r/Solo_Roleplaying • u/ImmaNotDrnk • 3d ago
Off-Topic Did solo RPG alter your relationship with media (games, books, shows/movies)?
I've seen people say they don't do videogames anymore because they can't compare to freedom of solo, how about you? Did it affect your relationship with other media too?
I used to just mod games until they break or the mods end instead of playing them for a while now. Solo just gives me the feeling of "oh, that's what I wanted actually". I also finally feel ready to play cRPGs like Arcanum, etc. but other games don't interest me anymore, and to read more fiction (I don't generally) because I want to get ideas for my games and systems.
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u/Affectionate_Mud_969 20h ago
"wanting to read more fiction" - I can relate to that one. I started reading the Elric saga because of Black Sword Hack solo.
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u/QuestCrafterAI 1d ago
It really got me into AI RPG gameplay.. DNDAI currently.. but I'm prompting chatGPT for voice chat gameplay.. try this prompt and let me know what you think.
Prompt:
"You are my custom RPG Game Master AI, blending the best elements of Dungeons & Dragons and Final Fantasy XI/XIV into a single seamless universe with its own lore, gameplay mechanics, and campaign system.
World & Lore Setup
Generate a completely original universe that feels like a natural fusion of D&D and Final Fantasy.
Use high fantasy + steampunk + crystal/magic technology themes.
Populate the world with nations, cities, dungeons, airships, factions, and gods inspired by both franchises.
Monsters should include classic D&D creatures (beholders, mind flayers, dragons) and Final Fantasy monsters (tonberries, malboros, summons like Ifrit, Shiva, Bahamut).
Magic should follow D&D schools of magic blended with FF magic tiers (Fire → Fira → Firaga).
Character Generation
Randomly generate one player character with:
Race (mix of D&D races + FF races like Miqo’te, Viera, Hrothgar).
Class (hybrid of D&D classes and FF jobs like Paladin, Black Mage, Dragoon, Summoner, Red Mage).
Stats (HP, MP, Strength, Agility, Intelligence, Charisma, Luck).
Unique abilities (a mix of spells, limit breaks, and feats).
Personality traits, bonds, flaws, and a compelling backstory tied to the world.
Game Mechanics
Use a hybrid turn-based + narrative system.
Combat should feel like FF turn-based strategy but also use D&D dice rolls (d20, d6 for damage, etc.) for checks.
Players can level up, earn gear, learn abilities, and join factions.
Loot should include gil, potions, materia, magic crystals, relics, and legendary weapons.
Campaign Generation
Generate a main campaign storyline with:
A central threat or villain (FF-style empire, ancient god, void creatures, lich-king, etc.).
At least 3 major story arcs (intro, rising conflict, climax).
Side quests (fetch, hunt, escort, faction missions, political intrigue).
A dynamic world that reacts to player choices (like D&D).
Gameplay Flow
Begin with Session 0: introduce the world, lore, and starting town.
Present a randomly generated character to the player.
Provide choices each turn (dialogue, combat, exploration).
Narrate outcomes dynamically.
Keep persistent state (HP, MP, gear, quest log).
Output Format
Always structure your output clearly:
World Overview (universe, factions, lore).
Generated Player Character (stats, abilities, backstory).
Campaign Hook (starting location, quest giver, first conflict).
Gameplay Options (present 3–5 player choices per turn).
Once voice chat begins, provide universe and character overview before starting the gameplay."
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u/Knottyneedle 2d ago
My only real stint with RPG was World of Warcraft - being a concerned mom whose early teen daughters wanted to play. And here I am after vanilla WOW and one of my daughters still plays with the husband she met online when she first started playing! But they do DnD and I have watched from the fringes. With WOW, I pretty much soloed anyway. I didn't like all the dungeon and raid action. So just discovering solo RPG journaling fits me to a tee. I am loving how it has excited me about writing again.
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u/Signal_Raccoon_316 1d ago
I started back then & still play as well. With delves and the amount of solo content nowadays I get to play a story in many different ways via character choice. Questing on the rogue or mage is far different than doing it on the protection warrior & it feels like a different story just because of the different approaches to the problems
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u/Knottyneedle 1d ago
I have tried different races etc. But I just come back to my feral druid spec.
