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31 Days of Solo RPGs - Jan 2025 Full List (updated)
Solo RPGs Month of RPG Generators Generators Community

31 Days of Solo RPGs - Jan 2025 Full List (updated)

Duncan Thomson

For January posting daily with random tools, tables and titles for Solo RPGs at rpg_generators subreddit (list of posts). Building on previous Generator Months.

[Image from web version of GM Apprentice - day 5]

Disclaimer: Rand Roll is an affiliate for DriveThru RPG and DM's Guild.

All the 31 Days of Solo RPGs with links

Day 1 - Ironsworn, free Solo RPG by Shawn Tomkin

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Starting with one of the best-known Solo RPGs, Ironsworn (DriveThruRPG or Itch.io).

Ironsworn is free, set in a low-fantasy setting and designed for solo (or co-op) play. It uses a tuned version of PbtA (Powered by the Apocalypse), where each action will move the narrative forward.

It also has plenty of random tables and has a section for world-building (the Truths of your version of the Ironlands)

There is a paid supplement called Ironsworn: Delve (drivethrurpg link), which adds rules and tables for perilous adventure locations.

For seeing how it runs with actual plays, Season 2 of Me, Myself and Die! covered Ironsworn (also available as a podcast). the Bad Spot also has a mini-campaign of Ironsworn. I ran a short blog series of Ironsworn at Rand Roll.

For tools to help play the game there is...

Day 2 - One Page Solo Engine, free emulator

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Many soloists use GM Emulators and Oracles for inspiration, ideas and answers.

A free option is One Page Solo Engine from Inflatable Studios. It's free and available from Itch.io (inc versions in French and Italian) or DriveThruRpg.

It has two pages of tables (and another of notes), using a deck of cards and a d6. It includes yes/no oracle, scene details, gm moves, action focus, detail focus, topic, plot hooks, npc, dungeons and hex crawling.

There's also an Online Version with versions for Android, iPhone and Kindle.

Day 3 - Four Against Darkness 

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A Solitaire dungeon-delving game, Four Against Darkness provides an easy entry point into the Solo Gaming scene. It's available on DriveThruRPG and Itch.io (limited expansions).

You get a group of adventurers, but no roleplaying is required. You explore a dungeon, but it's driven by simple random tables. You can play solo, but also easy to play with someone else (as a co-op, splitting up the four characters)

There are also many add-ons from Ganesha Games, including a town generator, other classes, extra treasures and expanded dungeons.

Day 4 - Thousand Year Old Vampire

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Journaling Games are a popular way to enjoy solo rpgs, and Thousand Year Old Vampire is one of the most popular. It's available as a pdf at drivethrrpg and itch.io (also has community copies). (more journalling rpgs later in the month)

In the game you chronicle the story of your (Thousand Year Old) Vampire, creating them and using Prompts, Memories and Experiences (among other things) to shape your story.

TYOV also has a different angle than many, as you're playing an immortal creature, genres, touching on Horror and Historical (and Modern) genres.

Errant Adventures has a 3-Part Actual Play if you want to listen to how it plays.

Day 5 - GameMaster's Apprentice Cards

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The GameMaster's Apprentice Cards from Larcenous Designs are decks of cards, each of which contain dice results (d4-d20, d100) , YES/NO oracles (3 different likelihoods), action + theme, environment descs, NPC details, locations and more. Available on DriveThru RPG in pdf and card form.

Useful for GMing groups, in solo they can be your oracle, dice roller and ideas inspiration.

But possibly the best thing is that there are card decks for different genres. As well as the base deck, there are ones for Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Age of Sail, Cyberpunk, Horror and Steampunk.

There's also an online generator of GM's Apprentice (adapted). And in Dec I interviewed the GMA creator at Rand Roll.

Day 6 - Gamebooks, Traditional and Modern

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Gamebooks give a way of solo-gaming with less choices to make, a narrative and some game element (often dice, but options without). Playing with a physical book or digitally. Two traditional series from the 80s are Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf, still publishing new books. Open-world gamebooks (such as Fabled Lands) are another day.

For gamebook discussion try the r/gamebooks subreddit. There is also a Gamebook Guide for Beginners and another Gamebook Guide for Veterans (at gamebooks guide blog)

Individual Gamebooks include

  • Heart of Ice by Dave Morris, a diceless (use skills to define character) futuristic gamebook in ice-clad Earth. Some consider this best gamebook made.
  • Nightshift by Victoria Hancox, a diceless modern horror puzzle gamebook in a hospital. First in a series (the Cluster of Echoes)
  • Citadel of Bureaucracy by J. D. Mitchel, a modern gamebook where you have to get through a day at the office. Uses Fighting Fantasy mechanics. Watch out for geese.
  • Endless Destinies - the Clockwork City by Corinna Keefe is great for a younger audience (age 10+), exploring a bright map to solve why the clockwork city has stopped ticking. Combat uses a deck of 52 bespoke cards.
  • Rider of the Black Sun by Swen Harder is a large highly-rated fantasy gamebook, split into chapters. Gameplay grows as you advance and there are built-in savepoints (1400+ sections)
  • Deathtrap Dungeon by Ian Livingstone is one of the best known Fighting Fantasy books. You enter a manufactured dungeon seeking fame and wealth. Your character will probably die several times.

