Friday 13 March 2009

Lone Wolf

It's Friday and I know that many of you will be having your regular gaming group over for puffed potato snacks and high adventure. There aren't many experiences that beat sitting for five hours with your friends storming a dungeon, piloting starships or investigating a graveyard in the comfort of your own home and where the supply of carbonated drinks seems limitless.

Unfortunately sometimes a couple of group members can't make it because of that pesky family or business reasons or you may not feel well enough to host a game. But how does one go about getting their proverbial hypodermic syringe full of roleplaying goodness? I just choose a T&T solo.

I rarely get chance to play with a group since I'm at university but when I return to my hometown in June I'll be hosting T&T games at the local games store. Until then I grab a solo off my desk if I don't have prior engagements and roll off a few hours.

Solos don't replace the group experience but they do provide good solid hack 'n slash fun and you could come out with snazzy new weapons, magic items or sexy armour that you can then take to your newly equipped character to next week's GM game.

In fact, this is one of the aspects that attracted me to T&T in the first place. I love the fact that after a session of adventuring with a GM you can go and play a solo to either beef yourself up or, erm, get yourself skewered in a spiked pit. As long as you play fairly; as in no taking a sneak peek at the next page (unless you're using magic that allows that, such as Dear God. Then you can go ahead and use the same character in your next GMed game.

If you're a GM then it might be a cool idea to give your players some homework, as in hand out solos at the end of the session to get through by next week. If you only have one or a couple of solos then give it to a different person each week, just make sure everyone gets a go. If they die then that's just part of the fun of it right?

There are quite a few free solos that you can play online, including Sorceror's Apprentice and Buffalo Castle. Here they are:

Gristlegrim
Free Dungeons
Buffalo Castle
The Bullow Lands/Queen Scorpions and Lady Nymphs/The Sunk of Tarsus

So next time you feel like gaming but can't be bothered getting the gang together, click a link or pick up a solo and, who knows, you may find some awesome treasure to brag about to the group.

6 comments:

  1. I'm a fairly recent T&T convert. Is it common practice for referees to allow solitaire adventuring to affect characters used for campaign play?

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  2. When I saw T&T I first thought that solo adventuring was for losers, and since I had a solid gaming group T&T wasn't for me.

    Now when I'm older and (wiser?) not always have someone to game with, I have changed my mind. I've become the looser, and it's actually quite fun with solos.

    ...and T&T is not even limited to solo gaming! :D

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  3. Scott, I wouldn't do it and frankly have never heard of it done that way. Interesting option though.

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  4. Scott and Andreas, I've read that a few people play it like that and if it's done fairly then it can be a good idea. However, the question remains if the player will always be fair. can see why GMs might now allow it, but it can be fun if you miss a session.

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  5. Ah you take me back to my youth, Scott. Of course I had to write articles in fanzines that had half-a-dozen(s) readers at any given time.

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  6. Fairness could be an issue, I guess.

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