Mythic is my go to for a solo emulator since I love the chaos of it and relying on the dice to see if a random event or an interrupt scene happens. I do have several others for the systems I play but I still love the chaos that ensues with mythic. For any beginners that want to see mythic and ironsworn systems at play, i'd recommend watching Me Myself and Die. Trevor does an amazing job playing everything solo and the chaos that ensues is so good!
Agreed 100%, I frequently recommend Trevor. He is the most enthusiastic solo gamer on YT. Also, I do like the chaos occasionally, but it requires paying a lot more attention, so sometimes I just want a little less unpredictability in a game. Mythic is certainly my favorite though.
Very nice explanations. I've heard people mention Scarlet Heroes dozens of times, but no one until now actually mentioned the GM emulator part is just 17 pages! While that isn't shabby, certainly, it's not enough to warrant me buying a tome for a setting and style and set of mechanics I'm not otherwise enamored with. So, thanks! Similarly, your explanations on the other options were very clear and helpful; so many other reviewers are very vague and general with their reviews and are either skimpy on the details or go so deep into detail that I zone out. This video is great!
Like I said, if I were going to choose only one to own, it would be Mythic for sure. I do however enjoy trying some of the simpler options from time to time. I ran Solitary Defilement with Pirate Borg today and it was a great Ironsworn-Esque experience.
1D10+5 is supposed to look like 'idiots" and you're right it's an odd choice for a name but I think that's pretty funny. Solitary Defilement is great. Awesome video!
You know I read that (after making the video of course) on a blog, but if I hadn’t read it I would not have thought to look at it that particular way. Lol. Thanks for the assistance! Glad you liked the video, this Friday my video will be on Pirate Borg, so that might be of interest as well… yaaar ☠️🧜♂️⚓️🏝️🏴☠️
I am looking forward to that! I just watched the live action One Piece on Netflix and it was surprisingly really awesome. I am now a big fan of pirate games and would love to try out a pirate themed setting.
Not Tim, good to see you in the comments again! You know sometimes when I catch my errors in the editing process I just can’t help but add a little commentary, glad it got a laugh out of you. Starforged is great. The cards for it are a must, and the reference guide is a very good value too. Thanks for watching!
I am a big fan of games like VtM (political intrigue) and Kult (personal dark horror), I'm comfortable running those, as a GM, even fully improvised or with a plan. I would like to play Kult as a solo game - it already has a tarot deck and rules for reading it. I tried doing a scene with ChatGPT as a GM but that was very unsatisfying. Having only done some "Choose your own adventure books" when I was a youngling - I kinda can't imagine how you'd create a mystery and horror which a lot comes from not knowing in solo play and how to create character and antagonist arcs with tension and surprise.
While not exactly what you are looking for, The Solo Thursday’s Child, for Vaesen by Free League attempts to do that very thing (albeit for the Vaesen setting). I was skeptical a mystery horror solo game could work, but I was also skeptical solo RPG’s could work initially. I have learned to not always trust my assumptions. My guess is that it would be like any solo RPG experience, feels awkward to start off, but once you get rolling it becomes quite fun and interesting. I plan to do a video on it when I have time to test it.
I've been using Mythic since last April. When I read through the PDF, I loved it, but it seemed like it'd be a little convenient to use while playing. I cobbled together a program to handle the rolls and charts and it's pretty snappy for me to use now. As I've been playing, I've started to see where more of the optional parts can be useful, and incorporate them sometimes.
5:30 I never thought of looking in a corpse but now that you mention it, it reminds me of the thief swallowing gems in Conan the Destroyer so hey (in Seinfeld voice) you never know! Will try
I realize this video is about GM emulators in general, but I wonder how your ranking would change if you included systems and settings that utilize them. For instance, ranking the Ironsworn, Forbidden Lands, and Scarlet Heroes not on their GM emulator aspects alone, but as solo gaming experiences overall.
That’s a whole different monster, but I have done full videos of Ironsworn and Forbidden Lands, and those will give you a good idea of my thoughts on those games. As for Scarlet Heroes, I initially liked the system better than the emulator, but have flipped. The system is a version of BX D&D and I feel like there are better versions of that available. The emulator I like because it is minimalist and offers some tools I don’t have elsewhere.
Lol. Thank you! I often laugh at myself when I put the final video together, generally my best lines come out of an error that I made. Thanks for watching!
Super good and instructive. Really like the Game Master apprentice as an option. Cards are my stuff (I mean cards as physical items, you can take them; cut them, shuffle them, draw the top card, the bottom card, a random card, they are just pretty physical items). I will more than certainly gonna check that. I know mythic, I was stupidely trying to see how to integrate a card deck to it... I have a better option now. Thank for the video.
Pral, thanks for watching and good to see you in the comments again! 2 things, one they have a SEVERAL GM apprentice decks, specific to theme (pirate, cyberpunk, sci fi, fantasy, etc.). I have the generic one in my video. Two, Mythic does actually have a deck version too. I didn’t like the Mythic deck as much, but you might want to look at it.
@@booksbricksandboards783 1- I saw the decks of Mythic when I bought Mythic and I wasn't impressed at all. I rechecked it. Still ain't XD Especially compared to the GM kit. 2- didn't saw the multiple theme of the GM kit. Tad bit pricey, but still good ! I really adore the chaos table from Mythic but not so much the adventure creation, and those cards I think they are nailing it for me (for example all the top part with the dice and the difficulty, that I will use mythic not the card, but the bottom part... ahhh...). I'm a deadland lover, I love my dice and my cards at the end of the day.
Yep, I preferred the GM’s Apprentice for cards as well, but wanted to share about the Mythic cards. I am a big Deadlands fan also, so I get the pull. Deadlands has a pretty nifty solo book out that I have played through. A little bit narrow in scope for my tastes, but it was a fun play for $20. It would be very good for a person that hadn’t played much solo.
Ironsworn is a great choice… my two pieces of advice, 1) listen to some episodes of “Ask the Oracle” or watch some episodes of “Me, Myself and Die” w/ host Trevor Duvall. Making choices to drive the story and creating consequences that drive the story is a hard concept for many to grasp in a first solo play. They do an awesome job of conveying how to do that. 2) figure out a good way to track your games. Without the social aspect, RPG’s lose some of the appeal. So figuring out your level of ‘journaling’ to be able to recall and even share the experience will make it more lasting and consequential long term. I have a file on RPGGeek on the Ironsworn page that I created for my journaling, and it is available for free download. Good gaming Jean!
@@booksbricksandboards783 Thanks for the advice! I watched the entire season of MM&D Season 2: Ironsworn. Duvall is amazing. I will take a look at your file, as it appears very helpful. Just came across your channel. Looking forward to seeing more from your library and future musings.
