For months now, I've been noodling around, playstorming a solo dungeon crawler game. I've tried a few different solo games and read a few, trying to learn how they tick. - ThreadSky

zinesfrombelow.bsky.social • 47 days ago

For months now, I've been noodling around, playstorming a solo dungeon crawler game.

I've tried a few different solo games and read a few, trying to learn how they tick.

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zinesfrombelow.bsky.social•47 days ago

I'm trying to make a game composed of these verbs:
-Draw
-Imagine
-Log (take brief notes)
-Track resources(only a few)
-Choose Risk/Reward
-Be surprised by randomness

I don't want to make/play a solo game based on scenes or writing prompts, which many seem to rely on.

zinesfrombelow.bsky.social•47 days ago

For tracking resources, I've been designing a pocket mod character booklet, very inspired by @n8hps.bsky.social 's NOSR zine, Sledgehammer and others. I use a paperclip or bookmark tab to track things like torches or days.
So far the rules are basically Cairn, but...

zinesfrombelow.bsky.social•47 days ago

Generating the dungeon and also running the game at the same time is a lot, so I think game rules need to be super simple. I want to pass the time drawing and thinking, not JUST rolling dice/consulting tables.

zinesfrombelow.bsky.social•47 days ago

Some games inspiring me:
DELVE by @annablackwell.bsky.social . Coolest suite of solo games I've tried. SO much to track though, this game asks a lot of the player! It almost feels more like you're playing a strategy game.

DARK FORT is cool, sleek and impressive, but I'm not sure it's actually fun.

zinesfrombelow.bsky.social•47 days ago

Beneath the Dungeon Floor! by @hodagrpg.bsky.social is awesome! I loved the writing of the beginning, especially the town/home base, something I'm trying to incorporate into my game.
I had some trouble understanding how to play this--might require more understanding of OD&D (I'm working on it!).

zinesfrombelow.bsky.social•47 days ago

For oracles and spark tables, I've been using Solo Dark, Knave 2e and this cool new thing WORLDWIZARD.
I also made my own 52 card spark tables for room generation, but you need a lot of sparks for this kinda thing.

Cool! Hopefully I'll make more headway and have more to share soon.

karlyanddd.bsky.social•46 days ago

Oh that’s awesome, excited to see the final game!

zinesfrombelow.bsky.social•44 days ago

I'm not sure if there will be a final game for other people to play, or if it's just me figuring out how to play a game by myself 🤷‍♂️. Either way is cool, I think!

dieselee.bsky.social•47 days ago

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