Solo Game Master's Guide now in Paperback! order from Amazon: shorturl.at/vFMQ2 order from Modiphius: shorturl.at/npsL1 order from Modiphus UK: shorturl.at/kqsMN Get RANDOM HEXCRAWL book: tinyurl.com/5cj3d4jc Get RANDOM DUNGEONS book: lfosr.com/product/a-place-underground/
I am finally getting started on a childhood dream of RPGing. I just found about going it solo and bought the Scarlet Heroes pdf. This was a wonderful video to give me a feel for the structure and the possibility of throwing in outside tools. Also, although I love my guy gamers too, it's nice to hear from a woman. :) Loving your organization. The "die by alphabetical order by color" really resounded with my own tendencies.
I enjoyed this one a lot solo. It was a great gateway into more complex solo roleplaying. By the way, thanks for all the great content on your channel. It really inspired me.
Marko Ramius Thanks for the comment and so glad you are enjoying my work. Yes you are very right about SH as a gateway to more complex solo RPGing. It’s great for that-and all in one spot.
I always end up on your channel. Great work as usual! Very open thinking, quick creative decisions, sharp and easy to understand. No dithering. You're a great idea smith and communicator!
I really liked where you were going with this adventure and was saddened that you never finished it. In fact, it kind of felt like it never even started. Which is sad...
Another excellent video. I'm the full-time game referee in my group -- your videos really show me how to have some fun as a player for a change. Many thanks.
I paused this halfway through as I needed to go to the shops. Lo and behold there was a copy at the game store!! I wasn't even lokking for it, just saying goodbye to the guy who runs it and it was behind the desk. Looking forward to checking this out 😊 Thanks for doing a video for it!! 😊😊
Shane Annigans Great! There is a lot of content in here for use directly with Scarlet Heroes and also really almost any other kind of solo or traditional RPGing you might do.
Thank you for making these videos. They are very motivating! I, like many others I am assuming, find myself mired down or just in a general rut. Your videos always give me ideas on how to push forward. Thank you again!
Captain Nolan Understood. Given the combination of its own ruleset, bestiary (not terrible large tho), as well as the urbane/wilderness/dungeon tables and the general oracles, there’s a lot in this relatively small package.
Thanks for your well paced and eloquent playthroughs. That trinket is one of my faves. I've always thought it was a 9 volt battery. Good use of it there.
Very interesting. I bought the PDF of Scarlet Heroes a few years back, and although I loved the concept I never used it as the script in the PDF copy was sooooo small, I found it uncomfortable to read and enjoy. So I was delighted to see in your video that the physical copy is different and has nice proper size script.This is one of the best videos I have ever seen you make, its extremely interesting. Now my wife is interested in us getting a proper print copy: she`s really into the oriental feel and tone it conveys.
Stephen Gilbert So glad you enjoyed the vid. This material is so easy to use and quite flexible in many ways. Someday I will post another vid using it in a completely different way. The layout of the physical copy is great.
I like the sound of the Gardens of Ynn supplement. I was curious why you didn't use the Urban Locations table on pg 121, but it doesn't give you the level of detail you got from Gardens of Ynn. I like how you moved asay from the investigation style urban adventure guidelines of Scarlet Heroes to create your own micro-adventure. I'm still trying to figure out a way to do that mysrlf, and I think I'm going to use your example as the foundation for that approach.
Jason Kemp Thanks so much. I went to The Gardens truly because I was opening up another book and found it inside. I had totally forgotten I bought it so I just wanted to give it a whirl. Indeed I could have used what SH provided by way of the urban tables.
As a fan of Sine Nomine products I've been curious about this. Just about to begin a game with my wife where instead of me being pretty much the traditional DM I'm a player as well as maybe the main facilitator at least in the beginning. We're actually using the Worlds Without Number rules.
Trinket table, ideas, I personally prefer the d100 type found in "Tables Fables" by Madeline Hale. The first book with the blue or blue-green cover. They do have a second one that's more about world building rather the items, but items can be found in it too and are not repeats of the first book.
My one issue with the Scarlet Heroes solo tools is that (especially the Wilderness and Dungeon tables) they can at times be a little Red-Tide-specific. And while I think it looks like a cool setting I'm not currently using it. It's probably not difficult to create a custom table (or even to rethink something on a fly) but it's definitely some extra effort.
It’s funny because I use some of the random tables widely with other rule sets. I never did use the Red Tide setting either. I find the resources here pretty easy to port over to other systems without a lot of work.
I know this is an old upload but my first game purchase in the New Year. Will be Scarlet Heroes. I intend to run it with the Old BECMI modules. With 2 to 3 characters, solo. I do like four against Darkness but theres just something lacking from that. Scarlet Heroes like right up my street.
