Solo Games Forever Alone Edition

Nah, dude, I have a pretty sizable Solo subfolder in my RPG stuff, and we have threads from time to time.

Got it.

Those are a thing that exists? daum.

This one's almost a writing exercise. It's interesting, though.

Yep. Solo gaming was a big deal in old wargaming circles, because much like in chess, it offered a way to analyze your strategy and find weak spots, which you often didn't get in a real play. There you might be paired with a schlub that couldn't beat a basic strategem at all, or a genius who wipes the floor with you, leaving you wondering what just happened. Trying to poke holes in your own strategies can offer valuable insights into your strengths and weaknesses, and what your opponents are doing.

When RPGs grew out of wargaming, solo gaming came along with it. Tunnels and Trolls was a big solo system, while Traveller had good support for solo play as well, coming as it did from serious wargaming guys. TSR published a number of solo modules intended to fix the problem where you had a group that wanted to play D&D but nobody had enough experience to do it.

Gamebooks also became a big thing in the 80s, along with Choose Your Own Adventure type books, but they died out by the early 90s, due to both the rise of cheap video games and a glut of bad CYOA books cashing in on the fad.

Solo RPGs have seen a resurgence in recent years, though, with stuff like the various GM emulators, and new solo systems and modules and gamebooks being produced for the niche market.
I mean sure, video games are nice, but sometimes you really want to roll some dice, and getting a group together can be just as much a headache now as it was in the 80s..

Been playing a solo KD campaign. It's actually pretty fun because you can focus resources on what you want instead of letting other people have a say.

Interestin history, thanks user.

No you're not. I personally use PDF related, along with Classic Traveller

Traveller is a fantastic solo game. I recommend rolling a character (or a small party) and begin a campaign in the merchant marine. The core book has a bunch of random roll tables to use every time something happens, and it has enough flavor and replayability to keep you coming back.

How?
I am new to actually playing Veeky Forumsames.

I should write up a FAQ for this stuff.

First figure out what you want kind of game you want to play, and then figure out what system and tools you'll need to handle it.
Quickest fix will be a gamebook, see the Lone Wolf link in OP for some freely available ones. These are basically a simple RPG system bolted on to a CYOA. (The book kind of CYOAs, not the lame internet memes)

There are also solo modules for some systems, which are a bit like gamebooks, but with more game and less book. A lot of systems back in the 80s had these to teach you the rules, a practice I wish hadn't stopped. TSR's modules fall under this heading.

Then you have systems designed for solo play. Old ones include T&T, which is kind of fun, but its modules are very old school with random stuff happening out of the blue. If you dig that, go for it.
Traveller has support for solo play right out of the box, as its trade system can let you play as a merchant captain with no other players. It has robust tables for generating other stuff, and a pretty good combat system for solo wargaming if you want to handle shootouts in a bar or something.
Modern solo systems include: Scarlet Heroes, which is D&D with PC power ramped up to let a single PC handle old school modules, with all the mobs of enemies that implies.
De Profundis, a game of Lovecraftian correspondence for one or more players
Raiders of the Ruins of Kanthe, a solo dungeon crawler
Norse Odyssey, a solo game about Viking raiders
And quite a few more.

Another modern invention is the GM Emulator, a kind of master table system/advanced Magic 8 ball thing, usually with some narrative structure rules attached, that can take the place of a GM in any system, whether it's designed for solo play or not.
Mythic was the first, and is the heftiest one around. Since then there have been several others: Conjectural Roleplaying's Gamemaster Emulator (CRGE), Perilous Intersections, and The 9Qs. New ones pop up now and then.

First of all thank you for answering my question.

I am aligned to Sci-Fi,however also wiling to give good'ol fantasy adventure too.

Sorry forgot to add the question -
So , what should I choose ?

Sci-fi, huh? Traveller is probably your best friend, then. It's long been the benchmark for good sci-fi systems. Its default setting is a no-Lucas, no-Roddenberry, classic SF literature-inspired space opera universe with a noir twist,

Grab The Traveller Book from here:

mega.co.nz/#F!DkdyQITY!Y1VxiiEtuqDwhHo5wEw65w

Also useful are the supplements, especially S1-1001 Characters, S4-Citizens of the Imperium, S6-76 Patrons, and S7-Traders and Gunboats.

Book 7, Merchant Prince, may be handy if you want a specifically merchant-focused game. It includes extra stuff for trade-based games, and a Merchant career for characters.

If you want a more general adventure game, you might want a GM emulator. Mythic, posted above, is good, but pretty heavy on the crunch. Here's a more lightweight alternative. Use whichever you prefer.

Other user here,what would you suggest for Fantasy Role Playing?

Thanks for the traveller link senpai

Also Mythic isn't that complex, it takes a good day to seize how it works, and then you only need two pages of tables.