Series include

  • Lone Wolf by Joe Dever, where you play the same character through several books, growing more powerful. Uses a d10 / number chart. The original many other Lone Wolf books are available (legally) for free from Project Aon
  • Fighting Fantasy, using 2d6, SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK to overcome challenges. There are over 60 of them in fantasy and sci-fi settings. The initial ones were written by Steve Jackson (uk) and Ian Livingstone, with many other authors writing later books.
  • Critical IF Gamebooks by Dave Morris are a series that don't use dice, instead using the skills you select to tailor your adventure.
  • Destiny Quest are modern gamebooks with a similar format to video games such as Diablo. Complete quests, gain gear and advance onto the next map of quests. Advance with the same character through the books.
  • In Way of the Tiger by Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson you play a ninja from first quest (book 1) up to an overlord of a city (book 4) and beyond.
  • Other series include Destiny Quest, Sorcery! (4 more complex, linked Fighting Fantasy books), Grailquest, Ace Gamebooks, Cluster of Echoes, Choose Your Own Adventure (not many game elements),

Day 7 - Legend of the Bones and Tale of the Manticore

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Podcasts and video actual plays have introduced many to solo rpgs (and rpgs in general). Legend of the Bones and Tale of the Manticore are a hybrid (semi actual-play? solo adventure podcasts), combining elements of solo actual plays with tight editing & production, guest voices and an overarching (loose) narrative. (more game-based solo actual plays on another day)

The Tale of the Manticore podcast uses D&D Basic for all 3 seasons so far and has a dark fantasy theme. It follows groups through the levels, with characters dying as the dice dictate. As well as the solo gameplay of fights and story, there are flashbacks, creator comments and guest actors for many voices. Season 1 is working out what solo and the show is about, with a group of adventurers starting from literally nothing. Season 2 is smoother (the creator recommends starting with Season 2) and follows a group of thieves (initially) who become something more. Season 3 (so far) is a bit different, following one main character and with a less grim tone.

The Legend of the Bones podcast was inspired by TotM and has a long first season (48 episodes so far). It also uses Basic D&D, but seems to run at a slightly slower pace (I've found it more immersive) and has a feel of medieval Britain around the world building. Like TotM it has high production values, story and explanations, guest voices (including Jon from TotM), background flashbacks and characters that can perish at the roll of a die. (there's an interview with Simon from Legend of the Bones at Rand Roll)

Day 8 - Mythic Game Master Emulator 2.0 by Tana Pigeon

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The best known of the Emulators and Oracles, Mythic GM Emulator 2.0 by Tana Pigeon provides a way to simulate the setting and related narrative for your solo game. Find it on DriveThruRPG, Itch.io or find out more at the Word Mill Games site.

It has elements such as the Fate Chart (yes/no oracle), Chaos Factor, Random Events, Interrupt/Altered Scenes, Meaning Tables (many d100 tables), NPC List and Threads list. These are modular so you can use the parts you want (I usually ignore Chaos factor and keep it at 5) or mix and match with other systems.

There are also many examples and variations to help customise Mythic to work for you or the current game. There are also Mythic Magazines, the 1st Edition and a One-Page version.

There are a number of tools, apps and variatnts. Three to mention here are

Day 9 - Tools and RPGs for Space and Sci-fi Solo

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There are lots of options for gaming in space and sci-fi, but sometimes there are harder to find. Here are 3 of...RPGs with Random Tables, Solo RPGs, Random Generators, Actual-play Podcasts, Different Games, Card Decks and Other Mentions

3 Sci-fi RPGs with Many Random Tables

  • Ironsworn: Starforged (drivethru link) by Shawn Tomkin is a sci-fi based game built for coop, GM or solo (but often played solo), with many random tables building on Ironsworn 
  • Stars Without Number (drivethru link), a free sci-fi rpg with masses of random tables. There also a paid version with more
  • Traveller (publisher link) is one of the oldest RPGs, and has decades of support in random tables and procedures. Mongoose publishes modern versions and also the 1st Edition rules.

3 Sci-fi RPGs written for Solo

  • From Candlenaut is Entity, a solo game taking on the role of a synthetic AI explorer, stranded in an expanse filled with alien ruins.
  • D100 Space RPG (drivethru link) is a solo system from the same writer as d100 Dungeon. You captain a starship through the galaxy "in search of fame and fortune"
  • Notorious (drivethru link) from AlwaysCheckers Publishing lets you play a bounty hunter hunting down fugitives and attracting trouble.

3 Sci-fi Random Generators

  • Sectors Without Numbers creates a star system populated with planets and other items of interest. It uses tables from Stars Without Number 
  • The Random Spaceship Generator from Role Generator creates a detailed spaceship with deck maps / plans and filters to customise it.
  • Iron Arachne has a Star Nation generator, with details of the worlds it inhabits and it's home system.

3 Sci-fi Actual Play Podcasts

  • Errant Adventures is a solo actual play podcast that used Starforged for it's season 1. Season 3 uses Traveller
  • Sub-Class Act Podcast, season 3 with James Sral has Traveller for it's main rpg
  • The Bad Spot is a YouTube Channel (and Podcast with less episodes) with mostly Ironsworn: Starforged episodes.

3 Different Sci-Fi Solo Games

  • An minis wargame, Five Parsecs from Home (company link) from Mophidius is designed for solo, assembling ragtag crew of galactic trailblazers.
  • The Wretched (drivethru link) is a solo journaling rpg where you are the last survivor on the star-ship Nostromo
  • Glide from Sleepy Sasquatch Games is a solo game about exploring desert wastes on a planet, hoping to restore it's past splendour.

