No D&D group? Try solo play!
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- čas přidán 6. 05. 2024
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► INDEX
0:00 Intro
0:25 Why play solo D&D
1:15 A flexible solo system
3:42 How it works
5:06 The Oracle
5:40 The 6d12 method
6:18 Random tables
10:00 Let's play!
20:25 Is it worth it?
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this feels like a guided version of literally just being a kid and playing with toys?? i love that so much
as a kid it's so easy to pick up some toys and come up with some whole elaborate story and play with them for hours, and it's a lot harder to do that as an adult, so this feels like a way to get some of that wonder back
Exactly my thoughts - it’s structured play with more commitment to play longer
Is it much harder to do that as an adult? Maybe I'm actually 20 years younger than I thought I was, lmao
I used to pick up a plastic sword as a kid and enact whole stories fully improvising with dialogue and everything . This does sound like a chance to have some fun like that again
@@envytee9659 it probably varies from person to person, since everyone has different life experiences. i'm only 20 and i have trouble playing the way i used to, but i know others don't have that same issue.
As adults, we know so much more about the world, and why our childhood toys' adventures would never work. But TTRPGs are basically a framework for creating personalized narrative. We call them "games" because that's the format and structure they use to accomplish it.
I had a way to connect those two statements, but I forgot it.
Not d&d, but I've had a blast playing 1000 Year Old Vampire. A solo journalling experience where you become a vampire and make your way through a setting of your choice. Story of love, loss, and forgotten identity. Above all else, the book itself is gorgeous.
I have played so many TYOV runs, it's become my go-to solo RPG. It's beautiful.
I haven't even started yet, but I got my copy awhile back and I'm really excited about it!
Oh! I heard about that from the dicebreaker CZcams channel. I mean, they did it over zoom with two people to showcase what the game is. It felt like a writing challenge from a creative writing class only way better!
Where can one procure such an adventure?
This was the reply I was looking for. I love that game so much. My biggest issue with the concept of solo-TTRPGs is there not being enough incentive to punish and challenge yourself, and this system manages it so well. Deciding which memories to let go of and which aspects of my vampire I need to abandon is so tragic and hard but, damn if it doesn't make for a fantastic story. Never once have I ended that game in the same place I thought I would when I began.
Oddly, this style of gameplay reminds me of playing with action figures as a kid. Sometimes you were playing on your own, but you had multiple characters that you were playing as having conversations back and forth, fighting, etc.
Holy shit ur right lmao
There was only one rule: I am the final boss. It was fun to take myself down with my little guys
It’s so comforting after 33 years of only solo roleplaying and getting made fun of by everyone in the 80s because I only played Solo RPG. It is comforting and humbling to see that this video, about Solo RPG, is your Number One most popular video.
Really not that much different than playing a single-player RPG video game, except now you're the one doing all the work.
It's okay now, the world understands finally and you are loved
it sounds like you have the knowledge level to write a book about Solo Play. 🙂
I wish I could give the 80s version of you a hug. Kids can be horrible ❤
33 of solo role-playing?! It's time to make a book or two and get some coin for your dedication and experience(s).💵💰
The way Ginny said “noooooo” at the beginning sounded like when a kid gets threatened with timeout.
That entire opening was solid gold.
she could find someone new easily
Hi Ginny!!! Thank you so much for the kind review. You totally *get* the Solo Adventurer's Toolbox, and your playthrough demonstrates the tools exceptionally well. I love your story too... and great NPC voices :) As an indie author you have no idea what this has done for me… made my year!
Hey Paul, I'm so glad you liked it! It's an awesome resource and I so appreciate you putting it together so thoughtfully!
Hey, It’s Mr. Bimler himself! Thank you for putting out these resources. I’ve filled 4 journals of solo play since purchasing The Solo Adventures Toolbox. Have had many an adventure. Love your work!
@@TheMmfam Thanks Mark, that's awesome :)
Great work Paul :D
I’ve had the Solo Adventurer’s Toolbox for a few years and loved it. I even bought Part 2.
This sounds so fun omg, as someone who's too shy to roleplay in a group of people, doing this alone sounds like the perfect way to do it
Don't be afraid to join online dnd groups! I have a group of about 8 people, and I've only met one person irl lol.
@@SegerSyanideonline dnd groups aren’t any less scary for me 😅
There are also forum-style rpgs where you simply type your actions into a comment and interact that way!
Sounds like garbage. Having actual people to interact with is the WHOLE point of the idea of DND. U wanna drive cars without wheels? U want to fly a plane without wings? Having other players is waaaaaaaaaaay more then just necessary. U might as well just do nothing then.
Playing multiplayer games alone haha wtf…
Taking away the only purpose of a thing and saying “this sounds so fun” how hypocritical.
this is ridiculous sad and lonely.
@@fxk.v6342 and what are you going to do about it? gonna cry? keep throwing a tantrum while I enjoy my solo dnd campaigns 🥰
This actually feels like a good tool for writing. Would make for easy writer's block breaking.
Well, if you roll a 1, the writer's block will persist..
Ginny honestly has some of the best scripting, pacing, and delivery of content creators on CZcams.
I agree completely. She speaks at a natural pace and the content flows well around that.
