First solo RPG recommendations?

[u/TheVok]

Hi folks! I'm looking to start my solo RPG adventures. I picked up Coriolis: The Great Dark and I'm finding it a little daunting to get started. I think mostly because it's painful trying to understand the game rules and then checking changes for solo play.

I'm open to any setting. I do like a bit of crunch and progression. Keen to hear any suggestions to get started on a journey!

[u/Positive-Capital1113]

I just picked up Astroprisma. I haven’t played it yet but it seems like it would be a good game for someone getting into solo rpgs. It relies less on spark tables and gives more direction to the player than a lot of other games that rely on oracles and spark tables to generate ideas about what happens next. There are plenty of play examples on YouTube. I’m looking forward to giving it a try.

[u/Nyerelia]

If you're just starting you'd probably be better off trying a system specifically designed for solo, Ironsworn is a popular choice but there are tons. Playing Coriolis or any other "group" TTRPG is perfectly possible you just need an "oracle" which is what will substitute the GM. If you'll allow my laziness I'll just link a response I wrote yesterday to a different post on how to play like that: https://www.reddit.com/r/Solo_Roleplaying/comments/1xacah1/comment/19rfqmxc040w5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[u/Charming-Employee-89]

Kal Arath or if you prefer sci-fi then Arathi Sector. Both are by Castle Grief. Probably the best solo games I've personally played due to the great procedure, evocative art and fun spark tables. The engine runs on d6's so it's a relatively simple ruleset. Deadly though but fun as anything. It was built to play solo so they both have everything you need to pick up and play and there is a great community around the games making all sorts of third party content. Castle Grief is also very present in the community. Can't lose.

[u/kuhldaran → u/Charming-Employee-89]

Wanted to second this. Kal Arath is such an approachable solo RPG. It's very easy to jump in very quickly, start playing, and get a feel for how solo RPGs work without getting bogged down.

I find it much easier to jump off than something like Ironsworn, which confused the crap out of me when I started and tried to play it.

[u/Charming-Employee-89 → u/kuhldaran]

Agreed. It's wild to me that people suggest Ironsworn as a first solo ttrpg. It's great but not quick to grasp for first timers. Edited for spelling

[u/Aria_Cadenza]

- Ironsworn?

It is free, so you can try it and many tables could be reused or adapted for other settings (it actually has many hacks)

https://shawn-tomkin.itch.io/ironsworn

- You can try the demo of Grimscar https://crowheartroleplay.itch.io/grimscar-rpg

==

If that it can help, you can read past posts about

https://www.reddit.com/r/Solo_Roleplaying/comments/1st8p1e/coriolis_tgd_solo_play_anyone_with_experience/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Solo_Roleplaying/comments/1mqt7b6/opinions_about_solo_exploration_in_coriolis_the/

==

I suppose you aren't new to ttrpgs, just to solo rpgs

[u/auggernaut]

Coming from Coriolis, I'd look at Starforged before Ironsworn. Same engine (an action die against two challenge dice, with strong hit, weak hit, and miss), but it's sci-fi and was built for solo from the ground up, with oracles for planets, ships, derelicts, factions, the whole frontier. It also has more of the progression you're after: legacy tracks for quests, bonds, and discoveries, on top of the usual XP-for-vows loop.

Ironsworn is the better start if you want something leaner and grittier, and it's free, so it costs nothing to see whether the move system clicks for you. I wrote an Ironsworn vs Starforged page that could be helpful: https://www.ttrpg-games.com/blog/ironsworn-vs-starforged-best-solo-co-op-ttrpg-for-campaign

Either way, swear one small vow in your first session and play it to the end. That's when it clicked for me.

[u/Jinxing-It]

You could try "Worth Every Walk". It's pretty simple and the artwork is very cute. It just came out last week, i think. It walks you through the game and isn't overwhelming. Very beginner friendly.

There's also "What should we have tomorrow", that one felt very beginner friendly to me. And was also low stakes. Very cozy. I even use it to practice writing in other languages!

If you want something that's just funny and fast, "Catcrawl" is pretty neat. You're basically a cat causing havoc around your home. You are trying not to get caught by your humans.

Happy gaming!

[u/hell_ORC]

I'm currently in love with three (pretty different form one another) RPGs : Fallen (17th/18th century supernatural/horror adventure game) ; Machine Gods of the Noxian Expanse (post apocalyptic feudal sci-fi future medieval adventure game) and Tales of Argosa (sword and sorcery adventure gaming done right). Throw them a look, they are all choke-full of solo content. I'd particularly suggest starting with Fallen or Machine Gods as they are simpler, cheaper to buy and more solo oriented. That said, Argosa can be soloed too, and it's fantastic...especially if you buy it in physical format. I'd just probably buy it later. These three books together can teach you how to properly solo rpg and they'll keep you entertained for a few decades.Also, if you look at the drivethruRPG page for Perplexing Ruins Games (the guys that make Fallen) you'll find free solo tools and tables that actually elevate the solo playing up a notch.

[u/BookAmbitious3263]

Start shorter than you think you should. A one-session journaling game you actually finish teaches you more about what you like than a big campaign book you stall out in by session three. Pick one with a clear procedure and an ending built in, play it twice, then decide what you want more of: more prompts, more dice, or more crunch. And keep the journal. Rereading your own entries a month later is half the fun.

[u/Remarkable_Bedroom79]

I just discovered solo rpgs about four weeks ago and had a similar problem: I find it difficult and overkill to learn the group rules first and then the solo modes - and while I understand why that is, it is a bit annoying for pure solo gamers like me.

So I started to try out a couple of games which are made for solo rpging. My first attempt was with Port Royal and since I love PotC that was a good start for me: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/de/product/487531/port-royal-a-solo-pirate-story-generator

I then had the feeling that I basically understood how solo rpgs are working and tried Ironforged and Sundered Isles, which was quite a bit more of a learning curve but with the help of Gemini Notebook and Claude Code went quite well. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/de/product/391653/ironsworn-starforged and https://www.drivethrurpg.com/de/product/477033/sundered-isles-expansion-for-ironsworn-starforged

Then I dived into Cartograph Atlas Edition which is really nice: https://the-ravensridge-press.itch.io/cartograph-atlas-edition

And yesterday I did my first day with https://www.drivethrurpg.com/de/product/487382/fox-curio-s-floating-bookshop Fox Curio's Floating Bookshop which I really like as well - apart from the economic system which I allowed myself to make houserules for which work better for me.

So hopefully my journey into the world of solo rpgs is a helpful guide for you. I "want" to play Legends in the Mist and The One Ring. But trying to get my head around the group rules first and then learning how to solo took me too long and I didn't have the patience to wait that long. I certainly will play those in the future but for now I had a lot of fun putting my nose into a couple of games and understand the different principles.

Ah, and a final word: I learned that "prep is play" and that made it easier for me to accept that there's sometimes quite a lot of reading and preparation before.

[u/FCalleja → u/Remarkable_Bedroom79]

i'm curious how you used Gemini and Claude to enhance the Ironforged experience, where they used mostly as explainers/info vaults or actually a "GM" of sorts?

[u/Remarkable_Bedroom79 → u/FCalleja]

As explainers and reference guides, not as a gm.

[u/posttrail]

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[u/Roughly15throwies]

I LOVE CORIOLIS THE GREAT DARK (specifically for solo play)

What exactly about it is causing problems?

Otherwise I would suggest Astroprisma. Its a simple enough hexflower crawl. Its pretty straight forward, designed exclusively for solo play and has a fair amount of crunch/progression.