The Solo Game Master’s Guide is a book about making solo gaming easier. The author is a creator of YouTube videos and is known as Geek Gamers.
I have the PDF version, purchased from the DriveThruRPG website.
The main part of the book is just under 100 pages, while the appendices are nearly as long again, containing lots of tables for random results and some other resources.
Notes
- The book argues that is key factor for success with solo gaming is staying interested in what happens next. As a method for achieving this, Chapter 9 talks about “Narrative trajectory”. The idea is that solo players should have a rough idea of where the story will be going from the very beginning. However, given randomness, this trajectory is likely to change as the game progresses.
- One suggestion is to start by creating a location, environment or situation, before creating a character – this avoids the problem of beginning with a character but then not knowing what the character will do. A setting should suggest some directions for the story of the game.
Reflections
To create a narrative trajectory, I think a useful method is to set up a situation and then ask some questions about it. These questions will only be answered by the game as it progress (although not all the questions may end up being answered, depending on how things go).
Some examples of these questions:
- Will the main character succeed in averting a threat?
- Will a mystery be solved?
- Will a conflict between two characters intensify or be resolved?
Keeping the main story questions in mind while playing may provide inspiration when facing the question of what happens next.
Related
If you’re wondering what I mean by “Solo Gaming”, see my introductory post for this category: About the “Solo Gaming” category