My 4 person adventure party has set out to recover a gem stolen by a thief. Their first encounter is an encampment of Dwarves. They turned out to be friendly. I’m playing Two Hour Wargames latest solo adventure fantasy game, Talomir Tales. It’s designed to quickly get the player into a story and complete a campaign within a couple hours. So far I like it, not a lot of crunch to get bogged down in so the your story keeps advancing.
A reply that I just wrote got me thinking about this subject. I’ve used Mythic for years. I’ve tried other solitary engines over the years too. All that I’ve tried have one obstacle to me and that is using tables or lists of randomly chosen words. My brain has trouble when there isn’t an obvious literal interpretation.
I’ve stopped using the word lists and use either Rory’s Story Cubes or icons from Game-icons.net. When there are icons, even without a literal application it seems that my brain can find less direct applications with less effort.
Has anyone else tried using icons instead of words?
Originally shared by Jacob Ross
Okay, so solo Cypher System EM emulator?Sounds cool. Like, I really want to get it, but I’m not sure if it is worth it. There’s no Publisher Preview so I can’t tell. Does anyone know anything about this book?
Ironsworn is an incredible RPG designed by Shawn Tomkin that is available for free as well as a new print version. This is designed for solo and coop (as well as group) play from the ground up and offers one of the best experiences I’ve had yet with a system when playing solo.
Eventually I am going to post some gameplay videos but for now I have just posted a detailed look inside the print version of the book. You can get a sense of how the material is narratively driven, what kinds of oracle tables are provided, and the tools and apparatus in the system for generating the world.
I’m not affiliated with this game or its designer in any way. I just really love this material and think any soloist out there should check it out.
I’m interested in this. $15 is pretty steep for a PDF though, and I don’t know anything about John Wick (the designer, not Keanu Reeves), or “Blood and Honor” on which this is based, but it sounds interesting. Has modes for more Bond-like action & has a Solitaire mode, so I’m intrigued. Anyone tried it? Any thoughts?
Beyond the Wall: Gruinwalt. Session 3-Part 1.
1. I’ve been fond of using Necropraxis Hazard System (http://www.necropraxis.com/2017/11/22/hazard-system-v0-3/) to make dungeon/wilderness/combat turns a bit more interesting. Putting it to good use here, though the turns should be measured in days or half-days I’ll be making Hazard rolls for the different segments of their trip back to the village. Which SHOULD take the party two wilderness “turns”.
2. I’m also trying out a Dungeon World style resolution for non-combat stuff (i.e. skills, ability checks that don’t fit the Save vs. model)
3. I’m also emulating Charles Swann’s style of laying out story and mechanics in his session logs.
No Wits, No Light, No Hope
Sunnhilde and Turri return to the standing stones with the goal of escorting the cultists they held captive, back to the village and seek assistance from the grizzled mercenary, Kendra, who taught Sunnhilde how to fight.
Have the captives escaped? The party didn’t get rid of the weapons so they left some sharp objects like daggers and a longsword that could be used to escape. Very Likely. Yes.
Atop the small knoll of the standing stones, the adventurers find sections of rope frayed and cut. No immediate sign of the cultists. The corpse of the farmer by day/cultist by night, nowhere to be found. Berating themselves on their short-sightedness, the party heads back to the village.
Wilderness Turn 1. Hazard die: [5] Percept Spoor or clue regarding next encounter. Is the next encounter far away? 50/50. Yes.
Discern Realities: 2d6+2: 11.
Despite stumbling about in the dark forest, Sunnhilde comes across some tracks, not animal tracks, likely humanoid, and vegetation that’s been brushed aside by passing travellers. Caught in the brambles is a piece of torn cloth, the fabric and pattern of which match those of the cultists.
“It looks like the cultists came this way, searching for something,” Sunnhilde says.
Does it look like the cultists are heading towards the village? Somewhat Likely. Yes.
“Or someone,” Turri replies, his expression grim. “Likely trying to track us down. Or racing to get back to the village to spread lies about us no doubt.”
Turri scouts ahead. At least he can give a warning to allow the fleet-footed Sunnhilde to escape and have a chance of alerting the village leaders of the threat of cultists and angry fae.