Great video. You pretty much nailed it. Solitary Defilement is my personal favorite solo tool, but I agree with your placement, as it is specific to MB. That said, the elegant mechanic of 2d20 against a target number is genius. Also, I never thought to break out the 17 pages of Scarlet Heroes as its own OSR emulator. I’m going to try that to run a Shadowdark experiment. Cheers!
Oh, the conversion of the Ironsworn resolution mechanic into a multi system toolkit for any game was a revelation… Solitary Defilement deserves a lot of credit for that innovation. Also, I was same on the Scarlet Heroes emulator, totally overlooked it for YEARS, then took a second look recently and thought wow that is pretty tight!
Just getting into Scarlet Heroes at the moment. Going to change and add a few things; dislike the trait system and descending AC. I did, however, love the way Kevin uses the hit dice (HD) of a creature over their HP and the Fray Die mechanic. Already envisioning my first playthrough using the system - I want to run it in the Dark Sun setting using a slightly adapted PC with more advanced rules (probably an adapted D&D class of some variety). I liked Ironsworn and Starforged but I do find them to be very setting-specific; both are focused on societies not being overly developed. Played Solitary Defilement with both Mork Borg and Pirate Borg. It's a brilliant short-format system for one-shots or very contained campaigns (how Mork Borg itself even states it should be played!). Personally, for me, Mythic GME is head and shoulders above the rest. Not only is it super-easy to run alongside any system but, quite frankly, you could probably use it on its own. I have run the system with Symbaroum, Dragonbane, and also ran it alongside my Ironsworn and Starforged playthroughs.
Great comment! For the things you liked about Scarlet Heroes, Kevin incorporated the fray die into his Without Numbers series as a static number called “shock damage”, and used the actual fray die and HD as HP in their entirety in Godbound. Those are probably worth a look for you. Funny you mentioned Dark Sun (a personal favorite setting), because I have long thought Ironsworn would be a fantastic rules set for that setting. Mythic is the gold standard, but just like you found some things you liked and made your own in Scarlet Heroes, I find myself doing the same with emulators. They tend to be very plug and play by nature. Thanks for watching!
Mythic is the best. It's easy to use, medium difficulty to learn, and a great resource for solo or group play. A bonus is that you can use it with ANY RPG game system. Great review.
Thanks James! I have 3 different versions of Mythic now, and still am considering getting the cards too! The One Page Mythic pretty amazing for the scope of the project. 2nd edition has an incredible toolbox of elements tables. Revised (the red book) has its own RPG built in.
I would love to see your take on The Radiance Adventure Engine. It’s beautifully tactile as it is a few decks of cards. I prefer it to every other emulator I have tried (which is a lot) because it guides you to create a proper story. It’s split into four acts and each act has two scenes. The eight scenes start at foreshadowing and lead to a grand finale. Just like a normal emulator you use your normal RPG rules to play out each scene and then dip back to the emulator for what happens next.
Shane, I had not heard of the Radiance Adventure Engine yet. Mythic 2e splits into scenes and threads that do similar work. I will take a look when I get a chance to give it a read. Tonight I am doing a solo play in Shadowdark, utilizing the One Page Mythic emulator. Thanks for the suggestion!
10:25 The name of the creator of Solitary Defilement is actually kind of genius. If you look at it carefully you'll notice that 1d10÷5 spells out "idiots." 😊
Absolutely. Both are built around BX, so using the Scarlet Heroes Oracle and single hero rules would be perfect for the Dolmenwood setting. Having read the original adventures set in Dolmenwood, I hope to pick up the setting books in the future to see what they add.
Check out my Solo RPG 101 videos. They will give you some idea of how to get started. If you watch some of the solo playthroughs I did, they will give you an idea of how to interpret oracles. The master of solo is Trevor Duvall of Me, Myself and Die, great resource there!
Hi, new subscribers here! This is an interesting list of Oracles that you've made. For me, most of these feel too intertwined with the system they're paired with (except the card and Mythic, of course) but, yeah, you can definitely use them to play other TTRPG to some extent (I used the usually as supplements). Mythic is of course the best in the market 😅. I'm kinda surprised that you didn't put Dragonbane and it's solo rule by Free League. The solo rules are designed by the one and only Shawn Tomkins of Ironsworn. If you never encountered it please have a look and share your thoughts about it. Thanks!
Thanks for the sub. I actually have tried Dragonbane and did a solo play video if you want to see my thoughts on that. I am looking at oracles that offer something uniquely advantageous from one another, so if I were to have another more generic option, it would need to offer something Mythic doesn’t do better (which is why I suggested GM Apprentice, for portability). In particular with Solitary Defilement, it is “for Mork Borg” but since Mork Borg has versions for SEVERAL genres (including Cyberpunk, Pirate, Old West, Space Truckers and medieval) it is more broadly applicable than you might think. Same thing with Scarlet Heroes. That emulator will work with ANY OSR system and work without any changes for any based upon BX or AD&D rules. So really most of them are pretty applicable over a number of different genre of games. Thanks for watching!
@@booksbricksandboards783 Nah, thank you for the insights! I wanted to mention some system agnostics emulators but my current favorite are 2 that available in smartphone app format: - Mythic GME 2e (yep, someone converted the whole books into an app), and - One Page Solo Engine (OPSE) by Inflatable Studio. Both of them have are easy to use, portable and have means for doing some journaling built in. The Mythic app even have diceroller inside, which is very convenient.
Those sound very interesting indeed! I’m more an analog gamer (don’t even really like board games with apps), but I see the appeal. That is one reason I like the Game Master’s Apprentice, it includes the die rolls and everything on the cards. Mythic is definitely in a class if it’s own!
Since I made this video I have been using the One Page Mythic oracle quite a bit. It is made by the folks that created Mythic, but very slimmed to a single page. On the other hand, the Game Master’s Apprentice has got to have a themed deck that suits that style game as well. Nice thing about the GMA is that it does all the things another emulator does, but can also provide random dice rolls and a little more specific inspired contextual answers. I’d say start with one of those, either GMA or One Page Mythic. Both are relatively inexpensive, and even if you later want to get something more robust, they will remain useful to you. Thanks for watching!
Awesome review of these products and solo systems to look into. I am finding my exploration of solo gaming is actually improving my multiplayer GMing experience. Some feedback - can do without the cuts of random movie clips, the humor is sort of a miss and the sound mixing is jarring from the rest of your excellent overview!
Anthony, if you watch my more recent videos I have cut back significantly on the drop ins. Some viewers have commented they like them, some (like yourself have not). Finding a happy medium. Thanks for watching!