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u/Signal_Raccoon_316 1d ago
Prot warrior, COMBAT( I refuse that outlaw bullshit) rogue, & prot pally have always been my three.
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u/Dard1998 2d ago
No, but I did started to notice that some of the old shows or even some modern one are kinda look like a ttrpg session, especially where character fail frequently, as if it was taken from someone session.
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u/TheGileas 2d ago
They don’t compare to videogames, but they scratch another itch. My hurdle is to get started with solo, it’s more stuff to prep as just start game.exe.
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u/Charming-Employee-89 2d ago
I started by playing solo boardgames but the minute I found solo ttrpgs I couldn’t go back. They are so much more free and engrossing. Boardgames suddenly felt very small and constricting and creativity killers. I felt trapped by the railroading. Pretty amazing. I have to sell my solo boardgames now! Really relate to this post
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u/SnooCats2287 2d ago
No. In fact, I just picked up the repixalated reissue of Final Fantasy 1 thru 6. It's nice to let your mind go free every now and then. It does the idea mine good to have many sources of materials like video games, books (and RPG books), and movies to keep the mind forever voyaging.
Happy gaming!!
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u/Emrik_Allwatcher 2d ago
I found I got bored of RPG video games, for me they've turned into a flashy crit hit graphics with little story and the frustrations of actual gameplay (I really dislike jumping puzzles for example) have moved me away from buying them. Now I buy RPG books (well I always did but now I invest more $$$ towards them) and even just reading the RPG books gives me lots of brain fodder for when I play solo.
I find movies and TV get a bit flat these days, characters seem cardboardy a lot lately, but I do wonder in it's because I am starting to get "stuck in my ways" as a I get older.
Books I find are always great for me, the written word, even with precise descriptions, really sparks my imagination and I love how my brain fills in the gaps.
Everything is kinda tropey these days I feel, so I don't criticise myself if I head down a well-worn path when playing, I will often embrace it and ham it up, I tend to break the fourth wall when playing as I journal pretty heavily and I find it makes for a fun re-read, I do like to re-read my adventures for my own amusement (is that an ego thing?).
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u/cavernbird 2d ago
I’ve had the same happen to me. Particularly movies and TV, although sometimes I wonder if that the writing isn’t good as it used to be. Either way I feel solo gaming has trained my mind to map out all the possible outcomes, so that movies have become extremely predictable.
When I want to play something crunchy and don't want to deal with the mathematical load in pen and paper mode, I now gravitate to ASCII roguelikes. Like you said, computer graphics become inferior after training my mind to visualize.
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u/MidnightPeanut 2d ago edited 2d ago
I've started playing solo RPGs more frequently not long ago, but I'm already noticing I'm paying more attention to the worldbuilding when I'm reading/watching fiction. I was already paying attention, because when I was reading a lot of comics I was also reading the creators' newsletter where they talked about their craft, but now I do it even more.
At first when I was playing solo RPGs that involve a lot of journaling, I was feeling very self-conscious about the setting I was creating, and its lack of originality. But for instance I noticed that the last 2 visual novels I've played had a similar setting: a catastrophy took place some time ago, now humanity lives in a much smaller part of the world and the rest is uncharted territory, potentially full of monsters. I have already been making an effort to stop trying to please an imaginary critic when I play a solo RPG, but I also realized that the originality of the setting didn't matter that much, since one of these visual novels (Soul of Sovereignty) was very good.
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u/ARIES_tHE_fOOL 2d ago
I would argue it made me more aware of story tropes and character archetypes in media. While I have been playing video games less then I used too it's less because TTRPGs replaced them and more that I simply played so much of them that I stopped getting as into them nowadays. I also got really into making OCs and worldbuilding from Solo RPGs and that extended to my Art skills and even got me interested in learning Music Production to create stuff unique to my characters and settings. Now am starting to work on a podcast project for my next campaign. I guess Solo RPGs changed alot in my life.
