Solo Roleplaying: go play with yourself

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Solo Roleplaying: go play with yourself

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

90s Cringe Rock posted:

Not technically roleplaying, but Modiphius are publishing Five Parsecs From Home.

https://www.modiphius.net/products/five-parsecs-from-home

It's cool.

Yeah and the creator is a goon. Nordic Weasel guy posts in the Miniature Wargaming Indy Style thread here:https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?noseen=0&threadid=3253037&perpage=40&pagenumber=119#pti17

Comstar posted:

Has anyone had any experience in Rangers of Shadow Deep.

I bought the game on Monday and I am reading through the rules so I can't really say I have experience yet. It's giving me a definite Lord of the Rings crawl into Mordor feel. I think some people in the Miniature Wargaming Indy Style thread have had experience with it.

Angrymog posted:

In the Ultra Violet Grasslands I've just started I'm using more of a GM stance with the oracle directing the character, but it's very definitely a game first, a creative writing exercise second. People playing the "But is it even a game? Is it Roleplaying?" really ought to look up some write ups of sessions - I've posted some of mine (and a really good Pendragon one), and can go hunt down some other links.

I love the world of Ultraviolet Grasslands and would enjoy reading about a solo campaign. Actually shouldn't this thread also include after action reports of solo roleplaying?

I got recommended the first Western solo roleplaying game I've heard of. It is called The Drifter and its available at DriveThrough for a buck fifty.

I'll take a look and report back.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/295206/The-Drifter

Also I heard of a Kickstarter for a tavern management roleplaying simulator, The Broken Cask. It's $10 to get the PDF. My only hesitation is that it uses a 1d6 plus skill for resolution rolls and that makes me wonder how extensive and interesting the tables can be. I'd like more variation than 1d6. Also the Kickstarter mentioned that there are more than one tavern management roleplaying games, so does anyone here recommend one?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shorelessskies/the-broken-cask?ref=project_link

# ¿ Apr 11, 2021 18:55

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 09:30

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

I read through the rules for The Drifter, a Western solo roleplaying game. Links in my previous post. I have to say, it reminds me a bit of the old Lone Wolf Kai fantasy books by Joe Denver and Gary Chalk. Your character in The Drifter is a morally grey gunslinger who has seen both sides of the law and drinks to forget. Your objective is to raise $300 in cash to start a new life. Or die trying. The system is pretty simple. You have Finesse to represent your physical abilities, Hunch for your mental abilities and Karma for luck. There is a health track of five levels before you are dead. The more wounded you get, the more your Finesse degrades. Opposing combat and opposing skill contests are simply a matter of subtraction the opposing skill from your own, adding the result to a die roll, then checking a table for the result. There is a 20x22 hex map to navigate your travels, and 245 events to encounter. You roll for one event a turn (a day) on a table that varies according to your bounty level. Your bounty goes up the more of a villain you become.

I haven't played The Drifter yet, but for $1.49 it is an absolute steal. :shrug:

Since we are talking solo roleplaying I have to mention the Lone Wolf series of gamebooks. There are 20 in the Lone Wolf Kai series and they (and others!) are all free at Project Aon here:

https://www.projectaon.org/en/Main/Books

You are essentially the last of a brotherhood of psychic fantasy warriors (think special ops or the Witcher) that must save the kingdom from the machinations of the Dark Lords. Eventually you rebuild your mystic order.

Want to read a Lets Play of them before diving in? Read on: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3830605

# ¿ Apr 12, 2021 00:10

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Found another indy solo game by bouncing around reddit. The Shrike is in Early Access and already has 120+ pages. It is $4.

https://sadpress.itch.io/the-shrike

quote:

The Shrike is a game about fantastical voyages aboard a skyship. It's inspired by Avery Alder's The Quiet Year, John Harper's Lady Blackbird, Italo Calvino, Ursula K. Le Guin, and utopian and dystopian fiction. The 120+ page early access edition is now available, featuring four complete adventures (two multiplayer, two for solo play).

Adventures for The Shrike provide a level of detail between traditional gamebooks and oracle-based games such as The Quiet Year. You'll encounter people, places, and other prompts, but you'll also have the flexibility to build your own world and tell your own stories.

Want to focus on worldbuilding and speculative anthropology? Steampunk dogfights and scurrilous sky piracy? Cosmic horror at abominable altitudes? Tales of hope and care, exploring the ups and downs of the relationships of your crew? The Shrike invites you to tell all these stories and more.

This early access edition may still contain some glitches. All feedback is very welcome.

Also I found a good video about seven solo skirmish games. Rangers of Shadow Deep is mentioned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B37uqIUgJqM

# ¿ Apr 12, 2021 05:14

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Some gent illustrated their playthrough of Thousand Year Old Vampire.

https://twitter.com/dog_blink/status/1377786943962902529

# ¿ Apr 21, 2021 02:07

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

StarkRavingMad posted:

Here some other stuff I've discovered in this sphere:

Four Against Darkness: Solo dungeon crawl game when you control four characters. "You choose four character types from the classic classes (warrior, wizard, rogue, halfling, dwarf, barbarian, cleric, elf), equip them, and start adventuring in dungeons created by dice rolls and by your choices. When you enter a room, you generate its content on a series of random tables. You will meet monsters, fight them, hopefully defeat them (or decide that discretion is the better part of valor!), you'll manage your resources (healing, spells, life points, equipment), grab treasure, dodge traps, find clues, and even accept quests from the monsters you meet. Your characters can level up and become better at what they do, but it will not be easy."

First of all thanks for the massive effortpost.

Four Against Darkness really caught my attention due to the procedural generation of a dungeon and the mix-and-match character types to form a team. Four Against Ragnarok sounds really cool too.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2021 17:27

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Honestly I think :justpost:

If someone doesn't like it they can always skip the post :shrug:

Or start a blog and put the links here. That could work too.

# ¿ May 30, 2021 05:24

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

5 Parsecs from Home is a Sci-fi Solo Wargaming system (called an Adventure Wargame) where you assemble or generate a crew from random tables and then skirmish with procedurally generated enemies. The hefty element to the game is the Campaign system where your crew can develop their skills, pay off the loan for their spaceship, get into trouble, and buy and trade weapons and gear between battles. It also includes robust Patron, Job, Rival and Quest subsystems.

The combat is punchy and quickly resolved. One battle will take about an hour and there are a large variety of enemy types.

