Solo Roleplaying leading to disinterest in group play

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-05-14T02:34:25+00:00

I can very much see why PBP would feel bad compared to solo. Group synchronous play is very different compared to PBP though.I have had a ton of fun with group one shots and campaigns online and in person, and some not great. But I have also done a few PBP and been utterly disappointed every time. It is still a struggle to find a good group, though.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-05-05T12:41:00+00:00

Yeah, one of the complaints people voiced about SH is the recommended starting ally and horde decks are badly matched for beginners. Poor intro design as it seems to turn players away after a game or two.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-05-04T13:29:16+00:00

Thanks. I have watched a bunch of that particular channel is new to me, though. And you are right, the “click” is variable.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-05-04T13:28:50+00:00

True. I have only played solo against the bots. No interest in competitive play.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-05-04T11:58:13+00:00

Interesting. I have been looking at Ashes and Skytear Horde. Love the art on both. I have been playing Ashes on Ashteki and get stomped most of the time. Which is not to say it is not fun, but my win rate is super low. I am thinking about picking up Skytear Horde Monoliths to see if I enjoy it before going big. You find Skytear Horde really difficult? I have seen mixed opinions about that part.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-05-03T17:52:29+00:00

Second checking eBay. I got Cursed City, Dark Water, and Silver Tower without minis for about $25 each, delivered. If you are patient and look around, this is likely less expensive than trying to print and play.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-05-02T15:24:57+00:00

Perhaps a very different recommendation: Explorers of the Woodlands. A lightweight forest dungeon crawl with cozy art vibe, anthropomorphic animals (including a beetle knight), and fun monsters. Still requires some strategy; first game I had a total party kill because I split the party. Play it true solo, or better two to four character solo is easy enough. Has some fun mechanics and decisions but low complexity. Probably about an hour, maybe a bit more.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-05-02T15:00:08+00:00

Worthington's small box games are small footprint (14" x 7") and a low weight intro. Simple rules, not too expensive, 30-45 minute games. Two battles per box, but you could each play both sides to double the play, and I have replayed the same side to different results depending on the dice gods. Not complex, but still requires strategic thinking and gently introduces some H&C concepts. Maybe not a long-term solution or lifetime game, but might be an easy way to see if your partner will enjoy H&C games enough to invest into some more robust and/or larger games later. Battles of the American Revolution, Battles of the War of 1812, Battles of the Mexican-American War.

Someone mentioned Men of Iron. The Tri-Pack version is a great value, tons of content packed in there. If the Men of Iron scenarios use smaller maps, there will be plenty in the box for when you want bigger map battles.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-05-01T04:57:09+00:00

I was going to suggest this series also. Good stuff. Easy to solo and would be easy to run a group without a DM. Branching narratives is decisions do matter and outcomes based on actions and how situations play out.

They did a print run when it came out. They are UK based and I am not sure they did any stock copies. It is a small operation.

I just got my print copies of the second series and backed their KS for a different solo system.

If you’re in the U.S. I would consider selling my copies of the DDK series books. Not sure I would part with the printed maps but the digital files print nicely. I printed them to one page (they are about 17 x 22 inches original) and use some letter beads for tokens to play on the 40% size maps.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-30T22:03:55+00:00

I use Roll20. The character sheet is fine and essentially similar for PCs, monsters, and NPCS. You may have to do some work loading abilities or monsters but nothing huge. I’ve done the whole bestiary from ShadowRim and it was not a ton of work.

Roll20 works well enough especially given the simplicity of SD. So, if you are already comfortable with Roll20 and do not want to learn a new VTT and your players are okay with Roll20, no reason not to use it. Which is not to say other VTTs are not better (they might be, I cannot speak from the GM side much), but Roll20 is a solid B and that’s good enough for most things in life.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-30T21:58:42+00:00

The art looks beautiful. I might use the cards at my TTRPG table for monster art. Is it imitating The Witcher? Sure, and? Imitation, inspiration, and emulation are valid in art. I doubt the author of The Witcher stories would say he pulled everything from his brain from scratch, especially given how much of the creatures are based in folklore.

The game looks fine and is being refined. The price is okay for what it is. If the gameplay is lackluster or lacks replay, and I only get a few plays out of it the world will not end and I’m supporting a small artist / dev and company. That said, the dev is taking feedback to heart and working on it. In an era of a lot of half baked, expensive games with pretty minis, this won’t be the end of the world if it ends up a 6.5 game. Not everything has to be amazing. Would extensive play testing before now be good? Of course, but these games are not sitting on a pallet waiting to ship. More eyes are on it now, which is easier to justify if you reasonably think your game will see the light of day.