3 Sci-Fi Card Decks

  • GamesMaster's Apprentice: Sci Fi (drivethru link) is a set of oracle cards specific to Sci-fi settings
  • The Galaxy Builder Decks: Planets (drivethru link) from Journey Mountain Studios is a deck of double sided cards with unique planets and planet traits. Part of a series including Systems, Asteroids and Spooky Planets,
  • Sidequest Decks: Science Fiction (drivethru link) from Inkwell Ideas is a deck of sci-fi hooks and quests, each with an associated map on the reverse.

3 Other Sci-Fi Mentions

  • Star Trek Adventures: Captain's Log (linked to TNG version) has rules for playing solo in the Star Trek universe using 2d20 system. There are 4 different covers.
  • Any Planet is Earth (itch-link) is a 6-page solo sci-fi game with supporting random tables (includes community copies)
  • Microscope by Ben Robbins is a solo world-building game (any genre), that let's you explore the history of a galactic civilisation, a planet or an ancient line of alien sorcerers

Day 10 - Making Your Own Generators and Rollable Tables

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You can make your own random tables and generators for solo games. A few online tools to help include...

And you can use a spreadsheet or a sheet of paper for them too!

Day 11 - Plot Unfolding Machine (PUM) and SUM

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Plot Unfolding Machine (PUM) is a solo system and oracle by JeansenVaars It's on DriveThruRPG and Itch.io. PUM asks you to detail Plot Nodes (game elements / relevant encounters / useful findings / pending questions) for your setting / game, using these in events to bring them into your game.

You use a Plot Sheet which gives prompts for your game. There are several different plot sheets for different games (Standard, Adventure, Dungeon, Heroic, Survival). As well as different tables, each has a different plan/structure for your adventure / campaign (Default has 3 scenes of Exposition, 8 of Confrontation and 4 of Resolution). The Simple Plot Sheet has no structure and lets you ignore the Plot Nodes.

There are also several regular oracle tables for Description / Focus / Mood etc. There are also lots of notes for how to use the system and also to customise it.

In addition there is Scene Unfolding Machine (SUM), which provides structure and inspiration for individual scenes. And GUM (Game Unfolding Machine), a set of abstract random tables and generators to create truths, hooks, plot discoveries and other things about your game.

They're all supported by an app called the PUM Companion, and there's an active Discord community for the group. I interviewed JeansenVaars about PUM at Rand Roll and used PUM in an actual play with Fléaux!

Day 12 - Dragonbane from Free League Publishing

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Dragonbane (drivethrurpg link) from Free League Publishing isn't a solo RPG, but it IS a modern RPG that ticks many boxes for many people and has solo rules written by Shawn Tomkin (of Ironsworn).

It's an RPG with a facade that appears d&d-like, but it's skill-based, level-less, d20 roll-under with fast and dangerous combat and interesting magic. It's built on the bones of Runequest, and a reimagined version of the most popular Swedish RPG (Drakar och Demoner). There are lots in the box including a campaign, a separate solo section, cards, monster & PC tokens, character sheets and pregens.

For solo support there are solo-specific rules and an adventure, random tables (in the solo support and main rulebook) and random character generation. The game is quick but with enough crunch to keep it interesting. The rules are simple enough (and combat fast enough) that you can run more than one character if you wanted. Also by default the monsters have random actions each round so you don't have to think about what they're doing in combat.

There's also a bestiary, a new campaign and hopefully more coming.

Day 13 - Journalling Solo Games

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Of the many ways to play solo games, Journalling is one of the most popular. Writing to determine what happens, usually responding to prompts such as random tables, cards, or images.

Some popular journalling games include

  • Fox Curio's Floating Bookshop puts you in charge of a floating bookshop, plying your wares on the river.
  • Quill is a pay-what-you-want Letter-Writing game, aiming to " craft the best, most beautiful missive possible", with words to use and a few other mechanics.
  • Lighthouse at the End of the World lets you play a lighthouse keeper at the furthest reaches of civilization. You journal about the various torments (weather, spirits, solitude) affecting you
  • Koriko: A Magical Year about a teenage witch spending a year away from home in an unfamiliar city (inspired by Kiki’s Delivery Service)
  • Journey is a solo game / system for exploring your world, focusing in on a particular character, magic system, location or element that has your attention
  • In The Wretched you play the lone survivor of an horrific attack, stuck on a spaceship with something else still on board. In this one you record your journals (although writing would also work)
  • Thousand Year Old Vampire (covered in day 4)

Day 14 - Rory's Story Cubes and Online Icons for Inspiration

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In addition to using random tables or words for inspiration there's also random icons.

Rory's Story Cubes (company link) are dice with icons and come in various flavours (Harry Potter, Space, Journeys, Mysteries, . I like to use them offline, grabbing two dice at random and combining the results.

There are similar online tools such as ESL Story Dice (gives 5 or 9 Images), the RPG Story Constructor (icons, filter by genre, lock images and reroll) and Zero Dice.

Day 15 - Solo Worldbuilding Games & Tools

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When playing solo rpgs, nearly any of it can be considered part of the game. Playing the game, creating characters, reading rules, considering prompts, drawing and journalling and...worldbuilding.

Some games are worldbuilding tools themselves, including...

