All Things Solo

At last, Creative Process is our subject. Every topic I discussed so far was for the Player Approach which is the default mode of Solo Play if you want to quickly jump into action. Later on, as your experience increases, you can try GM Approach to start your sessions to learn about Game Mastery bit by bit. You will NOT have to create a whole world, just a piece of it to fit your PC in. This can even be a good practice if you want to start GMing for groups.

# Creative Process

"Write the story by rolling dice. It worked for Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman." - EpicSolo

Creativity is usually associated with **Visual Imagination** and **Linking Images** into a coherent whole. But some people do not use their eyes to understand the world around them, therefore, they don't create a representation of the world in art forms by using their inner eyes. There are other senses & ways to produce content to link "images" together and create a snippet of a story, or a character background. So, let's expand on ways to create a piece of your setting to be used with Freeform Association which is the meat and potatoes of Creativity. What can you use as BASE-FORM to create content?

• Pictures, Abstracts, Concepts, Symbols, Meanings... What else?
• Sounds, Smells, Tastes, Touch... What else?
• 6th Sense if you have it... What else?
• LISTS! LOTS and LOTS of lists... Lists of places, historical events, character archetypes, monsters, myths, themes, concepts, symbols, words (dictionary), sounds, songs & lyrics, words that describe smells, tastes and feelings.

NOTE: Don't let these overwhelm you. You use whichever is the one you need at a time!

## The LoreMaster

In a game story, especially in Solo Mode, all you need to create is;

• Characters, including your PC & NPCs,
• Villains, that are monstrous or two legged ones,
• Places, which you'll represent them with maps, or by definitions,
• And Relations of these character with each other and with the environment.

Shortly, Your World's Lore. If you read any setting book, they consist of these things with some minor additions such as items.

But how to start the creative process? With REIFA.

# R.E.I.F.A.

Thanks to GreatGM in Youtube, we have REIFA System:

NOTE: All you need is ONE little spark for inspiration and NOTHING MORE. So, don't feel the need to do all of these at once. Pick a small element that seems cool to you and work on it.

• Research: Read at least lists of things you want to create to spark your imagination.
• Experience: Use your real life experience on subjects you're knowledgeable of.
• Inspiration: Use anything and everything in your reach to inspire you. Store your ideas even if you won't immediately use them.
• Freeform Association: Treat each base-form as half-baked cookie dough, and add some chocolate chips to your cookies by linking other half-baked base-form ideas. The more stories you make with the same words you linked, the faster you can do it. Then roll again and link different words.

"Link things together, using research, experience, and inspiration." - HowtobeaGreatGM

# Starting Game Mastery

If you remember the Golden Rule of Solo Play, it can be applied here, too: If it's FUN for you, then go for it! Especially relevant in 2nd item.

1. When sitting down to the table to Play Solo in GM Approach, your first activity should be acting as a GM. So, DON'T start your sessions with character creation. A character bereft of his surroundings & belongings is just an empty shell in the void.
2. Develop A SMALL PIECE of your setting, first. Whatever is close to your heart. Build a scene in the world and add characters in it, make them talk: what are they talking about? Write a piece of poem for a ruined temple. Find an artifact, give it a history, and put it in a chest: where did they hide the chest? Use your lists of places, character types, items, events as a baseline and make them your own. Steal from songs, films, books, comics, life, nature, wherever comes inspiration.
3. Think about Your Role as Solo GM.
4. Only then start creating your PC in relation to the piece of a setting you prepared before.

EDIT: I just remembered where did I learn this part: I apologize to her for not giving credit, before.

Solo Game Master's Guide (book) by Geek Gamers in youtube.

# Your Role as Solo GM

## Engage in a Story and Have FUN!

DON'T feel obliged to do all of these, or ANY at all. If your heart tells you to create something you're passionate about, pick that one. These suggestions are just examples of what might the subject of your Creative Process be.

NOTE: If you're still undecided, you can roll a dice for any item in this lists. If you say "no I don't want that," after your roll, there's a chance the thing you want to create will emerge.

## 1. Actively Use Your Imagination

Start by whatever you are excited about, and not necessarily the things below.

1. Imagine characters. Who are they? How do they look like? What goes around in their minds?
2. Imagine places. Who built them? What are their current state? What is their history?
3. Put those characters into the places you imagined and give them a tour. How will they look to the PC without all the conflict?
4. Write snippets of lore for weapons and armor, buildings, environment, magical phenomenon...
5. Make the characters you imagined find those pieces of lore. How will they react?
6. Pick an element in your rulebook (NPC, monster, item, etc) and reimagine it for your own purposes. If you don't like something in it, change it.

## 2. Ask Questions

"WHAT IF" will be your go-to question in Content Creation. Maybe some words you linked gave you a straightforward story snippet. It's nice and all, but what if you reverse it? What if you look at it from an NPC's perspective instead of your PC's perspective? What if the monster is telling the truth despite being evil? What if that truth will jeopardize your quest, anyway? What if, if you don't act on it, even a worse outcome is waiting for you?

1. What is FUN for me?
2. What kind of setting?
3. What kind of story?
4. What type of characters?
5. What type of villain?
6. Which type of architecture?
7. Which tones and moods for scenes?
8. How can I adapt my story for my PC?

Don't go overboard. Pick whatever question is your current context.

## 3. Research

Whichever seems fun to you. Above or below are just examples.

1. RPG Genre lists,
2. Adventure types in RPGs,
3. Settings, such as Points of Light
4. Conflict types,
5. Character archetypes, NOT classes, mind you. These are character personalities in literature.
6. How to create tone in a session, as explained here.
7. Random tables you might need, etc.
8. Cool things you want in your game!

# Interpretation Guidelines

SPOILERS AHEAD for the EpicSolo's DnD Series.

Behind the GM Screen Full Videos. Below is the important parts of Behind the GM Screen for Solo Mode;

• Even if you "misunderstand" random words (desert -> dessert) in Freeform Association, if it gives you a cool answer, or if you like it, go for it! Video example from starting point 8:14 until 10:19.
• Your INTERPRETATIONS will all be based on CONTEXT: Video example 10:15 to 13:13.

• CREATING NPCs: Video Example 6:48 to 13:36
  
  • The Solo Adventurer's Toolbox 1 (NPC GEN) + Dungeon Master's Guide (Creating NPCs) complement each other. https://imgur.com/JXVuIe6
  • Let your imagination go wild with the descriptive words in these tables. Keep your scene's context in mind.
  
  

## Scene Prep

HOW / WHY Questions with Mythic's Fate Chart: Video Example. 16:00 to 18:53.

* Use 2 random words from Event Meaning: Action & Event Meaning: Subject by pressing Create Event button, to arrive at the conclusion to your question.

Exercises