Nice 'Goldilocks' summary - not too brief and skimpy, not too long and overly detailed. Just right. Liked and subbed. I'm currently getting into Ironsworn and really enjoying that, but I'm also wanting to try Pathfinder. I have the PF2e beginners box but no one to play with - does Mythic work well with PF2e and are there any other resources that might help me play solo. Cheers.
Appreciate the compliment! Pathfinder 2e in my opinion has a great sweet spot in the levels 1-6. It starts to bog down a bit 7-10. After 10 it is a little too fiddly with all of the interactions, choices and piles of hit points. I am playing through the Abomination Vaults right now and my group has enjoyed it thoroughly, but I can tell as they have gotten closer to 10 they are getting less enthused with the mechanical aspects (so I am using more roleplay opportunity time to supplement the fall off). I think it could be solo’d with Mythic for sure, but I would say it is more involved than I like for a solo. For me, and miles may vary, I don’t like full page stat block enemies for a solo game. That is why I like the BX clones, Mork Borg, Dragonbane, and similar type games for my solo games. If you like to manage a little more complexity in your baddies, Pathfinder might be exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the sub!
@@booksbricksandboards783 Hi. Thanks for taking the time to reply. Some really useful pointers. The reason for wanting to try PF solo was just so I could familiarise with the mechanics in order to be able to GM it for some friends, once I've persuaded them to actually play. I do solo play Gloomhaven and Too Many Bones, but only if I've got a decent chunk of time available!! Ironsworn will remain my go-to for solo play I think. Thanks for your help.
In that case, great use for a few solo sessions with PF2. It’s not complicated, but it has a lot of moving parts and choices. The Beginner Box has some player aids that greatly help the learning experience (the cards with action descriptions and the action tokens notably).
I backed Starforged but I've not made any progress with it. It simply looks too daunting; Chapter 1, the basics, is 60 pages of rules. Chapter 3,Gameplay in depth, adds another 100. It claims to be designed for jump-in play, I really wish I could.
I was in the same boat with Ironsworn when I first attempted it… but then I listened to the Ask the Oracle podcast by Shawn Tomkin, and it all just clicked. The rules you need to be familiar with, but not memorize. Just be ready to reference them during play. I think that Starforged in particular is perhaps the best implementation of a built in oracle for an RPG available, and the game plays very well. It will be worth the time investment if you are able to make it.
In addition to what Justin said: For Ironsworn (and maybe Starforged), having the reference guide is a must. Lodestar for the normal Ironsworn contain summary of the rules and list of the moves, also the complete oracles (I remember Starforged have sth similar in bundle with the core rulebook). You consult the core rulebook for things that the reference guide don't mention like lore, detailed explanation of things, bestiary how the oracles works etc. In time, you won't need the rulebook too much because you will know what move to use by heart. tl;dr: reference guide helps.
Thanks for watching! Are you referring to D100 Dungeon? If so, I like the detail, but it is a bit too much (almost accounting). I also found that, for the amount of bookkeeping, the outcomes were too random for my liking. If I spend that much time putting a world/hero together, I don’t want to feel like I made the best strategic choices I could and still have drastically shifting results based upon dice swings. I don’t mind swings if the creation is quicker. All of my quibbles are personal preference, it is well designed.
I have been back and forth about getting Scarlet heroes. I am not a fan of the setting in the book, but the solo part sounds like a good resource. I wonder if I should just get the pdf and print out only those pages.
Epic, based upon your response regarding “why solo RPG’s” and this, I’m thinking you are really in my headspace! I actually am preparing to do a review of Pirate Borg coming up. It is a very unique product and deserves its own dedicated video! Thanks for watching.
I am a big fan of Mythic 2e, but I will admit some games I choose to not incorporate all of it. That’s actually something that the author suggests in the book as well, use what you want. When I want something more minimalist by design, I pick up my Game Master’s Apprentice deck or for BX games, Scarlet Heroes (the emulator not the system).
Having never played solo RPG's (other than FF books about 40 years ago) I'm utterly clueless. My intention is to source something I can run with Crown & Skull, both for myself as solo & as an aid to running a play by post game for others. Any thoughts &/or advice would be welcome, cheers.
My best advice would be to not get frustrated early on. You will be balancing a game, an oracle, and journaling/record keeping. All three will require some juggling and compromising between. The other advice would be to watch Trevor Duvall on “Me, Myself and Die”. He is an expert at balancing fun and gameplay, and will be a good benchmark for when to read a result literally, and when to relate it to the situation figuratively. If you stick with it, I think you will find that solo RPG’s will open a world of opportunity to explore your imagination.
I have never played any RPG solo and have been recently wanting to dip my toe into it. I have watched so many videos on how to begin. At first I settled on White Box with the added Table Fable books 1 &2. Now I'm wondering If I shouldn't. If you were me what should I start with, what books should I buy If you were in my shoes? Thank you.
I don’t think that there is a “right way” necessarily, more like many right ways. That said, for my money, I’d suggest Ironsworn or Ironsworn Starforged as a first solo RPG. They made me a better solo player in other games by giving me practice at interpretation. But if you really like White Box, it is simple enough to jump into. Hopefully that gives you some insight. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the watch SRPGG! We are really at a great time for solo RPG players right now. When I started playing solo’s it was pretty much Mythic and teach yourself. Now with the proliferation of top tier products and content creators teaching the fundamentals, it is a very accessible hobby space!
Thanks a lot for this video! It was very informative and well-presented. I’ve been considering getting into solo RPGs for a while now, considering getting mythic 2nd edition. This video has been a great help to me, convincing me that mythic indeed would be a great starting point. Would you strongly recommend any supplements I could order at the same time for the print on demand? (Or perhaps others I could figure out how to print myself). Every time I browse drivethrurpg I want to get everything I see…
You are welcome and suffer from a similar disease as myself, gottahavitall. Those of us that have this particular ailment tend to appreciate all the cool stuff and want to try it. As a kindred spirit I would suggest holding off on adding TOO much. I would start with Mythic 2nd edition, it is pretty huge. Once you get that down, you can introduce new elements. Some cool additions I like after you get familiar: dungeonmorph dice (they give you random dungeon generation), Ax Bane’s Deck of Dungeons (same but card), GM’s apprentice have a number of themed decks(even if you don’t use the emulator part the content generation specific to the genre you play will be good), and the Book of Random Tables series from Matt Davids is also good and inexpensive. Good luck!
@@booksbricksandboards783 thanks a lot! You're totally right on the gottahavitall disease I'm afraid it's chronic... However, your words have mitigated some of its worst effects. I'll pick up Mythic 2nd Edition. Thanks again!