Not to mention pun sorceress extraordinaire 😉
As someone who has a LOT of story ideas but a lot of trouble developing the actual plot, this seems like an EXCELLENT way to help actually get around to writing.
I was just thinking this. As a DM, this actually sounds like it would be amazing as an assistant to help with those "ooh shiny!" moments you KNOW your players will have, but you didn't cover in your prep.
Thank you for that idea, hell I’m gonna make a whole fantasy whole based story because of it
Agreed!! As a screenwriter I'm thinking about using solo play to create a game with my ideas and play it through not knowing how each situation is going to turn out. Effectively giving me an Outline for a plot! and letting me get to know my characters in a way that doesn't adhere to a strict story beats.
Yep. D&D is great for this.
Exactly what I was thinking! I have created two awesome characters with backstories but no idea of how they'd meet and what journey they'd go on. This seems really helpful and fun to figure out stories and even small sidetrack events.
This video changed my life! I have chronic illnesses that make it impossible for me to be reliable for campaign play, so I gave up on learning how. Then I watched this video, bought the first book, and almost immediately ordered the second. Thank you!!
I'm a teen, I'm currently struggling with loneliness. Even when I finally find a group I always have to be the DM because obviously it's everyone's first time. So thank you Ginny, this video is life saving for me ❤️
Im a teen too, I just prefer being alone.
I wanted to find an group to play d&d, but my friends don't play d&d :(
So it's being quite dificult. Oh, and i am an teen too
@@detective2221 understandable, alone and lonely are two different things
@@Kaiserwalks83 yeah, it really sucks cause even if they were willing to learn you'd probably have to DM for them:(
@@stachu5049 keep your head up man youll meet the right people to enjoy dnd with soon enough :)
This looks great for playing as a couple too, without needing one of us to GM. Great for people who want to teach an S.O. or friend how to play without having to find a group or commit to a campaign.
I didn't even think about this being a way to play with my partner without running a game for her but that is an amazing idea.
A lot of the solo dnd games can also be used with a party so definitely an idea worth persuing.
I was just thinking this! It could be really cool to have a d&d group with no official DM:)
My partner and I are going to do this very thing!
Glad to hear I wasn't the only one that thought about that! Me and my brother like DnD but getting extra people sometimes can be hard, I wonder how well can it work with 2 people DMless
You could honestly make that solo game into a mini series for your channel. It was interesting to watch and does the best job of selling the concept, I was ever so slightly hesitant due to your intro and the idea of solo D&D in general, but seeing the actual gameplay with somewhat familiar characters was both engaging to see and enticing to play.
Yes!!!
I came to say something similar! I really enjoyed it!
I was thinking that as I was watching. Trevor Devall would have some healthy competition.
I'd watch it.
I'd also watch, that sounds fantastic
I'm a 56 year old who played D&D with a strong group back in the 1980's. Every Saturday we'd meet up at the local Y and play all day. D&D, traveller, Tunnels and Trolls, Runequest.
Now that whole group have moved on. years ago
I went to an event and was perhaps 15 years older than anyone else there and 30 years older than the average.
It was not welcoming. I didn't want to come across as a creep so I left after an hour. I'd love to play D&D but it's unlikely I'll ever find a group so solo play is my only option. This is a great vid to get me thinking. Cheers :)
Ah bro sorry to hear that. 😞 I'm sure not all young people will be used to having ones older than them there, but I'm sure others will love it. I am 30, and I have friends into their 80s that I hang out with most weeks.
Being in my early 60s, I'm in a similar boat.
I recently found being a DM In a solo adventure it something ChatGPT is actually good at. It shows it's read too many make-your-own-adventure books by offering you two choices at the end of each answer, but if you go off the rails and do something creative, it is able to roll with it and adapt. It's quite fun actually, if not in a traditional role playing sense.
Finally, a good use for AI.
@@wyltedleaves To be fair, it is "good" at it compared to other things it can do, not compared to a human DM. If I had to grade it, it acts like a very young, inexperienced DM, letting players get away with practically anything, never asking for rolls, never checking that you actually OWN the equipment you are using, taking over the player's actions and letting the player define NPCs' actions. It is fun though. In a laid-back, non-competitive, cheats-enabled kind of way.
Omg, I was just about to say this! I've been using Chat GPT for this exactly recently.
"She's hot but she's really religious." had me rolling. I may have to try this at some point. Also, your DM screen is fire. Thanks for the upload, Ginny!
I was audibly laughing at that part
The intro caught me so off guard I’m- actually crying-
LOL, shit I actually got chills from the storytelling slowly revealing plot points and twists and turns in your solo play. This seems a lot cooler than I originally thought as it combines more story writing techniques, but still with surprises to us, the DM/player. Very cool.
Im 23 and have been interested in D&D for a while. For some reason, her talking gives me nostalgic-deja-vu of something I haven't actually experienced, comforting in a way. I love the way she is explaining everything as well!
The DM can use solo play for their players main antagonist . This might be preferable for some DM's that want to speed up the planning for their campaign.
I was actually just thinking that. I thought this solo thing would be a fantastic way to plan/organize an adventure for a game.
