Can you do the RPG books by yourself [Archive] - Wizards Community

Can you do the RPG books by yourself [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
MrHarbord
03-26-08, 03:54 AM Can you do the RPG books by yourself or is D&D are multi player game? I just want to know before I spend this money on something I can't even play
Kobajagrande
03-26-08, 05:05 AM You can't do them by yourself, you need some friends.
MrHarbord
03-26-08, 05:58 AM dang it
Kobajagrande
03-26-08, 06:15 AM On a more positive note, many people who also have no friends play RPG online with some programs.
SokenzanMarauder
03-26-08, 06:29 AM On a more positive note, many people who also have no friends play RPG online with some programs.That they do.

RPol.net is a great site for doing this actually. Lots of DMs there are willing to let new players into their games to learn the ropes, as well.

Also, here's a site with most (not all) of the basic D&D stuff in it for you to look over. Do note that they leave out some of the more important aspects of the game (such as character creation) but this'll at least let you look over stuff to see if it'd interest you:
http://www.d20srd.org/
Seeker95
03-26-08, 08:43 AM You can play D&D by yourself. But it is a little less rewarding than other partner-based games that you choose to engage in alone. Basketball, Sex, and D&D. You can play alone, but it is not nearly as fun.
SamyMerchi
03-26-08, 08:43 AM I play by myself all the time.

Ruins a lot of the suspense about traps and secret doors, of course, but the excitement of whether your characters will survive the battles is still there.
DemonEye
03-26-08, 02:28 PM You can't do them by yourself (and have it be any fun, at least), but there's nothing stopping you from going out and finding other people to play with. :) D&D is a game of social interaction, after all. It both ends and begins with it.
Shiftkitty
03-26-08, 03:29 PM I play by myself all the time.

Ruins a lot of the suspense about traps and secret doors, of course, but the excitement of whether your characters will survive the battles is still there.

In another thread around here, someone said that Solo D&D can be done, but the focus is more on the challenges of combat than on the roleplaying aspect (in which case you sit in your basement talking to yourself and looking like a fool).

During a big lull for me during the days of 2e I used to solo while on duty. It was private security work, graveyard, and I used to read the boxed text and make my decisions based on that. I learned how to slip into and out of the DM's role with ease, and learned how to ignore things the PC's (or NPC's) wouldn't know. I used those little lead miniatures and my security desk with all it's elevations and features for combat. It takes a lot of imagination and a lot of self-honesty. (I cut a hole in a piece of paper to reflect the PC's range of vision and laid that over the map so I couldn't tell what corridors led where, or even discern the true dimensions of very large rooms!) Solo D&D is not for beginners, but when you need your fix, it'll do in a pinch! I did use the random dungeon generator in the DMG during one particularly long and boring weekend recently. Didn't do so bad, really.
SamyMerchi
03-26-08, 03:32 PM Yeah, you definitely need the right mindset for it. It's doable, but the emphasis of the gaming is indeed on the mechanics and not the roleplaying.

Random dungeons are good. I started gaming on 1e, and there's a random dungeon generator in the back of the DMG that I had *endless* hours of fun with. It was really exciting not knowing what would come up next. It avoids the big problem with pre-ready modules -- you know the map in advance, unless you're *really* good at self-control. With a random dungeon, that problem simply doesn't exist, and you can be as much in suspense as any regular player with a DM.

I've been sad that 2e and 3e DMGs have not contained random dungeon generators. Still, the 1e one works fine even today.
Alter_Boy
03-26-08, 05:34 PM Actually, the 3ed DMG does have a random dungeon maker: random rooms, random doors, random encounters.

And to the OP: yes, you can play by yourself. But is the option to play with others doable?
SamyMerchi
03-26-08, 05:47 PM It has...*some elements* of a random dungeon generator, yeah... It does generate *some* of the things you need. But you're still left with doing part of the work yourself.

The 1e RDG was awesome. It did all the damn work for you. Every single turn in the corridors, every single door out of each room, every single Y-fork and + fork, every pool of water, everything.

