All Things Solo

Environmental storytelling is the art of arranging a careful selection of the objects available in a game world so that they suggest a story to the player who sees them. Think of original Bioshock.

Let's continue on Bioshock (video game). Even if you remove everything but the environment, you can still deduce many things about the underwater city "Rapture" by looking at rooms full of water dripping from broken glasses, flickering neon signs, blast marks on posters on walls that promise a glamorous future, so on and so forth...

Rapture Video:


The "story" is what you see in the video, especially in comparison with what the environment "was" before.

How it was once built to become a utopia for every one to live in peace and harmony regardless of their gender, race, beliefs, blah blah. But how it turned out at the end is a completely different story. We see the change in this story over the smashed rooms in the Rapture, the underwater city.

As we watch destructive effects on billboards, walls, neon lights, and everywhere else, we understand that horrible things happened in this deserted city. Moreso, we understand how it all started with one simple image: the philosophical foundation of the city.



And all these glory went down the drain at New Year's Day in 1959... We know this thanks to the neon "happy" new year sign. An excellent contrast: Utopian Ideal vs. Dystopian Reality.

Soloing Environmental Stories

In Solo Play, the stories you want to tell doesn't have to be so bleak as in Bioshock. Although, my example will be so, just to show you how to create mood and mystery at the same time. R.N.G rolls may take you anywhere, so be sure your tables include many types of mundane objects in them.

So, we'll randomly create 3 mundane objects on-the-spot or in prep phase, maybe with a room description, and link them together to determine what story they are telling us, based on the current context . It is a matter of simple rolls for mundane objects (or not, CHOOSE objects you want) and using Freeform Association with them. That's it!

Treat the creation of the scene like an investigator as the SOLO GM:

Your PC doesn't have to be Sherlock Holmes or a ranger with tracking skills, if you're doing it on-the-fly. Don't just think E.S. as some objects for your PC to deduce stories to solve a case. These objects in a scene can simply be used to create mood, as well as a mystery -or any kind of story!

This method will answer the questions : How does this place feels to be in? What does this place tell us?

Remember the 2 sides of Solo Play:

1. Creation part is for the GM side,
2. Interpretation and reaction parts are for the Player side.

The trick is, roleplaying your character in the scene naturally and refraining from using your GM knowledge (meta-game) as a player.

It's simple: Think of your PC as a video game character you're playing. Let them find things on their own. Maybe YOU would act differently but ask this question:

What would my PC do? The answer will be based on "Who" your PC is.

Tables You'll Need

If you have some mood props or mysterious objects in mind or if you're already creative, you won't need tables but you'll eventually run out of ideas. So having some tables ready is definitely useful.

• Mundane objects table (more detailed the better)
• RPG items table (optional, depends on your setting & genre)
• Room descriptions table (optional)

Mundane Item Gen: https://tools.libove.org/generators/roll/mundane-item/

RPG Item Gen: https://www.herebetaverns.com/mundane-item-generator

Room Description Gen: https://dndcampaignplanner.com/tools/room-description-generator

CONTEXT

As everything else in Solo Mode, your interpretations will be based on current context of the story. Take the one below for example:

Scene: After throwing off his tracks, my PC "Thornbold" discovers a big stone cottage among the woods. As night time starts to fall on the land, he slowly approaches the cottage to hear if anyone's in there. After a minute of silence, he decides to slowly open the door and peaks inside.

The Entrance: The air in the room is clear but cold. There's smells of rotting vegetation coming somewhere below the room.

• This room has a limestone tile floor. The floor of this room is a mottled of red, tan and black granite.
• The ceiling is a flat reinforced with stone beam with regular rectangular shaped beams and with the rusted remains of a full suit of plate armor pinned to the ceiling with a steel shafted spear.
• Important Detail: Spaced about every five feet across the floor are small recesses with iron rings set into them. A couple of the thick rings have been ripped open.

Context: As you can guess, the context that matters in relation to Thornbold's current situation is the two iron rings that's been ripped off. Some hostile people were chasing him and just when he thought he was safe, now this...

After you determined the context, you can start your interpretation with Freeform Association.

# Back to Basics

IF you can't think of anything that binds the objects you rolled for into one coherent piece of a story, return to basics. Try to perceive the objects not as words, but as Pictures, Abstracts, Concepts, Symbols, or Definitions. Then fill in the blanks in an interpretive way after you have more info about the objects.

MY EXAMPLE

Example Objects:

• Object 1: A worn-out journal with cryptic symbols
• Object 2: A broken lantern with a shattered glass
• Object 3: A half-buried statue of an angel with cracked wings

Story Context:

These items are found around an overgrown grave deep inside an underworld cemetery. They indicate that someone was forgotten or left behind. Something sinister occurred in the town or area sometime ago, possibly involving supernatural forces or dark secrets. Your PC might be drawn into a quest to uncover the truth about the individual buried here, or perhaps even confront the darkness itself.

Interpretation:

First object (the journal) could represent a record of strange occurrences or dark secrets that took place in the area. The worn-out condition of the journal suggests it has been carried around, read, and studied by others trying to understand these events. It might hint at supernatural forces involved in the person's abandonment and the town's mysteries.

Second object (the lantern) could symbolize the breaking of hope or safety that once existed within the community. The shattered glass may also signify hidden dangers lurking beneath the surface, reflecting the darkness that has taken hold in this forgotten place. Players might interpret the presence of this broken lantern as a warning or a call to explore deeper into the unknown.

Third object (the statue) could represent the dual nature of the town - one of beauty and hope, the other of darkness and despair. The cracked wings might suggest that the town's original ideals have been tarnished or corrupted by hidden forces or secrets, mirroring the forgotten grave and the overgrowth cemetery.

Note on Themes

Q: What is the Usage of Themes In E.S.?

You can use certain mundane objects that are related to certain themes to create the exact mood, mystery, or story in an environment as you want. Since there are too many objects for plethora of themes, I'll just give you an advice:

*A theme is the underlying MEANING of the story. So, start with a purpose in mind to pick 3 strategic objects for your E.S. scene, based on the general description of your theme.

Such as reflecting a lighthearted yesterday with sweet memories in a tavern room. OR maybe the tent of a general in a battlefield to reflect his / her well-organized, disciplined and rigid life style.

Ask yourself what would be 3 objects in such places that reflects the precise concepts you want to show.

But don't be too obvious. Remember, these objects should "imply" a piece of story with lots of holes in it, not making it obvious.

Think of some holes in a pair of blue jeans. If the blue jeans is clean and the holes are too convenient, that means it's designer's piece. But if the holes are in a dirty and worn out jeans, this might suggest that it belongs to a poor person, maybe a homeless man, or worn by a little brother after it's been too small for his big brother...

Note on Hex-Crawling

Q: What is the Usage of E.S. In Hex-Crawling?

Environmental stories can make Hex Crawling MUCH MORE fun at every scope of a hex-map. From the big picture to smallest part of a room...

So, you can take what you've learned in here and use them in your hex maps with the knowledge of G.U.A.R.D.S and Obstacle Creation Methods.

Thematic Prop Examples	Hex-crawl Themes
* Arrowhead, Black goo, Tree stump * Mirror, Broom, Candles * Insect in a jar, Googles, Tools * Dunes, Mirage, Palm Tree	* All Terrain Types * Garden with blood pool * Room with an ominous altar * Monsters based on themes (halloween = zombies, etc)

# MOAR

There are examples in this AI Podcast #3 at 8:10.

Check the first comment for breakdown of transition between object gen to narrative: