6 Fixes For Your Solo TTRPG Campaign
Solutions to common problems and a solo ttrpg campaign checklist to keep your game on track
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Running the Solo Campaign
Organizing and running a solo campaign can be a challenge - if you’re anything like me, you have a stack of started and abandoned games that were intended to last for the long haul. For whatever reason, they fizzled out, and were left to languish on a shelf.
It took me a while to figure out why this kept happening, and as I began to break down and study the underlying reasons for these campaign killers, I started putting together methods for defeating them.
I’ll share a few of these methods with you, and following it, provide you with my “solo campaign session checklist” to keep you on track and moving forward with your own characters and worlds.
Many of my own solo experiences and the advice presented here have been distilled into my own system and supplements for my game Kal-Arath - you can get all of them in print or PDF by jumping in on the new Kickstarter.
Let’s jump in by identifying what, for me, have been the most common problems, and how to defeat them, in order to keep my games alive and kicking - I hope that it helps many of you overcome your own.
The main killer of games (solo or otherwise) almost always comes back to a lack of motivation to continue, but the reason for this can vary. You know the feeling: you have a strong itch to play, but at the same time you’re feeling stuck, or disinterested in your current game, or you don’t want to pull everything out to go on - after enough time elapses, you lose the thread of what was happening, and make the decision to start something new, and the process enters a new, but same cycle.
Excited for a new game.
Start new game.
Slowly (or not so slowly!) lose motivation for game.
Excited for new (different) game.
Restart.
The same thing used to happen to me with video game RPGs, and surprisingly, for many of the same reasons.
PROBLEM ONE: Lack of initial interest.
Starting from the beginning, one of the issues that can arise is not enough interest or investment in the setting or the character you’re playing. There’s a fine line here between too much and too little - I find if I go too in depth with the world or setting, I feel like there’s not enough left to explore, and if I don’t flesh out the feeling of it enough, then I feel disconnected or lack any immersion in it.
Likewise, with a PC, if I go too far with things like background or motivations, personality and so on, I’m too nervous they’ll die or I feel too rigidly held back by their story or reasons and it doesn’t allow me to be as fluid during the gameplay.
Conversely, if I don’t think about the PC at all, or have any vested interest in them or their story, it can leave me cold and bored right from the beginning.
Solution: For the world-building aspect, you can beat this easily by using someone else’s setting built for solo play, but then the issue can be “getting it right,” or getting bogged down in the lore. The answer for me has been making sure if I’m playing in someone else’s world or my own that the “texture” is very strong, without worrying so much about the actual “data” of the world or setting.
In other words, I want the feeling more than the facts. Place names, cultures, vibe - this is the stuff that gets me going.
It’s helpful for me to think in terms of “what does this movie look like?” or “if this was a book-cover, what artist would I want to do it?” If I’m playing Dark Sun, I want it to feel like the Brom paintings that inspired me, and I can use those same paintings to keep me “on brand” with the feel of the setting.
Another useful tool here is using games with robust tools on-board already (like the one you’re holding now!), that provide you with the feeling and flavor in the tables and materials provided.
If we’ve created our own world to play in, a fast-paced method is not going much beyond the classic “settlement/hq surrounded by a couple of adventure locations” to get things going quickly, with most of our time spent on developing the texture instead of building out complicated maps or religions.
Likewise, with character creation, a sketch or image taken from the internet, and a few sentences of background info and a couple personality guidelines can be all we need to get into things and pique our interest in this character, while still having enough freedom to “figure out who they are” through gameplay. What do they look like? How does the PC “feel?” What actor would play them? What are their basic motivations?
Keep it simple - we will look at how not being stuck in “getting it perfect” in a bit, too.
Sometimes building our own world leads us straight into problem number two…
PROBLEM TWO: Decision fatigue/creative burnout
This ever happen to you? You work tirelessly in your journal or online doc on this new world you’re super excited to play, but by the time you’ve figured out the factions, religions, world history, and map - you’re exhausted and wind up shelving it…and may never even play in the new setting at all!
There’s a very common saying in the “solo community” that “prep is play,” but I disagree. Prep is prep. Play is play. Now - if prep is what you’re after, and that’s the fun part for you, then - no problem, carry on! But if you’re like me and actually want to play in the world you’ve created, I understand.
Too much prep time can lead to that feeling of creative burnout where we’re “over it,” or, that we are now overwhelmed by the scope and uncertainties of this titan we’ve begun building, and the angle and original intention may now be buried under the weight of 20 pages of prep.
