Super inspiring! I found myself in a similar situation recently as well, and dove back into it in the past few days. It's such a joy to be able to get back into solo RPGs. And thanks for the shout-out!
This was really cool to watch, Matt! I enjoyed getting a look into the way you journal, as that is something I am working to establish a style in. And Barrowmaze looks awesome... which is a problem because it's yet another book I am tempted to buy. Thanks for the cool video and the shoutout as well!
True! I have wasted so much time thinking about gaming, comparing systems, writing systems, drawing maps, using AI to generate images and scenes…but not actually playing. It is crazy to think how much time and energy I have wasted.
Video hits a little close to home. I have a feeling you are going to inspire a lot of people to do the same. Love that you used White Box 🤘Sub'd for more.
Thank you, I have seen a handful of others post essentially the same thing: "Stop thinking about it and just do it!" I can only hope it inspires others to do the same and pick up a game and get to playing.
@mattjackson im one of the dummies that wants so badly to be a good solo player, and bought a ton of games all the youtubers talked about. Now I have two bookshelves of stuff that doesn't get played. Here's to hoping nows the time...
Hmmm, this brings an idea to mind. Let me gestate upon this idea. And do it! Stop thinking about it and just grab one and start playing! The best aspect of solo is you are playing FOR YOU. There is no one to say "You biddy little fool, you are doing this all wrong!" You play FOR YOU, in a way that is fun FOR YOU and no one else. Make mistakes. Fudge the rolls. Do whatever it takes to make the game fun and exciting to you!
@@sharpmountaingames9303 LOL I will say the solo gaming community is one of the nicest subset of gaming I have encountered, most people are interesting, creative, willing to share, and friendly to boot!
This was really helpful and has probably one of the best pieces of advice on solo play - if you don’t feel like playing through your characters arriving in town, meeting people, receiving their quest etc… you don’t have to! It’s great to just get into the action straight away.
Yes! I thought this was the best way to jump in and grab my attention, the village and local area details can wait until I am invested in the game and more likely to continue playing. Thanks for watching!
Some good points there, I can see how it would apply. I decided to finally try solo role playing for real yesterday, and dove into one called Kal-Arath, but then I had to learn the system. Although it's relatively simple, the author is not that great and explaining things clearly. It did make me think I should start with something I know. And it starts with a hex crawl, which I can see how that's not exactly the best way to start for the reasons you said. I have played ShadowDark (not solo) and it seems really simple, so now I'm curious about the White Box. Wow it's really cheap, can't go wrong checking it out.
I have been itching to get back into it and to get something going on the channel for a while now, glad this idea popped in my head and I hope it will inspire Bill to do so as well!
Very Similar Experience, But for me I have been playing Classic Traveller. I love OSR games and Classic Traveller because you can fit every thing you need to know about a PC on an index card. I take some book binders and clip the character to them so they stand up like giant standees. If they live a few sessions I even draw art in the back! With Classic Traveller prepping can be fun but a slog and then you have to much info to work with. So What I had to do was just pick a theme, Roll one planet, no sub sector, think of how the government works and what the environments where like, And then just rolled up a patron encounter. I have the benefit of Cepheus engine Solo cards in this regard. The planet I was on was owned by 5 Mega Corps and every one who lived there was an employee for the most part. Tainted air, subsurface living, mostly water, pop in the tens of thousands. I played a retired army major who's life was sucking. Got fired, Had his assets frozen until he left the planet. Got asked to hunt down a guy selling corporate secrets, sold some of my own to get some cash to move about. Got in a fist fight with the guard at a pawn shop. Went to a dive bar to meet a fence, and ended up going to the surface level to a gang hideout to try and find the hacker who was selling the data, and accidently ended up shooting 10 guys after I tried to stick up one of the guards on patrol. Classic Traveller is brutal. I had an smg at +1 skill, firing at short range on full auto. One shot 2 rolls to hit, short range gives something like +2 or 3 and no armor was like +5 and if an enemy is adjacent you git a free roll -3 against them too, and at 3d6 a shoot I was knocking dudes unconscious left and right as the tried to come out of the building. It was wild, and fun and a bit scary when some of them had carbines to shoot back with. All this to say, very little to no prep rolled a character a planet and a mission. And thats the secret to getting started! That and knowing how much you really need to write. Had to stop writing novels, and just start doing bullet points for things like. I walked down the street and cut into an ally way. When the thug follows I sock him in the face. Then. We fight I get bruised but he is knocked out. I take his wallet, jacket, and smg with D6(5) mags I do write out dialog like this Circle for me Triangle for anyone else. Helps me get in the flow. But I try and keep the dialogue short and curt like a pulp detective novel.