At 12:22 you mention all the rules you would need for pirate borg, is that something included with Solitary Defilement or is it something you made yourself?
That is a free download available from Limithron who made Pirate Borg. It is similar to the ones for Mork Borg and Cy_Borg. Nice to have a single sheet with all of the relevant rules information! I did laminate them myself.
I think there are elements you could use but it would require some work. I’d suggest getting used to the system first or using a more generic oracle that is designed to work with any game. Thanks for the question.
@@booksbricksandboards783 thanks! I’ll try other oracle first then. I see there’s also some random table in the cy_borg core book and starter set, should be a lot of fun!
Yeah I think that is a good plan. I would probably eventually adapt Solitary Defilement for Cy Borg, but wouldn’t start there. Now Pirate Borg I might start there, just because it is more similar.
Every time I get close to making that commitment to buy a text solo RPG. I review the list of MUDs, and MUSHs that are mostly abandon. There are old text computer games that have many of the same properties. If all the above fails me. I go into game developer mode, before making a consideration on buying ANY solo RPG.
I totally get that, I think you will find many solo rpg folks did or do the same. Many years here considering before jumping into it. It does activate different parts of your brain and requires you to come up with creative solutions to problems that much more readily present themselves in most computer counterparts. Neither is better, but if you have a creative itch needing scratched, TRRPG is about as good as it gets for me. Thanks for watching!
Ive played around with mythic a bit but im curious to know what would be some of the better games to run with mythic as the emulator? Ive tried it with 5e but the combat feels a little odd in solo play
It depends on what your expectations are going in. You have to look at Mythic as if it were a GM sitting across from you. If you don’t know what the enemy is doing or going to do, ask a yes/no or contextual question and then roll the dice according to the answers. Otherwise, the resolution mechanic is specific to the game system, so if you felt like the combat was odd with 5e, chances are you will find it just as off in another system. My suggestion is to watch some experienced solo players (Geeks & Gamers and Me, Myself & Die are both excellent) and watch how they conduct their combats. I have run Mythic in Marvel Multiverse, Savage Worlds, Fate, B/X and probably some I have forgotten. I think it is among the best, but I admit getting used to solo takes a minute. Good luck (I have some Mythic solo plays on my channel as well).
I think that the context tables in the Mythic GM Emulator are an excellent tool for creating dynamic scenes, solo or group play. It’s a good investment in my opinion.
Although it's really up to personal preference and I would prefer video games over paper and pen games like these. Mostly due to a computer managing the numbers for me, which is very nice. With that said, if you are willing to put in the time to learn the solo rpg rules and be able to keep the numbers intact. These games are fun to play if you like stories, most games like this also allow a lot more creativity in fights compared to most video games. Imma be real though Baldur's Gate 3 is probably just overall better to play than most tabletop games if you prefer video games and it is the only video game I've played that is very close to the freedom a tabletop game gives you in combat and choice wise.
For me it is partially tactile, the book and dice, the physical map in some cases. Also, with a video game, you are very much limited as to what options are available or viable by the predetermined code. With a TTRPG, you can explore your imagination and turn on parts of your brain that are more creative. They are similar but different itches to scratch. Hopefully that answers your question.
Both can be great in different ways. For me with a solo TTRPG I can be fully creative. I'm able to do anything, add anything to the setting, come up with highly creative solutions to the obstacles that come up etc. etc. With a video game you're limited to the solutions the game allows you to use so it can be a very different kind of experience. Mechanically a TTRPG is very easy for me to run because I'm usually playtesting something I wrote myself so I don't need to learn the system. That may make it easier. But as Justin mentioned in the video, there are rules systems that fit on one A5 page.
In trig you are not limited by the limited actions that was coded on the game. The enemies reactions are not limited as well. You can add any place, any creature and do any action. The story can lean into what you like to play and what you want to play. That open end options comes with one big limitation, your imagination and your time investment. Because of this time investment and that been so open there’s a middle ground, board games. Games like “Hexplore It” are good for people to start to get a feeling of what an ttrpg can be with the ease of boardgames and the limitations of the videogames. You can take that boardgames and start to modify the rules and add more story/flavor and you start to get close to an ttrpg. The good thing is, there are games for all tastes. -Videogames for the pick and play, but you play what some other person created -Boardgames that is some what like video games with his own objectives and actions to do, they can be a middle ground for video game lovers and ttrpgs -Ttrpgs that can be played as you like and what you like for the time investment to learn how to play and how you like to play
There is simply no comparison between the two, they are entirely different. In solo RPG you get to create your own world entirely from your imagination using the dice rolls as a spark. Then you role play through that world with your own unique characters. It is surprising, creative and immersive. In a video game you are restricted to the world the game designer has dreamed up for you which may be a fantastic world but it is someone else’s imagination.
That’s fair. Not everyone enjoys the more abstracted resolution system that is story focused. As far as the setting, it is pretty flexible. I have played in different worlds with very minimal phrase shifting… instead of an iron vows it becomes a blood oath for example. At least you gave it a try. One of my favorites.
Mythic is my go to for a solo emulator since I love the chaos of it and relying on the dice to see if a random event or an interrupt scene happens. I do have several others for the systems I play but I still love the chaos that ensues with mythic. For any beginners that want to see mythic and ironsworn systems at play, i'd recommend watching Me Myself and Die. Trevor does an amazing job playing everything solo and the chaos that ensues is so good!
Agreed 100%, I frequently recommend Trevor. He is the most enthusiastic solo gamer on YT. Also, I do like the chaos occasionally, but it requires paying a lot more attention, so sometimes I just want a little less unpredictability in a game. Mythic is certainly my favorite though.
Very nice explanations. I've heard people mention Scarlet Heroes dozens of times, but no one until now actually mentioned the GM emulator part is just 17 pages! While that isn't shabby, certainly, it's not enough to warrant me buying a tome for a setting and style and set of mechanics I'm not otherwise enamored with. So, thanks! Similarly, your explanations on the other options were very clear and helpful; so many other reviewers are very vague and general with their reviews and are either skimpy on the details or go so deep into detail that I zone out. This video is great!
Appreciate that Griffon, I am glad I was able to point you in the right direction!
Mythic Emulator is my choice for solo games.
I combine it with any other system I want to try out as it is just easy and sufficient.
Like I said, if I were going to choose only one to own, it would be Mythic for sure. I do however enjoy trying some of the simpler options from time to time. I ran Solitary Defilement with Pirate Borg today and it was a great Ironsworn-Esque experience.
Thank you. As one just starting out solo with rpg, these suggestions are invaluable.
Good to hear that! I have some more videos planned related to getting started in solo RPG’s.
