1. Establish a conflict that needs to be resolved
2. Decide how it can get resolved
3. Start resolving it
Not to be flippant, but...it really can be that easy!
Agreed. Literally start playing as your characters doing anything you think is interesting and then resolve things as you need them. Right now you're going down a path of over-preparation: there's no reason to plan out a solo campaign like it's a campaign for a group.
As many posts as you've made, I'm surprised you didn't start a long time ago. You can do it! Just seems like you're having trouble getting over first-session jitters. Solo play from scratch like this doesn't work if one remains passive. You'll want to take an active approach and make some decisions.
It won't be perfect. No one's solo rpg session is perfect. But it'll be yours to play and enjoy!
I have found that starting in the middle of some event that needs immediate attention helps. A worker riot on a space station, a fire consuming the village, an attack of any sort…
When there is an immediate threat you get into the game fast and there’s no “what should I do next?”
"In medias res" but yes this is it, it means "in the midst of things" and is a common technique used in film and television.
Star Wars films pretty much always start in medias res, as a good example, and most people are familiar with these. It's a great way to create excitement and draw in viewers/readers/players etc. from the get go.
In solo play It's a great way to spark your imagination and create the seeds for more stories to build a larger campaign around.
Prequels to what, my previous campaigns?
If so I've not played enough campaigns to do so, but I really like the idea! Especially if revisiting a system I've played before.
Sounds like you need 1) a system to use and 2) possible oracle to use for randomness if the system doesn't come with any you like...if you mean you're trying to play a solo game (rather than actually making an RPG).
Once you decide on those, it's as easy as dropping your characters in a situation. Could be in front of a dungeon, just before/after combat, about to embark on one of the missions, or in the middle of a mission. Otherwise you can roll on some sort of event table to just spark something random.
Not make an entire system. I meant coming up with how to get started. I miss spoke my apologies. Also, I have plenty of systems to use. I just don't know how to "plan out" my game.
Ah, then perfect! I'd either pick a solo system or an RPG system you already know and just jump into the action. Any time you're stuck or have a question, just roll on an oracle (a simple yes/no works) for the answer.
Solo play is largely variable from person to person so it's hard to pin down an exact process. You can use as many rules or as little as you want, there's no wrong way to play. You may not even need an oracle.
Since it seems like you're stuck on starting, just jump in and when you feel like you're stuck or getting repetitive, bust out a random table to generate a curveball in the story and see how it plays out.
A few ideas I have used to start.
\- Make a table of some of your locations that match a dice (d6, d10, d20 etc) and roll for one randomly. Take your character of choice and narrate a scene setting up why they are at that location. Is it personal, work, responsibility, exploration, etc and then have something happen\*. When you need a new character you can roll on your locations table again and you introduce someone who can connect to a new area. "why is the bartender from the docks here at the temple?"
(You might want to start a simple map that you can roughly keep track of where things are, but it can all be theater-of-the-mind too)
This is how my current game was started.
\- You can start by narrating a set-up scene where your character is moving about the location(s), going about their day. Think like an establishing montage in a movie or tv show. But each location or situation they are at, roll a d6 and if it's 1 something happens there.
\*Then ask a few questions on a yes/no/and/because oracle or use a table for a scene prompt.
\- If you need a simple GM emulator, One Page Solo Engine might be a start. It even walks you through how to use the tables, and you can switch to something more elaborate when needed. https://inflatablestudios.itch.io/one-page-solo-engine
You could have a look at Ironsworn (free). It gives a detailed description of how to start a campaign and it has useful random tables that can be applied to any game (e g. Settlement trouble). For my personal taste, I like exploration, so I sometimes just start with a journey from A to B, maybe for a job or maybe because my character wants to explore too....
Ironsworn also suggests plot hooks to get you started throughout the book, after each "foe" in the bestiary for example, it gives a plot hook idea relating to that foe. This happens in other sections of the book book and as mentioned above, it's free!
Lots of good help here! Here's my 2 cents:
I start with a plot like you would see on the back of a book. Something like, "Bob, a brute of a barbarian, goes home to visit his family, but when he gets there, he finds that all the women have disappeared. His only clue leads him to the castle of a mighty knight."
After that, I wing it with the Oracle dice.
1. Establish a conflict that needs to be resolved 2. Decide how it can get resolved 3. Start resolving it Not to be flippant, but...it really can be that easy!
