What are some of the best RPGs to play with just 1 DM / GM and 1 Player Character?
* The One Player Character could be enhanced by use of a comp[anion / henchmen system.
* Obviously, adventures would have to be tailored to just one PC as well.
I ask this question from this community because I'm aware of at least one FB based community that caters to One-Shot Adventures, but none that cater to Solo PC play.
I don't know of a specific game - but I know that Rising Phoenix Games has a series of modules designed for 1 on 1 play, or even solo.
Only game I ever came across specifically written with this in mind was the Ghost Dog RPG.
As I've mentioned in another thread, I've picked up the new Cthulhu Confidential and so far it's pretty spiffy. Specifically designed for 1 on 1. Going to give it a spin soon. I expect great things.
Macabre Tales from Spectrum Games. It's designed for one GM and one player.
I own it. And I adore it.
Check out Scarlet Heroes by Sine Nomine. It's meant for one on one gaming.
This is a good idea for a thread. It could be a good way for me to get back into gaming. I have a friend who I know will
always be up for a game of whatever. It's finding a consistent group that I've had some trouble with.
Quote from: Shipyard Locked;947594As I've mentioned in another thread, I've picked up the new Cthulhu Confidential and so far it's pretty spiffy. Specifically designed for 1 on 1. Going to give it a spin soon. I expect great things.
What's the premise? I mean, other than the mythos. It sounds like a spy thing.
Quote from: RunningLaser;947602Check out Scarlet Heroes by Sine Nomine. It's meant for one on one gaming.
Second this. SH is excellent.
Quote from: RunningLaser;947602Check out Scarlet Heroes by Sine Nomine. It's meant for one on one gaming.
Quote from: noman;947607Second this. SH is excellent.
Thirding. Although one needs to warn that it is based off an older edition of D&D, which may or may not be a deterrent.
AD&D1e - one player and possible some henchmen and hirelings.
007.
AD&D had an adventure module line just for that sort of play, IIRC. Called "[Class] Challenge," so like "Fighter's Challenge," etc. Never read any of them, so I couldn't say how well they came off. But it's something to keep an eye out for.
The list for RPGs that couldn't be used for 1+1 would be shorter.
Quote from: Spinachcat;947626The list for RPGs that couldn't be used for 1+1 would be shorter.
Killer, Paranoia(?), ... what else?
Scarlet Heroes by Kevin Crawford is up to his usual high standard as others have mentioned.
The 2e Challenge series Opaopajr mentioned had good modules for the thief, cleric and wizard. The fighter modules were a little weak. It was a long time ago I read and played a few though so I'm not sure what I would make of them today.
I also have fond memories of playing Blizzard Pass by David Cook and Mystery of the Snow Pearls as a young lad. Revisited Blizzard Pass and as a dungeon crawl I think it stands up, haven't had a chance to check out Mystery... yet. Blade of Vengeance by TSR UK's Jim Bambra is excellent I think with very nice art as well.
Quote from: Bluddworth;947590What are some of the best RPGs to play with just 1 DM / GM and 1 Player Character?
* The One Player Character could be enhanced by use of a comp[anion / henchmen system.
* Obviously, adventures would have to be tailored to just one PC as well.
Scarlet Heroes has already been mentioned (repeatedly), but they haven't pointed out that it's specifically designed to support one-on-one play of standard (older edition) D&D modules
without requiring the PC to bring along a pack of henchmen or modify the module to support a solo PC. The heart of the system is to modify the way that damage works so that a solo first-level character can wade into a dozen goblins and have a good chance of coming out on top, but it also has rules in place for such things as dealing with situations which would normally require the use of an ability that the PC's class doesn't have.
Quote from: ningauble;947606What's the premise? I mean, other than the mythos. It sounds like a spy thing.
A hardboiled detective in the 1930s piecing clues together, perhaps getting eaten by a shoggoth at the end of the story if he wasn't careful enough (the system generally delays character death to the end of the session so that a sense of closure is more likely). It de-emphasizes combat and plays up NPC interaction. The in-play rules are very simple, so the scenario design and pacing guidelines are the real meat of it.