The combination of solo skirmish wargame and campaign system creates a rich environment for writing prompts which can easily be turned into a narrative. That is what I have done here. Below is the narrative version of an after-action report of a 5 Parsecs from Home squad creation session and actual wargame skirmish. I have taken the most interesting events of each round and narrated them. All characters including the crew and their names were randomly generated.

5 Parsecs from Home is $20 for the pdf on DriveThru or $35 for the physical hardback plus pdf at Modiphius. And of course, it is goon made.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/358938/Five-Parsecs-From-Home--Solo-Adventure-Wargaming

https://www.modiphius.net/products/five-parsecs-from-home

quote:

The ornithopter�s frame shook violently as the craft juked and swerved over the belching smokestacks and humming power wires of the industrial center below. Captain Bjorn Ivannox swayed in his harness webbing, affixed to a hook in the ceiling, as he reviewed the battlefield data with his crew through his VR implant. Brilliant goldenrod arrows shimmered against an oldtech background of phosphorescent green lines, denoting the industrial battlespace his crew was about to engage in.

�How many contacts?� asked the soldier Anriel, not looking up from adjusting his tracking sight on the lean and smooth infantry laser. �Should be six at most,� Leomes Gallo chimed in, the technician studiously checking the social media presence of the Black Dragons, the asteroid pirate faction they were about to ambush. �Six. A match to the crew�s numbers,� Bjorn thought.

Bjorn leaned back in the webbing and ran through his memory of the past 24 hours. At a speakeasy, The Thirsty Engine, a corpo drenched in sweat had barged in and openly offered a bounty on the Black Dragons. Something involving a deal gone bad and a gene-locked suitcase full of data on the site. Sensing a good opportunity when he smelled it, Bjorn immediately riled up his crew and got them transport to the industrial zone on a creaky Shrike Mark II ornithopter. Flying low to the horizon, this dubious transport would cloak their approach from spaceship-seeking sensors and afford them a fast evac if things went wrong.

Bjorn waved away the VR display and took a steady look at his other companions. Fallox Encia was leaning down in her webbing-hammock, one hand tapping out a beat on her music synthesizer while the other was carefully locking the thermal clip into her well-worn scrap pistol. Levian Nuende was running his fingers over his shaved head as he studied the VR map of the battlespace, his blast pistol locked and loaded on his hip. Piklov Demir was polishing the blade of his brutal buster sword and nodding absently with his headphones on. Bjorn knew from experience that Piklov was listening to some commentator or another describing the fluctuations of planetary commodities and intersystem cryptocurrency. Always rooting after fat stacks of credits, that one.

�Five minutes until drop!� Bjorn yelled over the comms as his crew made last minute preparations to their various implements of murder and mayhem. Bjorn�s VR display crackled into life again with golden triangles and red lines warning of atmospheric disturbances. A storm front was mixing with the localized industrial pollution to a dense heady smog and gloom over the battlespace. �Expect smog as thick as tar!� Bjorn announced, �Visibility limited.� Piklov glanced up at Fallox with a savage grin and both crewmembers clanged their respective melee weapons together in excitement. �Should be good for some up close and personal action!� Piklov exclaimed.

The ornithopter buzzed up and down over the dropzone. Six filamentous ropes sprang from the bottom of the transport and the crew slid down as one unit, Bjorn touching earth first.

(First Round)

A couple of quick finger gestures, and Bjorn had ordered the squad to form out in a battle line in the midst of the industrial smog, each member securing themselves in cover behind a fabbed piece of concrete or a reinforced steel fence.

Bjorn peered out over the edge of his barricade, the green image enhancement of his VR clarifying murky shadows and formless obstructions as towering concrete pillars and a mess of industrial robots parked in stiff silence.

There, the entire squad heard it; radio crackles of men chuckling, at leisure. Coming from the forest of concrete pillars to the north. Just then, Piklov made a move.

Clutching, then parkouring over the chain linked fence, Pikov was already in motion as he saw it. A shiny suitcase propped up, forgotten, against an automated forklift; the gene-lock signature on it glowing steady phosphorescent and green. Payday.

Pikov�s heavy bootsteps echoed on the hard surface of the industrial park. The radio chatter cutoff abruptly and curt orders were barked over the enemy intercoms as Pilkov slid next to the forklift, slamming hard into its frame, his buster sword on his back bouncing in its sheath.

Bjorn could see a rare ray of sunlight shine off of Pilkov�s gold tooth as he grabbed the suitcase in triumph, then immediately hit the deck to avoid a spray of gunfire from what could only be the Black Dragon pirates saturating the area with military rifles on full rock-and-roll.

(Second Round)

�Contact! Contact!,� Bjorn yelled, sprinting towards the reinforced fence previously vacated by Pilkov as his sight filled with glimmering red crosshairs now moving in formation to the north. �Six! Count them, six contacts! Lets do this!� Bjorn roared as he ducked his head from a burst of fire that narrowly missed his camo beret.

Far to his right, Anriel coolly took aim and breathed out slow. The was the bark of pain from the Black Dragon�s side as Anriel�s infantry laser cooked one of the armor plates on the man that was shouting orders over the radio comms. drat. Solid miss.

Levian Nuende sped over to the fence next to Bjorn and immediately spun his blast pistol up in a snap shot. �gently caress gently caress� came the response from the Black Dragons as the radio commands cut off abruptly and the man in Anriel�s sights crumpled to the floor. �Game over, Game OVER,� one of the pirates screamed upon seeing his commander bleeding on the floor. He turned tail and fled. Four contacts left.

(Third Round)

Breathing raggedly, Piklov Demir sprinted back towards Bjorn�s firing line, adrenaline and residual chems pumping in time with his heartbeat. As Piklov broke cover, one of the Black Dragons, the left part of his face ripped and replaced with targeting optics, casually spun up an oversized revolver and fired two incendiary red bolts downrange at Piklov. One bolt clanged against the gene-locked suitcase and ricocheted down the industrial park to explode into a mass of burning sticky chems. �Oh poo poo, that�s clingfire,� Piklov managed to think as the second bolt slammed into his back and turned him into an unfortunate inferno.

(Fourth Round)

�Piklov�s down!� Levian Nuende shouted to Bjorn who was adjacent to him behind the fence. �Then do something about it, goddamn it!� Bjorn roared back, spittle flying as he surveyed the incoming red-crosshairs encroaching on their position. Sweat apparent on his shaved head, Levian took a heartbeat to aim and then pulled the trigger on a Black Dragon to his right. The Dragon�s faceplate crumpled and the man shivered visibly, but he continued to rush forwards after a moment.

