Solo Play Guide for FGU - INDEX

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SOLO GUIDE.MOD
DND COMBAT GUIDE.MOD [WIP]

Dedicated to all Dreamers, Hermits and Lonewolves. I hail thee.

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Introduction

Welcome to my Free-for-all passion project. It's a live document until it's finished. Feel free to dig in. Except for you, bots and botters; Shoo!

• Solo Play In FGU - Intro
• Start Playing With This Demo (Newcomer friendly)
• Start Being Creative With This Demo

Solo Gameplay Examples

• Video Examples
• Podcast Examples
• Solo Combat Video Series For Beginners

FAQ

• What Is Solo Play?
• Why Play Solo?
• Cheapest & Quickest Way to Play Solo in FGU (D&D 5E only)
• What Will I Need to Play Solo?
• How Does a Solo Session Play?
• How Will I Motivate Myself?
• Journaling In FGU
• Golden Rules of Solo Play

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D&D 5E - Solo Combat Strategy Guide [WIP]: INDEX

(+) Done
(!) Cookin'

Progress: Artificer, Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter (+), Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard (!)

NEW! 5E SOLO BUILDS THREAD

• Creating Solo-Viable Builds [& Tier Lists]
• Class Table [Core Strategies]

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Overview

• Overview of Solo Gameplay (Summary)

Methodology (Beginner)

If you're starting new, just this part will be enough to kickstart your session.
Don't burden yourself with details. You can best learn by jumping into action and making your own mistakes.

1. Minimum Prep
2. Modes of Play
3. Your First Scene & First Scene Example
4. Core Gameplay Loop (Content Creation Method) Oracle Inside.
5. Freeform Association (Source of Creativity)
6. Mechanics of Game Story (To chain your scenes)
7. End of the Session
8. How to Play Published Adventures Solo (Fog of War in maps) & Note on spoilers in comments.

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Oracles

I had to remove the links from this part to combine them in 1 page for the character limit was almost reached.

Main Page: All Oracle Reviews

1. 3 Popular Oracles for FGU and Supplements (Paid) +
2. Mythic Game Master Emulator v1 (Web / Free) +
3. The Solo Adventurer's Toolbox 1 (D&D 5E Only, Paid) +
4. Mythic GM Emulator v2 (Paid, for soloing ANY setting) +
5. The Solo Adventurer's Toolbox 2(D&D 5E Only, Paid) -
6. Universal NPC Emulator (Paid Supplement) -

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The 3 Pillars

Exploration

• Exploration Part I (Discover an Established Setting), Requires a Setting Module
• Exploration Part II (Create-as-you-go) / Types of Random Generators
  
  • ​Gwydion's 2d6 Dungeon Module Quick Start
  • Griogre's Let's Play Solo Series [video]
  
  
• Exploration Part III (Hex-Crawl) / Obstacle Creation
  
  • FGU Hexploration Playtest Notes

Roleplay

• Roleplay
• Putting the RP Back into Solo RPGs NEW!

Combat

• Beginner Combat Tweaks

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2 Approaches to Solo Play (Intermediate)

1. GM Approach & Exercises for GM Approach (Creative Process).
2. Player Approach Part I & Part II
3. Muses
   
   • Part 1: About Inspiration for characters, quests.
   • Part 2: Inspiration for places & conflicts. Environmental Storytelling, Personalization.
   • Muses: Music, questioning, lists for inspiration.

Adjudication

• Rules in Solo Play
  
• Cheating in Solo Play

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ACTUAL PLAYS

Planned Campaign List: I will open a new thread for these.

Play Published Adventures Solo:

1. Ultimate Undermountain: The Dungeon Level by Dan Harlan. (Will be weekly)

Others:

1. Discover an Established Setting: Nickin' the "Star" in Alkenstar (PFSW mini 1-shot)
2. Hex-crawl: Hexploring World Map Hex Tiles, For Real!

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Deep Dive (Advanced)

1. Storytelling Articles

• WHY & HOW to Utilize Story Mechanics & ​Consequences Table
• 9 Conflict Types & Ian Irvine's Conflict Creation Methods
• Conjuring Sparks from Themes & Thematic Word Table for Plots and Characters
  
  • Methods to use themes in both creative AND therapeutic way & A Quick List of Action - Story - Character - Deep themes.
  • THEMATIC MUSES (Songs): Action * Story * Character * Deep - NEWISH
  • How to Use Themes? d8 ways to use themes in your games.
  
  
• Creating Plot Twists On-The-Go
• Creative Usage of Time In Solo Play
• Environmental Storytelling

1.1. Storytelling the Future -NEWEST!

• CDPR Game Design Philosophy and Ways to Apply It to TTRPGs
• Roles, Gigs, and Subgenres in Cyberpunk
• !WARNING: Dark Themes! Director's Guide to Cinematic Campaigns [Infographics / Cyberpunk]

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2. Old Solo Combat Strategy Series: Old Index

Note that, The Old Index is what's in the Blog and it is lame. The New Index upstairs is for the shiny new combat guide to be released.

• Solo Combat Guide - Part I / Basics
• Solo Combat Guide - Part II / Foundations
• Solo Combat Guide - Part III - Theory / Strategy & Tactics in Theory

Anthology of Topics:

• Theater of Mind in Combat
• Action Economy

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3. Dungeon Cartographer: Experimental Series

Note: On halt until I find a new place other than the Blogs to publish these. Griogre's Random Dungeon Tiles and Descriptions does a better job.

