Getting Started with Solo RPGs | Podcast | Episode 5

This episode sees Matt and Steve talk about how they started playing solo rpgs and offer tips to new players.
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[@TomeAlone]

I almost had an out-of-body experience when Steve said, "If anyone is going to listen to it, it's probably going to be Sean," haha, which is my actual name! Thank you both so much for taking my question and rolling with it. You both are so genuine which always comes across when you reflect on your experiences. This helped tons! Much respect for that.

[@errantadventurespod]

Thanks for the great question! I'm glad I was correct and Sean listened to it :)

[@thebadspot]

Thanks for asking the question!

[@SkittleBombs]

I would love to see your takes on ICRPG and it’s core mechanics/game theory it teaches. The main things you learn in the DM section: adventure architecture, room design, timers, effort , LOG: location, obstacle & goals, TTT: timer, threats & treats, DDD: damage, disruption & duration. Distance: close,near, far instead of feet/miles. It’s based on traditional d20 with binary miss/hit and roll for damage. But the techniques taught in ICRPG are quite “new school” ideas that transform the traditional mindset. Especially effort really relates so well to how Ironsworn teaches progress. ICRPG is great at teaching brand new TTRPG players how it create points of interest using LOG/TTT design theory . I think you guys would really enjoy it and learn something useful for your game designs

[@thebadspot]

It’s definitely one I’ve had my eye on!

[@rafaelcupiael]

Ok, I have a million thoughts but I wanted to share one experience quickly. Around the 30-40 minute mark, you discussed whether it makes sense to play solo in pre-made modules. Well, I play solo in Trophy Dark’s Incursion and I must admit that, subjectively, it's fantastic fun :) A few quick reflections: 1. I read the introduction and create two characters (playing Dark solo with one character doesn't make sense, in my opinion). 2. I read the first Ring, flip a coin to decide whether Treasure or Temptation comes first, read that part, and play to those prompts. 3. Risk Roll and Devil’s Bargain generate a huge amount of fiction. It's nice to prepare potential Random Tables for magical/non-magical Devil’s Bargains and consequences. 4. I turn Moments in Incursion into another Random Table, often randomly rolling a Moment to start a Ring and move between Rings. 5. Generally, I learned to play solo mainly by playing Ironsworn, similar to you, and I play Dark like Ironsworn, just with two characters :) 6. When moving to the next Ring, I repeat the coin toss for Treasure/Temptation and continue playing. 7. I record everything as if I were streaming or telling someone a story, although I'm not publishing it at the moment. It just makes it easier for me, and I don't have to take notes. On a side note, I believe there are at least three or four general categories of solo gaming (certainly more, but just off the top of my head): A. Playing as one generally would in Ironsworn or traditional RPGs with a GM Emulator (IS is far from trad, but for the purpose of this list I would say it's simmiliar -> Me, Myself & Die) B. Open Soloing / Stream of Consciousness (like Geek Gamers a lot of the time). C. Solo Journaling (like 1k Old Vampire or Magus). D. Lyric solo games / pervasive games / ritual games (like My Cat is an Oracle and that game where you have to go into the forest -> but lyric games sometimes run simmiliar to journaling games) Its super oversimplification and overcategorisation ofcourse, but I have to say I see a lot of disctinctions between the categories above. But I'll elaborate on this in my next comment :)

[@thebadspot]

Thanks for such a thorough breakdown!

[@SkittleBombs]

I think pre written adventure would just need to be converted. They would basically provide you with descriptions of locations, people, things and you would use them as your points of interest

[@thebadspot]

I think they make for good jumping off points for sure.

[@GuppyJ]

Ironsworn: Starforged was my first venture into solo roll playing. Felt like a steep learning curve to get into learning what is required mechanically etc as a first timer. Glad I persevered though.

[@thebadspot]

Great work sticking it out! Thanks for tuning in!

[@nodtothestrange1008]

Ironsworn was mine. It took me about three weeks to actually start a game after finishing reading the rules, because it seemed so daunting!

[@thebadspot]

Persistence pays off!

[@sweetpotatodato6068]

You two have been a huge inspiration for me. I’m almost caught up on both your podcasts and have been enjoying my own solo play sessions. I currently have an Ironsworn and a Starforged campaign going but I’m also looking into other RPGs like Dragonbane or Savage Worlds. I must’ve bought ten new systems since discovering this hobby! It’s hard to keep up with so many new games/systems coming out all the time lol

[@thebadspot]

That’s so kind, thank you!

