In Session 0, I give some background on how and why I got into solo roleplaying and the tools needed to start running your own solo rpg sessions without a GM
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society" - Jiddu Krishnamurti Friends are great, if you have any that aren't "normies" but capitalism keeps everyone too busy for "socialism" heh
This is such a great explanation of solo roleplaying, as an act of creative exploration and discovery. “You are using a set of tools that pull a story down from the cosmos and presenting it to you in ways you couldn’t possibly predict.”
Welcome to the dark side! We have fun and avoid annoying, unreliable gamers while taking the story where we like with mechanics that ALWAYS make sense to us. Who has NEVER been annoyed in a D&D game where you think of something fun and amazing for your character can do and the GM is like, "that won't work." Also as you said, the stories constantly surprise which is conterintuitive for one person being GM and player, but it happens over and over.
Yeah generative VS restrictive tools is a good way to explain how we "gamify our creativity" in solo. Another way to think of it is you use generative and inspirational tools to "open up" the game world and what is going on in it, and then you "narrow down and define" with the Y/N oracling process. Rolling on tables or flipping through books is the first layer of randomness that you invite in, and then the Y/N questioning of your creative imagination enters in as another external factor. With the Y/N process you are sort of shining a torch around your imagination to solidify things and bring them into the evolving context. There's quite a lot to that phase because it is you who decides in what direction to shine the defining light, and how broad or narrow the beam is. - Is Darth Vader my father, is a pretty shit question because it cuts to deep and dramatically. - Do I win, is another bad one. :) One thing I like to do is roll a "world die" that has results that direct what part of a scene I am to focus on with my Y/N questions. Like, area, action, entities, objects, shifts & activity and the like. I roll when time passes in game and it helps bring some external RNG into where I shine my defining light. Forces me to create in unforeseen ways. As you say, this is a deep rabbit hole when you start looking into it and think about different methods and the psychology behind how we create and so on. Cheers for the video!
I've only recently gotten back into RPGs since I stopped playing around 20 years ago. (D&D 3.0 was brand new then) One of my co-workers solo-roleplays, and I too thought it was kind of sad, for the same reasons you laid out. Then I got into learning about solo playing, and it did have comparisons in other aspects of life: reading, playing video games, writing, daydreaming. Now the stigma is gone. So why solo? Well, as adults we don't have all the time we did as kids or young adults. Jobs, and families really limit our time, so hours to play nearly every day just aren't there anymore. My friends and I would literally spend all summer long playing various RPGs. Even during the school year, night after night was spent playing. We'd even skip school to go hang out at friend's places to play. As well, adults can be a real pain in the butt. Their time is also limited, and some of them are so stuck in their ways that getting a good group of mature (for gamers) flexible and creative minds can be very, very difficult. Not to mention the fact that we all have our own cash now, so a lot of people who still play might only want to play certain games, or certain sourcebooks of some of the big names, so getting everyone to agree can be a pain. So solo is, for many of us, the only way to go. Thankfully there are a lot of resources out there, and a lot more that are free!
Nice work. And finally, a solo player who doesn’t say “I use Ironsworn!” I’ve been wanting to do a video as well, using WB coincidentally, to describe how I play, these videos are making me want to try again!
@@johnmarcgreen I feel like it is simply more complicated than my needs require. I feel as if it is more structured, and therefore more guided. I just don’t need all that in my game. I prefer a rules-lit system I know very well, a host of random tables and my own creativity to guide me than some of more complex or more structured systems. I guess my issue is exactly what you said. You see it everywhere so naturally people are beginning to say/feel that Ironsworn is “the way to solo rpg.” I feel otherwise. Just a matter of taste.
@@mattjackson I agree. I thought I was the only solo enthusiast on the planet who didn't like Ironsworn. Personally I just don't care for the game mechanics or the world atmosphere.
Dude I feel this so hard, back in the day I played Ragnarok Online with a group of buds. World of Warcraft came out and 100% of the doods I was playing with vanished. Did I go with them? No, I stuck with Ragnarok. 'Give light to the small one, who walks their path alone'. Have pride in yourself and, most importantly, have fun.
This is very close to my first experience seeing Ravenloft at a friend’s house in 8th grade. He said he’d teach me the next time I came over. Next time rolled around and he spent the whole night playing EverQuest- wasn’t until Covid that I relit the torch
- Friends: The entire guild is moving to WoW. You're coming? - Me: Did WoW have the musical theme of Prontera? - Friends: hum... no... - Me: I think it's a deal breaker...
I'm starting to explore solo D&D. I do play with a group weekly, but I would like to game more. Plus there are things I want to do in terms of characters and setting that the group isn't right now. Adding solo play presents such a great opportunity. I only wish I had realized it's possible to play solo sooner.
Thank you for helping to rekindle my interest in RPGs, and for leading me to find Geek Gamers. I just received physical copies of both Basic Fantasy and White Box today, having looked over digital copies. I also preordered Matt Finch’s Tome of Adventure Design Revised edition. I’ve long wanted to play in a group setting again, so the solo adventures suite me just fine for now.
Great video. Much like yourself I started playing DnD at the beginning of the pandemic. I do play with groups but because of conflicting schedules, actual play time is sporadic. Started playing solo as a means to fill the time and learn the game. For mechanics I've been using the Solo Adventures Toolbox combined with Mythic. In addition I have a random assortment of tables to use. I journal the game as it goes as well as graph my dungeons out on paper. Really like you intro about the charm of solo roleplaying. It really can be an absorbing creative outlet.
The Uses of Enchantment! Such a wonderful book. I discovered it some years ago and enjoyed reading it. It is a goldmine if you are interested in stories and analytic approach.
I was always interested in D&D and TTRPGs but I never knew anyone that played. 2 years ago I discovered some RUclipsrs that ran solo rpgs and I was so inspired that I bought some books and I started dropping into the rabbit hole. I mostly use the rules and Mythic GM Emulator. BTW great video!
You can just use standard modules and use die rolls to randomize things like what direction they go; who gets surprised, etc. I've done that since I was a kid when I can't get a group together. Who gets attacked? Roll d6 for the PCs in the marching order. Otherwise, just play like you would with a group. And I never fudge dice rolls, even playing solo.
thanks for everything ! It's been like a year since I wanted to try this kind of gaming. Never found a proprer Explanation before but you gave me the impulsion I needed. I played last night and this afternoon (cool, not at work today !) and It was great ! Thank you again !
Glad you’ve entered the portal. Check out my other video for Tables For One if you need a comprehensive (affordable) set of random tables to build your world :)
That was really nice and concise! You have credit where credit is due and kept things pragmatic. All the examples were helpful for understanding how to do it.
@@paavohirn3728 fairly new, yes - I got into ttrpgs two years ago and I’ve only run a handful of sessions for people. I’ve played in two short campaigns. But I’ve read and written a lot in my life so I think that helps with improvisation. And I’ve watched a ridiculous amount of stuff on RUclips about D&D and solo play. Definitely learning more than playing, which I’d like to change
@@swordssolitude3861 Nice! Enjoy the hobby and keep posting! It's really cool seeing new people really getting into rpg's. The hobby and the communities are so rich these days so new players have lots to draw inspiration from and it really shows. Like the solo playing scene.
I don't know if you get a notification but I was on mobile, while eating lunch, and hit the 👎 instead of the 👍 but I fixed it RIGHT away!!! Sorry. I appreciate you sharing, I'm thinking about solo so this is a great start for me. Thank you so much!!
You calling me sad made me laugh my ass off! Solo roleplayers are certainly… alternative. Me included. 🙂 Great video. A book of symbols, thats a good idea!
"The Way" has already found you! To play solo is to be absolutely free. My approach is to find the simplest, workable rules, turn my back on endless tables and see anything and everything as inspiration for expanding your world, adding to the character's stories and stitching their adventures together, entirely to your own taste. One of the most enjoyable aspects is how your "PC" and "NPC" characters interact and interchange. When one of the party dies, your NPC has to be given their own story for why they join. Members of a religious order, accompanying my party to ensure their help in a future adventure are caught up in a skirmish with ratmen in a sewer below the city. Father Rolf receives a mortal head wound, Sister Magda's faith is shaken as she discovers how much she enjoys killing. However, the prayers of the order restore Rolf to life. I determine that Magda will join the party permanently following the completion of this mini campaign, but she will be a deeply conflicted character, particularly after the next journey into a sealed up shrine where other, former members of the order have passed into undeath. (I am forming a necromancer character who is responsible for the woes of a number of participants in the campaign. All in my own sweet time!)
I know this is really late, but im also really new to D&D and all that, and dont really have a group to play with but it sounds like so much fun so i got some of the books and whatnot. But i'd say, check out a channel called Me, Myself, and Die! on YT... he does really incredible solo ttrpg shows and i tried out doing a solo run for the first time yesterday, and while there were a good amount of hiccups, it was an overall enjoyable experience. A good part of just starting is finding the inspiration to create your own story. From there let fate take the wheels if you cant think of anything.
Oooh this is going to be interesting! I just started watching, I’ve been trying to get my buddies together to try rpgs but it’s just too hard with everyone’s schedules
Going solo can be just as fun - different but fun. Check out my other video Tables For One if you want a comprehensive tool for quick world-building. It’s way cheaper than buying bigger books that might contain the same info. Either way welcome to a very unique hobby and I hope you can make it work :)
Its just structured creative writing and for me it is a form of therapy for stress, anxiety, depression, and many other things. I am able to turn my problems in to stories and confront them which has been hugely helpful to me.
That’s great you found an outlet. I find that character creation and rolling dice to see what happens in the world is a bit different from traditional writing as roleplaying offers a specific kind of first-person escape; you are the character etc
Group dynamics can make keeping a group going difficult. I enjoy solo roleplaying settings that I can't get others to try out. For instance, I came up with a bunch of solo tables for the Birthright (AD&D Fantasy Game of Thrones-ish) setting on my Samwise7rpg blog.
I was trying to learn a bit about solo rpg by watching geek gamers videos. But as a total newbie I found it difficult to follow them. Complete opposite with your videos (this one, plus the Konrad ones): I found them incredibly helpful and inspiring to get the idea of solo rpg, and how creatively to play it. Awesome videos, thanks so much (-:
never played D&D but since I was a kid I was fashinating.... on my 30's played Magic The Gathering... and now. 45 years old... and I would try D&D solo. I'm trying to know about the sources of play an adventure and create character. thank you for share your experience! ;-)
If you get a chance you should check out 4 against darkness it is a solo role playing there's many supplements but the core book is all you need to play graph paper and dice Is a great community by the way on Facebook that are always there to help especially the writers
It takes extra imagination and creativity to play RPGs on your own. I played D&D with other teens in the 80s...not many because my area is rural and back then the crazy people were trying to say it was Demon Worship so even though my mom didn't believe that crap a ton of kids wouldn't play out of fear of their parents. I spent some time in the 90s doing some solo projects in notebooks...during college classes. Lol Tried again playing with people in early 2000s and we had a pretty rough group. Tag along partners who didn't want to play but had to be with their partner all the time. Around 2018 I got involved again in some solo stuff and during pandemic it was especially nice. Now I'm annoyed people expect me to go places and do things and I'd rather stay home and do what I enjoy. I actually hate the time I wasted trying to get people to play who were not interested. I think the Stranger Things phenom just made temporary fans albeit a huge surge of them. They jumped on the bandwagon over a tv show so I don't think this recent resurgence will stick. That's ok. I have a lot of material and games and books to enjoy whenever I'd like. It's a fun hobby that can last a lifetime.
I do appreciate seeing your process and using random books to help generate ideas , I have only considered random tables before really . I am curious as to what you plan for the future ? Will you try an run a campaign or one shot using White Box or Basic Fantasy Roleplay? Have you experimented with other systems like PBTA or non-d20 games ?
I'm thinking I'll begin a new campaign tomorrow - I like the idea of using OSR as the campaigns usually only last a few scenarios before everyone dies. Not that I want them to, and a long ongoing campaign could be quite entertaining - stay tuned :)
Im planning on solo playing dnd to both make campaigns for me to dm with and to be able to do character ideas that I'm not currently able to because I don't want to change my character in the campaign I'm currently in
I think Tome of adventure desing is so dam hard to use during solo. It have so mutch stuff that i find lost trying to find what to use. Still a good book to get the most used tables or to create cards with tables results
@@swordssolitude3861 I most use Mythic or Ironsworn, Action+Subject, Verb+Noun, Action+theme, Theme+Focus, Theme+Descriptor+Focus or similar. That are my kind of tables, that point me a direction but dont tell me what it is, leaving room for imagination and reusability. Some times takes time coming with one idea, but that may be the time that would tooked me to get the awenser in other books, picking the right table in the right book. But that tables that present the results specificaly can be fun to use some times. There are tables like that , that came with great ideas that other way i would not get.
@@IAcePTI I use ToAD mostly at the beginning of the campaign or of a "scene," to flesh out the mission or to give me a stronger visual description of setting / buildings (set?), and once that's established I mostly stick to the oracles. I equate the ToAD to a video game "loading" assets, and the oracles as the "user interface" if that makes sense
Honestly I haven’t really delved into solo yet. I want to but the adhd keeps me from getting started. I get by until I get into a game. Have you found the solo play groups on Facebook?
I'm not on Facebook anymore (family's political opinions lol). I hope you are able to find a way into solo. I don't have adhd so this may be irrelevant, but I do find the constant surprises via the dice keeps my attention. I could see getting into a session being the biggest challenge. My advice would be to just start as basic as possible. Roll up a character in Basic Fantasy or some other simple ruleset, then just start rolling on random tables (you'll have to track those down) to establish a mission and setting, ask some questions (which direction is the castle?), see if you get hooked. I have some actual play videos on this channel if you want an example of how I fumble through everything. Good luck :)
I know I should just keep it simple. I’m always over thinking everything. I would love to get me physical copy of the tome of adventure design. Just have to make due with the pdf for now
I am new to RPGs and new to Solo RPGs too. I am a 40 Year old Guy without Friends or a Girlfriend. I have interest in RPGs but since i dont have anyone i can play with, i will start with Solo RPGs. The Thing is that i am really interested in Story, in exploring new Lands etc. Can Solo RPG provide me interesting Exploring Adventures?
Interesting but bypassing world building and npc generation would make the “odds decisions” you feed oracles also uniformly random. Without knowing what world system is like, you can’t say ship weapons are likely. The biggest problem I have with suspension of disbelief in rolling like GG does, is the inconsistency. It’s too much Arabian Nights for me. I could never “reason” on a character and its environment and next goal and how to achieve it. At least DND offers a structure on how things react.
I sort of quietly describe what’s happening aloud while writing down bullet points. If I know I’m totally alone, I’ll roleplay NPC interactions aloud, but it’s not full-on theater kid mode. If you watch my “Adventures of Konrad” videos you can see how I play, and my actual solo sessions are basically the same but quieter overall. Just do whatever is most comfortable and immersive. A balancing act.
@@swordssolitude3861 Thank you for such a quick reply, I’ll definitely check out ”Adventures of Konrad” and the rest of your videos, this got me very excited to try it out myself! Again thanks, hope you have a great day :)
Holy Smokes! Maybe it’s time for me to sell mine ha ! Or u can download my much more usable PDF for $8 on drivethrurpg - It’s called “Tables For One” I’m really proud of it :)
Игры
Solo rpg is not sad and pathetic. It's a great exercise in writing fiction, meditation and self reflection.
What else am I to do in between trolling Plato and finding a true man?
So well said.
Artists like it too
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society" - Jiddu Krishnamurti
Friends are great, if you have any that aren't "normies" but capitalism keeps everyone too busy for "socialism" heh
@@3nertia Fully automated luxury roleplaying for all!
This is such a great explanation of solo roleplaying, as an act of creative exploration and discovery.
“You are using a set of tools that pull a story down from the cosmos and presenting it to you in ways you couldn’t possibly predict.”
Mike, this is the key video that got me into solo. Thank you so much.
Welcome to the dark side! We have fun and avoid annoying, unreliable gamers while taking the story where we like with mechanics that ALWAYS make sense to us. Who has NEVER been annoyed in a D&D game where you think of something fun and amazing for your character can do and the GM is like, "that won't work." Also as you said, the stories constantly surprise which is conterintuitive for one person being GM and player, but it happens over and over.
Yeah generative VS restrictive tools is a good way to explain how we "gamify our creativity" in solo. Another way to think of it is you use generative and inspirational tools to "open up" the game world and what is going on in it, and then you "narrow down and define" with the Y/N oracling process. Rolling on tables or flipping through books is the first layer of randomness that you invite in, and then the Y/N questioning of your creative imagination enters in as another external factor. With the Y/N process you are sort of shining a torch around your imagination to solidify things and bring them into the evolving context. There's quite a lot to that phase because it is you who decides in what direction to shine the defining light, and how broad or narrow the beam is.
- Is Darth Vader my father, is a pretty shit question because it cuts to deep and dramatically.
- Do I win, is another bad one. :)
One thing I like to do is roll a "world die" that has results that direct what part of a scene I am to focus on with my Y/N questions. Like, area, action, entities, objects, shifts & activity and the like. I roll when time passes in game and it helps bring some external RNG into where I shine my defining light. Forces me to create in unforeseen ways.
As you say, this is a deep rabbit hole when you start looking into it and think about different methods and the psychology behind how we create and so on. Cheers for the video!
I've only recently gotten back into RPGs since I stopped playing around 20 years ago. (D&D 3.0 was brand new then) One of my co-workers solo-roleplays, and I too thought it was kind of sad, for the same reasons you laid out. Then I got into learning about solo playing, and it did have comparisons in other aspects of life: reading, playing video games, writing, daydreaming. Now the stigma is gone.