In the last year or so, I switched to using my iPad and Goodnotes. While I had good results, I found myself constantly wanting to rules, copy a table into Goodnotes, go and generate an AI image of the situation I was in, etc. All those are added up to things that pulled from the game I tended to not get invested, ultimately resulted in me giving up.
@mattjackson I use AI images myself, what I do now sometimes I play in my paper journal and leave some pages blank and then I generate fitting images afterwards and print them, cut them out and glue them in. Good compromise. I also have a large number of generic images on my tablet that I pull out during the sessions as backdrop or for fluff.
That is a great idea. I am actually in search of a new printer as I would like to move to a more analog method of gaming and move away from digital methods.
Very good video, Matt. I enjoy my solo games but put off playing only because I don't have a dedicated space. So, I break down it all down so the family can reclaim the table. That's kind of a deterrent but you make a good point of keeping it all simple which would help with that. Side note, I see your Vol's pad. Any chance you are near Johnson City?
White Box if i remember dont have skill checks... how do you solve for example Character X want to do something that is not descrived in the rules? I cant get arround of this systems without skill checks... wanted to play Adventurer Conqueror King System but that is another system that dont uses skill checks and have a bunch of skill descriptions for you to have... if you dont have, the rules in the book dont tell you how to solve that.
White box has a single save for the character which decreases as the characteradvances in experience. I use this for general skill check, applying an ability modifier if it seems appropriate, and the character has one. As a general rule in my solo games, I am more interested in the overall story and keeping it moving, rather than focusing on any minutia and detail in rule mechanics.
For a while, I was playing 2 to 4 times a week, since finishing Rufus and Silas, I have not played at all. I think that was back in September…? I am more generally speaking about getting back into the habit of playing as my last two years have really been off and on without any consistency.
Super inspiring! I found myself in a similar situation recently as well, and dove back into it in the past few days. It's such a joy to be able to get back into solo RPGs. And thanks for the shout-out!
This was really cool to watch, Matt! I enjoyed getting a look into the way you journal, as that is something I am working to establish a style in. And Barrowmaze looks awesome... which is a problem because it's yet another book I am tempted to buy. Thanks for the cool video and the shoutout as well!
Great to see you post again. Wonderful points, the key is to just play!
True! I have wasted so much time thinking about gaming, comparing systems, writing systems, drawing maps, using AI to generate images and scenes…but not actually playing. It is crazy to think how much time and energy I have wasted.
Great video. I actually started solo play in may, and Chaocalypse was also one of the first youtubers i watched.
I have garnered much inspiration from Mr Chaocalypse. Wonderful YT channel!
@@mattjackson Thank you so much friend!
If I could just get the pronunciation down! ;-)
This was so good to see as I am starting to do solo play rpgs. Oh, and your dog is super cute!
Excellent! I’m glad you found it helpful. Thank you, Mickey is my little dude. He’s helped me through some hard times, I’m so glad I rescued him.
It is great to see you posting again! I hope I will see more videos from you in 2025!
You nailed it! Simple, the way it should be. Inspirational and encouraging in a sea of professional mediocre and hype. Just play!
Thank you! I hate to say it, but KISS really is the way to go.