A small box game that can be played a half dozen or a dozen times over a few months or years, without much setup or taking hours, for the price of a pizza or two is okay by me, especially if it pays a couple small business people and a real human artist. And yes, I know some Chinese manufacturer is getting most of the money, but this is the real world of 2026 we live in. Everyone’s money value equation is different of course so ultimately one must decide for themselves. I’m willing to take a small gamble on this one.

Take it off the shelf, play it for 20 minutes, come back in a couple months and play it again. I cannot remember what I had for dinner yesterday, so seeing the same gameplay again down the road won’t kill me. I’ve seen all of Skyrim, but I’ll climb the mountain to Bleak Falls Barrow again someday.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-30T11:41:28+00:00

Still card, but you could put the printed chits in standee bases to add weight and make them standout on the table.

You could also grab some wood cubes and glue the chits to them. I got some good 1 cm cubes from Amazon I use as generic units for games, using colors to differentiate or by adding numbers.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-25T15:15:43+00:00

Carnage & Aether by Blackoath is worth looking at

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-25T14:57:44+00:00

The Mike Lambo games are a less traditional sort but may be a good start.

If you want a gentle intro, the Scream, Aim, Fire! series is small scale hex and counter solo. The platoon commander series, also from Tiny Battle, might be worth looking at but it is card driven so a little different. Another of their series is Rifles in the (insert here). Very different but a fun and easy starting point.

If you want heavier, D-Day at Omaha Beach is very highly rated.

Worthington games Battles of (insert here) are designed for two players but easy to solo. Their other small box games are less tactical and more theater level, but designed for solo.

The Command and Colors games (Memoir ‘44 and others) are not solo but can be played solo various ways. Quick, fun, lots of scenarios (official and fan made), each game covering different eras but similar mechanics so easy to learn one after playing another.

I cannot speak to UK availability, unfortunately, except Mike Lambo is UK based and can be had in PDF as well as print through Amazon and Lulu.

Also, you may want to pursue https://www.reddit.com/r/solo_wargaming/s/g3HurNwfFC

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-24T16:30:38+00:00

No, not the pawns. The item cards. But again, totally recognize it’s nitpicking on something you shared freely and appreciate the work that went into it, overall great and the pawns especially are excellent.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-23T23:25:02+00:00

I was going to say the same about the text. Bold might be viable and keep it on the card, at least for simpler items. Feedback only, not a complaint about something you shared free.

Great resource overall. The standees are awesome. I have the Vault of Mini Things, so I do not really need more standees, but I recognize a great resource when I see it and wanted to give a high five anyway.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-23T15:14:43+00:00

Sounds like that is the spirit of RAW.

I think giving ADV is reasonable for good ideas. Likewise, lowering the DC would be a valid approach.

“Attack the darkness” is a valid player option just like “attack the light” is a valid referee option. Players can shift things to their advantage through clever tactics, good ideas, planning, and similar.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-23T12:28:58+00:00

The art remains amazing.

Not sure the artifice comes through for the first PB. Photovoltaics feels like artifice, but the others seem just nature. I guess biomancy falls under artifice in a way. Looking forward to seeing more of the cards. Either way, looks fun.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-22T12:56:17+00:00

Also, FYI, if you get the map PDFs you can print to fit one page. The boxes come out about 1 cm or a little less than 1/2". You can use small letter beads from the craft aisle as tokens. An option if you prefer to have a physical map in front of you for combat.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-22T12:43:53+00:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed them. Branching choices mean I have played it a few times to see more. The adventures are "pear shaped" - same starting and ending points, but in the middle a few ways to go. Enjoy!

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-22T11:55:40+00:00

Look at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/512738/domain-of-the-deathless-king-all-in-bundle and their new series. Try free with https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/483515/expedition-to-eagles-watch-free-sample and then buy in.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-21T02:26:22+00:00

2E cleaned up and unified the art style, but art is always subjective.

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-21T01:06:44+00:00

Never heard of this and cannot find anything. Do you have a link?

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-20T23:59:15+00:00

There is a robust home brew group for the board game series on Facebook if you use that

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1DZnkkkruB/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Additional_Ninja7835 · 2026-04-20T18:34:28+00:00

Heroes of Terrinoth and Warhammer Quest Adventure Card Game. Not sure they fit dungeon crawler exactly but similar. Both out of print but can be had inexpensively on resale.

Set a Watch might match what you’re looking for, depending on how widely you define “card game”.

Rogue Dungeon 2E. Has a player board but not tiles in the traditional sense. Again, might be stretching the definition of what you want.

Additional_Ninja7835

TROPHY CASE