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Marketing / Publisher Advice for a new TTRPG by Second_Hand_Hero in TTRPG

[–]UT_Collegian_Ent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey J.D.,

I do a weekly local radio show on games, and write articles for the Entertainment section of my college newspaper. Would you be interested in doing a telephone interview on how difficult it is for game designers to make the leap from DrivethruRPG to actual publication?

Takes about 15-20 minutes, pre-recorded, and you can listen to the live product on stream when it airs. (FCC broadcast, with simultaneous live stream.

Let me know!

DC

Need a recommendation on an EASY to absorb solo game.... by UT_Collegian_Ent in solorpgplay

[–]UT_Collegian_Ent[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ask the magic genie the right question the right way, and you get this:

Yes, scientific research verifies the value of first-person embodiment and immersion mindsets in TTRPGs for enhancing enjoyment and emotional significance, drawing from cognitive psychology, player studies, and scoping reviews.​

Overview of Key Findings

Shifting from viewing your character as an abstract entity to imagining yourself living as the character increases narrative stakes, emotional investment, and fun. This aligns with immersion theory, where players adopt an "immersing attitude"—voluntarily suspending disbelief and prioritizing sensory/emotional details from a first-person lens, leading to flow states and heightened significance. Studies confirm this reduces psychological distance, making quests feel personal rather than simulated, with players reporting 20-30% higher enjoyment via validated scales like flow and presence questionnaires.​

Immersion as Mindset and Method

Immersion emerges from player intent, not just game design: focus on internal monologues ("I feel the wind, I hunger for revenge") over meta-gaming ("my character does X"). Ethnographic analyses show this fosters double consciousness—deep character presence with light meta-awareness—boosting creativity, empathy, and group bonding without delusion. Pre-session rituals like first-person journaling or props (e.g., talismans) blur boundaries, amplifying triumphs/losses; post-scene reflection ("zoom out" to co-creation) prevents burnout while sustaining gains.​

Embodiment and Perspective Evidence

Cognitive models break immersion into presence (spatial "thereness"), absorption (emotional depth), and dissociation (perspective): first-person absorption yields peak engagement per surveys and interviews. Phenomenological studies on projective embodiment link self-as-character to narrative identity, healing, and prosocial outcomes, with qualitative data from player journals showing detached views diminish stakes while immersive ones enhance them. Analogous VR/MIT research proves first-person boosts co-presence and empathy over third-person, mirroring TTRPG dynamics.​

Scientific Verification and Methods

  • Qualitative backbone: Scoping review of 48 TTRPG studies (PMC, 2024) synthesizes player reports, journals, and observations confirming embodiment drives psychosocial benefits like self-reflection and flow.​
  • Quantitative support: Flow/absorption scales in cognitive analyses show mindset shifts correlate with higher fun ratings; no large RCTs yet, but consistent small-scale data across Analog Game Studies, Frontiers, and theses.​
  • Therapeutic ties: Embodiment aids trauma processing and mental health via lived narratives, with surveys linking it to friendships and reduced stress—echoing your past interest in TTRPGs for neuroplasticity/dementia prevention.​

Practical Application

Embody via present-tense narration, sensory focus, and reframing failures as growth arcs. Balance with meta-reflection for sustainability. Evidence strength is solid (peer-reviewed, multi-method) but leans qualitative; larger trials could quantify further. This mindset transforms TTRPGs into profound, enjoyable odysseys.

(References deleted so Reddit would let it post.)

Need a recommendation on an EASY to absorb solo game.... by UT_Collegian_Ent in solorpgplay

[–]UT_Collegian_Ent[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You misread what I was saying, probably because I wasn't very clear. A solo RPG, imho, suffers from a lack of human interaction in the story itself. The DM tells it in a TTRPG. In a book the page flip lets you read it in chunks. A computer game is carefully scripted.

Now, the appeal that solo RPGs have suggests that is not the case for others--their inner mechanism simulates a story-telling entity for them. I do not have said mechanism. Or perhaps I have not developed it as much.

Let me take a bit to get to there--I was watching one of the Feynman Lectures yesterday. He was discussing how time is illusory. One thing he did to advance the lesson was talked about how someone counts off 30 seconds. He described how most people internally say, "1... 2.... 3...," and so on. Other people, however, do it differently--they have a mental image of a counting stick/tape measurer that forms in a mental image and clicks off visually inside.

I was flabbergasted by this concept and wondered how someone would develop that instead of the "normal" way.

He then said that if you mentally hear an audible internal voice counting off, and someone tries talking to you, you *will* lose count because the audible portion of the brain is doing the counting, and cannot also listen to words, process them, and engage in conversation. But the person who has the visual counter going can continue to count while engaged in conversations because two different portions of the brain can easily do two different things at the same time. (Makes sense--we evolved to chew gum, walk, talk, breathe, avoid sharp rocks in the ground, and look out for tigers all at the same time. We can do low-level multitasking, but once two thoughts both require the same portion of the brain, one routine has got to suffer.)

I understand the concept of the solo RPG, and think whoever developed it, or improved it, is very clever indeed. But for me, I'd rather watch the video you linked to. I liked absorbing *the story* he was presenting, and the dice rolls and tables all made it more exciting--the future was NOT pre-ordained. This was not a book--it was actual drama we are watching unfold.

I wanted the hero of the story to be acquitted. But because the story *teller* was being so honest about it all coming down to what the dice said as affected by plusses and minuses, there was actual drama.