1D10+5 is supposed to look like 'idiots" and you're right it's an odd choice for a name but I think that's pretty funny. Solitary Defilement is great. Awesome video!
You know I read that (after making the video of course) on a blog, but if I hadn’t read it I would not have thought to look at it that particular way. Lol. Thanks for the assistance! Glad you liked the video, this Friday my video will be on Pirate Borg, so that might be of interest as well… yaaar ☠️🧜♂️⚓️🏝️🏴☠️
I am looking forward to that! I just watched the live action One Piece on Netflix and it was surprisingly really awesome. I am now a big fan of pirate games and would love to try out a pirate themed setting.
I think it is one of my better videos, hopefully it will be helpful to you!
Thanks for the spit-take/chuckle @ "In a corpse", Justin. Starforged is on my RPG wishlist after watching your other videos.
Not Tim, good to see you in the comments again! You know sometimes when I catch my errors in the editing process I just can’t help but add a little commentary, glad it got a laugh out of you. Starforged is great. The cards for it are a must, and the reference guide is a very good value too. Thanks for watching!
I have several of the GMA decks, looking forward to checking out the others you mention.
I really like the options they give a GM on the fly, great value!
I am a big fan of games like VtM (political intrigue) and Kult (personal dark horror), I'm comfortable running those, as a GM, even fully improvised or with a plan. I would like to play Kult as a solo game - it already has a tarot deck and rules for reading it. I tried doing a scene with ChatGPT as a GM but that was very unsatisfying. Having only done some "Choose your own adventure books" when I was a youngling - I kinda can't imagine how you'd create a mystery and horror which a lot comes from not knowing in solo play and how to create character and antagonist arcs with tension and surprise.
While not exactly what you are looking for, The Solo Thursday’s Child, for Vaesen by Free League attempts to do that very thing (albeit for the Vaesen setting). I was skeptical a mystery horror solo game could work, but I was also skeptical solo RPG’s could work initially. I have learned to not always trust my assumptions. My guess is that it would be like any solo RPG experience, feels awkward to start off, but once you get rolling it becomes quite fun and interesting. I plan to do a video on it when I have time to test it.
I've been using Mythic since last April. When I read through the PDF, I loved it, but it seemed like it'd be a little convenient to use while playing. I cobbled together a program to handle the rolls and charts and it's pretty snappy for me to use now. As I've been playing, I've started to see where more of the optional parts can be useful, and incorporate them sometimes.
It can do as much or as little as one wants, flexibility is a definite pro.
5:30 I never thought of looking in a corpse but now that you mention it, it reminds me of the thief swallowing gems in Conan the Destroyer so hey (in Seinfeld voice) you never know! Will try
Lol. Now you know, I did place the disclaimer that I was NOT endorsing that strategy 😂🤣
I realize this video is about GM emulators in general, but I wonder how your ranking would change if you included systems and settings that utilize them. For instance, ranking the Ironsworn, Forbidden Lands, and Scarlet Heroes not on their GM emulator aspects alone, but as solo gaming experiences overall.
That’s a whole different monster, but I have done full videos of Ironsworn and Forbidden Lands, and those will give you a good idea of my thoughts on those games. As for Scarlet Heroes, I initially liked the system better than the emulator, but have flipped. The system is a version of BX D&D and I feel like there are better versions of that available. The emulator I like because it is minimalist and offers some tools I don’t have elsewhere.
Thanks for the video, it was very instructive! Laughed my ass of during the "in a corpse" part
Lol. Thank you! I often laugh at myself when I put the final video together, generally my best lines come out of an error that I made. Thanks for watching!
Super good and instructive.
Really like the Game Master apprentice as an option. Cards are my stuff (I mean cards as physical items, you can take them; cut them, shuffle them, draw the top card, the bottom card, a random card, they are just pretty physical items). I will more than certainly gonna check that.
I know mythic, I was stupidely trying to see how to integrate a card deck to it... I have a better option now.
Thank for the video.
Pral, thanks for watching and good to see you in the comments again! 2 things, one they have a SEVERAL GM apprentice decks, specific to theme (pirate, cyberpunk, sci fi, fantasy, etc.). I have the generic one in my video. Two, Mythic does actually have a deck version too. I didn’t like the Mythic deck as much, but you might want to look at it.
@@booksbricksandboards783 1- I saw the decks of Mythic when I bought Mythic and I wasn't impressed at all. I rechecked it. Still ain't XD Especially compared to the GM kit.
2- didn't saw the multiple theme of the GM kit. Tad bit pricey, but still good ! I really adore the chaos table from Mythic but not so much the adventure creation, and those cards I think they are nailing it for me (for example all the top part with the dice and the difficulty, that I will use mythic not the card, but the bottom part... ahhh...).
I'm a deadland lover, I love my dice and my cards at the end of the day.
Yep, I preferred the GM’s Apprentice for cards as well, but wanted to share about the Mythic cards. I am a big Deadlands fan also, so I get the pull. Deadlands has a pretty nifty solo book out that I have played through. A little bit narrow in scope for my tastes, but it was a fun play for $20. It would be very good for a person that hadn’t played much solo.
Getting back into rpg's. Haven't played since the 80's. Starting now with Ironsworn.
Ironsworn is a great choice… my two pieces of advice, 1) listen to some episodes of “Ask the Oracle” or watch some episodes of “Me, Myself and Die” w/ host Trevor Duvall. Making choices to drive the story and creating consequences that drive the story is a hard concept for many to grasp in a first solo play. They do an awesome job of conveying how to do that. 2) figure out a good way to track your games. Without the social aspect, RPG’s lose some of the appeal. So figuring out your level of ‘journaling’ to be able to recall and even share the experience will make it more lasting and consequential long term. I have a file on RPGGeek on the Ironsworn page that I created for my journaling, and it is available for free download. Good gaming Jean!
@@booksbricksandboards783 Thanks for the advice! I watched the entire season of MM&D Season 2: Ironsworn. Duvall is amazing. I will take a look at your file, as it appears very helpful. Just came across your channel. Looking forward to seeing more from your library and future musings.
Appreciate that it was a help for you, that was my goal!
Great video. You pretty much nailed it. Solitary Defilement is my personal favorite solo tool, but I agree with your placement, as it is specific to MB. That said, the elegant mechanic of 2d20 against a target number is genius.
Also, I never thought to break out the 17 pages of Scarlet Heroes as its own OSR emulator. I’m going to try that to run a Shadowdark experiment.
Cheers!
Oh, the conversion of the Ironsworn resolution mechanic into a multi system toolkit for any game was a revelation… Solitary Defilement deserves a lot of credit for that innovation. Also, I was same on the Scarlet Heroes emulator, totally overlooked it for YEARS, then took a second look recently and thought wow that is pretty tight!