So why solo? Well, as adults we don't have all the time we did as kids or young adults. Jobs, and families really limit our time, so hours to play nearly every day just aren't there anymore. My friends and I would literally spend all summer long playing various RPGs. Even during the school year, night after night was spent playing. We'd even skip school to go hang out at friend's places to play.
As well, adults can be a real pain in the butt. Their time is also limited, and some of them are so stuck in their ways that getting a good group of mature (for gamers) flexible and creative minds can be very, very difficult. Not to mention the fact that we all have our own cash now, so a lot of people who still play might only want to play certain games, or certain sourcebooks of some of the big names, so getting everyone to agree can be a pain.
So solo is, for many of us, the only way to go. Thankfully there are a lot of resources out there, and a lot more that are free!
This is the best discussion/example of solo role play I’ve seen on RUclips. Thank you
Thanks for this. Getting a like-minded and motivated group together is one of the hardest things I ever tried to do in my life
Nice work. And finally, a solo player who doesn’t say “I use Ironsworn!” I’ve been wanting to do a video as well, using WB coincidentally, to describe how I play, these videos are making me want to try again!
I’ve been picking up SoloRP with the Cyberpunk Red rule set!
Forgive the question because I’m just discovering solo RP and thought Ironsworn looked pretty good; can you elaborate on your opinion about it?
@@johnmarcgreen I feel like it is simply more complicated than my needs require. I feel as if it is more structured, and therefore more guided. I just don’t need all that in my game. I prefer a rules-lit system I know very well, a host of random tables and my own creativity to guide me than some of more complex or more structured systems.
I guess my issue is exactly what you said. You see it everywhere so naturally people are beginning to say/feel that Ironsworn is “the way to solo rpg.” I feel otherwise. Just a matter of taste.
@@mattjackson hey thanks for your reply; that makes sense.
@@mattjackson I agree. I thought I was the only solo enthusiast on the planet who didn't like Ironsworn. Personally I just don't care for the game mechanics or the world atmosphere.
Dude I feel this so hard, back in the day I played Ragnarok Online with a group of buds. World of Warcraft came out and 100% of the doods I was playing with vanished. Did I go with them? No, I stuck with Ragnarok.
'Give light to the small one, who walks their path alone'. Have pride in yourself and, most importantly, have fun.
This is very close to my first experience seeing Ravenloft at a friend’s house in 8th grade. He said he’d teach me the next time I came over. Next time rolled around and he spent the whole night playing EverQuest- wasn’t until Covid that I relit the torch
- Friends: The entire guild is moving to WoW. You're coming?
- Me: Did WoW have the musical theme of Prontera?
- Friends: hum... no...
- Me: I think it's a deal breaker...
I'm starting to explore solo D&D. I do play with a group weekly, but I would like to game more. Plus there are things I want to do in terms of characters and setting that the group isn't right now. Adding solo play presents such a great opportunity. I only wish I had realized it's possible to play solo sooner.
I hope you enjoy - Check out "Tables For One" (another vid on my channel) for a really useful set of random tables. Great for new players. Cheers :)
Thank you for helping to rekindle my interest in RPGs, and for leading me to find Geek Gamers. I just received physical copies of both Basic Fantasy and White Box today, having looked over digital copies. I also preordered Matt Finch’s Tome of Adventure Design Revised edition. I’ve long wanted to play in a group setting again, so the solo adventures suite me just fine for now.
Great video. Much like yourself I started playing DnD at the beginning of the pandemic. I do play with groups but because of conflicting schedules, actual play time is sporadic. Started playing solo as a means to fill the time and learn the game. For mechanics I've been using the Solo Adventures Toolbox combined with Mythic. In addition I have a random assortment of tables to use. I journal the game as it goes as well as graph my dungeons out on paper. Really like you intro about the charm of solo roleplaying. It really can be an absorbing creative outlet.
The Uses of Enchantment! Such a wonderful book. I discovered it some years ago and enjoyed reading it. It is a goldmine if you are interested in stories and analytic approach.
Dude! That idea of opening a book and finding a name is awesome, that’s so nice thanks for this video!
It took the algorithm 8 months to bring this video to me. Looking forward to seeing more!
Excellent video. Not a lot of this kind of info on YT. Keep up the fantastic work. Cheers!
Great job with your channel.