Came here to say this was going to have the wife try and dm me playing the character because I think it will feel more real but this... this keeps it a surprise for the table. Yes please
I somehow don’t think this will speed up the planning. Might make it more enjoyable, but this looks like it’ll eat up a solid few hours for a few simple encounters. In that time i can plan what my BBEG is gonna do over an entire campaign x)
@@eran5005 depends on the DM
@@eran5005 that's true but you're automatically granting the bbeg the story you want them to have. If however you play it out things will almost certainly happen that you did not plan for and how you work the bbeg around those things will make them feel more authentic. Plus the bbeg will level up and progress in a natural way and that gives the party a chance to potentially find and kill them before they become godlike. Alternatively should they choose to ignore rumors and warnings of evil forces massing (or good if the party is evil) then they may well face not just a evil mastermind but an entrenched and fortified evil empire with armies at its disposal
I heard from The Internet solo d&d was pointless, if not straight impossible. A heartbreaking note for one as me, too severely mentally ill to socialize yet craving to try this game.
Thank you for making this video Ginni. I might just give this a shot. I may have a character sheet at the ready in the "this will never be used, *sad sigh here*" folder of my laptop.
Same
You sound perfectly sane and lucid in your writing.
Have you tried play-by-post?
In play by post, the players post their turns on a forum board. You typically have a day or two to take your turn, so you should be able to play as well as everyone else in the group.
Giant in the Playground is a great place to find dozens of games of every sort.
Of course, this new solo system looks fantastic, too.
@@harrytabb328 Just because im mentally ill doesnt make me insane. And just because im not balls to walls doesnt mean I wont still struggle. Not that basketball was ever my thing anyway.
But I have tried forum, questbook, chat etc. Written online rpg's. Used to run a fiew god awfull (wolves & warrior cats era or the internet) ones myself several years back. Good times❤ but no longer something I enjoy.
@@harrytabb328 ahh, frpg, sweet memories of a childhood
As someone that could never get into tabletop RPGs even though there was nothing cooler than reading all the rules books, I found something called Fabled Lands as a kid. He only published a few of them in the 2000s but now he has gotten them all published and even a steam version is available. It uses keywords to stop you from looping major events, you can barter and sail between ports buying and selling goods, multiple religions to join with their own perks. It's been my favorite "system" that I sunk hours into and loved every minute. The steam version is the books with a little more interactive combat and an easier tracking system but doesn't really make the game a digital one outside the combat revamp.
7 months later, still rewatching this video cuz I enjoyed the characterization and the writing style so much! Incredible Video Ginny
Just wanted to thank you for this video, in December I was craving dnd but everyone was busy with holiday plays, so I run ran my characters against some monsters and had a surprising amount of fun putting them through a gauntlet of monsters!
The oracle answering the "did this guy kill the queen??" question with "yes, and...!" was priceless! I could do nothing but imagine the Scooby Doo quote of "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!" 😂
...and your dog!
@@juanjosesegura4585 "and your DUMB dog!"
Ginny: "What is a Nilbog?"
Me: "YESSSSS!!!!!"
Truly one of silliest creations in D&D, but also very fun to watch when others encounter it.
One of my favorite characters was a cleric that got infected by a nilbog (*cough* homebrew *cough*) but that added such a cool dynamic to the character. Truly an S tier monster
Do you know the movie Troll 2 ?
@@5minutemovies977 Nope, never heard of it.
@@NRMRKL I reckon that's where the word "nilbog" is from.
Terrible movie. Funny too.
@@5minutemovies977 I'm pretty sure nilbogs date all the way back to first-edition D&D, so they are much older than that movie, haha! I think the name comes from "goblin" spelled backwards.
Both as writer and as introvert RPG fan I did not know I needed this in my life but DAMN did I need this. Thank you
Lol those opening jokes were way too good XD. You are easily one of my favorite D&D content creators!
I love how you point out that its not a replacement for group D&D... like, I have a group that meets once a week, but that is simply not enough D&D for me. If I had it my way, I would be playing D&D every waking hour. This book allows you to play as much D&D as you want. *IN ADDITION TO* your group games. And, it facilitates play for people with social anxiety / people in isolated locations / forever DMs to play when they want as well. No doubt solo play has its detractors ("tHiS iS JuSt cAlLeD wRiTiNg a BoOk"), but their concerns are vastly outweighed by the positives that systems such as this provide.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who lives for dnd XD
About it being like writing a book, I want to use my notes from games to write stories lol
It might sound weird, but lucid dreaming D&D really saves a LOT of waking hours and it is more cool.
I need to get a new D&D group 😢
@@robertgcline It's a pretty popular source of inspiration. Doom was inspired by a D&D campaign, no joke.
Group play is just collaboratively writing a book. And I have no problems with that! I always love it when silly reductionist arguments don't even throw shade on the thing it's attempting to criticize. In a couple of cases, I kept notes for my sessions in first person as my character, so it was indeed quite literally writing a book.
Nymwen and Nakrasha weren't a pairing I'd ever expect, but they bounce off eachother so well! Fussy nerd and lesbian jock are always a killer combination 👌 and all the closeups of the dnd accessories were so well-shot and pleasing to look at, it made the setting look very cozy and gave me a lot of dice tray envy lol
I really wanted to do Na'Krasha and Elliwyn, but I just struggle so much to make Elli a classed character! Nothing seems quite right for her. But I have this whole idea in my head of Nymwen as a client of Augury's, buying smuggled necromantic artifacts, and Na'Krasha as muscle who would work for either of them if the pay was right!
