You have to be careful with the solo rpgs. They sneak up on you. Started out doing a "one dude making his way through a forest to fight a warlock" and now it has multiple characters, several NPCs, civil war among the warlocks, weird plot twists, cursed magic items, and one strange scruffy wolf-dog (who is probably the secret main character all on).
You're telling me. I was doing a solo rpg using Swords and Wizardry/ShadowDark hybrid rules. Started out trying to rescue a kidnapped wizard for the Academy. That quest failed and I ended up fleeing the lizardfolk in that dungeon, but after I rested and recovered my wounds I went back to see if I could at least retrieve the body. And sure enough, the lizardfolk were still guarding the body. I did my best to move silently through their cavern stream, and it turned out that two of the lizardfolk were sleeping and only one was standing guard. Rather than attempt to fight them I tried to get the attention of the one who was standing guard and motioned him over to talk. I attempted a Charisma test to see if I could explain how important it was that the family members get the body back and surprisingly enough, this worked. The lizardman swiftly went and got the body for me and I returned with it to the Academy. The wizards were surprised to see me again, knowing I had failed previously, but were grateful to at least hold a funeral ceremony. For a reward I got a level 1-2 treasure, and rolling 00,0, I walked away with a +1 longbow that could immolate for 5 rounds a day. It was even named something ridiculously appropriate. After resting in the tavern again, I was approached by the brother of the mage that was killed. He was still an apprentice at the Academy, but he wanted to retrieve a treasure his brother had left so that he could continue his studies. I agreed to accompany him; how was I supposed to know that the "treasure" was a fire elemental that had been forced into a pendant. It ended up escaping before this apprentice could force it back into the pendant, but more power to the fire elemental I say. And this is only after two sessions.
Been running my own solo games for a few years now, found it very fun and rewarding for when I can't get a group together. I'm happy to see just how much solo rpgs have grown!
Hi, I discovered you thanks to your live with Trevor Devall (Me, Myself & Die). Love your content, love the fact that you give solo play a go and OMG love Shadowdark. You just made me preorder the whole set. Those rules look awesome for solo play with all the random tables, the simplicity and the layout of the book. Just amazing. Thank you for everything you've done for this hobby !
Thanks for boosting solo play! Your use of the GM emulator to get to mouse as a familiar was a great example of creative use. Trevor Duvall (Me, Myself and Die) would be proud of you!
Trevor is so awesome!! I hope he gives me a pass on having the math reversed on the Fate Chart for my first time though. 😅 Authenticity at its fullest.
I know you must be very busy getting the last of the kickstarters fulfilled but I can't wait for the next episode! I just recently discovered Shadowdark so I'm waiting for the physical book to be available in the store but it's great to know it can work solo!
I can't wait either! :D I'm excited to see the end of fulfillment through so I can get back to writing and making videos. I think we're almost there! :)
Really excited for this series! I'm new to the channel, having discovered you through Me, Myself, and Die, and I'm interested to see how Shadowdark plays solo.
I'm just getting back into TTRPGs (via DCC right now). I'm soooo bummed I missed your kickstarter. I believe in this game! I hope I can get my hands on one of the hardcover core rulebooks one of these days. Cheers and Congrats on the success of your kickstarter! And solo play? Yes please!!
Great video. The mouse is a nice touch. I love how you explain how mythic works and that you show it by giving an example and how to interprete the results. Well done. 😍
Me, Myself & Die is the only live play I watch. Until now. Looking forward to your adventure. I have been playing solo for about five years, now. It can be very rewarding. My one tip is to fail forward as much as possible. Especially if you're soloing a game meant for a party. Good luck and have fun.
Hi there Kelsey, I just discovered it this week, and feel like the universe is playing a joke on me. These were my the homebrew changes to 5e that I've been using for the past 3 months: -No more proficiency bonus -No Cantrips, -Skill Checks replaced with Ability Checks -Removed Cantrips, --Casting a spell triggers a 1d20 magic check, misfire table on a 1, double the spells numerical values on a 20. -Magic Missile gets a special feature that will, on average, double the number of casts per day -Adventurers are called "Crawlers" -Sneak Attack simply triggers if the target "is unaware of your presence" -Upcapped Wizard spells per day (if they find the scrolls to learn them)
Some advice i've learned from trying to dive into solo Myself, its actaully EASIER (not better) to Pre-Generate a few world building NOUNs before play: 1. 1-2 Micro-setting/Place: Decide on Region/Biome, insert a Man-made structure or Natural Landmark, make a historic origin story for the place/landmarkor, Create an upcoming event. This allows the players to head to the location, inspect the building/landmark and interact with its history or alter the upcoming event. 2. 1-2 NPCs: Decide the NPC Role or profession, a Motive (want to do or want to stop), Their Conflict (an obsticle or dilemma stopping their motive). This can give you a person or quest giver to help or stop their motive. 3. 1-2 Factions : same as NPC list but its a group of people or organisation. If you setup these 3-6 things BEFORE starting your adventure, you will have the "context" needed to use mythic AND not get stuck as often. I use the mythic FATECHART for all the Small details that wouldn't have been discussed in the pre made list . Like is the door locked, what is the weather like, is bear going to attack me
After watching your interview with Trevor, I've been completely hooked by both his channel, and the Mythic GM Emulator! I plan on incorporating it into my sandbox game to add some interesting context to things like random encounters. Love Shadowdark, and I can't wait to see you run it solo!
