Random Solo RPG Thoughts and Information - Scarlet Heroes, Geek Gamers, Fantasy Trip and more

[@GeekGamers01]

Hey Daniel, Thanks for the support and kind words about my book, Wanderings. I’m at work on others of this ilk. I appreciate your showing it on your channel, along with other great solo RPG resources.

[@TheDungeonDive]

My pleasure!

[@captainnolan5062]

"Ilk" has a negative connotation.

[@cheese4cheese303]

Seeing this communication between members of this community is awesome. Thank you both for what you do

[@captainnolan5062]

@@cheese4cheese303 You bet. Thank you.

[@AceneDean]

​@captainnolan5062 are you correcting someone with a PhD in literature and a professional book editor on the meaning of a word?

[@solorpgguy]

Solo rpg isn't a science, it is an art. The rule is simple, if you are having fun, your doing it right.

[@jonstarritt848]

I know this is a late suggestion, hopefully it's useful. Regarding the race with the rival treasure hunter, everytime your character makes it to a "checkpoint", "milestone", or resting spot, roll a d2 or d3. The d2 would determine if the rival is 1 step in front or behind your character, and the d3 would add the possibility for them to be even with your character.

[@hariszark7396]

I was thinking something similar but with a d10 and in every next roll add +1 to the outcome to make things a little more "stressful" for his character to not waste too much time.

[@MikeArsenault2009]

Your racetrack idea could work with a cribbage board and a modified deck of normal cards (red for you, black for your rival - only aces, twos and threes from each suit maybe?). At the end of your 12-hour cycle, draw a card. If it’s red, move your character peg up the track like 5 holes (a normal cribbage span), if black, your rival’s peg 5 holes. If your rival gets the dagger first, maybe you have stats for that rival and the game becomes about chasing that rival using that same peg system. You could have events or items like Tracking: you manage to find a set of footprints, move one span closer you your rival or Entangled: your rival has been slowed in the bush, move his peg back one span. If your rival manages to get past a certain point, they’ve gotten away with the dagger and then maybe the next session is attempting to infiltrate where the dagger is being kept in order to steal it? Just some random thoughts!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Good idea. Like the use of a cribbage board. Would give a real physical presence to the race.

[@jonathana6298]

I’ve never heard of Fantasy Trip before… 3 hours later… Now I’ve gone down a rabbit hole.

[@sebastienvivas9319]

Thanks for covering these solo RPG's and showcasing Geek Gamers work!

[@messenger3478]

You could use Ironsworn's progress tracking in the base game. Just add some things like clues to help you fill in more boxes. Then, you just have to roll 2d10 to figure out what happens when you feel the adventure has gone long enough.

[@paavohirn3728]

First thought for me is that you adapt the urban adventure system from Scarlet Heroes. It could have been used already during the travel by seeing how you did in the challenges on the way but I could see it still working on the caves.

[@davidsamuels35]

You could use a nice pool system for the competitor. Every day you take to get to the objective is another die added to the challenger's pool. Set a target number at the beginning of the adventure based on how many days you expect to take to finish. When you reach the objective roll the competitor's dice pool to test against the target number to see if the competitor got there first. Difference between the roll and the target could be when the competitor got there. Tie means she is still there. Close means she arrives soon or was just there and you can catch her.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Oh I like that!

[@Grognard-Solo-Gaming]

My idea for the race would be to roll 2 dice for every skill roll related directly to traveling, one for your hero and one for the rival. It would (in my mind anyway) symbolize how they’re racing neck to neck, each facing their own version of each challenge. I imagine two dotted lines moving across a map, like old-school adventure movies. Then you can make it more or less detailed, counting successes and failures, and giving whoever has the most successes a head start at the artifact site (1 hour per success, or whatever seems appropriate). Or count how much they succeed the skill rolls by, and subtract the lower total from the higher, and make whatever’s left the number of minutes of the head start. Another potential feature would be that if the hero and the rival roll the same number on one of the opposed rolls, then they’re actually in the same place at the same time, facing the same challenge. Maybe they sabotage each other’s attempt at overcoming the challenge, or perhaps it’s so dangerous they form a temporary alliance? I think that, and making the skill rolls opposed/competitive would add excitement.

