#SoloRPG

[capacle]

I keep thinking of the double-edged sword of partial success.

On one hand, they do help move the story forward. On the other hand, coming up with complications every time can be taxing.

That got me thinking: what if we reversed the way we look at partial success?

See, a partial success is usually seen as taking away from a full success. It is a ‘success, but…’.

You start with the assumption that you did the thing, but then you take a step back and inject a cost, a complication, or a choice.

I love it, but it can be overwhelming.After the 6th partial success in a row, you're like: “You convince the prince, but… I don’t know, you twist your ankle or something, I don’t care. Let’s move on.”

I've tackled this problem in different ways. Mechanizing it, hand-waving it, offering prompts and tables… They work, but I kept exploring. And that led me to the idea of looking at partial success from the other end.

What if we did the opposite? What if we started from a failure, and built up towards success with costs? Would it help with narrating partial success if we could pick and choose a few costs to work our way towards success?

So in my current project, I adopted this.

You roll 2d6 and need to get a 10+ (which is hard). If you don't, you can buy your success by spending different resources.

Let's see an example:

With a determined yell, I lunge forward, my blade slicing through the air towards the guard. I roll a 7, not enough for a successful strike. I spend one Vigor, representing the sharp sting of the guard's counterattack grazing my side. I also spend one Gear, as my sword hums with a magical energy. Lastly, I spend 1 Resolve. The guard's strength has caught me off guard, a flicker of fear igniting in my chest. With vigor, gear, and resolve combined, I reach the threshold, turning my near miss into a solid hit.

You see what I see?

It feels like you conquered a hit, instead of having your success tainted by costs, although it is technically the same thing.

Is it just me?

Looking at my resources and spending them as a little puzzle to get to my success threshold made the act of incorporating these costs into the narrative more natural to me.

Perhaps the feeling that you are investing into a success is a more powerful incentive to do so?

Anyway, I thought it was pretty exciting to explore this concept. So much so that it ended up being the core of a new game. And I’m itchfunding it right now!

If you want to see this mechanic (and some of its cool variations) in action, check it out!

#ttrpg design #indie ttrpg #ttrpg #solorpg #game design

[cassimothwin]

Finally did a flip through video of Carved by the Garden, my folk horror journaling game. I wrote and illustrated it!

You can find it on my shop if you're interested!

#folk horror #indie ttrpg #my art #midsommar #the ritual #ttrpg #solorpg #solo rpg #solo journaling rpg #journaling prompts

[goblincow]

331% Funded | 15 days to go!

If you've been following me for a while you'll know I'm soon going to be releasing The Perilous Pear & Plum Pies of Pudwick, a 52 page full-colour, fully illustrated adventure for Melsonia where a group of plucky adventurers will shrink to insectoid size and adventure into the uncanny world that exists inside a sapient pear tree in a system agnostic weird fantasy bugcrawl.

If that interests you, you should absolutely check out Beetle Knight, which I hope to run TPPAPPOP with when I get my grubby palps on it!

Beetle Knight has got a cool contested rolls system, an emblems mechanic reminiscent of the medals in Bug Fables or charms in Hollow Knight, and it comes from a team embedded in the OSR/NSR design trajectory.

I'm not involved with Beetle Knight, but if luck is on our side both projects will release the same day Silksong comes out! If it sounds like your kind of game (and you know it is if you're following me) go check out the kickstarter page!

#indie ttrpg #ttrpg #ttrpg design #ttrpg recs #tabletop #bugs bugs bugs #ttrpg dev #beetle knight #hollow knight #silksong #bug fables #insects #osr #ttrpg community #kickstarter #ZiMo #zinequest #zine month #solorpg #rpg #indie rpg

[knighthouse-co]

What’s scarier: being stuck in the backrooms of an eerie office building or needing to pee but knowing something might be watching you? Backrooms & Bathrooms is a horror-comedy, solo “Pee-Pee RPG” set in the shifting backrooms of an office space. All you need to play is one six-sided die and a standard deck of playing cards.

Backrooms & Bathrooms uses playing cards to create the Office Building, a card structure that uses an oracle to determine what rooms you find in the offices of LIMINAL Corporation. Flip cards to solidify your EVACUATION PLAN and you can achieve 1 of 4 endings!