Yay! I have been anxiously awaiting this. I also plan to use 2 characters for my solo game and my rolls gave me a human thief and a half-orc fighter. I am also really intrigued by your recent post mentioning Solodark... I'll be watching for that.
Hi Kelsey, I wasn't sure if you were using the Fate Chart how it was meant to be used. I guess it doesn't matter too much as you still got answers to your questions. But I know you are new to this solo-play malarkey so just wanted to help 😊 Once you've come up with your Fate Question you decide on your odds (50/50, Likely etc.), then cross-reference that with the current Chaos Factor, which gives you three numbers. So with odds of Likely and Chaos Factor of 5 it gives you 13/65/94. You then roll the d100, and in this example, a roll of 1-13 = Exceptional Yes, 14-65 = Yes, 51-94, and 95-100 = Exceptional No Sorry if you already knew this, I guess there is no wrong way to do this, I just got the impression you were altering the Chaos Factor with every question, which is perfectly valid, but that's what confused me and prompted this post as the CF usually changes only at the end of a scene 🤗 Looking forward to hearing your adventures with Torsen and Leanna⚔🧙
I did have it reversed and didn’t notice since I started off rolling 50/50 odds! 🤣 I’m accidentally carrying over the “roll high for affirmative” mentality of Shadowdark. I’ll definitely get this correct in the next video! 🤓
In the last few years I totally started doing more solo play, years ago I dabbed in it but now I use so many tools that have some along. I am excited to play shadowdark solo!
I was normally a Runehammer viewer/fan and thats (also seen HouseDM’s video) where I’ve heard about the Shadowdark. I immediately loved the visuals and overall aesthetic (hate darkvision lol). After checking it out by looking at the quickstart and character sheet, I was hooked and I started looking for videos. After watching what the people I follow said about it, I said why not hear it from the creator as well. And this is the part I must say, I’ve watched 4-5 videos already and this is an awesome, precious channel. Thank you for all the content, I am a follower now 😅 (Will get a copy of the game as soon as possible)
I've been so excited for this series 😁 love the character set up so far! After your video with Trevor I immediately snagged my own copy of the Mythic Emulator, and have been reading through it. I could be wrong, but I believe that your Fate Chart readings are incorrect. As I understand it the Central number of each panel of the chart is the percentage chance of a Yes answer, and so rolling below or equal to that number gives you a Yes, rolling above it gives you a No answer. I'm much more used to meet or beat systems then percentile systems, so my brain keeps resorting to "roll high is positive", but when I check the book (p.23-p.24) I'm pretty sure it functions as - roll low for Yes. So for your initial question with odds at 50/50 and chaos factor 5, your roll of 32 I believe should be a Yes. Second question at likely - 98 would be Extreme No. Your last roll of 39 should mean yes, though your red arrow was pointing to the panel for chaos factor 4 - which if the CF has changed to 4 then 39 does indeed read No. Lastly - where'd you get those chonky dice? I need them 😁
You are very right, I had them reversed!! Gonna make sure I have that right next time! Thankfully this video was just the warmup. 😅 Edit: oh, and the dice! I love them. They’re by a dice creator named Monomakes! He’s on Etsy and also will do custom orders for people. 😊👍
Right?! I'm laughing so much about this! I know he hates making mistakes, and I did say part of my plan was to lower the bar so he can look even better... ;D
I've never tried this sort of solo play, let alone using Mythic specifically, but after watching some Me Myself & Die, it seems like Chaos Factor could only work if you always phrase your question so that the more "chaotic" result is a YES, which seems both hard to remember and sometimes, even when you remember, hard to judge.
I think there’s something to this! The book suggests to try to frame questions in the active/positve as much as possible, which I think is good advice for the system, but takes a bit of practice. Not even to mention that I had the values for yes/no reversed in this video! 🤣 But I think I’ll get better at all of it over time.
Kelsey, I’ve been using an oracle system for a long time now that I really like. You roll a single d6 after asking a binary question and the results are as follows: 1. Definite No 2. No 3. No, But 4. Yes, But 5. Yes 6. Definite Yes. I prefer it to the Fate Chart, but I use the random tables inside of Mythic on top of that oracle. It really spices up scenarios and gets you thinking. Looking forward to your first episode!
I just got my Shadowdark reward as backer 6,000 sumthin and omg,... what a masterpiece! This book is stunning! The DM screen, the zines! The perfect Christmas present for me. Very much worth the wait, the quality of everything is superb! This was actually my first kickstarter ever & yes, this is the ONE! Thank you Kelsey, you are brilliant, amazing & inspiring. By the way, are those dice in the video crafted by the same artist that made Runehammers?
I’m working on one right now called SoloDark that is designed specifically for Shadowdark, so that’s a forthcoming project! 😊 I’ll surely do some more episodes with it after I give Mythic a spin!
@TheArcaneLibrary you addressed an issue I've come across a few times as I've played Shadowdark... when you roll one alignment for your character and a different alignment for their deity. You mentioned that a witch's alignment doesn't necessarily have to align with their deity's alignment in the way a priest's does... I'm relatively new to TTRPGs... is this a codified thing, a common sense thing, or am I missing some text that explains this more in depth? I am all for some cognitive dissonance when it comes to role playing a character who espouses one thing and worships another, but when trying to explain this to some teens I was running Shadowdark for, I was at a loss as to the 'official' thought on this. Any thoughts?