But that moment was all that Leomes Gallo needed. In an impromptu sniper�s crouch, his hand cradling a well-worn colony rifle, Gallo fired and the encroaching pirate who had paused fell to the ground, senseless.

The Black Dragons continued their advance. With the suitcase in sight, they were out for blood.

Meanwhile on the right flank, soldier Anriel was busy. Adjusting his position and toggling his range finder, he targeted the profile of the Black Dragon with the devastating clingfire revolver. A beam fired away. Miss. Not to be outdone, the Black Dragon fired his revolver back, missing twice.

(Fifth Round)

Eyes narrowed, Anriel fired off an angry last shot and leapt over the barricade back to safety. To his surprise, the laser connected, drawing a cry of pain as a cauterized line nearly bisected the revolver man�s shoulder. Unsurprisingly, the bark of a command was followed by the sounds of full auto military rifles firing against Anriel�s barricade. He was pinned down, but luckily unharmed and he knew it; he hunched over into a crouch and waited for a break in the action.

On the left flank, Fallox Encia kept up a steady flow of covering fire. Annoyed, a Black Dragon took aim and fired at Fallox�s exposed wrist on rock-and-roll. Struck, Fallox howled and slammed into the ground, her body quickly going into shock. Bjorn hissed through his teeth and mentally subtracted one on his side from the fight. The Black Dragons� odds had just narrowed and he need to do something and do it fast.

One of the pirates had advanced out of position to get a good angle on Anriel. Leomes Gallo took advantage of this mistake by leaning out from behind cover and shooting the man center of mass. The Black Dragon whipped his rifle around at Leomes, bullets spraying a deadly rain in the area, as Captain Bjorn Ivannox seized the initiative, climbing over a reinforced fence and leaping, swinging his glowing glare sword down in a powerful arc that cleaved through the Black Dragon�s rifle and into his groin.

(Sixth Round)

His opponent finished, Bjorn scrambled toward the frozen forklift for cover, but it was too late. Bjorn had managed to cut down the Black Dragons to two men, but he left himself exposed and the man with the clingfire revolver shot two bolts, both impacting his lower body, starting an instant inferno. Bjorn was down, insensate as fire whorled around him. The Black Dragon laughed as his facial optics whirred and pulsed, searching for another victim.

The one remaining pirate with the military rifle fired upon Leomes Gallow, seeking an easy kill. �gently caress it,� spat Leomes, leaning out of cover again and exchanging fire with the pirate. Both men cried out as they were wounded, but the Black Dragon screamed louder; there was a hole in his midsection from Anriel�s laser beam coming from the right flank.

(Seventh Round)

With a speed that suggested chemical augmentation and desperation, the revolver wielding Black Dragon all by his lonesome, sprinted over to the wounded Leomes and giggled as he raised his gun and fired.

�drat you!� Levian Nuende shouted and fired his blast pistol wildly downrange. But it was the soldier�s well developed cold focus that ended the engagement. Anriel�s sights coalesced at the base of the laughing Black Dragon�s spine. He pulled the trigger. There was no recoil. There was no sound as the target simply vaporized into a fine red mist.

***

Bjorn tossed and turned, groaning at the bright light piercing through his eyelids and the incessant beeping slowly reaching his ears. His nose filled with the scents of antiseptic and sterile gauze. He was thirsty, so thirsty. He coughed and nearly gagged at his dry throat. �Report� he managed to croak out.

�You�re in Med Bay� came Anriel�s gruff voice. �I can tell,� Bjorn rasped, bright lights and colored sensors assaulting his vision as his eyes fluttered open. �What happened?�

Anriel just laughed and slid his fingers into his beltloops. �All crew accounted for. Two have more serious wounds than you, old timer.� The old soldier nodded to the table in front of him, �And we secured this.� The green light of the gene-lock glimmered tranquilly on its indestructible steel suitcase.

Payday, Captain Bjron Ivannox thought as the warm inviting blackness crept up behind his eyes then gently engulfed him.

Helical Nightmares fucked around with this message at 04:19 on Oct 8, 2021

# ¿ Oct 8, 2021 04:03

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Doctor Zero posted:

Awesome! Thanks for posting. I got it recently and look forward to playing myself!

I didn't know Ivan is a goon! Does he post here?

Thanks! Glad folks like it. I had a good time playing and writing it up.

Ivan goes by Nordic Weasel guy and I've seen him show up in the Miniature Wargaming, Indie Style thread.

https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3253037&pagenumber=122#lastpost

# ¿ Oct 8, 2021 23:35

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Drone posted:

How is Five Parsecs from Home though, practically? Like I love the idea of a solo wargame but I also have a hard time imagining myself breaking out the pewter and plastic spacemen and actually setting up a battlefield on my kitchen table just for me.

I personally really enjoy 5 Parsecs. For me the fun is in streamlined mechanics of the wargame (that often leads to nail biting endings) and the emergent narrative that comes out of all of the tables and interactions between the crew governed by the Campaign System.

I personally really enjoyed rolling up a random crew, trying to optimize the gear I randomly acquired, and throwing them against a procedurally generated team of enemies. It feels like a gritty, seat of your pants, small skirmish on a godforsaken scifi backwater world.

I documented creation of my squad on my tiny blog here: https://nightmarethoughts6.blogspot.com/2021/10/5-parsecs-from-home-review.html

I also turned one 5 Parsecs combat game into an after action report short story. The narrative just flows from the combat and the AI actions the NPCs take. Your random rolls really do start to take shape as characters from fire fight to fire fight.
https://nightmarethoughts6.blogspot.com/2021/10/5-parsecs-from-home-after-action-report.html

Notahippie posted:

I just use powerpoint - it makes it a lot easier than setting up the table and makes it easier to swap out figures, etc. If you wanted to go for more expansive visuals you could also use a tabletop simulator of some kind. I like 5 parsecs but IMO it needs some kind of end game - it's got a decent basic setup, but it's closer to a wargame than an rpg and so it doesn't organically develop some kind of goal and overarching plot if you go by RAW. 5 Leagues is an interesting counter-case, because it's the same basic system but A) it has a mechanism for your party being part of shutting down active threats in the region so you're working towards some end and B) there's an apocalypse endgame that can be triggered randomly by event rolls.

The endgame of 5 Parsecs (or as you Notahippie pointed out, the lack thereof) was an interesting question in contrast with the endgame of 5 Leagues; so I asked Ivan on his Discord. He said that (for 5 Parsecs) Planetary Invasions sort of fit for an "endgame" and he may expand on that later, but at the end 5 Parsecs and 5 Leagues were meant to be different intentionally.

