Stuck at Home; Keeping myself sane

So, with a pandemic enveloping the world, and most countries enacting some form of lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19, and in even when lockdown has been lifted social distancing has become the new normal. This has meant that getting out to clubs, stores or at a friend’s house for a game or two has been limited, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play a game, there are several solo options out there and in this art we’ll explore some of those options.

The trend for solo gaming has increased this year, not because we’ve all become unsocial fiends but simply because of the global pandemic. We’ve been limited to either gaming with a very small select group of friends or family, or on our own during periods of lockdown.

Solo gaming isn’t anything new, it’s been around for a long time. In fact, I suspect most of us have already at some point partaken in solo gaming. When I was a teenager Fighting Fantasy adventure books appeared on the market and I played several of those, and I suspect many of you out there this has been how you’ve also participated in gaming solo. Yet I suspect you want to experience other options in the world of solo gaming but are unsure how to get started. Well we hope this article will give you a kick start.

This article is intended to be an introduction to the world of possibilities you can experience through solo gaming.

What is a Solo Game?

A solo game is a tabletop game which has been designed so that it’s possible to be played with by a single person. In the past most people have probably only played games which required a minimum of two players. Yet with the advent of the pandemic this year, and with lockdowns instilled in most countries there’s been a growing interest, need and desire for solo gaming.

There are some benefits to solo gaming, it’s a great way to learn the rules of a game before introducing to friends and it’s also a good to way to relax on your own. So, without the ability to meet up with friends to play a game or two, solo gaming may be your best option for the time being.

So, what is out there for solo gaming

Several manufacturers have responded to this need for solo gaming and developed some rules of existing games. For the purpose of this article I am going to concentrate mainly on free rule sets, supplemental rules and Print n Play downloads. Most of these are on on-line digital file sites such as DriveThruRPG.com, which is the first site we will take a look at.

DriveThruRPG is one of the largest of these sites and belongs to a group of online marketplaces that also include Wargame Vault and Dungeon Masters Guild. These sites sell both digital and print on demand products. There are a lot of solo supplements on this site both official and unofficial for a number of pre-existing rule sets.

Here are some of my recommendations

Alone against the Flames

This is an introductory solo adventure for ‘Call of Cthulhu’ set in the 1920’s, where you are the main character, and your choices deter mine the outcome. It’s also been designed to guide and teach you the basic rules for the main RPG in a gradual and easy manner.

Chronicles of Arax – Solo Adventure

In this game you take on the role of a hero who in the face of darkness stands up for light by undertaking missions and adventures. The core rules are free, and some adventures will cost about a dollar.

Chronicles of Blood – Solo War Game

This game is produced by the same company that produced Chronicles of Arax and is set in the same world. In this game you will take on the role of an army commander trying to take your army to glory.

Advanced Fighting Fantasy (Quick start)

This is a great set of rules, easy to use, unexperienced players will be up and running in 10 minutes, with pre-generated characters. It’s also a great set for more experienced gamers as it’s a very fast and adaptable system.

One company to check out for solo gaming is Micro RPG who produce a range of solo products that includes several free games. The Micro Chapbook RPG system is an ultra-simple RPG game that can be played either as a solo game or in a more traditional mode with several players. The Core rule book is available for around $1.99 on several sites including DriveThruRPG. I’ve played this myself during lockdown whilst stuck at home and found it to be a good enjoyable system to play.

Having had a quick look at some of the RPG offerings out there, we’ll move onto war-gaming something I much prefer. I’m interested in finding some suitable war-game and skirmish rules I can get to grips with. Now normally these games are played with 2 players and in some instances possibly more, but what’s out there for us war-gamers. Unlike board games wargaming has a whole plethora of options for us to get to grips with, in a variety of genres and historical periods.

So, I jumped on to War Game Vault to have a look at some of the games available. Just like DriveThru RPG there’s plenty of choice available to you, so here’s a few of my picks below.

Lock N Load Tactical Core Rules

Lock n load is a squad level game with an innovative game play mechanic, historical scope which is suitable for both new players and veterans. It’s a hex based board/War game covering WWII and modern combat at the tactical level, with counters representing individual squads, vehicles and support weapons. A lot info and resources can be found on their own website (https://store.lnlpublishing.com/)

Relic World Expeditions

Seek out ancient treasures and battle your enemies in Relic World Expeditions, but beware, secret traps and fierce monsters await within the ruins of an ancient alien civilisations. Build a warband of treasure hunters, pirates, corporate armies, spies and more from the vast Relic World Universe. Then battle against other players or play in solo mode.

The Adventurer

This is a journal writing game for a solo player. As you play the game, you’ll be creating a world and populating it with people, creatures, traditions and myths simply by writing about your characters adventures. All you’ll need to play the game is a set of the rules, a pend and pad, along with a traditional set of playing cards.

https://jameschip.itch.io/the-adventurer

Two Hour Wargames (https://www.twohourwargames.com/chainreaction.html) publish two sets of rules for free which can be played solo or with several players. The first is Chain reaction focuses on fighting with firearms covering historical periods and beyond, whilst the second set they produce Sword Play covers gaming with swords, spells and shields. These are a both good robust sets of rules and there’ s plenty of supplementary products to purchase to go alongside the core rules.

Several publishers have released free solo rules for existing rules sets they produce; this includes Mantic Games who announced recently a free supplement for download allowing you to play The Walking Dead in solo mode. Osprey were another publisher who has also released free solo supplements for download that includes Frostgrave, Last Days, Zona Alpha and Burrows and Badgers (https://ospreypublishing.com/blog/8_games_solo_players/).

Print N Play board games is the next stop on our introductory look at solo gaming. What is Print n Play I hear you ask well, “Print and Play” games have made game collecting a lot more affordable and have put hundreds of titles right at the fingertips of gamers. Print and Play are games that can be downloaded, with printable game pieces, and are often free.

Zombie in my Pocket  (http://funmines.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/zimp.pdf)

Zombie in my Pocket is a print-and-play game solo game. The game fits in your pocket, and the modular board combined with the development cards make it a different game every time.

9-Bit Dungeon (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/277427/9-bit-dungeon)

9-Bit Dungeon is a 9 Card Print and Play Rogue like Solo Game, with a randomly generated dungeon with over 1500 possible layouts, retro artwork, four increasingly difficult levels, random enemies and events, and shops full of upgrades.

Board Game Geek website has a plethora of free solo games to download, print and play. So it’s worth heading over there and signing up as a member, which is free (https://boardgamegeek.com/). The site is an on-line board gaming resource and community, there’s plenty on the site to keep you busy. The site includes reviews, ratings, images, play-aids, translations and session reports from players around the world, well as forums for discussing everything board game related.

There’s plenty of options available on the internet to get your teeth into without having to spend a great deal of money, with plenty of freebies as well. So, there’s no stopping you from getting a game in or two whilst stuck at home in lockdown, or whilst we’re having to implement social distancing rules. While we may not be able to meet up with friends to play a game there’s no reason why we can’t get some hobby time in by playing a solo version of a game you already play or downloading a new solo game. As they say where there’s a will there’s a way.

Personally, I’ve been going old school and searching for out of print games on sites such as Scribd and Drive Through RPG. I recently discovered an old OOP magazine for the Fighting Fantasy world called Warlock, which back in the day was the main source for FF and in many issues a solo adventure was included. You’ll find several issues on Scribd, for any more you’ll have to scour the internet. So, until we’re able to meet with our gaming groups and friends, solo gaming may be the way forward and could a great way to learn a new rules set and stop you going bored.