1. Introduction to Random Dun-Gen
2. Toolbox Template & Dungeon Room Descriptions (Text Gen)
3. Demo Playthrough #1 (Text-Gen Only)
4. Dungeon Architecture Pictionary (Google Docs Sheet)
5. Making Tileset Image Tables (Filenames.txt is here)
6. Demo Playthrough #2 (Tileset Image-Gen Only)
7. Adding Encounter Tables (Non/Combat, Traps)
8. Demo Playthrough #3 (Combining All)
9. The Refined Method: Start with this for quick play
10. BONUS: Environmental Storytelling Demo Play
11. Dun-Gen CHEAT SHEET

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4. Alternative Ways To Play Solo

1. Engaging In Problem Solving With Solo Play: This method is what I use to gain insight on any problem with what I call "Wisdom Through Fictional Conflict." Just like writers do. Sometimes it gives me eureka moments but sometimes it frustrates me. IT'S NOT FOR EVERYONE!
2. SOON! "Guide to Creating Stories with Cards." With Tarot Reading [Done but WIP for upgrades] by jkeller. Inspiration Source: How To Build An Adventure with The Deck of Many Things

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I'm hijacking this post. I need your clothes, your bullet points and your server hamster. ~ Arnold Temperzenegger after using up 10k word limit

ALL RESOURCES

• Things You Can Do For FREE in FGVTT - TONS of FREE Stuff for All Kinds of Rulesets!
• [PAID] ALL Solo RPG Sources for FGVTT - WIP - Will be a review repository when it grows up.
• How to Keep It Short and Simple? By Killing Your Darlings. 12 min video from Corkboards & Curiosities
• Free PDF Alone Against the Flame - Call of Cthulhu Solo
• Free PDF SoloDark Oracle
• Free Dungeon Tileset by FlexTale
• Free ​Forgotten Adventures Mapmaking Pack: 140.000+ assets HERE in patreon. No more nagging from google.
• Free / 1$ - World Map Hex Tiles.

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CHEAT SHEETS

• Starter Cheat Sheet (Rules, 1st Scene, Gameplay Modes, RP Styles, Core Loop, Story Mechanics, How to utilize the mechanics)
• Player / GM Approach - [ In-app Example Pic ]
• Methodology
• Playing Published Adventures
• Inspiration & Personalization
• Exploration I & II
• Hex-Crawl

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Battlefield Mainframe: COMBAT HUB FOR SOLO RPGS

Soon...ish

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Solo Playground: WORKBOOK FOR THE GUIDES

Soon...er, maybe.

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Multichannel Chip Chat: SOLO A.I. PODCASTS

Now that AI can create podcasts AS IF two guys talking about a subject, I decided to use it for the guide while John Connor looks at me in disappointment.

• Podcast #1: For newcomers.
• Podcast #2: For intermediate players.
• Podcast #3: For experts, with more examples than explanations.
• Podcast #4: For Beginner Solo GMs.
• Podcast #5: For Intermediate Solo GMs.
• Podcast #6: For Expert Solo GMs. Waiting for New Combat Guide to release...

NEW! FIGHTER THEMED PODCASTS

1. How math creates better D&D stories? Examining Solo Goliath BattleMaster build.
2. Hardening the Avalanche Engine. Gaps in the Goliath BattleMaster and almost all pure melee builds and my suggestions for fixing them.
3. Ranged Supremacy. On avoidance and raining down bullets. Battlefield Supremacy through being unreachable while having the longest reach. With insight from the upcoming DnD 5E Combat Guide.

NEW! SHATTERING THE STORMWIND FALLACY

The Stormwind Fallacy is the divisive misconception that mechanical character optimization and deep roleplaying are mutually exclusive, falsely suggesting that a powerful build inherently lacks narrative depth and vice versa. Synthesis Approach solves this problem by combining the cold, mathematical optimization with narrative depth directly tied to the mechanics of a meta-build.

Synthesis Approach AI Podcast 1

Synthesis Approach AI Podcast 2

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EDIT: Previous Original Post moved here.

Added to: Cheapest-and-Quickest-Way-for-Solo-Play
* JimSocks' Content Generator 2020
* DndSpeak 100 Tables
* Sellers Shop (Tables with BG Pic and Item Pins)
All of them are Pay what you want except the Content Creator is a free module for FGU.

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OP:

New Section Deep Dive is ready with its first item:

• WHY & HOW to Utilize Story Mechanics - 25/07/2024

Also, a pay what you want Name Gen Onomatology added to the Cheap & Quick Way.

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Added: Exploration Part II (Create-as-you-go) in the 3 Pillars Section.

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Added: 2 Approaches to Solo Play - NEW

1. GM Approach & Exercises for GM Approach
2. Player Approach - WIP

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Added to 2 Approaches to Solo Play

Player Approach Part I & Part II & Muses // NEW 06/08/2024


Part 1: About characters and their quests in the context of inspiration.
Part 2: About places and conflicts in the context of inspiration. Also environmental storytelling and personalization of all these.
Muses: Music, questioning, lists for inspiration.

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Added to Deep Dive Section: Conflict Types & Ian Irvine's Conflict Creation Methods

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Conjuring Sparks from Themes & My Table of Thematic Words

• Methods to use themes in both creative AND therapeutic way in Solo Mode.

Added to the the Deep Dive section. 11/08/2024.

[superteddy57]

Love this! I'm an avid solo gamer nowadays and this has some great older advice I've picked up and some great new things to try. Thanks for putting this together.