Planetary Invasions are sort of endurance tests for your crew. Your goal is to outlast the attacking forces. Mechanically invasion opponents always have two additional enemies and you must hold out for 6 rounds, then you can fight until you Hold the Field or flee (5 Parsecs 3rd Edition p. 92).

Ivan's comment was that 5 Parsecs was meant to be "infinite" until you restart or end at 20ish turns. He wanted 5 Leagues to be winnable or losable.

Speaking of 5 Leagues, the 3rd edition published by Modiphius is supposedly being released soonish.

Re: Starforged

I've gotten excited about Starforged relatively recently by reading another blog (not mine this time) called Memento Discite. To me these served as good examples for how Starforged mechanics worked.

The generation of the character Bingo and the universe he is in can be found here: https://mementodiscite.blogspot.com/2022/01/rpg-character-day-7-8-and-9.html

Part 1 of his solo journal can be found here: https://mementodiscite.blogspot.com/2022/01/corporateaffairsmiddlemanagement.1..html

Fat Samurai posted:

This one is nice. I have an Ironsworn campaign going where my character founded a city, and was struggling with ways to gamify it a little bit more.

So a while ago (in 2017 I think) I put together a list with the help of the SA tg chat thread for a bunch of RPG resources for kingdom building and organizational management supplements or rules.

The list is here: https://nightmarethoughts6.blogspot.com/2022/01/base-building-domain-management-or.html

Just a few suggestions. You might want to look into Pathfinder's Ultimate Campaign book for updated Kingmaker rules, or Way of the Wicked Books 6-7 for additional kingdom management rules. I think Godbound and An Echo Resounding (by Kevin Crawford, Sine Nomine publishing) also have rules for founding a city and expanding it. Then again, there is also Reign, Ars Magica and HarnManor (from HarnMaster) you may want to look through as well.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2022 19:21

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Rutibex posted:

Ohhh a map drawing game, gimmie

If you are interested in map drawing games, you might like Penciltown. I heard about it from the Geek Gamer's youtube channel; and I've bought it, read through most of it, but I have yet to play it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv9Vjw8cUJs&t=1375s

Basically, Penciltown is a solo exercise in building up a town using randomly generated resources. If you are successful, eventually you can acquire gold to hire adventurers, build a church to hold holy relics or even build a wizard tower and encourage wizards to live in it.

It is $5 on Drivethrou for a 37 page book.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/253129/Penciltown

# ¿ Mar 16, 2022 20:58

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Bottom Liner posted:

Do you have thoughts on that one vs PencilVillage?

Good question. I didn't know about PencilVillage until you mentioned it.

But from what I can gather from Andrew Backhouse's website, PencilVillage is $4 for an 8 page pdf. Penciltown is $5 for the whole 37 page product I think. Also PencilVillage reportedly takes about an hour to play, while Penciltown takes 2-6 hours.

https://pencilvillage.org/

# ¿ Mar 17, 2022 06:04

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

I've seen the following recommended for their scifi random tables but I don't own them so I can't speak to their content.

Book of Random Tables: Science Fiction 1
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/244529/The-Book-of-Random-Tables-Science-Fiction

Book of Random Tables: Science Fiction 2
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/301859/The-Book-of-Random-Tables-Science-Fiction-2

Science Fiction Codex of Lists 1
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/108333/Science-Fiction-Codex-of-Lists-2nd-Edition

Science Fiction Codex of Lists 2
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/114967/Science-Fiction-Codex-of-Lists-2-2nd-Edition

If you wanted to look further afield, there are a couple wargames that have useful tables.

Rogue Stars has 7 pages of tables for missions and environments and a few more pages than that if you were looking for scifi factions, equipment and psionic powers. In terms of Rogue Stars as a wargame, I'd recommend you look up Guerilla Miniature Games Rogue Stars video on youtube to get a feel for it. The action economy is different from wargames I've usually played and not everyone likes it.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/283384/Rogue-Stars-Skirmish-Wargaming-in-a-Science-Fiction-Underworld

5 Parsecs from Home the scifi solo wargame I've talked about before also has tables for generating enemies, towns, trade, character events and starship travel. As a solo wargame I highly enjoy this product.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/358938/Five-Parsecs-From-Home--Solo-Adventure-Wargaming

# ¿ Apr 10, 2022 18:04

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Doctor Zero posted:

Oh hell yeah, thank you. I wanted something like the hex program for 5 Leagues.

This is a drat good idea.

Thanks for the Hexographer and other random dungeon generator recommendations Rutibex

# ¿ Apr 12, 2022 04:46

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Modiphius is releasing a new line of rpg stuff called Cohors Cthulhu. What is it? Basically it is investigators in the Roman Empire and Ancient World battling Cthulhu and related cultists/Things.

https://www.modiphius.net/pages/cohors-cthulhu

quote:

COHORS CTHULHU is a setting for Lovecraftian horror set against the backdrop of epic heroism, intrigue and strife in the era of ancient Rome. COHORS CTHULHU will allow players to discover hidden truths behind pivotal historical events as well as the myths and legends of the peoples in this time. Magic exists, available through belief and prayer in capricious gods. And behind the clash of mortals is a greater conflict between vast and malevolent powers competing to either subjugate humanity or shape its civilizations to suit their own sinister agendas.

Amid a war-torn and fractious world of Roman legionaries bent on conquest pitted against barbarian warriors protecting their tribes, players take on the roles of diverse heroes from across the Empire, places such as Germania, Gaul, Britannia, Aegyptus, Assyria, Hispania and even eternal Rome herself. Arising from a wide array of backgrounds, they battle the darker horrors facing all of humanity. Whether the fight was forced on them, or they chose this path, it requires putting aside allegiances and prejudices, and to make friends with former enemies. They confront peril to gather remnants of forgotten magic, most often preserved by priests of jealous and competing gods.

Why talk about this here? Way down at the veeeeery bottom is this..

quote:

-A cinematic RPG driven by the 2d20 system also seen in Modiphius� Dune, Star Trek Adventures, Dishonored, and Fallout roleplaying games. This is based on the Achtung! Cthulhu edition of 2d20 and will feature systems to help you get playing the moment you open the book.

-A narrative wargame designed to be playable solo and cooperatively. The game will also get you on the table playing from page one, while a campaign will unveil the full story of this epic hidden war.

-A complete miniatures line (scaled for 28mm to be compatible with other major historical lines) will provide plenty of heroes, creatures, and strange factions battling for the ancient world.

