Not up for socializing but still itching to play a tabletop role playing game? I feel you my friend, and I’ve got your back. Maybe you just need something a little different to inspire you for your next campaign. Here’s a list of solo play TTRPGs ranging from horror themes to playing detectives you might find interesting.
10. Alone Among the Stars
Alone Among the Stars, created by Takuma Okada, is a relatively simple game. You play a solitary space traveler, hopping from planet to planet to discover anything and everything the universe can show you.
To play the game, all you’ll need to play is a standard deck of cards (no jokers), a 6 sided die, a journal, a pen, and your imagination.
The goal of the game, much like its rules, is also simple; explore the universe until you get tired. You can traverse the universe and end the adventure on your very first planet, or you can finish the whole card deck and consider yourself well traveled enough to retire. Even then you can continue to reshuffle the deck and explore some more. The beauty of Alone Among the Stars is the only limit for the game is your time, your patience, and your imagination.
Choose This Game If You Like…
- Space. Enough said… But seriously. If you’ve spent quite a bit of your life learning about celestial bodies, memorizing constellations, or simply watching Star Wars or Star Trek and dreaming about becoming an astronaut, this is a game for you.
- Exploration. This is the type of game where you worldbuild as you go. A space traveler, elusive and alone; simple, who’s there just to see what the universe can offer.
- A quick and simple game. All you need to do is roll dice, flip cards and imagine. This is as simple as Solo Tabletop Role Playing Games can get.
Grab the game here.
9. The Royal Cartographer
The Royal Cartographer is a tabletop worldbuilding rpg created by Albi13. In this game, there are 2 phases; the first is to create your communities, the features that define them, and the things that happened to them. And in the second phase, you play the Royal Cartographer, tasked with drawing up a map for the region for the Regent.
The goal of the game is to create a map of the region, with lore well thought out, taking into account the political climates and communities cultures. At the end, you’ll be left with a map you may use for your campaigns or books, add to your collection, or to keep as a keepsake. It’s a fun game for fellow cartography nerds, and is a useful tool to use when worldbuilding while you’re at it.
To play the game you’ll need a standard deck of cards, 2 different colored six sided dice per ‘community’, a community sheet per community, a journal, sheets of paper for the maps you'll make and a pen.
Choose This Game If You Like...
- Worldbuilding. The Royal Cartographer is a great tool to use if you’re having a drought with world building inspiration. The game has a list of community based scenarios you use based on the dice you roll or card you play which you can use as inspiration for worldbuilding your campaigns or stories.
- Cartography. You’re making a map, enough said. It doesn’t have to be as fancy or as pretty as the maps you’ll see in video games or at the front or back of books, but it’s a start. This game allows a chance to practice cartography while also making sure that the map you’re making actually has lore built with it.
- Building through Visualization. Sometimes, imagination isn’t enough to cut it. Visual learners need something in front of them before the cogs in their brain get going. The next time you try to flesh out your world, use it in tandem with this game. You’ll find that it’s easier to create more as you’re drawing it out on paper.
Grab the game here.
8. All We Love We Leave Behind
All We Love We Leave Behind, created by Adam X Vass, published by World Champ Game Co. is a roleplaying game of letter writing for a solitary player. In this game, you play the Writer, a character who stays at home while the Absent, someone they love (a parent, spouse, sibling, friend, etc) must leave. Playing this game will make you explore feelings of longing, loss and grief as you write letters for someone who’ll never reply back.
The goal of the game is to reach its end; whether through accumulating 4 Positive events (for the good ending), or 3 Doldrums (for the not so good ending).
To play this game you’ll need your writing apparatus (plain or fancy, it’s up to you), a standard deck of cards (without jokers), and an index card or a copy of the detail sheet to keep track of gameplay.
Choose This Game If You Like...
- Making NPCs. This is a fun way of creating an NPC rather than generating it through the internet. If you’re a DM, you’ll definitely be able to embody the character’s personality more, maybe even adjust to their mannerisms and way of speaking if you run a game of All We Love We Leave Behind with that character in mind. Besides, your players will definitely be impressed if you present them a collection of letters for them to peruse. Show and tell to the next level.
- Character Studies. If you’re the type of writer or artist who wants to delve deep into flaws, fears, and emotions of your characters, try role playing that character while playing this game. Experiencing the motions of emotions when dealing with the themes of this game will make your knowledge of said character so much better, trust me.