This setting reminded me of the novel "The Flaw With All Magic." Nakrasha is a lot like the half-Orc that the Detective ends up working with. Tough yet always interested in a fun time.
@@GinnyDi I kind of want to see a world with all of the charactera from your videos combined into it.
@@GinnyDi I could see her as some kind of reflavoured Rogue, maybe? An Inquisitive or even Assassin reflavoured in such a way that she's so intimately familiar with how people work to do the stabbing and the sussing out just because she's so intimately familiar with quite literally /how they work/ from having her hands all up in those guts?
@@GinnyDi Have you seen the Griffon's Saddlebag 'Grim Surgeon' rogue archetype? I wouldn't call her grim, but it has similar vibes.
Love this!! This is so cool and not something I ever even thought was made possible! I cannot wait to start some solo adventures
This feels like a wonderful way as a DM to make the campaign I play with my players feel more alive. Having maybe a rival party, my solo party, exist in the same time as their party.
There are many awesome Solo RPG channels: Me, Myself & Die - Dungeon Dive - Wilona’s Cave - Geek Gamers - Solo RPG Guy - Mel Li and more
Geek Gamers is even a way to see more "free form" games, where the imagination matters more than the dice.
+1 Me, Myself, & Die.
@@jomiran1000 yup! But they are all pretty good
Love Me, Myself, & DIe. I'm also a huge fan of The Bad Spot. That one is awesome.
Gonna comment here so i can catalogue these solo channels. 👏
Ive def waytched myself and die.
I feel SO vindicated for this video! I do solo play ALL THE TIME.
It started out as me guiltily wanting to continue my own character's story after a game fizzled out whilst also practicing my first time homebrewing classes. But it evolved into multiple longrunning (several hundred thousand words) games of me writing out the stories as both GM and player, and I've had some amazing fun.
Yes, it acts as a means to test out content, characters, settings, ideas, story hooks, magic items, classes and builds, etc. but it's also really fun, helps me feel connected to characters, is good practice in writing and becoming emotionally invested in those characters, as well as good practice telling stories and building these worlds.
Not to mention I now have a ton of different places and characters that I have ready to slap into an actual group game too!
This has been really really FUN for me and you'd be surprised that I have had some pretty epic and at times (somehow) even surprising elements. Just makin' it up as I go.
So I am SO happy to hear you talk about it Ginny Di! And also REALLY excited to learn about these books and I can't wait to try them!
I feel like much less of a weirdo now XD
Never a bad thing to be weird. And you are in big company there are tens of thousands of solo RPGist around the world (and growing)
@@wilonascave I had no idea!! :D
That's great!
I bought the Curse of Strahd module to play with my family, and they got bored after two sessions. I started over and did the whole thing with my own 5 of party. Now doing again with the cast of Regular Show. 😂
Be warned.
After playing solo for a while, you may find playing in a group a little disappointing.
Consider all of the videos on dealing with difficult players.
that intro killed me
I used to do the fighting fantasy books with dad when I was younger. He would read while I draw out the map and throw the dice for encounters. Even though it was made for solo play it was so much fun deciding what to do together. I remember The Warlock of Firetop Mountain quite fondly. I highly reccomend this if your kids are interested in role-playing games because it can be a good bonding experience without putting too much commitment into it.
Thank you for showing that a party of two can work! So often solo players play one PC only. I also have difficulty coming up with parties of 4 who would have good synergy, but I very often think of pairs of characters whom I want to see fit together.
This hits the spot. D&d fans love a happy ending, even if theres a little death along the way
I see what you did there. lol
🤣🤣🤣
@@snutrekker
Whats that?
@@friendlyanomaly6109 The reference to a "happy ending" which is a slang term for receiving a manual sexual favor at a less than reputable massage parlor and La petite mort (French pronunciation: [la p(ə)tit mɔʁ]; "the little death") is an expression that means "the brief loss or weakening of consciousness" and in modern usage refers specifically to "the sensation of post orgasm as likened to death."
@@snutrekker
Lmao!
I feel like these books could be pretty easily adapted to a "DM-less" campaign as well. Sometimes, a group can form but nobody is comfortable or willing to be the DM, and so nothing happens. The concepts and mechanics of these books could make it possible for the party to skirt that issue, and perhaps even give someone a better opportunity to grow into the role of being the DM more naturally, rather than having to do it out of necessity, or arrogance.
What do you all think? Has it been notably common for anyone to find people who want to play, but nobody who wants to DM?
@Doremi I think that's a brilliant idea.
I'm pretty sure there is an app for that, I'd look it up, but too lazy lol
Indeed, my roommate and I have both been trying to find a group to play with but none of our current friends are interested in dnd, admittedly a two person party with no dm might be a bit much to manage but it’s worth a one-shot😂 😅
@@BlackveilQueen1113 I actually am planning on doing a 2 person homebrew campaign with my buddy, debating on doing it gmless or not but if I do it's going to be using a combo of these tools, and the ironsworn tools. Highly recommend you to check out ironsworn, it's free and a game itself however I use it as a GM emulator and it works fantastic for my current solo game
I was thinking this same thing. DMing is a big responsibility, and this would allow people to play anyway. You could take turns rolling tables and things too.
