INTRODUCTION
The idea of playing a Solo RPG is not something new. There is an increasingly compelling set of resources being developed for solo RPGs across the market. Several systems develop the scaffolding the GM/Player needs, but this new milieu of gaming also presents a barrier to entry. We don’t know what we don’t know, nor do we want to invest serious money for hundreds of pages of new gaming systems we may not like. We want to create an immersive story, on the fly.
With the advent of the covid era, literally thousands of gaming groups were no longer able to get together and enjoy their favorite TTRPG. Hundreds of Friendly Local Game Stores (FLGS) ceased hosting events or allowed in-house gaming due to restrictions. I’d wager only a fraction have returned to business as usual. The development of Zoom and other platforms have provided the mechanism to allow connectivity and keep gaming groups together, but this isn’t a solution that everybody can get into.
Oddly enough, this dynamic established the conditions to promote the development and promulgation of the solo RPG concept. Several solo RPGs developed prior to COVID have taken flight, while others have been developed and released since then. The concept of adapting existing TTRPGs to use a Solo RPG mechanic certainly isn’t new, but are almost exclusively devoted to the d20 sphere. In this post, we’ll look at what makes a Solo TTRPG, how they work, and how we can possibly implement this into the Rifts TTRPG space as an option.
HISTORY OF SOLO RPGS
The history of the solo RPG is not something new. In the early days of D&D, Dragon Magazine presented the template for solo play, the AD&D DMG had dungeons that could be used in the same way, and TSR released several solo modules. They were certainly not the only ones producing games for solo play. In many ways, this was replicated in various books and with early-era video games for PCs and early video game platforms. In comparison to TTRPGs, there was little in the way of cooperative play experiences until Local Area Networks (LAN) and high-speed internet provided a dynamic to allow multi-player video games. Before that, you were a single player, playing a single player game.
Choose Your Own Adventure (Books). A series of wildly youth adventure books (7 to 14 years old) from the 1980s/90s. Written in a Second Person perspective, which in and of itself is rare, the reader assumes the role of the protagonist. Reading from a common story element, the reader is eventually presented with a choice that directs them to a different page elsewhere in the book to continue the story. This continues, with various choices presented, until one of several resolutions is reached.
Rogue! (Video Game). One of the originals, it was a DOS-based dungeon crawl game that used ASCII art to portray the dungeons (walls, doors, tunnels), monsters encountered represented by Capital Letters (e.g. S = Snake, V = Vampire), weapons and armor, and loot (e.g. gold, potions, rings, wands, staves, and scrolls). It included perma-death by combat or starvation, with no save points until later editions, which meant once you died, you had to start from Level one again, and again, and again; at least I did! Nothing worse then getting killed by a random Emu. It’s a charming little diversion of a game you can easily find and play this over an emulator (Google for ‘rogue ascii game’).
Modern Solo RPG. The modern landscape includes a variety of game systems with various mechanics to achieve a gaming experience. Quite frankly there are too many to do a fulsome review. A quick scan from of the internet (e.g. Google, Youtube, Reddit) will reveal multiple examples. I watched a few game plays of Miru (by HINOKODO), and recently supported the Astroprisma Solo RPG Kickstarter (by Crescent Chimera). By far the most popular GM Emulator during my research was the Mythic System (by Tanya Pigeon).
WHAT IS A SOLO RPG
Solo RPG Mindset. Based on the article posted by Tabletop Gaming, they provide a great breakdown:
Everything is Playing. All aspects of the game (e.g. creating the PC, selecting spells, gear, vehicles, skills) feed into the RPG experience. Aside from Attributes and a few other aspects (e.g. P.P.E., education level, money), you may not ever roll any dice. Imagining the PC and their experiences to that point, all of it is an interaction with the game mechanics. Creating a Rifts PC is engagement in an RPG experience, even if they never go out on an adventure.
Word-Based Narrative Transitions. One of the biggest challenges. Where an Oracle roll would provide an easy Yes/No answer, try imagining the PC through the scenario. Some of the following may simply be the first thing that pops into your head. Take a second and leverage the following:
o Look: What is setting? What factors does the setting impact on the PC’s actions?
o Feel: What physical/tactile impacts are at play (e.g. baking heat, rain, bitter cold)?
o Listen: What does the PC hear around them?
o Think: What is the PC bringing to the scene (e.g. rushed, healthy, applicable skills)?
Play Emotion Vice Mechanics. Any good TTRPG session involves immersion and emotion to drive a Player. The mechanics are the hardware that we are forced to use, but the emotional impact drives story. Imagine what the PC is feeling as they develop the scenario until you get to a point that a roll is required (e.g. oracle, action, skill).
GM Emulator. The solo RPG is very much like any TTRPG played as a group of Players led by a GM. Instead of a GM though, an emulator (a.k.a. an Oracle) simulates the fiction world in consequence to the Player Character’s actions/decisions, typically through a variety of dice mechanics/random tables. These tables could be as simple as a “Yes-No,” a nuanced NPC reaction table, to a random encounter chart). The Character progressively reveals a story through organic gameplay. Dependent on the emulator, dice mechanics typically become crucial to the flow of the game and outcome.