- Role Playing. You embody a character and will be entrenched in their emotions for quite a few letters. If you’re the type of player who likes getting into the nitty gritty of their character’s emotions, or want to practice doing so, try out this game. I won’t guarantee that tears would fall, but by the end of it, you’ll definitely feel not just a little bit raw.
- Stationery. If you ever need an excuse to hit up your local craft store to buy stationery sets and fancy ink pens, this is it. While not necessary to play, it is encouraged that you use fancy papers (designed, or parchment) with loopy cursive to fully immerse yourself in the experience.
Grab the game here.
7. Thousand Year Old Vampire
Thousand Year Old Vampire, created by Tim Hutchings, is a solo rpg of memory, vampires, and loss. In this game, you flesh out the long lonely life of a thousand year old vampire from their turning to their veritable, often messy, end. This game is not for the light hearted. Be warned that if you play this game, you’ll be forced to make gut churning decisions, face the facets of humanity, and lose said facets through villainous acts.
The goal of the game is to answer prompts, use up all of your Skills and Resources, until you reach the end of your vampire’s story. In the end, you’ll be left with a journal of passages to peruse as you’d like, something to look back to or use as inspiration for your next game or playthrough.
To play the game you’ll need a copy of the rulebook, your writing apparatus, a ten sided dice, and a six sided dice.
Choose This Game If You Like…
- Vintage Vampires. You won’t be seeing Cullen-esque vampires in this one… Well, maybe the ones from Volturi (they had the red eyes). In this one you’ll play the life of vampires of old. A thousand years old, kind of old. If you’ve ever had interests with vampires wearing puffy cuffs and coat tails, or maybe even ones originating from the Roman empire, you’ll definitely enjoy this game.
- History. In this game’s prompts, there are passages that have references to the events of the past. While not completely accurate, this is a fictional game after all, you might enjoy playing your character with references to historical events.
- Character Studies. If you’re thinking of writing a vampire story, playing Vampire: The Masquerade, or just really into studying immortal characters, try playing as them in this game. It’ll definitely be a unique experience and broaden your possible frame of reference and inspiration.
- Journaling. This is another game for my fellow stationery collectors. You can always use Microsoft Word or Google Docs to play, of course, but if you want to experience the game to its fullest, I suggest grabbing a leather bound notebook, printing out vintage images, or sketching out faces in black ink on parchment paper. Be extra, it’ll be more fun to look through in that case. Play the game again and again and you’ll have quite the collection.
Grab the game here.
6. Queenless
“Our Queen is dead! Such sorrow and despair!” Queenless, created by Croaker RPGs, is a solo exploration rpg where you play as a bee trying to keep the colony alive despite its lack of queen. Built as a solo game from the very start utilizing tables, exploration, and other mechanics that will keep you interested and challenge your little bee as it explores the valley on its quest.
The goal of the game is to explore the valley, find and collect 6 Royal Jellies needed to raise a new queen for the colony. Along the way you’ll find friends and foes among fellow insects. Learn about insects and their characteristics with Queenless, whose learning curve is easy, simple and straightforward that you’ll be able to play with kids.
To play this game, all you need is a standard deck of cards (without jokers), 2 six sided dice, a notebook, a pen, index cards or slips of paper, and a token (coins, poker chips, etc.).
Choose This Game If You Like...
- Small and simple adventures. Though gameplay takes a few hours, it’s very straightforward and simple. The goal to find 6 Royal Jellies among 6 other insects found in the valley is a simple quest, no need for hard thinking or worrying about losing. The game is designed to be played as a loop; discover a new area, explore the area, interact with what you find, and discover a new area once again.
- Bees and Nature. The rulebook is an aesthetic collection of flower images and insect illustrations. The whole vibe of the game is whimsy, cottage core, which definitely appeals to a certain demographic of TTRPG players, including me.
- Kid Friendly! The rulebook features easy to remember rules, a straightforward adventure, and enough easy to imagine visuals that kids from 7 years and up would be able to enjoy it too.
Grab the game here.
5. Castle of Memories
Castle of Memories, created by Adrian Lumm, is a solo player tabletop role playing game wherein you play the role of a character with amnesia who awoke in a dark castle. The more you explore the castle, the more you get to know the character you play, the more you explore the aspects of their personality.
The game is played as you read the rulebook, and to play the game, you’ll need: a deck of tarot cards, a journal to keep track of what’s happening, your character sheet, gaming dice (d4s, d6s, d8s, d10s, d12s, and d20s) and if you want, graphing paper.