Hi, since you made this video Ironsworn has been released and I know you have featured that on your channel also. Ironsworn took Scarlet Heroes as inspiration and developed a similar game system for solo play - would love to know which you prefer and why? Would you now recommend Ironsworn/Delve over Scarlet Heroes if you only used one solo system? I enjoy Ironsworn and like to use the random tables as much as possible as the less I manipulate the game the more unexpected situations and consequences arise - which is what makes solo RPG fun to me. This makes the games more complex (which makes it interesting) but the game becomes broader and more and more open ended. It is hard to bring the game to a conclusion without me forcing it, and often this is less than satisfying as there are often many unresolved story lines. Do you ever find this an issue and if so how do you manage it (p.s. I'm a stickler for no do-overs on die rolls so I have to deal what storylines going off on a tangent)? Thanks!
Thanks for the great question: SH vs. Ironsworn... that's a tough one but if I had to recommend one, I'd probably go with Ironsworn as I think mechanically is is more inherently narrative and takes the fantasy RPG genre in a more modern direction. I do love SH and it is probably my 'go to' if I'm looking for a generic system and one that I could port other resources into whereas Ironsworn with its unique mechanics and idiosyncrasies feels more limited to just its own content. But boy is that content rich and amazing! And I totally get what you are saying about bringing things to a conclusion. Partially this is why I often impose very 'gamey' goals on my sessions: get to a place and retrieve something, or whatever. That helps me know when it is 'over.'
@@GeekGamers01 I've been wondering this one as well. I like the alterations SH did to the old D&D basic rules set to make it possible to play solo but the setting and world building in Ironsworn is pretty spiffy, I have to admit. However, that said, I find it far too dark and foreboding for my own tastes. I'm waiting on the Me, Myself & Die Trevor Devall to start up his Second Season to determine if I want to throw down on it any further than the brief attempts I've had at attempting to learn the system. SH's is just simple, old D&D, with some minor tweaking, and that's very appealing to me. I watched part of your video on Basic Fantasy and I didn't get through it to discover how you dealt with the combat system, as that game looks like it adheres to the original old school D&D rules more than SH does. I was considering playing a mage or a cleric solo in SH and that's something that can be done relatively easily in SH but it would be rather difficult in Basic Fantasy if I were to go with the mage. I'd be curious your thoughts, however, as you've played all these games far more than I and I'm only dabbling to determine which one I want to use for my solo fantasy gaming experiences. Thanks!
@@citeltheof I think SH is easier for soloing as the solo experience is baked in. But there is much more content for BF so that could factor into your decision. If the "solo" part of it isn't challenging for you, and if you want it to be most "like" d&d, I'd go with BF.
In addition to the vid you commented on, I've done another vid on the system that is more explicit about how to put things together. "Being your own GM (demo)" is here: ua-cam.com/video/qdLYSh8rzfI/v-deo.html and the 4 principles that it refers to were outlined in the "Easy ways to be your own GM" vid, which is here: ua-cam.com/video/9GBPTec5TZA/v-deo.html The vids in my solo RPG playlist may also be of interest if you are just starting out in solo RPG.
Guldar Heel Great question. No I haven’t and likely I won’t. It’s a bit too directed/choose-your-own-adventure-book for me. I’m not a fan of that kind of play.
Solo Game Master's Guide now in Paperback!
order from Amazon: shorturl.at/vFMQ2
order from Modiphius: shorturl.at/npsL1
order from Modiphus UK: shorturl.at/kqsMN
Get RANDOM HEXCRAWL book: tinyurl.com/5cj3d4jc
Get RANDOM DUNGEONS book: lfosr.com/product/a-place-underground/
I am finally getting started on a childhood dream of RPGing. I just found about going it solo and bought the Scarlet Heroes pdf. This was a wonderful video to give me a feel for the structure and the possibility of throwing in outside tools. Also, although I love my guy gamers too, it's nice to hear from a woman. :) Loving your organization. The "die by alphabetical order by color" really resounded with my own tendencies.
Caroline Owens This is great to hear. We need more female GMs. I’m so glad you’ve found my content of use in your gaming journey.
I enjoyed this one a lot solo. It was a great gateway into more complex solo roleplaying. By the way, thanks for all the great content on your channel. It really inspired me.
Marko Ramius Thanks for the comment and so glad you are enjoying my work. Yes you are very right about SH as a gateway to more complex solo RPGing. It’s great for that-and all in one spot.
+Marko Ramius
Can I defect with you to Russia to evade the commies in America?
I always end up on your channel. Great work as usual! Very open thinking, quick creative decisions, sharp and easy to understand. No dithering. You're a great idea smith and communicator!
