Solo Tabletop RPGs Are Really Fun, Actually
Tabletop RPGs are a great way to chat, play, and fantasize with friends, but it’s hard to find the time to play regularly. Whether the D&D group you created during the pandemic doesn’t get together that often, or you’re just looking for a new way to fix things, I have a possible solution for you: solo TTRPGs.
Now I can imagine that some TTRPG players might be skeptical about this idea. Sitting around a table (or calling Discord) with friends, bringing fantasy characters to life, and co-creating your own stories are the best parts of tabletop RPGs.
And while it’s true that the social element is lost when you’re playing solo, as I’ve found over the past few weeks, solo RPGs are just as fun and creative as any other TTRPG. It’s just a different experience – one that combines the tactile sensations of rolling the dice and the imagination-based approach to group board games with the pick-and-play nature of single-player video games.
Single TTRPGs are also a great way for new (or introverted) players to jump into board games without having to pack a whole group and spend hours setting up. And since many of these games can be completed in just a few hours, they require minimal time investment (compared to group campaigns that can last weeks or months) and you can play at your own pace.
The most important thing is to find the right game.
What are single player role playing games?
Similar to multiplayer tabletop RPGs, single player games offer a wide range of settings and play styles. Dungeon scenarios are common as the emphasis on combat and exploration is great for single player. A few great examples I recently tried out are You Died by creator itchio bittripbrit and the solo rules for Runecairn: Wardensaga , both of which take inspiration from video games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring . It’s also a great choice for those who are more familiar with the gaming side of games and want to check out what the tabletop format has to offer.
However, there are many other styles of play. The “journal” game is a popular genre: instead of just combat rolls and stat checks, journal RPGs emphasize the creative and “role-playing” side of tabletop RPGs. Using dice rolls, coin tosses, and other common tabletop tools, you’ll generate random creative prompts such as solving a problem, responding to a situation, or fleshing out a scenario through world building.
While you can find plenty of magazine RPGs that tell fantasy or sci-fi stories, there are plenty of other creative settings, like Sweaters by Hedgehog , where you play as a hedgehog who knits and sells sweaters and writes about weird customers. you meet every day.
There are also solo hacks for existing TTRPG systems if you prefer to play using rulesets you are already familiar with. Some great online resources include PNPArcade , the Itch.io desktop section , and DriveThruRPG .
Get the most out of your single-player TTRPG experience
One of the advantages of playing solo in TTRPG over group play is the preparation time. In general, all you need to play most single player games is a pencil and piece of paper, some dice (here’s a free dice app for iOS and Android if you need it), and game rules that you can buy physically, print yourself. , or open it as a PDF on your phone, computer, or other device. Sometimes you will need other materials such as a deck of regular playing cards or coins, but these are fairly easy to find.
However, there are some additional elements that I would recommend including to make your solo sessions as fun and rewarding as possible:
- Use grid paper, miniatures, and other resources to visualize dungeons and other environments during gameplay (when possible). There are many cheap or free resources on the internet such as 2-Minute Tabletop .
- Add background music to the game to set the mood, just like during a multiplayer game. There are plenty of mixes on YouTube, including some amazing Dungeon Synth mixes that make for a great dungeon crawl atmosphere.
- Share your magazine RPGs online on your blog or social media. Some games even have Discord servers, forums, and social media pages where players can share stories. And consider logging for games that don’t normally use it. This can be a useful way to chronicle your single player adventures (and keep track of what you’ve done).
Again, this is optional, but it’s a great way to enhance single TTRPG sessions and make them feel like more than just sitting at a table rolling the dice on their own.