The goal of the game is to escape the castle, whether as the character you once were, or something else entirely. Leaving the castle means you keep the memories you do discover, leaving behind those you don’t. The number of memories you have defines whether you have a great, good, neutral or bad ending. The last chance of introspection reserved at the end of your story.
Choose This Game If You Like...
- Character Studies. Your character grows as you discover more memories and encounter more monsters. What are the memories summoned? Why are they important? Playing Castle of Memories will let you peer deeper into your character’s past. Choose to play an original character or a loved character from a show or book, it doesn’t matter. You’ll definitely learn more about them as you play the game.
- Dungeon Making. Keep track of the castle by drawing it out on graphing paper. Be as creative as you can be, or keep it as simple as needed. By the end of the game, you can use the map as a dungeon for your players in D&D or Pathfinder! Talk about recyclability.
- Introspection. The act of reacquiring your character’s memories will leave a lot of chances for introspection. Maybe you’d like to use the prompts simply for the game, maybe you want to go beyond that and use the prompts for yourself. Really, it’s all about what you want to do, what you’d enjoy doing. Maybe it’ll create an avenue of healing for you, just remember that it’s a game at the end of the day, and the memories summoned are yours to discard or keep much like your character would.
Grab the game here.
4. BLOOM
BLOOM, written by Thor and Litza Bronwyn, uses The Wretched RPG system, created by Chris Bissette and Loot the Room, is a solo play journaling game. In BLOOM, you play the role of a teenage girl trapped in quarantine at a boarding school in an island infected by the Tox, an infection that mutates everything it infects; trees, animals, even people.
The goal of the game is to win by completing the win condition; drawing the Ace of any house and completing the objective for the card. You lose anytime your jenga tower falls or you draw out all of the Four Kings and have them out on the table. The rate of losing is high in this game, which makes winning ever more sweeter.
To play the game, you’ll need a standard deck of cards (without jokers), a six sided dice, up to 24 tokens or 4 additional six sided dice, an optional jenga tower, and your writing apparatus.
Choose This Game If You Like…
- The Wretched by Chris Bissette. If you’re familiar with the game, then you’ll definitely appreciate this campaign setting. The combined use of cards, dice, and jenga tower adds a level of tension that’s familiar to Dread, the horror game, but with an extra facet that increases the chance to lose. Though the jenga tower is optional, I suggest you play with it, it definitely adds an extra tension to the game and keeps your heart pumping in adrenaline the longer the game runs.
- Wilder Girls by Rory Power. BLOOM is heavily inspired by the book. You can play the role of the book’s main character, Hetty, as she tries to make sense of what her life has become after 18 months of quarantine, the Tox, and a missing friend.
- Apocalyptic Themes. The chance for failure is high, and shaky fingers, both in character and out, may lead to your tower and life toppling down everytime. The game is an earnest attempt at survival against almost impossible odds. Expect to face prompts that would evoke heavy emotions, fitting for its theme and genre.
Grab the game here.
3. Escape from Demon Castle Dracula
Escape from the Demon Castle Dracula, created by Rob Hebert, is a solo dungeon crawling rpg designed for the horror enthusiasts and those dark & stormy nights when you’re craving the need to be scared. In this game, you play as Dracula’s latest mortal victim, kidnapped and left in the dungeons of the castle, livestock for future feeding.
The goal of the game, you guessed it, is to escape this shifting labyrinth of horrors. Draw the Red Joker and you’ll find the exit, draw the Black Joker however, and prepare to face Dracula himself. There’s multiple chances of dying; you’ll be facing various monsters, traps, and nightmares along the way. Every dark corner is dangerous, every room contains a possibility for something terrifying.
To play the game you’ll need a printed copy of the rulebook (for full immersion), 5 candles to track your life (and set the mood), a six sided dice, a standard deck of playing cards (with the jokers), a token to represent your character (a coin or anything that size will suffice), a piece of paper, and a pen.
Choose This Game If You Like…
- Horror & Gore. There’s no holds barred in this game, what you’ll experience is definitely what you expect when reading the game’s disclaimer and trigger warnings. Staying true to its gruesome inspirations, know that this game is hard hitting. Tackling topics of torture, mutilations, body horror, claustrophobia, loss of sanity, and even loss of agency, know that this is just a game. Skip prompts that don’t work or work too well, enjoying yourself is always the first priority when playing games.
- Dungeon Crawls. This game is unique in this list in that it’s built specifically for a dungeon crawl. Where resource management is important (and finite), and careless decisions can lead to your downfall. Each playthrough will be different, as the map is made by the cards you draw, and the replayability is endless.