You could've coded it into the computer and had a fully functional random dungeon without the need for a human DM to come up with any parts.

The 3e RDG is...unfinished, IMO.

But you're right, there is an attempt at one in 3e. I didn't remember it.
Shiftkitty
03-26-08, 07:10 PM I used to have a link to a random dungeon generator that did the maps and populated the dungeon based on info you put in, like party level, about what size you wanted the dungeon to be, what the average room size would be, etc. It even provided treasure. All you had to provide was the story and hook. It was pretty sweet, but I lost it when my computer crashed.
SamyMerchi
03-26-08, 07:12 PM Myth-Weavers.com has one like that. I still prefer the 1e one though...feels more organic to me. But the Myth-Weavers one isn't bad either. IIRC, it's by Jamis Buck, who tends to do good work.
Ranger REG
03-27-08, 03:46 AM Can you do the RPG books by yourself or is D&D are multi player game? I just want to know before I spend this money on something I can't even play
D&D is meant to be a social game, so at minimum two players (actually one player + one Dungeon Master).

There was a time when then-TSR released solo modules, complete with those highlighter pen that reveals hidden information like "if you choose to attack go to entry #5" or "the chest you opened reveals 1000 sp and an short sword of unusual design" or something like that. That didn't work so they continue to develop D&D as a social game.
key
03-27-08, 04:27 PM I play by myself all the time.

Ruins a lot of the suspense about traps and secret doors, of course, but the excitement of whether your characters will survive the battles is still there.
I just do a dice roll to see if the trap is actually there in the first place. That way I'm just as surprised as my character.
Shiftkitty
03-27-08, 06:27 PM I do something like that whae I'm flying solo. I make the Search Check, and if it succeeds, I roll to see if there's a trap. If there is, I do a Disable Device check. If I fail to find the trap, I roll to see if there's a trap, and then roll for damage (or to save, if applicable). I do something similar for secret doors when I'm generating a random dungeon.

