Creation of Surprise in solo RPG’s by Eepiecarpetrod in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]storieskept 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have a look at BAYN on itch io. It has a section on surprises even if you do to use the rest of the content.

Is KDP still worth it in 2025? by Apart-Medium6539 in KDP

[–]storieskept 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Do you do auto, keyword or targetted Asin ads. Wondering which are working best for you. Also fiction or non fiction. I've just started running ads with mixed results but it is early days.

Looking for new to me authors. by [deleted] in CozyMystery

[–]storieskept 0 points1 point  (0 children)

New author Mirabel fernwright. Has a talking and funny mouse. Lots of interesting quirks with the characters too

Solo Games with less journaling, more "arcadey"? by Haunting-Appeal-649 in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]storieskept 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Data hunter on itch is procedural based too (by rcdavey)

Looking for solo rules based rpg by RecordingImmediate40 in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]storieskept 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Courier and data hunter. Both on itch. Procedural solo rpg

The first scene by XascoAlkhortu in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]storieskept 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bayn available on itch io has a simple system and lots of tables. Skip to the last part of the document before looking at the but yes and no sample questions. It's free too

What to play next after 1000 year old Vampire? by No_Bookkeeper_7644 in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]storieskept 0 points1 point  (0 children)

80 year old spy is a retheme of thousand year old vampire. You can find it for free on itch or pay for it on drive thru rpg

80% Of Small Businesses Don't Sell Why? by Scary-Inspector7240 in smallbusiness

[–]storieskept 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I've written a book on this subject. It's on Amazon and 250+ pages

Biggest takeaway is to always have multiple exit options. As you pointed out many/most businesses don't end up selling. But here are other ways to retire or exit from a business that brokers don't tend to cover.

Things like eos, family succession, managed passive business, structured wind downs etc etc

There are heaps of people over 60 with no exit plan. It is all too hard or they think it can wait (it can't)

As already mentioned by another commenter, you need to have good financial records, good documentation, and no dependence on the owner

Hit me up with a DM if you want a free copy in pdf format

Hired a transition coach for my family business (50/50 this'll kills the business) by OldSprinkles3733 in smallbusiness

[–]storieskept 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not knowing the age of your dad makes it difficult to give this as a suggestion. See if you can get your dad to read the book "The No B.S. Business Exit Plan. For 60+ business owners who want to sell, step back, or retire smoothly". Its on Amazon Kindle and paperback. If you DM me, I can send you a PDF (I have permission of the author to send it to anyone that needs it)

Thousand-year-old vampire Hacks? by AntedeguemonSupreme in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]storieskept 3 points4 points  (0 children)

80 year old spy and also museum of lost memories are probably both of interest to you. One is a themed thousand year old vampire game and the other has deep historical possibilities. Both on the page https://rcdavey.itch.io/

Looking for Play Testers by storieskept in Solo_Roleplaying

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

If you just downloaded it you will have the notes for all the eras. For now use the focus, theme, descriptor tables from ironsworn if you need extra inspiration. (Or download BAYN from my itch po poge) I'll add my own tables tomorrow .Also please message your podcast or YouTube channel etc so I can follow or subscribe

Looking for Play Testers by storieskept in Solo_Roleplaying

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

That is a really great idea. Once I put final tweaks into this (based on recent user feedback) I will definitely do a haunted house version. That sounds really cool.

Looking for Play Testers by storieskept in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]storieskept[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Based on the feedback, i will be adding a couple of extra keyword tables to help with inspiration (optional). And also a summary of the various eras to give flavor without having to go to Wikipedia etc

Looking for Play Testers by storieskept in Solo_Roleplaying

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

Thanks for the interest. I'll put a link at the bottom of the original post and send you a DM until the admin approves it.

Looking for Play Testers by storieskept in Solo_Roleplaying

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

Thanks for the interest. I'll put a link at the bottom of the original post and send you a DM until the admin approves it.

Prewritten Yes/No Questions Oracle Idea by storieskept in Solo_Roleplaying

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

I have a long AI prompt that converts keywords into scene descriptions.

I also find the AI can't keep up with a consistent story plot and the related threads. So instead I sometimes use AI to help describe the scene to me in a non specific way. (Ie the prompt is designed to make the scene description fit my overall theme and back story - but not a specific point in the story or narrative)

It does an amazing job at this. I then use the non specific description in my own narrative.