>You're never leaving Mom's Basement™ but you still want to game?
Roll20 or, in times of desperation, pbp

Also, why not vidya gaem if you're alone anyway

Back in my days we used our imagination.

I played through Battlecon: Devestation of Indines first solo dungeon.

Just managed to eek out a win but it actually felt pretty satisfying.

Scarlet Heroes is pretty good, and has rules that help mitigate the problems of the lone hero in a fantasy milieu. It also has its own mini GM emulator system of tables for generating adventures and stuff at the back of the book.

No, Mythic's not super complex, but it's the biggest GME around, and when you consider he's learning a whole new RPG system AND a GM emulator on top, a lighter GME might be preferable. (And some folks just plain prefer the lighter ones anyway.)

Because nothing about vidjeo games can quite scratch the itch to roll some dice and build some stories of your own.

Oh, SH link, some assembly required:

anonfiles com /file/39790a27e43f0e205a8aae3291a491a2

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Tunnels&Trolls

Anyone tested this?
I might do so soon.

This is glorious! I made this thread yesterday. Headed to my 10 HR a day corporate wage slave, souless office job. Worked all day. Get treated like shit by evil boss. Come home to my one bedroom apartment. Crack open a beer and see I am not alone. Thx guys you have restored my faith in gamers at least.

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The Fantasy Trip from Metagaming - very tactical, 8 solo adventures. Designed by Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games it's essentially Proto-GURPS.

>8 solo adventures.

Ooh, I wasn't aware of those, I'll have to get a copy of that now.

You can find some of them in here

mega.nz/#F!r9dxwA5S!bKjePzZxre9NNIZlFpfpRg

Also, Fighting Fantasy gamebooks

mega.nz/#F!ellRxKKb!698hqbj0xhUIPuP-F9aWvQ

Ow! My eyes!

These are pretty cool, though.

There's also:

Exiles of the Wicked Maze (drivethrurpg.com/product/127417/Exiles-Of-The-Wicked-Maze)
Dungeons: A Solo Adventure (drivethrurpg.com/product/107175/Dungeons-A-Solo-Adventure-Game)
Labyrinth (labyrinthadventures.com/)

Haven't had chance to pick any of the above up yet, but they all seem worth a look.

Oh, and Ancient Odysseys: Treasure Awaits! (pigames.net/store/product_info.php?cPath=101&products_id=559).

Late night bump

mediafire.com/folder/4b1g5kuxjuzdw/Gamebooks

A few more gamebooks from various lines

nice thread, I had no idea this existed until now

Welcome to 1981 mother fuckers!

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The guy who made this does a lot of neat solo stuff.

why don't we solos get together and play a game?

It's a good idea, but I don't have the time. I already run a game for my group. Solo stuff is usually what I pull out when people flake and game night's cancelled, and I'm left sitting there with a fistful of dice and a few hours of nothing to do.
Then again, I might have some free time tomorrow, depending.

A major influence on early D&D was Outdoor Survival, a brutal game of staying alive in the wilderness.

And here's the map.

Gotta love the dislocated shoulder part.

>playing pretend by yourself

Why? Honestly, why? Half the fun in playing with a group is that you're able to come up with ridiculous situations to laugh about and shoot the shit with your buddies.

You might as well just spend your time writing a book or playing a video game.

If you like miniatures I suggest Monsterpocalypse solo

its bretty fun and the game is dead so cheap collecting armies for it.

>playing pretend
Game design is an art! An art!
Solo playing puts constraints and drives the designer to think out of the box.
We're not playing it for immersion ; we're playing it in hope for surprise.

what she said

This probably isn't quite the right thread, but whatever.

What about 2 player games? I've been fiddling with the idea for a while because most systems aren't built for it at all and people deserve better. I mean it's coming from me so you're getting what I like which is semi collaborative and pseudonarrative, but that's what I want and what my friend(s) like. Is there interest or is it easier just to make do?

You're rolling a couple chunks of plastic around and using that to think of a story in your head You can't get surprised by that when you have absolute control of every outcome.

I heard Poltergeist was spooky but I never got to put my hands on it.

You're missing the fact that a game has rules.

Unrelated pic because it bugs if I don't post one

How does this work? Do you just play by yourself while the books are your GM?

Usually. Others have it where the rules GM the best they can, but that's more soloing existing modules.

cuntributing to a nice thread

DEATH ANGEL made by FFG is a really nice 1 player game, even if you don't really care for warhammer 40k (I don't)

It's a must-have for any solo enthusiast

Why do anything ever? Because I like it! I don't play video games because I find them too addictive. Have you tried solo table top play? It is every bit as fun as reading or vidya. I also find solo adventures an untapped resource for ideas for my regular RPGs.