Turri undertakes a perilous journey: 6+1 = 7.
Remembering the Wych’s lessons, Turri keeps his senses attuned to the forest around him and while he feels confident that he’ll be able to keep an eye out for the cultists he feels less confident about evading any encounters.
Wilderness Turn 2. Hazard die: [4] Locality Shift weather (or other local change)
Does the party get lost? Somewhat likely. Yes.
Do they get separated? Somewhat likely. No.
Do they end up back in the Farwood? 50/50. No.
The party bumbles through the woods, making no further progress getting back to Gruinwalt.
Wilderness Turn 3. Hazard die: [4] Locality Shift weather (or other local change). Consulting the Mythic oracle for the nature of the event. _
_PC Negative. Care Hope. It’s a morale issue then.
Defy Danger modified by Charisma (strength of personality and leadership capability). Sunnhilde: 4+1=5. Turri: 5+3: 8
Sunnhilde starts to despair, hacking at the foliage with her axe, carving a path to nowhere. The noise she is making is probably going to attract unwanted attention and her haphazard effort makes getting even more lost very likely. Turri keeps it together but has a hard choice, abandon his scouting and return to steady Sunnhilde’s nerves but making noise as he rushes back, making it even more likely that they’ll get into trouble with the forest denizens or the cultist search party.
Turri sprints back to try and get Sunnhilde back on track.
Wilderness Turn 4. Lower of two Hazard dice: [6,5] Percept Spoor or clue regarding next encounter
In the distance, amidst the flickering of torches and the probing beams of lanternlight, the adventurers see horned and robed figures cast in shadows of flickering torches…
I’ve been contemplating a solo mechanic for Call of Cthulhu, or other games with a similar “uncovering the true horror,” aesthetic. This idea borrows some from Cthulhu Dark and a few other places.
Track a “mythos score,” on, say, a d10. It starts out at 1. For every investigative move your character makes, roll 1d10 before you decide what they discover. On any value equal or lower than your mythos score, increase the score by 1. This should hopefully give a feeling of gradually creeping horror, though I’m not sure if the effect will work so well at the upper part of the range, when everything is likely to be supernatural in some sense or other.
For elaboration, use the mythos score as a gauge of what’s likely to happen. At low values, the horror is relatively tame, higher bringing increasing weirdness. Nothing can have an overtly supernatural explanation without the mythos roll being a “success.” The mythos score doesn’t drop during the course of a single adventure, though I suppose if you’re feeling charitable you might allow particularly heroic or stalwart character actions to lower it.
I hope this is helpful for anybody who likes Cthulhu gaming as much as I do. One of these days I’ll try to actually test it out. 🙂
DSA 1 – Gideon’s Game – Session 2. The pair of adventurers begins their delve into Vandercal’s Tomb to recover the dark druid’s amulet.
This is a narratized version of my 2nd session of a Dolmenwood-inspired setting using Beyond the Wall for character creation, supplemented by Scarlet Heroes for solo RP-mods and additional reference material. The D&D Rules Cyclopedia to fill in some gaps.
Trespassers and Defilers
Sunnhilde Beararm, the local hero of the village of Gruinwalt, and Turri Greeneye, the Wych’s Prentice, trek deep into the Farwode looking to clear the Old Watchtower of cultists who have made the crumbling ruin a base of operations. They stumble along animal trails in the shadow of a moonless sky. Being ill-prepared for an assault, the two are delighted to stumble upon a cache of weapons at the edge of a clearing with a few weapons (a battle axe, spear, at least a half-dozen daggers and a quiver of steel-tipped arrows), a couple of chain shirts and a few trinkets made of metal. The pair hastily re-equip themselves before marching on. Sunnhilde dons the chain shirt, keeps the battle axe as a back up to her trusty axe and keeps the spear ready to hurl at her enemies. Turri takes the dagger but has no use for the chain armor. Besotted by their good fortune and the urgency to move on, the pair do not search for signs of battle, trails or clues.
As they re-enter the woods, they are disconcerted as the illumination fluctuates from the near dark of the new moon to an all-pervading dimly lit aura of purple and gold, the eternal gloaming of the Fae realms. Remembering her Da’s and Ma’s stories, Sunnhilde remembers how faeries abhor iron and cold steel. She grumbles and refuses to discard the arms and armor that are sorely needed for the upcoming fight against the cultists and the demons they summon.