-A fiction series including a complete COHORS CTHULHU novel and an anthology of short stories following the exploits of a host of characters seen throughout the products.

I'm excited for a solo wargame where I can stomp on Unspeakable Horrors with the sandals of the Roman Legion and Friends. Should make for some great battle reports.

# ¿ May 1, 2022 05:16

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Enjoying the actual play reports.

Kenning I love the setting, in particular the whale chariots of the Basque and the moving city of the Great Horde.

Drone thanks for the breakdown of the Strider solo mechanics in TOR. I'm very curious about the hex travel rules actually because I'm reading Five Leagues from the Borderlands, the Fantasy Skirmish Solo/Coop Wargame by Ivan Sorensen, and they have hex exploration rules as well, so I'm interested in comparing systems.

UnCO3, thanks for the blog link. Now I have more to read during my lunch hour.

I appreciate that solo actual plays are welcomed, but what about world building? I ask because I've found a great book (pdf really) with random tables that does a great job of building a region up from terrain features and then feeds that information into the geopolitics of the region. It is Renegade Crowns for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition, but the rules inside can be abstracted to any fantasy setting. I read a guy's blog who converted all the WFR details into GURPS. Not that converting anything into GURPS is much of a stretch though.

Anyway I'm partially the way through creating my region with random tables and the rulers of said region. I was wondering if others would care to read the results.

It is $15 on DriveThru and I've really found it useful. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/64291/Warhammer-Fantasy-Roleplay-2nd-Edition-Renegade-Crowns

# ¿ Jun 8, 2022 20:14

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

HopperUK posted:

I would very much like to read the results yeah! I got hold of Renegade Crowns and yeah it's a really fun worldbuilding tool. I enjoy messing with that one Game of Thrones RPG - Song of Ice and Fire RPG maybe? There were two with confusing names. But one of them has a really fun robust 'house builder' that can easily be adapted.

Cool! Also thank you Kenning and HopperUK.

In regards to the 'house builder' I think you are talking about A Song of Ice and Fire by Green Ronin.

A few years back I asked the tg chat thread about base building, domain management and organization building RPG games. From this, I put together a list that I posted on my blog as a resource if you like things like A Song of Ice and Fire's house builder system or domain management games in general. It is here.

Angrymog posted:

It's a board game rather than RPG, but Under Falling Skies is excellent. I've not touched the campaign yet and it's very relatable. (And you can replay the campaign, or use the campaign components is standalone games.

I was checking this out and it looks really cool. Like the global strategy map section of XCOM.

Renegade Crowns Writeup Part 1

quote:

I got turned on to the supplement Renegade Crowns for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (written by David Chart) by a fellow denizen on the Night At The Opera Delta Green discord. What Renegade Crowns is, is a kit. It is a kit with random tables for generating your own slice of the territory within the Border Princes, and populating it with monsters, lairs, villages and rulers for your Warhammer group to explore and politic with. And I have to say, the book is very good and brilliantly designed. Construction of the region flows organically from geographical placement of different biomes to natural results of points of political friction that the rulers of the area will vie for. I was also very impressed (and entertained by) the development diary included in the book called Making Masserschloss. I found another very well designed and written development diary on the RPG.net forums called Steve�s Renegade Crowns Diary. In addition, there is a GURPS adaptation of a Renegade Crowns development diary here. Inspired by the above three, I decided to try my hand at making a wild and (mostly) random driven Border Princes location of my very own. To make things easy on myself I googled how to make graph paper out of Excel and I used the humble Paint program to manipulate the images. Excel was great for setting the landscapes of the Borderlands because I could easily fill a large number of cells with a specific color indicating their terrain composition. So, let�s begin, shall we?

quote:

The geological results of the map of the region I�m calling Two Geysers are interesting. Interesting in that there should be a food crisis for anyone living here. A good half the map is unfarmable barren plains. I�ve decided that that means the region is largely lacking in topsoil, and consists mostly of rocky ground. It is bisected by a small mountain range. The only saving graces of this rocky expanse of nothing are two geysers that produce rivers and the scrubland plains that are sort of farmable. So, I expect the rivers and scrubland plains to be natural resources to be fought over, and that food would be a major import of all settlements in the area. It is also possible that some folk turned to animal husbandry of grazing animals (likely goats) and that may fare better in the scrubland plains and possibly even in the scrubland mountains, assuming the latter is absent of greenskins.

There are four Ancient Ruins in the region. The first is an Arabyan ruin of an outpost that dates back to the time when the Sultan of Araby attempted to invade the Old World. I roll again and I find the reason for the ruins is magic and the ancient menace that lurks in the ruin is a plague. I juggle these details in my mind. I decide that the outpost is located in the mountain range, likely to have a lookout post so it could have overview of the surrounding plains and badlands. Being a military outpost, I figure it is self sufficient with a large enclosed courtyard for training, a well, possibly sanitation that is approaching the sophistication of a sewer, and a large barracks adjoining kitchen. As to why it fell? Well magic and a lingering plague seem to me like the work of Skaven, so I imagine the proto-sewer accidently broke into Skaven tunnels close to the surface in the mountain and the dastardly rat-men took advantage by invading with poison globe bombardiers. Is the well tainted? I don�t know right now. It would make the ruins more of a prize if the well was untouched, that�s for certain. All I can imagine is the lovely mosaic inlayed walls of the outpost marred by a foul miasma that the Skaven left behind that clings to ground level and keeps the bones and treasures of the outpost company. I also figure there is a minaret for the call to prayer that is dwarfed by the outpost�s central scouting tower.

For my second ruin I also roll an Arabyan background. This time it is a fortress. Not wanting to copy my previous decisions, I consider that this fortress also may have more of a political oversight role, so it�s half a fortress, half an administration building. Rolling nothing for the ancient menace and the reason for ruin being resource loss, I figure the fortress is unguarded and a good building to base a settlement in. I place it in the grassy badlands to keep it away from the mountain outpost and I figure it would be the main prize for a prince of that area. That is exactly what happens, and a very interesting Dark Elven Knight actually takes up residence there, but that is a story for a future blog post.

The third ruin is a recent human ruin for a change. Turns out it is the ruins of a settlement, with a swarm as an ancient menace and a policy change as the reason for the ruin. I figure since it is a recent human ruin it might as well be about 100 years old. The swarm menace makes me think of Skaven again so I figure a swarm of rats occupy the area and maybe they helped the decline of the settlement into a ruin along. If a rat swarm was present in the ruins, then because the land is significantly food poor, it makes sense that the powers that be ordered the settlement abandoned simply because they could see their rations would be running out in such a situation. I place the ruined settlement on the central hills as I imagine the humans wanted to capitalized on a high place to oversee the valleys and plains below.