I really liked where you were going with this adventure and was saddened that you never finished it. In fact, it kind of felt like it never even started. Which is sad...
Your probably one of the best stand alone solo books. Glad to see it get some recognition.
Another excellent video. I'm the full-time game referee in my group -- your videos really show me how to have some fun as a player for a change. Many thanks.
Mike Hill Thank you so much for the comment. I love hearing from DMs that my vids are of use in some way. I really appreciate that.
I paused this halfway through as I needed to go to the shops.
Lo and behold there was a copy at the game store!!
I wasn't even lokking for it, just saying goodbye to the guy who runs it and it was behind the desk.
Looking forward to checking this out 😊
Thanks for doing a video for it!! 😊😊
Shane Annigans Great! There is a lot of content in here for use directly with Scarlet Heroes and also really almost any other kind of solo or traditional RPGing you might do.
Thank you for making these videos.
They are very motivating!
I, like many others I am assuming, find myself mired down or just in a general rut. Your videos always give me ideas on how to push forward.
Thank you again!
I really appreciate that!
Glad you have a video for this! Just bought it.
I’ve got two and the more recent one may be useful too-SH is the game used in “Being Your Own GM”
ua-cam.com/video/qdLYSh8rzfI/v-deo.html
@@GeekGamers01 thanks! About to kick off a solo RPG series, and this is going to be the core of the rules. Such a great system.
Cool! Looking forward to seeing that.
You can find magic items at the end of basic fantasy book! To use as trinket items..
Started a wilderness adventure with this and having a lot of fun. I posted the first few encounters and write up on BGG.
Loren Larkin Glad to hear it; I will have a look.
Thank you for posting this one. I have been lookin at this for some time, but the price has been keeping me at bay.
Captain Nolan Understood. Given the combination of its own ruleset, bestiary (not terrible large tho), as well as the urbane/wilderness/dungeon tables and the general oracles, there’s a lot in this relatively small package.
This is good information. I will take the plunge, based on your recommendation.
I too have a WhoWhatWhereHowWhenWhy die and loaned it to my son for his creative writing homework. It helped him somewhat.
Shane Ellswood Great idea!
Thanks, just purchased Scarlet Heroes...
Thanks for your well paced and eloquent playthroughs. That trinket is one of my faves. I've always thought it was a 9 volt battery. Good use of it there.
Wes Hitchens Thank you so much for commenting. I’m glad you are enjoying the vids.
Very interesting. I bought the PDF of Scarlet Heroes a few years back, and although I loved the concept I never used it as the script in the PDF copy was sooooo small, I found it uncomfortable to read and enjoy. So I was delighted to see in your video that the physical copy is different and has nice proper size script.This is one of the best videos I have ever seen you make, its extremely interesting. Now my wife is interested in us getting a proper print copy: she`s really into the oriental feel and tone it conveys.
Stephen Gilbert So glad you enjoyed the vid. This material is so easy to use and quite flexible in many ways. Someday I will post another vid using it in a completely different way. The layout of the physical copy is great.
Was the PDF updated? It's been a while, and if it was a recurring issue, I hope it was
I like the sound of the Gardens of Ynn supplement. I was curious why you didn't use the Urban Locations table on pg 121, but it doesn't give you the level of detail you got from Gardens of Ynn.
I like how you moved asay from the investigation style urban adventure guidelines of Scarlet Heroes to create your own micro-adventure. I'm still trying to figure out a way to do that mysrlf, and I think I'm going to use your example as the foundation for that approach.
Jason Kemp Thanks so much. I went to The Gardens truly because I was opening up another book and found it inside. I had totally forgotten I bought it so I just wanted to give it a whirl. Indeed I could have used what SH provided by way of the urban tables.
With regard to a trinket table I would recommend using the Interesting Things tables from Shadow of the Demon Lord 😈
Thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks G.G. Scarlet Heroes is the bees knees -excellent for folks starting up. Hey do you want to sell those dice? 😆
Guess I should have clarified... Those d6 could rub off some luck on my d6 ! My d6 hate me!
As a fan of Sine Nomine products I've been curious about this. Just about to begin a game with my wife where instead of me being pretty much the traditional DM I'm a player as well as maybe the main facilitator at least in the beginning. We're actually using the Worlds Without Number rules.
Trinket table, ideas, I personally prefer the d100 type found in "Tables Fables" by Madeline Hale. The first book with the blue or blue-green cover. They do have a second one that's more about world building rather the items, but items can be found in it too and are not repeats of the first book.
That's a great book and I've thought of doing a vid on it but not gotten around to it.
