Solo play isn't as tricky as people make it out to be

Quote from ApplePaladin >>

I don't know if I'd say ridiculous, Trtlman. But it certainly feels like shoehorning a cumbersome accessory into the game to solo multiplayer content when there's so much solo content out there that's designed to play alone. The counterintuitive thing about D&D content that's designed to play solo is that it's made by people who are part of the D&D community. Proper solo play is still about being part of the community by supporting those creators.

If you're referring to the comment I called ridiculous it most definitely is. Did you not read it? They are saying dnd should not ever be played socially and only be played solo. 

Quote from Trtlman >>

I solo played through the starter set as DM and as PCs. I know the complaint of doing this is the DM knows too much, but that's only if you actually read everything you're supposed to. I read through the monster encounters and basics of the story but any spoilers like what we're going to run into, I read those as we got to them. It wasn't perfect but it made it like an interactive choose your own adventure. Throw in some random generators like some Rory story cubes or deck of many things and you can easily make your own solo game without using a solo engine. Also helps to be able to mentally separate yourself as DM and PC which I know was another problem people mentioned but it's doable with practice. 

 I don't understand why everyone is so worried about spoilers when you can actually open blocks of text just as the game progresses.

Quote from W1zarDdd >>

Quote from Trtlman >>

I solo played through the starter set as DM and as PCs. I know the complaint of doing this is the DM knows too much, but that's only if you actually read everything you're supposed to. I read through the monster encounters and basics of the story but any spoilers like what we're going to run into, I read those as we got to them. It wasn't perfect but it made it like an interactive choose your own adventure. Throw in some random generators like some Rory story cubes or deck of many things and you can easily make your own solo game without using a solo engine. Also helps to be able to mentally separate yourself as DM and PC which I know was another problem people mentioned but it's doable with practice. 

 I don't understand why everyone is so worried about spoilers when you can actually open blocks of text just as the game progresses.

 The books are not written in a way that you can turn to a page and play as you read. The assumption, based on the fact D&D doesn't support solo play by default, is that the DM will read ahead in order to prep that section of the adventure. Hence spoilers if you're attempting solo play

Quote from Trtlman >>

Quote from ArmorStorm >>

Quote from Trtlman >>

Quote from ArmorStorm >>

Quote from ChatgptDM >>

[Redacted] Solo play is easy with chat GPT. You can upload an entire pdf module and it will play it verbatim and handle all encounters, initiative, damage rolls, maps clipart Etc. There is no more need for human DMs.

The social aspect of d&d is overrated. It's about theater of the mind, not about the people you're playing. When you read a book, do you make it a group thing? D&d is about immersion, not about socializing. The problem now is there's too many gimmicks that actually break the immersion... Figurines, .physical sceneries, smoke machines. LOL. All you need is your imagination and a map... Otherwise, you're turning it into more of a board game than a role-playing game. I think that's what people have drifted away from... D&d happens in your mind and the things in front of you are just for reference... Now they're trying to make d&d happen with the things in front of you.

 You might as well go play 1970's text adventures on your computer in the basement.

 

Why so specific about year, device and location? You can easily play a 2020s text adventure on your phone in the livingroom. 

 Because I played them in those years, on a TRS-80 computer in my mom''s basement.  I had no idea you could play them on phones today.

 

Yeah, there's plenty of text adventures on phone and even on game consoles. Text adventures are still popular. As a kid I didn't fully understand the concept of them so I just played my Nintendo. Had I been older when those were first popular I probably would have played them but I was born in 82 so I grew up with home video game consoles starting with my Atari. Technically my sister's Atari handed down to me when she moved out. Text adventures feel more like a choose your adventure book these days. From what I recall with the old ones I tried as a kid it was pretty limited and the story was lacking. You enter a room, which way do you go. 

 Sometimes you get to type ‘I pick up the sword”.

I'm playing through the Out of the Abyss campaign solo. I roll on the random tables in the book to see what my characters will be facing each day on their Journey through the Underdark. I record all the dice rolls and thwn I write out the results, story-style.

So, right now, my player characters and NPCs are on their way to the Neverlight Grove from the village of Sloobludop after it was destroyed.  They decided to go there before Gracklstugh (based on a dice roll) because Stool is so homesick and Sarith, who died along they way to Sloobludop, insisted. 

They are almost halfway to level five and I have written almost 138k words. This includes the recording of their rolls and the narration of their actions and their dialogue.

I started it cause I have so many characters I'll never be able to play in regulargames cause there just isn'tenough time in a day. I can do my D&D Writing Project, as I call it, whenever I have a few spare moments. I do most of it on my phone, so I can do it while waiting in line at the grocery store even.