Just getting into Scarlet Heroes at the moment. Going to change and add a few things; dislike the trait system and descending AC. I did, however, love the way Kevin uses the hit dice (HD) of a creature over their HP and the Fray Die mechanic. Already envisioning my first playthrough using the system - I want to run it in the Dark Sun setting using a slightly adapted PC with more advanced rules (probably an adapted D&D class of some variety).
I liked Ironsworn and Starforged but I do find them to be very setting-specific; both are focused on societies not being overly developed.
Played Solitary Defilement with both Mork Borg and Pirate Borg. It's a brilliant short-format system for one-shots or very contained campaigns (how Mork Borg itself even states it should be played!).
Personally, for me, Mythic GME is head and shoulders above the rest. Not only is it super-easy to run alongside any system but, quite frankly, you could probably use it on its own. I have run the system with Symbaroum, Dragonbane, and also ran it alongside my Ironsworn and Starforged playthroughs.
Great comment! For the things you liked about Scarlet Heroes, Kevin incorporated the fray die into his Without Numbers series as a static number called “shock damage”, and used the actual fray die and HD as HP in their entirety in Godbound. Those are probably worth a look for you. Funny you mentioned Dark Sun (a personal favorite setting), because I have long thought Ironsworn would be a fantastic rules set for that setting. Mythic is the gold standard, but just like you found some things you liked and made your own in Scarlet Heroes, I find myself doing the same with emulators. They tend to be very plug and play by nature. Thanks for watching!
Mythic is the best. It's easy to use, medium difficulty to learn, and a great resource for solo or group play. A bonus is that you can use it with ANY RPG game system. Great review.
Thanks James! I have 3 different versions of Mythic now, and still am considering getting the cards too! The One Page Mythic pretty amazing for the scope of the project. 2nd edition has an incredible toolbox of elements tables. Revised (the red book) has its own RPG built in.
I would love to see your take on The Radiance Adventure Engine. It’s beautifully tactile as it is a few decks of cards. I prefer it to every other emulator I have tried (which is a lot) because it guides you to create a proper story. It’s split into four acts and each act has two scenes. The eight scenes start at foreshadowing and lead to a grand finale. Just like a normal emulator you use your normal RPG rules to play out each scene and then dip back to the emulator for what happens next.
Shane, I had not heard of the Radiance Adventure Engine yet. Mythic 2e splits into scenes and threads that do similar work. I will take a look when I get a chance to give it a read. Tonight I am doing a solo play in Shadowdark, utilizing the One Page Mythic emulator. Thanks for the suggestion!
10:25 The name of the creator of Solitary Defilement is actually kind of genius. If you look at it carefully you'll notice that 1d10÷5 spells out "idiots." 😊
Yeah I found that out right after I posted this video…. Guess it was aimed at me 🤣
Do you think I could use Scarlet Heroes for Dolmenwood (BX) setting?
Absolutely. Both are built around BX, so using the Scarlet Heroes Oracle and single hero rules would be perfect for the Dolmenwood setting. Having read the original adventures set in Dolmenwood, I hope to pick up the setting books in the future to see what they add.
@@booksbricksandboards783 I backed it and the setting is full of flavor, I just need some guidance on how to play by myself
Check out my Solo RPG 101 videos. They will give you some idea of how to get started. If you watch some of the solo playthroughs I did, they will give you an idea of how to interpret oracles. The master of solo is Trevor Duvall of Me, Myself and Die, great resource there!
Hi, new subscribers here! This is an interesting list of Oracles that you've made. For me, most of these feel too intertwined with the system they're paired with (except the card and Mythic, of course) but, yeah, you can definitely use them to play other TTRPG to some extent (I used the usually as supplements). Mythic is of course the best in the market 😅.
I'm kinda surprised that you didn't put Dragonbane and it's solo rule by Free League. The solo rules are designed by the one and only Shawn Tomkins of Ironsworn. If you never encountered it please have a look and share your thoughts about it. Thanks!
Thanks for the sub. I actually have tried Dragonbane and did a solo play video if you want to see my thoughts on that. I am looking at oracles that offer something uniquely advantageous from one another, so if I were to have another more generic option, it would need to offer something Mythic doesn’t do better (which is why I suggested GM Apprentice, for portability). In particular with Solitary Defilement, it is “for Mork Borg” but since Mork Borg has versions for SEVERAL genres (including Cyberpunk, Pirate, Old West, Space Truckers and medieval) it is more broadly applicable than you might think. Same thing with Scarlet Heroes. That emulator will work with ANY OSR system and work without any changes for any based upon BX or AD&D rules. So really most of them are pretty applicable over a number of different genre of games. Thanks for watching!
@@booksbricksandboards783 Nah, thank you for the insights!
I wanted to mention some system agnostics emulators but my current favorite are 2 that available in smartphone app format:
- Mythic GME 2e (yep, someone converted the whole books into an app), and
- One Page Solo Engine (OPSE) by Inflatable Studio.
Both of them have are easy to use, portable and have means for doing some journaling built in. The Mythic app even have diceroller inside, which is very convenient.
Those sound very interesting indeed! I’m more an analog gamer (don’t even really like board games with apps), but I see the appeal. That is one reason I like the Game Master’s Apprentice, it includes the die rolls and everything on the cards. Mythic is definitely in a class if it’s own!
Which one of these would you recommend as best for trying an old Gamma World game (and module or two) solo?
Great video btw! Thanks for making this!
Since I made this video I have been using the One Page Mythic oracle quite a bit. It is made by the folks that created Mythic, but very slimmed to a single page. On the other hand, the Game Master’s Apprentice has got to have a themed deck that suits that style game as well. Nice thing about the GMA is that it does all the things another emulator does, but can also provide random dice rolls and a little more specific inspired contextual answers. I’d say start with one of those, either GMA or One Page Mythic. Both are relatively inexpensive, and even if you later want to get something more robust, they will remain useful to you. Thanks for watching!
@@booksbricksandboards783 thank you.🖖🏻
Welcome.
Awesome review of these products and solo systems to look into. I am finding my exploration of solo gaming is actually improving my multiplayer GMing experience. Some feedback - can do without the cuts of random movie clips, the humor is sort of a miss and the sound mixing is jarring from the rest of your excellent overview!
Anthony, if you watch my more recent videos I have cut back significantly on the drop ins. Some viewers have commented they like them, some (like yourself have not). Finding a happy medium. Thanks for watching!
Nice 'Goldilocks' summary - not too brief and skimpy, not too long and overly detailed. Just right. Liked and subbed.
