I'm planning on using "DM Yourself" and "The Dungeon Oracle" to run a published D&D mod as a solo game, and I'm curious which one would be best to go with?
Considerations: least amount of sandboxy-ness and most amount of stuff is already prepared. Open-decisions (lack of railroading) is fine but with more of a decision-tree/flowchart/if-this-then-this-or-this, as opposed to free-flow open DM interpretation. Things like that.
I'm leaning mostly toward: Out of the Abyss, Rime of the Frostmaiden, or Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
Yeah, except, where in a novel do you have choices to make and consequences to your actions, and a role in how it turns out? So.... not really like a novel at all.
There's actually a very active solo-adventure community out there, with a great many resources in DMGuild and Drive-Thru RPG.
Anyway, so yeah, I've been the DM to my friends for oh, 30 years now... thought I'd take a crack at a different way of playing the game.
You're the DM for one player or you're the only person at the table?
If it's the latter, solo boardgames are far and away a better way to occupy your time. Some boardgames don't just play well solo, they're meant for it. Some solo boardgames aren't only a good option, they're better options than multi-player things.
As you've been around for 30+ years, you'll know the feeling of playing with others. It doesn't matter how good or elegant a solo D&D experience is, you're going to lose the single best part of D&D - which is about shared experience.
Yes, no, I know all this. This isn't replacing "regular" D&D. I'm still running the current campaign I've been running for 2 years on Roll20, still running one-shots, etc. Yes I know D&D is best as it's meant, with a group.
This is just ANOTHER, different way to experience the game. There are all kinds of utilities out there, like "DM Yourself" and various "oracles" that help facilitate running a D&D adventure solo. It's a thing. People do it, and enjoy it. I've played D&D in the form of "Baldur's Gate" and "Icewind Dale" and "Planescape Torment"... this is just another, additional, way to experience the game.
If you control the outcomes of both sides, it seems like writing book to me.
But hey, your fun doesn't threaten my fun. More power to you for trying it.
Yeah except you don't. This is a thing, trust me. Look into it. There are tools like "DM Yourself" and "The Dungeon Oracle" and "The Solo Adventurers Toolbox" and others that "emulate" a DM. Like I said, it doesn't replace D&D as it's meant to be played, as a group, I'm still playing it with people Roll20... just like one might play D&D through a PC game like "Baldur's Gate," this is just an ADDITIONAL way to experience the game.
Didn't really think I'd have to justify the existence of solo D&D :/
No idea, but I’ve wanted to try a solo game too to see how it works. I was looking into this awhile ago because our main group has been on hiatus for quite some time then I completely forgot about it until I saw this post lol. But this is the one I’m going to try if I ever get around to it: The Death Knight’s Squire
I'm planning on using "DM Yourself" and "The Dungeon Oracle" to run a published D&D mod as a solo game, and I'm curious which one would be best to go with?
Considerations: least amount of sandboxy-ness and most amount of stuff is already prepared. Open-decisions (lack of railroading) is fine but with more of a decision-tree/flowchart/if-this-then-this-or-this, as opposed to free-flow open DM interpretation. Things like that.
I'm leaning mostly toward: Out of the Abyss, Rime of the Frostmaiden, or Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
I'm yet to do it myself because I'm at a bit of a loss and hesitate too much, but I've been looking into it for a couple of months too.
There is a site called D&D duet that has advice for balancing adventures for 1 on 1, and while I know that's not the same, it does help balance adventures for one PC, which is kinda what you want.
Also apparently the 'Blood Hunter' is an adventure for a solo PC. You've already suggested the oracle and solo adventurers toolkit, so I'm not sure what else I can suggest, except for the fact you might be easier to have a few 'followers' in-game to balance out encounters easier... 🤷🏻♂️
I used to enjoy doing solo D&D back in the AD&D days. Believe it or not I made up a whole party, something like 5 or 6 characters, and laid them all out in front of me and then used the random dungeon generation rules in DMG to play it for myself.
I think I got one level of one dungeon mostly done, before I had moved on to other things. It was fun though.
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I might just have to try some of this... I watched some Me, Myself, and Die last night and it is Savage World, not D&D, and Mythic system not DM Yourself, but the principles are the same and it looked quite... interesting. The way this is done, it's an awful lot like playing a solo CRPG... Roll tables and DM logic (and honesty/fairness) replace the computer algorithms but conceptually it is nearly the same.
