A Breakdown of Single Player Role-Playing Games

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When people hear “tabletop role-playing game”, their minds often leap to Dungeons and Dragons, and for good reason. Unquestionably, DnD remains the most popular RPG in the world. It was the first of its kind, and it launched the hobby and industry.

Many TTRPG publishers quickly sprang to the concept introduced by Gary Gygax in the 70s. Even if DnD comprises your soul experience, you’ve probably heard of some of the other systems out there. Names like Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, and Vampire Masquerade may have been dropped at the game table.

These systems offer different ways to dive into a story with your friends, but there is another type of core rule system that doesn’t require driving to a friend’s house or hosting a small party every couple of weeks. An RPG you can play while traveling or swamped by a busy schedule.

Solo RPGs offer individuals an opportunity to embark on an immersive storytelling adventure, and you can do it on your own terms and on your own time. In this article, we will delve into the world of solo RPGs. Let’s explore their mechanics, their diversity, and the myriad possibilities they offer a gamer seeking adventure.

What Are Solo RPGs?

Like traditional RPGs, the single-player sub-genre comes in all shapes and sizes. Some games are designed to simulate travel through a dungeon. Others act more like a useful writing tool. Solo games also come in a wide variety of overarching genres; adventure, horror, mystery, and even romance.

I want to provide a comprehensive look at solo RPGs. This niche within the industry encompasses as many different facets of gameplay as the RPG industry as a whole. I want you to find a solo RPG that fits your style of gameplay.

But to understand the vast array of system types, we should take a look at where these games came from. Let’s dive into the history of one player tabletop role playing games.

Solo RPG: Origin Story

I think it’s only fitting that the breakdown of single-player RPGs begins with the first of its kind, but that’s easier said than done. Game stores and marketplaces offer a wide variety of solo RPGs today, but if you go back to the dawn of the hobby, things get a little muddy. Where did the subgenre come from? What was the first solitary role-playing game? Who published it?

Clearly, Dungeons and Dragons, Tunnels and Trolls, and Call of Cthulhu could be cited as the origins of the subgenre as they were the original genre. You can’t have a sub if there wasn’t an independent, overarching genre, right?

However, it would be fair to say that adventure books had a hand in the creation of the first solo RPGs. In fact, I think an argument could be made that Adventure Books were, in fact, the first solo RPG systems. Perhaps, subsequent solo systems were something of a blending between classic RPGs and adventure books.

Hear me out on this…

What Are Adventure Books?

If you’re unfamiliar with these books, then let me begin by saying, I am truly sorry. Your childhood was deprived of an absolutely magical experience. Your local librarian failed you. The school system failed you. Every poor decision you’ve ever made could have resulted from not having access to these incredible books.

The first adventure book to hit the stores was “The Adventures of You on Sugarcane Island”, by Edward Packard. Due to its popularity, Packard would later write the “Choose Your Own Adventure” book series. Years later, “Sugarcane Island” would officially be republished as an official part of the series it eventually launched.

The “Choose Your Own Adventure” books were a series of descriptions followed by a question. The reader would need to choose what they wanted to happen next.

For example, a passage from the book might read like…

“You come to a fork in the road. Down one path you see a shady road twisting under a canopy of gnarled old oak branches. In the other direction, the road disappears behind rolling foothills. A farmhouse can be seen in the distance.

“Which way do you go”?

Underneath this passage, you will be given two options.

“Through the forest? Turn to page 45.

“To the farmhouse? Turn to page 92.”

On the subsequent page, you will find another description and another prompt. This was the original format for what would eventually be known as “Gamebooks”.

The 80s saw an explosion of these gamified novels from various publishers and authors. You make decisions, encounter mysteries and adventures, and you’re all by yourself while you play. Sounds like a solo RPG to me.

Not convinced? Let’s take a look at some of the other titles within this genre.

Books Dice, and RPGs

All right, perhaps choosing which path to go down doesn’t feel enough like an RPG to you. The gamebooks often ask what “you” want to do. Ultimately, “You” are the character, so are you really playing a role?

Well, the gamebook series Fighting Fantasy decided to double down on the concept and really drive it home. You create a character, generate statistics, and even roll a 6 sided die. You run into challenges, NPCs, and combat scenarios. Now that sounds like a solo RPG to me.

The Fighting Fantasy book series was written in 1980 and published in 1982, so right around the time Choose Your Own Adventure started gaining popularity. Puffin Publishing, the children’s book branch of Penguin Publishing, saw success with the first few books in the series. Shortly thereafter, other gamebooks started hitting the shelves.

Not long after the publication of Fighting Fantasy, Joe Dever wrote one of the most iconic gamebooks of all time, Lone Wolf. Like the other gamified novels, you’re given descriptions and options to choose from. You play a character named Lone Wolf; a warrior monk and the last of his order. The mechanics are slightly more complicated than the Fighting Fantasy series, and the page count is quite a bit more robust.