These books sound like a great resource :)
I've been trying solo-d&d with the random tables in the dungeon masters guide recently. It's been fun, but I do make up a loose plot beforehand, which makes the story that develops a bit less surprising then what it would be with that oracle/keyword system.
Really nice vid, I enjoy your character voices!
Honestly that was so much fun to watch lol it reminded me of when I was a very young kid playing with my action figures lol you're awesome. I'm definitely going to check out more of your content because that was so wholesome it made my day better.
Everything about Ginny's D&D setup is just so visually pleasing to look at. The notebook, the quill, her handwriting, the custom DM screen, the dice trays and *especially* those brilliantly crafted math rocks! They looked like expertly cut gemstones!
You left out the most visually pleasing part, but otherwise I totally agree!
As somebody who doesn't have a lot of friends and no friends that want to play d&d, this sound really good. I always wanted to play the game but had no group. Actually I think that this could be even better for me than playing in a group because I'm just not a very social person.
@Diomedes but there is no imagination that way: everything is put in advance.
@Diomedes just because there's an alternative type of game doesn't mean this isn't also fun?
You are cool 😎 I feel less alone as I am exactly in that same boat!! Thank you!!!!
@@anastasiia1683 girl you wrong ….. it’s what starts in the mind ….. what cmon you seriously can’t mean this because you’ll be proven wrong 😑 cause we in nerd territory ….. there will be a nerd to prove you wrong lmao 🤣. You are so cute 🥰
@@charityjustmyself4994 Thank you, now I feel less alone too.
Thank you for this video. I am glad it found me. I found an old character sheet of a session zero I fell in love with. It was really fun to build a character for my sister and play with her. This will be a really fun way for us to get practice or just play alone together
Your explanations of game mechanics is clear and concise. Very refreshing.
This is like a structured version of the awesome adventures we had with figurines as kids. I love it!
OMG yes you’re right, and this is entirely silly but entirely awesome.
I actually used to do this when I was a tween, I'd make turn-based strategy games on my bed using counters or paperclip as characters. I even had currency systems with 1p and 2p coins! I would draw maps and write lore, and had detailed info on all the characters. I'd never considered that D&D was a thing that you could do, or have fun with. Its nice to see that I wasn't alone
I did this with pokemon cards :D
@@rebbekahcannons9805 I did something similar with magic the gathering cards.
@@rebbekahcannons9805 you making me want to get Pokémon cards and do this myself
@@LogShaw1587 It's great fun I recommend it :D
Use to make all kinds of games as a kid including setting up toy army men and giving each type roles and using cards for things you can do, aces did certain things and kings and so on.
I solo dnd for world building and to test home brew spells/abilities. I now have an arsenal of NPC’s, rival adventuring groups, and BBEG’s.
Thank you for this! I've been looking for a way to solo play that isn't a pure dungeon crawl (Which is what I have been doing). This combines my love of play with my love of writing with a pen. I'm quite a bit into my first adventure and I'm having so much fun!
This can be used for couples too! I got this today and tried it out with my husband and it was a lot of fun! We can't wait to continue our shared story of teens breaking through a seige to find help.
I'm guessing you got the PDF version? I'm trying to decide between that and the book version. Is it easy enough to navigate and whatnot? Someone on the website complained that it was "too much information to sort through" and that a book would've been better for them... but PDF's have a word search function... so I'm at a loss.
@@DesireKlingensmith when I downloaded the pdfs I got it in a bundle that came with a table look up guide, and that's saved a lot of time!
That's awesome!!! I haven't played DnD in years (since moving to Colorado), and my boyfriend has recently expressed interest in playing, but we don't have a group to play with. This is the perfect way for us to do it without a larger group!
I did an actual spit take during your opening puns. Even funnier, my son was at the table listening to this and my partner said " what the hell is that all about?".... after the fun ... great post , thank you.
So great! I liked when you role-played, it sounded so good and actually had intrigue!
I love this, Ive been having a really hard time finding a beginner group or a group of people my age, thank you for making this.
This reminds me of my brother, who runs a very detailed campaign of the unofficial pokemon ttrpg. He has two groups of players and each player has a rival in another group of npcs, that follow roughly the same journey of collecting pokemon and leveling up. In between sessions he solo-plays with the npc groups to determine what happens to them when they're not directly involved, which pokemons they catch, what skills they learn, etc. It takes a lot of his time but it adds so much to the npcs when the players encounter them in-game.
whoa, that's what I call commitment :O
@@namtellectjoonal7230 Yeah he's incredibly dedicated to it!
I would like to join in on this haha
That sounds really awesome! I've been meaning to run a solo game of pokemon for so long! Does he use any websites to help generate events or something like that? it'd be really helpful
@@indighost4423 I'm not sure, I know he uses an old game where you can load in custom sprites, and he makes the sprites himself. I'll ask him about the details!
The info on the system was cool, but watching your actual solo play was AMAZING! It was super fun seeing you weave whatever the randomness threw at you into a vibrant, cohesive narrative. I (and many others I’m sure) would be THRILLED if you could turn your solo play into a series!
Agreed 100%, I would watch the crap out of a solo play series. Your character voices and storytelling are amazing, and the way you pick up the keywords that the Oracle gives you and run with them is inspiring.
I second this notion!
I would absolutely love that content and am really looking forward to session two!!