Solution: Try to stick with just a rough “sketch” of your setting, and leave most of the questions for later, to answer bit by bit as you play. This will give you lots of fun things to discover and decide on in bite sized portions during your gaming sessions.
This has been key for me in running my own games and settings - “sprinkle the lore” out over time, and learn more about your world in the moment by leaving the decisions for when they’re actually needed in gameplay. It removes the weight of prep from the equation, and also allows you to maintain something of a sense of wonder and the unknown since you…don’t know!
World-building that alters some of the things you may have already done can be easily retconned or handwaved - there will always be things in sessions that you either forget or that don’t make sense in retrospect. It’s important to remember that we are playing a game with ourselves, for ourselves, and that we don’t need to worry about “how it looks” to our players or someone watching.
Just change what doesn’t make sense and declare this the new canon! You’re the master and commander, here, and this is for your own enjoyment. Do as you please.
PROBLEM THREE: Over-reliance on tools
You’re all set up to play your game. Then it comes: the paralyzing question. Which of my dozens (or hundreds!) of PDFs or printed oracles, tables, charts and other tools am I going to use? Which are the perfect ones? What if I need something I don’t have with me?
Stop. Take a deep breath.
The most powerful tool at your disposal is always going to be your imagination, and the random element of the yes/no oracle!
In my latest (and still going!) solo B/X campaign, I made the decision not to use any oracles or tables outside of the little core booklets, and my own yes/no: a red die and a white one, rolled against each other after asking a yes or no question.
The red is “no.”
The white is “yes.”
How much they differ relates to the magnitude of the answer, either “yes, lots” or “no, none at all,” as a famous burglar might say.
On a tie, something unexpected happens, and I roll a few more questions up.
While there’s certainly a learned art to this, that learning as you go will take you further than any amount of random tables, because it doesn’t make you stuck in a particular set of tables or tools.
That said, my recommendation is to use your core ruleset for whatever game you’re playing and one other chosen book, zine or PDF - this limitation actually creates a great deal of personal freedom. You’re not bogged down in an overabundance of choices that can lead to analysis paralysis and other road-blocks.
Try to challenge yourself to using the most minimal setup you can to eliminate these kind of feelings of being overwhelmed or needing the “right” tools. Playing without any tools at all and only using the oracle dice is a great exercise, too, and can lead to more open-ended and unexpected sessions.
PROBLEM FOUR: System hopping
Another one I’ve been guilty of more times than I can count:
Looking for the perfect system, or expecting a new system to fix my issues or provide a more satisfying experience.
While there is definitely an importance to playing a ruleset you like, with your own preferred amounts of “lite” or “crunch,” I’ve personally found that the system matters a lot less than I always think it’s going to.
One of the goals in mind for Kal-Arath was to make something incredibly simple that people could just jump into and house-rule at their own discretion, or, use their own chosen ruleset for. Kal-Arath is the world, the texture, the feel - not the dice or rules used to run the game.
Getting that “new shiny thing” impulse is something I’m sure all of us gamers can relate to - but most can also relate to the feeling of frustration or the inevitable let-down when its not “perfect” or doesn’t solve all of our life’s problems in some perfect mechanical way.
System-hopping has led, for me, to the abandonment of many a campaign - however, at least for myself, I’ve sorted a basic fix.
Solution: There’s really two different fixes for this, and both seem to be working pretty well for me. One only works in a limited way, which is, change the system if you like, but don’t change the setting or campaign.
I’ve done this with ShadowDark and B/X and other games that are thematically similar many times now. It allows me to experience the new system I wanted to while continuing either the same PCs story or exploring the same world. To me, as long as I’m not switching the setting and world, I’m still in the same “campaign,” because I’m developing the same general idea and concept.
The second fix is to actually deliberately maintain two to three campaigns (more becomes too much for me) that are thematically different and genre-specific. Like - play one fantasy campaign with whatever ruleset you’re currently into, but on nights you’re not vibing with it, have a side-game of Cyberpunk 2020 or Mothership.
It can also be useful to make sure the second game is also mechanically different - if your main game is rules-lite, maybe try a second one with more crunch. You might find that your solo choices are much different than what you prefer at a group table if you play with one.
Some things that would slow my normal in person game down to a crawl are very welcome in my solo game as there’s no one to worry about stealing the spotlight from or who is waiting on “their turn.”
PROBLEM FIVE: Unclear goals
Without a goal, we aren’t likely to get far. At first, we might be able to wander around and interact with the world and have this be enough for our sessions, but before too long, we may start asking “what’s the point?”