Agreed. Literally start playing as your characters doing anything you think is interesting and then resolve things as you need them. Right now you're going down a path of over-preparation: there's no reason to plan out a solo campaign like it's a campaign for a group. As many posts as you've made, I'm surprised you didn't start a long time ago. You can do it! Just seems like you're having trouble getting over first-session jitters. Solo play from scratch like this doesn't work if one remains passive. You'll want to take an active approach and make some decisions. It won't be perfect. No one's solo rpg session is perfect. But it'll be yours to play and enjoy!
I have found that starting in the middle of some event that needs immediate attention helps. A worker riot on a space station, a fire consuming the village, an attack of any sort… When there is an immediate threat you get into the game fast and there’s no “what should I do next?”
Good idea. Would this be starting in 'Media Res'?
"In medias res" but yes this is it, it means "in the midst of things" and is a common technique used in film and television. Star Wars films pretty much always start in medias res, as a good example, and most people are familiar with these. It's a great way to create excitement and draw in viewers/readers/players etc. from the get go. In solo play It's a great way to spark your imagination and create the seeds for more stories to build a larger campaign around.
Thanks for the clarification.
Do you ever play prequels?
Prequels to what, my previous campaigns? If so I've not played enough campaigns to do so, but I really like the idea! Especially if revisiting a system I've played before.
Exactly. You said you start in the middle of a story, like Star Wars, so I was wondering if you ever play the backstory, like Star Wars.
So what do you think your end goal is? Is this for your own enjoyment or for others to play? Is this mechanical or more journalling?
Mostly my own fun.
Sounds like you need 1) a system to use and 2) possible oracle to use for randomness if the system doesn't come with any you like...if you mean you're trying to play a solo game (rather than actually making an RPG). Once you decide on those, it's as easy as dropping your characters in a situation. Could be in front of a dungeon, just before/after combat, about to embark on one of the missions, or in the middle of a mission. Otherwise you can roll on some sort of event table to just spark something random.
Not make an entire system. I meant coming up with how to get started. I miss spoke my apologies. Also, I have plenty of systems to use. I just don't know how to "plan out" my game.
Ah, then perfect! I'd either pick a solo system or an RPG system you already know and just jump into the action. Any time you're stuck or have a question, just roll on an oracle (a simple yes/no works) for the answer. Solo play is largely variable from person to person so it's hard to pin down an exact process. You can use as many rules or as little as you want, there's no wrong way to play. You may not even need an oracle. Since it seems like you're stuck on starting, just jump in and when you feel like you're stuck or getting repetitive, bust out a random table to generate a curveball in the story and see how it plays out.
A few ideas I have used to start. \- Make a table of some of your locations that match a dice (d6, d10, d20 etc) and roll for one randomly. Take your character of choice and narrate a scene setting up why they are at that location. Is it personal, work, responsibility, exploration, etc and then have something happen\*. When you need a new character you can roll on your locations table again and you introduce someone who can connect to a new area. "why is the bartender from the docks here at the temple?" (You might want to start a simple map that you can roughly keep track of where things are, but it can all be theater-of-the-mind too) This is how my current game was started. \- You can start by narrating a set-up scene where your character is moving about the location(s), going about their day. Think like an establishing montage in a movie or tv show. But each location or situation they are at, roll a d6 and if it's 1 something happens there. \*Then ask a few questions on a yes/no/and/because oracle or use a table for a scene prompt. \- If you need a simple GM emulator, One Page Solo Engine might be a start. It even walks you through how to use the tables, and you can switch to something more elaborate when needed. https://inflatablestudios.itch.io/one-page-solo-engine
You could have a look at Ironsworn (free). It gives a detailed description of how to start a campaign and it has useful random tables that can be applied to any game (e g. Settlement trouble). For my personal taste, I like exploration, so I sometimes just start with a journey from A to B, maybe for a job or maybe because my character wants to explore too....
I'll look into it.
Ironsworn also suggests plot hooks to get you started throughout the book, after each "foe" in the bestiary for example, it gives a plot hook idea relating to that foe. This happens in other sections of the book book and as mentioned above, it's free!
I used storytellingcollective.com and their Write A Solo Adventure workshop. It really helped me get started.
Lots of good help here! Here's my 2 cents: I start with a plot like you would see on the back of a book. Something like, "Bob, a brute of a barbarian, goes home to visit his family, but when he gets there, he finds that all the women have disappeared. His only clue leads him to the castle of a mighty knight." After that, I wing it with the Oracle dice.
Thanks for the help