My one issue with the Scarlet Heroes solo tools is that (especially the Wilderness and Dungeon tables) they can at times be a little Red-Tide-specific. And while I think it looks like a cool setting I'm not currently using it. It's probably not difficult to create a custom table (or even to rethink something on a fly) but it's definitely some extra effort.
It’s funny because I use some of the random tables widely with other rule sets. I never did use the Red Tide setting either. I find the resources here pretty easy to port over to other systems without a lot of work.
I know this is an old upload but my first game purchase in the New Year. Will be Scarlet Heroes. I intend to run it with the Old BECMI modules. With 2 to 3 characters, solo. I do like four against Darkness but theres just something lacking from that. Scarlet Heroes like right up my street.
I hope you enjoy it! Wonderful system for solo.
If you are looking for Trinket random tables, get any of The Book of Random Tables1-4 is for medieval items, compiled by Matt Davis.
His name is Matt Davids. Great stuff and very detailed, I agree.
Another great video!
Absolute classic!
Hi, since you made this video Ironsworn has been released and I know you have featured that on your channel also. Ironsworn took Scarlet Heroes as inspiration and developed a similar game system for solo play - would love to know which you prefer and why? Would you now recommend Ironsworn/Delve over Scarlet Heroes if you only used one solo system? I enjoy Ironsworn and like to use the random tables as much as possible as the less I manipulate the game the more unexpected situations and consequences arise - which is what makes solo RPG fun to me. This makes the games more complex (which makes it interesting) but the game becomes broader and more and more open ended. It is hard to bring the game to a conclusion without me forcing it, and often this is less than satisfying as there are often many unresolved story lines. Do you ever find this an issue and if so how do you manage it (p.s. I'm a stickler for no do-overs on die rolls so I have to deal what storylines going off on a tangent)? Thanks!
Thanks for the great question: SH vs. Ironsworn... that's a tough one but if I had to recommend one, I'd probably go with Ironsworn as I think mechanically is is more inherently narrative and takes the fantasy RPG genre in a more modern direction. I do love SH and it is probably my 'go to' if I'm looking for a generic system and one that I could port other resources into whereas Ironsworn with its unique mechanics and idiosyncrasies feels more limited to just its own content. But boy is that content rich and amazing!
And I totally get what you are saying about bringing things to a conclusion. Partially this is why I often impose very 'gamey' goals on my sessions: get to a place and retrieve something, or whatever. That helps me know when it is 'over.'
@@GeekGamers01 I've been wondering this one as well. I like the alterations SH did to the old D&D basic rules set to make it possible to play solo but the setting and world building in Ironsworn is pretty spiffy, I have to admit. However, that said, I find it far too dark and foreboding for my own tastes. I'm waiting on the Me, Myself & Die Trevor Devall to start up his Second Season to determine if I want to throw down on it any further than the brief attempts I've had at attempting to learn the system. SH's is just simple, old D&D, with some minor tweaking, and that's very appealing to me. I watched part of your video on Basic Fantasy and I didn't get through it to discover how you dealt with the combat system, as that game looks like it adheres to the original old school D&D rules more than SH does. I was considering playing a mage or a cleric solo in SH and that's something that can be done relatively easily in SH but it would be rather difficult in Basic Fantasy if I were to go with the mage. I'd be curious your thoughts, however, as you've played all these games far more than I and I'm only dabbling to determine which one I want to use for my solo fantasy gaming experiences. Thanks!
@@citeltheof I think SH is easier for soloing as the solo experience is baked in. But there is much more content for BF so that could factor into your decision. If the "solo" part of it isn't challenging for you, and if you want it to be most "like" d&d, I'd go with BF.
I have just came across this book. How would a newbie go about getting into this?? Looking for a solo D&D experience. this seems awesome.
In addition to the vid you commented on, I've done another vid on the system that is more explicit about how to put things together.
"Being your own GM (demo)" is here: ua-cam.com/video/qdLYSh8rzfI/v-deo.html and the 4 principles that it refers to were outlined in the "Easy ways to be your own GM" vid, which is here: ua-cam.com/video/9GBPTec5TZA/v-deo.html
The vids in my solo RPG playlist may also be of interest if you are just starting out in solo RPG.
@@GeekGamers01 awesome thank you!
@@jaymea8907 Enjoy! More solo content on the way...
Have you tried "The Legacy of Dragonholt" yet? If so, what is your opinion of it? I played it and I thought it was pretty cool for the most part.
Guldar Heel Great question. No I haven’t and likely I won’t. It’s a bit too directed/choose-your-own-adventure-book for me. I’m not a fan of that kind of play.
where may I purchase the who what where when why die?
Michael Reynolds It’s neat, isn’t it? I wish I could tell you. I got mine in a 25 cent bin of dice at a local game store years ago...
As always great content. Now, to get a copy of the book. Many thanks