I was thinking about trying to put together some charts and stuff for solo D&D and a maybe a few guidelines, but it seems like a monumental task.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
MrHarbord 03-26-08, 03:54 AM	Can you do the RPG books by yourself or is D&D are multi player game? I just want to know before I spend this money on something I can't even play
Kobajagrande 03-26-08, 05:05 AM	You can't do them by yourself, you need some friends.
MrHarbord 03-26-08, 05:58 AM	dang it
Kobajagrande 03-26-08, 06:15 AM	On a more positive note, many people who also have no friends play RPG online with some programs.
SokenzanMarauder 03-26-08, 06:29 AM	On a more positive note, many people who also have no friends play RPG online with some programs.That they do. RPol.net is a great site for doing this actually. Lots of DMs there are willing to let new players into their games to learn the ropes, as well. Also, here's a site with most (not all) of the basic D&D stuff in it for you to look over. Do note that they leave out some of the more important aspects of the game (such as character creation) but this'll at least let you look over stuff to see if it'd interest you: http://www.d20srd.org/
Seeker95 03-26-08, 08:43 AM	You can play D&D by yourself. But it is a little less rewarding than other partner-based games that you choose to engage in alone. Basketball, Sex, and D&D. You can play alone, but it is not nearly as fun.
SamyMerchi 03-26-08, 08:43 AM	I play by myself all the time. Ruins a lot of the suspense about traps and secret doors, of course, but the excitement of whether your characters will survive the battles is still there.
DemonEye 03-26-08, 02:28 PM	You can't do them by yourself (and have it be any fun, at least), but there's nothing stopping you from going out and finding other people to play with. :) D&D is a game of social interaction, after all. It both ends and begins with it.
Shiftkitty 03-26-08, 03:29 PM	I play by myself all the time. Ruins a lot of the suspense about traps and secret doors, of course, but the excitement of whether your characters will survive the battles is still there. In another thread around here, someone said that Solo D&D can be done, but the focus is more on the challenges of combat than on the roleplaying aspect (in which case you sit in your basement talking to yourself and looking like a fool). During a big lull for me during the days of 2e I used to solo while on duty. It was private security work, graveyard, and I used to read the boxed text and make my decisions based on that. I learned how to slip into and out of the DM's role with ease, and learned how to ignore things the PC's (or NPC's) wouldn't know. I used those little lead miniatures and my security desk with all it's elevations and features for combat. It takes a lot of imagination and a lot of self-honesty. (I cut a hole in a piece of paper to reflect the PC's range of vision and laid that over the map so I couldn't tell what corridors led where, or even discern the true dimensions of very large rooms!) Solo D&D is not for beginners, but when you need your fix, it'll do in a pinch! I did use the random dungeon generator in the DMG during one particularly long and boring weekend recently. Didn't do so bad, really.
SamyMerchi 03-26-08, 03:32 PM	Yeah, you definitely need the right mindset for it. It's doable, but the emphasis of the gaming is indeed on the mechanics and not the roleplaying. Random dungeons are good. I started gaming on 1e, and there's a random dungeon generator in the back of the DMG that I had endless hours of fun with. It was really exciting not knowing what would come up next. It avoids the big problem with pre-ready modules -- you know the map in advance, unless you're really good at self-control. With a random dungeon, that problem simply doesn't exist, and you can be as much in suspense as any regular player with a DM. I've been sad that 2e and 3e DMGs have not contained random dungeon generators. Still, the 1e one works fine even today.
Alter_Boy 03-26-08, 05:34 PM	Actually, the 3ed DMG does have a random dungeon maker: random rooms, random doors, random encounters. And to the OP: yes, you can play by yourself. But is the option to play with others doable?
SamyMerchi 03-26-08, 05:47 PM	It has...some elements of a random dungeon generator, yeah... It does generate some of the things you need. But you're still left with doing part of the work yourself. The 1e RDG was awesome. It did all the damn work for you. Every single turn in the corridors, every single door out of each room, every single Y-fork and + fork, every pool of water, everything. You could've coded it into the computer and had a fully functional random dungeon without the need for a human DM to come up with any parts. The 3e RDG is...unfinished, IMO. But you're right, there is an attempt at one in 3e. I didn't remember it.
Shiftkitty 03-26-08, 07:10 PM	I used to have a link to a random dungeon generator that did the maps and populated the dungeon based on info you put in, like party level, about what size you wanted the dungeon to be, what the average room size would be, etc. It even provided treasure. All you had to provide was the story and hook. It was pretty sweet, but I lost it when my computer crashed.
SamyMerchi 03-26-08, 07:12 PM	Myth-Weavers.com has one like that. I still prefer the 1e one though...feels more organic to me. But the Myth-Weavers one isn't bad either. IIRC, it's by Jamis Buck, who tends to do good work.
Ranger REG 03-27-08, 03:46 AM	Can you do the RPG books by yourself or is D&D are multi player game? I just want to know before I spend this money on something I can't even play D&D is meant to be a social game, so at minimum two players (actually one player + one Dungeon Master). There was a time when then-TSR released solo modules, complete with those highlighter pen that reveals hidden information like "if you choose to attack go to entry #5" or "the chest you opened reveals 1000 sp and an short sword of unusual design" or something like that. That didn't work so they continue to develop D&D as a social game.
key 03-27-08, 04:27 PM	I play by myself all the time. Ruins a lot of the suspense about traps and secret doors, of course, but the excitement of whether your characters will survive the battles is still there. I just do a dice roll to see if the trap is actually there in the first place. That way I'm just as surprised as my character.
Shiftkitty 03-27-08, 06:27 PM	I do something like that whae I'm flying solo. I make the Search Check, and if it succeeds, I roll to see if there's a trap. If there is, I do a Disable Device check. If I fail to find the trap, I roll to see if there's a trap, and then roll for damage (or to save, if applicable). I do something similar for secret doors when I'm generating a random dungeon. I was thinking about trying to put together some charts and stuff for solo D&D and a maybe a few guidelines, but it seems like a monumental task.