Friday, September 3, 2021

RPG SOLO: Simulating Players #2 - Decisions

Last week, I posted about another way to approach rpg solo gaming by simulating the characters rather than the game master.
The topic led to an interesting discussion on reddit that you can find here: reddit link

Today I'm sharing my thoughts on how to build this kind of game.


1. Group decision

A group decision must emerge. This decision must be the most logical thing to do in consideration of everyone's characters. For those who are familiar with it, the notion of alignment a la Dungeons and Dragons can be an important key to facilitate the decision.

Let's assume that our group is composed of
- A Knight (loyal/good) who fully respects the codes of chivalry. He defends the widow and the orphan in strict respect of the order established by the society. Honor is important to him, his motivation is glory.
- A Thief (chaotic/neutral) who is motivated by his personal enrichment. He hates order and rules and does as he pleases. He doesn't have a good relationship with the knight.
- A Magician (neutral/good): Basically good, he is not as extreme as the knight. He will generally abide by the laws if it benefits the greater good, but rebels against those he considers unjust. He is motivated by knowledge.


Let's assume that our group has accepted a mission at the excorte tavern. On the way there, the group is attacked by brigands. Our group is pretty good. The most logical decision would be to fight against the robbers. If our group had been on the neutral/bad side, the decision could have been to ally with the brigands. If the brigands had outnumbered the group, the best decision might have been to flee

 

2. Individual decisions


Now let's see how each person reacts to the group decision.
Let's roll a d10

1-5. The Sheep
The character acts in the interest of the group according to his or her alignment but passively. The character follows the group's decision and will adopt a standard reaction. I don't think you can play all the characters in the group to the hilt. You need "follower sheep" to be able to highlight other characters. In this option, fight, character fights, flee, character flees. The character acts, but without brilliance or flash
In our example, the character defends himself, fights for the survival of the group.

6-7 The Hero
The character acts with panache. He acts in the interest of the group but takes risks to show off.

In the example:
The knight makes a declaration of honor not to flee; challenges the leader to a duel...
The thief hides and tries to attack the thief leader from behind
The magician tries to launch a ritual to summon the wolves

8-9 The Rebel
The character refuses the group's decision and acts according to his alignment and values. Without necessarily disowning the group, the character will assert all his personality.
The knight finds no honor in fighting against poor starving peasants. He proposes to do something for them, to negotiate... even if it means separating the fighters
The thief takes advantage of the confusion to steal precious objects from the convoy
The magician does not want to hurt these poor people with his magic. After all, they are starving. If they steal some valuable items, good for them! Even if it means taking their side?


0. The Madman
The character acts contrary to his alignment for various reasons - his behavior is totally unexpected.

The knight persuades the group to run away...
The thief acts with honor by challenging the leader of the bandits to a duel...
The magician acts with cruelty...

... for some reasons.

 

If you like solo rpg, don't miss my last productions on dtrpg 

0 Dungeons Solo 1-The Goblins' Den Dungeons Solo 1-The Goblins' Den

The Wandering Knight SAALT - The simplest ruleset of the World

Find all my productions on drivethrurpg. No risk! Everything is free or in full preview.

Lunar Gin solo rpg

 

And more on the shop of our publisher

Doppelgnger Publishing

 

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