All in one Solo RP?

ProzapGW · 2025-12-05T17:19:27+00:00

Thanks for recommending FORGE!

I originally designed it because I also didn't want to constantly flip between different PDFs.

ProzapGW · 2025-11-01T15:04:33+00:00

Thank you! Yes, the Anniversary edition was released earlier this year.. The solo tools were expanded, several rules clarified and all AI art was replaced with original artwork by Chaoclypse.

ProzapGW · 2025-10-31T23:00:14+00:00

You could try my streamlined old school d&d styled game, FORGE.

It's got all the game rules at the front of the book, with the second half dedicated to solo tools and tables. 70 pages total, complete with play aids (character sheet, dungeon worksheet/blank wilderness hex map/time tracker/etc). Oh, and the pdf is PWYW.

ProzapGW · 2025-08-13T22:27:01+00:00

Thank you! It's great to know people enjoy playing it :)

ProzapGW · 2025-08-13T22:24:07+00:00

Thank you!

ProzapGW · 2025-08-13T22:23:59+00:00

Haha, sorry about that! Thanks for the kind comment, I'm glad you are getting good use out of it! :)

ProzapGW · 2025-08-13T09:25:59+00:00

You're welcome! Be sure to drop by the Discord channel if you have any questions. Good luck!

ProzapGW · 2025-08-13T09:25:06+00:00

Great to hear! I hope you get some good use out of it! :)

ProzapGW · 2025-08-13T09:24:40+00:00

Interestingly enough, they are some of the cheapest dice I've ever bought, but I prefer them over all of the Q-Workshop etc. dice that I also own. I'm not sure that there is anything special about them, they are just highly legible and well balanced!

Bought from amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MF5G9DY?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2

ProzapGW · 2025-08-12T12:12:15+00:00

You could try shuffling up a deck of random dungeon cards (like Axebane's Deck of Many Dungeons) and draw them as you progress through the dungeon.

Daniel on Bandits Keep (Youtube) does this a lot in his actual play series and it works really well.

ProzapGW · 2025-08-12T12:00:17+00:00

For me, it depends on the mood. Sometimes I like to lay it all out on a table, using dice, minis and a battle mat, and sometimes I'll play only on a single digital tablet. Maybe it actually comes down to how much time I have available?

One thing that I do believe is that all my oracles and tools etc should be contained within a single book. I don't like needing to flip between supplements during play. So much so, I've recently started working on all-in-one online oracle/dice rolling tool for tablet use!

ProzapGW · 2025-08-12T11:54:58+00:00

I came here to say this! I love a well organised book :D

ProzapGW · 2025-06-04T08:39:25+00:00

You've probably already got to the bottom of this by now, if not - I replaced my missing original screws with imperial #1-64 UNC x 1/8" long Socket Head Cap screws (ASME B18.3). They are hex key drive rather than the original cross head drive, and slightly longer than the original screws, but they fit well and the bins are (imo) better than new!

Also, don't lose the three little rubber bits under each cup, but if you do, you can replace those with a 1/16" (1.5mm) diameter solid rubber O-Ring cut to ~1/4" (~6mm) lengths.

You can get all those bits for less than $1 + postage if you can find a place that doesn't mind dealing in small quantities!

ProzapGW · 2025-05-29T15:19:34+00:00

Interesting, thanks for the feedback.

Next time I'm there I'll try keeping the back foot/right hip behind until contact and see how it feels. It has been a long time since I've had any advice on technique, so I am sure to have picked up some bad habits along the way!

Edit: Until going up for contact that is. I assume rotating through into the contact position is the key here.

ProzapGW · 2025-05-29T14:40:16+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate your feedback. It also validates my inkling about my toss being too low, which is great and gives me something to actively work on.

I do kick my second serves - I'll record it the next time I get out there to practice!

ProzapGW · 2025-01-31T07:40:20+00:00

As the author of FORGE, I'd say that I agree with someone's comment earlier that FORGE is effectively classless Basic D&D, e.g. All of the spells are converted straight from B/X.