More dnd solo content would be awesome!
You're asking a lady to make a video series where she plays with herself? Maannn..
This seems absolutely perfect. Ordering the book and some other things right now. I don’t have any good friends that live near me and even if they did D&D would be a hard to organize. I have never played but I’ve been playing RPG video games, watching fantasy, and reading fantasy my whole life so I always wanted to get into it. Being able to play solo for me is going to be fantastic. Going to sit down the same time every week with a couple of drinks while I dive into a fantasy world in my own head.
As someone who has NEVER played a game nor been introduced to anything, this is just awesome honestly. I have had the urge to play and try out for so long but I was too scared to ask friends or didn't know where to start, I didn't have a group or anything and honestly thought it was hopeless... but this an awesome way to start and het comfortabnle I think :) thank you
An electronic version of this game would be awesome, right in between a tabletop rpg and a videogame since your imagination and roleplaying still are the center of attention
True, it could make the game quite a bit faster if you don't have to look up in the tables yourself but immediately get the result to play with.
Digital system neutral GM emulators exists, but the two I've found are pretty lackluster. In my case, I played solo so often, I made my own according to my needs. 😅
I would look up AI Dungeon which features an AI GM. There is a free web-version that can be tried out. There is a paid version on Steam that comes with a more powerful AI and think... also cooperative play.
@@luminousmage This is a great idea too! I could never get AI Dungeon to work too well with D&D, but that was a couple of years ago. It's gone through many upgrades and updates since then. I still play it, but never thought to try it again. Maybe I will. 😅
@@luminousmage I just tried it, and while it is fun, it seems more like something silly to have fun with. But maybe I just haven't tried more customization.
I'd prefer something that doesn't tell me what's going on exactly but only gives me keywords and ideas - and especially something where I don't have to type what I want to do or say. I really don't like this type of interaction with an AI, as it feels extremely limiting in my options (and I don't know if it actually understands what I mean sometimes).
I love how the concepts are vague enough that your brain will naturally fill in the gaps in a way that will make the story interesting to yourself.
This would be an amazing tool to use for new DM's to start a home brew campaign for their friends. It sounds like it would be a great way to increase creativity for those that are a little less creative normally. Incredible review! thank you!
Honestly it sounds like this could also be really useful to help flesh out a world quickly in group play if the players go in a direction you completely weren’t expecting and haven’t prepped for
I love Solo Board games but after watching how solo D&D is played, it just doesn't seem as fun. Looks like too much rolling, looking up tables, self generated stuff etc. Others may find it fun and hey, each to their own.
What it does look good for is coming up with ideas for writing a story, a fictional novel, a D&D campaign, script for a short skit/film. It's a great cure for writer's block.
any recommendations?
Hm, I thought that didn't sound fun at first, but I've played Monopoly alone many times and that can't be any less fun than what you described.
That's what I thought! If you used existing characters from a favorite series, this would be an amazing way to write a fanfic.
I got the set, and I’m actually using it to help create areas, npcs, and events for fiction I’m working on. ❤️
Only a matter of time until someone automates this, and then gets ChatGPT to write descriptions on the fly for just describing what the rolls show.
As someone who started off as a writer and got into DnD for the story-telling aspect, this sounds like it was made for me!
I am also a writer who has gotten into DMing for the story-telling aspect. And from this video I have now played two solo sessions and had so much fun and have decided to novelize the adventure as I play through it for writing practice. So yeah, you should try it!
I'm a fellow writer and aspiring D&D nerd, and I'm definitely going to check this out! :)
This is me 100%. Some people wish they could DM less and play more.... but that's just not me. I love DM because it gives me the most freedom for storytelling.
Not to say that I don't enjoy the more restricted storytelling, roleplaying experience as a player. It's great. But it's definitely 2nd to DM'ing for me
@@fromthegraysea i did the same thing as I played a solo run of Drifter (Hyper Light Drifter) campaign.
The role-play bits are slapped together prose funneled by whatever the oracle says.
So many fellow writers here! I usually play DnD with “theater kids,” so it’s nice to know I’m not alone in this particular nerdiness!
This looks surprisingly fun ♡ im sure much of what I would do here would make it into an actual campaign at some point too, when those happened!
Nilbogs are pretty funny. When they were first introduced back in the AD&D era, the damage reversal was automatic - the only way to hurt them was with healing magic, making them basically a "puzzle monster" that you just needed to know the right trick to defeat. I think the modern version is more interesting.
Me: my family's in the room so imma turn on some nice wholesome ginny di&di content.
Ginny in the first 5 seconds: "how to play with yourself 🙂"
This is why her husband said he was going to divorce her
@@djburk7930 what?
@@The_Mops it was part of her bit. The off screen voice said "Alright I'm going to divorce you"
@@djburk7930 oh okay, I didn't remember that part XD apologies mate
@@The_Mops You're just fine! I knew you commented some time ago and also knew the joke only had two outcomes: It would land or not, and honestly the latter was more likely. So no need to apologize!
Great resource for writers! I'm more interested in writing than Dnd, but I decided to try doing a solo game to familiarize myself with how the book works. It was easier than I thought, and now I'm a scary lizardman with a hat that shrouds me in darkness and makes my eyes glow red! Dope.
Cool!