These tomes of adventure really provided players with plenty of options. Your adventures could take all kinds of twists and turns. You collected loot and magical weapons, and your character would continue his adventure in the next campaign…

Oh, I mean in the next book.

There are plenty of people who will fight me on this, but I really feel that these gamebooks are the first solo RPGs. They may not look and feel quite like an old-school D&D module, but you play a role and have an adventure. That’s good enough for me.

Solo Adventure Modules

I hope I convinced you to count gamebooks as legitimate solo RPGs, but even if I didn’t, there are still plenty of other types of single-player games out there. Sticking to the chronological order, let’s take a look At some of the oldest solo adventure modules out there.

Unfortunately, this is where things really get murky. Who was the first to publish a solo module? How popular was it? How did it work?

“Buffalo Castle” was published in 1976 and utilized the Tunnels and Trolls game system. Dungeons & Dragons also saw a self-published book released in 1977 titled “The Solo Dungeon”.

Buffalo Castle looks very much like a game book. You move through the dungeon and are given various options to choose from. These options lead you to other pages and more options. However, it uses the Tunnels and Trolls system mechanics, so I’d say it’s fair to call this one a solo adventure module.

What are solo adventure modules?

Solo adventure modules use established game systems that are typically designed for multiplayer games, but are retooled for a single player. Dungeons & Dragons, Tunnels and Trolls, and Call of Cthulhu were all multiplayer games, but in the early days of the hobby, they provided solo-play modules that either worked with their multiplayer system or offered a strip-down version of the original rules.

Single player modules are a great choice for gamers accustomed to a specific system but want to try out a solo RPG. You already know how the mechanics work, so it’s easy to jump into a solo run. New systems like D&D 5E and Pathfinder also offer solo adventure modules.

The Solo Dungeon Crawl

Dungeon crawling games represent a sizable portion of the solo RPG genre. In this branch of the genre, players procedurally generate a dungeon. Your character then moves from room to room encountering obstacles, NPCs, and monsters.

The most popular system for generating dungeons is typically a table you roll your dice against. You roll a 1, check the table, and find that you’re in a cliff-facing cave. You go in a little deeper, roll the dice again, and end up with a 4. You check the table and find that your character has wandered into a storeroom filled with giant rats.

Rinse and repeat.

But don’t be fooled, rolling dice isn’t the only way to get through a dungeon. There are plenty of crawlers that use cards to progress the plot. Some games simply use an ordinary deck of playing cards and assign specific attributes to suit, color, and value.

In these systems, you draw a card at random and look at a chart that tells you what the various aspects of the card represent.

For example…

3 = hallway

clubs = combat

black card = low light and cold

Then some card-based dungeon crawlers actually provide their own unique cards. Sometimes they use card tiles that physically build a dungeon. Sometimes the card simply describes a scenario. These games are often simple, but robust and provide a lot of replayability. You never know what card will get pulled and what it will do to your story.

Solo Journaling RPGs

Solo journaling RPGs offer a unique twist on tabletop role-playing, putting you in control of both the story and the storyteller. Picture yourself with a blank journal, ready to dive into a world of your own creation.

These games come in various forms, from guided prompts to free-form storytelling. Whether you crave structure or prefer to let your creativity run wild, solo journaling RPGs provide a deeply personal and immersive experience.

Just like the other subgenres of the solo RPG niche, gamers have their pick of play styles. Do you want to dive into a madman’s psyche? Perhaps exploring distant worlds piques your interest? Or do you want to uncover the source of all magic within the universe? There is a journaling game that will help unlock the story you want to write.

Beyond being a creative outlet, solo journaling RPGs can offer self-expression and reflection. By delving into your character’s thoughts and experiences, you may discover new insights about yourself and the world around you.

Some games provide prompts on a table you roll against or cards you randomly draw from the deck. Other games use the calendar and the weather to provide structure to your narrative.

Solo journaling games do the most to inspire the writer within the gamer. It’s no surprise their mechanics are often the most creative in not just solo RPGs, but in the hobby at large.

Embracing the Solo Adventure

Throughout this article, we’ve explored the diverse world of solo RPGs, from their humble beginnings in adventure books to the intricate solo adventure modules and dungeon crawlers available today. Solo RPGs offer players a unique and immersive gaming experience, allowing them to embark on epic adventures and unleash their creativity on their own terms.

Whether you’re drawn to the nostalgia of classic adventure books or the thrill of exploring procedurally generated dungeons, there’s a solo RPG out there for everyone. As mentioned earlier, you can find a variety of solo adventures and resources online to help you get started on your solo gaming journey.

Remember, solo RPGs are all about exploration and experimentation. Don’t be afraid to try out different systems and genres to find what resonates with you. Whether you’re a seasoned RPG veteran or new to the world of tabletop gaming, solo RPGs offer endless possibilities for adventure and storytelling.