The Solo RPG-er &/as Creative Writer

February 7, 2024 5:44 AM

Many games and tools exist in the mysterious valley that lies between tabletop roleplaying in groups and writing fiction. Solo RPGs can be considered a creative writing practice or a generator for creative writing. Solo gaming surged during the pandemic, along with a surge in the creation of solo RPGs. (What do you know? Solo boardgaming surged, too.) There are whole kit-n-kaboodle games, as one might find on MeFi Projects and elsewhere, and then there are tools that serve as emulators for the GM/DM/referee. In the depths of the valley, or at the height of the mountain range, between boardgames and solo RPGs are to be found tabletop RPG boardgames.
posted by cupcakeninja (24 comments total)

I recently dipped a toe into solo RPGs with Notorious by Jason Price. As written, it's a fun engine for generating and playing out space bounty-hunter adventures in the style of The Mandalorian -- the setting is more or less Star Wars with the proper nouns changed and the heroic-fantasy elements pulled back in favor of western/noir tropes -- but the prompts given in the book are really just a springboard for your own imagination, and give you leeway to play into or subvert the genre as you go.

I've played three sessions with the same main character (a one-eyed humanoid-rodent mercenary named Skax) that have generated pages and pages of notes about the character and his relationships with the randomly-generated NPCs and groups that have come up over the play-throughs. I haven't played with too much of a regard for narrative continuity, but I feel like a few threads have naturally developed and could be massaged into arcs with a little bit of retooling. I've considered attempting to go back and write up an edited-down version of some of the adventures as short stories in the pulp-adventure vein -- they won't be great literature, but there's some potential there for fun pastiche.
posted by Strange Interlude at 6:40 AM on February 7 [4 favorites]

Itch.io is doing a $10 bundle of solo games geared towards mental health, with the money going to Take This, an org dedicated to "decrease the stigma, and increase the support for, mental health in the game enthusiast community and inside the game industry."

Some of these look to be hit or miss, but there are some really neat ideas there.

My first solo RPG was Apothecary, which I enjoyed immensely and made a quite elaborate journal of. I was hooked. It's a cozy style game about a witch who moves into a town to help the town's people with what ails them.

I love solo RPGs. A lot.
posted by jonnay at 6:44 AM on February 7 [10 favorites]

I believe the first, though I'm happy to be corrected(*), was 2016's The Beast, a card-based journalling game out of Poland by a company called Naked Female Giant. You start your journal with the words "I have sex with the beast. It's a secret" and create one new entry every day for a month, based on random cards from its deck of prompts. The final entry concludes the story, and you are then instructed to either hide or destroy the journal. It's a tour de force, and was shortlisted for the Diana Jones Award in 2017.

The acknowledged standout solo RPG is Thousand Year Old Vampire by Tim Hutchings, a beautiful and masterfully curated journey through the unlife of an undead monster, experiencing love, loss, and occasionally forgetting chunks of your own past through a very clever system of mechanics. (Self-plug: my podcast Ludonarrative Dissidents recorded an episode on it.)

(*) De Profundis by Michal Oracz, the first epistolatory RPG, which I published in English in 2001 (like The Beast it's originally Polish), has a chapter on playing a solo version of the game, but it's impressionistic and lacks enough rules to be considered a game in its right.
posted by Hogshead at 7:03 AM on February 7 [10 favorites]

Brave Sparrow, discussed here previously, is from 2013 - I'd count that as a solo RPG, though it's not really a creative writing RPG / journal RPG in the same way as most of these.
posted by Jeanne at 7:12 AM on February 7 [4 favorites]

Jeanne, you're completely right, and I can't believe I forgot Brave Sparrow (though to be honest I've always considered it more of a poetic metaphor in the form of a game.) It is a work of great beauty and Avery Alder is one of the most interesting designers working in game-creation today.
posted by Hogshead at 7:19 AM on February 7

Comments and the post are mostly bringing up great journaling style solo-RPGs, but there's a whole other tradition that is closer in practice to group TTRPG play.

If you've got a problem buying TTRPG books that you'll never play, having a generic RPG emulator on hand lets you justify every purchase! The linked One Page Solo Engine is classic, but Mythic is another great emulator. TOFU is another single page emulator with a lot of tools for D&D 5e.

I feel there are easier places to start if you're new to solo RPGs (or maybe RPGs in general), though.

