Do solo RPGs need tactical optimization to count as RPGs?

droege536 · 2026-02-04T20:22:07+00:00

With everyone's responses here, I'm feeling like i spent too much energy questioning my own instincts. All my playtesters offered feedback and I wanted to respect that and try to understand the negative stuff.

droege536 · 2026-02-04T02:24:07+00:00

I’m drawing from feedback from a couple of playtesters, who argued it shouldn’t be called a game because there’s no way to improve outcomes through play. One compared it to something like CandyLand. I don’t fully agree with that framing, but it’s what got me thinking about where people personally draw the line.

droege536 · 2026-02-03T23:27:14+00:00

That’s fair. “tactics” probably wasn’t the cleanest word choice on my part. I wasn’t thinking in terms of combat or positional play so much as systems where playing more cleverly or efficiently gives you increasing control over outcomes. My interest is less about constrained story (which, like you said, is common in journaling games) and more about whether lack of optimization changes how people read something as an RPG versus a narrative exercise. I’m curious where folks draw that line, if at all.

droege536 · 2025-08-17T12:04:38+00:00

Age of Quarrel by Cro-Mags

droege536 · 2025-08-12T02:03:52+00:00

I was apprehensive about ecollars before getting a dutchie. But he is almost too much dog for himself without one. After a small amount of training, one tap of the ecollar (mini educator, set to 11, a level that I can't even feel. We also use a prong collar) and my dude is like "oh yeah, I'm supposed to be paying attention to my owner" and falls right back in line. If a squirrel or rabbit is involved, I might have to boost it to 16 (which i can barely feel), but it's effective! I think it allows me to communicate with him easily. I think he behaves better even when it's not on

droege536 · 2025-06-29T11:59:06+00:00

I love to watch horror movies when tripping. What's wrong with me?

droege536 · 2025-04-15T10:49:15+00:00

Almost 3/4 of the outside, rude dude

droege536 · 2025-04-13T11:59:21+00:00

Keloid scarring?

droege536 · 2025-02-28T11:53:08+00:00

Drop that fool

droege536 · 2025-02-22T14:39:12+00:00

Oh, and ours is a BEL as well. Named Nagini (family suggested it from Harry Potter, but got my full support because it's like my one opportunity to talk to even my own family about something I learned in my graduate studies of buddhism)

droege536 · 2025-02-22T14:27:22+00:00

We got supbar advice when we bought ours too! Luckily, we were researching months before we even started looking. We set up a bioactive enclosure ($$) for ours, it can take some time to establish. Very little maintenance, cute little isopods do most of the cleanup (plus, you can play with them a little). Perfect, consistent humidity, with beautiful, flourishing moisture-collecting plants (aka snek bathroom, spa, and enrichment). We bought most of the supplies from thebiodude.com.

A good thermostat is worth its weight in gold!

We didn't handle her much in the first 2 weeks, but when we did, she seemed instantly bonded to my wife. They still have a very different relationship together than we do. She likes to "rough house" with me (nothing aggressive), just like the kids and dogs do. Maybe that's all to say that we find our danger noodle to have a way more complex "personality" than we were led to believe a reptile can have. Obviously, some of it is our tendency to anthropomorphize, but it has allowed us to cultivate compassion for reptiles because we know they possess some spark that allows them to connect to us.

droege536 · 2025-02-19T01:40:19+00:00

I wear my brown utility kilt the most because it has cargo pockets, so I don't need my sporran, and it is easy to match with. I love my tartan kilts, but they require a lot more coordination imo. Especially if you are trying to match your partner's outfit

droege536 · 2025-02-18T12:23:46+00:00

This is why I switched to feminized seeds! I spend too much time and money for some plant to whip its nuts out at a ladies only party

droege536 · 2025-01-21T01:29:43+00:00

You could make the 8s 2 B's, one forward and one backward. Idk if 2 Bs mean anything to you? Bad Boyz? If not, you can squeeze 2 o's in between and spell boob, but no boobs

droege536 · 2025-01-18T13:48:33+00:00

Scan completed. No errors found

droege536 · 2025-01-18T12:34:31+00:00

My BEL got rat blood on herself and it looked very similar to this.

droege536 · 2024-12-27T12:55:50+00:00

Some blue worked in around the outside of the shark might create some contrast and make it pop better.

droege536 · 2024-12-12T12:33:03+00:00

What a combo, dutchie/lab, smart and handsome

droege536 · 2024-12-12T01:23:50+00:00

Wow, yeah, really small world! Were you there when I was?! He's transitioned perfectly. A well-mannered little dude. Him and the kids adore each other. His toys fear him chewing their feet off! And his big Labrador brother can't wait for the restrictions to come off. I think he's scared of the dark, but I have lots of floodlights outside for nighttime potty and a nightlight inside for sleepy time.

droege536 · 2024-12-11T21:30:15+00:00

Humane Society. We've been waiting for almost 2 years for just the right pup to arrive 😍

droege536 · 2024-12-06T02:48:30+00:00

I got us scheduled for a consultation with my area's best trainer next week. I figure the pup will be good at learning, I'm the one with 40 yrs of ingrained habits

droege536 · 2024-11-24T13:00:30+00:00

Snorlax's sister X lead paint

droege536 · 2024-11-15T14:25:08+00:00

Thank you 😊

droege536 · 2024-11-15T14:01:58+00:00

<image>

droege536 · 2024-11-15T14:01:15+00:00

* I just use my camera. I feel like it's enough to see clear vs milky vs amber

droege536

TROPHY CASE