[@errantadventurespod]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@Doubledb519]

Great discussion. I’ve been developing a sci-fi universe and have been doing a lot of writing on the back story when I don’t have the creative energy to solo RPG. As for the “I don’t like my video” part of the discussion I’ve come to find there’s a lot of work that goes into developing your skills with this. The best example I have is Alex from Board Game Cop. He has really well done videos and he sounds great. Then I saw one of his first videos and I couldn’t get through it. It was unwatchable and his continued work goes to show what you can do if you don’t give up and keep working at it. Love your guys content. Keep it up.

[@thebadspot]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@errantadventurespod]

Thank you!

[@jeansenvaars]

Glad I am not alone in finding Solo play by recording video or audio the most fun... writing always feels a bit slow to me, plus it puts pressure in choosing the right words and being a literally writer-like note taker... solo roleplaying by voice gives me this freedom of hand waving and putting a bit of emotion in the narration. I'd love to try podcast playing next. What is unfortunate is that it might put a lot of people off, because the fact of having a conversation to one self might not be for everyone... which leaves either imagining things and taking bullet-point notes... or actually prose writing. To me: it pays off to break the awkwardness barrier and go for voice playing, it pays off to have that pace and dynamism at hand.

[@thebadspot]

That’s awesome! Thanks for watching!

[@sanctumsanctorum4130]

Star Trek Adventures: Captain's Log was my first solo RPG and I confess that, despite 30+ years of TTRPGs, I wouldn't have had a clue how to approach it from the gamebook alone. Fortunately, there is this podcast called the "Bad Spot" which helped me understand solo RPGs 👀

[@errantadventurespod]

How did you enjoy Captain's Log? As a long time Star Trek fan, I'm going to pick it up eventually, but I'm interested in other people's experiences with it.

[@sanctumsanctorum4130]

@@errantadventurespod Its good. I haven't had the time to play it recently (I'm actually playing some real life TTRPGs with other people ha ha) but I do plan to get back into it. I actually have some AP online if that's of interest. There are things I could definitely do better and will look to shake things up when I return to it.

[@thebadspot]

Sounds like a good show

[@errantadventurespod]

@@sanctumsanctorum4130 definitely of interest. I basically use APs to help me learn a system while I'm reading it.

[@violentfrog_]

I'm someone who has never written fiction since grade school, and never of my own volition, but always kind of wanted to. As well I love stationary, paper and fountain pens but had nothing to write with them. Journalling RPGs really let me explore both of these things, one mental, one material, and I love it. Done Koriko, Artefact, Entity, Notorious and now venturing into Iron Sworn. It's a bit different with the oracles being more general and less specific than others I've played.

[@errantadventurespod]

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing. There are so many reasons to get into solo gaming and wanting to use cool, tangible materials is a great one!

[@thebadspot]

That’s amazing!

[@Drawoon]

I find it a lot more fun to prepare for playing a solo rpg than actually playing one. But preparing is only fun if I think I'll play it someday.

[@thebadspot]

I’ve been there, believe me!

[@jeansenvaars]

If you don't know which questions to ask yourselves, as coming up with the question can be sometimes tricky, I created a nice tool called Prompty Questions :)

[@thebadspot]

Figuring out what to ask is quite hard, but often a very broad question like “what isn’t what it appears here?” can lead in some really interesting directions.

[@billn5866]

OMG, I identify with the self conscious recording thing... and working in a customer service heavy job I get told ALL the time I should be on the radio. I always have to tell them NOPE NOPE NOPE! 🤣

[@thebadspot]

We all go through it! It’s such a common response it seems…

[@SkittleBombs]

My steps I always give people, create a location, a faction or NPC that has a motivation (good or evil) create a npc that is motivated to stop or do the opposite of first NPCs goals (which make them good or evil) you can base the motivation on getting an item that can do something magical (mcguffin). Then imagine a second location where the item or event is taking place. Come up with ~4 obstacles you’d see along the way and then have one last scene that is the main obstacle .

[@thebadspot]

Seems like you have a solid system. Thanks for watching!

[@SentientSoup]

Great conversation guys! I find that my biggest hurdle is deciding on the assets and STICKING with one character. I must have a blend of four or five journals and spiral notebooks with stories I’ve enjoyed. Also, I am challenged by just talking to myself with a microphone. My words get jumbled and my mind goes blank. When I write it flows more but would love to be able to get either a podcast or KZbin. Handel off the ground. Thanks again gents for a great episode!

[@thebadspot]

So glad you enjoyed! For reference, I stumble and jumble too, so very early on I moved to playing, jotting loose notes down and then recording from those. Really helped!

[@SentientSoup]

Thank you for the advice! I’ll give it a go. 😊

[@errantadventurespod]

I can second this. I also get jumbled and stumble over my words when recording. Editing is a great thing!