  • Microscope by Ben Robbins (at drivethrurpg and itch.io), a timeline base worldbuilding group game that can focus on a galactic empire, a young city, an ancient line of fey, a secret society or a corporation expanding off-planet. Usually multiple players are assumed so you'll need a way to simulate this (maybe a different type of oracle for different players). Kingdom is a game by the same author focusing on a community
  • Instant Game by Animalball Partners (link to the free pdf) is a free game for building an RPG Setting. It has tables for Setting, Tone, elements (Things), actions, opposition and tech, people and places. Plus examples and guidelines on how to run it.
  • The Quiet Year by Avery Alder (at drivethrurpg) is a map game of a year of a settlement to build something good in their quiet year (set in a post-apocalyptic community). Using a deck of cards to simulate the events
  • Pendulum from Tale of the Manticore (the podcast) is a World-building assistant (at drivethrurpg) that focuses on a settlement growing from a hamlet to something much grander. Each event has a "chaos" and "order" outcome, building on the previous ones a giving a surprising variety. John (the author) and Steve of Errant Adventures use it to build a settlement in one episode of TotM

Day 16 - Ironsworn: Starforged and Sundered Isles

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Starforged takes the formula from Ironsworn (Day 1), smooths it out at bit, adds a bit and puts it into a sci-fi setting. It's a separate solo game built on a solid foundation. Links to Tomkin Press, drivethrurpg and itch.io.

Ironsworn: Starforged is a paid product, coming with more random tables and tools (and pages) than the original. You're still swearing iron vows to drive your narrative, choosing your Truths to define your setting, choosing assets to flesh out your character(s) and Paying the Price when things go badly.

Sundered Isles (Tomkin Press link) is an expansion for Starforged (need SF book to play it), taking Ironsworn to a fantasy seafaring setting of piracy, ghost ships, treasures and expeditions. It is rammed full of random tables, many with cursed versions to give you the option of a grimmer tone for your game.

There are a few podcasts actual plays for Ironsworn: Starforged, including Errant Adventures - Season 1 (the first actual play podcast I got heavily into) and the Bad Spot (also available as YouTube videos). (Tell me any I've missed!)

Tools to help play the game include Stargazer (online campaign journal / reference) and there's a collection of Starforged Oracles at Chartopia.

Day 17 - UNE NPC Emulator and CRE Emulator, both pay-what-you-want

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UNE from Conjecture (drivethrurpg link) is the Universal NPC Emulator, allowing you to create fleshed-out NPCs, connect them to your story and interact with them. It's pay-what-you-want, system-neutral and genre-neutral, using random tables to power everything along with lots of guidance. There's a version in Portuguese too!

CRGE is the Conjectural Roleplaying GM Emulator (drivethrurpg link) is also by Zach Best and pay-what-you-want. It uses the Loom of Fate, a yes/no oracle that can trigger the unexpected, with different tables depending where the scene is heading (knowledge/conflict/ending). It has the Surge Count (which pushes results towards the unexpected), Conjured Threads (a list of unresolved plot points / questions that form basis of Scenes), Storyspinning (a framework for guiding stories), a multi-player module and lots of examples

Then there's BOLD, Universal PC Stories and Deeds Generator (drivethrurpg link) from same company, also pwyw. Generate character histories, deeds and legends.

Day 18 - Actual Play Solo Podcasts

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Actual play podcasts are one of the best resources for learning about solo and finding new tools & games. (Legend of the Bones and Tale of the Manticore were Day 7)

  • Errant Adventures with Steve Morrison - solid storytelling and explanations of what's going on.. Season Three is using Traveller, season one was Starforged, and season two was fantasy with faction play too.
  • Sub-class Act with James Sral - James switches around systems, oracles and genres frequently, with frequent input from listeners. Games include Traveller, Forbidden Lands, 5e D&D, OSE, other OSR games.
  • The Lone Adventurer with Carl White is a British production using Mythic. RPGs include D&D 5E, Blades in the Dark. Different in that pieces of well-told narrative are split apart from the sections that explain what is going on.
  • Me, Myself and Die with Trevor Devall - also a YouTube Channel. Probably the best known actual play solo show, the action on this one moves fast. Season 1 uses Savage Worlds and Mythic Emulator. Season 2 uses Ironsworn and Season 3 uses Dominion Rules.
  • The Bad Spot with Matt Risby is a YouTube Channel and podcast (fewer episodes), mostly with Starforged and some Ironsworn. Amusing and good narrative flow
  • A Wasteland Story with PJSack is a podcast set in Post Apocalyptic North America using the Fallout system. Explains everything from the absolute basics

Day 19 - Open-World Gamebooks

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Following on from Traditional Gamebooks on Day 6 are open-world gamebooks. In these your character(s) has a lot more choice, roaming one book, going to another and returning to the first. Some quests may span multiple books and NPCs can appear in multiple ones. Most use a combination of keywords, titles and tickboxes to keep track of what's happened.