All-in-one games are easier to start with: they've got a setting, they've got rules, and they have a compatible emulator integrated. Ironsworn is probably the best start for a lot of people: it's free, has a nice low-fantasy setting, great mechanically, and has an active community with examples. Starforged is a slightly streamlined version with a sci-fi setting and the same great mechanics.

Something almost all-in-one is Scarlet Heroes. It's intended for a single player character and maybe a GM, with an included setting, rules, and a decent way to generate adventures. It shines because the setting is completely replaceable and the rules can be mashed together with a bunch of other content as needed, and there's a free quickstart version.
posted by Anonymous Function at 7:57 AM on February 7 [8 favorites]

1. Yesss, Notorious. I just played a session of the standalone expansion, Outsiders. Instead of Notorious’ factions that map neatly to the Galactic Empire, Rebel Alliance, Hutt Cartel, Black Sun Syndicate, Trade Federation, and Jedi Order, Outsiders has an expeditionary force, ecoterrorists, space pirates, a spice cartel, a cutthroat pod racing league, and Force witches.

2. If you're struggling to write for a journaling game, I recommend reading Paul Czege's The Ink That Bleeds. Rather than trying to produce artifacts that another person could read -- like letters or journal entries -- Czege encourages you to write from your unconscious, typically in a more dialogue-focused style.

3. Omg, thank you for linking to my MeFi project!! Labyrinth of Night, my noir journaling game, is in the bundle that jonnay linked, so check it out if you get the bundle.

4. Not interested in journaling but still want to play a solo RPG? I haven't played it yet but Haxen, another game in the bundle, appears in this collection of "Solo Games - No Journals or Feelings."
posted by icebergs at 8:00 AM on February 7 [11 favorites]

I would be interested to hear more about particular solo RPGs that people in here have found useful for journaling- I bought that itch.io bundle but there are so many it's hart do know where to start.

Definitely would love try out the beast mentioned by hogshead- seems like the link is broken there and it doesn't come up in seach?
posted by wowenthusiast at 8:22 AM on February 7 [1 favorite]

Is Gloomhaven really an RPG in any meaningful sense of the word? I had it pegged as a tactical combat miniatures game without any more than a light skim coat of RPG on the surface.
posted by rikschell at 8:31 AM on February 7 [1 favorite]

I use both Mythic GME (2nd ed.) and One Page Solo Engine. Conveniently each now have app editions, for both Android and iOS. When feasible, I prefer the feel of dice and looking at charts, but the apps do have their place. I find OPSE very suitable for playing while traveling or otherwise on the go, whereas the Mythic app helpfully duplicates the long lists of charts in the printed version(s).

Something I forgot to link to in the main post was something about oracles. These are usually charts (or app-ified versions thereof) with responses on a range something like "yes and | yes | yes but | no but | no | no and" in order to determine the success of an action. Sometimes with modifiers based on the probability that the player assigns to a given event (it's less likely a new wall will collapse while the character is climbing, vs. a crumbling wall in a ruin.)

I didn't really include anything about philosophy of play (if you are solo, are you the player, or are you the GM? are you both?) or design, as both seemed like possible topics for another FPP down the road, whoever might want to make them.

rikschell, I don't have a strong opinion on that, but I have read articles, posts, comments, etc. suggesting it and kin can scratch the itch for some people.
posted by cupcakeninja at 8:40 AM on February 7 [1 favorite]

I wouldn't say Gloomhaven is an RPG. I like tactical combat but I don't enjoy the storytelling parts, and I liked Gloomhaven just fine. The friend I played through with though *does* like some storytelling, and so she did a bit more, and was happy with that. Maybe it depends on your own temperament?

Speaking of, the last link in the FPP does have Gloomhaven as a top-rated tabletop RPG. But the other things listed there are much more RPG than tabletop, and I"m more of a tabletop gamer. Are there other things in the same space as Gloomhaven?
posted by nat at 8:48 AM on February 7

nat, big caveat that I have not played Gloomhaven, but I recently got into the solo sci-fi "adventure wargame" Five Parsecs from Home. There's a fantasy-themed game by the same designer, Five Leagues from the Borderlands.
posted by icebergs at 8:59 AM on February 7 [3 favorites]

> I believe the first, though I'm happy to be corrected(*), was 2016's ...

When I was a teenager decades ago in the 1980s, I entertained myself by playing a character who explored dungeons created with the the random dungeon generation tables in the AD&D 1st edition Dungeon Master's guide. I'm sure these games are different and more sophisticated, but the idea has been around for at least 40 years.
posted by moonbiter at 9:21 AM on February 7 [6 favorites]

Hogshead, I LOVED De Profundis, despite my abject failure to get anyone to play it with me. I tried launching it twice and just never got anywhere. Alas.

