What Is a Solo RPG and How Do You Start?
A solo RPG is a tabletop roleplaying game you play by yourself. You take the role of your character and, instead of a game master, use dice, tables and a notebook to decide what happens.
What you need
You need a character, a set of dice, a notebook or document, and a way to answer questions. That last piece is where tools like a yes/no oracle and a set of NPC generators come in. You can play with any rules you already like, or with no formal rules at all.
How a solo scene works
Set a simple scene: your character arrives at a village at dusk. Ask the oracle a question, such as whether the gate is guarded. Roll, read the result, and write what happens. When something new appears, such as a person, a place or a problem, use a generator to fill in the details. The story grows one answer at a time.
The loop in four steps
- Set the scene. Say where your character is and what they want.
- Ask a question. Choose how likely a yes feels and roll.
- Interpret the result. Decide what the answer means in the fiction.
- Write it down. A line or two is enough.
Where to begin
Pick a character concept, roll a quest hook, and open the ambience page that fits your first scene. Play for twenty minutes, then decide whether you want to keep going. There is no wrong way to start.