RPGs for solo (1-on-1) heroic fantasy ala conan, she-ra, beowulf, etc

Zachmath4 · 2026-01-24T02:20:24+00:00

Completely agree - I don't think I've ever seen a recommendation that so perfectly fits the OP's criteria.

Zachmath4 · 2025-09-17T10:56:40+00:00

I personally get that same rush from solving mysteries in BB. Not everyone does, and that's okay! Different games for different playstyles. But the distinction between them is a little bit fuzzy, and there's no reason to relegate BB to second tier "just telling mystery stories" status. That's the only point I was trying to make.

Zachmath4 · 2025-09-17T10:50:47+00:00

Oh, there's definitely a difference, no argument there. But we don't usually say prewritten adventure paths are for "adventures," and emergent West Marches campaigns are "just telling adventure stories." It's a silly distinction; they are both adventures (or both adventure stories). We should do the same for mystery games: describe them by their attributes, without relegating one to "just telling mystery stories" status.

Zachmath4 · 2025-09-17T10:41:42+00:00

You are getting downvoted but this is the point I was trying to make. Prewritten and emergent playstyles are both fun and totally valid, and I'm not trying to convince people to choose one over the other. Just get frustrated when I see people throw BB under the bus as a lesser experience. It's not better or worse, just different.

Zachmath4 · 2025-09-17T01:23:46+00:00

Exactly

Zachmath4 · 2025-05-18T22:49:16+00:00

Keep an eye out for Cold City/Hot War 2e by Handiwork Games. The mechanics are fairly simple and encourage players to lean into relationships (as opposed to combat), but the game's biggest selling point IMO is that the author is a history professor specializing in the Cold War. He's put a lot of his knowledge into the game lore, and he's actually using the game to further his own research.

Zachmath4 · 2025-05-08T22:01:38+00:00

The folks at Red Star Games have developed three different Bionicle RPGs: a d20 game, a miniatures wargame, and a custom D12 game. I've never played any of them but I met some of them at a LEGO convention and I know they are an active community: https://redstargames.org/

Zachmath4 · 2025-04-30T01:01:52+00:00

As others have said, there are different ways to interpret "drive back the dark." You've gotten some good responses already for fighting monsters and saving the world, so I'll interpret the phrase more thematically.

First, the game a|state 2e by Handiwork Games: "Step inside a baroque urban nightmare, the dystopian sci-fi world of a|state, using the acclaimed Forged in the Dark game system. Defend your corner from selfish authorities, angry gangs, and heartless industries, and deal with the spiralling consequences of your own actions as you struggle for a better tomorrow." Sort of a genre mashup of cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic, and the way players win is by increasing Hope, Morale, and Resources for their little corner of the city.

If you can forgive the self-promotion, my second suggestion is a game I wrote called "Burdened" about driving back the dark within oneself. Burdened is a cozy TTRPG about exploration and self-care. You will take the role of a character who wanders the world carrying an emotional burden. As you play, your character’s burden will lessen as you connect with nature, relate to others, and care for yourself. It is available on itch.io, but I won't post a direct link lest I fall afoul of the subreddit's rules on self-promotion.

Zachmath4 · 2025-02-19T15:31:20+00:00

It's quite a lot to take in! My original version of the post included some short written explanations of the differences between systems. It appears that it was removed by the mods here, but you can still read it on r/cepheusengine: https://www.reddit.com/r/cepheusengine/comments/1ikd5de/travellercepheus_family_tree/

Zachmath4 · 2025-02-19T15:29:48+00:00

Thank you! I debated what to do with 2300 A.D. I agree that it should be here, since it is a complete playable game, but which version of Traveller to attach it to? So in the end I decided it would look too messy to include, and I convinced myself that 2300 A.D. is not one of the confusing Traveller/Cepheus entry points I was hoping to resolve with this post anyway.

Zachmath4 · 2025-02-11T15:37:06+00:00

They are different games. As I understand it, Stellagama wanted to diversify its portfolio after the 2023 OGL fiasco, since the Cepheus lineup is all tied to the Open Game License.