But thank you for publishing it.
posted by ursus_comiter at 9:23 AM on February 7 [3 favorites]

I think of board games like Dead of Winter and Betrayal at House on the Hill as RPG lite or RPG adjacent. You are playing a character or characters although there’s no requirement to inhabit them in any sort of dramatic way.
posted by rikschell at 9:26 AM on February 7 [2 favorites]

It's ZineMonth/ZineQuest -- what solo games are currently funding?

I backed Courier - Repacked (which has not hit its funding goal yet, so please check it out), which is by the same designer as sci-fi solo RPG GLIDE.

Cezar Capacle, who has done several solo RPGs, launched Random Realities, an oracle zine.

I'm sure there's lots that I'm missing.
posted by icebergs at 9:26 AM on February 7 [1 favorite]

Shing Yin Khor's upcoming solo game The Bird Oracle looks delightful.
posted by Jeanne at 9:28 AM on February 7 [3 favorites]

Got into the solo RPG format last year- my favourite has been VOID 1680 AM which won an ENNIE in 2023.

Ken, the author, has a YouTube channel with a pretty diverse set of playthroughs (YT Playlist Link)

I was the kind of kid that spent a lot of time playing around with HTML "Random Town Generator" tools on the aughties internet, so really glad to see a profusion of these kinds of pen, paper, cup of tea, lazy Sunday games-- very excited to try out Fox Curios Floating Bookshop from the itch.io bundle linked above!
posted by choom at 9:36 AM on February 7 [3 favorites]

choom, I was that kid in the late 70s early 80s, but purely analog. I used the DMG appendix for randomly generating dungeons and ran a party of chars through it.

Oddly enough, I've had zero interest in the spate of Solo RPGs, although I'm happy to see them thriving. I haven't been up for writing/journaling for years and I can just pull up Nethack if I want the kind of experience I had when I was a kid.
posted by ursus_comiter at 11:19 AM on February 7

Great post.

I've been exploring solitaire tabletop games, because it's hard to fine anyone in my family or community to play with. Also been sketching out some.
posted by doctornemo at 12:34 PM on February 7 [2 favorites]

I’ve been talking up Burning Wheel recently to a friend for similar purpose. It’s great for character starting points and arcs, not only in game but for any purpose.

In my friend’s case, I was suggesting Burning Wheel as a tool for spinning up dynamic NPCs to use when he GMs: rather than an evil orc lord antagonist, an orc lord antagonist with a backstory.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 1:39 PM on February 7

moonbiter: “When I was a teenager decades ago in the 1980s, I entertained myself by playing a character who explored dungeons created with the the random dungeon generation tables in the AD&D 1st edition Dungeon Master's guide.”

You'll need Ruffle or some other way to play Flash content, but Dungeon Robber is an online implementation of those AD&D DMG tables.
posted by ob1quixote at 2:03 PM on February 7 [2 favorites]

Not exactly the same as the solo RPGs discussed here, but I've been playing my way through Baldur's Gate 3 recently and similarly had a thought that what I was doing was a form of story-building. A lot of times, what would leave me dissatisfied in a particular playthrough and have me reloading a save, was that the narrative didn't seem right. This is obvious when it comes to dialogue, but it's also true for other stuff, like choosing to sneak into a building vs blowing open the door, or which character should be the one to deliver the killing blow to a particular big bad*. I'm sure many other players do the same. It's a distinct aspect of computer RPGs that goes beyond tactical and strategic considerations: does your playthrough sum up to a good story?

* One particularly memorable moment was when my barbarian felled the full-of-himself evil general by throwing a rotten egg she had kept with her since the beginning of the game.
posted by destrius at 12:19 AM on February 8 [3 favorites]

@wowenthusiast: journaling Solo RPGs are so intensely personal that I don't know if it's easy to recommend a particular one.

Sime have such a compelling story and worlds, I'm willing to overlook a janky mechanic. Others I haven't played because...ehhh... I don't really want to journal about a drive down the country side, or making dinner.

My favorite is "the Makers Call" so far, but that's such an intensely personal choice, I can't recommend it to anyone.

My advice is read through the descriptions until you say "huh, that's interesting..." Then read the rules. You'll know if you wanna play it.
posted by jonnay at 6:19 AM on February 9 [1 favorite]