I got the idea for this game after driving by abandoned office parks in suburban New York with my friends and I couldn’t help myself. Navigate the bathrooms, avoid a haunting presence and hold onto your bladder for dear life.

Available for free on itch.io!

#solorpg #solo ttrpg #solo gaming #solo #indie game #indie game designer #game design #the backrooms #backrooms #liminal #liminal spaces #liminal horror #horror #horror comedy #comedy

[mushroomwitchgames]

CATS KNOW THINGS is now available on ITCH.IO!

The day is finally here!

CATS KNOW THINGS is finally available on our Itch.io store! YAY!!!

There are also Ten community copies for download for those from marginalized communities and/or those who cannot afford a copy (no questions asked!). At the beginning of the month, more community copies will be added for every purchase.

We really hope you enjoy playing CATS KNOW THINGS - may all the rumors the cat tells you be scandalous and salacious!

#ttrpg #indie ttrpg #ttrpg art #ttrpg community #mushroom witch games #solo rpg #solo journaling game #solo ttrpg #solo journaling rpg #solorpg #now available #itch.io

[maxkirin]

Happy holidays, survivors! 🎁🎄

Today my latest one-page rpg is out! ONE PAGE HOLIDAY sees you trying to survive a horror holiday movie. Celebrate not just Xmas, but 12 different holidays. Get ready for a bloody good time! 🩸🩸🩸

Get it now for FREE

☕ My Shop 🎮 Itchio 🎲 DriveThruRPG

#my games #ttrpg #solo rpg #solorpg #journaling game #horror rpg #holiday rpg #xmas rpg

[soulmuppet]

📢NEW US & UK DROP! Dead Air is a solo ttrpg by Fiona Ruthven about running a radio station after a nuclear apocalypse.

Get the word out, keep the generators running, stay safe and stay tuned

#solottrpg #TTRPGs #ttrpg #indie ttrpg #tabletop #ttrpg community #solorpg

[onlyknownothing]

Solo RPGs for NaNoWriMo

In case you are unaware, there's a whole concept called a "solo RPG" that is effectively journaling prompts based around set conceptual worlds/themes and a randomizer (such as dice, or cards, or both).

I've been trying to get back into the habit of writing regularly, and to keep myself engaged despite having no fully-formed plot in mind I've been using these and writing them out as if I were a GM. It's second-person, and not particularly quality stuff - no intent to polish or publish, just trying to get back into the habit of actually putting out words.

I mention this because, even though I'm not participating in NaNoWriMo, I got curious about the word-count of my current efforts and discovered that it's actually over 12k words. I started sometime after November 1st, and I haven't actually "finished" the first day of actual RP play by the rules. So... it's definitely useful if you're looking for simple production (which is what NaNoWriMo and first drafts both demand).

I'm throwing this out there because I know I have writers who follow me, and it's been remarkably effective for the sake of getting over writer's block due to a lack of "what comes next" - if you don't know, roll dice or draw a card.

So here's what I'm using, as of the moment, in case these tools are of interest to others:

Ironsworn (for the oracle tables, basically - look online and most of them are already in generators if you'd like ease-of-use)

Iron Valley (for the decision/progress questions, as it's effectively a more simplified form of Ironsworn's challenge-roll mechanics, though the oracle tables here are also useful at times)

The Freeform Universal RPG (for the simple d6 oracle - I use a modified form of this, however, as I believe that "no" is a bad answer for storytelling; "no" should always redirect in some way towards some other plot point, so I replace "no" in the system here with a "no, because" which introduces a neutral twist)

Midnight Melodies (for the complications/advantages charts - seen here - which provide guidance for the "but" or "and" answers given by the FU oracle)

There are loads more Solo RPGs out there, too, many free or pay-what-you-want - so I'd encourage you to look into them in order to help you if you get stuck.

#solorpg #solo rpg #roleplaying #writing #nanowrimo

[bonbonbunny]

I started playing Iron Valley today and you would not believe what I rolled as one of my randomized starting items.

#solo RPGs #solo RPG #soloRPGs #soloRPG #Ironsworn #Iron Valley

[thelostbaystudio]

Sales on cool TTRPG zines

Sales on everything at the store - including the Wicked Wanderers Winter Bundle - folks these should compensate a bit for EU custom duties 😉 I'm thinking about you EU friends 💜 Sales run until Saturday 8am CET - and we are still shipping worldwide

Get the zines here https://thelostbaystudio.com/

#ttrpg #troika #solorpg #solo ttrpg #mork borg #we deal in lead

[laesquinadelrol]

Presenting a megabundle of solo journaling tabletop games for the Itch.io Summer Sale 2023! Featuring 38 titles from 21 talented creators spread across the globe.