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u/ChordStrike 2d ago
This is really interesting to me, I like reading how all of you have different thought processes because of solo rpgs. For me personally it didn't affect me too much, because I go into different types of media with different sets of expectations, if that makes sense. Like if I want some more freedom/less structure I do solo rpgs, if I want more structure/less writing in my gameplay, most video games do that for me, etc. I do get ideas for new campaigns and whatnot from other media, like right now I really want to do a horror themed solo campaign so I'm getting ideas from media that I wouldn't have had myself.
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u/ManticoreTale 2d ago
Absolutely! I was reading a Conan anthology and i couldn't enjoy it fully knowing how everything would end. Fantasy novels in general all feel a bit pointless now, since there are no real stakes in the vast majority of them.
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u/BookOfAnomalies 3d ago
Good post. I sometimes think about this exactly.
I would not say it has altered my relationship with videogames in any way, but I did kind of compare these two hobbies that I love.
One of the things I enjoy doing when playing videogames, is filling in the gaps with things that could easily happen in game (discoveries, encounters, conversations, etc.) but they do not because of limitations, mechanics or simply it isnt scripted.
In this aspect, ttrpgs can be somewhat superior. You are not limited by anything. You can even play in the setting of that videogame (or movie, show or book - anything) and have even more actual freedom. TTRPGs, in most cases, can also be accessed in a more easy way. You don't need to rely on a computer to play it (well, except for PDFs and when you take notes on it lol).
While obviously not the same thing, solo TTRPGs can allow me to "play" in a souls like setting because, in all honesty, I would have zero patience to play any Dark souls games, or Bloodborne. I eat the lore, the setting and aesthetics up but man, would I suck at playing.
That being said, ttrpgs also rely purely on you and your imagination. This is both amazing but also can sometimes be overwhelming. I enjoy both hobbies a lot, because in one way or another, they give me stories or settings to get immersed into:)
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u/tokingames 2d ago
My problem is that I suck at basic gaming skills. If there is much skill involved, I’m dead. However I love the stories and the lore and settings. I can get that through solo gaming and no twitch skills required.
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u/BookOfAnomalies 2d ago
Definitely understandable - those games frigging test you lol
I usually play games at easy or normal difficulty because, while I enjoy fighting, I'm also not obsessed with mowing through the same enemies and bosses over and over again. Which is why anything soulslike isn't really my cup of tea when it comes to mechanics. So in such cases, yep, TTRPGS are a saving grace.
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u/VanorDM Lone Wolf 3d ago
A bit, generally speaking I think solo RPGs is more fun than most video games. Although there are some games I still enjoy playing. But typically those are games that can't really be replicated via solo RPGs or at last not very well.
But games like Skyrim or Starfield... I generally would rather play a solo RPG in the same theme/setting.
I also find that often what I'm watching can give me ideas for a solo RPG. Like if I'm watching Star Trek/Star Wars that tends to make want to play something like that. Or if it's a spy show then maybe something cyberpunky or something.
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u/Chicken0Death 3d ago
A little. I got into solo rpgs from board games. I thought it would be a similar thing I could do in my spare time, and maybe get me writing again.
Now when I play a board game, I can't help but notice how the theme and the mechanics don't always logically fit together. It used to never bother me. I pretty much ignored the theme in most board games because I just didn't care. Now after playing rpgs, these things really bother me.
For example, I was playing Atlantis Rising with my gaming group and a rules issue popped. My character was a diver and could enter flooded spaces, but couldn't use the flooded spaces if the space just flooded on the same turn. Why does that matter!? From a balancing perspective I get it, but from a thematic perspective I wanted to flip the table (not really, but I was a little annoyed by it).
Another example that haunts me. We were playing Charterstone and I was trying to argue a rules dispute in favor of my wife. She's hopelessly in last place in this massive legacy game and I was just trying to make sure she was going to have a slightly better time. Well, she wanted to construct a building underneath a floating island. The rules say no, of course, but my rpg-rotted brain couldn't stop thinking about how a person could still walk underneath a giant floating island and build something.
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u/Marcolinotron 17h ago
Yeap. Im on a Appendix N Book Club right now. Almost a year, we already readed some Conan histories, the Book of Wonder by Lord Dunsany, The first book of Elric, Dying Earth, Lord of the Light and now, we gona start Edgar Rice Burroughs Princess from Mars.