Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ferris1971 11-09-04, 04:19 PM	Obviously, having one DM, and 3-4 players is ideal when planning D&D. What are the biggest pitfalls involved with only one player and one DM? What about solitaire? Anything like that? Obviously would be devoid of plot, but... Thoughts? Greg
Seeker95 11-09-04, 04:54 PM	The biggest pitfall to 1-DM and 1-Player D&D is balance. Everything in the core rules, from spells to BAB to saving throws to CR to EL assumes a 4-PC party with balanced access to Fighter, Rogue, Wizard and Cleric elements. You'll have to be very careful what the DM throws at the player and what the player chooses to pursue.
Cymraegmorgan 11-09-04, 05:08 PM	The Druid makes a great PC in a solo game. Wilderness encounters are more logically scaled down for a single PC.
tec-9-7 11-09-04, 05:11 PM	Player and DM must both have a good handle on what's going on, and more likely than not, the DM is going to have to throw a handfull of regular NPCs in as company. The 1DM/1-2Player games are acutally some of the best I've ever played, and some of the worst. Styles must really compliment for this to work, but when it does, it's a great experience.
ferris1971 11-09-04, 05:42 PM	What if I let the player control more than one character?
Cymraegmorgan 11-09-04, 05:59 PM	If the player controls more than two characters, roleplaying suffers.
Ma'ElKoth 11-09-04, 07:02 PM	So far as mechanics are concerned, if you want to worry less about killing your solo with equal CR encounters, try using the Gestalt Class options from Unearthed Arcana. It doesn't really equal the traditional party of four, but it helps. If the two of you are on the same page, this is a great idea. You don't have to worry about pleasing four people every time. Also, I've found that I can have more intricate plots with a one player game, since there isn't the usual confusion as the player who never remembers everything gets the player who barely remembers anything to fill him in (poorly) about what happened three weeks ago. What about solitaire? Anything like that? Obviously would be devoid of plot, but... Don't do it. You'll go blind.
Megatron 11-09-04, 08:32 PM	I've been thinking about trying a solo game for awhile, so far what I have is: - Random tables for encounters, treasure, attitudes, rooms, Everything. - modular dungeon design, for on the fly generation with said tables - write multiple plots - with many npc's and badguys, give motives, goals, and combat styles for each. in fact, make a table with "probable actions" for each one You may know a bit too much of the plot to be a real RPG, but at least it won't be just a miniatures skirmish
nekrolog 11-09-04, 10:15 PM	Solo play is too intimate for me, I like the group dynamic better. Some people like solo better because both the player and DM get more "screen time." Scale back the challenges by 1 or 2 CR's, and give the PC time to rest up and recover after every 2-3 challenges. It's more geared toward good roleplaying than combat. Anyway, there's no reason to worry about it as a DM. Just leave the adventure more open to sudden adaptation than you would have to with a standard sized party.
Tibs 11-09-04, 11:05 PM	I think it depends on how you go about it, and what a type of character your PC uses. My friend DMed a 2nd edition solo adventure fo me once-all I had to do was protect a convoy of pilgrims as they travelled through a highly dangerous forest. Of course, we were attacked-well, actually, it was more like we got caught up in a orc/goblin war. Managed to protect the entire convoy by myself (a 5th level ranger), with the assistance of one entangle spell from the convoy's leader. Killed a lot of goblinoids. Oh lord, did they die. Point is, it was a lot of fun, so I say just go for it.
malykoth 11-09-04, 11:28 PM	If the player controls more than two characters, roleplaying suffers. Depends, I think. I've played more than one character at a time, and was complemented on my ability to get into believable arguments with myself. I understand what you're saying, though...sometimes roleplaying even one character can be difficult. If you play more than one character, it usually starts to resemble something like the Baldur's Gate computer games (not that that's necessarily a bad thing). If you choose to go this route, it would help to have the player supply you with a copy of each character he wants to play, and probably have him make a "combat sheet"...something with all the characters saves, attack scores, certain skills (Listen, Spot and Search, at least), etc. in one easily referenced page. Though it will be complicated, the player will have the advantage of all the characters working very smoothly together...at least in combat.
