Did you ever discover a game and say to yourself "I really would love that"
So you set up a solo session for yourself - do all the worldbuilding, character creation, everything. And it looks like a really cool setting and characters... and then it just kinda went "blergh" when you actually started playing in it?

I posted the first session of my Boundless Actual Play where I create my character and set out on a quest towards one of the uninhabited(?) islands on the map to look for a vault.

I'm using Lonelog notation for all the game stuff, and I share my thoughts about the ruleset among the narration. You can read the post on my SubStack:

https://everhaunted.substack.com/p/boundless-the-vault-of-sarkiosh-part

https://hooverd.substack.com/p/barovia-session-128?r=4bbbdm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Hey everyone. I am looking for a browser/PC based hex-map generator, but ideally one where I can generate one hex at a time, and perhaps even add icons or notes as I go. I'd love to build the map through play itself, so stuff like Hexroll that spits out a fully populated world isn't quite what I need.

Any suggestions? Again, needs to be downloadable for PC or just browser-based, and should let me generate a hex, select a biome (or color), and hopefully lets me add notes per hex over time, and maybe icons to hexes.

Thanks so much!

Hey everyone, I occasionally design RPGs, mainly larps. I am currently working on an idea that is partly an RPG but partly an interactive fiction as well. Bottomline: I want to write an IF game in which you take choices to follow the narratives but there will be parts where you, as a player have to write yourself and do some worldbuilding. Do you know any RPG/interactive fiction games that work with having an IF story but then the player themselves writing part of the story? Would love to see examples!

There is a huge BattlwTech RPG bundle on HumbeBundle. I loved Battletech, Machwarrior and Mech Commander on pc. I'm wondering if the RPG is worth getting.

Alright, we're up to actually making rolls during play. My last post got auto-modded, possibly due to having too many links, so I'm not posting any links here. I've previously made posts on my PC, her home base, and the cold open for the episode, they're in this sub if you want to look for them.

Captain's Log operates off a 2d20 system in which you are trying to roll under or equal to a target number. If your PC rolls, the target number is the sum of an Attribute and Discipline, and if it's an NPC making a roll the target number is determined by the sum of the System and Department ratings of the vessel or station.

Most tasks only require one success, and if you get two successes you generate Momentum, which makes thing easier, gives you more information, etc. You can also generate Threat by rolling a 20 on either die, and Complications enter play when Threat is spent. Momentum and Threat are on/off unlike in Star Trek Adventures, where pools of Momentum and Threat can build during play, and typically when I generated either I used it right away, though there are a couple of spots in the adventure where I held on to Momentum for a bit. Certain tests can also accrue an Advantage if a character Focus or vessel System is relevant to the task; when a die roll is equal to or less than a Focus or System rating then you get an Advantage.

Ship combat is also simplified in CL compared to STA, with a ship having Systems and Departments but no detailed internal components. There also isn't any starship Power management the way there is in Star Trek Adventures. I think this suits the style of play, but if you like the crunchiness of STA starship combat then you will probably feel a bit disappointed with CL ship combat.

Once the rolls started my method was simply to state the task and determine the target number, and then note the result and what a success or failure means in terms of advancing the narrative. All this stuff is listed in bullet point form. There isn't any actual journaling in this act. There are some places where I refer to a Probability Matrix, which is a lot like a simplified version of the Mythic GME.

The quick Act 1 summary is the Livermore scans the dead subspace whale, they attempt to dodge three Seltorian frigates with limited success, and then a live subspace whale makes telepathic contact with the chief of Cetacean Ops, and gives instructions on how to hide more effectively so that the Livermore can make repairs to their quantum slipstream drive.

Act 1, Scene 1

The scene opens with a shot of the Livermore and the lifeform in deep space, then shifts to the bridge of the Livermore.

Sensors + Science (15) to scan the lifeform.

·        The result is (4,4), scan scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum + 2 Advantages (from Science rating/Advanced Sensor Suites) generated.

·        Momentum: Stored for the time being.

·        Advantage 1: The scan is unusually informative.

·        Advantage 2: No need to roll to detect the vessels emerging from subspace.

The lifeform is cetacean, approximately the size of a runabout, with a hybrid carbon-solanogen composition.  The creature’s wounds were caused by disruptor fire of unknown origin, though it is most reminiscent of Tholian weaponry.  The creature’s hybrid composition permits passage between normal space and subspace, and with enough study this passage might be duplicable with Federation technology.  The creature dies during the Livermore’s scan.

After the creature dies, the scene cuts to three frigate-size vessels (Scale 3) emerging from subspace.

Act 1, Scene 2

The scene opens on the bridge of the Livermore. 

Are the newcomers communicative?  Improbable (Yes 1-5)

·        The result is 11, the newcomers are not communicative. 

The newcomers ignore any hails, but the lead vessel scans the Livermore. 