Blud, here's Scarlet Heroes (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127180/Scarlet-Heroes). Also, there's a free supplement Sine Nomine has called Black Streams: Solo Heroes (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/114895/Black-Streams-Solo-Heroes) that lets you re-skin most OSR D&D type games for one on one play. NDervish did a good job explaining more about the system.
I used the Solo Heroes supplement for a C&C game I ran a while back and it worked really well. Some things off the top of my head. Monster hit dice are treated as their hit points. PC's always roll two dice in combat- a d20 and another dice type called a Fray Die. The Fray Die always hits in combat. When you roll for damage, regardless of the dice used, a roll of 1 is no damage, 2-5 is 1 point of damage and 6+ is 2 damage. If you use a weapon with multiple damage dice, you count each dice separately, not the sum. It's been a bit since I've read it, so if any of this is incorrect, feel free to right it!
Promethean: the Created always struck me as a really cool game that must be all but impossible to play with more than a single player. When you're on an idiosyncratic quest to achieve humanity through mad science and self-discovery, it's a bit hard to share the spotlight.
Nobilis is another game that I think lends itself to solo play because the PCs are so idiosyncratic that it's hard to figure out reasons for them to work together.
On the less weird and artsy side, I'd be inclined to recommend anything Savage Worlds, since it makes it very easy to have the PC traveling with a bunch of underlings who can pull their fat out of the fire if need be. :p
And just about any game that's more talking than shooting, I guess. Talking is best done alone, while shooting rewards having strength in numbers. ;)
I don't guess I see where any game can't be played one on one. I've played dozens of games over the years, most mainstream, and a great deal have been with one player only.
I've found you can make almost any system good for one player with only a few changes. For D&D type games, I just significantly up Hit Points, giving extra hit dice to start equal to what I'd expect a group size would be in normal circumstances. Since HP have always been partially luck based resources, this is played off like most action heroes - lucky escape, narrow misses, etc. This would best work for pre-4th edition games. The short rest / long rest would break that idea, I think. I would then change a lot of "save or die" mechanics to reflect death equaling entire HD being lost in pain and trauma, and slower to recover.
With the old 1 HP / day recovery rate, characters still can't just rush from fight to fight, but can take some trauma and hits and push through an adventure. I'd also recommend allowing for some minor multiclassing for solo characters, similar to demihumans.
My one friend and I have been doing 1 GM / 1 Player games for at least a decade, and we've had few problems if you just nudge most games.
Quote from: rgrove0172;947665I don't guess I see where any game can't be played one on one. I've played dozens of games over the years, most mainstream, and a great deal have been with one player only.
It's true. But if you want modules - or adventure paths I guess they call them these days - most assume a group. And for some games different character types are assumed - d&d for example, has always assumed one fighter type, one cleric type, one mage type. There are very few modules designed to take, say, one fighter through an adventure. One was mentioned above and it's from the 80's and word is it sucked.
Quote from: rgrove0172;947665I don't guess I see where any game can't be played one on one. I've played dozens of games over the years, most mainstream, and a great deal have been with one player only.
As mentioned earlier by nDervish, Scarlet Heroes and Black Stream Solo Hereos lets you play OSR D&D with just one character and allows you to use old modules with just that one character where they would stand a fighting chance. I'd recommend people to get Black Stream Solo Heroes simply because it's free and at only 7 pages, it's an easy mod for D&D to play one on one.
Tunnels & Trolls, Fighting Fantasy, and Sorcery all offered (or currently offer) solitaire modules that consist of game rules and a programmed adventure that serves as a GM emulator. Not quite the same as one-on-one play. In fact, running a slolo as GM + Player is not as fun as just playing it solo.
BX D&D and AD&D. Both of these had some one-on-one modules in various magazines. Dungeon ran several and I believe White Dwarf had at least one. I believe Adventure and Imagine had at least one each as well. Dragao Brazil had some in Portuguese for various systems and I think both Graal and Backstab did in French?
I think there were at least 5 one-on-one modules from TSR. All apprarently for BX/BEXMI.
M1: Blizard Pass: This is an actual solo adventure for a Thief character. No DM needed. But there is a section for running with a DM.