I was always interested in D&D and TTRPGs but I never knew anyone that played. 2 years ago I discovered some RUclipsrs that ran solo rpgs and I was so inspired that I bought some books and I started dropping into the rabbit hole. I mostly use the rules and Mythic GM Emulator. BTW great video!
Great video, even if you basically generated the opening scene of Star Wars. 😁
You can just use standard modules and use die rolls to randomize things like what direction they go; who gets surprised, etc. I've done that since I was a kid when I can't get a group together. Who gets attacked? Roll d6 for the PCs in the marching order. Otherwise, just play like you would with a group. And I never fudge dice rolls, even playing solo.
Great video, by the way! Lots of good ideas:-)
thanks for everything ! It's been like a year since I wanted to try this kind of gaming. Never found a proprer Explanation before but you gave me the impulsion I needed. I played last night and this afternoon (cool, not at work today !) and It was great ! Thank you again !
That’s so cool - it really is just a matter of shifting your perspective and realizing it’s ok to use your imagination by yourself :)
@@swordssolitude3861 Exactly but sometimes it needs a trigger !
The ship looked impotent. I LOL'd. Well. played, subbed!
Just learned of solo rpg gameplay.- glad I found this video it has given me some ideas to get me started.
Glad you’ve entered the portal. Check out my other video for Tables For One if you need a comprehensive (affordable) set of random tables to build your world :)
Thanks a lot! This was exactly what I was looking for
That was really nice and concise! You have credit where credit is due and kept things pragmatic. All the examples were helpful for understanding how to do it.
Thank you :) I have a solo session going on my channel if you want to see actual play
@@swordssolitude3861 Yeah cool! Will check it out.
Did you really say you were kind of new to rpgs?
@@paavohirn3728 fairly new, yes - I got into ttrpgs two years ago and I’ve only run a handful of sessions for people. I’ve played in two short campaigns. But I’ve read and written a lot in my life so I think that helps with improvisation. And I’ve watched a ridiculous amount of stuff on RUclips about D&D and solo play. Definitely learning more than playing, which I’d like to change
@@swordssolitude3861 Nice! Enjoy the hobby and keep posting! It's really cool seeing new people really getting into rpg's. The hobby and the communities are so rich these days so new players have lots to draw inspiration from and it really shows. Like the solo playing scene.
I don't know if you get a notification but I was on mobile, while eating lunch, and hit the 👎 instead of the 👍 but I fixed it RIGHT away!!! Sorry.
I appreciate you sharing, I'm thinking about solo so this is a great start for me. Thank you so much!!
Wonderful to see another WhiteBox solo player. I have a full campaign in my channel but in Spanish.
Great video, I look forward to play through. Have you pre-ordered Geek Gamers “Solo Gamesmasters Guide yet? You get the pdf straight away.
I have not but I plan on it :)
You calling me sad made me laugh my ass off! Solo roleplayers are certainly… alternative. Me included. 🙂 Great video. A book of symbols, thats a good idea!
It's always great to see how other people 'solo' as I am fairly new to all this and struggling a little to find my way.
"The Way" has already found you! To play solo is to be absolutely free. My approach is to find the simplest, workable rules, turn my back on endless tables and see anything and everything as inspiration for expanding your world, adding to the character's stories and stitching their adventures together, entirely to your own taste.
One of the most enjoyable aspects is how your "PC" and "NPC" characters interact and interchange. When one of the party dies, your NPC has to be given their own story for why they join.
Members of a religious order, accompanying my party to ensure their help in a future adventure are caught up in a skirmish with ratmen in a sewer below the city. Father Rolf receives a mortal head wound, Sister Magda's faith is shaken as she discovers how much she enjoys killing. However, the prayers of the order restore Rolf to life. I determine that Magda will join the party permanently following the completion of this mini campaign, but she will be a deeply conflicted character, particularly after the next journey into a sealed up shrine where other, former members of the order have passed into undeath. (I am forming a necromancer character who is responsible for the woes of a number of participants in the campaign. All in my own sweet time!)
I know this is really late, but im also really new to D&D and all that, and dont really have a group to play with but it sounds like so much fun so i got some of the books and whatnot. But i'd say, check out a channel called Me, Myself, and Die! on YT... he does really incredible solo ttrpg shows and i tried out doing a solo run for the first time yesterday, and while there were a good amount of hiccups, it was an overall enjoyable experience. A good part of just starting is finding the inspiration to create your own story. From there let fate take the wheels if you cant think of anything.
Bruno Bettelheim signed my copy of the Uses of Enchantment back in the 1970s. It is cool to see you using it for your solo RPG.