I'm currently getting into Ironsworn and really enjoying that, but I'm also wanting to try Pathfinder. I have the PF2e beginners box but no one to play with - does Mythic work well with PF2e and are there any other resources that might help me play solo.
Cheers.
Appreciate the compliment! Pathfinder 2e in my opinion has a great sweet spot in the levels 1-6. It starts to bog down a bit 7-10. After 10 it is a little too fiddly with all of the interactions, choices and piles of hit points. I am playing through the Abomination Vaults right now and my group has enjoyed it thoroughly, but I can tell as they have gotten closer to 10 they are getting less enthused with the mechanical aspects (so I am using more roleplay opportunity time to supplement the fall off). I think it could be solo’d with Mythic for sure, but I would say it is more involved than I like for a solo. For me, and miles may vary, I don’t like full page stat block enemies for a solo game. That is why I like the BX clones, Mork Borg, Dragonbane, and similar type games for my solo games. If you like to manage a little more complexity in your baddies, Pathfinder might be exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the sub!
@@booksbricksandboards783 Hi. Thanks for taking the time to reply. Some really useful pointers.
The reason for wanting to try PF solo was just so I could familiarise with the mechanics in order to be able to GM it for some friends, once I've persuaded them to actually play.
I do solo play Gloomhaven and Too Many Bones, but only if I've got a decent chunk of time available!!
Ironsworn will remain my go-to for solo play I think.
Thanks for your help.
In that case, great use for a few solo sessions with PF2. It’s not complicated, but it has a lot of moving parts and choices. The Beginner Box has some player aids that greatly help the learning experience (the cards with action descriptions and the action tokens notably).
Quest Fronts makes an attempt-if not succesfully-to take the narrative bits from the Ironsworn system and make them universal to any other game.
Not familiar with that one.
I backed Starforged but I've not made any progress with it. It simply looks too daunting; Chapter 1, the basics, is 60 pages of rules. Chapter 3,Gameplay in depth, adds another 100. It claims to be designed for jump-in play, I really wish I could.
I was in the same boat with Ironsworn when I first attempted it… but then I listened to the Ask the Oracle podcast by Shawn Tomkin, and it all just clicked. The rules you need to be familiar with, but not memorize. Just be ready to reference them during play. I think that Starforged in particular is perhaps the best implementation of a built in oracle for an RPG available, and the game plays very well. It will be worth the time investment if you are able to make it.
In addition to what Justin said:
For Ironsworn (and maybe Starforged), having the reference guide is a must. Lodestar for the normal Ironsworn contain summary of the rules and list of the moves, also the complete oracles (I remember Starforged have sth similar in bundle with the core rulebook). You consult the core rulebook for things that the reference guide don't mention like lore, detailed explanation of things, bestiary how the oracles works etc. In time, you won't need the rulebook too much because you will know what move to use by heart.
tl;dr: reference guide helps.
@@samakechijowo 100%
Thanks for the video. Curious what you think about d100 which I view as really superb. A ton of content as well.
Thanks for watching! Are you referring to D100 Dungeon? If so, I like the detail, but it is a bit too much (almost accounting). I also found that, for the amount of bookkeeping, the outcomes were too random for my liking. If I spend that much time putting a world/hero together, I don’t want to feel like I made the best strategic choices I could and still have drastically shifting results based upon dice swings. I don’t mind swings if the creation is quicker. All of my quibbles are personal preference, it is well designed.
I have been back and forth about getting Scarlet heroes. I am not a fan of the setting in the book, but the solo part sounds like a good resource. I wonder if I should just get the pdf and print out only those pages.
If you don’t like the setting, that route is your best bet… around 15 pages, and you have what you wanted.
I would love to have an Ironsworn GM and story progression emulator. I like crunchier combat and magic.
Solitary Defilement for Mork Borg does a good job of showing how to adapt Ironsworn to other game systems in my opinion.
@@booksbricksandboards783 I'll have to check it out.
Mythic seems great but I'm drawn to everything Mork Borg-ish
Solitary Defilement is a great way to run Mork Borg solo. Best of both worlds?
Are you gong to do a review of PIrate Borg? I haven't purchased a copy yet but it looks like a really cool, well written and designed game.
Epic, based upon your response regarding “why solo RPG’s” and this, I’m thinking you are really in my headspace! I actually am preparing to do a review of Pirate Borg coming up. It is a very unique product and deserves its own dedicated video! Thanks for watching.
MUNE is my go to. Mythic 2nd edition is great but it is too slow.
I am a big fan of Mythic 2e, but I will admit some games I choose to not incorporate all of it. That’s actually something that the author suggests in the book as well, use what you want. When I want something more minimalist by design, I pick up my Game Master’s Apprentice deck or for BX games, Scarlet Heroes (the emulator not the system).
Having never played solo RPG's (other than FF books about 40 years ago) I'm utterly clueless.
My intention is to source something I can run with Crown & Skull, both for myself as solo & as an aid to running a play by post game for others.
Any thoughts &/or advice would be welcome, cheers.
My best advice would be to not get frustrated early on. You will be balancing a game, an oracle, and journaling/record keeping. All three will require some juggling and compromising between. The other advice would be to watch Trevor Duvall on “Me, Myself and Die”. He is an expert at balancing fun and gameplay, and will be a good benchmark for when to read a result literally, and when to relate it to the situation figuratively. If you stick with it, I think you will find that solo RPG’s will open a world of opportunity to explore your imagination.
I have never played any RPG solo and have been recently wanting to dip my toe into it. I have watched so many videos on how to begin. At first I settled on White Box with the added Table Fable books 1 &2. Now I'm wondering If I shouldn't. If you were me what should I start with, what books should I buy If you were in my shoes? Thank you.
I don’t think that there is a “right way” necessarily, more like many right ways. That said, for my money, I’d suggest Ironsworn or Ironsworn Starforged as a first solo RPG. They made me a better solo player in other games by giving me practice at interpretation. But if you really like White Box, it is simple enough to jump into. Hopefully that gives you some insight. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the feedback! I’ll look it up.
@@skeys79 very welcome. Keep in mind, you can play it in any setting, it doesn’t have to be in the canned setting.
Excellent Video!
Thanks for the watch SRPGG! We are really at a great time for solo RPG players right now. When I started playing solo’s it was pretty much Mythic and teach yourself. Now with the proliferation of top tier products and content creators teaching the fundamentals, it is a very accessible hobby space!
Also, just subbed to your channel. Looks like you are one of the aforementioned content creators I was just discussing! 😉
@@booksbricksandboards783 I just ordered another "Under the radar" solo rpg product. Gonna give it a try and if good, will do a video on it.