M2: Maze of the Riddling Minotaur: Also a true solo, but for any class. Also with a section for DMing it.
and
XS2: Thunderdelve Mountain: Also a true solo for a level 7-9 Dwarf. Also DMable. This is my personal favourite of these.
Theres also two that are purely solo and more like a rather bland Pick-Your-Path book than an adventure. Ambitious and points for trying new ideas. But so bland! ugh.
Quote from: DavetheLost;947690Tunnels & Trolls, Fighting Fantasy, and Sorcery all offered (or currently offer) solitaire modules that consist of game rules and a programmed adventure that serves as a GM emulator. Not quite the same as one-on-one play. In fact, running a slolo as GM + Player is not as fun as just playing it solo.
Completely forgot about T&T! Yeah, some of those are actually pretty good!
I find one-player games easier to run than multi-player games, because the GM does not need to separate player perspectives nor keep split PCs in sync nor keep multiple players focused/entertained.
The main difficulty that comes to mind is if you had an adventure that insisted on splitting activities around multiple types of PCs (for niche class necessity "purposes"), though even that can be avoided by (not playing those, or) having various NPC allies, or multiple PCs per player. I guess some "narrative concept" RPGs might be funny with only one PC. But I tend to avoid those, so mb not.
Quote from: Shipyard Locked;947659A hardboiled detective in the 1930s piecing clues together, perhaps getting eaten by a shoggoth at the end of the story if he wasn't careful enough (the system generally delays character death to the end of the session so that a sense of closure is more likely).
That sounds fucking lame.
Quote from: Shipyard Locked;947659It de-emphasizes combat and plays up NPC interaction. The in-play rules are very simple, so the scenario design and pacing guidelines are the real meat of it.
That, on the other hand, is intriguing. Care to share a synopsis?
You know that there is the One on One Adventures Compendium from Expeditious Retreat Press (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/64278/One-on-One-Adventures-Compendium?term=one+on+one+adven&test_epoch=0), right?
Quote from: Black Vulmea;947755That, on the other hand, is intriguing. Care to share a synopsis?
Sure. Like the regular Gumshoe system, it splits character abilities into clue-finding abilities and general stuff like athletics and driving and brawling and such.
Clue Finding: You automatically get the clues if your character has the right skills in the right place or when talking to the right person; obviously you must still describe the appropriate steps your character takes, and it is subject to player creativity and GM rulings. The idea is that rolling to find clues isn't the game, it's putting the clues together like an information puzzle (image of a cork board with conspiracy theory style threads and photos) and figuring out where the next puzzle piece might be.
General Abilities: Anything outside of clue-finding, including combat, still involves a single simple roll, but there are degrees of success. If you do really well you might not only accomplish your goal but also get an 'Edge', which is a highly situational bonus that may or may not help you later in the mystery depending on your choices and how you decide to apply it. Typical edges include stuff like rerolls in social situations, extra blackmail evidence against someone you might want to put pressure on, better knowledge of how to fight an inhuman creature in future encounters, etc. Many edges are expended after one use, while others last until the end of the case.
Failing a challenge usually inflicts a 'Problem', which might be minor like your car getting trashed or your confidence being shaken, or serious like a stab wound. Unless you decide to take steps to mitigate the problems you accumulate, they will bedevil you through the rest of the mystery, and some of them will kill you or drive you insane at the end of the scenario.
Because combat is treated like any other challenge, it doesn't take up much session time, leaving more room for talking, exploring, etc. Because clue-finding is not contingent on a roll, player skill in assembling the information, talking to NPCs and figuring out what you might do next is prioritized.
To me, it's sort of reminiscent of point-and-click PC adventures.
(http://i.imgur.com/lfktqQP.jpg)
A big chunk of the book is dedicated to three pre-made scenarios that also serve as tutorials for structuring a tabletop mystery for one player, avoiding things like plot holes, utter dead-ends, and railroads. That advice is difficult to summarize in a forum post though.
The main flaw in this setup is that the GM has to prep a lot more than usual for a session.
Quote from: Bluddworth;947590What are some of the best RPGs to play with just 1 DM / GM and 1 Player Character?