A good question! In Shadowdark, the only time a character’s alignment has to match their deity is if that character is a priest. However, most people choose a deity rather than rolling randomly, so I think most players choose one that suits their character. In my case, I thought it might introduce some interesting conflict or gray area to roll randomly! Sometimes a character can worship a god for whichever reason (tradition, habit, aspiration) but not really embody that god’s ideals. I think we even see that in the real world more than we realize!
Thanks@@TheArcaneLibrary ! My group and I really get into the randomness of rolling through *everything,* but thanks for the clarification! Looking forward to your Solo Shadowdark Adventures!
just picked up my copy of the 2e emulator. It excites me because colorless storage generated a different setting in my brain vs your result so lots of application and possibility
I am already loving the word associations! I think they so easily lead you to what your brain finds most interesting or compelling in the moment. No two interpretations will be the same!
I know this will probably sound stupid af but in my defense I am completely new to rpg. I thought a d100 would be a 100 sided dice, is there an alternative you’re using? I just bought this game and want to make sure I get the right dice for it
It’s not stupid! Nobody is born knowing how to read dice (you should have seen me the first time my friends explained how to use a d4). There are 100-sided d100s, but they’re rare and, IMO, difficult to read. They look a bit like a golf ball, and it’s hard to tell exactly what number is on top. More typically, people roll a 10-sided die for the tens place, and then another 10-sided die for the ones place. All zeroes coming up represents 100%, whereas a 0 on the tens die represents numbers below 10. Finally, a 0 on the ones die does not add to the result. Maybe a bit confusing, so here are some examples. I’ll format them as tens - ones. So, a result of 0 - 0 is 100%. A result of 0 - 1 is 1%. Zero on the tens die and one on the ones die. 0-5 means 5%. 5-0 means 50%. 4-5 means 45%. 9-8 means 98%. 7-0 means 70%. 0-6 means 6%. Hopefully that all makes sense!
Hola Kelsey, estoy buscando los vídeos que van a salir por estás fechas, después de que salió tu libro de Shadowdark Solo. Ya bajé el mio de Arcane Library, y solo estoy esperando estos nuevos videos. Saludos con cariño de tu más grande fan de México.
Kelsey, I am vision-impaired and I absolutely love the large numbers on your dice. I did a Google search and didn't find anything like yours, so could you tell me where you got them? I would love to get a few sets for me and my wife. Our health isnt the best lately, especially our eyes, so these dice would be a huge help. Thank you in advance, and we can't wait to receive our kickstarter soon. We love what you do.
Hey Robert! I love these dice -- it's hard to find something like them. They're hand-made by an artisan named Monomakes. He has an Etsy store and is always open to messages about custom orders, which these two dice sets were! Here's the link: www.etsy.com/shop/monomakesCraft
@@TheArcaneLibrary thank you very much for your response, it means a lot to me. I want to play shadowdark, and I would like to play something like Bardin from Vermintide (veteran ranger). My current group is my family (my dislexyc wife, and my 2 teenage step sons, one of which has low spectrum authism). They are not prepared for shadowdark yet as it is too deadly for them, but in time they will fit =) Anyway, any tips to play "solo Bardin"?
@@lulipe21 I think a ranger is a great choice as a solo character! They're really versatile and can do a bit of everything. I might start off with a ranger as your main character and have at least one supporting character along with since Shadowdark can be very deadly for just a single PC. And definitely retreat when things are looking grim! But otherwise, a ranger is a great place to start on the solo style!
@@TheArcaneLibraryWoah! Great timing! I just found these after you posted the Solodark rules to Discord. I'm really anxious to try this during my lunch break tomorrow, but I'd love to see how you handle play. Looking forward to more from you on this! Thanks Kelsey!
You're right. You have to roll low for a Yes result. That's why as you choose a greater likeliness, the numbers are greater, so you have a greater chance to roll under them. In Kelsey's case it didn't make a big of a difference because she rolled mostly 50/50 at Chaos Factor 5, which is pretty much symmetric in that sense.
I made the exact same mistake when I was starting out, if you're used to roll over systems it can be a bit tricky but once you're used to a percentile system rolling under becomes more intuitive as your target number then becomes your percentage chance of success (or of a yes in Mythic's case.)
@@odolowa1 I figured I’ll leave these mistakes in here as an example and just go with it! 😅 Fun is more important than perfection, and maybe it’ll help people see they don’t have to have it all correct from the start, hehehe. I’m glad I’m not the only one who made this mistake!
I watch Slyflourish each week and he has been running Shadowdark for the last few weeks. He mentioned that you released updated overland travel rules but didn't link where they could be found. I supported the Kickstarter and am waiting for the books, but wanted to check this out. Can you tell me where to find this extra material?
Hey there! :D I haven't officially released the expanded hex crawling rules, but I did share a beta test version of it with my Discord. It's still being tweaked and refined, but I plan to release it as a part of Cursed Scroll 4 (I'm currently working on next three Cursed Scrolls). I'm probably going to keep it contained to the Discord server for now until I get a chance to more thoroughly test it, but the server is free to join and is a great place to keep an eye on test material and upcoming work. The current version of the rules are pinned in the Shadowdark channel! :)
Thanks so much! :) It's in the works. I decided to go a little bananas and start crafting terrain to set up some cool camera shots... XPS foam and paint are flying around!