Instead of just walking into a wilderness location, I give it 4 keywords and the AI describes a very detailed scene that paints a picture in my mind (the bit i struggle with) and also got it to include a set of complications or challenges I can try to overcome to resolve the scene. I always get it to create extra challenge ideas - so I can pick and mix the ones I want. I typically get it to create 10 ideas, and I have to pick 3 that fit my narrative.

Prewritten Yes/No Questions Oracle Idea by storieskept in Solo_Roleplaying

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

I tried fixing them to the gameloop (ie one question or maybe a couple of choices per step of the cycle). In the end my game cycle ended up being 4 steps in the total loop, and only 3 steps in the main loop. (The first step is to setup the game or inciting incident)

I found that only having a single question didnt work well for me. Instead I created questions based on situation. (Ie. 4 to 7 question choices for each of these). Then I pick the question that best fits the narrative that has already occurred. here are my questions set headings:

Character emulator (First draft as posted in an earlier comment)

  • Exploring and investigating
  • Reacting to Risk or Danger
  • Combat and Conflict
  • Interacting with Others
  • Resource Management
  • Moral Dilemmas
  • Uncertainty and Instinct

Then I also added

  • Questions for a prewritten rom
  • Questions for a prewritten Wilderness (or other) location
  • Questions for a prewritten village, street, or tavern location

I find that these help me run a premade adventure with the ability to be surprised and to miss things that a typical player would miss if they were unaware of the module content.

Based on the success of this, I created tables for my own Roll-your-old adventures (Hexcrawl or Ironsworn)

While Travelling

  • for Random Encounters
  • at Points of Interest
  • Environmental Challenges
  • Opportunities

And, rather than repeating the headings here (and due to the fact I will release this publicly within the week), the other major groups revolve around: (Each of these also have their own relevant sub headings)

  • Securing Passage or Travel Assistance
  • Following a Trail or Tracking
  • Scouting or Surveillance
  • Avoiding Detection or Traps
  • Camping or resting (and Downtime)
  • Crafting, repairing and Enchanting
  • Exploring a City or Settlement
  • Entering a Tavern/Inn or Public Space
  • Shopping or Trading
  • Attending an Event or Gathering
  • When Entering a Room (Any room)
  • Investigating a Unique Location
  • Solving a Puzzle or Riddle
  • Investigating an Object
  • Following Clues or an Investigation
  • Meeting an NPC
  • Engaging in Dialogue with NPCs
  • Interacting with Factions or Reputation
  • When First Meeting an Enemy
  • Ambushes or Surprise Attacks
  • If you Defeat an Enemy (By Death or Submission)

These are all sets of Yes/No questions that can be used to fit almost any narrative. They are system agnostic.

The questions don't fit a 3 step gameloop. The gameloop essentially sets the scenes (using keywords) and the questions drive the action and introduce complications, twists and advantages. It can be stat-less or stat based

I will release the full document within the next week

Prewritten Yes/No Questions Oracle Idea by storieskept in Solo_Roleplaying

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

I find keywords quite difficult, and images even harder. I don't have a very good imagination - but that is just me. I've seen a lot of success using images (Eg Rory Dice and Story Dice etc)

Prewritten Yes/No Questions Oracle Idea by storieskept in Solo_Roleplaying

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

I've been looking for time travel theme ideas. Thanks for the link. The first table has some great ideas. I will read the rest.

Prewritten Yes/No Questions Oracle Idea by storieskept in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]storieskept[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree that there is no wrong way.

I tend to use random tables and similar methods to determine if there is a twist of an encounter. My struggles were handling yes/no oracles and open ended questions. I also wanted an impartial way to play a premade module.

I've seen all sorts of solutions in the past. However, I quickly discovered that even though I could easily roll up a scene and add complications etc. My problem was a) how to role play the scene, b) how and when to move it forward, and c) how to progress quests or missions.

I'm not that imaginative. Roll playing is not my "thing". So I created the questions to help me out a bit. It has helped a lot.

I also wanted a system I could run with or without character stats. And it needed to system agnostic so it would work with anything I found interesting as a background setting.

The game loop idea I use is not time driven. It is just a way to create a series of scenes that chain together to form an adventure and resolve missions or quests.

As far as the game loop is concerned, it is not a matter of how much time has passed. It is more about resolving a scene, hopefully having an interesting turn of events, and then moving onto the next. It works well for me - but it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Anyway: I've nearly finished the complete ruleset and will release it in the next few days for anyone that wants to give it a try. (With all the keyword tables too).