This is the best intro to solo role playing I’ve come across. One big question it answered for me was how to go about running a module/campaign (Night Below for AD&D 2nd edition). And the rest of it is great too because it focuses on the steps you take various options and their pros and cons.

I have been watching Solo videos for days and this is the first one worth watching. Thank you for explaining things simply and clearly.

I appreciate the discussion you shared about journaling vs simply thinking. This was all very helpful. Thank you.

Fun breakdown! I like the simple elegance of Info- decision- journal. It's an easy flow to follow while going solo.

You explained it really well, in my game I use the percentile dice and the subject focus tables from mythic gm. I base the odds of what I think is going to happen on the dice roll which means the scene maybe adjusted or npcs may react in ways that require skill checks which adds that layer of unpredictability. As for game structure I find solo works best in scenes, going from one scene to the next determined logically by what happened the scene before that. When I reach a dungeon I use the Five Room Dungeon method as a reference which helps me to keep it well rounded. I reward xp to myself on completion of quests which helps push the narrative forward. The system I use is 5e one PC and maximum 3 sidekicks which I may meet throughout the campaign.

Super great video, friend! I really like the "Info, decision, journal" method. Imma give that a try. Thank you!

Regarding decisions your character would make, you touched on it briefly and I heard this elsewhere - ahead of time, make some general principles for a character as how they might react in scenarios like they are cautious, daring (you mentioned these), would they check for traps, would they really take the time to search for secret doors? That might help playing prebuilt modules and not feel like cheating

That a really helpful video on the topic, better than most other videos about solo ttrpg. The using an existing adventure and "oracle" some of your decisions is quite ingenious! Bad thing about modules, is typically they are made for several players, so playing solo typically there is a problem of lack of certain abilities or death in combat vs a too powerful enemy or group.

I think you can let the bad roll kill the character and build it into the story. If your paladin is slain by an orc party because of a bad roll, the next character can be the paladin's squire who embarks to avenge his masters death....

This is a great (and simple!) way to keep the flow of a solo RPG going without unnecessary struggle.

Just ran into this one - very helpful. I like how you spent more time on "how", as much as "with what".

Good stuff! Instead of published adventure modules, I'm using video game settings for solo RP. Even there, there is some variance as to how to engage with the medium. On one end, you can follow the game's plot as-is and simply use a TTRPG system for its combat. To diverge from here, you can make attempts to influence NPCs to diverge from their prescribed plotlines and that's when you essentially create another timeline, where you have to ask "what happens now in situation X?" This style is more conducive to GMing yourself. On the other end, you simply have the map of the game world with some basic lore of each region and then have at it as if you were playing a game akin to Ironsworn. I'd even recommend not incorporating NPCs who join your party in the original plot so that your journey is not tethered to a semblance of a metaplot. This style is more conducive to using oracles to uncover details about the game world and to find out what happens next. In my Elden Ring solo RP, in large part, I lean closer towards the "GMing myself" end of the spectrum and I've influenced some NPCs to join my character in his quest to become Elden Lord. This happens instinctively and I'm trying to let go of the reins and incorporate oracles into the experience, so that it doesn't just feel like I'm having the exact same experience as when I play the game. Even then, writing down the story and the conversations is enjoyable and I post chapters daily on the play-by-post forum on rpg.net.

Love these tips! I’m on the cusp of starting my own solo rpg journey and looking for all the advice I can find. Will definitely be journaling

another piece of good advice i heard is to simply pause your story at times and jump into the narrative of another character - perhaps another character somewhere else in the town, world, or in a different time. then come back to the first character after playing your other characters - and this will give you more details about the world your first character is in that you didnt have before!

Me Myself & Die has a great series using Ironsworn showing one of many ways to play solo.

Hey, great video! I have folks on our email list that are interested in solo RPGs. I'm gonna send them this way. Well done.

great video!! Question: For random encounters - how do you determine how many enemies should your characters face? Should you play it fairly, or challenging?

Very clear into your solo rpg-ing! Nicely done!

I love playing with myself.

I think you did a good job considering you voided pushing a specific product or hard path.

Sorry one more comment 😂, at the end of your video you said that you fudge rolls because you didnt want a character death basically. I understand i really do. It can be a downer when that happens, but try to remember that just because the main PC dies doesn't mean the world/setting does. Think Eddard Stark from Game of Thrones. 😅

player should have lots of tables on hand to help with creativity and inspiration (artifacts, places in a town, types of characters, potion types, weapons, monsters, etc.)

thanks

Very good explenation. I just keep one question. For a solo RPG, do you have to play one character, or is it also possible (and easy) to play with a 4 character party for example?

@5:03 you have to become the “writer”…

I get the solo bit. But I'm not sure how you role play by yourself. Do you hold conversations with yourself, using different voices for the NPCs? For all that, you may as well just be playing a computer game. I would love to start gaming again - its been over thirty years - but I can't find a single gaming group in the area that is 1) close to my age and 2) not woke. Sorry, but I'm simply not going to sit there with babies who whine about pronouns because being an adult is just too difficult for them. That being said, I simply can't picture myself sitting at a table rolling die to randomize a dungeon, more die to randomize encounters and then lots and lots of die for combat. And, although I do typically spend too much time conversing with myself, unfortunately it isn't for role-playing purposes.