- Combat Heavy Games. Much like any classic dungeon crawl, combat is definitely a must. With Escape from the Demon Castle Dracula, prepare to face creatures of horrors of many kinds. Canonically creatures under the control of Dracula, smaller imps and skeletons may be easy to deal with, but beware, within the castle are also Dracula’s strongest minions. If you’re truly unlucky, you might even face Dracula himself.
Grab the game here.
2. Fairyland Confidential
Fairyland Confidential, created by Nick Wedig, is a solo player roleplaying game. Combining the themes of film noir and fairy folklore, you play a detective, hired to investigate a murder. You investigate by playing a card and asking its corresponding question, interviewing the six suspects until you either find the guilty culprit or max out either your Tribulations or Danger, in which case, you’ve failed.
To play the game you’ll need a standard deck of playing cards (with the jokers), 2 six sided dice of different colors, a set of these rules, a victim sheet, a crime sheet, and some way to take notes. A playthrough takes around 30 minutes to an hour to play
The goal of the game is to solve the murder by narrowing down your list of suspects until you have only one left, all the while maintaining a healthy low number of Tribulations or Danger.
Choose This Game If You Like…
- Film Noir. If you’ve ever had an affection for black and white films, specifically of the film noir genre, then this is the game for you. Embody your trench coat and fedora wearing detective as you try to solve a gruesome murder.
- Grimm’s Fairy Tales. The dark and gloom of Grimm’s fairy tales fits well with Fairyland Confidential. In this one, fairies are real; less like Tinkerbell and more like the creatures of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, old and otherworldly.
- Replayability. This game comes with 6 different murders to investigate, each one different from the rest. With the use of a deck of cards, you’ll know that each runthrough will be different from the rest. And with no way to determine who’s guilty, not even the book knows, each adventure will be a brain buster of suspense and mystery. You can even tweak each runthrough’s difficulty; you have the option to make the case easier (and the gameplay faster), or more difficult (almost close to impossible).
Grab the game here.
1. Ironsworn
Ironsworn, created by Shawn Tomkin, is an in depth solo to small group tabletop roleplaying game set in the dark fantasy setting known as the Ironlands. In this game you play a hero, sworn to undertake perilous quests; explore untracked wilds, fight desperate battles, forge bonds with isolated communities, and reveal the secrets of this harsh land.
The goal of the game is to fulfill your iron vows, no matter the cost. This could come from an inciting incident from your childhood; swearing revenge against a powerful enemy who abused you, or maybe something entirely personal; like becoming the strongest hero in all of Ironlands. Out of all the games recommended in this list, this is the most extensive, rule established, and fleshed out; the closest solo player TTRPG to Dungeons & Dragons 5e.
To play the game, you’ll need a copy of the rulebook (the whole 270 pages of it), 2 ten sided dice, a six sided dice, an optional 2 ten sided dice, a printed character sheet, printed asset cards and some counters for marking status tracks on your character sheet.
Choose This Game If You Like...
- Epic Quests. Very similar to Dungeons & Dragons, or even the Odyssey, in Ironsworn, your character has the option to join multiple quests, each success (or failure that isn’t death) making your character stronger. Designed similar to a published adventure from Wizards of the Coast, the rulebook is jam-packed with adventures to play, enough so that you’ll have hours upon hours of gameplay, and that’s just from one playthrough!
- A Never Ending Adventure. You can play Ironsworn as long or as short as you’d like. The game is set up so that your hero’s story can continue for as long or as short as you’d like. Maybe they’re the type to retire after accomplishing their first and only Iron vow, or perhaps they’re the type with a thirst for adventure, and they couldn’t have it any other way. The choice is yours.
- Fully Fleshed Out Worlds. The book includes tips and tricks to flesh out Ironlands, but it also provides a preset description for each section of the world. Details including terrain, local communities, possible encounters, and more are set up in the book.
- Games Easily Convertible for Multiplayer play. What’s awesome about Ironsworn, and the reason it made it to the top of this list, is that it’s easily convertible to small group play. Maybe in your free time you enjoy some quests, level up your character as you see fit, explore more of the land, fight more enemies; and chance allows you to meet up with friends also playing Ironsworn, or interested in playing it. You’ll be able to easily import your character (and you can make multiple of them) from solo play to a group with an actual GM. If only you could do the same thing in D&D.
Grab the game here.