The last ruin is a Khemri tomb. Since I have two squares of desert plains on the map of Two Geysers, I place it there. This is going to be an old place I�m sure of it with many ancient murals and statues still standing. I roll swarm again for the ancient menace and this time I roll enigma for the cause of the ruin�s abandonment. With enigma I figure the tomb is largely untouched, with evidence of work and craftsmen present but dying where they stood. An ancient curse perhaps? For the swarm I�ve seen the Mummy so I just have to include a swarm of flesh-eating scarab beetles that patrol the premises.

Next time, I roll up the Border Princes who are unlucky enough to rule in this food-starved Province!

Next I've written up a rough history of the Two Geysers, define the Princes who politic and bicker in the region, and go into the relations they have with each other. I've kept these posts on my blog because I don't want to take up too much space. If you are interesting you can find Renegade Crowns Writeup Part 2 and 3 starting here: https://nightmarethoughts6.blogspot.com/2022/05/renegade-crowns-writeup-part-2.html

Where Renegade Crowns really comes together is in the towns, villages and hamlets section, which I plan to write next. Once the geography and political boundaries are defined, it becomes immediately apparent which towns, villages and hamlets are going to be points of military contention and which holdings are going to become critical trade routes. Everything flows very well together and it becomes easy to bring the region to life.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2022 19:13

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

There is a Summer Campaign Sale (25% off select titles) at WargameVault and Ivan Sorensen (of Nordic Weasel Games) has put up most of his solo wargames up for sale. https://www.wargamevault.com/browse/pub/5701/Nordic-Weasel-Games

5 Parsecs from Home and 5 Leagues from the Borderlands are not on sale because (I think) they are published by Modiphius and hosted on DriveThruRPG.

If you like WW2, and want an example of how 5 Men at Kursk plays then read on here for free: https://www.wargamevault.com/product/173387/Five-Men-at-Kursk-turn-example?manufacturers_id=5701

I also found a generator for crew creation and ship creation for 5 Parsecs from Home. It is hosted here: https://perchance.org/5-parsecs-ful-crew-and-ship-generator

While I was exploring DriveThruRPG I found the FlexTale Solo Adventuring Toolkit (multisystem: Pathfinder, P2E, 5E, OSR, DCC) for effectively half off in this package: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/402410/2022-Ennie-Submissions-BUNDLE

The package is $5.75 while the pdf alone is essentially $10. The FlexTale Solo Adventuring Toolkit is 613 pages of rules, tools and templates for Solo gaming.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/375239/FlexTale-Solo-Adventuring-Toolkit-multisystem-Pathfinder-P2E-5E-OSR-DCC

quote:

What's Included

The Solo Adventuring Toolkit features:

Over 660 tables, each designed to make it a simple as rolling a d20 to generate dynamic adventure content.
Over 80 FlexTables, each one four tables in one, with different results coding and probabilities based on the circumstances.
Over 420 optional Rules Adjustments, from minor tweaks and house rules to game-changing capabilites that make your solo warrior a truly formidable force. From the straightforward "use a bigger hit die for your HP each level" to rules guiding the distribution of "overkill" damage to multiple enemy targets, each rules adjustment contains a Balance Point Handicap that reflects its utility and helps guide its use in your adventuring party.
28 exhausitvely-detailed Plot Templates, each with pages of custom tables, rules, and guidelines; each one can be used to create an infinite variety of quests.
Detailed discussions on party composition and multiclassing, both in the context of a traditional gaming environment as well as specific to a Solo Adventuring setting.
Hundreds of content variations recognizing the difficulty difference between OPOC (One Player, One Character) and OPMC (One Player, Multiple Characters) approaches to solo play.
Dozens of Generator Tables aimed at making it quick and easy to instantly generate dynamic adventure content. From a simple Yes/No, to what direction the wind is blowing in, to what sort of environment you discover, to the social attitude of an NPC, these are the sort of generator lists that typically go for $1 apiece as indie RPG tools... but here, you'll find dozens of them bundled and organized together, and linked to the rest of the book's massive trove of content, for a huge value.
A complex but easy to use Balance Point / Handicap system, describing the impact of accumulating beneficial Rules Adjustments, and/or upping the challenge for better rewards by imposing Restrictions on your party.
Hundreds of Rewards and Penalties, and dozens of tables to drive randomization thereof, to be received or imposed as consequences for success or failure.
Dozens of pages of exhaustive Indexes to make finding what you want as quick and simple as possible: these reference Tables, FlexTables, Plot Templates, Rules Adjustments, and much more.
Simplified FlexAI rules to drive dynamic and interesting creature behavior in combat and in social interactions.
And much, much more!

# ¿ Jul 9, 2022 02:53

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

So I've been talking about solo and coop wargames for some time. Maybe some of you have questions you'd like to ask a solo wargaming designer yourself? Ivan Sorensen, the writer behind Five Parsecs From Home, Five Leagues From the Borderlands and a number of other wargames, and fellow goon is hosting a Q and A session.

Ivan posted:

Cheers folks. I thought I would do a Q&A session where people can throw questions at me and I will go through them and reply to them all.

Here is how it will work: This post is being shared around the internet by myself or my minions.

You post your questions in reply to the post and my minions will collect them all and send them to me by the 8th.
Once they are all collected, I will then go through them all, delete any duplicates and then reply to everything.
The plan right now is to answer the questions in video form on the Ax Anax hobby youtube channel and we�ll make a little event out of it.

So if you have questions about Nordic Weasel Games, what happens behind the scenes and how making a living off miniatures game rules works this is your opportunity:

Whether its questions about game design, why something was written a certain way, what I think about this or that trend in tabletop design, my history as a gamer, what it is like to be a game designer, the history of NWG, if X is a reference to Y, what I think about game X (though bear in mind I may not have played it) it is almost all fair game!

A few things I won�t answer, so please don�t include these. Questions about my family (though cat questions are fine). (Privacy, you know?)
Questions about Modiphius specific business stuff. (I don�t have insights or answers to that stuff)
Questions that involve my opinions on specific industry people. (Not trying to start any drama).

With that in mind, ask away. You are welcome to post multiple questions but try to avoid repeating questions that have already been asked in the same thread.

