by Motormouth Jamie
A few years back, I ran a short Lord of the Rings game using the then recently released One Ring by Free League. It was, from my perspective, a great representation of the fantasy of Lord of the Rings; we had two manlings, a dwarf, the dangers of a post-Hobbit, pre-Fellowship Eriador, and great systems in place to simulate the journeys of the heroes of Middle Earth. The Alexandrian wrote a wonderful breakdown on why the setting is not suitable for your standard OST gameplay, and Free League really got the ludonarrative (drink) down perfectly.
During the campaign, I encountered the news of something odd to me: the release of Strider Mode, an expansion for the system for playing… Solo. No players but you, and a system that lets you run it on your own with random encounter tables and suggested gameplay. I didn’t get it. TTRPGs were social games for me, group experiences. I didn’t see the appeal of playing with myself. Reflecting on that now, it was a short-sighted judgement.
Hello again, my fellow Legionnaires, and welcome back to Motormouth’s corner of the newsletter. Today we are talking about Solo TTRPGs, a trend that seems on the rise in the past five years. Those of you that pay attention to the ENNIES awards – that should be most of you, and if not then look it up – there have been many examples of Solo TTRPGs winning awards the past half decade. The two I hear most about, which some of you may be aware of too, are Thousand Year Old Vampire (TYOV), winner of the Best Rules and Best Production Value awards of 2020, and Ironsworn, who won Best Free Game of 2019. What makes these games so great that they beat their typical TTRPG counterparts?
As Seth Skorkowsky stated in his 2023 video on TYOV, “any RPGs really only gives you what you put into it, it is even more so for Solo RPGs, because you are the only player there and nobody is going to help you out”. What helps inspire you to put the effort in is style, something TYOV has in droves. The consistent tone of melancholy as your vampire slowly changes, forgetting what mattered to them as the game progresses through the years, all aided in the beautiful handouts and prose.
While not a Solo TTRPG, my mind goes to Mörk Borg when considering this genre of games. They aren’t the greatest mechanically, very rules light, but they are dripping with style, and it inspires you to wallow in the setting. Just like the choose your own adventure books and threads of yesteryear, Solo RPGs give you a limited scope to play some make-believe, yet they give you far more freedom than their cousin products. I can remember a good many such CYOA games I wish I could go off script of, and here is a way to find the same enjoyment while letting you “yes and” effectively through the narrative.
Ever wish a single player game’s story ended differently, or seeking a new method to develop your own creative writing? Give Solo games a try. From my research, I would suggest looking up TYOV, Ironsworn, Seekers Beyond The Shroud, Strider Mode, and, if you look hard enough, you’ll find a thriving indie scene looking to give you an unforgettable experience playing on your own. Z0rg knows I’ve been loving watching my vampire suffer and struggle through their unlife. You might too.
A vile creature from the dark and dank lands of the old world — England — Motormouth is one of the BPLs foremost consumers of table top systems, voracious in appetite for overpriced paper and ink.
