I got a specific itch to scratch and am on the lookout for a: Solo TTRPG with a GAMEY feel to it, a little less journally (not a judgement i play journaling games literally all the time) dark, macabre vibes - the weirder the better preferably? designed by QTPOC designer(s) Self promotion VERY OK! - ThreadSky

superdillin.bsky.social • 36 days ago

I got a specific itch to scratch and am on the lookout for a:

Solo TTRPG
with a GAMEY feel to it, a little less journally (not a judgement i play journaling games literally all the time)
dark, macabre vibes - the weirder the better
preferably? designed by QTPOC designer(s)

Self promotion VERY OK!

Comments

juliciel.bsky.social•36 days ago

Give me a few months to finish and fund it and I’ll have something fun for you 👻

superdillin.bsky.social•36 days ago

i wait on bated breath juli, for ANYTHING you have coming

juliciel.bsky.social•36 days ago

omg 🥺🥺 okay kickstarter’s planned to launch in the summer we’ll see what happens!

shinyfluffdnd.bsky.social•36 days ago

@pennyblake.bsky.social might have something for you

pennyblake.bsky.social•34 days ago

Thanks so much lovely! I have lots that fit that bill :D CHAOSCAPE uses maps & rituals, MORNINGSTAR uses candles & dice, BRIGAKI DJILIA uses any creative medium you prefer be it chalks, spray paint, light-motion photography, music, collage, dance... no journaling in any of them 🥰 https://pennyblake.itch.io/

gontijo.bsky.social•34 days ago

Blurred lines is a solo ttrpg inspired by the giallo horror cinema and Michelangelo Antonionni's Blow Up movie. You're a crime photographer hunting down a serial killer identity. He's also hunting you down.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/388750/blurred-lines-giallo-detective-solo-rpg

magicalgurll.com•35 days ago

unsure about the last part but RIG is randomly generated grid combat as its primary thing, it's a soulslike mech game, and it's in solo but not alone 5 rn

bakaroni.bsky.social•35 days ago

https://the-lost-bay.itch.io/thelostbayrpg

A suburban gothic RPG based on OSR set in 90s suburbia that supports solo play.

lodomo.dev•36 days ago

Fight Like a Crow is still pretty journaly, but has some pretty cool dark elements. And you can keep the journaling limited.

Combat and exploration is all deck of cards based. Highly recommend it.

lodomo.dev•36 days ago

Also I didn't explain the game. You're a crow. You can be in a setting of your choice: gothic, modern, steampunk, Tower of London, cyberpunk, and there's expansions.

Lots of fun. Lots of risk. Lots of creativity.

I keep track with a journal but you can make it must faster paced.

lodomo.dev•36 days ago

It has free rules for some of the cards too, definitely would be adaptable to a tarot deck. You could drop the Major Arcana, or use them as the jokers and have more jokers.

lodomo.dev•36 days ago

Edit: it's called "Be like a crow"

fluffytheterrible6.bsky.social•36 days ago

https://fluffytheterrible6.itch.io/prowess
I made this game for a game jam about a year ago!
Its mechanically inspired by roguelike video games and is about using dice tricks to win.
Pretty dark but more in like a Warhammer Age Of Sigmar or Edgy Exalted Campaign way.

paulczege.bsky.social•36 days ago

Just got a good external playtest report on my current draft of this today. "It's like Twin Peaks meets the X-Files." It uses playing cards. It's more game-y than any other journaling game I've made. I've been trying to get it done for Zine Quest but I might not make it.

mfelps.bsky.social•36 days ago

So this is a solo framework designed to let you run old school D&D modules, except you are a robot moving through them and it's scored based and there's a discord with high scores. I'm keying mostly off your "gamey" request here.
https://technicalgrimoire.itch.io/overpowered

featherfallflight.bsky.social•33 days ago

Hey, thanks for mentioning our game! We just released a new edition with more roleplay elements. It's best played with a dungeon crawl module. It doesn't use tarot, but we tried to make dice management game fun and fast. And we added more genre options too!

https://www.technicalgrimoire.com/overpowered

basicchunnel.bsky.social•34 days ago

https://speakthesky.itch.io/this-person-should-not-exist

hedgegirl.bsky.social•35 days ago

How about a city crawl to save civilians with a bunch of dice rolling?
https://causacreations.itch.io/magdeboerg

elfherself.bsky.social•32 days ago

I found a few from the current Solo But Not Alone 5 bundle you might like:

https://smalltowncreepy.itch.io/radio-broadcast-at-the-end-of-the-world Dice, not cards. Post-apoc setting.

