RPGaDay 2021 - Day Twenty-Eight

 

DAY 28 - SOLO - DREAM - OPEN - DELVE

Four Against Darkness is an interesting option for solo dungeon crawls -  I knew of it because it is published by Ganesha Games - which also publishes Song of Blades and Heroes and a few dozen other skirmish miniature games that use the same basic engine. I had suggested it for my son at some point and he just LOVES it - he got so into it and involved in the Facebook group, he has ended up play testing and editing a number of their expansions now! (Name’s in the books and everything!) 

It’s a very clever little system. Basically, you make a party of four very simple characters and run them through randomly generated dungeons in an Old School dungeon crawl. There have been expansions to include wilderness adventures and more challenging stuff for higher level characters. 

Finnegan had used it to run short one-off games for friends when they can’t play their regular D&D game because a pivotal player did not show up for the game (because character generation is SO quick and simple. 

He even ran me and some friends of mine through a few adventures when the was a lull in our groups campaigns. It was really fun. 

He’s also played in a game run by one of the writers he’s helped with play-testing and editing. 

But it is primarily meant to be used as a solo game. 

Is there really any actual “role-playing” in a solo game? Why not? He’s developed backgrounds and personalities for a lot of his characters - even written up and illustrates some of their adventures. He’s maybe switching roles between the characters while playing… but that’s something EVERY DM does and THAT’s still role-playing. 

While dreaming up scenarios and adventures for RPGs or miniatures skirmish games, I kind of play through them in my head imagining how it might go… that’s kind of like solo role-playing. I mean, just making up stories in my head is kind of like role-playing. 

I would also be interested to try out Rangers of Shadowdeep. It’s a game by Joseph McCullough (who wrote Frostgrave - which I’ve played a LOT of) and is billed as a “solo or co-operative miniatures game” - As I understand it, you make characters and go through adventures encountering wandering monsters and such… could be fun… and MINIATURES!!!!

But maybe I’ll wait for a bit… Got some KILL TEAMS to assemble and play with!!!!

Stay tuned for more Kill Teams! (and the last few days of RPGaDay2021!)