The Adventures of Solo-Man!

[Maccabe]

I often find myself without a group yet with 1 player. For fun I imagine trying to run a serious campaign and I wonder if anyone here has had any luck running a Solo game without the NPC 'sidekicks' being "Martin Stew" types. How many NPC's would you create for such a "team"?

Genre isn't really an issue, though Silver Age Television style seems the best for such a venture.

[Yansuf]

Re: The Adventures of Solo-Man!

 

I have in the past played in two different "solo hero" campaigns. Both were fairly short lived (due to real life constraints) but they both worked OK.

[assault]

Re: The Adventures of Solo-Man!

 

I presume you are talking about supers here.

 

Strictly speaking: 0. There are very few NPC functions that require a superhero to perform. About the only one I can think of is last ditch rescues - and they should be very rare occurrences.

 

I'd go with a maximum of 2. Think of them as Robin and Batgirl.

 

"Robin" is someone to talk to and collaborate with. He's also the one who will do the rescuing, if it's necessary. He's generally weaker than the main hero, and thus doesn't overshadow him (or her).

 

"Batgirl" is more of a foil. She's not so close to the PC, and can be a bit of a nuisance, and possibly even a rival. She's the one that risks becoming a Mary Sue. Again, though, this can be partly handled by making her weaker.

 

You don't really need both. It's pretty obvious who I think the more problematic one is...

 

Note that gender is not inherently associated with these roles.

 

A solo game is not the same as a team game. Apart from anything else, the PC's disads/complications are far more important. To a large extent, they will drive the game, and can be explored in far more detail than is possible in a team game. For that reason, the PC can often have more disads/complications than in a team game.

 

An NPC hero, on the other hand, shouldn't. It's not their story. They should only have what they need to define themselves, and maybe act as a hook for a couple of scenarios.

[baronspam]

Re: The Adventures of Solo-Man!

 

I have both played in and GMed solo and duo champions games before, and I think they work fine. Your player should be careful to build a character who is both reasonably tough and also tactically flexable. You don't want to be a one trick pony if you are the only horse in the ring. I don't think you really need to build a team, but perhaps a side kick, getaway driver, moon copter pilot, or something similar is a help. Some supporting characters make for a richer experience, and someone has to track the villians to their lair and start a diversion in case the hero gets defeated and captured.

[assault]

Re: The Adventures of Solo-Man!

 

One possibility for a second sidekick hero is the one who is Doomed to Fall into Evil.

 

Make sure it's the second sidekick. There has to be one who the hero can trust, or you will end up teaching the player not to trust your NPCs.

 

A good example from the Champions Universe (any edition) is Shrinker. She started off as a heroine, before circumstances led her to become a villain. This is a good dramatic plotline, that you could easily rip off for your own game.

 

Let her start out as a heroine, helping and being helped by the PC. Do whatever you can to make the player and the PC care about her a little bit. Then, slowly and gradually, turn on the darkness. Make sure there are moments of light as well. Make it a bit "will she or won't she?" Give the PC hope that she can be saved, right up until the time she goes over the point of no return.

 

BUT. Do not let this overshadow your campaign. It's a subplot, nothing more. It's not her story - it's the PC's. If you make it about her, she's on the road to Mary Suedom.

 

Of course, you could equally do all this with a non-powered NPC - a DNPC would be ideal. And if they end up having a radiation accident and become a full-fledged supervillain, and the player likes it, you've just won massive GM points.

 

There's a lot that can go wrong. It may simply not be viable for many players. If, on the other hand, they have any taste for Drama, it could work very well, and be something completely different from a game about punching faces.

 

I guess the overall point is that you can try more elaborate plotlines in a solo game. You're not continually having to keep a whole bunch of people happy, but can tailor your game to a single player.

 

Unfortunately, elaborate plotlines take time to develop, so if you are only going to play occasionally, you might still be forced into simpler episodic scenarios. Even there, a few dangling hooks can help ensure that there will be a next session.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: The Adventures of Solo-Man!

 

You could go the 'Solo Man family' route, where there are a number of other characters involved in or inspired by his activities. The mechanic/chaffeur with an ear to the ground. The former protege' who has her own career but who can be counted on to have his back when needed. The antihero rival who fights the same fight but goes a little farther than Solo Man can countenance in meting out justice. The formidable girlfriend who has her own adventures and can usually take care of herself. The armorer who supplies his special gear because they both believe in the cause. And so forth.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: The Adventures of Solo-Man!

 

I presume you are talking about supers here.

 

Strictly speaking: 0. There are very few NPC functions that require a superhero to perform. About the only one I can think of is last ditch rescues - and they should be very rare occurrences.

 

I'd go with a maximum of 2. Think of them as Robin and Batgirl.

 

"Robin" is someone to talk to and collaborate with. He's also the one who will do the rescuing, if it's necessary. He's generally weaker than the main hero, and thus doesn't overshadow him (or her).

 

"Batgirl" is more of a foil. She's not so close to the PC, and can be a bit of a nuisance, and possibly even a rival. She's the one that risks becoming a Mary Sue. Again, though, this can be partly handled by making her weaker.

 

You don't really need both. It's pretty obvious who I think the more problematic one is...

 

Note that gender is not inherently associated with these roles.

 

A solo game is not the same as a team game. Apart from anything else, the PC's disads/complications are far more important. To a large extent, they will drive the game, and can be explored in far more detail than is possible in a team game. For that reason, the PC can often have more disads/complications than in a team game.

 

An NPC hero, on the other hand, shouldn't. It's not their story. They should only have what they need to define themselves, and maybe act as a hook for a couple of scenarios.

 

And another bookend example would be Superman, Lois and Jimmy.

The DC Animated Universe even started out with just Batman and later Superman before we got the Justice League. Either are prime examples of a solo hero.

[Ninja-Bear]

Re: The Adventures of Solo-Man!

 

On a side note you can use this opportunity to use rules that you might not otherwise use in a group game. Of course talk to your player first. This is a time which you can see what effect the rules do to a character before having in a game. The genres which jump out to me for a solo game are Ninja Hero and Dark Champions. And as I said about rules mechanics, Ninja hero has a whole bunch of optional rules which would be great to use in a solo game, and you can have a more descriptive combat.