Video hits a little close to home. I have a feeling you are going to inspire a lot of people to do the same. Love that you used White Box 🤘Sub'd for more.
Thank you, I have seen a handful of others post essentially the same thing: "Stop thinking about it and just do it!" I can only hope it inspires others to do the same and pick up a game and get to playing.
@mattjackson im one of the dummies that wants so badly to be a good solo player, and bought a ton of games all the youtubers talked about. Now I have two bookshelves of stuff that doesn't get played. Here's to hoping nows the time...
Hmmm, this brings an idea to mind. Let me gestate upon this idea.
And do it! Stop thinking about it and just grab one and start playing! The best aspect of solo is you are playing FOR YOU. There is no one to say "You biddy little fool, you are doing this all wrong!" You play FOR YOU, in a way that is fun FOR YOU and no one else. Make mistakes. Fudge the rolls. Do whatever it takes to make the game fun and exciting to you!
Matt, I really enjoyed seeing your notebook. It was really great to see how someone else lays things out and loved the maps as well.
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@mattjackson Subbed as well. We solo folks gotta stick together (or is that a contradiction?)
@@sharpmountaingames9303 LOL I will say the solo gaming community is one of the nicest subset of gaming I have encountered, most people are interesting, creative, willing to share, and friendly to boot!
This was really helpful and has probably one of the best pieces of advice on solo play - if you don’t feel like playing through your characters arriving in town, meeting people, receiving their quest etc… you don’t have to! It’s great to just get into the action straight away.
Yes! I thought this was the best way to jump in and grab my attention, the village and local area details can wait until I am invested in the game and more likely to continue playing. Thanks for watching!
Missed your content. Glad to revisit that cursed lake.
Excellent! You have thrown down the gauntlet!
I cannot wait to see what you come up with!
Some good points there, I can see how it would apply. I decided to finally try solo role playing for real yesterday, and dove into one called Kal-Arath, but then I had to learn the system. Although it's relatively simple, the author is not that great and explaining things clearly. It did make me think I should start with something I know. And it starts with a hex crawl, which I can see how that's not exactly the best way to start for the reasons you said. I have played ShadowDark (not solo) and it seems really simple, so now I'm curious about the White Box. Wow it's really cheap, can't go wrong checking it out.
Well well look who crawled out into the sun. Good to see you posting. More please.
LoL we will see, life is quite different these days than it was a few years ago.
@mattjackson for the better!
Thanks for the inspo and video:)
Great! Your back! Happy New Year!
Glad to be back! Happy New Year to you as well!
Good to see you posting again!
It has been a while, eh? I am hoping to continue posting, thanks for watching!
Hey! You’re back
When I discovered your content it seemed like you didn’t post anymore
I have been itching to get back into it and to get something going on the channel for a while now, glad this idea popped in my head and I hope it will inspire Bill to do so as well!
I just tried playing solo for the first time this week! I had a great time!
I’m so glad to hear it, it truly is a blast and a great way to get some gaming in, especially if you struggle to find a group. Thanks for watching!
Very Similar Experience, But for me I have been playing Classic Traveller. I love OSR games and Classic Traveller because you can fit every thing you need to know about a PC on an index card. I take some book binders and clip the character to them so they stand up like giant standees. If they live a few sessions I even draw art in the back! With Classic Traveller prepping can be fun but a slog and then you have to much info to work with. So What I had to do was just pick a theme, Roll one planet, no sub sector, think of how the government works and what the environments where like, And then just rolled up a patron encounter. I have the benefit of Cepheus engine Solo cards in this regard. The planet I was on was owned by 5 Mega Corps and every one who lived there was an employee for the most part. Tainted air, subsurface living, mostly water, pop in the tens of thousands. I played a retired army major who's life was sucking. Got fired, Had his assets frozen until he left the planet.