I am late to the party, but I'm guessing after 7 month, there's not going to be a follow up. I'll keep checking back, because I like the narrative you've developed.
There will be! I still have at least three more of these to film - just got side-tracked with writing a more custom solo system for Shadowdark, first. More on this very soon! :)
@@TheArcaneLibrary It's ALL good! I have been running Shadowdark for my son since the quickstart. This Sunday, I start a full campaign. I love your system and am very grateful for the content you provide.
Big fan of the rpg, been reading and rereading it a lot lately, got my first game scheduled for later this month, hope my friends survive. Do you have any plans to expand this in the future? Id back another kickstarter in a heartbeat.
Definitely! :) I'm writing more Cursed Scroll zines (three are in the works), and we're releasing a big solo gameplay system made specifically for Shadowdark called SoloDark. That's the next project! Beyond that, I'm looking at megandungeons, more adventures, and plenty more besides that I can't even guess yet. :)
@@DasHaydenator It's very likely we'll put this up via Kickstarter when they are ready, but I'll for sure be posting things on UA-cam as well! And we have some upcoming videos (the next in the series for this video) using the system. Those should be coming out toward the end of March! :)
I’m going to be filming several more in short order! I first had to get some custom solo rules worked out for Shadowdark since I’m weird. Took some time, but I’m back on track now!
Illl be honest I’m having so much fun preparing for my first game and buying miniatures and stuff but when it comes to making an adventure or even playing solo I lock up and don’t know how to start or how to create a story. Any advice anyone? Completely new to ttrpgs
Yes! :) I ended up going on a design bender and writing my own solo system more suited specifically to Shadowdark. Just got done with the “minimum usable” version a few days ago. I’m going to spin this series back up after Gary Con using those rules!
Agreed! Checking back every other day (not exaggerating) looking for new videos solo shadowdark. Can't wait. @TheArcaneLibrary thanks for leaving in and admitting to your Mythic GM Emulator mistakes. Takes a certain type of person to do that. I always had a good vibe from you, and now I know I was right.
You have to be careful with the solo rpgs. They sneak up on you. Started out doing a "one dude making his way through a forest to fight a warlock" and now it has multiple characters, several NPCs, civil war among the warlocks, weird plot twists, cursed magic items, and one strange scruffy wolf-dog (who is probably the secret main character all on).
THIS SO MUCH! Solo RPGs are great. haha
This guy knows. This guy knows 😆
Wow! It's incredible where fantasy can take us....wonderful adventures! Great job!
You're telling me. I was doing a solo rpg using Swords and Wizardry/ShadowDark hybrid rules. Started out trying to rescue a kidnapped wizard for the Academy. That quest failed and I ended up fleeing the lizardfolk in that dungeon, but after I rested and recovered my wounds I went back to see if I could at least retrieve the body. And sure enough, the lizardfolk were still guarding the body. I did my best to move silently through their cavern stream, and it turned out that two of the lizardfolk were sleeping and only one was standing guard. Rather than attempt to fight them I tried to get the attention of the one who was standing guard and motioned him over to talk. I attempted a Charisma test to see if I could explain how important it was that the family members get the body back and surprisingly enough, this worked. The lizardman swiftly went and got the body for me and I returned with it to the Academy. The wizards were surprised to see me again, knowing I had failed previously, but were grateful to at least hold a funeral ceremony. For a reward I got a level 1-2 treasure, and rolling 00,0, I walked away with a +1 longbow that could immolate for 5 rounds a day. It was even named something ridiculously appropriate. After resting in the tavern again, I was approached by the brother of the mage that was killed. He was still an apprentice at the Academy, but he wanted to retrieve a treasure his brother had left so that he could continue his studies. I agreed to accompany him; how was I supposed to know that the "treasure" was a fire elemental that had been forced into a pendant. It ended up escaping before this apprentice could force it back into the pendant, but more power to the fire elemental I say. And this is only after two sessions.
Been running my own solo games for a few years now, found it very fun and rewarding for when I can't get a group together. I'm happy to see just how much solo rpgs have grown!
This is fun. A solo setup by one of the most talented game designers working today.
Can’t wait for part 2
Thank you and Trevor for making Solo more popular! I'm really excited seeing your journey!
How cool that you're using my dice! Thanks for the valuable support K!
Good luck going solo :) Those are good stats though.
Dude I thought I recognized your dice! They’ve been in my wishlist for a while!! Been putting away that sweat jar money.
Where can I get said dice👀👀
Hi, I discovered you thanks to your live with Trevor Devall (Me, Myself & Die). Love your content, love the fact that you give solo play a go and OMG love Shadowdark. You just made me preorder the whole set. Those rules look awesome for solo play with all the random tables, the simplicity and the layout of the book. Just amazing. Thank you for everything you've done for this hobby !
YES! I love solo gaming and I love Shadowdark. I can't wait to try out Solodark. Thank you Kelsey! 😁 🧙♂️
Thanks for boosting solo play! Your use of the GM emulator to get to mouse as a familiar was a great example of creative use. Trevor Duvall (Me, Myself and Die) would be proud of you!
Trevor is so awesome!! I hope he gives me a pass on having the math reversed on the Fate Chart for my first time though. 😅 Authenticity at its fullest.
