I am completely new to solo gaming and pretty new to gaming in general. But I do love stories. And I found this one called Alone on a Journey: A Collection of Solo Adventuring Games. It is very much story-based. I would even feel safe saying it is basically a “Choose Your Own Adventure” type situation but a little more open-ended even. Even better, it required very minimal materials and minimal experience.
All you need to play is a six sided dice, a pack of playing cards with the Jokers removed, and a journal. Simple. I like it! Essentially you role the dice to determine how many cards to draw face down. Then you role the dice again to reveal a card. The number on the dice determines a factor of the story as well as the rank of the card and the number on the card. Very very simple. All you do is record what you are finding on your explorations in a journal with a couple of sentences (or more if that is where there story takes you). There is no real end to the game. You play until you are tired and want to return home.
I love the simplicity and open-endedness of this game. It really is like one giant creative writing prompt. I’ll be posting a character that I created for this and the stories that they experienced through my game play soon. The game does not have any parameters for character creation. It can be yourself, or not. No rules!
There are three games within this, essentially, zine and each one has endless game play when you really think about it so for $10 I think you’re really getting your money’s worth. There is Alone Among the Stars – a space science fiction game where your explorer is planet hopping. There is Alone in the Ancient City – a historical fantasy game where your explorer is alone in a “bustling ancient city” and traveling from district to district. And finally there is Alone Among the Shifting Trees – I honestly don’t know what this one is yet as I haven’t played it yet. It seems like it can go many ways depending on the person playing the game and where their imagination takes them with it. It is also the only one where there are additional rules about the forest, where as the space one and the ancient city are completely lawless. The writer also gives you a guide to writing your own Alone Game if you want. I am very interested in trying that out at some point, when I’m feeling a burst of creativity and confidence.
If you want to give this game a try the author provides a copy of Alone Among the Stars for free here. Also there is a a gameboy type version of it you can play online here and another online version of it here. Personally I prefer the paper versions because I feel like there is a beauty in the randomness about how many things you will find on each stop and what those things will be in the physical game.
If you’re not into playing solo there is a free version of Together Among the Stars available here where you can play with a pal! I haven’t tried doing it yet, but perhaps one day when I’m feeling comfortable enough. For now, I am enjoying my solitude playing these games and want to stick to it that way.
However you like to play, I hope you will give this game a try. It really is a great way to pass the time instead of scrolling on your phone reading this post. If you do or have, please leave a comment and let me know how your gameplay went. I’d love to hear all about the strange worlds you observe while you play!
Chronicles of a Solo Player 