[@anthonyuccello1458]

For the race, every time you battle, you can roll a d6. On d1 she completes 2 turns faster, d2-3 she completes 1 turn faster, d4-5 she completes one turn slower, d6 2 turns slower. Any time you reach a dead end, engage in battle with her with your current stats, if you win she losses 2 otherwise she gains 2 (remove all damage from that fight for both)

[@Genghis-Pawn]

Very late to the party, but here's one simple way to track the race: A single "Tracker" card could be split into numbered, horizontal rows. You have a second card to represent your own progress, and a third to represent your rival's progress. The position of the 2nd and 3rd cards on top of the "tracker" would indicate who is further in the race. The idea is inspired by SpaceShipped's $ tracker, seen here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGjZfKaen8qmppo You'd just be placing 2 cards on top instead of 1. Bonus: A single double-sided Tracker card could be used for many different races: just specify how many "Steps" (or rooms?) are in the full race. You could also specify that any time 1 racer gets to a specific room/slot on the Tracker, some kind of event occurs -- that could either be built into the tracker itself, or specified as part of that race/macguffin/dungeon.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thank you!

[@jessatlife]

I really enjoyed this video! I’m in the same process of gathering resources for my own solo sessions and this gave me a few extra things to look into. Yes to Geek Gamers! I’m definitely into the same type of storytelling, and Wanderings is on my list of next to buy’s. Plus she’s awesome.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Oh great! What are you going to use for your core rules?

[@jessatlife]

@@TheDungeonDive I’m still torn, but I think it’s mainly between Basic Fantasy with the Mythic GME and the complete Mythic Roleplaying system. I’m fancying a haunted castle as my setting right now.

[@mavfan21]

I got The Fantasy Trip cards about a month ago. SUPER useful for random events in solo play.

[@TheDungeonDive]

They’re really great !

[@tweston_67]

Two ideas come to mind to track the race to the MacGuffin. Not sure if somebody mentioned these so bear with me if they did. 1. Tie the race to the overland travel cards you are already using. When you pull one for yourself, pull one face down for your competitor. When you get to your destination flip the competitor's cards over and add up their total travel time compared to yours and whoever has the shortest travel time got there first. 2. Use a regular deck of playing cards to do a similar thing deal yourself a card face down, after each day of travel, and do the same for your competitor. You could use these cards in different ways to sort out who got there first. One way would be to play "war" one deck against the other, and whoever wins the most cards, you or your competitor, got there first. In any case if it does turn out that your competitor got there first, you could then have another set of roles or car draws to determine if they could be followed, did they leave clues behind, etc, for you to pursue. Or did they make a clean getaway. Or are they waiting there to ambush you. So even if the competitor got there first, there could be other gameplay options.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I like #2! Very cool. Always interested in ways to use a regular old deck of cards for stuff.

[@Patrick-vn4vb]

I think an interesting way to keep track of the rival's progress could be an extra tool for dice mitigation. If you fail a check you could change it to a success, possibly indicating that it took you more time to complete, and that moves your rival forward one on the track. The number of times you could do that before your rival overtakes would definitely need to be tuned to the system you are using. Maybe it could be equal to the adventure threat.

[@TheDungeonDive]

That is an interesting way to handle it because it is tied to things my character does. I like it.

[@dirkvoltaar]

Great video Dan! Thanks for sharing all these tools.

[@andysimmons2648]

An excellent video. I really like the look of some of the products you showcased. I picked Deborah’s Wanderings as well but I like the look of some of the others. For your race with the dwarf opponent in your solo game have you thought about a progress chart for your character and the opponent? Each day/encounter you could roll a D6 for each. On a 1-2 they get -1 progress, 3-4 0 and 5-6 +1 progress (or vary the range) and you keep a running tally of the total. When you reach the final cavern in the adventure compare progress, if your character has a higher number then he’s there first, if the dwarf’s is higher she’s been and gone or, if their numbers are identical they both arrive at the same time. I look forward to hearing how the game turns out.

[@TheDungeonDive]

That’s a really good and easy way to track this. Thank you for the idea.

[@CastleArchon]

Glad to hear you like the Labyrinth Encounter Cards!

[@TheDungeonDive]

They're great!