Absolutely, just listening to the overview and the playthrough alone made me stop and think about how my novel has come to a standstill--and the setting originated as a D&D 5th Edition homebrewed campaign setting--so this would be a perfect way for me to get the ball rolling on it again and see where the journey takes me.
@@quinnleydean8335 Do it! I've come to realize that sometimes the best way to get unstuck and find an answer to a problem is just to generate it randomly with a dice roll. Even if I can't use whatever result the dice gives me, it always gets me thinking in new ways.
Ahah, and i am a cannibal cook who just wants to die, but because of a curse, saves herself at the last moment.
Ha! Cool!
This is actually so freaking cool. I'm absolutely going to be doing solo campaigns.
In the old Traveler RPG, there were tables to create entire sectors and characters´ past was a story itself, determined by dice and tables. The idea to to a randomized story flow is very intesting.
"I could catch your brain in a thimble" is the best way I have ever heard someone be called an idiot in my entire life and I am stealing that for use with future characters and/or when people are being dumb at work. Thank you for this unexpected gift.
Also I am definitely buying this. I have been STRUGGLING with my D&D group getting together, and this seems like a great way to get my dice roll story time.
I've been making a solo DnD podcast for over 2 years now. I would never have thought a solo game could work, but it really, really does. You can use a GME (Mythic, Ironsworn) or not & just roll with your ideas. It's (surprisingly) a much richer game than the typical table experience, and hey, no scheduling conflicts.
Mythic has always worked great for me. The Fate chart can be a bit complex but it works well. Ended up making myself a quick little Android app to automate the process based on my selected input and it's been an awesome tool for solo play.
@@exportedwolf When I had an android, I had an app - maybe it was yours? Now I have an iphone and sadly, no app exists.
@@taleofthemanticore Didn't even realize one existed, I'll have to look for it! Never released mine cause I was worried about IP stuff and too lazy to sort it out lol
@WhyUsername? It's called Tale of the Manticore. You can find it anywhere. Hope you like it :)
Thank you! After I moved away from my home town, I wasn't able to play pen'paper games anymore, not even online. I don't have friends near by to play in a live session, but I'd like to come back to DnD and other systems. This is a great way to start a new adventure and continue old stories that have never been told to the end.
As my group got rid if me, I am grateful for this video, so much. Thank you.
For anyone interested, the Me,Myself and Die youtube channel is a FANTASTIC solo roleplay show. Trevor’s voice acting is on par with Critical Role (apparently he and Mercer are good friends).
Yes! I watched his show, so good!!
It's great. He demonstrates how to use Mythic Game Master Emulator, a small and very flexible system which can be used with any RPG, and keeps it very entertaining along the way. I would recommend it for anyone curious about this type of solitaire gameplay or those looking for inspiration in starting.
I throw charisma to support the comment... NATURAL 20!!
(Joke aside, it's a good way to see how a solo campaign can be crafted; or for those who were left wanting more)
Thanks for the recommendation. First time hearing about this kind of gameplay.
My friends are so hard to schedule and although I don't mind playing with strangers I can't always guarantee availability myself, so I want to be considerate before joining another campaign.
Thanks for the plug!
The narrative you put to the short game you played; surely I'm not the only one who'd love a short campaign series in this format? Was a great listen!
Oh, I’d definitely watch a series of this. This is delightful!
This is lifechanging! I wondered for years why I couldn't play solo, and only didn't because I had been told for ages that you couldn't solo adventure because it would be like playing chess with yourself, or that I might as well just write a story. This makes it look like so much fun, and a great way for me to try out a new character I've been working on (a half-gnome half-halfling) and getting practice as DM since I've never had the chance to be one.
I'm glad I've seen this video two days before the light pole in my street was completely burnt due to a short circuit. It was a cooler way to pass time while the city was working in the repairs.
The way you narrated the story for us was really awesome, thank you for that extra bit of story telling! This makes solo play actually seem really fun. I have a duo of characters from a mini 3 session campaign that I played a while back, but I don't want to let them go and it isn't often you get to play 2 characters at once. This seems like the perfect way to still use them, and I'm gonna have to pick these books up sometime!
Another example of solo play is Me, Myself, and Die. Check it out! I think it's in its 3rd season
...yeah. Fun. Actualy it feels a bit depressing. Maybe it's just me, but this is the vibe I'm getting. I think I'll stick to PC games, movies or books, if I want to go solo.
@@Member_zero Sounds like you need a little more direction in order to have fun, in which case, yeah, this isn't for you. At least you are aware of that fact about yourself though, good on you!
@@1980sBoy Hmm maybe you are correct. But what I would miss in a game like this is an outside challange. I'm the type of player that likes to "win". Even in a game of D&D. In order to do this, there must be something that is acting to prevent me from winning that I have no controll over.
