Solitaire

Thoughts on Soloing a Published Adventure Module

Spencer 2018-03-09 10177 2 Comments
Resources

My first solo play session was attempted using a published adventure module (the Hero Kids “Basement o’ Rats” introductory adventure). I had fun — I was able to use a simple d6 yes/no mechanic to pose questions and emulate GM responses — but I also had enough foreknowledge (and inexperience) that it was too confining compared to more free-form, generated-on-the-fly sort of play. And that’s the problem, right? Modules are published for GMs, so they’re chock full of great stuff that absolutely spoils things for the players if they come into such knowledge before the proper time. As a solo…

Black Blade of the Demon King – Session Zero (a Module Solo Experiment)

Spencer 2018-03-09 5363 Comments Off on Black Blade of the Demon King – Session Zero (a Module Solo Experiment)
Actual Plays

Gosh, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted an actual play. Mostly, I just haven’t had time to play, though I’ve managed a few sessions with the kids (actually trying to play-test my own kid rules! … but I digress). I’ve also been distracted by real-life happenings, like Christmas, birthdays, work woes, and trying to relocate (I’m not sure which is worse, trying to buy a home or trying to sell one). Excuses, all, I suppose. Anyhow, I have at least been pondering on and reading about RPGs, so the desire and anticipation have been building for some time….

The Big [Solo Campaign] Bang

Spencer 2017-12-04 5841 Comments Off on The Big [Solo Campaign] Bang
Solitaire Gaming

Thanks to work, family, and general life happenings, I spent most of SGAM thinking about solo gaming, rather than actually engaging in it (I squeezed in some Four Against Darkness plays, so I suppose it wasn’t a total bust.). I did manage to find some time to read through a few interesting texts, however, which have me contemplating something bigger than I’ve endeavored to undertake before: a solo campaign, complete with world building and all that jazz. Namely, continuing Vincent’s story. KABOOM! When you think of the Big Bang, you likely picture in your mind a black, empty space, crammed full of…

Four Against Darkness Compatible Game Board

Spencer 2017-11-23 44448 Comments Off on Four Against Darkness Compatible Game Board
Resources

Lately I’ve been playing a nifty little dungeon-crawling game called Four Against Darkness. Some might call it a board game instead of an RPG, but whatever it is, it’s a solo game designed for one player to delve into a randomly-generated, old-school style dungeon — using only a pencil, paper, and a few d6 dice. I’ve been enjoying it, but I won’t get into the details here (stay tuned for an actual play / review post). Instead, I just wanted to share the 4AD Game Board I’ve created for use with Four Against Darkness — in both 20×28 and 30×42 sized grid-flavors!…

Rolling Solo – Appendix A: What Now?

Appendix A: What Now?
Spencer 2017-11-23 12519 2 Comments
Resources

So you read through the Rolling Solo series and learned how to engage in solitaire role-playing — great job! I hope you enjoyed it. But, if you were left asking yourself questions like “That’s it???” or “Now what???” or “Help!!!!?“, I don’t want you to think I’ve left you hanging. Wisps of Time got your back. But, what should I do now?? If I haven’t said it enough already: whatever you want! It’s up to you! But, if you’re like me and often want or need a little more direction when faced with such an open-ended response, I  have some suggestions for you. First,…

Rolling Solo – Chapter 6, Part III: Vincent Versus the Volcano

Vincent Versus the Volcano
Spencer 2017-10-08 8697 3 Comments
Rolling Solo

  Firstly, apologies for the title — when I sense and alliteration, I always go for it. It’s automatic. Nextly, I’ll reprise what’s happened before this post, as usual: For this final installment in the series, I’ll be using an old-school-inspired “sword & sorcery” game called Sharp Swords and Sinister Spells (Pay What You Want) alongside the Mythic Game Master Emulator — the “gold standard” of solo engines. Chapter 6 has been broken up into 3 parts: Mythic GME overview, SS&SS overview, and this, the Actual Play example putting the two together. If you’re only interested in the action, you’ve…

The Wheel of Fate: a Mythic Fate Chart Alternative

Spencer 2017-09-28 10622 Comments Off on The Wheel of Fate: a Mythic Fate Chart Alternative
Resources

The Wheel of Fate is a volvelle representation of the Mythic: Game Master Emulator’s “Fate Chart”. A volvelle is also known by other names: wheel chart, “dial-o-matic”, info chart, dial chart, calculator, and more. While the term originally referred to such tools created for astronomy (and became rather popular in the Middle Ages up through the twentieth century), volvelle seems to be the universal term for them now. You’ll find them employed for everything from baseball stats to oil filter selectors. To use the Wheel of Fate, one simply turns the “dial” to indicate the current Chaos Rank, and then…

Rolling Solo – Chapter 6, Part II: Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells

Spencer 2017-09-26 10837 1 Comment
Rolling Solo

  I’ll be using an old-school-inspired “sword & sorcery” game called Sharp Swords and Sinister Spells (Pay What You Want) for my final solo play in this series. As talked about last time, we’ll also be stepping up to the Mythic Game Master Emulator — the “gold standard” of solo engines. Chapter 6 will be broken up into 3 parts: Mythic GME overview, SS&SS overview, and an Actual Play example putting the two together. If you’re only interested in the action, you can jump over to the actual play. If you don’t know what solo role-playing is, you may want…

Rolling Solo – Chapter 6, Part I: Mythic Game Master Emulator

Spencer 2017-09-22 11964 Comments Off on Rolling Solo – Chapter 6, Part I: Mythic Game Master Emulator
Rolling Solo

  Here’s our first step into the big leagues with the Mythic Game Master Emulator — the “gold standard” of solo engines — which I’ll be using alongside an old-school-inspired “sword & sorcery” game called Sharp Swords and Sinister Spells (Pay What You Want). Chapter 6 will be broken up into 3 parts: Mythic GME overview, SS&SS overview, and an Actual Play example putting the two together. If you’re only interested in the action, you can jump over to the actual play. If you don’t know what solo role-playing is, you may want to start with Chapter 1, which gives…

Rolling Solo – Chapters 4 & 5: Still Learning & Aeryn Reborn

Spencer 2017-09-14 8273 2 Comments
Rolling Solo

  Once again I’ll be combining two “chapters” from my notes, Chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 4 is a bit of me just rambling on, so if you’re interested in the Actual Play portion, jump down to Chapter 5. If you don’t know what solo role-playing is, or aren’t familiar with the Hero Kids game, you may want to check those out first. (Yes, I did use a kids’ RPG for my re-introduction to tabletop games and as my launch pad for solitaire play.) Chapter 4: Still Learning Time for Round 2! I’m going “off-module” this time and I’ll be…

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