Necron99 11-10-04, 12:26 AM	I dislike letting players go solo - Not because of any RP objection, but because they tend to make stupid mistakes without the group dynamic keeping their assumptions in check. That said, I have done it quite often, and have DM'ed quite often for players running solo. Usually quality solo play is more errand-running than adventure...such as returning corpses to family, fencing stolen items behind the party's back, getting someone out of jail, etc. Not the sort of stuff you want to do while three other people wait around doing nothing and drink beer. Although we have certainly made some interesting sessions out of routine character maintenace. As a player, one of the hairiest nights I ever had was figuring out the uses of an Amulet of the Planes solo (none of the other players were interesed in coming along...hmmm). My BA mage, with two henchmen for backup, went (random) plane hopping. The plan was simple - Pop in, mark the configuration of the amulet, figure out where we were, and hop back out again. Egads...the places we went, the things we saw, and the deities we irritated have followed that character to this very day. The hapless henchmen are still floating around in Limbo if I remember correctly. Solo play can be big fun, but I wouldn't risk letting anyone go into the ToEE or Bloodstone or anything like that. Keep it simple.
caeruleus 11-10-04, 01:41 AM	I've been a DM and a player in one-on-one campaigns. They can be excellent, so I recommend giving them a try. Do keep in mind the concerns that people have raised, though. It's harder for one person to solve a puzzle than it is for a group. That's why the DM should be more lenient in such cases, perhaps giving clues without reducing the XP gained by too much. Roleplaying two characters at once can be a bit of a challenge, but the rewards are great. I had two characters who had a bit of a falling out; not that I wanted them to split up, it's just that that's what they would have done given the circumstances. I knew this, because I got to know each of their personalities very well. It took a while, but once I got going, they seemed to take on a life of their own. I think the key is to get comfortable having conversations with yourself while someone else (the DM) is watching. It feels weird, but as I said, it's rewarding. One thing I love about one-on-one play is that if one of the PCs needs to go do something, that can be roleplayed out in lots of detail without worrying about other players waiting around with nothing to do.
nekrolog 11-10-04, 01:57 AM	I have a hard time picturing one player controlling two characters when it comes to them interacting with each other. "So. So what? So where are we going next. We're going to the kobold farm, like I suggested. I suggested. I just said that. No, I said it." DM.... :uh-huh:
Seeker95 11-10-04, 09:36 AM	I have a hard time picturing one player controlling two characters when it comes to them interacting with each other.I don't. :P
amethal 11-10-04, 11:04 AM	D&D is a social game, so I find it more fun with more than 1 player. However, if you are going to do it then it helps if you cut out as many random elements as you can. To give an example, I ran an adventure for 2 players (a 2 person party of a half-orc barbarian and an Elf cleric) in which they were ambushed by a displacer beast. Unfortunately the barbarian failed to beat the 50% miss chance a couple of times in a row and as a result the party nearly died. Now I never use monsters with miss chances against small parties....
Airsucker 11-10-04, 12:32 PM	My husband started a campaign with me running 2 5th level PCs, multiclassed. I like to play in a bigger group, but when you have trouble holding a regular group together, you take what you can get. It was still fun, just not quite as fun.
larwana 11-10-04, 12:55 PM	I like roleplaying with 3 to 4 people, but my husband and I move around a lot, so we often game by ourselves. For a while, I tried having him DM, but he doesn't like to read, doesn't like to prepare, and while I have plenty of fun, getting him to start a game is never easy, and takes lots of begging. So I GM for him. I have had many successful adventures, but I wish someone would produce more Modules, Rules Supplements, Campaigns, or settings geared more toward One-on-One play. My husband is almost to the point where he can read my mind. And his characters tend to get a bit out of hand. He says his characters are neutral, but he decides everything with dice rolls, and is more unpredictable than a confused Kender. Anyone got suggestions on resources, or just good adventure ideas for one-on-one play, and occasional small groups. My husband is a trucker, and I ride with him. I am trying to think of a way to play while he drives, but I am still working on the random elements.