* The One Player Character could be enhanced by use of a comp[anion / henchmen system.
* Obviously, adventures would have to be tailored to just one PC as well.
I ask this question from this community because I'm aware of at least one FB based community that caters to One-Shot Adventures, but none that cater to Solo PC play.
GURPS Conan had a bunch of solo modules, but sans GM.
Any super hero game should be able to do solo as if suites the genre to a T. The Mayfair DC Heroes even had a solo as its example of play in the "Read This First" section.
Any older fantasy RPG ought to work fine since the initial inspirations were largely solo adventurers. The whole party of niches thing is an unnecessary afterthought.
Like someone said above, any game should do it just fine. It'd be a shorter list to mention games that need more than one player and a GM.
Quote from: Shipyard Locked;947783Clue Finding: You automatically get the clues if your character has the right skills in the right place or when talking to the right person; obviously you must still describe the appropriate steps your character takes, and it is subject to player creativity and GM rulings. The idea is that rolling to find clues isn't the game, it's putting the clues together like an information puzzle (image of a cork board with conspiracy theory style threads and photos) and figuring out where the next puzzle piece might be.
In standard Gumshoe you get a "Core Clue" automatically, which is supposed to be enough to move the investigation forward, if you have the investigative abilities. However, to get anything MORE than a "Core Clue", additional clues, you must, as a player, decide to spend OOC points in order to use an ability to get the additional Clue. So "player creativity and GM rulings" really comes down an OOC negotiation concerning the PC's skills, then when the negotiation is over, you get back to roleplaying.
Or as Trail of Cthulhu gives as an example:
Quote from: Trail of Cthulhu pg. 54-55“Is there another way into that house?” asks Zachary. The Keeper knows that there are old smuggler’s tunnels into most of the basements in this neighborhood. This information isn’t necessary to move forward – going in the front door will get to the confrontation just as fast — but initiative should always be rewarded where possible.
"Would you rather spend 1 Architecture point or 2 Credit Rating points?” asks the Keeper. If Zachary picks Architecture, Boothroyd will “just happen to remember” seeing smuggler’s tunnels in a similar Georgian house in the neighborhood. But Zachary picks the bigger spend for the bigger benefit, reducing his Credit Rating pool from its maximum of 6 down to 4, and the Keeper says “As it happens, you attended a soiree at young Brickman’s the other month, and he showed you the old smuggler’s tunnel in his wine cellar and said he’d gone exploring one time — ‘visited the cellar of every house built before 1750’ in his words. He lives a block away, and you’re sure he’d be happy to stand you a glass and let you into his tunnel. ”This gives Boothroyd a possible ally or contact, a possible secure retreat or unexpected entry, and a distinctive character moment all at once – well worth the 2 points.
Boothroyd leans on Brickman’s bell with his stick. “Thought I might see if your Medoc has improved any,” he says. “And speaking of your cellar…”
Does Cthulhu Confidential have the same spend mechanic?
Quote from: Matt;947829Any older fantasy RPG ought to work fine since the initial inspirations were largely solo adventurers. The whole party of niches thing is an unnecessary afterthought.
No offense but this reads as a bit of uncritical appendix N worship. D&D may have been based on book with individual or dual adventurers but the game system is built for parties with a balance of skills and roles unlike the fantasy novels and their heroes.
This is also true of the fantasy systems that came after like Runequest. Only T&T really featured solo adventures but even there clearly the intention is for parties.
One can certainly tweak the systems and design an adventure for solo play but it requires some careful thought and adjustments to the expectations of the system.
Quote from: CRKrueger;947831Does Cthulhu Confidential have the same spend mechanic?
Partially. It has "Pushes" for investigative abilities, but not for general abilities (that role has been taken by Edges). The gradually depleting bonus dice supply mechanic is absent because, to paraphrase, that's a spotlight management tool for groups that isn't really necessary in 1-on-1.
There are also more ways to get Pushes back, and again they only yield bonus opportunities, never critical information.
Quote from: Voros;947844No offense but this reads as a bit of uncritical appendix N worship. D&D may have been based on book with individual or dual adventurers but the game system is built for parties with a balance of skills and roles unlike the fantasy novels and their heroes.