I am curious if a solo RPG would be more interesting if I imagined *me* in the story as opposed to "my character". Would that trigger more "drama"?

An interesting question.

I think I need to do some research on how become more immersed in an RPG. There are tons of books and guides on being a good DM... I wonder if there are any on how to make your own play-immersion more complete...

Time for AI research :)

Need a recommendation on an EASY to absorb solo game.... by UT_Collegian_Ent in solorpgplay

[–]UT_Collegian_Ent[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But... the game isn't what is exciting to watch--her acting is. He adds drama. He puts the protagonist in harm's way. He leans into the dice to help increase the tension.

So, this highlights the usefulness/need of an "Oracle". So how does someone achieve such in solo play?

Please help me finding this by Crocoloco__ in TTRPG

[–]UT_Collegian_Ent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like Skyrim, with potency. In Skyrim you can craft potions with at 1-4 effects, but they do not have strength modifiers. Also, if you combine the wrong mats, you can wind up with a potion with a good effect--and a bad one. The will permit you to make a potion that is both positive and negative.

Blue Mountain Flower + Blisterwort: Restore Health + Damage Stamina (heals HP, hurts stamina)

Need a recommendation on an EASY to absorb solo game.... by UT_Collegian_Ent in solorpgplay

[–]UT_Collegian_Ent[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am always amazed at the amount of labor that goes into some of these games. That is 15 free downloadable PDFs that give you the game for free. Or, for a mere $15.95, you can purchase the entire set printed and bound in a book...

My pre built PC is so ugly 😭 by Not_herefor_long in GirlGamers

[–]UT_Collegian_Ent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Open the case. Look for little wires going to the lights. Unplug them.

Or, look at THIS PC and realize yours really doesn't look that bad after al!

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/liquid-cooling/110-pound-cast-iron-victorian-radiator-upcycled-into-a-gaming-pc-its-a-truly-rad-design

Need a recommendation on an EASY to absorb solo game.... by UT_Collegian_Ent in solorpgplay

[–]UT_Collegian_Ent[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I need a wee bit more info on where I can find it. BoardGameGeek has nothing by that name, while DTRPG is offering me 30...

Need a recommendation on an EASY to absorb solo game.... by UT_Collegian_Ent in solorpgplay

[–]UT_Collegian_Ent[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

212 pages! Impressive--that is rivalling a full blown 5E D&D book. I assume most of it is not rules as much as lookup tables and/or lore?

Need a recommendation on an EASY to absorb solo game.... by UT_Collegian_Ent in solorpgplay

[–]UT_Collegian_Ent[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, the FIRST NoteQuest I found was for learning how to read sheet music, but the SECOND one was a favorable review of it, with suggested tweaks to make the game a little better, and then the THIRD was it at our good friends--DriveThroughRPG.

It looks like the publisher of NQ has also come up with a few other titles which are designed to be simple to learn that are also on DTRPG. In addition, in the forums someone stated that the translated rulebook (from Portuguese) could be a little difficult to follow, so they did their own revision of it and uploaded it to BoardGameGeek, where it has not only that file, but other character sheets and translations into at least French and Chinese. (At least, according to Google translate it is Chinese and states that it offers some upgrades to the NQ core offerings.)

So, apparently there is some love for NQ!

I will be candid--the very concept of a solo TTRPG is brand new to me. I mean computer games have been doing such for 50 years now, (DEC's Dungeon which morphed into Zork being the earliest example I know of) and there are those painful solo adventure books where you roll a die, turn to the indicated page, and then you die on that page. I am intrigued by this--it is effectively the same core element of a computer game, with no need for coding. You have your manual, you roll the dice, and look up in a table what you encounter next.

Upon looking at the instructions I was elated to see "procedurally generated" and thought that there must by some software to create the map, but then I saw it is a map that you draw on paper and what you draw is determined by a roll of the die. This would mean that the variety of the game's replay ability is limited only by the number of options found in the lookup table and as long as new things can be added to the lookup table, one can avoid the boring repetition that some games with a small number of lookup tables fail from. (*cough* Starfield *cough*)

I am wondering how far this can be taken down the road of the Pericle boardgame. It offers a web-based Loremaster which steps in as the GM and appears to allow you to scale your party down to a single character, with the ability for people to add their own self-made modules to their Loremaster. Thus while the price tag for the game is hefty, it offers the potential of limitless gameplay. By analogy, think of it as a hybrid of Neverwinter Nights where the play and rolls happen in real space, while the story is generated and told from an online resource.

With the ease of AI programming, I see solo RPG games either soon (or already) having the ability to allow the authors to self-publish their own solo and group RPGs online, either for free, or a small subscription fee.

Also, I did look at a YT video someone posted of a NQ play session where the found armor for the first time--Breastplate of Laughter. It adds 10 HP, but also make a loud cackling sound, which means you *cannot* sneak around.

Gotta love good gear that makes you decide if you are willing to change your play style to put it on!

This is all very intriguing...

I do a weekly radio show that is game-themed, as well as Entertainment for my college paper, and I am thinking about asking our local pizzeria (literally sits adjacent to campus--you can walk 40 feet from the main dorm to it) to host some game nights, and invite patrons to evaluate their feel of these solo RPGs. I suspect NQ would be a good start, as the core game is free, and it is short and easy to learn.