I know you must be very busy getting the last of the kickstarters fulfilled but I can't wait for the next episode! I just recently discovered Shadowdark so I'm waiting for the physical book to be available in the store but it's great to know it can work solo!
I can't wait either! :D I'm excited to see the end of fulfillment through so I can get back to writing and making videos. I think we're almost there! :)
I'm hyped for this solo play! Already starting off fun! 😊😊 You're amazing , friend!
I swear, you're like the Hermione Granger of RPGs. 🖤🖤🖤
Hehehehe! Thank you, DT! Even when I get the rules wrong, some Hermione-grade confidence goes a long way! 🤗
Really excited for this series! I'm new to the channel, having discovered you through Me, Myself, and Die, and I'm interested to see how Shadowdark plays solo.
I'm just getting back into TTRPGs (via DCC right now). I'm soooo bummed I missed your kickstarter. I believe in this game! I hope I can get my hands on one of the hardcover core rulebooks one of these days. Cheers and Congrats on the success of your kickstarter! And solo play? Yes please!!
Great video. The mouse is a nice touch. I love how you explain how mythic works and that you show it by giving an example and how to interprete the results. Well done. 😍
This is soooo cool for playtesting everything Shadowdark. Yay!
Me, Myself & Die is the only live play I watch. Until now. Looking forward to your adventure.
I have been playing solo for about five years, now. It can be very rewarding. My one tip is to fail forward as much as possible. Especially if you're soloing a game meant for a party. Good luck and have fun.
Hi there Kelsey,
I just discovered it this week, and feel like the universe is playing a joke on me.
These were my the homebrew changes to 5e that I've been using for the past 3 months:
-No more proficiency bonus
-No Cantrips,
-Skill Checks replaced with Ability Checks
-Removed Cantrips,
--Casting a spell triggers a 1d20 magic check, misfire table on a 1, double the spells numerical values on a 20.
-Magic Missile gets a special feature that will, on average, double the number of casts per day
-Adventurers are called "Crawlers"
-Sneak Attack simply triggers if the target "is unaware of your presence"
-Upcapped Wizard spells per day (if they find the scrolls to learn them)
Some advice i've learned from trying to dive into solo Myself, its actaully EASIER (not better) to Pre-Generate a few world building NOUNs before play:
1. 1-2 Micro-setting/Place: Decide on Region/Biome, insert a Man-made structure or Natural Landmark, make a historic origin story for the place/landmarkor, Create an upcoming event. This allows the players to head to the location, inspect the building/landmark and interact with its history or alter the upcoming event.
2. 1-2 NPCs: Decide the NPC Role or profession, a Motive (want to do or want to stop), Their Conflict (an obsticle or dilemma stopping their motive). This can give you a person or quest giver to help or stop their motive.
3. 1-2 Factions : same as NPC list but its a group of people or organisation.
If you setup these 3-6 things BEFORE starting your adventure, you will have the "context" needed to use mythic AND not get stuck as often. I use the mythic FATECHART for all the Small details that wouldn't have been discussed in the pre made list . Like is the door locked, what is the weather like, is bear going to attack me
This is so cool! A good friend of mine told me about this game, and I plan on ordering some books from your website soon.
I'm *super stoked* to see where this goes! Solo play is so much fun and it's great to see you experiencing it like this with _your own_ game!
After watching your interview with Trevor, I've been completely hooked by both his channel, and the Mythic GM Emulator! I plan on incorporating it into my sandbox game to add some interesting context to things like random encounters.
Love Shadowdark, and I can't wait to see you run it solo!
LETS GOOO! I'm beyond excited to see how this goes
Yay! I have been anxiously awaiting this. I also plan to use 2 characters for my solo game and my rolls gave me a human thief and a half-orc fighter.
I am also really intrigued by your recent post mentioning Solodark... I'll be watching for that.
Looking forward to this series and how it plays out using Shadowdark.
The chaotic nature of the dice interwoven with your imagination paint an enticing story.
1 take? And it's so succinct 😅 Excellent work Kelsey! So excited for episode 1!
Only the dice rolling was one take! Me talking about the rolls got a bit of a trim. 😂
Hi Kelsey, I wasn't sure if you were using the Fate Chart how it was meant to be used. I guess it doesn't matter too much as you still got answers to your questions. But I know you are new to this solo-play malarkey so just wanted to help 😊
Once you've come up with your Fate Question you decide on your odds (50/50, Likely etc.), then cross-reference that with the current Chaos Factor, which gives you three numbers. So with odds of Likely and Chaos Factor of 5 it gives you 13/65/94. You then roll the d100, and in this example, a roll of 1-13 = Exceptional Yes, 14-65 = Yes, 51-94, and 95-100 = Exceptional No
Sorry if you already knew this, I guess there is no wrong way to do this, I just got the impression you were altering the Chaos Factor with every question, which is perfectly valid, but that's what confused me and prompted this post as the CF usually changes only at the end of a scene 🤗
Looking forward to hearing your adventures with Torsen and Leanna⚔🧙
I did have it reversed and didn’t notice since I started off rolling 50/50 odds! 🤣 I’m accidentally carrying over the “roll high for affirmative” mentality of Shadowdark.
I’ll definitely get this correct in the next video! 🤓
@@TheArcaneLibrary Oh I see, that makes sense now 😆
May they fare well. Thank you for showing your method of solo play.
