Solo RPGs, Why am I writing this, and what do you get out of it?

I think most readers will agree that getting a new game in hand is exhilarating. Whether it is a variation on a game you already love, as you find in the B/X-OSR family of games, or it is something truly new to you, was Numenera when it first hit the book stores in 2013 (possibly showing my age here), there is a delightful opening of the imagination to new possibilities, new world of imagination, and new ways to interact with them. Even a game that treads over familiar ground in a new way offers a new experience to all but the most jaded of gamers.

But, frequently we can run into a few problems before we are able to play. First, we must digest the material, which will show us the optimal play format, then we have to arrange a group of people to indulge our early fumbling attempts to bring it to life, with all the slips and stutters that entails.

Now, setting aside the difficulties that maybe brought on by inexperience, we have already run into the crux of what is so often a problem for so many of us. Where are we going to find 3 to 7 interested souls who can commit the time to explore, and sometime expense to buy, into  this new world you are opening up for them. And if you are so fortunate, can you get them to engage with that promise of reward that will come from exploring something new. And finally, even assuming they can absorb the game, will they want the same thing from it that you do, as most games have many facets. 

Ok, you bought the book; you read the book, (and in this day and age both the money and the time are dear luxuries), but can you expect them to do the same. As a GM you were buoyed along by your excitement and investment. Do your players have that same drive? If they do not, which in my experience is the case, then they will naturally fall back on the habits and patterns in which are the most common in the games they have played in the past, whether that is kick in the door with weapon in hand (a common D&D disposition), or spend hours in "down time" researching every aspect of the problem the game confronts them with (a tendency Call of Cthulhu players naturally gravitate towards), which is perfectly natural and to be expected when wandering into semi familiar environment. Even if they can resist these impulses, then frequently the group will need to be spoon fed the lore and rules, frequently in the same meal to get them into the zeitgeist provided by the particular games experiences. 

Let me pause  here and reassure you, I am not downing a group play experience. I have spent hundred of happy hours running TTRPGs for friends and strangers. Whether through published adventures from the cleverest minds in the industry, or from my own brain, sharpened by habit if not any innate gift, it is well worth the time if you can get past the first hurdles and onto the second lap around the track. (Ok no more sports references that I am not qualified to make). 

But, let me propose a different rout. Even if you have a game group  available, there can be a great joy if you, by yourself, interacting with a game for your own pleasure. This has a two fold benefit. The first, is you can work out a little of that clumsiness and fumbling that happens with a new game. Secondly, and this is what took me by surprise, you can actually engage with the game and your own imagination to have a deep and meaningful imaginative experience.

Over the next few articles, I am going to, in my own fumbling way, try to make suggestions to make an introduction to a solo RPG experience by pointing out tools, exercises, and modifications that will assist you in this endeavor. At times I will refer to products I have that you may lack, but this is the 21 century and if you are reading this now you have computer access, and while I will be the first to agree that RPGs and paper books go hand in hand, I will focus on getting to you the most economically  feasible options available. After all, we all have an imagination, and all of our lives are enlarged by its engagement, and that shouldn't be hampered by a price tag.

I realize, as I draw to the end of this post, that I have been talking to people of the GMish persuasion, but there is absolutely no reason that someone who has a player first focus can't jump into this hobby as well; the basics are the same for everyone. Solo roleplaying requires two hats. One as a player guiding their alter ego, but another as GM spinning challenges out of the context of the game world, both as it is in the moment and how it has developed over time. An experience GM may have a little leg up, but if you relax into the process and let the prompts guide you, you will be doing a lot of what GMs do when they take an adventure hook and spin it out into a game.

Before I part, I would be remiss not to point out that in this wonderful digital age we live in, some forward thinking people have designed games that are, in fact, meant to be played solo. We will discuss those games as well and why they are so useful, but the majority of my efforts will be to bring those wonderful epic games with big glossy covers we all love so much into the solo sphere of play. 

W.D.