Which is why when I ran 1-to-1 games using D&D I always (1) moved the player to a higher level fast to "simulate" a party, and (2) encouraged him to take more than one class in order to give a variety of talents.
Conan could be a fighter-thief. Grey Mouser a fighter-thief with a touch of magic user. Elric could be a fighter-wizard. Literature certainly has many examples of heroes who can do more than one thing.
Quote from: Matt;947829Any super hero game should be able to do solo as if suites the genre to a T. The Mayfair DC Heroes even had a solo as its example of play in the "Read This First" section.
Ohh, thanks for reminding me.
MSH had a little solo generator in the MHAC-6 New York New York module.
Superhero 2044 has a pretty simplistic one at the back of the book too.
Quote from: Voros;947844No offense but this reads as a bit of uncritical appendix N worship. D&D may have been based on book with individual or dual adventurers but the game system is built for parties with a balance of skills and roles unlike the fantasy novels and their heroes.
This is also true of the fantasy systems that came after like Runequest. Only T&T really featured solo adventures but even there clearly the intention is for parties.
One can certainly tweak the systems and design an adventure for solo play but it requires some careful thought and adjustments to the expectations of the system.
None taken as I personally don't even care for D&D as a system in the least. Nor do i like 99.9% of fantasy and sci fi so Appendix N means Nada to me.
Scarlet Heroes is the obvious choice, since it was explicitly designed (system-wise) for this.
Quote from: Bluddworth;947590What are some of the best RPGs to play with just 1 DM / GM and 1 Player Character?
* The One Player Character could be enhanced by use of a comp[anion / henchmen system.
* Obviously, adventures would have to be tailored to just one PC as well.
I ask this question from this community because I'm aware of at least one FB based community that caters to One-Shot Adventures, but none that cater to Solo PC play.
Surely someone must have mentioned Pendragon somewhere in this thread? Not only does it work quite well with one knight and one GM, it even encourages such play as thoroughly befitting the milieu.
Works well especially if you're not sure how many players will turn up for a given game as the PCs are all knights of one stripe or another with no "darn, we need a cleric for this" situations arising. At worst one might want to add or subtract from the strength of opposing forces if one is worried about "balance," though personally I've never felt the need to do so...
Quote from: finarvyn;947864Which is why when I ran 1-to-1 games using D&D I always (1) moved the player to a higher level fast to "simulate" a party, and (2) encouraged him to take more than one class in order to give a variety of talents.
1. Hirelings.
2. Henchmen.
I've done one-on-one games with Vampire 1e and Big Eyes Small Mouth and both games turned out fine.
If you do Traveller or Cepheus Engine, SOLO is an interesting new take on the gaming method (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/207164/Solo). I got to playtest it and thought the approach was unique and entertaining.
Quote from: Bluddworth;947590What are some of the best RPGs to play with just 1 DM / GM and 1 Player Character?
* The One Player Character could be enhanced by use of a comp[anion / henchmen system.
* Obviously, adventures would have to be tailored to just one PC as well.
I ask this question from this community because I'm aware of at least one FB based community that caters to One-Shot Adventures, but none that cater to Solo PC play.
Ars Magica can be scaled quite well to one player games.
Quote from: jeff37923;950662If you do Traveller or Cepheus Engine, SOLO is an interesting new take on the gaming method (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/207164/Solo). I got to playtest it and thought the approach was unique and entertaining.
It's from Zozer Games, it's for solo games, and it's for Traveller. I must have it;)!
And seriously, if we cut out the Gollum imitation, thank you for pointing it out:D!
Quote from: Matt;950419Surely someone must have mentioned Pendragon somewhere in this thread? Not only does it work quite well with one knight and one GM, it even encourages such play as thoroughly befitting the milieu.
Pendragon is ideal with a smaller group than usual (3-4 being ideal, 2 or 5 being adequate); but I'd find it pretty boring with just one player.
I'm presently working on a Star Frontiers campaign for between 1 - 5 players, but is perhaps best played with several of the pre made characters as NPC / henchmen.