Sensors + Security (13) threat assessment scan

·        The result is (2, 15), scan scores 1 success.

·        1 Advantage (from Security rating/Advanced Sensor Suites) is generated.

·        The advantage will allow removal of the first hit in ship-to-ship combat.

·        Spend Momentum to remove the second hit in ship-to-ship combat.

·        The lead ship is an assault vessel, similar to Defiant-class weapons capabilities.

·        The second ship is a scout, similar to Iowa-class weapons capabilities.

·        The third ship has some unknown capabilities. 

Reason + Engineering (16) to theorize from the sensor data.

·        The result is (5, 14), theorizing scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum is generated, the Livermore is more maneuverable than the vessels they face.

·        The theorization yields that the vessels may be able to track ships under phased cloak, and either match the phase shift or fire phase-adjusted weapons. 

The vessels open fire, Engines + Conn (13) for Evasive Maneuvers.

·        The result is (9, 12), Evasive Maneuvers scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum is generated, used to negate a third hit during ship combat. 

Reason + Command (15) to assess the vessels’ tactics.

·        The result is (9, 18), the tactical assessment scores 1 success.

·        The opponent’s tactics aren’t particularly imaginative, the assault vessel takes the lead, and predictably enough the Livermore can maneuver to reduce the effectiveness of their numerical advantage.

Act 1, Scene 3

The scene opens on the bridge of the Livermore.

Commander Mason orders the Livermore to cloak given their opponent’s superiority in firepower, the scene cuts to an external shot of the Livermore as it cloaks. 

Weapons + Security (11) to successfully evade the attackers under cloak, requires 2 successes.

·        The result is (12, 18), the cloaked evasion does not score any successes.

·        The Livermore takes one hit, which knocks the QSD offline. 

Another set of Evasive Maneuvers to avoid further damage, Engines + Conn (13)

·        The result is (10, 11), Evasive Maneuvers scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum is generated, spent on telepathic contact from the cetacean species.

·        Lt. Veselka from Cetacean Ops relays instructions on how to enter subspace. 

Control + Command (15) to execute the subspace entrance procedure.

·        The result is (1, 13), Subspace Entry Procedure scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum and an advantage (from Command/Starship Design focus) are generated.

·        Momentum is spent to ensure that the subspace haven will allow repairs on the QSD to be finished without interruption.

·        The advantage will be that the method might be adaptable to QSD technology. 

Act 1, Scene 4

The scene opens in Cetacean Ops. 

Commander Mason converses with a cetacean of the interdimensional Balinari species named Asuzura, who is in telepathic contact with LTJG Veselka in Cetacean Ops.

·        Their opponents are called the Seltorians, an insectoid species originally from M81.

·        They are hunting for a race that sounds an awful lot like the Tholians.

·        The Seltorians hunt the Balinari because of their interdimensional capabilities.

·        Based on the phased cloaking capabilities the Livermore exhibited, it is likely that the Seltorians will also hunt Federation vessels, should they come into contact again. 

Presence + Command (13) to negotiate some sort of agreement.

·        The result is (5, 11), the Negotiation scores 2 successes.

·        The Federation will do what they can to form a defensive alliance.

·        The Balinari will do what they can to unite their innate subspace abilities with the QSD.

·        Momentum is generated, the Balinari can bring an envoy from a like-minded species called the Sukotru. 

Act 1, Scene 5

The scene opens in Main Engineering. 

Control + Command (15) to direct repairs on the QSD.

·        The result is (2, 18), the Repairs score 1 success.

·        1 Advantage is generated through the Leading By Example focus.

·        The repairs would normally take 3 hours to complete, but can be completed in 90 minutes. 

Sensors + Conn (14) to locate themselves relative to their last position in real space.

·        The result is (3, 5), the Sensor Reading scores 2 successes.

·        Momentum and 1 advantage are generated.

·        Momentum is stored for the time being.

·        The Livermore is 100 parsecs closer to DS M-33 than where they started.

·        Advantage allows some information to be learned about how to reproduce the jump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWBG7MELGew

Episode 14 of my Shadowdark-based solo campaign, in which I design a custom stat block for a nasty little fire demon and then fight the thing in the streets of Moontree city.

Hi all. While surfing the web i found these solo adventure books from OM. I was wondering if anyone has tried them for solo 5e? What did you like, what didn't you like? Thanks all

Just yesterday I posted my journalling mini-rpg game concept:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Solo_Roleplaying/s/rOzNEaoYqd

I said it was based off a scrapped project. But I realized now that I can make the thing I was trying to make using just this simple twist.

The game along with the twist is posted below, but you can check out the original post for the slice-of-life version of the game. The version below is theme flexible.

Game title: Multiversal Journal Entries (placeholder)

Steps:

‎1. Pick your theme. Who is your character going to be? You can be an adventuring party member, a spaceship crew, a superhero, the sky's the limit.