[@rpgchronicler]

Ive been going through LMoP/DoIP 5e with some homebrew and DM Yourself. Meanwhile im trying to mishmash sci fi rpg games to create something akin to an encounter-rush where im playing as a lone mercenary doing contracts solo whether on the planet via foot or vehicle or in space. Its gonna be a sorta mid sci fi setting where kinetic and energy weapons are side by side alongside mechs and tanks have their use (also fighters and larger class ships) but no psionics and it was the fallout of a larger war. Inspiration was Armored Core, Battletech, Drox Operative and Dirty Bomb. Systems must support sci fi and use only a d6 though for the latter id give exception to worldbuilding systems. So far i have Stars Without Number, Tiny Frontiers 2e, a game using the Lumen system from itchio, lasers and six siders and oneDice space. Im inspired by your peril of cymbaline isle tbh for this mess im doing. Edit: in a basic fantasy game i solod the track i used is that less than 10 of a d20 roll, my character has to do an encounter and i add up the value up to a certain value where i reached the target. I also set a three month time limit as well.

[@chromeego7903]

Str:17; Dex:17; Con:16; Int:12; Wis:12; Cha:14 ....sure you did. Maybe your GM should be a witness next time you 'roll' those stats 😉

[@TheDungeonDive]

My GM trusts me.

[@andergo6318]

Dear Daniel I sometimes use Excel to aid with games. If you use the randbetween function you can generate a random number say between 1 and 30 or whatever range of numbers you want. Maybe this might be helpful.

[@Lord_Amaury]

Thank you Daniel ! I'm looking for resources to play solo myself, very interesting as usual :-)

[@TheDungeonDive]

Great! Glad you found it useful. There are so many tools available.

[@johnwood6750]

Those cards look interesting, but all very focused on the standard issue fantasy setting. Have you looked at Storyforge cards, which generate people, backgrounds and story beats independent of genre? The cards come with a booklet of patterns that you use to interpret the cards meaning for different purposes - kind of like a tarot deck. They're a great spur to the imagination.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I typically like standard fantasy. I want skeletons, goblins, orca etc. I’ll take a look at those cards. Thanks!

[@carlwoods4564]

Hey Daniel youve convinced me to give Scarlet Heroes a go. I intend to run some old BECMI modules that me and my friends never got round to playing in the 80s. Im 52 now and still love D&D, board games etc. Sadly two of my old school friends who I played D&D with have now passed on. I intend to make 3 bad ass characters and complete B5 Horror on the Hill, sonething we never got round to completing. Anyways all the best from Lancashire, the UK. Please keep doing your videos. Love your channel.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Oh man! That sounds great. :) I hope you have a good time, and make sure to honor your fallen friends.

[@carlwoods4564]

@@TheDungeonDive Thanks Daniel. Yeah im really looking forward to it. Cant wait. Just ordered the book today. Thanks for all the wonderful content you provide. I dearly love watching your channel. All the best. And Happy New Year.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I'm about to start some more Scarlet Heroes stuff as well! Even after exploring so many other systems, I always come back to it. It's just such a great system, and it has everything you need in a single, slim book.

[@carlwoods4564]

Sounds great!

[@carlwoods4564]

@@TheDungeonDive I did try Four Against Darkness, which was....ok. Theres potential there, but it needs developing and the characters are far too simplistic. I did like the exoloding dice where you could cut down minions, its cool slaying 2 or 3 Goblins rather than just one. Which to me was always a weakness with D&D in general. I intend to use Scarlet Heroes with Basic Fantasy or white box. Ill Try the BECMI modules, but also try and create my own short adventures. I have one in mind of a Survival Horror where the characters have to defend either a town or roadside Inn from hordes of undead, at night of course. If they defeat the hordes then they face off the Necromancer. Just an idea I had. 👍

[@genghisgahan9623]

Have you ever tried the "once upon a time" story game. Great material for story generation. It has plot cards, twists, character archetype, items and other stuff.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I have not. Sounds interesting. I will look into it. Thank you.

[@genghisgahan9623]

@@TheDungeonDive atlas games make it, I see it's still available in Amazon UK. No idea if available in us or Canada, but well worth a look. I would have used it to make up stories on the fly for my kids some evenings.