In the last few years I totally started doing more solo play, years ago I dabbed in it but now I use so many tools that have some along. I am excited to play shadowdark solo!
Congratulations on your win Kelsey!
I was normally a Runehammer viewer/fan and thats (also seen HouseDM’s video) where I’ve heard about the Shadowdark. I immediately loved the visuals and overall aesthetic (hate darkvision lol). After checking it out by looking at the quickstart and character sheet, I was hooked and I started looking for videos. After watching what the people I follow said about it, I said why not hear it from the creator as well. And this is the part I must say, I’ve watched 4-5 videos already and this is an awesome, precious channel. Thank you for all the content, I am a follower now 😅 (Will get a copy of the game as soon as possible)
Aw, heck! That is such a kind message. Thank you so much! :)
Wow this is fascinating I have never even heard of solo play like this before!
Nice setup, Kelsey! Looking forward to more!
I’ve been really looking forward to this. It didn’t disappoint!
Super excited for this series!
I've been so excited for this series 😁 love the character set up so far! After your video with Trevor I immediately snagged my own copy of the Mythic Emulator, and have been reading through it.
I could be wrong, but I believe that your Fate Chart readings are incorrect. As I understand it the Central number of each panel of the chart is the percentage chance of a Yes answer, and so rolling below or equal to that number gives you a Yes, rolling above it gives you a No answer. I'm much more used to meet or beat systems then percentile systems, so my brain keeps resorting to "roll high is positive", but when I check the book (p.23-p.24) I'm pretty sure it functions as - roll low for Yes.
So for your initial question with odds at 50/50 and chaos factor 5, your roll of 32 I believe should be a Yes. Second question at likely - 98 would be Extreme No. Your last roll of 39 should mean yes, though your red arrow was pointing to the panel for chaos factor 4 - which if the CF has changed to 4 then 39 does indeed read No.
Lastly - where'd you get those chonky dice? I need them 😁
You are very right, I had them reversed!! Gonna make sure I have that right next time! Thankfully this video was just the warmup. 😅
Edit: oh, and the dice! I love them. They’re by a dice creator named Monomakes! He’s on Etsy and also will do custom orders for people. 😊👍
Glad you like them 😎
Fun setup. I'm interested to see where these characters go.
HEHE Kelsey used the chart backwards XD. I would love to see Trevor react to this video on his channel
Right?! I'm laughing so much about this! I know he hates making mistakes, and I did say part of my plan was to lower the bar so he can look even better... ;D
Pretty cool characters. Just enough information to make them fun and letting the player filling the blanks.
This looks so fun! I wanna try out a solo game in the Djurum from Cursed scroll 2, I've always loved desert settings
I've never tried this sort of solo play, let alone using Mythic specifically, but after watching some Me Myself & Die, it seems like Chaos Factor could only work if you always phrase your question so that the more "chaotic" result is a YES, which seems both hard to remember and sometimes, even when you remember, hard to judge.
I think there’s something to this! The book suggests to try to frame questions in the active/positve as much as possible, which I think is good advice for the system, but takes a bit of practice.
Not even to mention that I had the values for yes/no reversed in this video! 🤣 But I think I’ll get better at all of it over time.
Kelsey, I’ve been using an oracle system for a long time now that I really like. You roll a single d6 after asking a binary question and the results are as follows: 1. Definite No 2. No 3. No, But 4. Yes, But 5. Yes 6. Definite Yes. I prefer it to the Fate Chart, but I use the random tables inside of Mythic on top of that oracle. It really spices up scenarios and gets you thinking.
Looking forward to your first episode!
Looking forward to the next part
I am buying this after work. Also, buying the cursed scrolls. I don't have anyone to play with, so I'm more than happy to go solo.
I just got my Shadowdark reward as backer 6,000 sumthin and omg,... what a masterpiece! This book is stunning! The DM screen, the zines! The perfect Christmas present for me. Very much worth the wait, the quality of everything is superb! This was actually my first kickstarter ever & yes, this is the ONE! Thank you Kelsey, you are brilliant, amazing & inspiring. By the way, are those dice in the video crafted by the same artist that made Runehammers?
Really looking forward to this series!
Yes to solo!! I'm just getting going on trying that
I have to say I’m excited that I may get shadow dark this month
Thank you for the video, the game is amazing! :)
I was hoping you would come up with your own solo system but this is fun to watch just as well.
I’m working on one right now called SoloDark that is designed specifically for Shadowdark, so that’s a forthcoming project! 😊 I’ll surely do some more episodes with it after I give Mythic a spin!
@@TheArcaneLibrary😊🎉
What dice are those in the beginning? They look great
Cool stuff. I already really want to know what is going to happen to these imaginary people!
Super cool, thanks
@TheArcaneLibrary you addressed an issue I've come across a few times as I've played Shadowdark... when you roll one alignment for your character and a different alignment for their deity. You mentioned that a witch's alignment doesn't necessarily have to align with their deity's alignment in the way a priest's does... I'm relatively new to TTRPGs... is this a codified thing, a common sense thing, or am I missing some text that explains this more in depth? I am all for some cognitive dissonance when it comes to role playing a character who espouses one thing and worships another, but when trying to explain this to some teens I was running Shadowdark for, I was at a loss as to the 'official' thought on this. Any thoughts?
