I love collecting and reading RPG books as a hobby more than using them as actual game aids. When it comes to something I’m going to use at my game table, I want it to be succinct and easy to use. Constant page flipping is too time consuming! Therefore, the following list of resources are ones that have seen actual use at my table. Yes, the DriveThru links are affiliate links, but these are games/supplements I truly support whole-heartedly.
Ironsworn
Since Ironsworn is really my main game at this point, I use these more than anything else.
- Ironsworn, the Delve expansion, and Ironsworn: Starforged – The original games by Shawn Tomkin.
- Ironsmith and Starsmith – Shameless plug for my own content.
- Arcanum – An adaptation of my Darkness Within mechanic but for more arcane magic. Ulfengaard did an amazing job with this supplement.
- Ludic Pen supplements – These range from Quest Fronts as ready to go solo scenarios to Expanded Space Encounters (like my Expanded Oracles) to cool ways to customize characters through Demeanors and more.
- Traveler’s Ironsworn – A great rules references for playing Ironsworn on the go.
- Stargazer and Iron Journal – The officially sanctioned web apps for playing Ironsworn digitally.
- Forged in Obsidian – My Obsidian MD vault to play Ironsworn with access to everything you need all by typing inside a single markdown file.
Don’t forget to hop on the Ironsworn Discord for even more cool stuff.
General Solo Tools
- Mythic GM Emulator 2nd Edition – The 2nd edition is out and is a nice upgrade from the original. It’s well worth the price for all the different ideas on how to solo play. There’s also a monthly magazine for solo play if you like even more goodies.
- dicegeeks Random Tables and Quests – These are nice and short d100 tables. They’re not intended to be as thought- or story-provoking as Mythic’s or Ironsworn’s verb/noun tables, but they do a good job with mundane items.
- GM’s Miscellany – I have used these for dungeon and wilderness design, but be warned that there are almost too many tables to make it useful. If you’re building something where you have time, these are great. At the table in the midst of a game, they’re too thick for my tastes.
- Perilous Wilds – This is a Dungeon World supplement that is great for creating encounters while exploring the wild places in any RPG.
- Inkwell Ideas Sidequest card decks – These are great for flipping a card and playing a one-shot adventure. I once turned a single card flip into a 4-6 week mini-campaign. Even better, they have revised them so that the maps on the back match the story on the front.
While there are tons more solo tools out there, these are the only ones that I’ve actually felt drawn to use at the game table. The rest of the ones I’ve purchased have been interesting reads but just sit on my shelf after the read.
Game Systems that I have Soloed (besides D&D)
- Upwind – An absolutely amazing and always overlooked game. Using playing cards as magic power, hit points, and a resolution mechanic that finished combats in a single play is inspiring. When I soloed this system, I had to rely on random card flips for the “GM” plays, but it still worked well.
- Tiny Dungeons 2E – A short and sweet system built on rolling a pool of d6s.
- Red Markets – If you haven’t played Red Markets, you’re missing out on a fantastic zombie game of economic horror. If you have played it, you’d think there’s no way to do it solo, but I did and loved it!
- Savage Worlds – Not my favorite system as every character feels exactly the same, but it worked for solo play.
- Dungeon World – This game did a good job of throwing off some of the trappings of D&D but suffers from holding onto a few that didn’t need to remain. Despite it’s flaws, it did a good job of pushing the PbtA games forward.
- Artefact – A journaling game where I played a sentient shield and nearly cried at the end of the game.
There are obviously tons more systems, but these are the ones multiple sessions at play on my solo game table.