Got asked to hunt down a guy selling corporate secrets, sold some of my own to get some cash to move about. Got in a fist fight with the guard at a pawn shop. Went to a dive bar to meet a fence, and ended up going to the surface level to a gang hideout to try and find the hacker who was selling the data, and accidently ended up shooting 10 guys after I tried to stick up one of the guards on patrol. Classic Traveller is brutal. I had an smg at +1 skill, firing at short range on full auto. One shot 2 rolls to hit, short range gives something like +2 or 3 and no armor was like +5 and if an enemy is adjacent you git a free roll -3 against them too, and at 3d6 a shoot I was knocking dudes unconscious left and right as the tried to come out of the building. It was wild, and fun and a bit scary when some of them had carbines to shoot back with.
All this to say, very little to no prep rolled a character a planet and a mission. And thats the secret to getting started! That and knowing how much you really need to write. Had to stop writing novels, and just start doing bullet points for things like. I walked down the street and cut into an ally way. When the thug follows I sock him in the face.
Then. We fight I get bruised but he is knocked out. I take his wallet, jacket, and smg with D6(5) mags
I do write out dialog like this Circle for me Triangle for anyone else. Helps me get in the flow. But I try and keep the dialogue short and curt like a pulp detective novel.
Wow! That sounds amazing, I love it! I loved Traveller back in the day but have not given in a try again in decades. Very cool and thanks for sharing!
Playing solo is like giving yourself a massage. It works, but it is far better to play with others.
I disagree with that statement, just my opinion. Solo and group play each bring different things to the table and excel at different aspects.
And I love analog set-ups 😊.
In the last year or so, I switched to using my iPad and Goodnotes. While I had good results, I found myself constantly wanting to rules, copy a table into Goodnotes, go and generate an AI image of the situation I was in, etc. All those are added up to things that pulled from the game I tended to not get invested, ultimately resulted in me giving up.
@mattjackson I use AI images myself, what I do now sometimes I play in my paper journal and leave some pages blank and then I generate fitting images afterwards and print them, cut them out and glue them in. Good compromise. I also have a large number of generic images on my tablet that I pull out during the sessions as backdrop or for fluff.
That is a great idea. I am actually in search of a new printer as I would like to move to a more analog method of gaming and move away from digital methods.
This is very cool.
Whitebox rocks! I use it with the chainmail wargame for combat, highly recommend the combo :)
White Box is my all time favorite game system, so easy to use and easy to hack, I just love it! Thanks for watching!
Very good video, Matt. I enjoy my solo games but put off playing only because I don't have a dedicated space. So, I break down it all down so the family can reclaim the table. That's kind of a deterrent but you make a good point of keeping it all simple which would help with that. Side note, I see your Vol's pad. Any chance you are near Johnson City?
North of Nashville. Go Vols!!!
White Box if i remember dont have skill checks... how do you solve for example Character X want to do something that is not descrived in the rules? I cant get arround of this systems without skill checks... wanted to play Adventurer Conqueror King System but that is another system that dont uses skill checks and have a bunch of skill descriptions for you to have... if you dont have, the rules in the book dont tell you how to solve that.
White box has a single save for the character which decreases as the characteradvances in experience. I use this for general skill check, applying an ability modifier if it seems appropriate, and the character has one. As a general rule in my solo games, I am more interested in the overall story and keeping it moving, rather than focusing on any minutia and detail in rule mechanics.
Great Video, but didn't you just play Rufus and Silas recently? So what do you mean by getting back into it.🤔
For a while, I was playing 2 to 4 times a week, since finishing Rufus and Silas, I have not played at all. I think that was back in September…? I am more generally speaking about getting back into the habit of playing as my last two years have really been off and on without any consistency.
Really glad to see you back on here!!! Hoping for more!
I’m back, thanks for watching!
Look who's back!
Thanks! Hopefully back for a while (maybe for good)?
@ toss in some video ideas that you enjoy (you always were good with Cartography). I am planing on do more art video on my channel
Branching out today, I decided to challenge myself, and I am playing a sci-fi adventure, something I’ve always struggled with!
@ I have to play sci-fi video games to help me, like No Man’s Sky, etc.