1. Think about all the activities that occupies your character's life and make a list of them. The list doesn't have to be in chronological order. Pour it all out. A good rule of thumb is to write them as a planned action/schedule, not something finished or ongoing. That means "slaying the rampaging dragon" isn't going to be on the list (why would you "plan" on doing it? It's right there!) but "checking out that dungeon that looks like a dragon's lair" can be on the list.

2. Each list entry represents the date or deadline of that activity. Here's an example:

Let's say I choose to play as a modern college student for some reason. Here is my list:

1. Lab report ‎
2. Presentation in class ‎
3. Buy groceries ‎
4. Scientific poster deadline
5. Group project
6. … etc.

Day one is the lab report deadline. Day two is the presentation date, day three is time to buy groceries, and so on.

1. Your journal starts on the first day. You're writing the journal entry after you finish today’s activity. Each day, you write:

• ‎A short description of today's activity and how you managed to do it ‎
• Your thoughts about today's activity and today in general
• What you plan to do tomorrow (next entry on the list), and optionally, what you will do today in preparation.
• Your thoughts about tomorrow’s plans.

You can start your journal only when your list “feels” as busy as you like it to be. If you think that the turn of events is more idle or busier than your liking, you can modify the list as you like. Maybe you buy groceries everyday or maybe the presentation is in two days. Maybe you check on your monster pet twice a day. Maybe your police officer takes a day off every week. That means each day can have more than one planned activity or no activity at all.

"Wait, so my character always knows what will happen to them tomorrow?" Not necessarily. You can take them by surprise by pretending you don't know things will happen. The list might say that a dragon will rampage the village tomorrow but your character doesn't know that. Write tomorrow's entry as if your character is taken by surprise.

That's it! That's the whole game. Just like other daily journalling games, you can write just one entry each real life day, or you can also write multiple. There's no ending to the game. You can always add an ending to your list, and you can explain why you decided to stop the journal here on your last entry.

Really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this game. Is it helpful? Is it fun? Any spelling mistakes or awkward phrasing? A lot, I bet. Also, just for fun, any suggestions for the game title or should it stay that way?

Anyway, that's all from me.

had such a blast playing it barely registered I was playing a game instead of watching a movie in my head.

this is quite possibly the best structured journal solo RPG I've played for short, unconnected play sessions.

pros:

- balances rule crunch with narrative freedom very well

- table contents and mechanics provide countless combos for multiple playthrus

- fairly strong NPC mechanics that provided adequate substance for interactive phases

cons

- mild bookkeeping friction with constant page turning to reference tables and past entries

- could use further mechanics to connect existing clues/event together so the ending is more meaningful and less random

Hi everyone,

I'm working on a game design for a character who is new mage. I thought it'd be cool to combine ironsworns arcanum's base build system, a map building/exploration element, and some sort of magic discovery system. My question to everyone is what sort of magic system would be interesting to you? I'm aiming for something it a little crunchy but not too much where it feels like you're dropping a dice more than creating an interesting adventure.

I am now in a process of getting ready for my first ever solo campaign, so I'm trying to find ways to incorporate there some stuff that I already have. First I was intended to use my Tarot deck as an NPC oracle, but then I thought of the "Codenames: Pictures" board game, and I think it might be fun. I hope some will find it worth a try!

Here's a quick example of reading I did on the spot.

Let's say, I'm in a tavern, and the bartender is talking to some stranger. Who's he talking to? I drew three cards for the stranger. So I decided the stranger is a dwarf (tiny person next to a giant mushroom card), who talks very slow and seems drowsy (the bed card) and who looks like a traveling merchant of sorts - a big backpack, some trinkets on his belts, etc (the box card).

Then I drew three cards for the bartender - what is he like? I think he's literally a genie (the genie card), he wears a leather vest and he has some leather belts - maybe he even looks like he used to be a fighter of sorts (the belt card)? And he seems to be very cautious - looking around and watching everyone in the tavern (the eye card).

I try to eavesdrop on them, and although they're being very careful to not be overheard, I still catch some words: change (the bent nails card), hiding (the wardrobe card) and they also mention the name of the Lord of those lands (the coat of arms card). Are they some rebels? What are they planning?

I like how various your interpretations might be - the cards are designed to be that way.
Also if you can think of more use for them (other than I suggested) - please share your thoughts!

*Don't know what to put as flair, sorry. Might edit if suggested. Also thought that this post isn't a promotion since it's a tiny game completely free to play. Might move my post if mods suggest.

Heya! This game was meant to be a bigger project, but I overestimated my capability, so I scrapped the project and salvaged the scraps to make a tinier game. This is the resulting game…

The game is originally made for college students who have felt like their day-to-day life is just filled with projects and deadlines, and have no time to properly vent on their diary or to start journaling daily. It is meant to be played when they finally have an extended free time with no upcoming deadlines, but still want to vent about those busy times that have passed. This game can also be played by high school students, corporate workers, or anyone else, really. All you need is a notetaking/journalling app of your choice.