  • VulcanVerse is a completed series of 5 open-world books by Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson, the first being The Houses of the Dead. It is themed with ancient Greek mythology, combat is just another skill check (and there are less of these than in many games) and you come back when you die (with a few exceptions). There is an overarching story and quests build towards this.
  • Steam Highwayman by Martin Barnabas Noutch is set in a steampunk England (and one day Wales), riding a steam motorbike (Book 1 is Smog & Ambuscade) . Steal from the rich and whoever else is around, help out the common people, stir the revolution, make a workshop, mingle with high society or steal an airship. 3 out of 6 books are published, but those will give your many hours of play). You can die but with the right friends you can survive a lot longer.
  • Legendary Kingdoms by Oliver Hulme lets you take a party of up to 4 adventurers on fairly standard fantasy quests and settings (Book 1 is Valley of Bones). Each book has it's own narrative, focused on one of the 6 possible characters (but can work without them). You can make your own character(s), but will miss out on many of the narrative options (I used 1 of my own and 3 of the main chars). There's a solid magic system, with magic-users having less health. Death is permanent, but you can add in replacement chars. 3 out of 6 planned books are published, but only books 1-2 are easy to get (in pdf format)
  • Fabled Lands is the original open-world gamebook series, by Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson (Book 1 is The War-Torn Kingdom). The books get progressively harder but you can wander between them. When you first start it's hard to find easy options, but you can find them by exploring. Characters die easily and there are lots of perma-death endings (I always prioritised maximum blessings and a resurrection deal). But there's many options and seven books published, each covering a different land (12 were planned, but there's no storyline so it's fine without the others).
  • Destiny Quest by Michael J. Ward is a different type of open-world. Each book gives you a map of quests you can try to complete, and you can try them as many times as you like. You'll get many power-ups as you advance, and it has a very video-game like feel. People often recommend starting with the second book - The Heart of Fire (I've only got the first so far)
  • Expeditionary Company by David Velasco and Riq Sol is a bigger commitment than most of the others. There are 3 large books and you'll need all three to play. You manage a expeditionary company, looking after caravans, trading, managing resources, having adventures, dealing with threats and fulfilling contracts. Originally written in Spanish (Compañía de Expediciones) and available in English.

Day 20 - Tarot Card Guides and Generators

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Tarot cards are another way of providing inspiration for your Solo RPGs. One cards on it's own or a number in different configurations can signal different situations for your character(s).

Here are some resources for understanding and creating tarot and tarot-like cards

  • Roll for Fantasy has a Tarot Cards dealer, with either one card at a time or (below that) the option to choose one of 15 Spreads, then reveal one card at a time or all at once (with possible meanings below)
  • Pixie Cards 4th Edition is a pay-what-you-want tarot deck but also has many other icons and die rolls to help with RPGs. It includes a 350+ page guide on the cards and how to interpret them (direct link to the preview/guide) as Main Character, Secondary Char, Antagonists and Encounter Setups.
  • Watabou has a Procgen Tarot generator that procedurally creates 3 tarot-like cards (I got the Desert, the Hood and Ten of Bells)
  • The Portal Tarot: The Apprentice from Larcenous Designs (publishers of GameMaster's Apprentice Cards) is a deck of tarot cards themed to high fantasy.
  • Random Tarot Card is simple, giving you just one tarot card (with possible meaning) from a classic deck.
  • 7th Sanctum has a Tarot Card Generator with just the names of made-up tarot cards such as Nine of Penatacles, the Caliph and the Impure Star.

Day 21 - Solo Tools & RPGs for Cyberpunk and Post-Apocalypse

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Today looks at solo RPGs and tools for Cyberpunk and Post-Apocalypse, following on from Day 9: Sci-fi Tools & RPG for Solo.

3 Cyberpunk/Post-Apocalyptic RPGs with Random Tables

  • Cities Without Number (drivethru link), a free cyberpunk rpg with masses of random tables. There also a paid version with more tables and content.
  • CY_BORG from Free League Publishing, cyberpunk/dystopian rules-light RPG based on MORK BORG. And supported by many random tables
  • Barbarians of the Ruined Earth from DIY RPG Productions is a rpg inspired by Thudarr the Barbarian, mixing in Mad Max and Pirates of Dark Water. With support from some random tables

3 Cyberpunk RPGs written for Solo

  • Cybersworn (itch.io link) is a hack of Starforged: Ironsworn set in a Cyberpunk setting
  • Kuroi from Candlenaut is a solo cyberpunk heist game supported by random tables
  • Chrome Shells & Neon Streets (drivethrurpg link) is a Tricube Tales One-Page RPG. It can be seen in full in the privew.

3 Post-Apocalytic RPGs for Solo

  • Lay On Hands is a storytelling game where you play an unnaturally gifted healer in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
  • The Quiet Year from Buried Without Ceremony is a map game for a post-apocalyptic community. Attempting to build something good in their quiet year.
  • In Courier (itch.io link) you play a courier navigating a fallout-like wasteland delivering packages and other things. Also on drivethrurpg

3 Different Cyberpunk/Post-Apocalyptic Solo Games

  • Heart of Ice by Dave Morris, a diceless (use skills to define character) futuristic gamebook in ice-clad Earth. Some consider this best gamebook made.
  • The Random Solo Adventure: Post Apocalypse - Solo Gamebook is from PenguinComics. It features a solo adventure with random aspect to make each play different.
  • Other Dust is an add on to Stars Without Number (free sci-fi RPG ), providing rules and tables for strange post-apocalytic world

3 Cyberpunk/Post-Apocalyptic Random Table Sources

3 Cyberpunk/Post-Apocalyptic Random Generators

3 More Cyberpunk/Post-Apocalyptic Mentions

  • A Wasteland Story with PJSack is a podcast set in Post Apocalyptic North America using the Fallout system. Explains everything from the absolute basics
  • Cybersmily's Datafort has lots of Cyberpunk resources, with data, characters, cybergear and adventures for Cyberpunk RPGs (and useful for any cyberpunk game). And also generators, under Apps-2020 and Apps-Red headings.
  • The Metamorphica Revised from Chthonstone Games has hundreds of mutations, a frequent part of post-apocalyptic games.