GM Versus Player Position. As with any RPG, we need a scenario. For this, we need to put on the GM hat and create a solo adventure, or use one already published. This should ideally be done prior to Character Creation, so as not to allow the PC’s abilities to give you too easy a solution space. Once major muscle movements, locales, and plot are determined, we can switch back to Player mode and develop the PC. Once that phase is complete, we have little else stopping us from diving right in!
Gameplay Choices. Let’s be honest, Rifts is a dangerous space for any Player Character. The idea of doing a solo adventure seems like turning the dial to ‘God Mode’ and then forcing it over a little more. This presents the PC with a limited number of choices, that may end up being flight over fight. Solo adventure encounters are typically geared to accommodate but remain challenging. Realistically, this is no different than with a group, so not a huge hurdle to overcome. This also presents fewer options for solutions, as the Player doesn’t have others to bounce ideas off. This presents a level of realism that might be attractive to some, or a friction point that can’t be overcome by others.
Roll-Playing versus Role-Playing. Without a group, how does one engage in the “role-playing” aspects of the game? How do you handle character conversations and interactions with NPCs? How do we handle the lack of banter with other Player Character? Certain emulators have conversation prompts and hooks; your imagination fills in the rest. There is a Universal NPC Emulator, or UNE (by Zach Best) that could also work. Playing out the conversation alone might seem odd, but like any child playing with their Lego or toy soldiers, you likely played out those conversations. You don’t need to be a professional voice actor to accomplish this. Otherwise, you just imagine/journal the discussion and note down the keynote points for the PC.
SETTING UP A RIFTS SOLO RPG
Setting. Any solo RPG requires a setting. In Miru, gameplay develops through a hex crawl from a village to discover the robot ‘god’ that killed the PC’s brother. Astroprisma presents as a space exploration game with multiple factions and random systems to explore. For Rifts, we have a plethora of choices. You want to play in the Siege of Tolkeen, the ‘Burbs of Chi-town, or fight the demons of China? You pick it, you play it!
Plot. This is where you and the GM/Player need to start applying some thought and effort. The initial plot can be something as benign as hunting down an escaped fugitive, or a solo quest to hunt after and deliver a relic. There are numerous examples out there, and Rifts doesn’t lack for any number of plot hooks.
Rifts Adventure Guide (Scholar's Review #43). This book provides a plethora of adventure ideas you can pick and choose from, or roll on the table of 101 Adventure Ideas.
Adventure Design (The Bazaar #62). I refer you to one of my previous posts, specifically in terms of the ‘Goose Eggs’ element (Nodes), with point form details needed to create the structure of the adventure. Just the most basic ideas for each is needed, enough to not completely define the setting and allow the PCs actions and the Emulator to help define things.
Resource Management Tools. Essentially charts and books that provide you the information to derive some background information. This could be a table with motivations for the villain, other NPCs, even the community. A bestiary with random tables might be worth including. There is a multitude of tables to be found through the Rifts library, but none that universally lead us through a solo RPG session.
Other Resources. Drawing adventures from books, comics or graphic novels, songs, all can be used to tweak your imagination. I’ll be throwing some suggestions I’ve gleaned from various resources in my Resources Review series of posts (e.g. using a Settlers of Catan boardgame to generate a map, random Magic the Gathering cards).
GM Emulator / Oracle. This is the one aspect that is definitively lacking. At this point, there are no Rifts-specific tables or system to drive the story. Regardless the setting, we need tables to help define the setting and provide options develop the emotional setting for the PC. The Oracle would have events, prompts, and other triggers that would indicate the PC must do something or react to. There are generic emulators out there, but the basics that need to be there:
Combat / Bestiary Tables
Action / Reaction Tables
CONCLUSION
The idea of playing a solo RPG has been around since AD&D first came out, so this isn’t revolutionary. For many who can’t find a way to play this RPG that we love in a group setting, perhaps this dynamic might provide an avenue for creative release and immersion into the setting. Alternatively, I like to think of this as a means for developing NPCs. I could run them through a setting I’m developing for the adventure, conduct a series of actions and reactions, all the while organically generating the setting and creating background information. I could then leverage this to advance any story element for the adventure presented to the group.
One of the greatest barriers to entry into this genre is simply the daunting prospect of properly adapting a GM Emulator. This is no small feat and takes a pretty in-depth understanding of the rules, the setting, and the character of the game itself. Oracles that could be leveraged are typically bespoke to a specific game systems; they don’t translate well without considerable effort. The number of people I see posting, looking for a group, or lamenting the lack of Rifts being played due to d20 dominance, is significant. This is a niche part of the gaming experience that I believe is begging to be addressed. So, challenge accepted. Given the Core Rules System project has given me some in-depth knowledge of the rules, I’ll start tooling a Rifts Oracle template and an adventure or two, either for submission to the Rifter, or as an open/free PDF of this blog.
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