elfherself.bsky.social•32 days ago

https://the-ravensridge-press.itch.io/cartograph-atlas-edition Worldbuilding/map game; playing cards & dice.

elfherself.bsky.social•32 days ago

https://kintarotpc.itch.io/echoes-in-my-hull Uses tarot; you play as a ship & crew. Not specifically creepy-dark but you could easily spin it to space horror.

elfherself.bsky.social•32 days ago

https://200proof.itch.io/anypercent Uses tarot cards. Is surreal but not creepy-macabre.

lilithttrpg.bsky.social•35 days ago

Have you played ASTROPRISMA before? It's inspired by Citizen Sleeper.

https://www.astroprisma.com/

superdillin.bsky.social•35 days ago

Oh THIS LOOKS YUMMY no I haven't!!!! Thank you!!

lilithttrpg.bsky.social•35 days ago

The layout is fucking gooorgeous. Have fun!

friendly-ghost.bsky.social•35 days ago

Get in this YA cave and save your bff!

https://friendly-ghost.itch.io/scary-cave

friendly-ghost.bsky.social•35 days ago

(leaning heavily on the GAMEY part of the request with this one)

kenlowery.bsky.social•35 days ago

Two Hand Path. Be a wizard fighting through post-apocalyptic dungeons. Your increasingly scarred hands are your character sheet. Yahtzee style rules. https://wilkies.itch.io/two-hand-path

magicalgurll.com•35 days ago

📌

impossible.bsky.social•35 days ago

Some of @annablackwell.bsky.social's games fit this description to various amounts. Some are very heavy on the gamey axis (Delve), others are more journaling games (Apocatheria). Coloste https://www.colostle.com/ fits the bill perfectly.

mattcaulder.com•36 days ago

https://k-ramstack.itch.io/bound

mattcaulder.com•36 days ago

Any of Bananachans recents?? (forgery, darkness at the brink)

superdillin.bsky.social•36 days ago

I'm waiting on my physical copy of Darkness at the brink to come in and WILL be playing it day of arrival =)

mattcaulder.com•36 days ago

I was so bummed when I thought I missed the KS, but IJust missed the email with the game haha

hungryclone.bsky.social•35 days ago

I can’t suggest Wraithound by @capacle.bsky.social enough. I played it solo and it was so much fun. https://capacle.itch.io/wraithound My live play of it is here: https://youtu.be/6rB48j3Ii3w

capacle.bsky.social•35 days ago

Thanks for the shoutout!

breathingstories.bsky.social•35 days ago

The Spider and the City by @newmadras.bsky.social fits this so well! Except the later tarot stipulation. It does include a journaling option but I’ve played without and had a great and gamey time

https://newmadras.itch.io/the-spider-and-the-city

percypropa.bsky.social•36 days ago

It’s more of a tower defense game but A Beast’s Burden is my fun little foray into that space and will receive updates when I have the headspace for it! You’re a legendary creature facing off against soldiers attempting to run you down!

https://urania-games.itch.io/a-beasts-burden

lukewhenderson.bsky.social•35 days ago

My RPG Coven's Keep, which is a part of Crit One 3, can be played solo and doesn't need journaling. It's set in a world where magic is outlawed and your coven seeks a fabled sanctuary, but magic is hard to come by and sacrifices might have to be made.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lukewhenderson/crit-one-3-the-imp-fire-strikes-back?ref=45s5yr

200proofgames.bsky.social•34 days ago

Not dark or macabre, but SUPER gamey, not at all journally, and tarot-based, so... two outta three ain't bad? :D

kenlowery.bsky.social•34 days ago

THIS IS A GOOD ONE

samsorensen.bsky.social•36 days ago

Thousand Year Old Vampire remains undefeated

superdillin.bsky.social•36 days ago

It's definitely among my favorites!

brendanlh.bsky.social•36 days ago

Rune, Ker Nathalie, You Died, 2D6 Dungeon, D100 Dungeon, 4 Against Darkness, Runecairn Wardensaga are all great!

brendanlh.bsky.social•36 days ago

Ker Nathalas*

jen-the-magician.bsky.social•35 days ago

This one has a journal component but oh boy is it weird. Knave of Cups sold out right after we started carrying it. Also has a strong of-the-moment, thematic vibe - capture demons in playing cards and use their powers for social justice shenanigans

hey.knilly.me•35 days ago

I picked this up recently and I haven't tried it yet, but I was also gonna recco it!