# ¿ Aug 2, 2022 19:19

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Helical Nightmares posted:

Ivan Sorensen, the writer behind Five Parsecs From Home, Five Leagues From the Borderlands and a number of other wargames, and fellow goon is hosting a Q and A session.

Doctor Zero posted:

Sure, I�ll bite-

- You�ve been transparent about your media and gaming influences. Was the universe in 5 Parsecs developed specifically for the game? Or is it part of personal world building you�ve done in the past, (RPG campaigns, daydreams, etc)

- any plans for more detailed rules for space combat? It would be cool to break out starship miniatures and play a space based tactical round.

The question and answer session with solo wargame designer Ivan Sorensen has finally been released, clocking in at an hour and 48 minutes with interviewer Ax Anax. Subjects discussed include Ivan's earliest years making wargames, modern advice on how to construct wargames, sneak peeks on current and future projects from Nordic Weasel, and inspirations Ivan has had from the field.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqmgYOln6kI

# ¿ Sep 4, 2022 00:01

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

That's really drat evocative art Doctor Zero. Reminds me of a comic style 70's take on 2001 or Alien. Didn't think of midjourney for Space Horror stuff, but it works real well.

# ¿ Sep 24, 2022 01:24

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

I finished Campaign Turn 2 for my 5 Parsecs from Home space opera shoot-em-up skirmish wargame. I wrote the results up to be a narrative story and that is posted on my blog here. If you want to know the mechanics of what was happening behind the scenes (and how I screwed up a couple things) that is here.

Speaking of solo games has anyone tried The Broken Cask solo game of running a fantasy inn?

# ¿ Nov 21, 2022 00:05

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

girl dick energy posted:

Are there other good open-world space solo RPGs? Like what X3 or Elite or Star Control feel like but with less real-time waiting around.

I haven't played/read them enough to rate them as good or not but you may want to look into D100 Space and 5150 Fringe Space.

Full disclosure. I own D100 Space and got about 30 pages into it but at that time got sidetracked by something else. What I had read was interesting. I also own 5150 Known Space and it is definitely an expansion that requires 5150: New Beginnings.

Also Doctor Zero pretty much covered any thoughts I had regarding 5 Parsecs from Home, which I really enjoy.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2023 00:17

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Me Myself and Die is really quite entertaining and informative. I wish I had more time for it.

# ¿ Feb 17, 2023 19:59

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

madmatt112 posted:

I discovered solo TT games exactly three days ago and have put together a tidy little adventure shoebox with a couple printed games of various complexity, some dice, a pack of cards, a favourite fountain pen, and a couple notebooks.
Played my first game of In the Hall of the Mountain King the other night and enjoyed it so much. Sippin' tea, kids are asleep, I'm rolling dice and mining for gold in the kitchen. No screens required. This is a good thread.

If you like rolling dice and seeing what happens, you may like The Broken Cask which is a solo innkeeper simulator. I have read it, found it charming, and it's on my solo games to-do list. Also I plan on hacking the rules into a very different type of organizational solo game, but that is another story for the future.

You may also like Pencil Town if you get the (overworld) Dwarf Fortress solo bug.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2023 05:35

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

HopperUK posted:

Delve, Rise and-- Umbra I think, are Anna Blackwell's trilogy of base building games and I really like them. Actually everything she's written is great.

These look very interesting and right up my alley. Thanks for talking about them.

wizzardstaff posted:

I'm really looking forward to the upcoming game inspired by Becky Chambers' books.

I'm now looking into the Monk & Robot series. Good recommendations.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2023 19:43

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

I get promotional emails from Modiphius and evidently Captain's Log is selling quite well. Even though the pandemic is over I wonder if there is a uptick in interest in solo games?

Anyway here is what Modiphius had to say

quote:

We released the Captain's Log Solo Roleplaying Game just a few weeks ago and it has been such a monumental success that we're selling out of some of the covers in some territories, and we're already discussing the possibility of another print run! Almost overnight it's become one of our best-selling titles and there's clearly an appetite in the RPG community for solo roleplaying, so with that in mind, we've collected a few products that might scratch that itch! Read on to find out more about Captain's Log, the system neutral Solo Gamemaster's Guide, and Ironsworn: Starforged!

# ¿ Aug 30, 2023 19:45

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

So here is a progress report of sorts on the solo games I am in the process of reading. I am focused on solo games that are not a) strictly journaling games or b)primarily use oracles to resolve questions. No I have not played any of these yet, because I am doomed (DOOMED) to constantly be attracted to read the next shiny thing.

The Broken Cask Status: Read
A solitaire innkeeping roleplaying game with lots of tables for you to create your inn, detail the characters who work for you, determine a signature meal and drink, roll for events, and figure out if the adventures you hired to go on a quest return with something worth your investment. The Broken Cask runs a little bit like the video game Recettear where the focus is more on you as the merchant or manager of the inn with the objective to acquire both Gold and Prestige so your inn is renowned across the land.

Personally I look at The Broken Cask and think "this would be a lot of fun if I add a new table here or there." I like it because of it's mechanics, the fact there is a defined win condition, and because I see it as moddable. Along with wanting to expand the clientele and drink tables, I think The Broken Cask's bones could be used as the foundation for a "form a cult, manage and grow it" game that I've been toying with for a while.

The Broken Cast is $10 for 78 pages, including 10 pages of random tables.
https://shoreless.itch.io/the-broken-cask

Blood Moon Apocalypse Status: Mostly Read
Welcome to Zombie time or possibly the Rapture! You've got zombies or demonic creatures crawling all over the ruins of civilization and you must explore and survive. When I was reading this I was reminded of the video game Neo Scavenger. You explore a randomly generated grid and scavenge for materials that you can use to craft equipment and/or upgrade your base. And upgrading your base is important because a hoard of the "possessed" will siege your base, it is just a matter of time.

I like this game because it provided some decent crafting rules and some useful base building rules that I can iterate on.

Blood Moon Apocalypse is $5 for 25 pages.
https://blackoath.itch.io/blood-moon-apocalypse

Data Hunter Status: Half-read
A solo scifi hexcrawl adventure that delivers on it's premise. There was an alien invasion that was crushed (thanks biowarfare!) and the aliens left behind encrypted data for high-tech blueprints that scavengers drool over , along with lots of radiation craters. Essentially scavenge and survive in the post-apocalypse, however there is a focus on trading your alien harvest with different factions and you should balance what you do with each faction so they don't withdraw missions, allies or trading opportunities from you.

Ultimately this is a well thought out game for the price of essentially nothing and I think more people should be aware of it. Similar themes, but very different mechanics from Blood Moon Apocalypse.

