A New Solo Engine

One thing all solo rpg enthusiasts share in common with one another is restlessness...endless experimentation, fine tuning, drafting, workshopping — REVERSE ENGINEERING! All things to get our gaming experience just right. There must, at all times, be thought and improvement. Perfection is but an ideal, and satisfaction is elusive at best.

As members of a fringe corner of the rpg hobby, solo tabletop rpg gamers are pioneers. We have to tinker and do stuff, because the niche is still very new. Of course, things like Fighting Fantasy game books, Tunnels & Trolls solo adventures, and similar pen ’  paper solitaire variants have been around almost as long as the hobby. I'm talking about the current trends of, “how do I create a spontaneous, never-before scripted roleplaying experience with special tools and tables that will let me use my favorite rules where I'm still kept in the dark about what will happen next?” Our searching, sharing, and innovating never stops.

It has been quiet around here...and for a reason. I've drafted ideas and mini solo engines like Epic, modeled after the Mythic GME, the Chapter System, Twist of Line, and other ideas. Yes, I have been working on a new one. This one is turning out to be far more serious and time-consuming than I thought when the first seed of an idea started growing. I have almost finished my first draft. This system I'll keep under wraps until I've had a chance to really playtest it. I'm hoping within a week or two to have Perilous Intersections ready here...

It will have a few new things, but also a well deserved nod to the other solo pioneers who have made great contributions. It will have some guidelines to emulate certain flavors of adventures. I also hope to offer a solution to journaling your adventures to keep the work to a minimum.