jen-the-magician.bsky.social•35 days ago

I love the idea of customizing a card deck and using demon powers to steal from walmart

hungryclone.bsky.social•35 days ago

I am a big fan of this one. It honestly launched my interest into making card based games.

superdillin.bsky.social•35 days ago

Oh oh oh oh

crims0nremains.bsky.social•35 days ago

This is so much my jam, looking forward to diving in.

wharthur.bsky.social•35 days ago

Mall Zombies can be played solo. You search for trio of cards in the deck, and each character has their own special ability to manipulate the deck.
https://aryl-ether.itch.io/mall-zombies

superdillin.bsky.social•36 days ago

EXTRA EXTRA BONUS IF IT USES TAROT CARDS I FORGOT I FINALLY HAVE A TAROT DECK!!!

22to22.bsky.social•34 days ago

not too crunchy and debatably a ttrpg but certainly dark and uses tarot/oracle cards: https://22to22.itch.io/v-sigil

doinohhkay.bsky.social•35 days ago

Tangled Blessings! Still journaly if you play solo but if you can find a buddy it’s more roleplay than journaling!

ceruleanfive.bsky.social•36 days ago

You could check out Knight Forlorn. It’s a is Soulslike, roguelike story TTRPG.

It uses procedural generation, punishing battles, and improvisation to wave tales of a lone wanderer on a futile quest in a withering world. And it includes solo play.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blackfiskforlag/knight-forlorn

zakkarii.bsky.social•35 days ago

Excuse me while I just 📌 this for when I want to answer this very same question...

vivacia.bsky.social•35 days ago

📌

thecandacemarie.bsky.social•35 days ago

Exclusion Zone Botanist is a solo hexcrawler that is a drawing based game! Venture out into a radioactive world to catalog new plants!

sheerspec.bsky.social•13 days ago

Looks like someone's read Jeff VanderMeer ;) This sound neat as hell.

superdillin.bsky.social•35 days ago

Candace that's so spot on to what I want!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!

thecandacemarie.bsky.social•35 days ago

YAAAAY I hope you love it!!

bsakat.bsky.social•35 days ago

Oh! OH! Have you tried "Much that is Good and All that is Evil?"
https://www.patreon.com/posts/much-that-is-and-75590441

superdillin.bsky.social•35 days ago

Ooooo no!!!! Thank you for this!!!

bsakat.bsky.social•35 days ago

You're very welcome! It's absolutely like Untitled Goose Game but with gulls. It's so, /so/ funny. It's the first solo game I ever read.

jeeyon.bsky.social•30 days ago

i'm so honored that my spiteful gull game is the first solo game you ever read hahaha, thank you for recommending it!

bsakat.bsky.social•30 days ago

I've told SO MANY people about it! I love it.

bsakat.bsky.social•35 days ago

Also, the creator @jeeyon.bsky.social is here on BS.

tabletopobscura.bsky.social•35 days ago

RUNE from @gilarpgs.bsky.social
It's a solo tactical soulslike TRG (TTRPG) with a dark vibe. I've done several sessions of it and it's a lot of fun.
https://gilarpgs.itch.io/rune

gilarpgs.bsky.social•35 days ago

Thanks for the shout out ☺️

takeurtonnic.bsky.social•35 days ago

I read that as specific lich to scratch and I was invested

nyessa.bsky.social•30 days ago

Barrowdelve uses tarot cards to generate the tunnels and rooms of a barrow, while certain cards trigger encounters with objects, people, and dangers within the maze. There are four different endings depending on the order of the cards you draw and what you find as you go. https://nyessa.itch.io/barrowdelve

novecentogames.bsky.social•35 days ago

Hey there! If you're looking for a dark solo RPG where you are a spec-ops soldier sent to explore a cursed jungle filled with anomalies and abominations, you can try Hellgreen!
There's a free demo, so you can try it for free and see if you like it!
I'd say it plays almost like a "hexcrawl" 👀

thiefofembers.bsky.social•35 days ago

I made https://threeofembers.itch.io/the-chthonic-library for the Tinyworld Ttrpg jam that just ended that has some game attached, if you ever want to play someone searching for forbidden knowledge and risking their entire mind to do so!

enhillis.bsky.social•35 days ago

You can play Let's Make a Mary Sue solo! You may also enjoy other Density Media games, although some work better with more than 1 player. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/339140/let-s-make-a-mary-sue