[@ReneRunsRPGs]

As someone who started doing solo over the pandemic and has since started doing solo RPG actual play podcasting, you two are such a treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration. Thanks for these talks, they're so great! I've been doing Sundered Isles and it is *so* good. I started with Colostle, and 100% agreed that journaling is also not my favorite part of solo RPing, so doing it in audio format was just easier for me to keep track of and enjoy without taking longer breaks to write out scenes/results. And why not record it for people out there to potentially find/inspire/pay it forward!

[@errantadventurespod]

Exactly! I did a mini series of Colostle and I really enjoyed the "journaling" aspect of it in an audio format. In fact, all of the journaling games I've played have worked really well as an oral narration into the mic! Glad you've gotten into the solo AP podcasting world. We need more people to make this a movement!

[@thebadspot]

Absolutely!

[@JoeReinhart-tb5xn]

The voice sounding different is because we hear our own voice from in our head, not our ears, really.

[@thebadspot]

That’s true

[@dziooooo]

I totally get the point about journalling and playing getting in each other's way. I have trouble with longer solo campaigns because when I'm writing things down, I'm impatient to continue playing and when I'm playing, I'm worried about forgetting to write down something important. I haven't found a solution yet, but I'm considering doing quick audio logs, like short mental notes to organize my thoughts.

[@thebadspot]

Multimedia play report!

[@errantadventurespod]

I don't know that I mentioned it in the recording, but one of the reasons I started recording my play sessions was to keep a record because I have a terrible memory. If I just took mini notes, I wouldn't remember the nuance of what happened.

[@TroyBanks]

I love the team up fellas. I am a huge fan of both of your shows. The monthly shows are quite a treat. My issue is I start playing all gung-ho then I put it down for months and mmonths I have sstarted SF and Colostle played a couple of sessions of each and I am done...lol. I have thought about doing a SF podcast but I know me. I will be all eager beaver and then stop. Hey, every man must know their limitations. 😊 Thanks for the great stuff.

[@errantadventurespod]

I'm with you there. My first attempts fell victim to that. I find that having a regular release schedule has been a boon for me when it comes to staying consistent. Which I think is also part of why I've been struggling the last few months. I haven't had that weekly release, that dopamine hit of download numbers, to spur me on to record. I'm getting back into it though!

[@thebadspot]

Maintaining momentum is such a key factor when it comes to doing anything creative. I find it a constant struggle, so you’re not alone!

[@dziooooo]

I feel like there are two main paths to solo TTRPGs, and they mostly don't connect. There are older solo systems focused on simulating an experience of playing a traditional, crunchy TTRPG with a GM, stuff like Mythic or even solo modules for Tunnels and Trolls. I've watched some videos about getting into solo gaming focused on that old-school grognard crowd. And there are games like Ironsworn, or even more narrative focused, mechanically simpler games like The Sealed Library or Apothecaria. And they don't care at all about OSR-style resource management or realistic simulation of combat. I'm firmly in the second camp, the first one feels frankly exhausting. But it's always fascinating to me that solo TTRPGs are in fact TWO separate hobbies.

[@thebadspot]

That’s a great point!

[@errantadventurespod]

I generally agree, though I would argue that Ironsworn does have a small amount of resource management with the health/spirit/supply tracks and momentum. But yes, when I ran my D&D mini-series, I felt like I did more book keeping than actual play. I don't mind doing book keeping when I'm playing with other people, but when I'm playing solo, it's all about the story for me.

[@dziooooo]

@@errantadventurespod yes, Ironsworn is a bit in the middle here. But some of those old-school tools for solo play go into MUCH more detail, and you end up checking seven different random tables to do every little thing. I looked at a few of them some time ago and they very rarely give the player much freedom to envision their situation. You're supposed to roll, to get an objective and fair description, like a GM would give you. I dislike the built-in assumption that the player is not really supposed to have much input into the world around them, because then it won't be "fair" and the player will "cheat" to get more favorable results.

[@errantadventurespod]

@@dziooooo Agreed! I don't need to roll on sixteen different random tables for everything. For me, I think, three at most is the sweet spot. I think my favorite part of solo play is not having to separate being the player and the GM. I want to build the world as both, I'm just approaching it from different perspectives. With the GM hat, my worldbuilding is focused on bigger picture ideas and the overarching narrative. With the player hat, my worldbuilding is focused on how the character sees the world and what brings drama into the narrative. I try to carry that mentality into my group games as well. Share the responsibility, share the love!