Day 22 - Your Favourite Solo RPG(s) or Tool(s)

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So.... what are your favourite tools and rpgs for solo (or combination)? (just choose one if that's easier!)

One of the joys of solo is finding out what other people are running or experimenting with and trying that. As this encompasses regular RPGs, solo-specific RPGs, journalling games, solo-minis games, map-games, world-building games, gamebooks and more, there's many ways to enjoy this space.

(link to Reddit Post)

Day 23 - 12 Cosy Solo RPGs

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Loosely defined, cosy (or cozy) games are "warm, pleasant, and relaxing" and "evoke the fantasy of safety, abundance, and softness". Here are 12 cosy solo games, grouped in arbitrary categories.

Tea, Beer, Wine

  • The Last Tea Shop (itch.io) is a pay-what-you-want (also a paid expanded version) journalling game where you have conversations over a cup of tea. Conversations with those going on to the realm of the dead, asking about their lives and preparing them for the afterlife.
  • The Broken Cask (drivethrurpg, itch.io) is a game about running a fantasy tavern, with you running it with a couple of staff. Uses d6s and lots of random tables.
  • Winemaker's Way (itch.io) is a journalling game about restoring your family vineyard and winery. Future expanions planned. It includes a cheese book.

Cosy Outdoor Life

  • Iron Valley (itch.io link, drivethrurpg link) is pay-what-you-want hack of Ironsworn where you have moved to small community and you're starting life anew. Run a farm (slime is a livestock option), fall in love, explore the nearby mysterious forest.
  • Evergreen Wilds (itch.io) is a journalling game. About being a ranger in a national park doing mundane tasks, experiencing life through random table rolls.
  • Fox Curio's Floating Bookshop (itch.io) puts you in charge of a floating bookshop, plying your wares on the river. Includes a fishing mini-game.

Animals and Witches

  • Apothecaria (itch.io) is a journalling game as a village witch, making potions for villagers, adventurers and monsters in need. Uses a pack of cards and many expansions available for it. From the same creator is Apawthacaria (itch.io), playing a animal travelling around, creating potions, treating ailments and making friends.
  • Koriko: A Magical Year (itch.io) about a teenage witch spending a year away from home in an unfamiliar city (inspired by Kiki’s Delivery Service of Studio Ghibli). Uses a deck of tarot cards and d6s.
  • TSPN (Tabletop Solo Pet Nursery) is a free game where you look after a pet (like a tamogochi/Pokemon), maintaining it daily with random table rolls. (looks like this game is quarantined on itch, so removed link for now)

Science Fiction

  • In For Creatures Such as We (itch.io) you look after a crew of explorers, but much of the game is about discovering the relationships between crewmembers and their histories. Uses cards and a d6.
  • Lighthouse at the End of the Universe (itch.io) puts you in the role of the keeper of a Lighthouse on a rock floating in space. Journalling using cards, dice and coins.
  • Alone Among the Stars (itch.io) is a pay-what-you-want journalling game exploring space and experiencing wondrous sights. Uses cards and d6s. There are many similar games (on itch.io) such as Alone Among the Court, Along Among Their Dreams and Alone Among Trees (has spanish version).

Day 24 - Shadowdark by Kelsey Dionne

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A modern game with an old-school feel, Shadowdark (link to arcane library) by Kelsey Dionne is one of those games that ticks many boxes. Atmospheric, streamlined rules and good layout.

It's described as "you and your group of crawlers use magic, steel, and wits to delve into mysterious ruins, lost cities, and monster-infested depths" .It's heart is a stripped down version of D&D so if you're coming from D&D 5E then the rules will be familiar.

For solo it is supported by random tables, has a free quickstart version (levels 1-3, included adventure) and Solodark - a free solo supplement. It's simple enough that you could run a group of adventurers if that's how you roll.

Then it's got lots of support. with adventures, the Cursed Scroll zines and an active community. Including a Shadowdark subreddit.

Day 25 - Solo Tools & RPGs for Horror

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Suggestions for Tools and Solo Games for horror settings and themes. In 7 sections.

5 Horror Journalling Games

It's easier to get that atmosphere for horror solo. 1000 Year Old Vampire was Day 5. And the Alone games have own section below

3 Horror RPGs to play Solo

These are in addition to Call of Cthulhu (mentioned in random table sources and gamebooks)

  • Tiny Cthulhu is a tiny d6 game from Gallant Knight Games. A minimalist ruleset with support for many horror genres.
  • Elegy from MDO Design is set in the modern era, where you try to survive the big city nights as a vampire.
  • Vaesen (drivethrurpg) from Free League Publishing is a nordic horror game and it has dedicated solo rules. (bought separately)

The Alone Against Games

  • The Wretched (drivethrurpg) from Loot the Room is a journalling game on a spaceship with you as last survivor, with something else on board. It spawned a whole of other Solo Horror Journalling games from Wretched & Alone (itch)
  • Then there are many variants inthe Alone Against series by other publishers. Including (but not limited to) oceans with Ebb Tide (itch), dwarves with Alone in the Deep (itch), vengeance with Rites of Vengeance (itch) and a porcelain doll with Wretched Doll Heart (itch). Mention any others in the comments!
  • Alone Against Fear from Ganesha Games is not a journalling game, but a variation of Four Against Darkness, exploring a town invaded by monsters, trying to close Severn Gates of Hell on Earth.