All of the games in this bundle would normally cost you a total of $139.49, but you can get them now at a 74% discount! That's 38 games for only $35.

If you're looking for games to play on your own then you've come to the right place. Whether you're looking for something contemplative and reflective, a bit of excitement, or some light fun to pass the time, this bundle has something for you.

All the games in this bundle are physical games that can be played on your own. Some also have additional rules for multiple players.

Enjoy!

#Solo-RPG #rolensolitario #solorpg #ttrpg #indie ttrpg #ttrpg community #journalingrpg #megabundle #summer sales #solo journaling

[capacle]

A jazz pianist turned occult detective

You're a jazz pianist that the Reaper couldn't take.

Instead, you're recruited for the Department of Unauthorized Deaths, investigating untimely demises.

You use your perfect pitch to trace the frequencies left by the transgressing entities.

Each night, after your performance at the club, you find a scrap of paper in your tip jar—the name of someone taken without consent.

You must unravel this mystery using your newfound supernatural talents, and perform an eerie harmony to report your findings to the Reaper before sunrise.

The game uses a single d6 for conflict resolution.

Choose your Action: Talk, Move, Force, Handle or Discern.

Roll a d6 (+1/-1 if the Action is Dominant or Diminished)

Check your result. That's it.

You craft your mystery as you go.

When you feel like you made progress, you discover a musical Tone. 3 Tones make a Chord.

With 3 Chords, you perform them on an abandoned or neglected piano, and send the harmony away to the Reaper.

Your job is done for the night.

The game is available right now, just in time for Halloween!

Grab it for a discount price today (and spread the word, if you like it ^^)

#indie ttrpg #ttrpg #ttrpg design #global south #halloween #solorpg

[cassimothwin]

Last week I was awarded Best Actual Play video at Minnesota Webfest!

What's an actual play video? Last spring, through dramatic improvisational gameplay, I acted out a story while streaming. That means I had no script! I only had my character (the last surviving astronaut on a spaceship) and an elevator pitch: you're being hunted by a creature aboard the ship. I learned with the live audience how my character's story would unfold and reacted in-character to the events.

I'm really proud of this achievement since this was a completely solo project (complete with greenscreens and two camera feeds)!

#actualplay #ttrpg #solorpg #solottrpg #roleplay #acting #livestream #smallstreamer

[technicalgrimoire]

New Monthly Challenge

DEC2023 is our biggest Overpowered Challenge so far! You have four weeks to play through "Dyson's Delve" and achieve a high score to win some awesome prizes.

Read the challenge rules and submit your score here: https://www.technicalgrimoire.com/overpowered

#indie ttrpg #tabletop #ttrpg #osr #indie #pixel art #rpg #high score #speedrun #solorpg #solo rpg

[dnd-edit]

Last year I illustrated my playthrough of the solo roleplaying game THOUSAND YEAR OLD VAMPIRE by Tim Hutchings. He has now put my story into print, and done an incredible job as you can see in the video above - hardback with gold foil, lovely thick paperstock, etc. If it’s up your alley, you can order the book now! https://thousandyearoldvampire.com/collections/basic-book-selection/products/pre-order-an-account-of-the-lengthy-existence-and-numerous-experiences-of-ambrose-blackhouse-vampire-with-special-attention-to-those-years-in-which-he-walked-upon-this-earth-tho-dead-an-illustrated-novel-by-tim-denee

#ttrpg #solorpg #actual play

[mushroomwitchgames]

CATS KNOW THINGS on Itch.io!!

CATS KNOW THINGS, the Purrfectly Scandalous Solo Journal RPG, will be available for purchase on Itch.io Wednesday, November 22 at 9am PST. In the meantime, you can bookmark the games page to prepare for the release of our very first game (no peeking though! You've gotta wait til Wednesday!). We're so very excited to share it with all of you!!

#ttrpg #indie ttrpg #support indie ttrpgs #support indie creators #ttrpg community #ttrpg design #ttrpg art #mushroom witch games #solo rpg #solo journaling game #solo journaling rpg #solo ttrpg #solorpg #game release