A good question! In Shadowdark, the only time a character’s alignment has to match their deity is if that character is a priest. However, most people choose a deity rather than rolling randomly, so I think most players choose one that suits their character. In my case, I thought it might introduce some interesting conflict or gray area to roll randomly! Sometimes a character can worship a god for whichever reason (tradition, habit, aspiration) but not really embody that god’s ideals. I think we even see that in the real world more than we realize!
Thanks@@TheArcaneLibrary ! My group and I really get into the randomness of rolling through *everything,* but thanks for the clarification! Looking forward to your Solo Shadowdark Adventures!
Finally!!! Can't wait for this :D
just picked up my copy of the 2e emulator. It excites me because colorless storage generated a different setting in my brain vs your result so lots of application and possibility
I am already loving the word associations! I think they so easily lead you to what your brain finds most interesting or compelling in the moment. No two interpretations will be the same!
this and the tome of adventure will be a potent pair
@@TheArcaneLibrary
Kewl 😅. I look forward to getting Cursed Scroll 4. Thanx 🎉
Really excited for this!
I'm very happy you start with more than one PC. I am not a fan of that Lone Wolf theme that solo books seem to want.
Session 1 is gonna be super big!!
I know this will probably sound stupid af but in my defense I am completely new to rpg. I thought a d100 would be a 100 sided dice, is there an alternative you’re using? I just bought this game and want to make sure I get the right dice for it
It’s not stupid! Nobody is born knowing how to read dice (you should have seen me the first time my friends explained how to use a d4).
There are 100-sided d100s, but they’re rare and, IMO, difficult to read. They look a bit like a golf ball, and it’s hard to tell exactly what number is on top.
More typically, people roll a 10-sided die for the tens place, and then another 10-sided die for the ones place. All zeroes coming up represents 100%, whereas a 0 on the tens die represents numbers below 10. Finally, a 0 on the ones die does not add to the result.
Maybe a bit confusing, so here are some examples. I’ll format them as tens - ones.
So, a result of 0 - 0 is 100%.
A result of 0 - 1 is 1%. Zero on the tens die and one on the ones die.
0-5 means 5%.
5-0 means 50%.
4-5 means 45%.
9-8 means 98%.
7-0 means 70%.
0-6 means 6%.
Hopefully that all makes sense!
@@TheArcaneLibrary thank you so much it helped me a lot!
like the d6 dice!
Aby idea how to check order status? I ordered a copy of shadowdark in August and I got no updates on fulfillment.
Hey there! We just got the first Kickstarter shipment and it’s on the way to the warehouse. So we should be sending the books out in a few weeks! :)
Hola Kelsey, estoy buscando los vídeos que van a salir por estás fechas, después de que salió tu libro de Shadowdark Solo. Ya bajé el mio de Arcane Library, y solo estoy esperando estos nuevos videos. Saludos con cariño de tu más grande fan de México.
Kelsey, I am vision-impaired and I absolutely love the large numbers on your dice. I did a Google search and didn't find anything like yours, so could you tell me where you got them? I would love to get a few sets for me and my wife. Our health isnt the best lately, especially our eyes, so these dice would be a huge help. Thank you in advance, and we can't wait to receive our kickstarter soon. We love what you do.
Hey Robert! I love these dice -- it's hard to find something like them. They're hand-made by an artisan named Monomakes. He has an Etsy store and is always open to messages about custom orders, which these two dice sets were! Here's the link: www.etsy.com/shop/monomakesCraft
Two months in and still waiting the episode 1 of this series =(
Soon! I went a bit overboard on prepping the next round… you’ll see what I mean, hahahaha!
@@TheArcaneLibrary thank you very much for your response, it means a lot to me. I want to play shadowdark, and I would like to play something like Bardin from Vermintide (veteran ranger). My current group is my family (my dislexyc wife, and my 2 teenage step sons, one of which has low spectrum authism). They are not prepared for shadowdark yet as it is too deadly for them, but in time they will fit =)
Anyway, any tips to play "solo Bardin"?
@@lulipe21 I think a ranger is a great choice as a solo character! They're really versatile and can do a bit of everything. I might start off with a ranger as your main character and have at least one supporting character along with since Shadowdark can be very deadly for just a single PC. And definitely retreat when things are looking grim! But otherwise, a ranger is a great place to start on the solo style!
Ei!! Até u guys seing Lazy GM Prep showing his preparation for a Shadowdark campaign?
Yes! It's been so cool to see him doing Shadowdark material, my mind is blown! :D
I cannot find session 1. Have there been any more solo videos?
More coming very soon, in fact! I am just now spinning these back up with the release of the SoloDark core engine rules.
@@TheArcaneLibraryWoah! Great timing! I just found these after you posted the Solodark rules to Discord. I'm really anxious to try this during my lunch break tomorrow, but I'd love to see how you handle play. Looking forward to more from you on this! Thanks Kelsey!
For the halfling race, when you turn invisible for 3 rounds do you remain invisible even if you attack?
Some GMs prefer to interpret this differently, but I don’t personally have the invisibilty end due to attacking.
What are those d6’s?? Where can I get them?
They're custom dice by Monomakes! I put his Etsy link in the video description. :)
Weren't the lower rolls on the Fate Chart supposed to stand for a yes? I might have been using Mythic wrong this whole time 😅
I might have that in reverse lol! Now I need to double-check!