3 Horror Card Decks

3 Horror Gamebooks

3 Horror Random Table Sources

  • The Dread Thingonomicon (drivethrurpg) from Raging Swan Press is a collection of 400+ pages of fantasy dread-themed lists.
  • The Solo Investigator's Handbook (drivethrurpg) has lots of tables for playing Call of Cthulhu (or similar games) solo. It is complemented by Alone Against the Flames (drivethrurpg), a free solo adventure using Call of Cthulu set in the 1920s.
  • The Book of Rand Tables - Eldritch (drivethrurpg) from dicegeeks has 24 d100 tables of items, books, names, clues and monsters for horror games.

3 Horror Random Generators

Day 26 - Tomes of Fantasy Random Tables

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Random tables are popular among solo gamers, especially when gathered together in one place. Here are some (mostly fantasy) options.

  • Tome of Adventure Design Revised (drivethrurpg) from Mythmere Games is 514 pages of random tables for quests, monsters, dungeons, and non-dungeon adventures (sea, planar, wilds, settlements) plus pages of advice.
  • The Game Master's Fantasy Toolkit (company site) from Roll & Play Press has almost 100 pages of d20 tables. Entries are interesting and thought-provoking. Sections for People & Quests, World Building, Journeys & Events, Combat & Injuries and Items & Rewards.
  • GM's Miscellany: The Thingonomicon (drivethrurpg) from Raging Swan Press has collections of tables grouped around adventuring locations such as Creepy Graveyard, Bustling Market and Wilderness Camping. There is a free sample, a Thingomomicon II and a horror version (Dread Thingonomicon)
  • The Great Book of Random Tables (drivethrurpg) from dicegeeks collects fantasy d100 tables into one tome. It has sections for book titles, crits, dungeon rooms, encounters & jobs, items, name and npcs. There is also a Great Book of Random Tables - Science Fiction and many smaller lists for other genres

Other mentions go to

  • GM Gems from Goodman Games (80 pages of d100 tables)
  • Game World Generator - Castle Oldskull (OSR, tables and advice) from Kent David Kelly
  • Knave: Second Edition from Questing Beast Games (rpg with many d100 tables)
  • The Perilous Tables from Lampblack & Brimstone (d66 tables from the Perilous Wilds supplement)
  • Realm Fables: World Generator from Shieldice Studio (series of supplements of tables)
  • Sandbox Generator from Atelier Clandestin (for everything in a sandbox / hexcrawl game)
  • Worlds Without Number from Sine Nomine Publishing (free rpg with many tables). Plus Stars without Number (sci-fi) and Cities Without Number (cyberpunk)

Day 27 - Free Tools, Games and Emulators for Solo RPGs

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Solo games, emulators and other titles for free or pay-what-you-want. First to mention are online random generators tools and gen sites from previous "Month of".

Many rpgs have free quickstart or basic versions and some titles on Itch.io have community copies for those in hard times.

RPGs

Journalling Games

  • Quill is is "A Letter-Writing Roleplaying Game for a Single Player", exploring an rpg world through writing. From same publisher is English Eerie: Rural Horror Storytelling. Set in the English countryside, you journal one of four scenarios or choose your own.
  • The Last Tea Shop is a journalling game where you have conversations over a cup of tea. Conversations with those going on to the realm of the dead, asking about their lives and preparing them for the afterlife
  • Alone Among the Stars is a journalling game exploring space and experiencing wondrous sights. Uses cards and d6s.

Emulators

Other Tools

Day 28 - Solo Dungeons and Dragons, 5E and Earlier Versions

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Many want to play D&D solo, so here are some D&D-specific resources to help.

Fifth Edition D&D

  • Solo Adventurer's Guide - D&D Solo Engine (dm's guild) is a paid 23 page system/emulator for playing 5e solo.
  • Sayeth (itch) has a few free D&D Gamebooks and Games, starting with The Saint's Tomb, with versions in Spanish.
  • Death Knight's Squire (dm's guild) - A paid solo adventure which is the first of several. AND from the same author is the Solo Adventurer's Toolbox with over 150 pages of advice, ideas, tables and mechanics for D&D 5e Solo
  • Wolves of Langston is a paid solo adventure designed with new players in mind
  • The Lone Adventurer is a podcast used D&D 5E & Mythic for season 1. Useful for seeing how someone else does solo using 5e.
  • First Blush (dm's guild) is a pay-what-you-want adventure meant for 1 player and 1 DM, so is also suited for solo play. Part of a series of 3
  • The Monsters Know What they Are Doing is a blog giving optimal monster combat tactics for 5e. This is useful for solo play to give guidelines to monster actions. Available as a paid book of same name
  • I have a D&D Generators Mega-Guide at Rand Roll with sections on characters, dungeons, treasure, npcs, adventures and encounters. And a 5E Pdfs Guide.