Thanks a lot for this video! It was very informative and well-presented. I’ve been considering getting into solo RPGs for a while now, considering getting mythic 2nd edition. This video has been a great help to me, convincing me that mythic indeed would be a great starting point. Would you strongly recommend any supplements I could order at the same time for the print on demand? (Or perhaps others I could figure out how to print myself). Every time I browse drivethrurpg I want to get everything I see…
You are welcome and suffer from a similar disease as myself, gottahavitall. Those of us that have this particular ailment tend to appreciate all the cool stuff and want to try it. As a kindred spirit I would suggest holding off on adding TOO much. I would start with Mythic 2nd edition, it is pretty huge. Once you get that down, you can introduce new elements. Some cool additions I like after you get familiar: dungeonmorph dice (they give you random dungeon generation), Ax Bane’s Deck of Dungeons (same but card), GM’s apprentice have a number of themed decks(even if you don’t use the emulator part the content generation specific to the genre you play will be good), and the Book of Random Tables series from Matt Davids is also good and inexpensive. Good luck!
@@booksbricksandboards783 thanks a lot! You're totally right on the gottahavitall disease I'm afraid it's chronic... However, your words have mitigated some of its worst effects. I'll pick up Mythic 2nd Edition. Thanks again!
@@primepiplup Welcome, and may you evolve to an Empolean sooner rather than later 🙂
At 12:22 you mention all the rules you would need for pirate borg, is that something included with Solitary Defilement or is it something you made yourself?
That is a free download available from Limithron who made Pirate Borg. It is similar to the ones for Mork Borg and Cy_Borg. Nice to have a single sheet with all of the relevant rules information! I did laminate them myself.
Just started rpg and this is so helpful! Does solitary defilement work for cy_borg? or it's only compatible with mork borg?
I think there are elements you could use but it would require some work. I’d suggest getting used to the system first or using a more generic oracle that is designed to work with any game. Thanks for the question.
@@booksbricksandboards783 thanks! I’ll try other oracle first then. I see there’s also some random table in the cy_borg core book and starter set, should be a lot of fun!
Yeah I think that is a good plan. I would probably eventually adapt Solitary Defilement for Cy Borg, but wouldn’t start there. Now Pirate Borg I might start there, just because it is more similar.
Every time I get close to making that commitment to buy a text solo RPG. I review the list of MUDs, and MUSHs that are mostly abandon. There are old text computer games that have many of the same properties. If all the above fails me. I go into game developer mode, before making a consideration on buying ANY solo RPG.
I totally get that, I think you will find many solo rpg folks did or do the same. Many years here considering before jumping into it. It does activate different parts of your brain and requires you to come up with creative solutions to problems that much more readily present themselves in most computer counterparts. Neither is better, but if you have a creative itch needing scratched, TRRPG is about as good as it gets for me. Thanks for watching!
Ive played around with mythic a bit but im curious to know what would be some of the better games to run with mythic as the emulator? Ive tried it with 5e but the combat feels a little odd in solo play
It depends on what your expectations are going in. You have to look at Mythic as if it were a GM sitting across from you. If you don’t know what the enemy is doing or going to do, ask a yes/no or contextual question and then roll the dice according to the answers. Otherwise, the resolution mechanic is specific to the game system, so if you felt like the combat was odd with 5e, chances are you will find it just as off in another system. My suggestion is to watch some experienced solo players (Geeks & Gamers and Me, Myself & Die are both excellent) and watch how they conduct their combats. I have run Mythic in Marvel Multiverse, Savage Worlds, Fate, B/X and probably some I have forgotten. I think it is among the best, but I admit getting used to solo takes a minute. Good luck (I have some Mythic solo plays on my channel as well).
I’m just looking for something to help me make the world alive… is this what I need?
I think that the context tables in the Mythic GM Emulator are an excellent tool for creating dynamic scenes, solo or group play. It’s a good investment in my opinion.
I'm curious why you would play a solo tabletop rpg over a computer game?
Although it's really up to personal preference and I would prefer video games over paper and pen games like these. Mostly due to a computer managing the numbers for me, which is very nice. With that said, if you are willing to put in the time to learn the solo rpg rules and be able to keep the numbers intact. These games are fun to play if you like stories, most games like this also allow a lot more creativity in fights compared to most video games.
Imma be real though Baldur's Gate 3 is probably just overall better to play than most tabletop games if you prefer video games and it is the only video game I've played that is very close to the freedom a tabletop game gives you in combat and choice wise.
For me it is partially tactile, the book and dice, the physical map in some cases. Also, with a video game, you are very much limited as to what options are available or viable by the predetermined code. With a TTRPG, you can explore your imagination and turn on parts of your brain that are more creative. They are similar but different itches to scratch. Hopefully that answers your question.
Both can be great in different ways. For me with a solo TTRPG I can be fully creative. I'm able to do anything, add anything to the setting, come up with highly creative solutions to the obstacles that come up etc. etc. With a video game you're limited to the solutions the game allows you to use so it can be a very different kind of experience.
Mechanically a TTRPG is very easy for me to run because I'm usually playtesting something I wrote myself so I don't need to learn the system. That may make it easier. But as Justin mentioned in the video, there are rules systems that fit on one A5 page.
In trig you are not limited by the limited actions that was coded on the game. The enemies reactions are not limited as well.
You can add any place, any creature and do any action.
The story can lean into what you like to play and what you want to play.
That open end options comes with one big limitation, your imagination and your time investment.
Because of this time investment and that been so open there’s a middle ground, board games.
Games like “Hexplore It” are good for people to start to get a feeling of what an ttrpg can be with the ease of boardgames and the limitations of the videogames. You can take that boardgames and start to modify the rules and add more story/flavor and you start to get close to an ttrpg.
The good thing is, there are games for all tastes.
-Videogames for the pick and play, but you play what some other person created
-Boardgames that is some what like video games with his own objectives and actions to do, they can be a middle ground for video game lovers and ttrpgs
-Ttrpgs that can be played as you like and what you like for the time investment to learn how to play and how you like to play
There is simply no comparison between the two, they are entirely different. In solo RPG you get to create your own world entirely from your imagination using the dice rolls as a spark. Then you role play through that world with your own unique characters. It is surprising, creative and immersive. In a video game you are restricted to the world the game designer has dreamed up for you which may be a fantastic world but it is someone else’s imagination.
I personally did not find Ironsworn fun at all. Didn't care for the setting or the game mechanics
That’s fair. Not everyone enjoys the more abstracted resolution system that is story focused. As far as the setting, it is pretty flexible. I have played in different worlds with very minimal phrase shifting… instead of an iron vows it becomes a blood oath for example. At least you gave it a try. One of my favorites.