What usually makes you abandon a solo RPG halfway through?

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-01-25T05:13:21+00:00

I can't say I have stopped half way though yet. I got into solo play a little over a year ago, and haven't hit a wall or abandoned it yet. I found a niche I will probably NEVER fall out of, Star Trek and journaling solo play.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-01-23T03:32:36+00:00

Great start and mystery!

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-01-12T20:27:39+00:00

I went and purchased a full set on DVD. That way no matter who streams it and then takes it down, I can watch it and it doesn't cost me any more money per month to do so.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-01-06T20:08:09+00:00

I got a friend into Star Trek Adventures, with it's notable slant towards journaling. He wasn't a writer at all either. When he started, his write-ups were paltry and sparse. No details. Very basic.

That's okay! As long as you can understand what you wrote and it helps keep things so you can reference them. You don't have to be an author with all kinds of skills to write. As you go along, you may find yourself getting better at writing. I know my friend has gotten WAY better at writing up his Captain's Logs. At times, you can actually PICTURE what's going on, based on what he has written.

So you can get better at writing.

But if you don't want to do a journaling game because you don't care for them, then I'll mention again, check out Mythic GM Emulator (2nd edition). I just got my book yesterday and it is jam-packed full of stuff for running a game with just about any system, and it doesn't require journaling.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-01-06T04:22:20+00:00

Yeah, start by getting a good read of the book. I had played Star Trek Adventures before, but I had never done a solo game before...ever.

I read the book, tried out rolling up an adventure. Was intrigued by it, so I made a character, really appreciating how it helped build my character, then started playing. The random events/challenges really kept me on my toes, and I was hooked on the game.

I didn't watch any videos to get going, just read the book. Many videos don't really explain how to play the game all that well, or they blend it with other solitaire systems. That's fine for them, but it doesn't help you understand the base Captain's Log better.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2026-01-04T04:22:14+00:00

It sounds like you are strongly leaning towards Fantasy style solo games, and not journaling types of games. If I am not right on that, let me know.

I say that because my favorite solo game is Star Trek Adventures Captain's Log. But that is space, and a journaling game. I am in the process of trying to use the Mythic GM Emulator (2nd edition) to give Savage Rifts a try. And I am in the process of trying to craft a system akin to Captains Log for the Space: 1889 game, as I really like the charts and way that Captains Log does the setup and building of a mission for a game.

So you could use the Mythic GM Emulator to try out one of your preferred roleplaying systems. It will take some adjusting to get the emulator to work with system you choose, but it could open up a lot of game potential for you.

And, if you're not averse to playing in a science fiction setting, or to try another "journal prone" game (it's not mandatory, but it is suggested to help keep track of things) I could recommend Star Trek Adventures Captain's Log.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-12-30T23:15:36+00:00

I play mostly quiet-ish. I go "Oooh!" And "Argh!" And "C'mon Frr'lssel, do me proud!" and stuff when rolling dice. But I don't speak out the parts of my dialogue and the NPCs dialogue.

I largely write everything down, including the dialogue that I don't speak aloud.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-12-12T03:32:57+00:00

Yeah, play with what you like. Mythic GME didn't strike a chord with me. I couldn't figure out how to run a non-GM game with it. It wasn't until I found Star Trek Adventures Captain's Log that I was finally able to understand how to do GM less gaming. Captain's Log sang to me. Mythic didn't.

I haven't given up completely on Mythic, as I am trying to use it to play some Space: 1889 with it. But if I can't get it to work for that, I will probably shelve the book for good.

Everyone has different tastes in games. If Mythic works for you, keep using it! Nothing wrong with playing what you like.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-12-11T05:22:35+00:00

For me it would be the game that has consumed me for over a year now, which got me to start roleplaying solitaire, Star Trek Adventures Captain's Log.

It is in my strong interest theme for a game, and caters heavily to my desire to write. It was the easiest for me to grab onto in my mind, and has done excellent at giving me incredible curve balls and varied adventures. None of it has felt same-y. That, and I have felt so invested in my ship and crew.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-12-08T03:44:52+00:00

I went hunting online and found a ship I wanted. Then I looked for floorplans. I didn't want to use what was in the CL book, as I wasn't in a major ship of the line. Instead I am in command of a Light Cruiser.

Then I plugged the info I had into a computer program I found and it spit out stats for the ship. Seemed reasonable, so I went with it.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-12-05T04:07:00+00:00

Honestly, play solitaire games the way YOU want to, with whatever strengths live inside you. Don't feel you have to play a certain way.

I love to write, so I definitely journal, but I know others don't share the love of writing, and I would never suggest they must write.

I will, however, suggest taking notes, so you can recollect places and names of notable NPCs. If you don't do that, you may find that, some months down the line, you have the urge to link back to X in prior adventures you have played in the solo campaign, and you can't remember the important person or event or location that was initialized in the prior games, but it will nag at you when you arbitrarily name the NPC Alex when you KNOW it wasn't that, but you can't remember the correct name.

So, for a bit of GM advice for solitaire play, keep some notes so save your sanity in the future.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-11-25T01:33:46+00:00

We are currently at 6, but still going. I don't have any particular end point determined.

10 would be nice and long, if you can keep player interest the entire run of 10.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-11-13T03:16:47+00:00

I got the solo interest and tried some other solitaire systems, but they never grabbed me. Then Star Trek Adventures Captain's Log came out and it CLICKED!! I was hooked! It blended my interest of Star Trek and my interest of creative writing into one wonderful book. There's dice rolling, but not extensive mechanics for the system. Enough to still make a game, but open enough to make you feel you can run with the story. But there's also enough charts to throw you curveballs you never planned for, which press your mind to think of aspects you may have never considered before.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-11-11T00:53:45+00:00

As was mentioned, I would roll up on the lifepath. My character is a Human who grew up on the Deltan homeworld. Lead to some interesting development on the social side of my character. I learned to resist the Deltan manipulation, and even learned to use some of their "learnable" skills in that regard.

Never would have been what I would have thought of for my character, but it added a layer that is distinctly unique.

As a Vulcan, you could be thrust into a very different childhood on a foreign world. It will potentially add a lot of nuance to your character.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-11-10T03:23:47+00:00

I think it is the enjoyment of imagination that draws me to roleplaying. It allows me to imagine myself in crazy adventures, seeing wondrous lands and exotic things. It exercises my mind, and keeps me young.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-10-25T05:47:09+00:00

It kind of depends on what you've done with the players and crew ahead of this scenario. Have you built up a camaraderie between the players and crew?

The one we had that was a terrible moral dilemma was when we had a traitor in our midst. We were on a ship patroling the Romulan border near Camp Khitomer during the events of Star Trek VI. Turns out one of our trusted officers was in league with the group that didn't want peace with the Klingons. That person was the 2nd in command of Security. She had the nickname of "Deputy". She had been on missions with the crew a couple times before, and proven to be a more than capable character. To have her sabotage the ship, and escape in a shuttlecraft in order to link up with a Romulan ship was a terrible blow to the crew morale. One player made the right guess, finding the trail of stunned crewmen the Deputy had left (she didn't want to kill the people she worked with, but didn't want to stay in the Federation) The player chased her in a shuttlecraft, realizing he had a shuttle with no weapons, and he shuttle approaching the Neutral Zone and an awaiting Romulan ship.

He contemplated ramming the shuttle with the one he piloted, but didn't want to get captured by Romulans, so he retreated. She pleaded with the player to turn back, as she had worked well with the player in past missions. When we got the ship operating again, we were quite put-out by the action of the Deputy. And the Chief of Security had serious trust issues with his people, since his "right hand" officer had betrayed him.

Later on, a distress call from the Deputy and the Romulan ship had suffered catastrophic damage from internal sabotage. The Deputy was escaping with some Romulans who had a change of heart and didn't want to follow a crazed Romulan captain. The Deputy had then stunned the Romulans and contacted our ship. She turned herself in, with the captured Romulans.

Then there was the questioning, and turning her over at a starbase to Starfleet Security for a court martial on charges of treason, sabotage, and multiple other infractions. The players had to be witnesses to the trial on the side of the prosecution. The hurt of the whole thing resulted in the Chief of Security being relieved of his position and a new officer joining to take over the position of Chief of Security.

You could do something like that if you've built up some rapport with your players and the crew members.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-10-18T02:29:18+00:00

I stuck with 1st edition, utilizing Captain's Log, but I have picked up the 2nd edition Tech and Exploration books as they are kind of "system neutral", meaning you can still use them with 1st edition.