Data Hunter is PWYW for 32 pages.
https://rcdavey.itch.io/data-hunter

Six Crowns in Hell Status: Just Started Reading
You are a lovely soul bound in Hell to the Hell Knights. Kill all six of them to take over or possibly escape Hell. You explore Hell by using a deck of cards to determine the local terrain. You also run the risk of Damnation with certain actions. I don't know what these are; I have yet to get there in the text. I will say that when you create your Hell Weapon (one of four types depending on what suit you draw from the deck) each Hell Weapon has a unique mechanic, they are not just mirrors of each other. So there has been thoughtful asymmetric design in this game in at least a couple places.

Six Crowns in Hell was $5 during it's Kickstarter for 46 pages. It will eventually be available on DriveThru Rpg.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gallantknightgames/six-crowns-in-hell

# ¿ Sep 26, 2023 03:59

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

doctorfrog posted:

There a thread for this?

Sort of. People talk about solo wargames like 5 Parsecs from Home and Rangers of Shadow Deep here: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3253037

# ¿ Sep 26, 2023 04:49

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Majin posted:

Thanks all for the suggestions, will definitely check out Fabled Lands, etc.

I was doing more looking around and stumbled across Cages of Fear, What Lies Beneath and Destiny Quest. These are also starting to look like what I�m talking about as well. What Lies Beneath even has a sort of incremental rogue-like setup for rolling new characters if/when you die.

Thanks for posting this because What Lies Beneath looks like it's up my alley.

I agree with the other suggestions that you are likely looking for gamebooks.

However solo rpgs that are more self contained games than strictly journaling prompts is an interest of mine so I'll make a list of the ones I've found here:

The Drifter - a Western solo rpg
Blood Moon Apocalypse - a survival horror zombie horde solo rpg
Across a Thousand Dead Worlds - a very good space exploration horror solo or GMed game.
The Broken Cask - a run your own fantasy inn solo rpg
Entity - an alien planet exploration rpg. Has a simple system. More of a journaling game than the rest.
Star Drifter - a Scifi solo rpg by the creator of The Drifter, above.

I've read and reviewed Across a Thousand Dead Worlds on my blog here: https://nightmarethoughts6.blogspot.com/search/label/Across%20a%20Thousand%20Dead%20Worlds

# ¿ Mar 2, 2024 10:20

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Antifreeze Head posted:

Zona Alfa is a skirmish wargame which fits the theme of what you want. Tack on the Kontraband expansion and you'll probably have all you'll need.

I fully agree with this statement. There is also a starter campaign called Hunter-Hunted which is Pay What You Want on WargameVault.

https://www.wargamevault.com/product/376977/HunterHunted--A-campaign-for-Zona-AlfaKontraband?manufacturers_id=14978

Angrymog posted:

https://sleepysasquatch.itch.io/courier

I've heard good things about Courier, but I haven't played it either. Also it's on sale right now evidently.

I have been following the dev blog where he talks about changes that he is working with for version 2.0. That version will be called Courier-Repacked.

Here is some of the dev blog: https://sleepysasquatch.itch.io/courier/devlog/656723/factions-tensions-and-the-wasteland

SkyeAuroline posted:

All right, it's been... three years, wow, since the OP was made and last edited. I haven't kept up terribly close with new releases outside of the Ironsworn ecosystem; what games do people think need a spot in the OP as recommendations? I know Wicked Ones is no longer available through DTRPG and I need to update that link, and the Sundered Isles standalone kickstarter just launched recently, but open to any other suggestions too.

Just in case it get's lost, here were my suggestions for solo games that were more games than journaling prompts.

Helical Nightmares posted:

The Drifter - a Western solo rpg

Blood Moon Apocalypse - a survival horror zombie horde solo rpg

Across a Thousand Dead Worlds - a very good space exploration horror solo or GMed game.

The Broken Cask - a run your own fantasy inn solo rpg

Entity - an alien planet exploration rpg. Has a simple system. More of a journaling game than the rest.

Star Drifter - a Scifi solo rpg by the creator of The Drifter, above.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2024 16:51

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

I found a solo game that I like, called Entity. It is a scifi alien world exploration game where you play a far future synthetic astronaut. Also it's only $5 on drivethru rpg.

My review and narrative fiction of the gameplay is here:
https://nightmarethoughts6.blogspot.com/2024/04/entity-after-action-report-and-review.html

Edit: Curiously enough, Candlenaut, the author of Entity, just published a cyberpunk solo game called Kuroi yesterday. I have yet to purchase and play it.

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/475488/kuroi

Helical Nightmares fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Apr 2, 2024

# ¿ Apr 2, 2024 19:21

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

I like Stoneburner but I haven't finished reading it yet.

Similar to Stoneburner (in that it's inspired by Dwarf Fortress) is Mountain Home

https://turtlehat.itch.io/mountain-home

I've seen it for sale for $15, once.

Edit: Also there is Ker Nethalas, like Across a Thousand Dead Worlds, and also by Blackoath gaming.

https://blackoath.itch.io/ker-nethalas-into-the-midnight-throne

# ¿ Apr 3, 2024 22:54

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 09:30

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

I've posted this in Trad Games chat but I figured people here would benefit from it as well.

If you ever wanted a small continent to be generated with towns, inns, NPCs, factions, dungeons and more with OSR statistics, try the FREE generator Hexroll, 2nd edition. I am very impressed.

https://hexroll.app/

Everything is hyperlinked so you can explore relationships between things.

For example I examined the town of Millrock and looked at a Baker there, expecting baked goods. Evidently the Baker Aurelianus is a member of the faction The Dark Wyverns, a syndicate conspiring to collect protection money for an unknown purpose based in a different town. Also Aurelianus has received a mysterious box and is afraid to open it. Could the box be from The Dark Wyverns ordering the Baker to do something nefarious and the Baker wants out of the organization? Instant plot hooks.

It also describes dungeons, area by area. This is a dungeon adjacent to Millrock called The Temple of Infernal Pits. Random encounters include rats and harpies.

In addition, the generator was made so that NPCs generate quests (find a missing person, or find my armor/weapon) and those quest persons/items are integrated into dungeon sites. Here is an example:

Hexroll also claims to have a VTT integrated into it's dungeon map.

I can see this being very useful for Solo roleplaying.

Also there is the possiblity of modding this program. Guidebook is here: https://docs.hexroll.app/

# ¿ Apr 24, 2024 18:58

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Solo Roleplaying: go play with yourself