When it feels like nothing’s happening in the game or game world, it can be hard to maintain an interest in getting the next session going. Kind of like being stuck at a boring point in a video game you’ve already played.
This is a big one for me, and has become possibly my most important enemy to defeat in my solo games.
Where a lack of structure in group games can be a fun sandbox experience of total player agency and freedom - in a solo game it can lead to feelings of malaise, disinterest, boredom and having no direction.
Solution: The checklist has become my best friend. I always dedicate a constantly updating page or section in my solo journal or binder that lists my current quest threads, just like a computer game would.
I usually have a “main quest” line based around character motivations or major world happenings, and then another section that holds lots of little side quests or cool things I might want to do or engage with.
The way these wind up being generated in-game varies, but I tend to like a “gameplay loop” style. When my character goes someplace, or interacts with someone, I usually ask: “does this NPC or location have a quest or mission associated with it?” If the answer is yes, I consider who the PC is, or what the place is, and what might make sense, and then sort things out with my yes/no oracle.
The NPC tables in the Kal-Arath core booklet or something similar are very helpful for this sort of thing because we can know a little something about who the NPC is and what they want, making little side-jobs easy to guess at or make up.
Likewise, I always ask the dice questions about Factions, People, Places, and Events.
Any time something happens, I will usually ask a few rapid fire questions: “Does this have anything to do with X place or X NPC?” and so on - this method keeps my games moving, deepening, and makes the world feel real and connected.
This quest journal gives me things to do, and ways to direct my next session.
I also make sure to review my sessions at the end, bullet point anything major or important to remember, what I was planning to do next, and sometimes just a couple of “world questions” or “faction questions” to ask at the start of my next session, to make it easy to refresh my memory before I start my next session, and also to keep me excited with something to look forward to.
This element is so important: at the end of my sessions I always give myself a few options and instructions or hooks for the next session so I’m never starting “cold.” My goals are clearly laid out for the next game so I can start right in the middle of it.
PROBLEM SIX: Perfectionism
Wanting to get things right is all well and good - but in solo play, the desire to do everything perfectly can cripple and paralyze, or derail an ongoing campaign.
Screwing up, forgetting things, not remembering important NPCs were even present for something, making mistakes with the rules, wanting to change certain things about the world or the quest - all of this stuff is going to happen.
The solution for this one is simple: learn to embrace the chaos.
Retcon anything you want to or need to, in order for what’s happening right now to make sense.
Forgot a rule that would’ve changed a combat? Change it now, if you want, or forget about it and move on. Go back to that combat like a “save point” and re-do things if that sounds like a good time to you.
Make an adjustment to the world or the story that seemed fun to you? Go ahead! There’s no one else to worry about and this is your game!
Tear that old page out of your campaign journal and write a different one.
Split off from the main game and play parts of your PCs life or career that interest you in any order you like.
Stop worrying about getting things right - the only aspect that matters here in the solo game is that you are having a good time creating, imagining and rolling the dice in your own little world.
So have fun!
I’m including a little “session checklist” here - this will be expanded upon and included in the new zine that’s Kickstarting now, along with lots of other solo-play tools, so check it out and come onboard!
Solo Campaign Checklist
Beginning of Session
Review Last Session: Skim notes or journal to get centered and re-immersed in the flow of things.
Check your PCs status: Resources, health, inventory, emotional state, etc. Adjust as needed for time elapsed between sessions
Optional: roll for inspiration on an oracle or spark table to set the opening scene
Set the scene: who, what, where, why, when?
Play!
End of Session
Jot down an end review of the session in bullets, making sure to include anything you feel is important to the next session.
PC status: Wounds, mental state, resources, etc.
Update “World Status:” make a note of anything that may have happened that alters the setting or world
Set next session goal by using your quest journal
Jot down 1-3 questions to ask about the world, people, places, things, and so on at the beginning of next session
Optional: set a loose day and time for your next session
Keep things short and snappy, the whole process at the end or beginning of a session needn’t take longer than a couple minutes. Use it as a sort of “mini-GM” that prompts you to make decisions and spur creativity, not limit it.
Break play down into manageable chunks with clear endpoints (using session goals), and keep your interest alive with hooks and questions for next session!
Keep your blades sharp!!!
- Castle Grief
Good stuff here, and wonderful motivation for a Monday morning.
Nice. I have been thinking of giving an Ironsworn solo campaign a whirl.