[@KillTenRatsLP]

I used to think I was an outlier for no longer playing when not recording for KZbin but hearing the both of you now and having heard Mr Trevor D himself express the same, I’m starting to doubt a little. Is this what streamers mean when they talk about „content brain“? Ohhhh noooooo…

[@errantadventurespod]

Yeah, I think it's a real phenomenon. You get so focused on doing the thing for the show that it feels like work even when the mic is off. I also think that for me, if I'm going to tell a story and it's not going to be in this audio medium, I'm just going to write fiction.

[@KillTenRatsLP]

@@errantadventurespod Seens to be how that plays out, yeah. I’ve taken a real stab at fiction writing for the first time in quite a while recently, too. Now I just need to scratch the recording itch again, too!

[@thebadspot]

Content brain is a hard thing to turn off, for sure.

[@CharlesTersteeg]

I did pickup both IS and IS:Starforged. Then I got this crazy idea to play solo D&D type game with 2d6 and some light rules and an oracle or random tables to prompt for things. I took a lot of your advice and experiences and boldy or not so boldy set out on an adventure (yep, playing a halfing with big ideas).

[@errantadventurespod]

I look forward to hearing how it goes! Dungeon World is kind of the ur-narrative d&d knock off, but there are definitely other ways to go as well.

[@CharlesTersteeg]

@@errantadventurespod it has been going well. I'm learning how to hex crawl as an adventure. I get as tactical as I want and inspired by ideas such as goblins dressed and act like ninja for one encounter for example. I didn't plan it, it just sort of happened.

[@CharlesTersteeg]

@@errantadventurespod chaos reigns system and some ideas from his channel kicked this off.

[@thebadspot]

Thanks for watching!

[@JervisGermane]

Secondary comment, if you're interested in recording/publishing your own content for yourself and because you want to, they're probably right with just starting wherever you are. I want to warn people, though, you can have deep painful regret if you're doing it for the wrong reasons. I put out 40 videos on my own channel this past fall, not because I wanted to, but because people kept telling me to. And I fell victim to the "just start doing it" message with heartbreaking results. You have to do that kind of thing for yourself. If you feel like you're supposed to but don't really want to, don't start doing it. You need to be sure you're ready for that kind of vulnerability. You can get hurt worse than you know if it goes badly.

[@thebadspot]

Yeah, you got to do it for the right reasons!

[@errantadventurespod]

Agreed. If you're going to create art, create it for yourself first and foremost.

[@JervisGermane]

This was such a thought-provoking video it took me 4 hours to listen to because I kept having to pause it and think. I have a follow-up question/comment about recording myself: I'm not self-conscious about the sound of my own voice, but I am bad about my mind wandering. Ultimately what I'm looking for in a gaming experience is a structured way to imagine, fantasize, and daydream, and the whole reason I need the structure is that if I don't have it keeping me on track I'll wander off until I'm not on my world and characters anymore. I haven't even tried recording myself yet, but I have tried speaking my thoughts out loud, and no luck. My mind still wanders off to other stuff. Will recording help with that? And, as with the self-consciousness, does it take practice to get one's mind to stay on track with it? Am I likely to record a lot of rambling before I get the hang of it? It's funny you used push-ups as an example, because I'm doing exactly that right now. I'm up to 20 a day, and I may have to increase it soon because that's starting to feel easy, even though a month ago it wasn't even possible.

[@thebadspot]

Recording might help. One way to find out, I guess…

[@errantadventurespod]

I agree, recording might help. I might also suggest starting with shorter sessions so your mind has less time to wander off. Give yourself a timer and say, I'm going to play for twenty minutes. I will also say, I started off by playing Ironsworn "wrong". Instead of playing it fiction first, I bounced from move to move. It was a way of creating forward momentum for myself when I wasn't sure what to do or how to stay on track.

[@JervisGermane]

@@errantadventurespod I'm having trouble settling on a recording app. The first one I tried would save the recording where it was only accessible to that app and couldn't be played in my mp3 player. The second one wouldn't save them as mp3s. I'll have to keep looking. I had never heard of Ironsworn before, but I'm not making that mistake. I'm playing my own game set in my own world that's been in development since 1997. I don't really need to do more worldbuilding or character development. I just have a hard time focusing and staying with one of the characters in that world. The whole reason I need it to be a game rather than just imagining things is that I need the prompts and interaction to keep me engaged with it.

[@Drawoon]

I don't know who told Steve he has a face for radio, but I know they were lying.

[@errantadventurespod]

Not me over here blushing at all... Thank you!

[@thebadspot]

He’s a cutie alright

[@Dolitar]

Have you Matt thought about trying Stars Without Number? 😊

[@thebadspot]

I’ve heard of it, and some people I know speak very highly of it. I’ll have to check it out.

[@Dolitar]

@@thebadspot I tried my hand at Starforge but didn't really get along with the system even though I loved the world, then I stumbled upon this system and was completely sold!😀