That’s so cool - it’s an interesting read
Oooh this is going to be interesting! I just started watching, I’ve been trying to get my buddies together to try rpgs but it’s just too hard with everyone’s schedules
Going solo can be just as fun - different but fun. Check out my other video Tables For One if you want a comprehensive tool for quick world-building. It’s way cheaper than buying bigger books that might contain the same info. Either way welcome to a very unique hobby and I hope you can make it work :)
"At first I thought this is the saddest thing I've ever heard of" -- I LMAOed. Subscribed
Its just structured creative writing and for me it is a form of therapy for stress, anxiety, depression, and many other things. I am able to turn my problems in to stories and confront them which has been hugely helpful to me.
That’s great you found an outlet. I find that character creation and rolling dice to see what happens in the world is a bit different from traditional writing as roleplaying offers a specific kind of first-person escape; you are the character etc
Group dynamics can make keeping a group going difficult. I enjoy solo roleplaying settings that I can't get others to try out. For instance, I came up with a bunch of solo tables for the Birthright (AD&D Fantasy Game of Thrones-ish) setting on my Samwise7rpg blog.
I was trying to learn a bit about solo rpg by watching geek gamers videos. But as a total newbie I found it difficult to follow them.
Complete opposite with your videos (this one, plus the Konrad ones): I found them incredibly helpful and inspiring to get the idea of solo rpg, and how creatively to play it. Awesome videos, thanks so much (-:
Wow that’s so kind - Great to hear it’s valuable. Session 4 in the next couple of weeks
I like this, i'm gonna try this out. I don't have any friends, so this is perfect for me.
Here’s to making some new friends :)
never played D&D but since I was a kid I was fashinating.... on my 30's played Magic The Gathering... and now. 45 years old... and I would try D&D solo. I'm trying to know about the sources of play an adventure and create character. thank you for share your experience! ;-)
Thank you! Order a copy of Basic Fantasy or White Box. They’re both $5 and will do a good job of explaining the very basics
I shared this video around a bit. Well done.
Thanks! I put out my own set of random tables if you’re interested. Check out the “Tables For One”video on my channel
I'll do that. Thanks.
I'm homebrewing a system and it might help me playtest it!
Good post.
If you get a chance you should check out 4 against darkness it is a solo role playing there's many supplements but the core book is all you need to play graph paper and dice
Is a great community by the way on Facebook that are always there to help especially the writers
I just stumbled upon this… I thought I was the only one who couldn’t get a game going for the life of me. I see there’s a lot of us.
I am going to be steaming solo dnd soon. I'm hoping with twitch integration it can add a bit more randomness
It takes extra imagination and creativity to play RPGs on your own. I played D&D with other teens in the 80s...not many because my area is rural and back then the crazy people were trying to say it was Demon Worship so even though my mom didn't believe that crap a ton of kids wouldn't play out of fear of their parents. I spent some time in the 90s doing some solo projects in notebooks...during college classes. Lol
Tried again playing with people in early 2000s and we had a pretty rough group. Tag along partners who didn't want to play but had to be with their partner all the time. Around 2018 I got involved again in some solo stuff and during pandemic it was especially nice. Now I'm annoyed people expect me to go places and do things and I'd rather stay home and do what I enjoy. I actually hate the time I wasted trying to get people to play who were not interested. I think the Stranger Things phenom just made temporary fans albeit a huge surge of them. They jumped on the bandwagon over a tv show so I don't think this recent resurgence will stick. That's ok. I have a lot of material and games and books to enjoy whenever I'd like. It's a fun hobby that can last a lifetime.
Even if the resurgence doesn’t stick, people have grown more accepting of dnd because of stranger things. Also, the players have definitely increased.
@@ToweringPsychic No they haven't, now it's woke puritans screeching about DnSD being bigoted and that orcs are "meant to represent black people"
I do appreciate seeing your process and using random books to help generate ideas , I have only considered random tables before really .
I am curious as to what you plan for the future ? Will you try an run a campaign or one shot using White Box or Basic Fantasy Roleplay? Have you experimented with other systems like PBTA or non-d20 games ?
I'm thinking I'll begin a new campaign tomorrow - I like the idea of using OSR as the campaigns usually only last a few scenarios before everyone dies. Not that I want them to, and a long ongoing campaign could be quite entertaining - stay tuned :)
I only enjoy playing solo. When I play in groups, nobody takes it seriously.