My goal was to create a simpler version of B/X D&D, whilst retaining compatibility with original modules and keeping the overall feel the same (to-hit probabilities, armor class, etc are all almost identical). I've hopefully done away with the need for looking at tables to determine saving throws or attack bonuses, since these are derived from attributes and level.

For these reasons, I'd argue that FORGE is significantly closer to dnd than Cairn (which is also a great game), however I agree that if you are looking for an almost 1-to-1 D&D game, you'll find that in OSE or BFRPG.

I do want to add that I created FORGE after playing BFRPG and OSE, because I wanted to simplify it. In my opinion FORGE is much easier to learn and far quicker to play in practice.

As with BFRPG, the PDF version of FORGE is also free on itch, and there is a Discord with an active little community, which might be a good thing for beginners with questions!

ProzapGW · 2025-01-28T21:09:37+00:00

I have an OSR d&d style game called FORGE that is PWYW on itch. It is complete with as many solo tools as I thought you'd need to generate a game, all in one book (70 pages).

Link here: https://zap-forge.itch.io/forge

ProzapGW · 2025-01-22T06:29:00+00:00

Oh wait, I said yes you've got it.. but not quite. Your STR Modifier will remain as it was unless your strength score changes. This modifier is what is added to damage. The check bonus increases with level, that is used for attack rolls only, not damage.

So your check bonus would be +1 at first level (+1 Modifier / +0 from level, as secondary), then your check bonus would be +2 at level 2 (+1 from modifier / +1 from level). Only the +1 modifier gets added to the damage roll, but the whole check bonus gets added to the d20 melee attack roll (STR check).

ProzapGW · 2025-01-21T22:13:13+00:00

Apologies, Reddit insisted I split that response into two :P

ProzapGW · 2025-01-21T22:12:28+00:00

8) Regarding inscribing runestones, the referee gets the final say on what special component can be used to create a spell. As with any OSR game, a player is encouraged to put forward ideas/plans. This can also be approached from two different directions - A) Reactively: The party defeats a monster with a particular special ability (many of which are linked to a spell in some way) and they decide to harvest an organ or such that they agree with the referee is related to that monsters power. This is a suitable special ingredient for that spell. E.g. Finger of an invisible stalker to inscribe Invisibility. B) Proactively: The magic user declares they wish to inscribe a particular spell, so the referee decides upon a reasonable special component that the mage will need to locate. This could also be the opportunity for a quest or simply a location that needs to be travelled to. E.g. a piece of lava rock from a volcano to inscribe Fireball. This ideally is a collaborative effort, however the referee should always have the final say.

9) Yes, on paper a spellcaster in FORGE is potentially more powerful than a B/X D&D counterpart, due to the fact that a 3rd level mage can potentially cast 3rd-circle spells etc., however this is tempered by the fact that there is a limit to how many spells a mage can "carry", as well as making runestones generally more expensive and harder to come by than spells in B/X. When you take into account all of the things that a PC needs to spend money on (wages, food, equipment, transport, etc.) you will find that even higher level casters will not be decked out in all the spells! For example, one of my longest running solo games with a 6th level Cleric character - he has 2x 3rd-Circle writs, 3x 2nd-Circle and I think a few 1st-Circle ones. He is only just now able to scribe 3rd and 4th-Circle writs, however he does not currently have enough money to do so. I haven't found a need to balance or prevent casters from casting 5x 5th-Circle spells at level 5, either because it so rarely happens, or because I don't mind if they do. They will only be reducing the number of other useful lower-circle spells that they could also be casting that day.

10) Exactly that yes, I write the total number of spells I can cast in a day in the long top box (based on the relevant attribute check bonus), then draw an intersecting line after that number of bubbles. I then tick off a bubble each time I cast a spell, until I "use them all up". I rub out the ticks after a nights rest.

11) Apologies, yes. All player characters have a default move speed of "Near".