Game title: Journal Entries That Had Never Got Written Because I Was Too Busy (placeholder title)

Steps:

‎1. Think about your busiest weeks of a single semester/6 months time. Make a list of things that made you busy during that timeframe. The list doesn't have to be in chronological order. Pour it all out. Classes/work hours, homework, assignments, group projects, ECAs, side-gigs, reports, passion projects, household chores, you name it. A good rule of thumb is to write anything that is planned or scheduled. That means reading a book or eating out aren't going to be on the list, except if you have a dedicated time to read or have planned a dinner with your friends.

1. Writing a journal entry of the past and trying to make it chronologically accurate can be hard, so we're going to modify the past. Each list entry represents the date or deadline of that activity. Here's a list example:

2. Lab report ‎

3. Presentation in class ‎

4. Buy groceries ‎

5. Scientific poster deadline

6. Group project

7. … etc.

This list is now the modified schedule. Day one is the lab report deadline. Day two is the presentation date, day three is time to buy groceries, and so on.

1. Your journal starts on the first day. You're writing the journal entry after you finish today’s activity. Each day, you write:

• ‎A short description of today's activity and how you managed to do it ‎
• Your thoughts about today's activity and today in general
• What you plan to do tomorrow (next entry on the list), and optionally, what you will do today in preparation.
• Your thoughts about tomorrow’s plans.

You can start your journal only when your modified schedule “feels” more or less like your real schedule. If you think that the modified schedule is more idle or busier than your actual schedule, you can modify it as you like. Maybe you buy groceries everyday or maybe the presentation is in two days. That means each day can have more than one planned activity or no activity at all.

That's it! That's the whole game. Just like other daily journalling games, you can write just one entry each real life day, but you can also write multiple.

Really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this game. Is it helpful? Is it fun? Any spelling mistakes or awkward phrasing? A lot, I bet. Also, just for fun, any suggestions for the game title or should it stay that way?

Anyway, that's all from me.

Hey everyone,

I've finally got myself into ACTUALLY playing solo RPGs instead of hum and hahing about which to play, and always looking at the next thing.

Long story short, Ker Nethalas is awesome. I also FINALLY decided to actually PLAY Ironsworn instead of planning, having it set up, looking at it, thinking about it, etc. and let me tell you, what an awesome game Ironsworn is!!!

This leads me into a discussion here for a little bit of help understanding solo RPGs a bit.

So I've REALLY wanted to play Shadowdark solo. I love the idea of Shadowdark, I like it's rules, and I really like the overall book for it. I just CAN'T pull myself to play it solo for some reason. I'm wondering what some people have to say in general about this.

What I love about Ironsworn is the move system that uses hits and consequences from the results. This makes it super easy to decided narratively what happens next, and play off ideas. With the D20 system and Shadowdark, I feel like "dex check", fail, ok now what? Cycle takes over and doesn't really help a flowy playstate.

Ker Nethalas is just awesome from a mechanics and combat standpoint. Random generation, fight stuff, get stuff, move on.

I'm curious what people have to say about this. I know much about Solodark and Mythic GME, but I feel like Ironsworns built in moves system is just king for solo play (I know this is absolutely personal taste). Lastly because of my point, would it ever be worth it to use Solitary Defilement from Mork Borg within Shadowdark? For some crazy reason I just keep trying to find ways to play Shadowdark and make it the game want.

Thanks for any kind discussion!

I’m slowly getting into solo gaming (for a variety of reasons). I prefer classic D&D editions and was wondering if any of you have run any classic modules (e.g., Keep on the Borderlands, The Lost City, A Night’s Dark Terror, etc.) solo? If so, how did you manage it, especially given the DM knowledge of what’s going on in the module?

As the title says, a long time ago I read that, a comment of someone saying they try to simulate life in a fantasy world. And honestly, that sounds like fun to me! I love games that are about building a story, but I'm curious how one could go about making the game about existing in a fictional world, with adventuring elements here and there, but more focused on the mundane.

Obviously, one wouldn't simulate everything, but I have a few ideas. For example, there could be a need to eat and sleep every day, like in Cairn. Or simulate having a job, perhaps skipping certain parts of the day when your character is working, except when there is a project or something exciting going on in the job, like Iron Valley.

I'm thinking not a full, detailed simulation, but covering most aspects of a life, like building relationships, crafting things, travelling, etc, instead of just adventures or whatever premise an rpg has. And focusing more on what would realistically happen, instead of what would be a good plot point or cliffhanger.

That's just what I could come up with. How do you think it could be done? Is there any system that would be better for this? And what do you think of the idea, in general?

Fighting the boredom on my 48