. I do have a table of verbs and nouns I will use to spark an idea when I am stuck, but I use that as a last resort. Tables can become a crutch, and slow you down, it is often best to make up something on the spot and go with it. You don't need to be surprised, as often table generation is bland, and does not fit the narrative, that your own mind can fill in as needed. I just found at first I was always going to a table, and not playing the game.
The 3rd thing that helped me was to plan ahead. Again most solo players seem to be looking for surprise, and not knowing what comes next . I find that hard to make fun. Started having loads of success when I knew what the adventure is, writing down key steps and notes for what the plan is. I let the dice disrupt that plan, but when I get stuck I know the next step I can then move on to it. These plans are usually just ideas and outlines, I don't over do it and always leave openings for the dice to change things as I play. I often plan when away from the table, out for a walk, driving, running errands, waiting at a doctor's office whatever, so when I set down to play most my ideas are ready.
These tips may not work for everyone, many people like to not know what is coming, and tables and other resources you mentioned are good for that, but for me I like to control the story, and not wonder around lost waiting for dice to build me a story. This also helps improve avoiding meta-gaming. I often know what is next, but I try to let the characters do and act how they would with their knowledge not my own. And I am always ready to deviate, like GMing a real game the players will change things the dice will fall wrong, that is where this style shines, when plans are changed and I have to adapt.
I did really like your idea of adding too the system from other books like how you added Ars Magica, but a lot of these tips, really add more than I would like. I keep things theater of the mind, few tables as I said, few maps beyond a sketch. I have used modules as a starting point, but often find creating a world and my own plan works best. Though I can see me using some of these tools to jump start ideas, that Tomb of Adventure design would be a good book, for more the planning stage for me, and not so much while gaming.
Thanks for commenting. The best thing about soloing is there is no right or wrong way to do it.
@@GeekGamers01 Yea, I was hoping that it came across in my comment that my way may not work for everyone. It's just it took me a few years, several failed attempts to solo, and many of these kinds of videos to find out that a limited set of tools worked better for me.
Only one person I ran across really suggested simple rules, limited tables, and more player creation, over randomness. And that shift allowed me to find the right but limited tools to give me success to have fun and stick with it.
@colmortimer1066 All of those ideas are developed in my SOLO GAME MASTER’S GUIDE, where I devote an entire chapter to the perils of UES/no oracles, demonstrate how to begin with no ruleset at all, etc.
if you could only choose one, would you keep the Tome of Adventure Design orrr the Hackmaster GameMaster's Guide?
also, Mr. Finch has a 2nd edition of the Tome of Adventure Design on kickstarter right now.
thanks in advance and I look forward to reading your new book.
Easy. I would keep Tome. Hackmaster has tons of tables but it is ultimately a rule set and also tons of rules I would never use. The tables can be hard to find and overall the organization of Tome is better.
Neat idea, I think I'll give it a go for fun one Saturday. I have a question though, what is the board game whose cards you used for loot and item generation?
Edit: The cards you use are at (26:05)
Slaptickle Thanks. Those cards came from Warhammer Quest adventure board game as well as Assault on Doomrock.
I have found most things, but what i'm having trouble with, are monsters. I can't seem to figure out a small pocket size system that would give me most randomized option for monsters. I wish it to be pocket size, because the rest of my set is pocket size ( small space). I thought about doing a table of sorts, then thought of a zine, but neither seem to work.
Given what you say you want, it does seem like you would need to create your own tables and then print them out in the size/format you want.
I love your videos! I have one question, do you use 3 percentile dice to roll on the D1000 Table?
Raven Shadowz Don’t know what I did in the vid but honestly I’d just go to an online randomizer and use that. So glad you enjoy my vids, thanks.
@@GeekGamers01 You're very welcome!
Just bought the pdf based on this video..Great video
Alan Rennox I I don’t think you will be disappointed. Glad you enjoyed the video
@@GeekGamers01 Just flicking through it I'm impressed, this is one that I wasn't aware of, it will be very useful, like you I use game components from board games in my solo RPG's. I especially like to use hex tiles like the mage knight ones to create an unknown land / regions. So thanks for that, now I'll catch up on the rest of your video's.
Alan Rennox I haven’t used my Mage Knight in RPGs but every time I play that game I think I should! Good choice!
I have no friends that like geeky shit.
This is good.
the answer to life, the universe, and everything equals 42 according to certain galaxy books.
I noticed a shot of Call of Cthulhu at the end of the video....Perhaps you could do a solo rpg of that game system. I don't believe I've seen such a video.
Gary Ellison Someday, Yes!
Informative...thank you.
Thanks so much for this video - you've got so many amazing ideas!
I have a question about a sticking point I've had with my solo games. I use Mythic more or less as written, so I start my session with a setup scene and I've no idea where the rest of the session will go. I don't always know who my villain is, I might not know the layout of my dungeon, and I don't know which NPCs I'll meet. I generate all of these on the fly, and I like the feeling that I'm playing to find out what these things are rather than knowing them in advance. Around 50% of the time, it creates a really interesting story, but the other 50%, like you said, it can end up running out of steam. So my question is, to what extent do you tend to pre-determine things like the villain or the dungeon layout? If you do plan them in advance, does it create spoilers for yourself? And do you have any tips for overcoming a stall in your game? Sorry, that's 3 questions! Anyway, thank you!
James Turner Glad you enjoyed the vid and thanks for the great questions.
Part of the issue might be your sense that something is a “spoiler.” It really isn’t possible to keep a complete sense of surprise and “not knowing” when soloing so enjoying the process even of setting up a villain or an encounter has to be thought of as part of the experience (as opposed to something possibly ruining it). Tips on what to do when stuck is a great question and will be the subject of a future video. For now I’d encourage you to just stop midstream, as if it were a movie switching scenes, and try something totally different.
I have the same questions. Thanks so much for the answer! I'll try that for sure. I can even foresee that tip saving my current game. :-)
My answer all these years later is to either watch more vids on my channel or get THE SOLO GAME MASTER’S GUIDE which devotes a lot of time to providing skills to avoid what I call the “yes/no dead end” ALA: solo stall.
I'm obviously missing something fundamental about solo RPG, but it seems to me that the element of surprise and discovery is ruined if the player is also the GM, especially if the player does not want completely random (i.e., non-sensical) dungeons/rooms and encounters (meaning no random rolls that generate a black pudding with 10G treasure, or completely unrelated monsters living in presumed harmony). To be sure, I can generate and play a totally random adventure by throwing dice at scads of tables, and I'll definitely be surprised at the results, but not in a pleasant way.
What's worked for me in the past are gamebooks (many varieties) and specifically designed solo modules (OD&D: ""BSOLO Ghost of Lion Castle", CM5 "Mystery of the Snow Pearls"; AD&D1E: MV1 "Midnight on Dagger Alley", D&D5E "The Death Knight's Squire", etc.), but those are all intertwined with a specific game system, AND have to be pre-written by someone else. What if I'd like to play a module from my collection, say N4 "Treasure Hunt" with the Basic Fantasy RPG game system? How can I play a published adventure in solo mode without knowing the details of said adventure? How can I experience a sense of surprise and discovery if I've designed my own adventure (that makes sense in all the right ways)?
Patrick Demets Indeed solo RPGing is not for everyone-especially if you are a gamer looking primarily for “surprise.” This is clearly not the best way to get that.
The cards @27:15 what game are they from?
Warhammer Quest Adventure Card Game