You might’ve heard the joke that the hardest part of any D&D/TTRPG campaign is not the big bad guy, but actually having to schedule your sessions. Everyone’s lives are so busy, and when you finally find that day that works for everyone, someone gets sick. Well, worry about this problem no further! There is a solution. Simply drop all of your friends and start a solo TTRPG; there, all your scheduling problems are solved. (<- this is sarcasm. Please do not abandon your friends.) Whether you have too many friends or none at all, solo TTRPGs could be for you! The only players needed are you, yourself, and … you? It doesn’t work quite as good in second person, does it? Anyways, let’s get into it!
Solo play TTRPGs have been around for ages. In a way, if you’ve read a chose your own adventure book they’re quite similar! (Or if you ever played a board game by yourself and pretended you were playing with other people. But that’s a bit more pathetic. (It’s okay, I did this too)). Just instead of a book with a few set paths, you get to learn the wonders of dice tables. Most solo TTRPGs use dice and dice tables as the Game Master and you are the player. Some of my favorite solo TTRPGs are ones where you create the world and setting, rather than playing a character. It helps me get my creative juices flowing for when I need to think about my own characters and settings too!
Solo Adventurers Toolbox
Do you have a D&D character that you’ve never gotten to play? Put them through the horrors using The Solo Adventurer’s Toolbox by Paul Bimler. This is a great starting point for players that are somewhat knowledgeable about D&D but not so knowledgeable about solo play. That said, the concepts that are explained in this book can be molded to any system that you are used to. Ginny Di has a great video about this system, including a short bit of her actually playing through a game! If you find yourself creating characters and stat blocks with no actual campaign to play them in, Solo Adventurers Toolbox is a great opportunity to let those characters shine.
Ex Novo
The next solo TTRPG I want to talk about it Ex Novo by Sharkbomb Studios. Ex Novo is a city-building TTRPG that can be played with 1-4 players, but for this purpose we are going to focus on that 1 player. Ex Novo is both a game and a tool for you to create all sorts of settlements, working up through its initial creation and watching it grow through time. Now, as a warning, you do need a bit of artistic talent for this one, you will be drawing a map. There is four phases to this game, setup, founding, development, and the topping out phase. The phases will lead you through the creation of the environment, the history and events the city has gone through, factions and powers, and how it looks now. Once you are done you can use this for city setting for anything! Sharkbomb Studios also has a similar game for creating dungeon maps called Ex Umbra.
Two Stand To Fall
Do you want to cry? Do you want to try again and again and again and again for the chance that you might, just maybe, be able to save them this time? If that heartbreak sounds like your cup of tea, then I think you will love Two Stand To Fall by Amorphous. This game uses dice, cards, a token (like a coin or a small trinket), and a journal. The concept I really like about this game is using the deck of cards to create the map you are playing in. Each card correlates with a scenario you have to solve. As you move through the map to find your exit, you flip up the card you travel to. You’ve no way to prepare for what situation you will find yourself in, your time is limited, you need to save them no matter the cost.
Carta SRD
Two Stand To Fall was created with the Carta SRD (system reference document) by Peach Garden Games. Carta is the mechanic of the card map. There are many games that use Carta and you can to! If you have a setting in mind that you want to play but no one to play in it, play it yourself! You can use Carta to put your own ideas about a world and its exploration into reality.
Welcome to the Habitrails
“What if I don’t have dice?” I hear you say, “What if I also don’t want to use an online dice roller?” I sigh, I ask what you do have and you respond “I have tarot cards” … WELL I HAVE JUST THE GAME FOR YOU!!!! Welcome to the Habitrails by AYolland uses tarot cards to propel you through your journey! This is technicallllllly a journaling RPG. I’m sorry I lied to you ☹, but it’s so good I promise you will forgive me. The game guides you through your neighborhood, but something is off. Each day you draw two tarot cards, which tell you an event you experienced and ask you questions. How did you react? You’ll reflect and answer these questions in your journal. Every day has something strange waiting for you.
At the end of this all I ask is please PLEASE do not use AI for anything ttrpg related. All the creativity and storytelling you need is right in that brain of yours, and you need to use it. Most of the systems I mentioned in this do cost a bit of money, but there are a plethora of free systems out there for you to discover. Or you can always make up your own rules as you go and create the story you want to create! If you don’t have dice to determine your outcomes, use cards. If you don’t have cards, use a coin. If you don’t have a coin, uhhh, pick out a strand of your hair and measure it. If your bald ………. Yeah I don’t know. But my point is you can use anything, there is no need to use AI in your creative endeavors.
- Solo TTRPGs: What are they and where to start? - October 24, 2025
- 4 Class Ideas for your Tiefling that AREN’T Rouge/Bard/Warlock - October 5, 2025