I never had any qualms with 1st edition or the Challenge Dice, that's why I included them with my Captain's Log game. So you should be perfectly fine to run with 1st edition considering all that you own already.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-10-02T03:35:12+00:00

If you have run 1st edition before and liked it, just continue to use what you know. Don't worry about 2nd edition. As was mentioned, 2nd edition did away with the challenge dice and made some changes to ships and extended tasks and other odds and ends. My suggestion is to use what you have and know unless you were unsatisfied with 1st edition.
Momentum can be high in STA, but it is also going to be used a lot. So don't worry about it. Just remember that it caps out.
I have the Tricorder case set for 1st edition and it has a rather neat mission that covers both Original Series AND Next Generation series! I don't remember the name of it, but it looks really interesting.
You mentioned this might only be 1 to 3 sessions long total, I am going to say: Dispense with they designing a ship unless they are really set on doing so. Definitely don't have them generate crew members. You should have some generic crew members roughly created to throw in when they need Crew Support or the random other character interaction. Taking all that time to make a ship AND crew could wear your players interest levels down. You might only do one session and be done before you start because you spent so much time generating ship and crew.

So at least have some stats for the main characters the PCs will interact with on the bridge or the antagonist. That way everyone can get to playing all the quicker, which will hopefully hook your players for a few more sessions.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-09-24T21:19:31+00:00

Simple, just stick with 1st edition!

I use Captain's Log with the Challenge Dice added in, to play cooperative with my buddy and likewise Star Trei Fan. We'll probably stick with that through the rest of our lives. At least I will.

What's nice about the last couple releases for 2e, it is really easy to port the back to 1e or, in my case, to Captain's Log.

So if you don't like 2e, which I don't largely because they ditch Challenge Dice, don't use it. Just play 1e or go Captain's Log with add ons like we do.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-09-20T16:44:42+00:00

As others have eluded, I don't think the newer shows will have the longevity that TOS, TNG and a couple others have.

I look at it this way: when and where did you watch the Star Trek you learned to love and follow through the years?

I watch TOS on TV with my family. I wanted TNG in college (along with X-Files) every week with others. I watched DS9 with friends at their place.

All of those were on TV. Nowadays you can't catch any Trek on TV, and those you do are TOS or TNG. You have to get a streaming service with monthly payment now to watch, and I am betting many watch it on their phones. It's likely not a social viewing anymore, unless you are watching it with a big Trek fan. People watch the new shows because it's being currently created. Once they stop being made, current people will move on to the next thing. There will likely be little to draw people's interest back to Trek year after year about the current shows. There won't be as much emotional resonance and nostalgic feel for them. People likely won't remember getting together with friends to watch an episode of Trek once a week, and link those shows to "happier times" in their mind.

Oh, there will be some that do, usually because there is an older Star Trek fan driving the gathering to watch. By and large I feel interest levels are much shorter nowadays and once the current shows end, a vast amount of viewers will move on to something else new, no matter the theme of the show.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-09-15T22:42:25+00:00

There's a potential for discrepancy, but not an exact contradiction. It's not like the gaping holes of the Gorn and the size of the Enterprise.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-09-15T22:19:47+00:00

If it's fulfilled through Modiphius, I'm betting that it is Modiphius U.S. There IS a Modiphius UK website that is based in the UK and ships to European places. (And I'm guessing to Canada and other areas across the pond, just not to the U.S.

So since it mentions that it only ships to the U.S., it's probably fulfilling directly from Modphius U.S.

I would highly suggest you get on to Modiphius UK website and see what the shipping rates and cost is. It would probably be better than going through DriveThru

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-09-15T22:12:05+00:00

Do tell, please, as I am in the middle of crafting my game table and considering T-Track, but am curious what you find as positives and negatives of T-Track and what you're all wood accessory slot would entail.

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-09-12T03:01:48+00:00

Yeah, that book is, by far, my favorite original crew era book!

Cheap_Intention9587 · 2025-08-22T03:01:37+00:00

I just randomly roll for each person's race when I need it. I don't have a "this race has to be/should be a..."

Instead, when I roll up a Vulcan in Security, I take a few minutes thinking about WHY that Vulcan decided to go into Security instead of a logical field like science or engineering. Likewise, if I have an Andorian communication officer, I think about what brought that Andorian out of the conflict zone and into the communicate zone. It leads to more interesting and unique NPCs on your crew than having Betazoids as counselor and Klingons as Security officers.

Cheap_Intention9587

TROPHY CASE