(If you have not read Part I of this series, please do).
I have really been wrestling with how to do solo roleplaying with The Fantasy Trip. I have been looking at a number of different rulesets, such as Mythic GME and CRGE, but have finally settled on a much simpler set of rules that combine what I like from a number of different ones.
What Rules To Use
When I started trying to figure out the best way to play The Fantasy Trip solo, I read every solo game I could find. I was really intrigued by Mythic GME, but as I dug into it, I began to be put off by the complexity. Other games, such as CRGE, Zozer’s Solo and Scarlet Heroes also have elaborate tables and processes for answering basic yes/no and open-ended questions.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are very simple rulesets, such as Sophia Brandt’s Miso RPG and Karl Hendrick’s One Page Solo Engine. These are very rules light, but leave much of the story to the player.
I finally decided on making my own ruleset up by combining the parts I liked from the complex games, but sticking as much as I could to the simpler games. The result is a lot like Miso or One Page, but with some 3d6 tables.
Setting the Scene
Like most solo games, my TFT solo rules are based around a storytelling concept of a scene. A scene can be anything–the classic tavern where an adventure is kicked off, a ruined castle dungeon entrance room–or the cavern where the dragon has its lair.
The scene has a name, purpose and some interesting details. For the name, make whatever you want up, just so you can identify it. For a scene’s purpose, choose from the Scene Table below, or roll 3d6 if you want some randomness. Then, pick some interesting details to go along with it–hidden doors, traps, monsters. The important thing is to make it dramatic, interesting and fun.
Scene Table
| Roll | Purpose | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 | Reward | The scene deals with the PCs receiving some form of benefit for a past action. This could be money, information, patronage or equipment. |
| 6-7 | Rest | The scene deals with the PCs receiving a rest period to safely heal and recover. |
| 8-9 | Social | The scene involves some form of social interaction with NPCs. |
| 10-11 | Travel | The scene involves the PCs travelling from one location to another, or from the previous scene to the next. |
| 12-13 | Exploration | The scene involves actual exploration of the unknown, either in a classic dungeon, ruins or other dangerous situation. |
| 14-15 | Challenge | The scene involves some form of challenge. This could be a contest of will or skills with an NPC, a difficult hurdle to overcome or something like a trap to defuse or avoid. |
| 16-18 | Conflict | The scene involves combat of some kind. |
Ask the Oracle
Once the scene is set, play it out. Instead of asking a GM questions, form closed questions where the answer is in the form a yes or a no. Roll 3d6 on the Oracle Table below. The questions can be for information, or if some action was successful. If you would rather have a character roll against a skill or attribute, do that instead.
Oracle Table
| Roll | Answer |
|---|---|
| 3-4 | Yes, Interesting |
| 5-6 | Yes, And |
| 7-8 | Yes |
| 9-10 | Yes, But |
| 11-12 | No, But |
| 13-14 | No |
| 15-16 | No, And |
| 17-18 | No, Interesting |
"Yes" and "No" are obvious answers. "Yes, And" and "No, And" are yes and no, but with more emphasis. "Yes, But" and "No, But" are yes and no, but mitigated. If the answer is "Yes, Interesting" or "No, Interesting," that means some kind of plot twist happened–move on to the Interesting Table.
Well, That’s Interesting
If the Oracle table generates a "Yes, Interesting" or "No, Interesting" result, roll 3d6 on the Interesting Table below. This introduces surprises and unexpected changes in the scene or storyline as a result of some action by the PC(s). Feel free to roll on the Interesting Table whenever you want just to introduce a new element as well.
Interesting Table
| Roll | Result | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Close thread | This story thread is moved to closure or resolution. |
| 4 | To knowledge | The PCs gain an important piece of knowledge. |
| 5 | Dramatic thread change | The story thread changes in some important way. |
| 6 | Next scene has different thread | The next scene must be about a different story thread. |
| 7 | Open new thread | A new story thread is opened up. |
| 8 | Move to next scene | The current scene has some action that leads to the next scene with the same story thread. |
| 9 | Positive for NPC | Something good happens to an NPC. |
| 10 | Positive for PC | Something good happens to a PC. |
| 11 | Negative for PC | Something bad happens to a PC. |
| 12 | Negative for NPC | Something bad happens to an NPC. |
| 13 | Move scene to next location | The current scene is moved to a new location. |
| 14 | New NPC | A new NPC is introduced. |
| 15 | NPC becomes central to main thread | A new or existing NPC becomes central to the main story thread. |
| 16 | Big NPC change or move | An NPC makes a big change to the story thread. This can happen in the scene or off and influence the adventure later–it is up to you. |
| 17 | To conflict | Some form of combat begins. This should happen immediately. Make it interesting. |
| 18 | New threat | A new threat is introduced to the PCs. This can be a dangerous NPC or monster, introduced immediately or at some point in the future. |
Putting It All Together
So how does all of this work together? First, create a world or setting for your adventure to take place. This could be one of yours or from a published adventure.
Next, generate one or more characters to be your protagonists in the coming adventure. This would be done using TFT rules. The more information about the character you have, the more options you have for interesting story hooks.
Finally, create a story arc for the adventure. Create one yourself or use one of the many idea or story hook generators on the Interwebs. The story should have a main thread, connected by a series of scenes that can be played through to a conclusion.
You are now ready to use the rules above to play out the adventure. Play through each scene, either selecting from or rolling on the Scene Table, then using the Oracle Table to ask questions or perform actions. As the story progresses through the scenes, the Interesting Table will generate changes to the main story and introduce new story threads.
One thing to note that is not included here are random encounter tables or things like that. Those should be particular to your world or story, so I leave them to you. In the coming weeks, I will post some tables that I use just so you have a starting point.
You do not have to document anything, but it is helpful to write down the story or events as it happens. This is good for remembering NPCs, documenting XP gained or generating story hooks for future adventures.
And that’s it. The solo rules above are definitely a work in progress. I will post them in the House Rules section, and tweak them as I play more. I plan to rewrite the classic Death Test as a solo roleplaying adventure as well–so stay tuned for Part III of this series!
These rules were heavily influenced by Sophia Brandt’s Miso RPG, Karl Hendrick’s One Page Solo RPG and Zach Best’s CRGE. (RIP, Zach). I want to thank their creators for their excellent work in the solo roleplaying community.
Marko ∞
(Originally published on inthelabyrinth.org, on 10/3/2017.)
