Adventure idea and solo play suggestions?

[zman68]

Hello,

It's been a long time since I've posted here. Glad to see the community is still going strong!

I have a suggestion or idea for a possible programmed adventure. Apologies if this has already been brought up in the past. What about something like an Arena combat game similar to the old Death Test adventures? One in which a single adventurer will go through a series of combats in an Arena setting. I recall Tunnels and Trolls having an adventure called Arena of Khazan. Got my butt whipped on that many times in my youth.

Are there any adventures in the pipeline that would focus on (1) solo player instead of a group? Something such as Barbarian Prince minus the micromanagement.

Lastly, I have a few questions regarding solo play for the Dark City Games adventures. I can start a separate thread for this if that would work better. A few years back I corresponded with George via email about solo play and how to control the enemy side. Especially when there is more than one enemy. I've since misplaced those emails but was wondering how some of you handle the group combat or control the enemy side. In other words how to determine who attacks who or when and how. Is there a set of guidelines or tips for the solo player? I tried to come up with a simple flow chart but got sidetracked. Although the games are geared toward solo play I've always had a difficult time trying to determine the actions of the enemy. Unless the adventure spells out exactly how to run the them. Quite possibly my imagination in my middle age has run out. I don't recall having any problems in my younger years playing the old Fantasy Trip solo adventures. Maybe I overthink too much now. haha.

Thanks for all the tips,

Joe (Zman68)

P.S
Please ignore the Read more thread below. I originally posted in the wrong place.

Read more: darkcitygames.proboards.com/thread/295/adventure-idea-solitaire-play-suggestions#ixzz2tiB3i3BM

[darkscar]

Hello zman,

I had similar questions spring to mind when I first started playing through some of the DCG gamebooks. My prior experience was with T&T and Fighting Fantasy. I was used to running only one PC in solo games. Questions like “Who fights who?” “Who attempts saving rolls and can all PCs can attempt saving rolls?” sprang to mind.

As for the combats, I look at it this way...Unless the gamebook directs you on how to conduct the battles, then there is no wrong way to run the battles (Of course, every bad guy gets their chance to hit, so it’s within reason. No one does nothing). But as far as who fights who, that’s my call. So, what I do is what’s most advantageous to my party.

If I have a PC at 3 ST, and we encounter 4 Ethereal Mages that do 3d6 damage per whack, you bet I’m going to have the 4 EMs attack the other 3 PCs. So, at times, 2 or more monsters may gang up on a single PC, leaving a badly injured PC free to attack whoever they want. And when/if the higher ST PCs get whittled down to low ST, I may change it up again, and have the monsters attack different PCs. It’s your call.

I, too, wouldn’t mind a DCG game designed for one PC, a la the Tunnels and Trolls and Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, a true solo adventure with just one PC. For me, I kind of like the story-heavy solos, with a good rich plot. A gladiator-type only type game like Arena of Khazan with its minimal, skeleton of a story no longer interests me too much. 

[zman68]

Darkscar,

Thanks for the tips!

If I can find the emails I exchanged with George regarding solo play I'll go ahead and post the ideas. I printed them out a ways back but so far can't locate them.

Bret,

What are your thoughts on solo play (combat)? Any chance of adventure for just one character?


Joe

[julie]

If there's exactly four opponents, I match them up one-for-one. If more or less, I do what darkscar said, that which is most advantageous for my party.

Sometimes enemy spellcasters aren't given instructions on how to run them. I do what generally makes sense, but if they have something like Lightning-5 in their arsenal as well as Mind Control, I may just sort of pass over the Lightning-5 choice and have them cast Mind Control on a party member. At that time, the party member just does nothing, but at least he's not taking damage HAHA!

I've seen a few of the solo adventures published back in the Death Test days. I don't know, they seemed pretty flimsy plot wise. I like the more story-driven games. ... A solo with one PC? Count me in.

[zman68]

Julie,

Thanks for your tips as well! I managed to find the notes I scribbled down from my emails with George regarding NPC tactics. I'll put them in a separate thread for anyone who is interested.


Bret,

Sounds like there's some interest for an adventure with one solo character.

Joe

[mister frau blucher]

Hey, lady and gents,

Oddly enough, the adventure from Dave Shepherd, The Dark Star Incident, was originally for one character. Now I felt that was the best adventure we were to release at the time, but there were two problems. The first was, our playtesters didn't like it as much with just one dude. Legends can be a brutal game for physical damage, and if you are a one man party and you get beefed that is it. The adventure had been wruitten with that in mind, and it would is certainly possible to have completed it with one pc, but all the playtesters wanted a larger party. So we did, and upped the opposition.

The other problem is the number of skills a single character would have to have. We like to include at least one use of every skill in the game in each adventure, even if not all are critical to the adventure. So a solo character would not need every skill, but he'd be missing a lot of stuff that a party with its increased number of skills would find.

Now that being said, you could do a James Bond dude, and have 38 points and 12 skill levels. Sam Spade is not at that level of points, but maybe skills. Maybe come up with a rule that avoids death the first or second time you get there. If this is a serious interest that our customers have, we will of course consider it. I won't put a number of people asking for it to be "serious interest"; if you guys ask again, that'll be serious.

The problem is time, which is at a premium for George and I both right now. That should change in a while, but our next couple of projects are locked in. But, maybe in the next batch of projects...

As always, thanks for the thoughts!

Bret

[jlv61560]

Hmmm.  Must be my wargamer background, but generally the way I handle things is do the best possible thing for EACH party.  That means if the bad guys see that one of my characters is weak or injured, they'll usually try to go for that character and finish him off.  Failing that, they'll look for the biggest threat and try to eliminate it first (usually a mage or an archer readying a bow).  Failing that, they'll just look for some way to tilt the odds their way as fast as possible.  If they're mindless (like a slime from the old TFT, for example), it's just attack either the nearest target or the one it "sees" first.

It always seems to me that the enemy would tend to do the best possible thing they could for their own side, just like my party does.

Of course, I do lose more characters that way....

And, if you need another request for an actual SOLO solo adventure -- here it is.  I'd be interested to see what you come up with after the quarter century it's been since Death Test or T&T.