[@jessatlife]

The Story Engine deck is also great for this! And there’s a printable option.

[@airsoftfreak11]

Loving the channel just grabbed mork borg after watching you show it off

[@TheDungeonDive]

Nice! Hope you enjoy it.

[@jaybakata5566]

Great video with a lot of info. What are those cards you are writing on? Where did you get them?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thanks. Just blank playing cards from Amazon.

[@michaelc8246]

Will you be doing more Scarlet Heroes content?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Most definitely.

[@scottwarren3948]

I use these decks as well!

[@scottwarren3948]

The SJG cards

[@StormWildSpace]

The story engine is brilliant for this kind of thing/

[@jessatlife]

Yup! They also have the Deck of Worlds for world building now. I love the amount of variety they offer.

[@solorpgguy]

In your race for the "mcguffin" come up with a version of the victory track in Scarlet Heroes since you already have it. Or get the Delve version of Ironsworn, and use that Threat track. Me. Myself and Die uses it eventually in his second season.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thanks! I'm patiently waiting for my Ironsword bundle to ship with the SF version. :)

[@joerghansen3774]

Yeah, the Delve threats are the way to go here!

[@3nertia]

I don't s'pose you have a video where you're showing us all those decks you've got there? :D

[@arcticcirclepit2008]

Opening an encounter with a quote from Cool Air is never a good sign. SAN Check mandatory.

[@MrStraman]

Set your threat level with a number to lower number higher pressure the bigger the number less pressure for example a threat level of four both parties 108 opposing DS once per turn roll to d20 one for you going for her the one who reaches 108

[@MrStraman]

Is the winner or start adding you can subtract the one that receives zero is the winner

[@phillipheaton9832]

Where can I find Deborah/Geek Games? Is it just a KZbin thing?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Geek Gamers is a youtube channel.

[@goodlookingcorpse]

The NPCs (edit: in the deck of NPCs) seem to be largely attractive 20 year olds.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Just like me! :D

[@MelvLee]

Those Fantasy Trip cards look amazing! Regarding ways to track rival status, I won't recommend using progression bar (like Ironsworn) as it seems too much work for me and not adding enough “gameplay”. Instead, I would recommend design around the existing core "Gameplay Loop”. From what I see in the video, there are 3 phases that form your core gameplay loop 1. "Quest card" 2. "Weather card" 3. "Day event". The "Quest card" and “weather” seem like good place to start with.

 The first thing I can think of is using your weather cards that you are already rolling on everyday. For example, “all clear” would progress your rival's quest (if there is a rival at work), while some other adverse weather may hinder their progression.
 On the Quest card, I would use D6s to track the rival status. Every progression they gain from the weather card would give them a D6 on the quest card. At the end of each day / turn, you can roll the D6s on the card and see if there are any doubles / triples (based on difficult), which means your rival has finished their task, this can also be modified by rival’s ability, for example a common enemy may need to roll doubles 5+ while an elite only need to roll double 3+ etc. 

This will open possibilities to adopt classic board game mechanics like - using your luck to re-roll your rival’s quest progression dice etc. which hopefully won't make the game feel bloated while keeping it interesting. This also allows you to read the Quest dice roll to tell "how close" your rival is getting to their objectives i.e. rolling double 2s while they need double 3+ could mean they are narratively very close to their objective. Removing the need to ask the oracle (which sometimes take me out of the game)

[@abuasma3398]

What's your take on ironsworn?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Never played. Will be getting a complete package with delivery of the SF version.

[@brianblather]

@@TheDungeonDive DUDE! You gonna love it. Just take your time and do a solid read-through. It's so easy to modify and with everything being a player-facing roll, it's perfect for solo. You're currently talking about the threat track and their progress track in IS or clocks from PbtA is perfect. In fact, you can use the progress track in multiple ways. Another thing you'll get about Ironsworn is that it easily adopts anything from any system due to the mild level of abstraction.

[@dungeonsofkards]

You need take a look on my game bro!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Send me a copy and I will! :)

[@solorpgguy]

Same here, I thought about getting those.

[@elian8454]

Out of this world! 👽!!! Do not waste your time = Promo>SM!!