Adventuring Alone

Solo RPG in 2021

Gaming during the pandemic has been a bit different for many of us. My friends and I have moved our face-to-face games online and this has been working out nicely - although we miss actually getting together around the actual in-person table. The greater online hobby community has been very supportive and a number of folks have posted content through blogs and video that has expanded my game knowledge and exposed me to ideas well beyond what I see in the local group that I game with. In many ways, it has been a good year.

In addition to online gaming I have also done more solo FRP gaming. I have enjoyed the RPG experience solo for many years, having been introduced to the idea decades ago - perhaps through Flying Buffalo's many solo adventures using Tunnels & Trolls. Steve Jackson Games produces solo modules for their GURPS and The Fantasy Trip systems and I have enjoyed many of them as well. Over the years, I have occasionally "test-driven" several adventure modules published for group play in preparation for running them at the table for my friends. So, I am not a stranger to the concept of playing a pen and paper role-playing game alone.

I have found that most any tabletop RPG can be played solo. Using imagination and our ability to play various roles, and rolling dice for both sides as necessary, it is not that challenging to adapt a game written for multiple players into a solo experience. How much the individual enjoys this solo activity will vary considerably and I have several friends that have expressed little interest in such "solo" play. (In contrast, I have little interest in electronic RPGs which I find limiting in a number of ways, but many others enjoy.) Published adventures can be used for solo play as well as the traditional programed solo modules. (Often a few random tables to introduce a bit of "the unknown" will enhance the experience.) Running a module written for group play works best for me if I do not read through it before playing it solo - discovery being part of the joy of play.

When playing solo, the simple systems seem to work very well - some I have encountered are actually derived from the mechanics of various "choose your adventure" style game books (Fighting Fantasy, for example). Other simple RPG systems also lend themselves well to solo play, such as Mork Borg, The Black Hack, Tiny Dungeon and IndexCard RPG, to name just a few. Among the more detailed systems I have found that my first preference for solo FRP gaming is Rolemaster. 

Rolemaster (chart master or whatever nick-name you prefer) is a robust system that has been around for a number of years (decades!) and has seen numerous revisions. Personally, I prefer the 2nd edition which is currently available in digital format (or POD) as "Rolemaster Classic". Character creation is detailed and gives me the ability to customize my characters while retaining the feel of a traditional FRP milieu. RM uses a percentile skill system, magic points and a lot of tables and charts that do involve a bit of math and record keeping. It can play a bit slow as I look up the results of a dice roll and record the results, noting any on-going conditions, but I find that this is not a problem when playing solo, and I rather enjoy the detailed wounds and critical results found on the tables and the small amount of bookkeeping, which all helps me to immerse myself within the game bringing the mental narrative alive for me.

Detail and crunch aren't always what I am "in the mood" for, however and I have recently found a couple of lite systems that are also at the top of my solo play-list. Noah Patterson produces a number of highly "atmospheric" solo RPGs under the name Micro-Chapbook RPGs. The basic system is to roll a d6 and it doesn't get much simpler than that. Mr. Patterson has offered us a special treat however when using his simple dice mechanics. Each of the Micro Chapbooks evokes a distinct "feeling" for a place and mystery that I find superior to many more involved games. The Chapbook adventures are relatively short (most are finished in about an hour) and are "to the point" game experiences. I must say that I have been very satisfied with each one I have played to date.

Another gem-of-a-game that I have enjoyed a lot this winter is Harper's Quest, a print and play dungeon crawler that punches way above its weight (a compliment which used to be bestowed on particularly hard hitting boxers). If opening a door, fighting some monsters and taking their treasure appeals to you, this is a fun way to amuse oneself (and imagine a bit of fantasy heroics!). 

Designed with solo play in mind, both Harper's Quest and the Micro-Chapbooks can be enjoyed by more than one player either as a GM-less, cooperative system or with one player taking the role of gamesmaster and handling the dungeon environment and monsters. You can even use the generation tables as the basis for planning a group adventure...or generating one on-the-fly!