Older Versions of D&D

  • DM Yourself (drivethrurpg) by Tom Scutt is a guide to playing solo in any version of D&D. The sequel DM Yourselves adds more tools and options.
  • Basic Fantasy is a free OSR RPG built to be true to the boxed-set D&D of the early 80's. Lightweight enough to play a whole D&D party through classic adventures. The game is well supported with extra free resources in the Downloads.
  • Scarlet Heroes, is an old-school rpg for solo, either as a standalone rpg or as an overlay to allow you to play D&D modules.
  • Manual of Hexterity (drivethrurpg) is a pay-what-you-want title which explains hex-crawling and gives tables to support it. There's some other Hexcrawling titles worth checking out if it interests you.
  • I've found the adventures of Necrotic Gnome, such as The Incandescent Grottoes (drivethrurpg), suited for solo play. Soloing many D&D modules can be hard due to DM knowledge vs player knowledge, but these are laid out so you don't need to know what's beyond the current room until you get there. The author also wrote OSE (Old School Essentials), a well-regarded version of Basic/Expert D&D. There's a free version of the OSE Basic Rules available
  • Many older titles of D&D are available on DM's Guild, including filtered by Basic/Expert, AD&D 1st Edition, AD&D 2E, 3rd Edition and 4th Edition.

Day 29 - A Few Solo Dungeoncrawlers

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Dungeoncrawling is an old part of the RPG hobby, and here are a few dedicated tools for exploring it in solo.

  • 2d6 Dungeon (drivethrurpg) is a story of an adventurer going into a dungeon, slaying foes and finding treasure, levelling up and then doing it all again. Using just d6s to play and generate the adventures. Has an overland expansion with 2d6 Realm.
  • For a different game, try Delve: A Solo Map Drawing Game (drivethrurpg), which puts you in charge of a dwarven hold discovering the horrors that look below.
  • In Ker Nethalas: Into the Midnight Throne (drivethrurpg) you have survived execution to explore a dark fantasy dungeon, an endless necropolis. Randomly generated dungeons and many options for building your character
  • For an in-depth solo dungeon RPG try D100 Dungeon (drivethrurpg) with rules for chargen, combat, quests, downtime and dungeon tables to populate everything. Uses d100 for everything and has multiple expansions including option of a traditional adventure. There's also a d100 Space by same author.
  • 4 Against Darkness (Day 3)
  • Ironsworn: Delve for Ironsworn (Day 1)

Day 30 - Solo Gaming Resources, Newsletter, Interviews, Blogs

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Today is some places to discover advice, reviews and lists for the solo gaming hobby...

Day 31 - Solo Games, All the Rest

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Solo RPGs and tools that didn't get highlighted in other days. In no particular order...

The Fate Mill D20

  • The Fate Mill d20 (etsy) is a large d20 with results such as "Yes. And", "Maybe" & "No, But.".

Solo Miniatures Games

  • 5 Leagues from the Borderlands and 5 Parsecs from Home (drivethru) by Ivan Sorensen. Both are solo miniatures games, the first set in fantasy lands, and the second in space. You group of (often six) protagonists fight threats, tackle quests, loot foes and advance. All powered by detailed procedures and random tables.
  • Rangers of Shadowdeep (drivethru) by Joseph A. McCullough is a solo miniatures where your ranger and their allies battles evil creatures threatening to overwhelm the kingdom.

Random Generators

Solo Hexcrawling

  • Hexroll is a map generator that creates a Hexcrawl full of encounters, dungeons, cities and factions. Lots of customisation and has a solo-mode. Stats are old-school D&D.
  • There's a number of titles with tables and advice for hexcrawls. I've listed a Few Hexcrawl Titles in one of my guides

More GM Emulators

  • Ultimate One Page RPG Toolkit (itch) by Silver Nightingale. Well thought-out oracle, inspiration tables in a compact form.
  • Tilt (drivethru) is an oracle with a different take. It has a simple yes/no system with fairly static odds, and ways to interact with the setting and game system to shift those odds. Ideas generated using your favourite fiction and non-fiction.
  • Solo RPG GME - Fantasy (drivethru) by Wilona's Cave Games has easy oracle tables and several ways to generate ideas.
  • M.U.N.E. (homebrewery) is a free 5 page document (although several versions exist) using d6 tables for oracles and interventions. It goes from basics of solo, into mechanics and ways to optimise the system

More Journalling Games

  • The Lonely March Home (itch) is a solo journalling game about a lone survivor of a group of adventurers making their way home...
  • Colostle (game site) by Nich Angell is a journalling game using a standard deck of cards to navigate a fantasy castle-world but beware the Rooks, huge hostile walking stone castle towers that stalk the Roomlands and hold the only sources of magic.

More Worldbuilding Games

  • Foundations (drivethru) from Leyline Press is a world building and map-making game for a fantasy setting. Uses card based, storytelling prompts and includes the deck of Foundations cards.
  • Ex-Novo (itch) by Sharkbomb Studios is a City Building Game where you "draw the map of your city as you explore the history of its founding, and the forces, factions, and events that shape its development."

A Few More Solo Games

  • Across a Thousand Dead Worlds (itch) from Black Oath Entertainment lets you play as a deep diver, following coordinates to scavenge what you can from alien vessels, abandoned stations and untouched planets...
  • FORGE (itch) from Zap Forge is a pay-what-you-want simple OSR game with lots of included Solo Tools and random tables.
  • NoteQuest (drivethru) is a pay-what-you-want simple and fast dungeon crawling game. With the original game rules in Portuguese too.

On Solo RPG Apps

That's it for this 31 Days of. Found out lots more about the solo games out there!

Finishing Up

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Well that took a lot of energy! Time to hibernate and then get back to some more interviews...

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