Solo Roleplaying Games

are you a writer? do you enjoy making up stories, whether they're relegated to the realm of daydreams or fully-fleshed out on the page? solo rpgs can be extremely versatile when it comes to play style. players report various ways of "playing", including using audio recordings, journaling, daydreaming, drawing - basically any creative outlet can be adapted to solo roleplaying. solo rpgs are amazing and you should really consider getting into them. it really doesn't matter whether you've played tabletop roleplaying games before, as pretty much any of the skills can be picked up on your own (and most solo games have smaller, more focused rulesets anyway). many solo roleplaying games use dice or playing cards as a way to progress the narrative in lieu of a GM doing the work for you. some players use oracles, and some games really can't be played without them. nowadays, players are even turning to chatgpt to GM their solo adventures.

The same way you'd play any other solo game system, really. The difference mainly lies in the flexibility of the "RPG" element. In solo RPGs, instead of roleplaying aloud or via chat with your fellow group members, "play" is often synonymous with documentation.

Most solo RPGs are built to allow many styles of documentation. Players report using a wide variety of methods to record their playthroughs, including audio logs, video diaries, journaling, daydreaming, drawing - basically any creative outlet can be adapted to solo roleplaying. You don't even have to record your playthrough if you don't want to, but if you're engaged in a multi-session game, you might need a system to keep track of what's happened so far.

Overwhelmed by your options? Start by checking out The Valley Standard, a notetaking method developed by Alfred Valley for the purpose of recording solo RPG playthroughs.

Not to fear! First off, most games are built around some sort of system for making choices. For example, Thousand Year Old Vampire, an introspective, journaling-style game, utilizes a prompt system in which the player rolls a set of dice, subtracts one number from the other as instructed, and uses the difference to figure out which prompt they've received. There are additional gameplay elements as well, but none that would require input from a third party.

Another tool solo players can use is an oracle. One of the most well-known oracles is Mythic GME, but there are literally hundreds of them out there. Oracles are used to diversify gameplay and add in that element of unpredictability. They can be used as random event generators, answer yes or no questions posed by the player, and more. Think of them sort of like writing prompt generators on steroids.

Now comes the fun part: you get to choose what you want to play! I suggest you start by checking out itch.io - you can filter by solo RPGs. Try a few for free and to find out what playstyle you prefer. Alternatively (or simultaneously!) you can check out the solo RPG subreddit (if Reddit hasn't gone the way of the dinosaur by the time this page goes live).

You can check out my reviews of the games I've played by clicking the tabs on the sidebar! I only recently discovered the hobby, so I haven't played very many, but I hope you'll gain something from reading them!

My vampire, Markus, was born in the 16th century. He was violently turned by an ancient vampire who wreaked havoc upon the manor in which he was a servant. Although survival is Markus's only path to revenge, but in his quest to punish his creator, he has ruined the lives of countless others...