So by start slow, I mean don’t begin right away with every tool and every option available. Choose whatever solo tools you want, and maybe just a minimum of them to begin with.
An interview with the creator of the Mythic Game Master Emulator. Continuing the solo gaming interviews.
Disclaimer. Rand Roll is an affiliate of Drive Thru RPG.
Chat with Tana of Mythic GM Emulator
Tana is the creator of Mythic Game Master Emulator, an oracle-style question system for solo roleplaying games. Currently in it's second edition.
We have the background of Mythic GM Emulator, favourite solo moment of creating gamebooks, advice for starting with solo games, some solo games to try and an update on Mythic Roleplaying.
What is the appeal of solo gaming?
While I think solo gaming has different appeal to different players, the common denominator with everyone, in my opinion, is freedom. I can’t think of a more free form of creative expression or entertainment than solo roleplaying.
And by free I mean you can play however you want, whenever you want, exploring any concepts you want. With group roleplay you are working together, and while that has advantages of its own, it also requires a degree of compromise between all the players. You can’t have exactly the kind of adventure you want like you can with solo roleplaying.
How did Mythic GM Emulator come about?
I liked to make board games when I was a kid, and they were all solo games. I would use pen, paper, and scissors, and spend weekends making games.
When I discovered roleplaying, it opened a whole new world to me, but it didn’t take long before I wanted to play those solo too. I kept experimenting with different ways to play solo, and nothing felt satisfying to me. I didn’t want just a range of choices, or tons of random tables, I wanted it to feel as free and alive as group games.
Mythic GME eventually came about as a combination of my love of solo play, interest I had in simple word parsing computer programming, tarot card reading, and psychology that I studied in college.
This all led me eventually to a system that used my own creative expectations, filtered through the lens of a simple Yes/No mechanic, with interpreted meaning words that opened up infinite possibilities.
What has been your favourite moment while solo gaming?
I love it when adventures take unexpected turns that I would never have imagined from the outset.
The adventure that most comes to mind for me was a solo adventure playing Call of Cthulhu, which started off simply enough with my character, who was a very average and non-exceptional person, inheriting her uncle’s estate.
This led to hidden libraries, secret and forbidden lore, entities from beyond, possession, and eventually heroic self-sacrifice. It was such a thrilling experience that I remember it well, even after many years have passed.
What has been your worst moment while solo gaming?
A worst moment … that’s hard to say, because even my unsatisfying solo adventures are learning experiences and interesting in their own way.
What advice would you give someone trying to get into solo rpgs?
Start slow, because these may be new concepts to you, but also dive right in, because the only way to really understand how it works is to play.
So by start slow, I mean don’t begin right away with every tool and every option available. Choose whatever solo tools you want, and maybe just a minimum of them to begin with.
And by dive right in, I mean start playing even when you aren’t sure what you’re doing or if you feel hesitation about doing it right.
The right way is the way you enjoy playing, and you can only discover that by playing.
Also, I would suggest cultivating a feeling of letting go. Trust your gut. I think solo roleplaying is stifled when you try to force it too much, but when you let yourself go with it, the experience can be amazing.
What other solo tools or games do you admire?
I admire what Shawn Tomkin has done with Ironsworn, he really popularized solo roleplaying in a major way.
I also admire Kevin Crawford’s Scarlet Heroes, which is one of the earliest adopters of Mythic’s style of solo roleplaying.
I also admire Tim Hutchings’ Thousand Year Old Vampire, which is a brilliant twist on solo RPG play.
What are your next big projects that you can talk about?
I’m working on a second edition of Mythic Roleplaying (link to 1st edition).
I did a second edition of the GME rules last year, but I want to do the same for the red book RPG rules. When Mythic first came out, I felt it had two big ideas in it: solo roleplaying, and roleplaying with a game system that builds itself as you play.
The solo roleplaying concept caught on, but the second idea didn’t so much. I’m hoping to present that concept in a clearer fashion. If nothing else, this book will expand the capabilities of the GME.
What are your favourite things outside of RPGs and publishing?
I love all things geeky, so I am really into science fiction, fantasy, movies, books, graphic novels, all of it.
I also like to cook, because I like to eat good food, I dabble at playing piano, and I love to do short monthly vacations with my spouse.
Where can people find you on social media?
You can find me online at www.wordmillgames.com, which has links to my social media accounts at Facebook, Discord, X, Reddit, and a few others.
Is there anything else you would like to talk about?
I’d just like to say thank you for reaching out to me for this interview, and good luck with your blog!
Finishing Up
So if you like solo gaming or are interested, check out Mythic GM Emulator 2e, or one of the many ways it is supported.
There are many more articles on Rand Roll. Plus a Rand Roll Discord and instagram of Random Tables. I also create Generators at Chaos Gen and have a monthly random tools Newsletter.