@@Member_zero Unless you cheat, every game of D&D will have successes and failures. The dice are the force working against you, since there's always a chance at rolling a 1. D&D, even if you complete a module and kill every monster in your path is not a game you can "Win" any more than you can "Win" Animal Crossing. I feel concern for any players who may engage with you, because even if they are like you and understand your need to win- that means they will feel like they loose when they play at your side. Regardless of edition, D&D has been collaborative. If you dont want to do that, maybe follow the video and play alone rather than bashing the concept. Or maybe D&D isn't the game for you, I know my comment certainly wasn't. Have a nice day. ✌️
Dear Ginny; THANK YOU for introducing me to this. I got the bundle and I can finally say I have played some kind of Dnd. My cleric and paladin’s very first outing turned into finding a burned out village, discovering that the village was desperate to unseat the owner of the lands, found and defeated this butthead and delivered him alive to the Soldier who hired them. Yea it took a bit of flipping back and forth in the books but I had so much fun and now I’m going to write more story to flesh the characters out. As someone who lives in the middle of nowhere and is paranoid about playing with people I don’t know, this is as close as I’m ever going to get to real Dnd.
This is great. I'm brand new to D&D and was looking for solo games as my friends aren't always available. Thanks so much for this!
I bought the books after watching this, they have a way to make travel feel exciting and interesting with the wilderness encounters and how they rolled the 6d 12 every mile, I've never been able to find anything to make the in-between fun as well, well worth the money! Thanks for this video
If you are ever stuck for a video idea, your abridged solo play was very entertaining! You could always play one-shots in this manner. You could even use a stream or your Patrons to generate a character or scenario, and then play it out with the solo play books.
This looks like a great tool for solo play and DMing. Any characters I make on my free time could become NPCs in a future adventure.
BRILLIANT!
it's really simple, whenever you're alone for the night just crank one of these out and splurge to your heart's content
Thanks you for your channel!! It’s been a godsend learning to play this game. As a dad of two little ones it’s hard to get out to a group lol
This is fun. And it can be used when you get writer's block. Thank you. Lovely dice and details on your desk btw. Love it.
Honestly I'd watch you do solo ttrpg adventures forever, this was so entertaining.
I just started watching Me, Myself and Die! yesterday. So the timing of this is impeccable.
I love these ideas. I have an old 2ed module that was designed for solo play. It had a marker that would be used on these “blank” boxes to show the result of a choice. It was pretty nifty and watching this reminded me of it. I had been looking for some way to do solo play, and I had landed on a patchwork solution similar to how I build my worlds, and that was to set a catalyst for the events, and, using the personalities of the characters and the people around them, determine what they’d do and what the following events would be. It was a very exhaustive process. I’m a mite miffed at myself that there was a solution in my hands that whole time, but I’m happy I learned it! XD
Really grateful i stumbled on this video, bc i have social anxiety and it's hard for me to open up to people, so this is a life savior
I can't be the only one who kind of now want a series of Nymwen's and Nakrasha's adventures through Ginni Di's solo play?
love the intro. Glad Josh was such a good sport. thank you for showing us how to play with ourselves.
This is really late but I appreciate this video. A few years ago I tried making a solo homebrew game using only the DND 5E supplements and it was fun for a while, but I had some serious burn out literally in the middle of the game when it came to the roleplaying. It was kind of an ambitious campaign idea that relied on a lot of RP, but these systems I feel like are what I needed.
Just found this video the other day, immediately went out and got the Solo Adventurer's Toolbox bundle. I'm a DM with more ideas than players, and way more characters than I have games for them. I decided that I would try this at first for a character I plan to use in a game I'm actually playing in, as a way to flesh out her backstory. Two sessions, and I have a great little plot for her first mission, and a bunch of things written down in the digital version of the journal to memorialize it :D
I've never heard of this so thank you for introducing this to me! I love making characters and this will be wonderful for learning new class/race abilities before I play characters in proper campaigns
This might seem good at first, but a downside is that if you have misunderstandings about how a feature works, there's nobody point them out or correct them.
@@jonp8015 fair but I like to read over stuff before I use it which I feel bad doing at a table (for fear of holding up game play and progress). Still a good thing to keep in mind though just to be safe
This solo interaction can play well with a 2-player run. I can see this format playing like a small-form D&D adventure spanning one-shots to a long-played campaign. Can even be a good way to warm someone to the world of D&D as a newbie just starting TTRPGs. I have so many other friends who would love to play a campaign but are too shy and introverted with crowds or simply do not have any time and this style and format could be the perfect one for them.
Did my first "session?" tonight. As an otr driver this is a great option to get to play and keep the imagination strong.
I enjoy all your videos, but I have to say this is now my favorite. I found myself laughing out loud and both cheering for the PCs to succeed and enjoying your "post-action script-writing" telling the story of the dice rolls. What brought me here was an ad for "The Solo Adventurer’s Toolbox" now on Roll20. Would love to see you do this again, so we can see how Roll20 incorporates this toolbox and if it is worth spending our gold pieces on. Thanks for a fun watch!
I'm so happy to find out this is a thing! I had no idea. Literally just the other day I was just complaining about how one of my favorite character concepts I had was basically unplayable (in my mind) because it was basically two characters on the run together and whose motives were all about protecting each other and I wanted to play both of them. It is so cool to find out that there's a perfect solution to my problem out there!
I gotta say, I was skeptical at first but your little example session sold me on it. I'm a forever DM and I tend to get burnt out constantly session prepping. I think this might be a good tool to get a little play in for myself as well as possibly add some emergent storytelling elements for my players that might help give campaigns fresh direction.
Your videos are so high quality and informative!
I'll be honest, when I read the title, I wasn't really sold on the idea of solo play, but the way you explained it, and the demonstration the end has really sold me on it. Great work, Ginny!