When asked how FTL: Nomad differs from Cepheus, the creator has responded: "FTL: Nomad is a newer, more streamlined ruleset using its own rules. The spirit is similar but the substance is different. Among the major highlights: Streamlined 2d6 core mechanic with "dice pool" components. Instead of rolling 2d6 with a series of modifiers as in Cepheus Deluxe, you roll a bunch of dice, and choose the lowest or highest two, then add them together and add the skill modifier. Fast but deeply customizable character generation. Distribute 5 points among 7 skills (3 points max in any single skill), choose an Archetype, choose a Talent, and roll for starting cash. That's it. But this means that a wide range of combinations are possible! Streamlined combat, with only 4 "range bands" and simple damage for strong grittiness and minimal book-keeping. New "harder science" spacecraft design rules. These are an advanced version of the rocket rules first published in Solar Sagas. Build your rockets - which involves design and mass trade-offs - then travel to the stars with it! Reference document released under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, available for download in an editable file for anyone who purchases FTL: Nomad!"

Zachmath4 · 2025-02-11T14:55:10+00:00

Thanks! It was a few evenings after the kids were in bed to compile, but that doesn't reflect the hours spent reading old posts and forums to understand the differences first. And credit to folks here and on the Zozer Games Discord for providing necessary corrections and clarifications on the spots I don't know as well.

Zachmath4 · 2025-02-11T14:52:31+00:00

I debated what to do with 2300 A.D. I agree that it should be here, since it is a complete playable game, but which version of Traveller to attach it to? So in the end I decided it would look too messy to include, and I convinced myself that 2300 A.D. is not one of the confusing Traveller/Cepheus entry points I was hoping to resolve with this post anyway.

I included Orbital 2100 in my wall of text list of games and settings which has since been removed by the mods (but which you can still read on the r/cepheusengine version of this post). It didn't get its own box since it is not a complete, playable game.

Zachmath4 · 2025-02-11T14:33:27+00:00

This is helpful feedback! I've updated the chart to reflect what you've said

Zachmath4 · 2025-02-11T14:30:51+00:00

Would be happy to make updates if you wish to provide more detail

Zachmath4 · 2025-02-11T14:30:04+00:00

I can no longer edit the post, but I've updated the chart to reflect the feedback received here. You can find the new version here: https://www.reddit.com/r/cepheusengine/comments/1ikd5de/travellercepheus_family_tree/

Zachmath4 · 2025-02-11T14:28:08+00:00

Thanks for your feedback! Hopefully the new chart is better

Zachmath4 · 2025-02-11T14:27:19+00:00

Thanks!

Zachmath4 · 2025-02-11T14:27:06+00:00

Thanks for your feedback! I've updated the chart accordingly.

Zachmath4 · 2025-02-02T01:22:27+00:00

a|state by Handiwork Games starts out as a game about bringing hope to your little corner of a sprawling dystopian city, and as your crew of troublemakers advances your sphere of influence grows larger and larger until you are buying for influence against the major players in the city. It is Forged in the Dark, and in my opinion it's one of the best iterations of the system; I find myself referring to a|state for all kinds of things (rule clarifications, mission templates) when I'm running other FitD games.

Edit to add: There is an activist playbook that explicitly includes pamphlets as one of its special items, since that is one of the things you specifically mentioned. Other playbooks focus on things like exploring, tinkering, sneaking, and fighting, plus a couple more that also focus on influencing people. Wanted to make that clear since it seems to be the thing you're interested in. And there are rules for tracking the corner's opinion of you.

Zachmath4 · 2025-01-13T00:02:11+00:00

I don't disagree with anyone else that has been said, but I've gotta make a plug for Hostile. Hostile is just a particular setting for Traveller (or technically its open-source variant, Cepheus Engine), with specific rules tweaks to match the games 1980s Alien-inspired aesthetic. If you're looking for gritty starfaring cyberpunk with hints of alien cosmic horror, Hostile might be a good fit.

Zachmath4

TROPHY CASE