You're right. You have to roll low for a Yes result. That's why as you choose a greater likeliness, the numbers are greater, so you have a greater chance to roll under them.
In Kelsey's case it didn't make a big of a difference because she rolled mostly 50/50 at Chaos Factor 5, which is pretty much symmetric in that sense.
I made the exact same mistake when I was starting out, if you're used to roll over systems it can be a bit tricky but once you're used to a percentile system rolling under becomes more intuitive as your target number then becomes your percentage chance of success (or of a yes in Mythic's case.)
@@odolowa1 I figured I’ll leave these mistakes in here as an example and just go with it! 😅 Fun is more important than perfection, and maybe it’ll help people see they don’t have to have it all correct from the start, hehehe. I’m glad I’m not the only one who made this mistake!
I watch Slyflourish each week and he has been running Shadowdark for the last few weeks. He mentioned that you released updated overland travel rules but didn't link where they could be found. I supported the Kickstarter and am waiting for the books, but wanted to check this out. Can you tell me where to find this extra material?
Hey there! :D I haven't officially released the expanded hex crawling rules, but I did share a beta test version of it with my Discord. It's still being tweaked and refined, but I plan to release it as a part of Cursed Scroll 4 (I'm currently working on next three Cursed Scrolls).
I'm probably going to keep it contained to the Discord server for now until I get a chance to more thoroughly test it, but the server is free to join and is a great place to keep an eye on test material and upcoming work. The current version of the rules are pinned in the Shadowdark channel! :)
When is the solo play episode 1? Liked episode 0.
Thanks so much! :) It's in the works. I decided to go a little bananas and start crafting terrain to set up some cool camera shots... XPS foam and paint are flying around!
Yay!
I am late to the party, but I'm guessing after 7 month, there's not going to be a follow up. I'll keep checking back, because I like the narrative you've developed.
There will be! I still have at least three more of these to film - just got side-tracked with writing a more custom solo system for Shadowdark, first. More on this very soon! :)
@@TheArcaneLibrary It's ALL good! I have been running Shadowdark for my son since the quickstart. This Sunday, I start a full campaign. I love your system and am very grateful for the content you provide.
Big fan of the rpg, been reading and rereading it a lot lately, got my first game scheduled for later this month, hope my friends survive. Do you have any plans to expand this in the future? Id back another kickstarter in a heartbeat.
Definitely! :) I'm writing more Cursed Scroll zines (three are in the works), and we're releasing a big solo gameplay system made specifically for Shadowdark called SoloDark. That's the next project!
Beyond that, I'm looking at megandungeons, more adventures, and plenty more besides that I can't even guess yet. :)
@TheArcaneLibrary so will these be going on kickstarter as well or should I look here on your youtube for updates in the future?
@@DasHaydenator It's very likely we'll put this up via Kickstarter when they are ready, but I'll for sure be posting things on UA-cam as well! And we have some upcoming videos (the next in the series for this video) using the system. Those should be coming out toward the end of March! :)
Have you done any more solo gaming ?,any plans for more solo rpg videos?
I’m going to be filming several more in short order! I first had to get some custom solo rules worked out for Shadowdark since I’m weird. Took some time, but I’m back on track now!
Illl be honest I’m having so much fun preparing for my first game and buying miniatures and stuff but when it comes to making an adventure or even playing solo I lock up and don’t know how to start or how to create a story. Any advice anyone? Completely new to ttrpgs
Where is Episode 1? 😥
On the way! Going to start filming them after Gary Con in a couple weeks! :)
Anyone know what dice those are?
They’re by a dice creator named Monomakes! He’s on Etsy and also will do custom orders for people. 😊👍
LOVE the big numbers (sadly, when you get into your late 40s you just can't read smaller things in low light very well).
@@HereComeMrCee-Jay totally! That's partially why I designed them that way. I hate having to put on my specs hehe.
@@HereComeMrCee-Jay Yeah, I think even with good eyes, the big clear numbers would be nice for people being able to read them across the table!
@@TheArcaneLibrary Awesome, will bookmark! Thank you!
That was a fun video . When is shocked dark going to ship
Thank you! :) It's looking like late October/early November!
November would be best it’s my birthday month lol
Neat!
so... is this still a thing?
Yes! :) I ended up going on a design bender and writing my own solo system more suited specifically to Shadowdark. Just got done with the “minimum usable” version a few days ago. I’m going to spin this series back up after Gary Con using those rules!
@@TheArcaneLibrary Awesome. Looking forward to it!
Me, Myself & Cutie-Pie🐁 (the cutie-pie is Rosalin, true protagonist, shameless self-insert fursona, and probably horse-sized
Rosalin is immediately going to become the protagonist! 🐭
My son told me if the game comes before Christmas he’s going to hide and not let me open it until Christmas Day lol 😂
First
When can we expect our pledges to ship?
Target is October
We’re on track for late October/early November! 😊
@@TheArcaneLibrary Fantastic! I backed at full level and am SUPER excited to dive in.
PLEASE release session one. 🥹🙏I’m waiting eagerly to see how you do it before attempting my own solo campaign.
Agreed! Checking back every other day (not exaggerating) looking for new videos solo shadowdark. Can't wait.
@TheArcaneLibrary thanks for leaving in and admitting to your Mythic GM Emulator mistakes. Takes a certain type of person to do that. I always had a good vibe from you, and now I know I was right.