Solo Adventure blog post using mashup of THW Lovecraft's Revenge and my rules

[Shaun Travers]

Hello

I have been busy in all of 2018 renovating a house we are moving into, and also getting our existing home (been there 30 years!) ready to sell.  It is not over yet but we are close with our house going on the market next week, and the renovations mostly done, or at least enough for the new house to be able to move into!

Anyway, I have gamed nearly nothing and have wrote a few miniature rulesets I have not had a chance to play. In 2012 I started a solo Traveller RPG game using a spreadsheet but quickly ran into the issue that it was not what I wanted to play.  Over the following years I have tried out various diversions but none really clicked.  But this year I made it a bit of a focus to try another go at what I wanted from a solo RPG.

This blog post summarises the journey, my RPG rules, the mashup with the Two Hour Wargames Lovecraft’s Revenge, and what will be coming (actually write out the rules and use them to play some pulp noir and replay Traveller scenarios).  Included are some examples of output from the spreadsheet that I use to run the entirety of the game:

https://solostellarstories.blogspot.com/2018/11/using-mash-up-of-thw-lovecrafts-revenge.html

This blog post is the first adventure using the spreadsheet.  It only lasts three scenes, but as I say in the post, that is what I like about Lovecraft’s Revenge – there is an expectation that you may not survive to the end!

https://solostellarstories.blogspot.com/2018/11/tates-tragedy-adventure-001-mashup-of.html

I am already midway through the second adventure so that will go up on the blog sometime.  Note I have not forgotten miniatures – it just no time for them at home and I spend the occasional work lunchtime with the spreadsheet.

[Darkest Star Games]

That’s pretty interesting!  Really liked the story you came up with to go along with the spreadsheet results.  I do this sort of thing too with solo gaming.  Oddly enough, i  sort of liked that he didn’t “win” the adventure!

"I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

[Shaun Travers]

Yes, I did not mind at all it did not finish.  I know I could easily not finish an adventure successfully with other rules but I do like that Lovecraft’s Revenge explicitly states you are likely not to make it to the end!

[Who Asked This Joker]

Now Shaun, how did I not know you had this blog?  I think I remember you doing something with Traveler and solo play.  Same blog?  Now I have to look!

John

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

--Abraham Lincoln

[Shaun Travers]

Hello John,

The solo RPG blog is new and was supposed to be used to replay Traveller Scenarios but using my own SF RPG.  But it will be used for all pulpy type adventures with my own RPG that currently I am using for Lovecraft’s Revenge.

And you have a good memory! In 2012 I did start a Traveller adventure on another blog using the Traveller rules but did not get very far – about 7 posts.  I realised solo Traveller I not for me.  I like the setting but not playing the rules solo…which is why I have spent the last 6 years writing an solo RPG set I like to play!

Oh, the Solo Traveller blog (that I will no longer be posting to) is here: http://shauns-solo-traveller.blogspot.com/

 

 

[Who Asked This Joker]

I too like Traveler, Shaun.  Not sure about Lovecraft though.  C’thulu is not one of my interests.  Just never saw the charm in that moldy old god.  😉  It will be interesting to see what you come up with.  I think RPGs are tough to write.  A good one will have a surprising amount of depth.  My son and I have played some Sell Swords and Spell Slingers. It is a solo/cooperative game and is rules lite.  My knock on the game is that the depth in terms of what you can do with money etc is a bit lacking.  Fun little skirmish game though.

John

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

--Abraham Lincoln

[Shaun Travers]

Hello John

Six months ago I had as much interest in Cthulhu as you (i.e. zip). Horror is not my thing and I think I had only read one HP Lovecraft short story when I was about 15. I know of the Call of Cthulhu RPG as I had a few friends in University that played it. But a few years ago I read a series of 42 books that was a modern pulp detective series set in Australia. So I started reading more pulp, especially from the 30s and 40s. I already had THW Larger than Life (LTL) due to interest in it as a possible story framework, and also did a solo Pulp Alley game. My RPG is really simple and is there to drive the scenes of the story. The reason I looked at THW Lovecraft’s Revenge (LR) is I had read it was a streamlined version of Larger than Life. Which is sort of true. It does away with the 3×3 grid for PEFs and does simplify some of the steps. My preference is to run straight pulp stories with my solo RPG (and then move back into space!). Rather than try and fit LTL into LR, I thought I would run some LR and then fit the missing elements I liked from LTL (and then move to modify my mashup to something even more to my liking!). That meant getting in the mood reading some Cthulhu Mythos stories, of which I got some really cheap Kindle books from Amazon. I am nearing the end of them so will back to straight pulp in about month or so. I am assuming that I will post a few more LR inspired blog posts until I finish reading them and then become straight pulp ones using a modified scene framework. Of course, I may get back into miniatures too!

I have Sellswords and Spellsingers and have read blog posts on them (including yours). They do look like a fun skirmish set and I nearly thought about playing them in a spreadsheet (!). No time at present ☹

[Who Asked This Joker]

Funny enough, I had a few University friends that would also play Call of Cathulu.  It sounded like they had great fun with it.  That said, I do like Pulp gaming.  I specifically like Indiana Jones (well two of the movies anyway!) and think those would be great fun to game, at least as a skirmish game.

Well, when you get a chance, do try Sellswords, even if just to try out the solo mechanisms.  As well, you could look into Rangers of Shadowdeep.  It also is made for soloing.   The solo mechanics are a bit more straight forward.

 

John

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

--Abraham Lincoln

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