An angry forest spirit, a semi-incorporeal giant owl with green and silver feathers and nasty raptor claws, disrupts the adventurers plan to clear out the cultist base of operations and accuses the villagers of trespassing on and, worse, defiling the land. The adventurers decide to hold their ground and mount a full defense as they are not likely to escape. The forest spirit is swift and weaves through the forest like the wind.
Sunnhilde’s stout shield takes a beating, staving off the first round of the forest spirits attacks while Turri explains why they are in the deep woods and that they are villagers from Gruinwalt. Upon hearing of that they came from the village south of the deep wood, the spirit appears angrier and presses its attack, raking Sunnhilde with its giant owl claws as animated vines to slash and pierce the village hero. Sunnhilde falls. Turri is about is about to take a fatal blow but manages to connect with a glancing hit with his charred staff. Not enough to wound the forest spirit but the touch of the staff startles the forest spirit.
The forest spirit suspends its attack long enough to interrogate Turri.
“Tower’s Heart! It can’t be. Your staff is black and ashen. Yet it still thrums with the enchanted might of the Towering Tree”.
“The village Wych, Lora, gave this to me,” Turri whimpers.
“And where is Lora now?”
“Passed on from this world. She fought a demon. She gave her life to save me.” Turri is in tears.
For the moment, the forest spirit appears willing to accept Turri’s story. The forest spirit ceases raging and transforms into a handsome raven-haired young man introducing himself as He-Who-Watches.
The Wych nor anyone else in the village ever referred to the Wych’s staff as “Tower’s Heart”. There is more to the staff than just a charred length of wood and a sentimental reminder of Turri’s tutelage under the Wych.
He-Who-Watches forces the adventurers to discard their metal weapons and gear but allows them to keep the Wych’s staff, Sunnhilde’s shield and their healing herbs. He-Who-Watches also allows the adventurers to bind their wounds and asks about the Wych’s demise and the recent events in and around Gruinwalt. Turri applies the healing paste and ragged bandages to revive Sunnhilde. After the short rest, He-Who-Watches commands the vines to wrap around the adventurers’ necks and bind their arms and hands.
He-Who-Watches remains convinced that the villagers have broken an agreement to stay south of the standing stones. The spirit calls upon creatures of the forest to put the adventurers’ testimony to the test. Many of the animals have seen robed humans with goat-horned-helmets and masks encroaching on the forbidden woods and inhabiting a crumbling watchtower along the old wall. An adder attests to a battle at the standing stones between the robed-masked-men and the adventurers. A songbird titters about voles seeing the adventurers harvesting the bounty of the woods in the Wych’s Yard earlier in the day.
He-Who-Watches presses Turri and Sunnhilde for more details about the herbs, flowers and other wild crops they collected and comes to the conclusion that the adventurers are trying to cure the crop blight. He-Who-Watches called upon his allies to bring a blight on the villagers’ crops to serve as a warning. Lora, the village Wych, was supposed to have known that the eldritch green flowers were a sign of Faerie displeasure and ought to have alerted the leaders of the village that humans have trespassed north of the standing stones.
He-Who-Watches reluctantly agrees that the adventurer’s reason for trespassing are different than those of the robed, masked humans but their people are nevertheless guilty of trespassing. He-Who-Watches is further displeased that the adventurers are undoing his work of warning and punishing the village for crossing the agreed-upon border. The forest keeper will continue to harass the village and should the incursions continue, He-Who-Watches will muster a force to wipe out the village.
After some more negotiation, Turri and Sunnhilde save their necks but must convince the other trespassing humans to retreat or otherwise remove the human presence north of the standing stones. The forest keeper provides tolerant consent, giving them until sunset of the 2nd day hence to resolve the matter with their fellow humans before the forest fae resolves the matter for them.
For my first foray into solo gaming, I decided I should go with a system that would be more intuitive for me, so I could focus on getting a feel for GMing for myself. Looking down my most recent list of games I wanted to play, I chose Swords & Wizardry…
Lone Wolf Roleplaying 