|
StarkRavingMad posted:Delve/Rise/Umbra: Three separate games by the same author, available separately or in a bundle. They use basically the same mechanics, drawing cards from a regular deck of cards and drawing a map on a grid, and are essentially solo RPG Dwarf Fortress (Delve), Dungeon Keeper (Rise), and Rimworld (Umbra). Maybe more mechanics/board gamey than RPG but can tell some interesting stories. Delve (and 997 other things) is in the itch.io Bundle for Ukraine. Firstly, that is a good cause and it is  so worth checking out if you haven't already.This was the first game I was drawn to out of the lot. Something about the cover captivated me. I read the rules. I got out my mapping paper and a pen. I fired up random.org since I couldn't find a deck of cards. Opt to explore one level down, draw a King of Clubs. That spawns a monster that overwhelmed my starting forces. My game of Delve was over in fewer than 30 seconds. I am familiar with Dwarf Fortress and its version of "fun". I am on board with that. I'm not on board with game design that results in a loss before the first turn is even over.
|
#
¿
Mar 16, 2022 15:55
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 12, 2024 08:13 |
|
|
Rutibex posted:So keep playing your character in hell. Why would dying end the adventure Because there thousands other ways I can spend my time, I'm not going to bother kludging in a haphazard fix to polish up a turd.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 16, 2022 16:45
|
|
|
I will go back to it, it is still a concept that interests me. And if I get a semi-successful play-through under my belt, I'll probably look back at it and laugh. But it will be a bit before that bitter taste fades from my mouth.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 16, 2022 17:24
|
|
|
I had the chance to try another of the solo games out of the itch.io Ukraine bundle. [link="https://solipsistgames.itch.io/inbetween-hungry-mouse"]Inbetween: Hungry Mouse[/link] puts you in the role of a mouse who is out and about in search of food to bring back to the nest. Simple concept and simple gameplay as you roll on a table to populate a map, encounter difficulties, collect food and continue until you feel like it is time to head home (or die). You get one character creation option as you pick one of five different specialties and then you are off to explore the world. From there, the game is entirely luck-based. Backtracking is rather costly in game terms, so unless you have to because of a dead end, the path is functionally a straight line ahead. Pressing your luck and going ever onwards in the hopes of more and better things ahead is about what I imagine the life of a mouse to be, so it plays out as a satisfying story of gathering grains of rice and battling beetles to stock up the mouse larder. It is nice to see a game tack close to what I imagine the real life of such a tiny creature to be. Hungry Mouse is based on a more detailed and unreleased RPG from the same author. From the limited reading I have done on that game, it appears more like a mouse-based version of Bunnies and Burrows than a mice-as-humans situation like Redwall, Mausritter or Mice and Mystics. Unfortunately for anyone who is looking to roleplay a prey animal, development of that game appears stalled out with the last post to its Facebook page being nearly a year ago. For what Hungry Mouse is, it works to put you in the headspace of dashing off in search of mouse vittles. It could be played campaign-style if you wanted, but I don't think there is enough variation in the game to keep that interesting. I could see it as being a really good game gateway game to introduce kids to RPG's, a guess backed up some from the (very) limited comments on the game's itch page. If you don't already have it, I don't think it is the best use of your money to get it at the regular price of two dollars. That seems an unfavourable value for a double-sided 8x11 PDF with one table* of random events. Sure, two bucks isn't breaking the bank, but it seems inflated against the value provided by other games. But if you already have it, it is a pleasant enough way to spend half an hour. * - I have a bit of a bone to pick with the game's encounters table. At first glance, it says it is a d66 table. In reality, the game uses d6 to generate the tens position and separate d6 for the ones position. So there aren't 66 possibilities, but 36. Of those, there are only 17 different kinds of rooms as there is quite a bit of duplication and overlap. Mousetraps and cats are not among the obstacles that can be encountered, odd omissions for a game about being a mouse.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 25, 2022 15:23
|
|
|
Other solo-wargames worth a look: Planet 28: a Sci-Fi skirmish game with plenty of character options and quick, not terribly complicated combat. This leads to a more narrative experience. The base rules are designed for versus play, but there is a supplement for solo or co-op play that sets out a decent AI system and includes a mini-campaign. A supplement for vehicles is also available. It is a Pay What you Want sort of situation, but even the recommended price for all three books is about 20 bucks. Brutal Quest the fantasy version of Planet 28 with similar pricing. No vehicles. Space Weirdos: A 16-page rulebook with four pages more to guide solo play. Like Planet 28, it is a Sci-Fi skirmish game, but it is considerably more crunchy. Still not very crunchy, just more. Five bucks gets you the rules with solo-supplement and a PDF with some goodies, including tokens for those who don't like painting up tiny statues and making buildings out of home-insulation materials. One Hour Wargames: Unlike the above, not a skirmish game. This one allows for the deployment of whole armies and can capture every era from ancients to the second world war. A bit of time could be spent to figure out how to use it for fantasy or Sci-Fi. Since it exists at the unit-level, it isn't quite as role-playey as the others. It has about three pages dedicated to making a solo game work, and they are enough. The big benefit to this book is that it contains 30 different scenarios that work with any era and are easily used with any game. It was part of a Humble Bundle a couple of year ago that included a bunch of crafting and recipe books, so if you have a habit of buying a bunch of stuff on Humble, then you may already own a copy of this. One Hour Skirmish Wargames: rather like the above but at the warband level. You can pretty much put together everything you need to know about this one from a free PDF preview. This is a very light system that uses a standard deck of playing cards rather than dice. There really isn't much to this one, it basically plays out like the children's card game War. There are a few wrinkles in there that make for some intriguing situations despite the simplicity. There are some unit-specific things and different eras introduce other variances as well. It wouldn't work out for eras that are primarily melee-based combat (which would include fantasy), but is fine from the advent of gunpowder through to Sci-Fi. Dead Record: a solo zombie-apocalypse survival thing. I haven't played it, but I've been looking for something to do with all the minis I have from Zombies!!! since the game itself isn't very good. And a price of Free is about exactly as much as I'd want to pay for Yet Another Thing About Zombies. With a four-day weekend upcoming with various plans cancelled because of weather and COVID, I'm looking for stuff to do.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 14, 2022 15:25
|
|
|
What makes those paints better than whatever else is out there? I'm not ever going to change from what I have since I bought ~14,000 bottles of paint from a freight liquidator, but I am curious.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 19, 2022 14:10
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 12, 2024 08:13 |
|
|
Galaga Galaxian posted:Is there any good non-journaling solo RPG that can do post apocalyptic or Stalker/roadside picnic style game with an emphasis on survival and scavenging? Had some ideas for a stalker style game bouncing around in my head. 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.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 26, 2024 14:56
|
|