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Given the last several months, I’ve explored the solo option a little bit. I played all three Shipwrecked, You’re in a Bar, Vermin Trouble, and Eight Petal’s Argent. ALso have been using the Solo Adventurer’s Toolbox. I think You’re in a Bar and Vermin Trouble were my favorites, but the others were fun. Eight Petals Argent was the most complex of the ones I picked up and had the most depth of story. Shipwrecked was probably the fanciest in terms of graphics and maps and such.
The games were a nice distraction. It felt more like D&D than playing say original Neverwinter Nights (which I have on an Xbox,) but they still had a strong ‘choose your own adventure’ quality to them which got a little old after awhile.
After playing those, I went a similar route to what BioWizard mentioned where I just used the random dungeon generator along with some encounter tables I had designed up & used the treasure allocation from Solo toolbox. Tbh, those games felt more like playing tabletop D&D for me than the rest. (I was also using miniatures and some old MageKnight Dungeon tiles which helped too I think)
Personally I wish you all the best in your pursuit of this, and hope you are able to find some fun in the activity. I do strongly recommend the Solo Adventurer’s Toolbox, as it has been handy for helping me design tables and such that fit the type of game I was wanting to solo play.
I use the campaign beyond the vale of madness and I loved it. It takes roughly 30 minutes to complete, but it's really fun.
I enjoyed that one so much that, with permission from the author, I made a HTML-playable version of it. The Wolves of Langston and Tides of Murkport are also excellent gamebook-style adventures. I've bought both and don't regret my purchases.
I'm planning on using "DM Yourself" and "The Dungeon Oracle" to run a published D&D mod as a solo game, and I'm curious which one would be best to go with?
Considerations: least amount of sandboxy-ness and most amount of stuff is already prepared. Open-decisions (lack of railroading) is fine but with more of a decision-tree/flowchart/if-this-then-this-or-this, as opposed to free-flow open DM interpretation. Things like that.
I'm leaning mostly toward: Out of the Abyss, Rime of the Frostmaiden, or Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
Any suggestions?
you are running a game for yourself?
Thats a book.
Buyers Guide for D&D Beyond - Hardcover Books, D&D Beyond and You - How/What is Toggled Content?
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"Play the game however you want to play the game. After all, your fun doesn't threaten my fun."
Yeah, except, where in a novel do you have choices to make and consequences to your actions, and a role in how it turns out? So.... not really like a novel at all.
There's actually a very active solo-adventure community out there, with a great many resources in DMGuild and Drive-Thru RPG.
Anyway, so yeah, I've been the DM to my friends for oh, 30 years now... thought I'd take a crack at a different way of playing the game.
If you control the outcomes of both sides, it seems like writing book to me.
But hey, your fun doesn't threaten my fun. More power to you for trying it.
Buyers Guide for D&D Beyond - Hardcover Books, D&D Beyond and You - How/What is Toggled Content?
Everything you need to know about Homebrew - Homebrew FAQ - Digital Book on D&D Beyond Vs Physical Books
Can't find the content you are supposed to have access to? Read this FAQ.
"Play the game however you want to play the game. After all, your fun doesn't threaten my fun."
You're the DM for one player or you're the only person at the table?
If it's the latter, solo boardgames are far and away a better way to occupy your time. Some boardgames don't just play well solo, they're meant for it. Some solo boardgames aren't only a good option, they're better options than multi-player things.
As you've been around for 30+ years, you'll know the feeling of playing with others. It doesn't matter how good or elegant a solo D&D experience is, you're going to lose the single best part of D&D - which is about shared experience.
All things Lich - DM tips, tricks, and other creative shenanigans
Solo as in by myself.
Yes, no, I know all this. This isn't replacing "regular" D&D. I'm still running the current campaign I've been running for 2 years on Roll20, still running one-shots, etc. Yes I know D&D is best as it's meant, with a group.
This is just ANOTHER, different way to experience the game. There are all kinds of utilities out there, like "DM Yourself" and various "oracles" that help facilitate running a D&D adventure solo. It's a thing. People do it, and enjoy it. I've played D&D in the form of "Baldur's Gate" and "Icewind Dale" and "Planescape Torment"... this is just another, additional, way to experience the game.