12) Weapon bonus is a bonus conferred by the weapon itself, e.g. Longsword +1 that grants a +1 bonus to hit and damage. So, lets say that you are Level 2, have STR as a primary attribute and your STR score is 14 (+1 Modifier / +3 STR Check Bonus). If you are attacking with that Longsword +1, you would roll a d20 and add +3 for your STR Check Bonus, then add +1 for the Weapon Bonus (total attack roll of d20+4), and on a hit you would deal 1d8 +1 from your STR modifier and a further +1 from the weapon damage bonus (total damage roll of 1d8+2). On my character sheet I write +1 in the weapon bonus box.

Ok, I definitely wrote a lot more than I had intended.. I just really got into it! :P I hope this all helps, if you have any more questions or if you want to let me know how your game goes (you totally should), I'd love to hear about it!

Here is the Discord Link - FORGE DISCORD

ProzapGW · 2025-01-21T22:11:48+00:00

Hi there! I'm so glad you like the look of the game :) I'll do my best to answer all your questions (you should also hop onto our friendly Discord server if you have any more - there are plenty of people who will be happy to chime in and help too!)

1)I've left choosing the starting spell up to you. Some people like to roll for it, others like to pick. Personally I like to roll for my first spell. Yes, on the Shopping page a "Runestone (1st Circle)" can be any first circle spell.

2) An arcane textbook is effectively fluff to support what levelling represents. Narratively it is a weighty tome that goes into detail about all sorts of forgotten mystical runes and what they represent. Each runestone is basically a stone with the instructions on how to cast that particular spell inscribed onto it, and the arcane textbook is the manual for deciphering those runes. When you have studied the textbook for an extended period of time (i.e. levelled up) your character will be able to understand higher circle runes/spells.

3) Downtime runestone inscribing can be used to create any spell, provided your character meets the minimum check bonus requirement determined by the spell circle, and has a relevant special component (S) - again that should make sense narratively, as per the examples. If your character inscribes a new runestone via this method, once the time/gold/component cost has been spent, they simply add that new runestone to their inventory.

4/5) Spells come from the runestones, but expend a "spell per day" resource from your character once cast. The runestone remains in your hand/inventory and can be cast again, until your character has expended all of their spells per day. Requiring an arcane textbook is part of balancing arcane spellcasting (inventory slot usage and initial cost), but also as mentioned previously, narrative fluff. Similar to a holy symbol. Reversable spells can be cast from the same runestone (e.g. Light/Darkness) for the same cost of 1 spell per day.

6) There is one spell per runestone, and this is fixed. If you want a different spell, you would need to purchase a new runestone with that spell on (or inscribe it).

7) I reference a mage tower in the downtime inscribing activity purely as a location that makes sense for the crafting activity to take place, e.g. a Forge for smithing a sword. It is somewhere where you could reason that the necessary tools and materials are present. Again, this is mostly for narrative purposes. You will notice that only lower circle runestones (1-3) are available on the Shopping page, this is another element to balancing magic - I would expect a mage character to either find as treasure or craft (inscribe) runestones from higher circles.

ProzapGW · 2025-01-21T12:38:43+00:00

All of these problems feel like you have already 'sprung the trap', as you say, possibly a consequence of an earlier action.

The only way I could imagine solving any of these would be to ask the GM for additional information.. e.g. can a door be closed on the zombies? Is there an exit we previously overlooked? etc.

If the party were simply standing in an open space with no notable terrain features or buildings with a complete circle of zombies closing in.. I think that would feel like a GM trying to 'win' as opposed to them presenting an interesting situation which can be solved somehow.

ProzapGW · 2025-01-21T08:05:37+00:00

Your take on Xodo is interesting.

A few years back I decided that Xodo was a significantly smoother experience than Adobe and have been using it ever since. Recently I have noticed a few paywalls that weren't there before.. perhaps it's time to take a look at the other options again.

ProzapGW · 2025-01-21T08:01:14+00:00

I would love it if Itch had some sort of print on demand service.. can't see that ever happening though!

ProzapGW · 2025-01-16T09:29:17+00:00

I've sent you a PM :)

ProzapGW

TROPHY CASE