Im planning on solo playing dnd to both make campaigns for me to dm with and to be able to do character ideas that I'm not currently able to because I don't want to change my character in the campaign I'm currently in
Soloing is a great way to learn mechanics to take to a group setting :)
Out of curiosity is time of adventure system agnostic or is it mostly for fantasy settings?
It’s for use with “Swords & Wizardry” so basically system agnostic for OSR fantasy
I think Tome of adventure desing is so dam hard to use during solo. It have so mutch stuff that i find lost trying to find what to use. Still a good book to get the most used tables or to create cards with tables results
Do you have a different set of random tables that are faster to reference? I’m wide open to new tools
@@swordssolitude3861 I most use Mythic or Ironsworn, Action+Subject, Verb+Noun, Action+theme, Theme+Focus, Theme+Descriptor+Focus or similar. That are my kind of tables, that point me a direction but dont tell me what it is, leaving room for imagination and reusability.
Some times takes time coming with one idea, but that may be the time that would tooked me to get the awenser in other books, picking the right table in the right book.
But that tables that present the results specificaly can be fun to use some times. There are tables like that , that came with great ideas that other way i would not get.
@@IAcePTI I use ToAD mostly at the beginning of the campaign or of a "scene," to flesh out the mission or to give me a stronger visual description of setting / buildings (set?), and once that's established I mostly stick to the oracles. I equate the ToAD to a video game "loading" assets, and the oracles as the "user interface" if that makes sense
@@swordssolitude3861 it is indid a good book. I may get some of his entries into a Card or random generator
Honestly I haven’t really delved into solo yet. I want to but the adhd keeps me from getting started. I get by until I get into a game. Have you found the solo play groups on Facebook?
I'm not on Facebook anymore (family's political opinions lol). I hope you are able to find a way into solo. I don't have adhd so this may be irrelevant, but I do find the constant surprises via the dice keeps my attention. I could see getting into a session being the biggest challenge. My advice would be to just start as basic as possible. Roll up a character in Basic Fantasy or some other simple ruleset, then just start rolling on random tables (you'll have to track those down) to establish a mission and setting, ask some questions (which direction is the castle?), see if you get hooked. I have some actual play videos on this channel if you want an example of how I fumble through everything. Good luck :)
I know I should just keep it simple. I’m always over thinking everything. I would love to get me physical copy of the tome of adventure design. Just have to make due with the pdf for now
I am new to RPGs and new to Solo RPGs too.
I am a 40 Year old Guy without Friends or a Girlfriend. I have interest in RPGs but since i dont have anyone i can play with, i will start with Solo RPGs.
The Thing is that i am really interested in Story, in exploring new Lands etc. Can Solo RPG provide me interesting Exploring Adventures?
Absolutely. I take short bullet-point notes as I’m going. Some people prefer to write long passages. Try both and see what you prefer :)
Is the TOAD still in print? I can’t find a hard copy anywhere.
I believe so but it’s second edition w green cover. Ebay?
Interesting but bypassing world building and npc generation would make the “odds decisions” you feed oracles also uniformly random. Without knowing what world system is like, you can’t say ship weapons are likely.
The biggest problem I have with suspension of disbelief in rolling like GG does, is the inconsistency. It’s too much Arabian Nights for me.
I could never “reason” on a character and its environment and next goal and how to achieve it. At least DND offers a structure on how things react.
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but when you play, do you talk out loud or do you sit in silence?
I sort of quietly describe what’s happening aloud while writing down bullet points. If I know I’m totally alone, I’ll roleplay NPC interactions aloud, but it’s not full-on theater kid mode. If you watch my “Adventures of Konrad” videos you can see how I play, and my actual solo sessions are basically the same but quieter overall. Just do whatever is most comfortable and immersive. A balancing act.
@@swordssolitude3861 Thank you for such a quick reply, I’ll definitely check out ”Adventures of Konrad” and the rest of your videos, this got me very excited to try it out myself! Again thanks, hope you have a great day :)
Definitely silence, but the internal monologue is deafening! The cries of disappointment and triumph are as - per a regular game with players.
Tome 0f Adventure Design going for 199.00 on Amazon..... no can do.
Holy Smokes! Maybe it’s time for me to sell mine ha ! Or u can download my much more usable PDF for $8 on drivethrurpg - It’s called “Tables For One” I’m really proud of it :)
Cha'alt!
I just realized your channel is called Swords & Solitude... so, a video on solo gaming seems appropriate. ;)
It souns cool but, i don't know, isn't it boring to play alone? i mean...its just you talking to yourself, throwing dice around.
It’s as boring as reading or watching a movie or playing a video game