chrome_gnome 11-10-04, 01:04 PM	I've done some solo play with older 1st ed rules in order to test out how the random dungeon generator tables would function if I needed them. Tricks and puzzles are mostly out but you can always fall back on simple Int or Wis checks to "simulate" the character deducing what to do rather than the player doing it. If you can find an old copy of the AD&D DMG it has a good random dungeon generator in it. ALternatively the Hackmaster game has a near duplicate copy of the old 1st ed rules, including the random tables and it is still sold all over. There are some online dungeon generators but they typically do the whole floor of a dungeon at once so it would make solo play a bit tough unless you were good at not peeking at other room descriptions while looking for the one you need. When it comes to small group play (i.e. 1DM and 1-2 players) the biggest thing I've found that helps is to encourage hirelings to help with healing, traps or whatever skills the characters don't posses. With multiclassing becoming vastly easier in newer editions of the game after a few levels there is no reason a party of two players after 3-4 levels couldn't be self sufficient. Understanding obviously that they would have broad skills rather than maxed skills. Also hirelings provide a good way to mess with players at perfect times during an adventure to to help guide them.
caeruleus 11-10-04, 01:30 PM	I have a hard time picturing one player controlling two characters when it comes to them interacting with each other. "So. So what? So where are we going next. We're going to the kobold farm, like I suggested. I suggested. I just said that. No, I said it." DM.... :uh-huh: When it comes to things like that, I just say, "My characters decide to go to the kobold farm." I don't roleplay every interaction between them. Only when it makes for an interesting story. If you can play multiple characters as a DM, you can do it as a player.
caeruleus 11-10-04, 01:33 PM	My husband is a trucker, and I ride with him. I am trying to think of a way to play while he drives, but I am still working on the random elements. I've played one-on-one while in a car. We restricted such things to roleplaying encounters rather than combat (I wasn't even going to try to set up my battlemat and figures in the car!). While my friend drove, I would hold a d20 in my hand, shake it, open my palm, and the role is which ever side is up. It worked for us, anyway.
StormKnight 11-10-04, 06:40 PM	My husband is a trucker, and I ride with him. I am trying to think of a way to play while he drives, but I am still working on the random elements. Many calculators either come with or can easily be programmed with a random number generator. A palm-pilot would be even better and could be used to track information for you. A small box for you to roll dice in can work to. You might want to consider a less-mechanics heavy game for a trip like that. Or even just ditch mechanics and just roleplay - it can be fun! As to general one player advice... I agree with what was said earlier about being careful about puzzles. One player trying to muddle through a puzzle just isn't much fun - its much more interesting (and likely to succeed) with a group. With one player you can spend a lot more effort on winding the story around that character, making it really personal to that character. Which is a good thing. Its often good to have a persistent NPC along, often a sort of "sidekick" character. This gives someone for the PC to interact with and ensure she's never without someone to talk to. The NPC shouldn't get in the way of the PC getting things done. A good support character can be handy for this - for example, a Healer is GREAT to have if the player's character doesn't have healing ability herself. If you are playing a more mechanical game, there's no reason not have one person play multiple character, but be aware that it can become overwhelming quickly and you may lose roleplaying to it.
Androlphas 11-10-04, 08:55 PM	Try this link: http://www.mythic.wordpr.com/ I've played solo with this game (using the D&D rules) a few times. While not the same as playing with a group, it's actually lots of fun. You can come up with some wild plots, but it helps to have some generic stats for NPCs to cut down on design time during the game with books such as Enemies and Allies or AEG's D20 Toolbox. :)
malykoth 11-10-04, 09:33 PM	Another option is to allow the solo player to make a higher level character than you normally would. Say you take an adventure for 4 fourth level characters, and allow the player to play a single 9th or 10th level character (sorry if this isn't the level to choose...I never DM and don't really care to understand how to calculate CR and Encounter Ratings). Another option is to allow the "gestalt" rules from Unearthed Arcana...need a 5th LV rogue and a 5th level cleric? No problem...he's got both covered.
mdhprime 11-18-04, 12:51 PM	Obviously, having one DM, and 3-4 players is ideal when planning D&D. What are the biggest pitfalls involved with only one player and one DM? What about solitaire? Anything like that? Obviously would be devoid of plot, but... Thoughts? Greg Playing solitaire is sometimes the only option when you cannot get a group together. It is still fun to roll characters and walk them through an adventure. It takes the role-playing aspect out of it, but you can have fun with random encounters, combat, etc. Playing this way can also help generate ideas for creating new adventures. If you cannot find people who want to play the game, this method allows you to stay involved with the game and still have fun. Just a thought...