Yeah except you don't. This is a thing, trust me. Look into it. There are tools like "DM Yourself" and "The Dungeon Oracle" and "The Solo Adventurers Toolbox" and others that "emulate" a DM. Like I said, it doesn't replace D&D as it's meant to be played, as a group, I'm still playing it with people Roll20... just like one might play D&D through a PC game like "Baldur's Gate," this is just an ADDITIONAL way to experience the game.
Didn't really think I'd have to justify the existence of solo D&D :/
No idea, but I’ve wanted to try a solo game too to see how it works. I was looking into this awhile ago because our main group has been on hiatus for quite some time then I completely forgot about it until I saw this post lol. But this is the one I’m going to try if I ever get around to it: The Death Knight’s Squire
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/220997/DD-Solo-Adventure-The-Death-Knights-Squire
(and ignore the toxic answers lul)
I'm yet to do it myself because I'm at a bit of a loss and hesitate too much, but I've been looking into it for a couple of months too.
There is a site called D&D duet that has advice for balancing adventures for 1 on 1, and while I know that's not the same, it does help balance adventures for one PC, which is kinda what you want.
Also apparently the 'Blood Hunter' is an adventure for a solo PC. You've already suggested the oracle and solo adventurers toolkit, so I'm not sure what else I can suggest, except for the fact you might be easier to have a few 'followers' in-game to balance out encounters easier... 🤷🏻♂️
Oh also, there are couple of solo adventures that I had forgotten about.
https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/245542
https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/228852
Just generally check out this author. Hope my comments helped! 😀
I used to enjoy doing solo D&D back in the AD&D days. Believe it or not I made up a whole party, something like 5 or 6 characters, and laid them all out in front of me and then used the random dungeon generation rules in DMG to play it for myself.
I think I got one level of one dungeon mostly done, before I had moved on to other things. It was fun though.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I vote Dungeon of the Mad Mage. And let us know how it turns out. Curious how well DM Yourself works in actual practice.
I might just have to try some of this... I watched some Me, Myself, and Die last night and it is Savage World, not D&D, and Mythic system not DM Yourself, but the principles are the same and it looked quite... interesting. The way this is done, it's an awful lot like playing a solo CRPG... Roll tables and DM logic (and honesty/fairness) replace the computer algorithms but conceptually it is nearly the same.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Given the last several months, I’ve explored the solo option a little bit. I played all three Shipwrecked, You’re in a Bar, Vermin Trouble, and Eight Petal’s Argent. ALso have been using the Solo Adventurer’s Toolbox. I think You’re in a Bar and Vermin Trouble were my favorites, but the others were fun. Eight Petals Argent was the most complex of the ones I picked up and had the most depth of story. Shipwrecked was probably the fanciest in terms of graphics and maps and such.
The games were a nice distraction. It felt more like D&D than playing say original Neverwinter Nights (which I have on an Xbox,) but they still had a strong ‘choose your own adventure’ quality to them which got a little old after awhile.
After playing those, I went a similar route to what BioWizard mentioned where I just used the random dungeon generator along with some encounter tables I had designed up & used the treasure allocation from Solo toolbox. Tbh, those games felt more like playing tabletop D&D for me than the rest. (I was also using miniatures and some old MageKnight Dungeon tiles which helped too I think)
Personally I wish you all the best in your pursuit of this, and hope you are able to find some fun in the activity. I do strongly recommend the Solo Adventurer’s Toolbox, as it has been handy for helping me design tables and such that fit the type of game I was wanting to solo play.
Great advice, Cat. I will keep these books in mind myself.
I'm also looking at alternative systems like Ironsworn... not sure what I will do yet.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Have you tried Legacy of Dragonholt? I haven’t played it yet myself but it might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
Hm, interesting find.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Hi piratescribe,
I use the campaign beyond the vale of madness and I loved it. It takes roughly 30 minutes to complete, but it's really fun.
Kind regards, Axolotl_playz
I enjoyed that one so much that, with permission from the author, I made a HTML-playable version of it. The Wolves of Langston and Tides of Murkport are also excellent gamebook-style adventures. I've bought both and don't regret my purchases.
https://sayeth.itch.io/