Edition 2 Overview

After starting to dig into my collection to read more, I wondered if I could keep up with the pace. The short answer should be evident by all of these finished books!

Over roughly a month, I read everything from start to finish and started to see how reading was like playing.

Getting started with something new is usually the hardest part, which can make solo RPGs a bit overwhelming.

This edition drives home the point that you’re still playing when you read. More tips are below, and I hope to have future editions make playing even easier to get into!

Hope is Not a Plan

I jumped ahead a little bit and actually played this one already, writing up a full session report the other day.

This had potential to be a nice stress reliever by tackling negative work situations head-on through journaling.

Yet reading the book was the better experience, for the prompts were entirely negative. I didn’t want to add on any details, and ended up losing by getting fired.

There is also a rather mean-spirited ending where the game almost laughs at anyone who attempts to play, so I actually felt even worse after playing. Not recommended.

Cerebos: Crystal City

I was quite excited to dig into this one, which features a magical sort of train ride of the metaphorical sort. Stops and characters are all very unusual and different.

While the setting seemed quite intriguing, and I even picked up decks of cards for events and stops, I could not figure out how to play… The rules were all over the place.

Even after finishing the book, flipping back and forth, and re-reading sections, I still can’t figure out how to play.

The story is a major piece, yet unique mechanics don’t seem to get enough attention. I’ll be skipping actual play.

Inspire

There are a lot of unique RPG settings, and the theme of this one made me wonder how it would be handled.

Essentially, it is about crafting the origins and history of a belief system through powerful beings. I was intrigued by the concept, and even started to think of how I would play!

Another neat element is how it uses a trick-taking mechanic. This isn’t always easy to simulate in a solo environment, but I think I can make it work.

Despite a lot of spelling errors, I thought this was a neat idea and I’m looking forward to trying it out soon!

Colostle

Does anyone else end up with solo RPG gifts? Ha! My husband brought this home for me one day last month, as he’s amazingly supportive of my solo storytelling fun.

Although I love this concept, I’m a little hesitant about the limited number of event prompts and vagueness.

If you’ve played even a couple of RPGs, you probably know a little bit about your tastes and how you prefer to play.

Extremely open-ended prompts without corresponding details specific to the setting can be too much for me to wrap my head around. Still, I’m going to give this a try!

Yazeba’s

This photo doesn’t reveal too much about this enormous box set because it is an absolute treasure. I’m the most excited to try this… Even though it’s not designed for solo.

There are set characters who evolve and change over the presented chapters. These can be played in any order, repeated, or simply skipped over. But the coolest part?

Locked content is slowly unlocked, often through the collection of stickers to place throughout the ledger.

I could go on and on about how charming this one seems to be, but expect to hear a lot more about it when I play!

The Warren

I remember absolutely loving Watership Down when I first read it long ago, and I still have a copy I read from time to time. So this RPG was practically an obvious choice!

Reading it was wonderful because it’s not just a game about rabbits. The system is very neat, and I picked up a wonderful tip to give characters a little personality.

Just choosing how they speak is powerful. Slowly? Loudly? Interrupted by giggles? Sarcastically? Such a great idea!

The settings are also gorgeous, with lots of options that include beautiful maps. I’ll be hopping over to this one!

Courier

Over the years, I’ve read a few RPG books when they first arrive, then forget all about them. I distinctly remember not liking this one… Only I didn’t recall the details.

Turns out, I was wrong! This is a campaign game about exploring and making deliveries across a wasteland that involves changing landscapes and factions.

The map is a central element, as are the goals to gain enough experience to reach a definite end point.

Yet I’m very excited about this system now! Who knows what I was thinking when I first read it? Glad I re-read it!

Galaxies in Peril

To try to slow myself down with the speed at which I was tearing through these RPG books, I settled on a larger volume about superheroes… I have a lot with this theme!

However, I felt bogged down by a lot of rules text. There was a surprisingly limited amount of lore and interesting ideas to fill in this setting. Far too open-ended for me.

I liked the included maps and stickers to create points of interest at the city, national, world, and galaxy levels.

Unfortunately, with so many superhero RPGs, I have many others I would prefer to play over this dense ruleset.

Under Hollow Hills

Here’s another one I perused when it first arrived, utterly mesmerized by the setting. It’s about a fairy circus that travels between worlds with some amazing characters.

This one grabbed me right from the start. It’s quirky, yet in a way that encourages storytelling. Actions and moves are very much about interacting with others in the world.

And it has some lovely sentiments, like the power to change the places the circus visits. Plus a proper tour!

I loved the ongoing example of play that brought this to life. Another one I’m so excited to try out relatively soon!

Home by Dark

Another theme that has a lot of RPG options is childhood nostalgia, often set in the 1980s or 1990s with a mystery.

I hesitated over this cover and the definite inclusion of fear, but this is fantastic! The system is extremely simple and focused on storytelling scenes in a single play.

Dice rolls are also rare, granting them more importance and helping drive scenes away from meandering threads.

Honestly, I’m surprised I didn’t know more about this one. It has a lot of potential as an easy sort of system with lots of narrative power. Definitely coming back to play!

Splitting at the Seams

With all of this writing, I’ve noticed that my notebook is starting to split. I guess it’s fitting… The Dark Crystal is all about the Skeksis and Mystics coming back together.

Seems this is just going in the opposite direction. Ha! I’ll have to find a way to prevent it from coming apart.

Although it might seem like a problem, I’m enjoying my notes and imagining all of the stories I might tell with most of these RPG books. Just can’t wait to dive in!

While it might not seem like play, reading a book can open up ideas to imagine scenes or characters to discover.

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